#sikhism

Kar Sewa appeal for construction of Clock Tower entrance to Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab 1951

Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India 1952

Mehndi ceremony • Documenting

Indian weddings are such a journey. Long days of preparation, generally a week of ceremonies and events, plenty of colorful suits and dishes, and much more. 

On her journey to her marriage, one of the first ceremony for the bride is the mehndi rassam / henna ceremony.

As following the traditions, according to what our parents, grand-parents and ancestors used to do back in the motherland, we continue, here, the rassam. Being auspicious, just as a way to wish her prosperity and luck for her new life.

IG @miraakle_

[ Wedding photography l Brussels, april 2021 ]

(to find out more about the holiday, click here!)

Anonymous asked:

Hi, I want to write a book that is mainly set in a North Indian inspired country. The stories plot revolves around the perversion in organized religion and I wanted to have the belief system be monotheistic and resemble a more western faith. Can North Indian cultural resemblance coincide with a western inspired belief system?

Using a South Asian culture and religion without systemic privilege in western society to demonstrate problems in western organized religion seems insensitive at best. It could possibly coincide if you wanted to talk about predatory evangelical practices in some underdeveloped countries, however this would also be an iffy subject considering that South Asian Christian communities are oppressed in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

Additionally, in India, the majority religion is Hinduism. It is not monotheistic.

Sikh conceptions of god are the closest to panentheism in academic terms, and some western academics call it monotheistic. However Sikhi is an oppressed religion in both South Asia and the West. Do not base the belief system on Sikhi.

Islam is an oppressed religion in India and the West. Do not base the belief system on Islam.

If you want to write about the issues within organized religion in “western faiths,” then write about western faiths in their respective countries. If you mean “white evangelical Christianity, then write about “white evangelical Christianity.”

- SK

If you are trying to show the perversion of Western-inspired organized monotheistic religion, why would you choose a region of the world that is known for polytheism in their religious traditions? Think about why you chose North India for your country’s basis, and your personal bias relating to North India. For that matter, North India has a variety of traditions and religious adherence across the states–try to specify and find a particular state, or even a particular city, to focus on. It will make your research much more targeted and effective.

Remember that the religious beliefs of a particular region are entwined with the local culture; motifs in art, architecture, literature, etc. will usually have references to a region’s particular organized religion and mythology. Substituting in a monotheistic religion to a culture shaped by polytheistic/pantheistic tradition is going to leave you with gaps in your world that can’t be fully explained away in a narrative considering these issues.

There are examples of ‘monotheism’ that are native to India; some regions particularly worship one major deity and view the others as lesser to their chosen deity. Others come closer to panentheism, as SK said, or even a sense of philosophical atheism. However, the influence of Western-inspired monotheism, which I’m going to call ‘evangelical Christianity’ as SK stated previously, came with colonialism and the intentional subjugation of the native faiths. 

Reference the following posts for a little more background on that:

• Drawing inspiration for Magic from Disparate Sources: Hinduism, Māori culture, and Japanese Buddhism

• Alternative History Where British Didn’t “Ruin The World”
  

Using India, or any of South Asia, as a way to demonstrate the problems with Christianity/pseudo-Christianity/any of the other Abrahamic faiths would be ingenuine to both the existing traditions of these faiths and the region you’re trying to insert them into. On the surface, it seems like you want to take the elements of a different culture that looks pretty to you, and use them to contextualize an issue that you feel strongly about personally. 

The best-case scenario, if you were to continue with this idea, would involve heavy coding on both sides, and the reconciliation of monotheism with a cultural background that isn’t based on monotheism. It would take a colossal amount of work for anyone to do this justice, with respect to the culture of origin. You would have to essentially remove or explain away many of the cultural elements that are integral to properly writing/coding a North-Indian inspired society. This would probably take away from your main point about the corruption of organized faith, unless you can manage to create a loosely-inspired religion that can still achieve the message you are trying to get across. With that comes extensive work in worldbuilding, coding, potentially conlanging, etc.

You need to think about why you chose a region that is known for not being monotheistic in order to reflect the problems of organized monotheistic faith. The best solution, at this point, is coming up with a different setting, preferably one that didn’t face colonization and religious assimilation. Also, think about why you chose to portray the flaws of organized monotheism in the first place.

 ~ Abhaya