Malkit - Sikhism
INTRODUCING MALKIT
Introduce Malkit to the children and build a persona for him. Record the details of Malkit’s life in a small book e.g.
Name: Malkit
Age: 5
Appearance: eyes, hair etc. long straight hair worn in a patka, brown eyes
Favourite Foods: Shreddies
Favourite Activities: cricket, computer games
Family: - bothers /sisters/parent(s) occupation(s)- Grandparents from the Punjab in Northern India
Religion: Sikh
Language: English, Punjabi
(Plus anything else you think significant.)
Every time you bring Malkit out to be with the children you will need to bring his back pack or bag which will contain the artefacts/books that will help you teach particular lessons.
The first time you introduce Malkit you might include in the bag some common objects that most little boys might carry around with them e.g. car, action figure etc.
SPECIAL TIMES
Birth
Resources: kara
Sit Malkit in the circle with the children. Draw attention to the kara (steel bracelet worn by Sikhs) that Malkit is wearing.
This is something that is very precious that Malkit was given when he was a young baby. I think that it might have been a little big for him then but now it fits Malkit well and he tries to make sure that he wears it all the time. You can see that Malkit wears this on his wrist, and it is called a kara.
Let the children pass the kara round to feel its strength.
The kara is a special sign for Sikhs of the never ending love of God. Sikhs believe that God has no beginning and no end just like this bangle. When Malkit was given his kara he was in the Sikhs’ holy building, the Gurdwara. Special words about God were whispered in his ear and a drop of honey was placed on his tongue.
Let the children taste a drop of honey.
It is sweet and good. Sikhs believe that God is loving, sweet and good and the words that were whispered in Malkit’s ear were the words of a prayer that talks about what God is like:
There is only one God
Whose name is truth
God the Creator
Is without fear
Is without hate
Is timeless and without shape
Is beyond death, the enlightened one
And is understood through God’s grace.
It was at this time that Malkit’s name was given to him. His name was chosen from the Sikhs’ holy book. The Granthi (Sikh leader) opened the book, looked for the first letter of the prayer on that page. Malkit’s name was going to begin with that letter. What was the letter that the Granthi found? The Holy book is called the Guru Granth Sahib and it is so special because it tells Sikhs many wonderful things about God. Sikhs use it not only in their worship but to help them choose the name of their children.
Demonstrate by opening any book at random and picking the first letter of the page on the left.
Malkit also has another name - “Singh” - so he is called Malkit Singh. All little Sikh boys have the name Singh given to them. It means “Lion” and Sikh parents choose it because they want their boys to grow up to be brave in standing up for what is right. They must always be strong and courageous and kind and fair to everyone. All little Sikh girls have their name chosen in the same way - Malkit’s sister is called Gita and her second name is Kaur which means “Princess.” This is to show that each baby girl born is as precious as a princess to her family and all their friends at the Gurdwara.
The children could talk about how their names were chosen for them and what second name they might choose for themselves and their friends to show how precious they are.
Combing
Resources: Khanga, turban or turban length
Sit Malkit with the children and from Malkit’s bag take a khanga ( comb).
Why do you think that Malkit has a comb in his bag? Because Malkit is a little Sikh boy, he dosen’t cut his hair but keeps his hair long (kesh) and so he must keep it tidy by combing it often. Sikh men and boys as well as Sikh ladies wear their hair long to show that they are Sikhs.
I wonder if you have any special signs and symbols that you wear on you or on your clothes. What do they tell everyone about you?
Now we know about two signs that Malkit uses to show that he is a Sikh - his long hair which he keeps tidy with his kangha (comb) and his Kara.
Can you see how Malkit keeps his hair tidy in school? He wears a patkha.
Malkit’s Dad has long hair too but because he is a grown up he wears a special head covering called a turban. From Malkit’s bag take a turban length. Tying it is quite difficult. Malkit likes to watch his Dad do this in the morning. Because Malkit’s Dad wears a turban everyday he is quite quick at tying it now.
Show the children a tied turban or a picture. When Malkit’s Dad wears his turban everyone knows that he is a Sikh. When Malkit grows up he will wear a turban too.
The children could sequence Malkit’s activities before he goes to school in the morning. Then write about special things that Malkit wears to show he is a Sikh.
Vaisakhi
Resources: tee shirt for Malkit, sari, pictures showing Vaisakhi celebrations
www.sikhnet.com
www.sikhs.org
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/holydays/vaisakhi.shtml
Sit Malkit in the circle with the children. From Malkit’s bag bring out a new tee–shirt.
This is Malkit’s new tee-shirt that he is going to wear for a special celebration that his family are looking forward to.
Put the tee-shirt on Malkit.
Soon the family will be celebrating Vaisakhi. They will go to the gurdwara to sing songs of praise to God, to hear readings from the Guru Granth Sahib and for prayers. After the prayers everybody will have some sweet sticky food to eat (kara prasad) and then they will all go to the langhar to share a meal together.
Show a picture of the celebrations.
At the Vaisakhi celebration Malkit’s Mum will be wearing her most beautiful sari (show the children an embroidered sari) and Malkit’s Dad will wear a bright yellow turban. Malkit will watch his Dad tie his yellow turban in the morning. All the Sikh men will wear a yellow turban for this special day. Vaisakhi is a joyful day for all the family when they meet with many other Sikhs to celebrate that they are Sikhs and that they belong together.
At Vaisakhi the flagpole outside the gurdwara is washed with yoghurt and then a new flag (Nishan Sahib) is put up. Malkit especially enjoys this. Everybody tries to get involved in spreading the yoghurt all over the flag pole. They get quite messy but they all really enjoy themselves. After this there are processions with music and dancing.
Vaisakhi is a new year festival for Sikhs - a time for beginning afresh. What do you at the start of the New Year? Why is it good to have a time for making a new start?
The children could write an email from Malkit inviting a school friend to the Vaisakhi celebrations, explaining what will be happening or could make a flag for themselves with some ideas on it for a new beginning.
SPECIAL PLACES
Gurdwara
Resources: photographs of the Gurdwara
www.sikhs.org/granth.htm
www.gurbani.org/kirtan.htm
www.sikhkids.com
www.therewebsite.org.uk
Sit Malkit with the children.
Today Malkit is going to help us learn about the gurdwara, the special and holy place where he goes to worship God with other Sikhs and where he meets many of his friends. Can you remember something that happened to Malkit in the gurdwara when he was very little? (Re-cap on the lesson where Malkits name was chosen for him).
On Sundays when Malkit goes to the gurdwara the first thing he does is take off his shoes and puts them in the shoes rack. Nobody wears their shoes in the Prayer Hall. Malkit is wearing his patka but if he took one of us to the gurdwara then we would cover our heads with a scarf or hat before we went in the prayer hall.
In the prayer hall Malkit will go first to the raised platform at the end of the hall where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed, wrapped in its beautiful covers (ramala) Over the Holy Book there is a canopy. Malkit will kneel in front of the Guru Granth Sahib and will place some money in the collecting box there or will leave some food. The money and food are offered to God and are used to help others.
Malkit will be careful not to turn his back on the Guru Granth Sahib but will sit on the floor with everyone else making sure that his feet are not pointing towards the Holy Book.
Malkit will listen to the Granthi read from the Guru Granth Sahib and he will listen to the prayers and although he doesn’t always understand all the words he knows that this is an important time and he sits very still to listen. Malkit especially enjoys it when all the people sing to the musical instruments. Sometimes special singers (Ragis) come to the gurdwara too and sing special songs of praise to God.
At the end of the service everybody is given some lovely sweet stuff called karah prashad When everybody eats this together it shows that all the people there are equal, nobody is more important than anyone else and so everyone gets the same food to eat and no-one will go hungry.
Then it is time to go to the langar where everybody is fed with a very good meal. All the families take it in turns to prepare the food and it is great fun when everybody sits down to eat together.
Malkit also goes to the gurdwara on Wednesdays to hear the Sikh stories and to learn the language that is used in worship in the Gurdwara (Gurmukhi) and which is also the language of the Guru Granth Sahib.
On Thursdays Malkit goes to learn to play the harmonium so that one day he will be able to join the music group who play on Sundays.
The Gurdwara is very special place for all Sikhs. Malkit’s Mum and Dad go there to meetings during the week as well, and if anyone is in any kind of trouble they can go to the Gurdwara to ask for the help they need.
Do you know of places where people can ask for help?
The children could create a meal to share with another class and talk about how it feels to offer food to others and to share food together.
Or they could create some joyful/peaceful music! What would they use their music for?
SPECIAL BOOKS
Guru Granth Sahib
Resources: photograph of Malkit kneeling before the Guru Granth Sahib, pictures/photographs of reverence shown to the holy book, chauri
Sit Malkit with the children and from Malkit’s bag bring a photograph of Malkit kneeling before the Guru Grant Sahib in the Gurdwara.
What is Malkit doing in this photograph? Do you remember that we heard about the Sikh’s holy Book and how important it is to Sikhs?
It is such an important book that it is treated in a very special way. When the granthi reads the Guru Granth Sahib in the gurdwara he unwraps it very carefully from its covers and opens the book to read as he sits cross-legged on the floor in front of the platform where the book is placed on a cushion. As the Guru Granth sahib is read, somebody stands behind the granthi and waves a whisk over the book. This whisk is called a chauri. Long ago when Sikhs lived only in India where it was very hot the chauri whisk was used to keep the flies away. (If possible have a chauri in Malkit’s bag to show the children.)
The Guru Granth Sahib is regarded as so special that it is treated like a human teacher. There is a bedroom and a bed to place it in at night and in the morning it is carried on the granthi’s head and in a procession to its resting place on the platform. In the same way it is put to bed at night.
Malkit knows that the Guru Granth Sahib has lots to teach him. Guru Granth Sahib means – Lord Teacher Book. Malkit has written down some of the wise words from the Guru Granth Sahib for us to read in English.
“If you tell lies, they will be found out - the truth always comes out in the end.”
“The best thing you can do is try to help others.”
“You should not argue with your parents but respect them.”
“Whoever realises what God wants and does it shall get to know God better.”
Who helps you learn important things, can you think of any other books you know which guide people in the right way to live?
In what other ways do we learn?
Why would people want to write a book about God?
The children could create a mind map of all the ways in which we can learn.
SPECIAL PEOPLE
Guru Nanak 1
Resources: picture of Guru Nanak, tinsel
Seat Malkit with his bag in front of the children. From Malkit’s bag take a picture of Guru Nanak.
This is a picture of Guru Nanak, someone who is very important to Sikhs. Malkit also has a larger picture of Guru Nanak in his house. Can you tell what Guru Nanak was like by looking at his picture?
Guru Nanak lived long ago but he is such an important person to Sikhs that all Sikhs everywhere celebrate his birthday.
When the day of Guru Nanak’s birthday arrives Malkit will get ready by bathing and putting on his Sikh clothes. In his house he will light some incense sticks, like these (take some from Malkit’s bag).
Then his whole family will visit the gurdwara. The gurdwara will be lit with many lights and decorated with tinsel. Malkit has some tinsel in his bag that he will take to the Gurdwara. Malkit thinks that it looks very beautiful. At the gurdwara everyone will sing some of Guru Nanak’s songs, share a meal in the langar and them come home for a party with friends and family.