Conscription is also an issue which has been unsettling for the Sikh community. It is mandatory for all Iranians to serve a minimum of two years in the armed forces, especially as the Iran-Iraq war which lasted eight years took its toll among the youth of the country. To circumvent conscription, some of them have got their birth certificates from Indian cities though they were born in the Islamic Republic. Amazingly, when it comes to settling their children, the Sikh community goes back to their roots in search of brides. The wives of the younger generation of the Sikh community in Iran hail from places like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Burdwan, Delhi and Mumbai.
Life is by and large peaceful, comfortable and safe, unlike in some of the Indian cities.
Shared taxis are a boon which makes commuting easy and cheap. There is no fear if a woman travels alone even late at night. Sawhney, who runs the popular Tandoor restaurant and Hotel Safir in Teheran, is one of the minuscule members of the Sikh Indian community who has obtained Iranian citizenship. He had applied for it during the Shah s regime and it came through during the revolution. She grew up in Defence Colony.