sikhpride

Description

Sukhjeet Kaur Khalsa is the name of that brave Sikh girl who won the hearts of all the adverse across Australia when she presented a smashing performance on National television. This girl was born and brought up in Perth in Australia, but later on the family shifted to Melbourne. She describes herself as a Melbourne based spoken word artist, workshop facilitator, actor, producer, MC and humanitarian. When the 21 years old Sukhjeet appeared before the judges of Australia Got Talent programme, she did not seem to be impressive. Moreover she was to recite a poem and that too against the Australian legacy of racism. There have been cases of hate crimes, especially against Muslims assumed to be terrorists and Sikhs assumed to be Muslims. However, the brave girl took this opportunity and recited her poem with such a loud voice, by using humor and satire, to deliver her message that they are equally Australians then why to treat them differently. Says she What makes you Australian? Is it a Southern Cross Tattoo or wombat stew crumbled with a Dunckaroo? Do you think of a time when Australia’s learnt to share and care and dare to wear its heart on its face, fully aware that most of us in this place are far from fair, but brown and black and slow to attack? But quick to embrace a warm Australia. I’m confused as to why, on Australia Day, when the night sky spews bigot bile, I’m left traumatized. When a teen rips off my uncle’s turban, I’m an enraged flame of pain and shame and sorrow, for tomorrow when a honing ute throws a rotten peach at my dad and screams ‘go home, ya bloody terrorist.’ I plead to you Lara, where the bloody hell are we? My people, the Sikhs, came here in 1860 with camels and carts and courageous hearts and look at the maxi taxi, we’re still driving and steering this country in offices and hospitals and even on stage. So when people tell me and my family to go home to where we came from, I reply with a smile, tonguein-cheek, ‘mate, we’ve been right at home for the past 150 years.’ I’m not the one that’s a freak, I’m fully Sikh.”