Harbans Kaur

Harbans Kaur’s account reminds us of the amazing spirit ordinary Kaurs and Singhs showed–in protecting their property, their children, their gurudwaras, their lives. In this interview, between remembering how she suggested a friend stitch a pocket in her underclothes to hide property, to explaining the painful fact that the very Shastri who ate pakodaas in her hour was the one to mark it with an X for attack, Kaur touches on many essential aspects of the violence.

“Mein Gurughar Nu Taalaa Nahin Laggan Ditta” (I didn’t let the gurughars doors be locked shut [due to fear of more violence])

Kaur recalls several distinct accounts from the traumas that occurred within her neighborhood and at the Gurudawara she frequently visited. She remembers with clarity the experiences of her peers and their reactions to the marginalization.

She also recounts the uncomfortable reality of women victims of violence, who were sometimes rendered without support from those closest to them–especially those who also suffered the same trauma and made these women the recipients of their helplessness and anger. Her account reminds us of the internal fissures external violence creates/exacerbates.