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Patka Box effort embodies inclusion, says founder

June 27, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

You’re a teacher with no experience of the Sikh culture and a student’s patka has fallen off.

So what do you do? In a culturally-sensitive way.

Rosey Kaur has been an educator for more than 20 years in Caledon. She told Orangeville council when it met on June 24 about The Patka Box Movement. That’s an initiative that’s gained momentum and touched many lives in her community, she said.

The Patka Box Movement began from a simple telephone call and has blossomed into a cultural understanding. Small acts of kindness and curiosity can lead to significant positive change.

It all started when a teacher called her to ask about a student’s patka that had fallen off at school. A patka is a smaller Sikh turban worn by boys in pre-kindergarten to middle school.

As it’s an article of faith, anybody retying a child’s patka should ask permission before touching the patka or even the child’s hair. Sikh men will not cut their hair.

There are specific steps that need to be adhered to when tying the patka.

Unsure about how to tie the patka, the teacher reached out to Kaur. So Kaur asked for the assistance of a patka-wearing student and showed the teacher by way of a web video chat.

“This small act of seeking assistance sparked an idea,” Kaur said. “What would happen is not only one teacher did not know how to put the patka back on, but there were many teachers in the school board that didn’t understand what to do at that point?”

The Sikh community got behind her efforts.

“Recognizing the importance of cultural sensitivity and inclusion in our schools, I decided that the Patka Box needed to be created,” she said.

Each box contains a patka, instructional materials, and a video tutorial that shows how to tie the patka. Also included in the box are educational resources about its meaning to the culture.

A Brampton councillor learned of Kaur’s effort and asked that she make a presentation to the city’s decision-makers.

That councillor made a motion to have the patka instructional materials placed in schools and recreational and aquatic centres.

“My heart stopped,” Kaur said. “I did not know what to say at that moment because I didn’t know that this movement was going to get bigger than it was.”

Eventually, more Peel Region municipalities got behind the educational initiative that has led to cultural awareness and increased sensitivity.

“The impact of the Patka Box movement has been profound,” Kaur said. “Sikh children feel more comfortable and confident knowing that their cultural practices are understood and respected.”

It’s led to meaningful conversations about inclusion, she said.

Councillor Joe Andrews, who is the chairperson of the town’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, said Orangeville’s Sikh community is growing and cultural awareness and inclusion is paramount.

He invited Kaur to speak to the committee.

“I’m just enamoured by your whole concept here, what you’ve done, the inspiration that you’ve had,” Andrews said.

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