Kaur

Kaur ( _pa. ਕੌਰ; _hi. कौर) in Sikhism (meaning: "Princess or Lioness") is a mandatory middle name or last name for female Sikhs, in the same way as Singh is for male Sikhs. [ [http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/ips/b/banswara.html Banswara ] ]

History

Kaur, is term used by Sikh women either as the final element of a compound personal name or as a last name. It cannot be regarded as a true surname or family name. It goes back to Sanskrit, Kumari meaning ‘Girl’, ‘Daughter’, which was reduced to Kunwar, Kuar and then changed into Kaur by metathesis. Among Sikhs, female names are often derived from male names by the addition of Kaur to the male name: e.g. Mahinder Kaur, from the male name Mahinder. [ [http://www.ancestry.com/facts/kaur-name-meaning.ashx kaur Name Meaning and Origin - Ancestry.com ] ] [Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4]

The tenth guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, made it mandatory for Sikh females to use the name Kaur and for Sikh males to use the name Singh, when he administered Amrit (baptism) to both males and female Sikhs. All female Sikhs were asked to use the name Kaur after their forename and males were to use the name Singh. This custom further confirmed the equality of both genders as was the tradition set by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.

Guru Gobind Singh said,

"You are my beloved, my daughters. You must be respected. How can this world be without you?".

"You don’t have to take anybody else's name. You are an individual, you are the equivalent of a prince, and you keep Kaur as your given name."

Kaur provides Sikh women with a status equal to all men. This was also intended to reduce the prejudice created by caste-typing based on the family name. Prejudice based on caste was still rampant during Guru Gobind's time (17th century). This particularly affected women who were expected to take their husband's family name upon marriage. [Dr. McCleod, Head of Sikh Studies, Department of South Asian Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada] [Khushwant Singh, "A History of the Sikhs, Volume I"]

In the News

A section of around a million adherents of Sikhism that live abroad in western countries only keep Singh or Kaur as their last name. This has caused legal problems in immigration procedures especially in Canada with Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, India for a decade stating in letters to its Sikh clients "the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada" people with these common Sikh surnames have to change their last names before coming to Canada. This has been causing severe emotional, legal and financial hardship for Sikh applicants in India who have been complying by undergoing costly and lengthy name change procedures out of fear that their application to immigrate to Canada will be rejected outright otherwise. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/07/23/names-immigration.html Common Sikh names banned under Canada's immigration policy; July 23, 2007; CBC News; Canada] , [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/speeches/2007/2007-07-26.asp Speaking Notes: Statement from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on Surnames on Permanent Resident Applications; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; July 26, 2007] , [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/07/25/immigration-name.html Sikh name-change letter 'poorly worded': Immigration Canada; July 25, 2007; CBC News; Canada] , [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/07/24/name-singh.html Sikh group slams immigration name change policy; July 25, 2007; CBC News; Canada] , [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/name-change/index.html Tune that name, In Depth Immigration; July 25, 2007; By Georgie Binks CBC News; Canada] , [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/name-change/email.html Letter to CBCNews.ca from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Clarifying the names policy; In Depth Immigration; July 26, 2007; CBC News; Canada] , [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/name-change/common-surnames.html Common surnames, In Depth Immigration; July 26, 2007; CBC News; Canada] , [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/16/AR2007061601360_pf.html FBI Name Check Cited In Naturalization Delays (USA), Official Calls Backlog 'Unacceptable'; June 17, 2007; By Spencer S. Hsu and N.C. Aizenman; Washington Post Staff Writers] , [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/File_No_more_Singhs_Kaurs_on_visa_forms_Canada/articleshow/2234538.cms No more Singhs, Kaurs on visa forms: Canada; 26 Jul 2007; The Times of India] ] However as soon as the media got involved and after a storm of complaints from Sikhs, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa reversed New Delhi office's 10-year decree that `the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada' with Canadian Federal immigration officials further clarifying that "asking applicants to provide a surname in addition to Singh or Kaur has been an administrative practice used by our visa office in New Delhi as a way to improve client service and reduce incidents of mistaken identity. This was not a mandatory requirement. There is no policy or practice whereby people with these surnames are asked to change their names, the letters that were sent out to Sikh clients in Delhi were poorly worded." [ [http://www.thestar.com/article/240030 WHAT THE LETTER SAYS: 'Singh' ban denounced, After a storm of complaints from Sikhs, Ottawa reverses New Delhi office's 10-year decree that `the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada'; Jul 26, 2007; By San Grewal Staff reporter, TheStar.com, Canada] , [http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-07-26-3691324223_x.htm Canada allows Sikhs to keep last names; Jul 26, 2007; USA TODAY] , [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/File_Canada_drops_policy_on_Sikh_surnames/articleshow/2237206.cms Canada drops immigration policy on Sikh surname; 26 Jul 2007; The Times of India] ]

ee also

* Women in Sikhism
* Singh

References

=External links=
* [http://www.sikhwomen.com/equality/kaursignificance.htm Sikh Women]
* [http://www.sikhwomen.com/equality/Kaur_etymology.htm Kaur Etymology]