Women from West move heart and home to Holy City

K Peterson,hailing from Fairbanks,Alaska married Amritsar-based businessman Hardip Singh,who is a baptised Sikh,last year. She not only converted to Sikhism but also listens to the Gurbani daily and maintains a baptised Sikh’s way of life herself. “She is perhaps more devoted to the religion than me. She regularly recites sermons and visits gurdwaras,” said Hardip,who met Peterson during a religious discourse as her mother had a strong leaning towards the religion.

Peterson,now renamed Amrit Kaur Khalsa,lives with the Sikh family of Hardip in the city. “She left for Fairbanks on January 18 to complete her Major in Languages in the University of Alaska. She is overwhelmed by our religious way of life and sports a turban. She is so devoted to the Sikh tenets that she was not even ready to pursue her studies back home. It is on my insistence that she has gone back to Fairbanks,where I will be joining her shortly,” said Hardip.

He further said that they married in the traditional Sikh style here last year and the entire Peterson family was present. “She adjusted so well. She speaks Punjabi now and eats and prepares Punjabi food too. She wept profusely when I saw her off two weeks back at the airport. We talk to each other daily and she recites hymns from Guru Granth Sahib every day in her hostel,” said Hardip Singh,whose family is also happy to have such a devoted Sikh at home.

Amritsar also hosts a Miri-Piri Academy,exclusively meant for American Sikhs,and there are many girls who are converted to Sikhism and live the life of baptised Sikhs here. “There are many girls marrying baptised Sikh boys,including Nihangs,these days. They live a very devoted Sikh style of life. Some couples go back to the US and other countries of the women’s origin while some settle here. There are a few on our campus leading their life as per the teachings of Sikh Gurus and the Granth,” said Kiran Singh,Director of Miri-Piri Academy founded by Yogi Harbhajan Singh,known worldwide for converting many US nationals to Sikhism.

Apart from them,the longest wedded mixed couple in the city is former cricketer Swaranjit Singh and his German wife Irmengard. They first met at Cambridge University,where they were students,and later fell in love and married to settle here in the holy city. “I was a cricketer and Irmen got the job in the Cultural Affairs Department of the Government of Germany. We have been to places and finally settled here in the holy city,” said Irmen with pride writ large on her face.

She said although she is not a very religious person she often goes to the gurdwara with Swaran and she appreciates the devoted life of her husband. Their son Ranjit lives in Germany but often comes here to stay with his parents.