Meet Jasvir Singh, a leading Sikh voice in UK who is ready to take on the world over his homosexuality
The man, who got married to his partner Nick last year, has even received death threats over his sexual orientation from some elements of the British Sikh community but he refuses to give up.
He is known to be one of the most prominent Sikh voices in Britain. But there is also another story which makes Jasvir Singh's story unique. He is a gay -- a fact which he decided to keep private till now as it created problems for him in his own community. But Singh has now decided that he will speak openly about his sexuality.
Singh, who is the founding chair of City Sikhs which provides a voice for progressive Sikhs in the UK, is well aware of the fact that it will be challenging and a lot of people will be upset with him but yet he has remained firm.
"I know that speaking about this is going to be highly controversial," he told the BBC.
"I'm sure there will be lots of people out there who will be upset, annoyed, even angry at me. But I've got nothing to hide and I know that I have got Waheguru [God] with me, as I have had Waheguru with me all the way."
Singh, who got married to his husband Nick last summer, is a family barrister and a regular contributor to Radio 4's 'Thought For The Day'. He has also been honoured with a CBE as a recognition of his work bringing together faith communities and advocating for groups that are vulnerable.
But while these make up his identity in the public, Singh's private life has remained a subject of speculation which has even led to death threats, but the man now wants to take the problem head on.
Singh said while he received threats to his life from some elements of the British Sikh community, he was also called an infidel on a television station. Besides, people called him up and threatened to expose him.
He said that he has not tried to conceal his sexual orientation but it is also something about which he has not spoken openly. It was after a video from his marriage started circulating on social media that Singh thought the time has come to open up.
But it is not only his own story that Singh wanted to focus on. Besides telling it on his own terms, he also wanted to help other gay Sikhs experiencing similar challenges.
"Just as my Sikhism is part of me, so is my sexuality. So is my turban. So is my identity. I can't divorce any one thing from the rest of me. That is who I am," he told the BBC.
Singh, an honorary member of Edward Cadbury Centre, said the Sikh religion in which he grew up within the family had a strong focus on a central principle of equality and that he never saw his faith to be at odds with his sexual orientation.
Pointing to a pivotal moment when he was only 16, Singh said he had gone to a pilgrimage in India with his father where they trekked three or four days to a place called Hemkund Sahib -- an idyllic gurdwara in the Himalayas.
"After the arduous journey, I paid my respects but the one thing I prayed for was to be straight. I just wanted to be able to live a life where I did not embarrass people, and where my family would not be ashamed of me," he told the news outlet.
He said since his sexual orientation did not transform after the holy trip, he was convinced that it was the path that Waheguru had decided for him and gained more confidence.
The Guru Granth Sahib, the core religious text of Sikhs, does not refer to homosexuality, but mentions about husbands and wives. It speaks of a divine spirit that is all pervading and seeing it in all, irrespective of race, class or gender. This particular aspect has seen Sikhs with various opinions to cite the scripture to justify their own stand on homosexuality.
But for Singh, the challenge to his sexuality from his own community has been immense. He was given a strong message that he could not live out his faith the way he wanted.
"My husband is white, British, and was not born into a Sikh family. But he understands my Sikhi (Sikhism) and he has respected and embraced that part of my life. We have said we want to have a family and want to bring our children up Sikh," Singh told the BBC.
"We spoke about the kind of wedding we wanted in great detail, but sadly there was no way of getting married in a gurdwara, even though in my interpretation of the Anand Karaj (the Sikh marriage ceremony), there is no reason for this," he added.
In mid-2000s, the Sikh religious leadership of the Akal Takht at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in India's Punjab restated that same-sex marriage was unacceptable.
"From a faith perspective the position remains rock solid. The Anand Karaj ceremony is only for heterosexual couples," Gurmel Singh, secretary-general of the Supreme Sikh Council in the UK, a representative body of British Sikhs and Sikh places of worship, was quoted as saying by the BBC.
While the council official said that he knows and respects Singh as a Sikh advocate, but the fundamental doctrines of the faith will not change so that he could marry a man in a gurdwara.
But Singh was deeply touched by an incident in a gurdwara in the UK where he and Nick had gone before their civil marriage. According to him, it was nothing but a gesture of acceptance from a Sikh religious figure.
"We went to offer blessings and had taken in a rumalla, a cloth used to cover the scriptures. The granthi, the custodian of the scriptures, saw us come in together and said he would say the ardas [prayers] for us," he said.
The granthi asked them if there was anything particular they wanted him to pray for and when they said their well-being, he asked them whether they were absolutely sure that there was nothing else that they wanted him to pray for.
"It was then I realised he had noticed that we both had mehndi [henna] on our hands which is often done in the run-up to getting married. He said the ardas and it was not just for our well-being, it was for the coming together of our two families. It was so powerful for me and for the two of us," Singh was quoted as saying.
Singh and Nick visited gurdwaras in Punjab and in other parts of India during their honeymoon trip.
Singh feels that since the overwhelming majority of Sikhs originated in Punjab, edicts made by the faith's religious leaders have been influenced by the Punjabi culture over scripture to a great extent. The Sikh bodies in the UK though deny that.
"Sadly I know gay Sikhs who have given up their faith, or who feel their only option was to cut their hair, and to become less faithful, or just focus on their inner faith rather than spend time at the gurdwara," Singh added.
Though the man himself leads a progressive Sikh organisation in the UK, there are many in the country who do not consider him a true practising Sikh.
"My faith has been a constant in my life through good times and bad. I'm not going to waver from my faith but I'm also not going to be ashamed of my sexuality," Singh told the BBC.
Singh hopes that by speaking out on his sexuality, he will encourage others to feel proud of who they are.
He said the Sikh society in the UK is moving towards more acceptance, he is expecting to upset people for speaking up, but at the same time, he is also hoping to get the backing of some.
AN ASIAN writer has explained how his new book makes Britain’s imperial past “accessible, engaging and thought-provoking” for a younger audience.
Award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera’s new book, Journeys of Empire, explores empire through 10 journeys he described as being “extraordinary”. Sanghera said his book, published last month by Puffin UK, is “a way of helping children understand how Britain’s biggest story still shapes the world today.”
“We’re not taught this history very well,” he told Eastern Eye.
“The empire is morally complex – sometimes we were good, sometimes bad – so, how do you even begin talking about it? It’s also contentious. There are millions of us whose families were colonised, and millions whose families were the colonisers.”
Teachers cannot teach what they themselves were never taught, Sanghera pointed out.
“There are multiple layers to why British people are so bad at talking about this history. It touches on race, misogyny and geopolitics. It’s easier just not to talk about it.”
And , the cover of his book
Following the success of his bestselling children’s title Stolen History, Sanghera’s this latest work continues Sanghera’s mission to write for readers aged nine and above. With a focus on human experiences, Sanghera said he wanted show that history is not just a list of dates or conquests – it’s a tapestry of stories that connect people.
Born in Wolverhampton to Punjabi immigrant parents, he began school unable to speak English. Later he graduated with first-class honours in English language and literature from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
He has since built a career as a writer and journalist.
His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, and his novel, Marriage Material, were both shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards. Empireland, Sanghera’s exploration of Britain’s colonial legacy, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non- Fiction, named a Book of the Year at the 2022 National Book Awards, and inspired the Channel 4 documentary series Empire State of Mind.
His first children’s book, Stolen History, introduced young readers to the complex and often overlooked realities of empire. With Journeys of Empire, Sanghera aims to go further. “When I finally learned about the British empire, it changed how I saw myself, how I saw Britain, and how I saw India,” he said.
“It seemed obvious that you’d want to give this gift to young people – because your 40s is a bit late to be learning all this.”
Sanghera said the 10 journeys in the book take readers across continents and centuries, revealing both the ambition and the brutality of empire.
“The British empire covered a quarter of the world’s surface and a large portion of its population. It was seven times the size of the Roman empire,” he said.
Aiming to ensure diversity in both perspective and geography, Sanghera said he chose stories from various countries and different phases of the 400-year history.
Alongside India and Mahatma Gandhi, readers will learn about Guyana’s indentured labour system, Gertrude Bell’s adventures in Iraq, and the British invasion of Tibet led by Francis Younghusband.
“I wanted to highlight areas often left out of mainstream narratives,” the writer said. The stories are written with an accessible and honest tone, and with humour.
“Violence is a tricky area,” Sanghera said. “You can’t go into graphic detail, but you also shouldn’t whitewash it. The violence and racism of colonialism were intrinsic. “I tried to strike a balance - acknowledging the brutality without overwhelming young readers.”
Writing for children isn’t much different from writing for adults, Sanghera said.
“You still need engaging stories and to hold attention. The main thing is to avoid big words that might put them off.”
He pointed out how storytelling can counter the allure of digital screens.
“Kids are addicted to screens, and reading rates are falling globally. That’s disastrous for mental health, intellectual development, and politics,” he said.
“When you get news from screens, you’re in an echo chamber – you’re not being challenged or taught to think in a nuanced way.”
Sanghera’s hope is that stories of Journeys of Empire – from pirates to princes and explorers to rebels – will draw in young readers to a world of curiosity and reflection. He said, “The British empire is a complex story. Even the ‘good guys’ had flaws. That’s what makes it worth understanding.”
At the heart of his book is a message about complexity and contradiction. “The empire involved slavery and the abolition of slavery. It caused environmental destruction and inspired environmentalism. We live in a world that struggles with nuance, but that’s what makes us human,” Sanghera said.
“My hope is that readers – kids and adults – learn that opposite things can be true at the same time.”
After six years of writing about empire, Sanghera said he’s ready for a change. His next book will focus on the late pop star George Michael, due out in June next year.
“I thought George Michael would be a nice break from empire. But then I learned that his father came from Cyprus - which was under British rule. The reason he left Cyprus was because of the British. So, even George Michael’s story connects back to empire. You can’t escape it, wherever you go.”
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