Her Name Is Kaur: Sikh American Women Write about Love, Courage, and Faith

by Meeta Kaur (Editor)

Overview

Sikh American women do the lion’s share of organizing and executing the business of the Sikh community, and they straddle multiple lives and worlds—cross-cultural, interreligious, intergenerational, occupational, and domestic—yet their experiences of faith, family, and community are virtually invisible in the North American milieu and have yet to be understood, documented, or shared. Until now. In Her Name is Kaur, Sikh American women explore the concept of love from many angles, offering rich, critical insight into the lives of Sikh women in America. Through a chorus of multi-generational voices—in essays ranging in tone from dramatic to humorous—they share stories of growing into and experiencing self-love, spiritual love, love within family, romantic love, the love they nurture for humanity and the world through their professional work, and more. Eye-opening and multifaceted, this collection of stories encourages its readers to take the feeling of love and turn it into action—practical action that will make the world a better place to be for everyone, regardless of their faith or creed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938314711
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	06/17/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Meeta Kaur is the Managing Editor of the Sikh Love Stories Project, a story-telling project that reveals the inner lives of Sikh American women and men exploring love in revolutionary ways. ;She is a creative writer who is committed to the literary arts and the power of stories. ;Kaur has written for NPR, Hyphen Magazine, Sikh Chic and Asian Week. ;Kaur was also awarded the Hedgebrook Residency for fiction and The Elizabeth George grant for fiction. ; She graduated with an MFA in creative writing from Mills College, and is currently exploring gender identities, community building, and the issues that impact Sikhs in America through essays. ; Kaur loves spending time with her family, cooking, swimming, traveling, and exploring her spirituality through writing and with her family.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Foreword by Beanta Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh 5

Fisherwoman Preeti Kaur 11

Part 1 Anakh - Living with Dignity

Gone with the Pind Sonam Bhimbra 15

Moonlit Jogs, Yoga, and Faith Anu Kaur 25

I Call Her Lovingly, Unyielding Gurleen Kaur 36

Life, Friendship, and the Game of Love A. Kaur 44

My Mama's Hands Sargun Kaur 54

Part 2 Himmat - The Courage To Live as a Kaur

Like a Lotus on Water Puneet Kaur Sahota 67

Y2K Love Surinder Singh 75

LoveSikh: My Journeys for Home and Belonging Sangeeta K. Luthra 90

A Different Kind of Love Story Mandeep Kaur Neesha Kaur 104

My Sikhi Simarna Harsohena Kaur 113

Part 3 Sehaj - Graceful Acceptance

Circling The Sun Jalmeen Kaur 127

How My Mother-in-Law Became My Mother Jessi Kaur 137

Soniye Subrina Singh 150

The Boy is Pink! Jasminder Kaur 157

Spark Of Life Gurpreet Kaur 162

Part 4 Sanjog - Written in the Stars

God's Flow Satfot Kaur 179

Diving In Manbeena Kaur 189

Girl Reads Boy, Boy Reads Girl Prabhjot K. Ahluwalia 194

My Love Manpreet Kaur Singh 199

The Way Home Meeta Kaur 209

Part 5 Dharam - Our Sacred Work in the World

Love: The Most Lasting Form of Activism Simran Kaur 217

Amritsar Gunisha Kaur 222

A Revolution Called Love Harbani Ahuja 226

Moving On Forward Harleen Kaur 230

A Lesson in Love Sheba Remy Kharbanda 236

Appendix A Brief Summary of Sikhism 247

Appendix B Explanation of the Name Kaur 249

Glossary 251

Acknowledgments 265

About the Contributors 267

About the Editor 277

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Her Name is Kaur pushes past the boundaries of romance to illuminate the love at the very heart of faith. In this groundbreaking book, Meeta Kaur has gathered a diverse and fresh group of stories of growing up Sikh and redneck, Sikh and queer, Sikh and daydreaming, Sikh and heartbroken, Sikh and deeply beloved. Whether discussing the everyday (mother-in-law conflicts) or the taboo (mental illness), these women writers share colorful, intense, and engaging adventures that range from Los Altos to Toronto to Chandigarh. This collection deserves a place on the shelf of everyone interested in South Asian cultures, women of America, and just good storytelling.”
—Minal Hajratwala, author of Leaving India: My Family’s Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents

“Groundbreaking. I read Her Name Is Kaur in one sitting, heart quickening at each page, tears steaming at one point, was like quenching a centuries-long thirst. The courage coursing through each story is unmistakable — and reveals what it means to be a Kaur: with love as her moral compass, she becomes the one she is waiting for.”
— Valarie Kaur, National Interfaith Leader and Founder of Groundswell

“It has been an honor to read the stories of the women in Her Name Is Kaur. So sweet and humbling is this process of unshrouding one’s self and finding a sort of liberation in a community of human imperfections, shared re-membering, gendered reclamation, and revealing vulnerabilities. The stories are filling a space in my heart that I did not yet know was open to be claimed, bringing deeper meaning to Sikh sisterhood. This collection is a game-changer.”
—Kirpa Kaur, Director, SAFAR and independent scholar

“Her Name is Kaur is a delightful collection of narratives of second-generation Sikh women living in America. These narratives provide us with a rare window into the lived experiences of different Sikh American who are constantly striving to maintain their Sikh identity in the face of new challenges. My heartiest congratulations go to Meeta Kaur, the editor of this remarkable book, for giving us much hope and inspiration.”
—Pashaura Singh, professor, Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies, University of California at Riverside

“Her Name Is Kaur is a very important volume that uses the power of storytelling to amplify the voices of Kaurs, and to inspire the rest of us to gain strength from their narratives. Their stories teach us that falling in and out of love—with place, with men, with children, with God, with women, and with themselves—is a struggle on the precipice of time and eternality. Highly enjoyable for the casual reader, this book is also an indispensable resource for university classes in women’s studies, religion, and immigration studies.”
—Rahuldeep Singh, Assistant Professor of Religion, Director of the Center for Equality and Justice, Cal Lutheran University

“It’s rare to find a book that makes you want to sit down and pray with an open heart, but Her Name is Kaur does just that. Editor Meeta Kaur has gathered in this volume exquisite stories of how Sikh American women live their spiritual journeys, their loves, their losses, and their triumphs. This is both an important contribution to women’s studies and a moving testimony to the power of religious community.”
—Daisy Hernández, author of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism

Editorial Reviews

Her Name is Kaur pushes past the boundaries of romance to illuminate the love at the very heart of faith. In this groundbreaking book, Meeta Kaur has gathered a diverse and fresh group of stories of growing up Sikh and redneck, Sikh and queer, Sikh and daydreaming, Sikh and heartbroken, Sikh and deeply beloved. Whether discussing the everyday (mother-in-law conflicts) or the taboo (mental illness), these women writers share colorful, intense, and engaging adventures that range from Los Altos to Toronto to Chandigarh. This collection deserves a place on the shelf of everyone interested in South Asian cultures, women of America, and just good storytelling.”
—Minal Hajratwala, author of Leaving India: My Family’s Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents

“It’s rare to find a book that makes you want to sit down and pray with an open heart, but Her Name is Kaur does just that. Editor Meeta Kaur has gathered in this volume exquisite stories of how Sikh American women live their spiritual journeys, their loves, their losses, and their triumphs. This is both an important contribution to women’s studies and a moving testimony to the power of religious community.”
—Daisy Hernández, author of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism

“Written with honesty and courage. Her Name is Kaur is a tapestry of love, friendship, commitment, and acceptance. Meeta Kaur’s book is a selection of intriguing, eloquently crafted, and heartfelt personal narratives of Sikh women who share their stories of sacrifices, expectations, and challenges and deal with the complexity of relationships from dating, marriage, and finding true love to exploring one’s sexuality to discovering what it means to be a KAUR. A beautiful journey of the human spirit, self-realization, and ultimately . . . having faith.”
—Harpreet Kaur, filmmaker, Sach Productions

“It has been an honor to read the stories of the women in Her Name Is Kaur. So sweet and humbling is this process of unshrouding one’s self and finding a sort of liberation in a community of human imperfections, shared re-membering, gendered reclamation, and revealing vulnerabilities. The stories are filling a space in my heart that I did not yet know was open to be claimed, bringing deeper meaning to Sikh sisterhood. This collection is a game-changer.”
—Kirpa Kaur, Director, SAFAR and independent scholar

“Her Name is Kaur is a delightful collection of narratives of second-generation Sikh women living in America. These narratives provide us with a rare window into the lived experiences of different Sikh American who are constantly striving to maintain their Sikh identity in the face of new challenges. My heartiest congratulations go to Meeta Kaur, the editor of this remarkable book, for giving us much hope and inspiration.”
—Pashaura Singh, professor, Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies, University of California at Riverside

“Groundbreaking. I read Her Name Is Kaur in one sitting, heart quickening at each page, tears steaming at one point, was like quenching a centuries-long thirst. The courage coursing through each story is unmistakable — and reveals what it means to be a Kaur: with love as her moral compass, she becomes the one she is waiting for.”
—Valarie Kaur, National Interfaith Leader and Founder of Groundswell

“Her Name iss Kaur is a very important volume that uses the power of storytelling to amplify the voices of Kaurs, and to inspire the rest of us to gain strength from their narratives. Their stories teach us that falling in and out of love—with place, with men, with children, with God, with women, and with themselves—is a struggle on the precipice of time and eternality. Highly enjoyable for the casual reader, this book is also an indispensable resource for university classes in women’s studies, religion, and immigration studies.”
—Rahuldeep Singh, Assistant Professor of Religion, Director of the Center for Equality and Justice, Cal Lutheran University

From the Publisher