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J.K. Rowling's New Book about a Sikh Family


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"And there’s a fine Sikh family too, the Jawandas, both the parents charming doctors, though even they miss how unhappy one of their daughters has become, so tormented by Fats about her hairiness, both in person and on Facebook, that she cuts herself."

For some reason, not really liking the sound of this book!

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"And there’s a fine Sikh family too, the Jawandas, both the parents charming doctors, though even they miss how unhappy one of their daughters has become, so tormented by Fats about her hairiness, both in person and on Facebook, that she cuts herself."

For some reason, not really liking the sound of this book!

its far-fetched..but many sikh women have low self-esteems concerning hair growth...no point pushing stuff under a carpet..these cases could happen

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self cutting is a huge problem amongst youth belonging to all faiths....i came across a case of a Gursikh girl not too long ago.

But there is another issue...i think Emo culture makes cutting oneself cool, so kids going into that sangat will also be more likely to cut themselves but for social status.

All kids are growing up too fast nowadays. I remember when i was 14...i knew nothing & my life was so simple. It's just not the same today...there is so much pressure to get a good education, to do after school sports/clubs, not to mention the sexualisation of TV/movies...it's a really tough time to be a teenager. I think we Sikhs need to look at these things to help support our teenagers, else we're going to lose alot of kids to drugs or atheism.

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Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_how-sikhism-fits-into-jk-rowling-s-new-book_1746281

How Sikhism fits into JK Rowling's new book

Published: Friday, Sep 28, 2012, 9:03 IST

Place: London | Agency: PTI

1746282.jpg

JK Rowling

Getty Images

Celebrated author JK Rowling, whose latest book has a Sikh family at the heart of a fictional village in south-west England called Pagford, says she did a "vast amount of research" on Sikhism – and it shows in the book titled The Casual Vacancy.

Answering questions from journalists and others at a book-reading event at the Southbank Centre here last night, Rowling, 47, said that when she was in her mid-twenties she knew a Sikh woman who sparked her interest in Sikhism.

It remained with her all along, so the only non-white family in the book "had to be Sikhs", she said.

Rowling said she was particularly struck by the egalitarian principles of the religion, and wove in a Sikh family as one of the central features of the book published by Little, Brown Book Group (RPT Little, Brown Book Group).

"I wanted the Sikh family at the heart of Pagford, and I wanted them to be second generation Britons. So they are insiders and outsiders simultaneously. In the book, it is Sikhism that provides religious morality, not the Church of England, which is represented by an empty church," Rowling said.

Early Indian-origin readers of the book released yesterday morning said they were impressed by the way the Sikh family and Sikhism had been treated in the book.

The book devotes considerable attention to Guru Nanak, Guru Granth Sahib, khalsa, and the "night-time prayer, kirtan sohila."

London-based media consultant Mimmy Jain, who grew up in Punjab, told PTI: "I was happily surprised to find that JK Rowling had done her research pretty well. There are no Hindu-Muslim or North-South name mismatches of the kind that make me shudder in the work of most Western authors who want to add a bit of curry to their books."

She added: "I liked her treatment of Sukhwinder, the only one in a high achieving family who is stuck because she is dyslexic. Of course, it's the parts about the kids -- all of them -- that really stand out in the book."

The book has received mixed early reviews, while the jury is out whether Rowling has succeeded in switching from the literary genre of children books to a novel explicitly marketed as one for adults.

She said she welcomed legitimate criticism, but it all "depends on who is writing the reviews."

The book contains several expletives that Rowling read out at the second reading at the packed Southbank event.

She described the book as a tragic comedy.

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On 28/09/2012 at 10:59 PM, KhalistaniGunMan said:

its far-fetched..but many sikh women have low self-esteems concerning hair growth...no point pushing stuff under a carpet..these cases could happen

On 28/09/2012 at 11:58 PM, Into the Light said:

self cutting is a huge problem amongst youth belonging to all faiths....i came across a case of a Gursikh girl not too long ago.

But there is another issue...i think Emo culture makes cutting oneself cool, so kids going into that sangat will also be more likely to cut themselves but for social status.

All kids are growing up too fast nowadays. I remember when i was 14...i knew nothing & my life was so simple. It's just not the same today...there is so much pressure to get a good education, to do after school sports/clubs, not to mention the sexualisation of TV/movies...it's a really tough time to be a teenager. I think we Sikhs need to look at these things to help support our teenagers, else we're going to lose alot of kids to drugs or atheism.

On 29/09/2012 at 1:27 AM, dalsingh101 said:

Boy, are we desperate for some positive media coverage or what!

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but what can be done about the self-harm issue now that it has been brought to the forefront? Is something lacking in parenting skills? Are parents not raising strong children? I don't mean to be rude, but when I think of Shaheeds and other historical figures, they faced so much but never felt sorry for themselves and gloated in their own misery. We are definitely surrounded by exposed to such media more, but if we had the same faith and sharda and endeavoured to instill that into our children would we still have the same problems?

It's hard growing up as a teenager in the western world, definitely. Children are easily brainwashed by the media - but how to we make them strong enough not to care? I know many children who wear bana and do bani and are proud of it at Gurdwara and smagams....yet when in among western children they feel ashamed....their pride depends on the environment they're in....how do we create more Balpreet Kaur's so to speak?

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Not meaning to hijack the thread, but what can be done about the self-harm issue now that it has been brought to the forefront? Is something lacking in parenting skills? Are parents not raising strong children? I don't mean to be rude, but when I think of Shaheeds and other historical figures, they faced so much but never felt sorry for themselves and gloated in their own misery. We are definitely surrounded by exposed to such media more, but if we had the same faith and sharda and endeavoured to instill that into our children would we still have the same problems?

I guess we have to acknowledge that kids are kids and that we can't expect them all to be strong and whatnot. Genetic variance plays a part and I've seen a fair few tough as nails individuals have sons who were soft and effeminate (probably also effected by changes in growing up environment between child and parent too).

I first encountered this self cutting in a Sikh girl when I was at school decades ago. She had serious family problems.

Then when I first started working as a teacher (which I don't now), I has this one white teenage student who would periodically explode on me angrily over minor things. It later transpired that she too had serious family issues and was cutting herself.

From what little I can gather, this (self cutting) seems to be more of an issue with girls than guys. In the cases I've mentioned there was domestic abuse going on at home. I think in these cases the girls felt hopeless about there situation and that no one was listening to them and self harmed in despair and as a 'cry for help'. Girls need extra attention and if they don't feel valued it can really mess with their heads (boys too, but in a different way). So I believe just having busy parents who don't give time, or parents who struggle to connect to their daughters because of personality differences or cultural gaps can help lead to this.

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