Following msg is taken off from "Introduce Yourself" thread. This msg is actually posted by beanface aka Simon.
Hi all.
My dissertations official title is "
In what ways has the role of the Gurdwara changed to meet the needs of the Sikh community in Diaspora?" It was made with help from my lecturer so sounds a little more formal than i would have intended. I am not a great explainer of my own work but here goes: My introduction deals with, as an overview, the history of Guru Nanaks decleration that trappings such as temples and idols were not welcome within the faith, this i thought was important as it shows that, to start with, the 'gurdwara' was a gathering, similar in concept to the early christian church as an underground movement, meeting outside of the urban sprawl. This whole element of the beginings of Sikhism is something which i may have misinterpreted, but beleive could very well have been the feeling of the Sikhs at the time of Guru Nanak. It then follows on to say that Guru Hargobind created the phrase "Gurdwara", or so the McLeod books i have say, a quote from Pashaura Singh-Brars book Sikh Identity, Continuity and Change on the early dharamsalas and how they were not gurdwaras, along with some information on the early functions of gurdwaras. My frist chapter is history and the gurdwara and details some of the history of the gurdwara, relevent events such as the storming of the Amritsar Temple by the Indian army in 1984, as an example both of the Sikh devotion to defending the right of ones faith and ones principles, and that Gurdwaras are not only like churches in christianity, just places to pray and sing hyms, but a living dimention of the Sikh community, somethiing like a church with the community centre, which should be down the road, right inside it. I mention Langar and how this continues today, and that the first places of gathering for whorship which could be termed 'places' as opposed to spaces of worship, were often peoples homes or private buildings. I found that this too fitted in with my idea of a faith fighting against the odds, which in the later part of the ten Gurus history it indeed became violent and an unequal battle in terms of material numbers. I also mention the Adi Granth as a source of authority, and how Guru Gobhind Singh created the Panth to be the second source of authority.
I then go on to mention Gurdwaras in the UK, now as a title that may sound quite boring, but i have decided, and made a small start, to combine actual real gurdwara stuff in this part of the project. I will get a book or two on places like bradford, i know that there are a few which would allow me to get enough references, and the, because i cant really travel everywhere, i will webhunt as much data as possible on Gurdwaras in the UK, what its like to be in one, what goes on, and all that kind of stuff so that i can build a picture, when im writing about what effects british culture and society has had on the gurdwara here, so that i do not seem so aloof from the subject. Although i have not yet started them, the third paragraph is hopefully going to be about Sikh gurdwaras in America and other countries, but if the figures i have seen are to be believed, there are only around 5 million Sikhs outside of the Punjab. Now i read this in McLeod, and whilst he has provided me with many quotes and taught me a bit about the Gurus, I have read many peoples comments against his style and attitude towards his subjects of study. Whilst i am no professional I take such comments seriously, and so only use his work for factual, rather than opinion-driven, quotes. I am also taking a guess here, after seeing that there were so many gurdwaras in the UK, that there are more Sikhs in the UK than anywhere else outside of the Punjab? Finally my conclusion is how Gurdwaras have changed, and it is my beleif already that whilst the materials and certain apsects may have changed for legal reasons in certain countries, the Sikh faith has found itself at a point of triumph in the way that its customs and religious traditions have been fought for, and won.
And thats that. I also write horror stories for fun and have tried to get them published, but failed because i found out that you have to get a book done before people will take on short stories, although i could fill 100,000 + words of a book with em (i like these face things)
Oh yeah, and my names simon and i live in Frome in Somerset in the UK
Hi all.
My dissertations official title is "
In what ways has the role of the Gurdwara changed to meet the needs of the Sikh community in Diaspora?" It was made with help from my lecturer so sounds a little more formal than i would have intended. I am not a great explainer of my own work but here goes: My introduction deals with, as an overview, the history of Guru Nanaks decleration that trappings such as temples and idols were not welcome within the faith, this i thought was important as it shows that, to start with, the 'gurdwara' was a gathering, similar in concept to the early christian church as an underground movement, meeting outside of the urban sprawl. This whole element of the beginings of Sikhism is something which i may have misinterpreted, but beleive could very well have been the feeling of the Sikhs at the time of Guru Nanak. It then follows on to say that Guru Hargobind created the phrase "Gurdwara", or so the McLeod books i have say, a quote from Pashaura Singh-Brars book Sikh Identity, Continuity and Change on the early dharamsalas and how they were not gurdwaras, along with some information on the early functions of gurdwaras. My frist chapter is history and the gurdwara and details some of the history of the gurdwara, relevent events such as the storming of the Amritsar Temple by the Indian army in 1984, as an example both of the Sikh devotion to defending the right of ones faith and ones principles, and that Gurdwaras are not only like churches in christianity, just places to pray and sing hyms, but a living dimention of the Sikh community, somethiing like a church with the community centre, which should be down the road, right inside it. I mention Langar and how this continues today, and that the first places of gathering for whorship which could be termed 'places' as opposed to spaces of worship, were often peoples homes or private buildings. I found that this too fitted in with my idea of a faith fighting against the odds, which in the later part of the ten Gurus history it indeed became violent and an unequal battle in terms of material numbers. I also mention the Adi Granth as a source of authority, and how Guru Gobhind Singh created the Panth to be the second source of authority.
I then go on to mention Gurdwaras in the UK, now as a title that may sound quite boring, but i have decided, and made a small start, to combine actual real gurdwara stuff in this part of the project. I will get a book or two on places like bradford, i know that there are a few which would allow me to get enough references, and the, because i cant really travel everywhere, i will webhunt as much data as possible on Gurdwaras in the UK, what its like to be in one, what goes on, and all that kind of stuff so that i can build a picture, when im writing about what effects british culture and society has had on the gurdwara here, so that i do not seem so aloof from the subject. Although i have not yet started them, the third paragraph is hopefully going to be about Sikh gurdwaras in America and other countries, but if the figures i have seen are to be believed, there are only around 5 million Sikhs outside of the Punjab. Now i read this in McLeod, and whilst he has provided me with many quotes and taught me a bit about the Gurus, I have read many peoples comments against his style and attitude towards his subjects of study. Whilst i am no professional I take such comments seriously, and so only use his work for factual, rather than opinion-driven, quotes. I am also taking a guess here, after seeing that there were so many gurdwaras in the UK, that there are more Sikhs in the UK than anywhere else outside of the Punjab? Finally my conclusion is how Gurdwaras have changed, and it is my beleif already that whilst the materials and certain apsects may have changed for legal reasons in certain countries, the Sikh faith has found itself at a point of triumph in the way that its customs and religious traditions have been fought for, and won.
And thats that. I also write horror stories for fun and have tried to get them published, but failed because i found out that you have to get a book done before people will take on short stories, although i could fill 100,000 + words of a book with em
(i like these face things)Oh yeah, and my names simon and i live in Frome in Somerset in the UK
