Why Do Freshies Stare?

[AnakinSkywalker]

I had a freshie (trying to look like a Bollywood hero) stare at me on the train....although I found his tarka cologne (with essence of b.o.) more offensive.

[S1ngh]

Doesn't this topic show hatred against someone who recently migrated to your country? Instead of helping them, we reject them or make fun of em? Different culture is the reason for all of this.. Most of them don't think negative of you when they stare for short/long period of time.. Yes it is is considered as bad habit in the western world and some of us might feel uncomfortable, but how many of us ever tried to start a conversation with them or just smile back with sat sri akal and then later on tell him in-directly that staring other is not social norm in this part of country? Punjabis will never stand united.. Treat others as your brother and sister.

[sunny_love_kirtan]

very well said Singh1 Well done!!

i do agree it is bad though, but there could be so many reasons. If they are moneh and they r staring at Sikhs then may be they are thinking about themselves and feelin shame that they from a country where Khalsa Panth was established and they couldn`t keep such a beautiful swaroop and these amazing gursikhs are rambling in a British country.

May be they have a feeling of affinity and they want to talk to you but hesitating.

Possibly cud be wrong intentions but you can never tell. So there is no Harm. Treat them nicely, your parents were freshies at one time as well.

[Singh559]

very well said Singh1 Well done!!

i do agree it is bad though, but there could be so many reasons. If they are money and they r staring at Sikhs then may be they are thinking about themselves and feelin shame that they from a country where Khalsa Panth was established and they couldn`t keep such a beautiful swaroop and these amazing gursikhs are rambling in a British country.

May be they have a feeling of affinity and they want to talk to you but hesitating.

Possibly cud be wrong intentions but you can never tell. So there is no Harm. Treat them nicely, your parents were freshies at one time as well.

True that!

One of my best friends (who is now in the army) came from india while i was in the 8th grade, he was in the 7th. My friend laughed and thought he looked like a girl because he wore bell bottom jeans but we went up to him and talked to him and he picked up real fast, he was playing basketball with us everyday and he turned out to be my neighbor. We still joke about it today lol

[proactive]

I agree with S1ngh. It's a cultural thing and not aggressive as it can be perceived in the west. I remember when I first went to India in the late 80s I used to get quite annoyed over the stares but nowadays I understand that it's just cultural. Best thing to do it either ignore it or just say 'kiddah' and the other person will respond 99% of the time.

On a similar note, Singhs born in the UK usually hardly ever respond to other Singhs they meet during the day. I remember a friend of mine who was a Singh and whenever he used to go on the tube he used to notice that if there was a another Singh in the carriage that Singh would usually ignore him or look the other way almost like he was embarrassed that there was another Singh in the carriage. He used to make a point of shouting across the carriage full of goray 'OI KIDDAH!! and run up to the guy as if he was his long lost brother or something! He used to tell me how the other Singh would turn red in embarrassment! His idea was that the next time that Singh saw a fellow Singh on the tube he would probably be more likely to acknowledge him and say fateh!

[AvnitK]

One of my friend's cousin from Pakistan was visiting him in the Middle East, and as they were walking down the road, a south Indian stared at them like he was going to drop them off with his eyes all the way home. This dude lost his head and started yelling at the guy "KHA LA MENU! KHA LA!" The south Indian freaked out, my friend's cousin continued "KHA LA HUNN!", south Indian starts moving back and says "No! No!" The Pakistani keeps yelling "NAHI! TU KHA HUNN!"

:excited:.... hahahahahahahahaha

[VanHelsingh]

They really do this. Bad habits I suppose.

Best to concentrate on yourself. It's their problem not yours.

[Pyara]

I don't know what it is like where you guys live, but the freshies provide the backbone in the sewa in our local Gurdwaras. My observation is that the "settled" Sikhs are not so keen on certain sewas in my local Guru Ghars nowadays, the freshie fauji's are always there doing the sewas most of us seem too proud to do. (panday di sewa, cleaning the big patilay, cleaning the toliets, mopping the floor, making the parshaday etc)

During amrit vela parkash and sukhasan of Mahraj's saroop the main make up of the sangat are the freshies in proportion to the "settled" Sikhs.

[mundasingh123]

The first time when i went to canada i was looking around for singhs to make friends with . The company where i worked in Mississauga , there were 2 singhs 1 a recent freshie turned citizen like me and the other a singhni who wasnt sikh at all . The Singh always moved around with Goras and would speak very little with me in their presence . I used to feel very awkward seeing him in the canteen with the other goras and i stopped approaching him .The other sighni , it turned out had a desi Hindu BF and was tight-lipped most of the time .

During my initial days in canada , the only people i could muster some conversation with were the Retired unclejis who had nothing to do but buy cash lotteries and while away the whole day sitting on benches in Shoppers world brampton .These people usually had quite fascinating stories to tell .

During my inittial days i felt that sikhs were the least inclined to talk to other sikhs whom they happened to chance upon . So I started making friends with Blacks who were always ready to give me a tip or two regarding gym , BodyBuilding and the Hippies whom i would encounter late in the night while sitting in front of my basement and staring at the stars in the sky .These Hippies were always ready to share the problems that they were facing with divorce , their girlfriends , their family problems and Kids.

I remember once i was trying to cross the road and the traffic light said that i could walk . I was almost run over by a Punjabi Guy who made a funny gesture at me and drove away .

Every Punjabi is an Island .Of course there were exceptions butthey were few for example the Sardarji at Canadian Tyre and his wife who worked at KFC .

[VanHelsingh]

@ mundasingh123 - Write a screenplay about that ^^^^. A whimsical tale of an outsider befriended by people of other races but shunned by his own supposed brethren! :laugh: