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Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
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Sikh Sikhi Sikhism
Sikh Youth
Vital Issues Pertaining To Sikh Youth
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<blockquote data-quote="Abneet" data-source="post: 195613" data-attributes="member: 19402"><p><strong>Vital Issues pertaining to Sikh Youth </strong></p><p></p><p>by: DR. JASWANT SINGH SACHDEV, MD </p><p></p><p style="text-align: left"><strong>SIKH FAITH IS A LIVING RELIGION</strong>. The concept of Chardi Kala i.e. the optimist </p> <p style="text-align: left">upward looking attitude of Sikh faith and its followers, is what the believers of this </p> <p style="text-align: left">faith apart from many others. Sikh faith inherently has the characteristics that make it </p> <p style="text-align: left">non-denominational and universal. The first evidence comes from the way in which </p> <p style="text-align: left">Shabad Guru, our Eternal authority has been revealed to us in Sri Guru Granth </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sahib Ji. The divine hymns contained in it, had been compiled not only by Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">prophets but also by the Saints and Sufis belonging to other Asian faiths. Northern </p> <p style="text-align: left">India where Sikhism originated and then saw its further progress and maturation, </p> <p style="text-align: left">under the guidance of succeeding Ten Gurus, is the land where majority of Sikhs </p> <p style="text-align: left">had lived since then. While Sikhs constitute less than two percent of the total </p> <p style="text-align: left">population of India, their robust and outward life style makes them look larger than </p> <p style="text-align: left">life. Ask any body and it becomes apparent that Sikhs look more predominant than </p> <p style="text-align: left">their true numbers in almost all spheres of life. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>New Horizon: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">In keeping with their forward-looking attitude and motivation for future success, </p> <p style="text-align: left">they were the first to explore new horizons in and out of their country of origin. No </p> <p style="text-align: left">hurdles or risks in their way could ever stop them. They gained success in whatever </p> <p style="text-align: left">they did. If one looks at the history of the arrival of the Sikhs in the Western world, </p> <p style="text-align: left">one can not help but be amazed to realize that, despite their meager numbers, Sikhs </p> <p style="text-align: left">were the pioneers amongst the Indians who took the initiative to explore North </p> <p style="text-align: left">America. Earliest Sikhs arrived in the land of opportunity in 1880 and, since that </p> <p style="text-align: left">time, their journey has been laden with discrimination, pain, adventure and hurdles, </p> <p style="text-align: left">as well as great success. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Many of us, the parents, who are born and raised in India, were influenced by the </p> <p style="text-align: left">majority faith and culture of India, i.e. Hinduism. This has incipiently blinded us to </p> <p style="text-align: left">differentiate between the true dictums of our faith from the religio-cultural traditions </p> <p style="text-align: left">of Indian culture and Hinduism in which we, the parents, lived during our formative </p> <p style="text-align: left">years. Over a period of time, instead of understanding the real spiritual message </p> <p style="text-align: left">contained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, we started believing in practices that were </p> <p style="text-align: left">mired in rituals emanating from Brahaminical faith that are at odds with the true </p> <p style="text-align: left">spiritual guidance provided to us by Guru Nanak and the succeeding Gurus. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Young Hopefuls:</strong> </p> <p style="text-align: left">The second generations of Sikhs who, in USA rightly call themselves American </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikhs, have become a force to reckon with. As their name implies, they are Sikhs but </p> <p style="text-align: left">at the same time they are Americans. Therefore it is but natural that they will not act, </p> <p style="text-align: left">behave, live or practice the faith in the same hypocritical style in which their </p> <p style="text-align: left">immigrant parents did - and indeed they should not. The inquisitive mind of a young </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikh born and raised in US culture that never had the opportunity to live in a small </p> <p style="text-align: left">village of Punjab, is genuinely concerned over the apparent disparity of our true </p> <p style="text-align: left">religious dictates and our actions that lack fundamental Sikh religious basis. This is </p> <p style="text-align: left">so because culture and traditions of a community are primarily „country-dependent, with modifying effects from majority. However, faiths on the other hand know no </p> <p style="text-align: left">boundaries. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Illiterate Raagis: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">The big problem, which has always been bothersome, is the lack of properly </p> <p style="text-align: left">trained preachers and Raagis who come to the Western countries from India. I have </p> <p style="text-align: left">yet to find a Sikh preacher whose motto is to serve the faith. Granted that all </p> <p style="text-align: left">“Religious workers” from India do have their obligations to financially support their </p> <p style="text-align: left">families and, as such, need to have a reasonable living, but what troubles me is that </p> <p style="text-align: left">taking care of the financial needs ultimately turns into their full time job. The </p> <p style="text-align: left">preaching of true faith takes a back seat in their minds. They avoid discussing </p> <p style="text-align: left">the issues that need emphasis such as dignity of maintaining full hair and </p> <p style="text-align: left">turban. They do so to avoid the wrath of so-called pseudo-leaders of our </p> <p style="text-align: left">Gurdwaras, who act as their masters but themselves don’t believe in the </p> <p style="text-align: left">fundamental principles of Sikh faiths. When we ask our children being raised </p> <p style="text-align: left">here to learn the Sikh faith from recently imported „home-grown‟ raagis or preachers, </p> <p style="text-align: left">from India who are absolutely devoid of knowledge of this culture or language, and </p> <p style="text-align: left">may also lack true perspectives of the faith they were supposed to preach, it is </p> <p style="text-align: left">bound to lead to disaster. Coming from small villages of Punjab, these poor souls </p> <p style="text-align: left">hardly understand the issues of young American Sikhs and, as such, cannot be in a </p> <p style="text-align: left">position to connect with the Sikh youth growing here. They keep themselves </p> <p style="text-align: left">concerned with the recently arrived old generation immigrant population. As time </p> <p style="text-align: left">passes, they start playing the game of same petty politics of Punjab that they were </p> <p style="text-align: left">used to, while at home. Their sole purpose becomes to find ways to please their </p> <p style="text-align: left">masters, i.e. Gurdwara leaders by conniving with one against the other. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Cadre of Missionaries: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">I personally might not have any solution, but at least if we recognize the problem </p> <p style="text-align: left">in a collective body like this, my purpose would be served. I have been impressed </p> <p style="text-align: left">with what Yogi Harbhajan Singh Khalsa has done by asking some American born </p> <p style="text-align: left">young Sikh boys and girls to live in the boarding school close to the religious places </p> <p style="text-align: left">in India so that they could get training in Sikh ways, Gurdwara etiquettes and Kirtan. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Similarly, one could consider opening Sikh seminaries in USA, based on Catholic </p> <p style="text-align: left">model, where interested young boys and girls with inclination towards Sikh faith </p> <p style="text-align: left">could be admitted with financially attractive scholarships and job security and be </p> <p style="text-align: left">trained as career Sikh religious workers. I am fully cognizant of the fact that, as per </p> <p style="text-align: left">our faith, a priestly class is not to be encouraged but to prepare service-oriented </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikh youths of America who could serve the Sikh cause in a humble way, should be </p> <p style="text-align: left">acceptable. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>English is no Bar: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">We should all be aware of the fact that our Gurus did not hesitate in preaching in </p> <p style="text-align: left">the local dialect of the community whereever they went. So what is wrong if the </p> <p style="text-align: left">young Sikhs born and raised here in USA are taught in the language of the land. I </p> <p style="text-align: left">am certainly not saying that one should ignore Punjabi. Without doubt our religious </p> <p style="text-align: left">scripture could only be truly understood in the language in which it was originally </p> <p style="text-align: left">written. However it certainly should not be made into such a sticky point that we end </p> <p style="text-align: left">up depriving our next generation of Gurbani. It will not be out of place for me to </p> <p style="text-align: left">mention that the people who question the use of English side by side with Punjabi, here in Gurdwaras for teaching Sikh way of life to children, are the ones who </p> <p style="text-align: left">themselves have lost touch with Punjabi in the state of Punjab. Go to any city of </p> <p style="text-align: left">Punjab and it becomes obvious that Punjabi has been relegated to second position. </p> <p style="text-align: left">So-called “gentry” of Punjab feels insulted to get their children admitted to the </p> <p style="text-align: left">schools where the first language of instruction happens to be Punjabi. They get a </p> <p style="text-align: left">perverse sense of pleasure when their children talk in Hindi or English even at home. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Additionally, those of you who tune to Zee T.V. news in Punjabi might have noticed </p> <p style="text-align: left">that when a reporter puts a question to a Sikh or Punjabi in Punjab, the response is </p> <p style="text-align: left">delivered in Hindi, and that includes the ministers of any government. It seems to me </p> <p style="text-align: left">that they feel a peculiar shame while talking in Punjabi. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Gun Battles for Gurdwaras? </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">The other issue that, unfortunately, has plagued our religious institutions is the </p> <p style="text-align: left">management of Gurdwaras. We some how carry this notion that Gurdwara must be </p> <p style="text-align: left">managed through democratic set up. But, unfortunately, our concept of the </p> <p style="text-align: left">democracy is limited to vote casting for the purpose of holding on to the positions of </p> <p style="text-align: left">Presidents or Vice-Presidents. People who have absolutely no religious background, </p> <p style="text-align: left">and whose only interest is to show up in Gurdwara at the Langar time to spend time </p> <p style="text-align: left">in gossip, should not be given the authority to run our religious places. I have been </p> <p style="text-align: left">part and parcel of the operational needs of Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Phoenix, </p> <p style="text-align: left">Arizona, since almost its inception. I would not stand here and say that we do not </p> <p style="text-align: left">have similar problems, but at least we do not have the kind of fighting and gun </p> <p style="text-align: left">battles that are usually seen in many Gurdwaras at times of elections. As they say in </p> <p style="text-align: left">our vernacular: “If there is no bamboo, there will be no flute”. Simply stated, it means </p> <p style="text-align: left">that if there are no positions to fight for, there would be no fights. Again, it is so </p> <p style="text-align: left">because only a few persons have the responsibility for its operational needs. </p> <p style="text-align: left">However this model is not perfect and is not without problems. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Mistaken Identity:</strong> </p> <p style="text-align: left">Up until 9-11, the identity of a Sikh was relatively a non-issue. Sikhs were in a </p> <p style="text-align: left">deep slumber. Many amongst those who do not maintain beards and turbans really </p> <p style="text-align: left">were not bothered by the dilemma in which Sikhs maintaining their full identity found </p> <p style="text-align: left">themselves. If we dissect this issue further there are two major concerns that pertain </p> <p style="text-align: left">to the identity crisis for the Sikhs. One is external and other internal. Externally the </p> <p style="text-align: left">threat to our lives and harassment in our daily lives have become a reality. Many </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikhs are being confused with Middle Eastern Arabs, and a couple of Sikhs have </p> <p style="text-align: left">even lost their lives. The external threat gives an easy exit to a weak minded Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">who is at the edge. Lot of work is being done by concerned Sikhs who have taken </p> <p style="text-align: left">upon themselves to involve fully in the social issue of the community they live in, </p> <p style="text-align: left">thus highlighting the faith and identity. But still a lot is left to be done. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Becoming part of inter-faith organizations would be something which each and </p> <p style="text-align: left">every young informed Sikh should consider. It is through such social organizations </p> <p style="text-align: left">that we could let the people of other faiths know about Sikhs so that myths and </p> <p style="text-align: left">„mistaken identity‟ of a Sikh could be washed away from the minds of Westerners at </p> <p style="text-align: left">large. Taking part in homeless dinners and other social events related to diversity, </p> <p style="text-align: left">will highlight our identity. The issue we must talk about is: “The turban in this country </p> <p style="text-align: left">is only worn by Sikhs and none others and 99% of the turban wearing people in this </p> <p style="text-align: left">country are Sikhs.” I would not be talking about these issues had I personally not </p> <p style="text-align: left">been part of these activities. The results of such activities became so obvious to us in Phoenix that, while traveling to Washington DC last December to meet with some </p> <p style="text-align: left">Senate members after the unfortunate death of Balbir Singh, the airport security </p> <p style="text-align: left">pleasantly surprised me by saying that they have seen me talk at various social </p> <p style="text-align: left">events and they understood very well who Sikhs were. It was at a time when turbans </p> <p style="text-align: left">and beards were giving them jitters. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>“Self-Destruct” Sikhs</strong> </p> <p style="text-align: left">Though we cannot belittle the external threats, yet I see a big problem in internal </p> <p style="text-align: left">thought-process and actions of many Sikhs. The danger and consequences of this </p> <p style="text-align: left">internal threat are far too serious. I have often noted that when a Sikh abandons the </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikh identity, he tries subtly to influence other friends and relatives to do the same. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Not only does he influence friends and colleagues negatively, rather he tries to give </p> <p style="text-align: left">impression that the turban wearing Sikhs are orthodox and backward, somewhat </p> <p style="text-align: left">akin to the Mullahs in Islam and Sadhus of Hindu faith, whose jobs only pertain to </p> <p style="text-align: left">the religious affairs contrary to the modern look of non-conforming Sikh. Quite often </p> <p style="text-align: left">my American friends have asked this question: “Does your beard and turban signify </p> <p style="text-align: left">that you are a Sikh religious priest because majority people of your faith do not have </p> <p style="text-align: left">turban and beard”. This is a very unfortunate development. Some years ago, my son </p> <p style="text-align: left">while a medical student was sitting in Langar’s Pangat and was addressed as </p> <p style="text-align: left">„Gyaniji‟ by a non turban wearing Sikh. The poor boy didn‟t even know why has he </p> <p style="text-align: left">been so addressed? </p> <p style="text-align: left">We all are too familiar with the situations where non-conforming Sikh owners of </p> <p style="text-align: left">small businesses would discourage turban-wearing Sikhs from seeking jobs in their </p> <p style="text-align: left">enterprises. I know of several examples when turban-wearing newly-arrived Sikhs </p> <p style="text-align: left">had been asked to have their turbans taken-off and beards shaved off prior to </p> <p style="text-align: left">seeking jobs in their businesses. The very people who were to protect and help </p> <p style="text-align: left">those in need are the ones who try hard to convince those with the turban and </p> <p style="text-align: left">beards to let go of their form. Similarly, modern day young Sikh girls are showing </p> <p style="text-align: left">tremendous aversion for the turbaned Sikh boys. They want “clean shaven Sikhs” as </p> <p style="text-align: left">their life partners. Open any Indian newspaper, here and in India, or internet web </p> <p style="text-align: left">sites for matrimonial, and you would be hard pressed to find entries where Sikh girls </p> <p style="text-align: left">would opt for alliance with a turbaned or bearded Sikhs. The word “clean shaven” </p> <p style="text-align: left">appearing in Sikh vocabulary sends a shock wave through my spine. Does this </p> <p style="text-align: left">mean that those of us who try to maintain our identity are unclean? Naturally, if Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">youth with beard and turban would not find matches of their likings they are bound to </p> <p style="text-align: left">shun their identity. Additionally I hardly find a Sikh girl now-a-days who would not cut </p> <p style="text-align: left">her hair to give it a smooth shape. This is a very unfortunate trend and the Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">youth needs to ponder over this matter seriously. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Timid Parents:</strong> </p> <p style="text-align: left">More often than not, many Sikh parents in Western countries are routinely cutting </p> <p style="text-align: left">hair of their young toddlers prior to admitting them to school. These poor little souls </p> <p style="text-align: left">are not even given a chance to decide for themselves. I have often heard from Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">children that they wanted to maintain their full hair, but it is their parents who would </p> <p style="text-align: left">not want them to have the full form. The excuse given by such parents is that the </p> <p style="text-align: left">development of the child cannot be proper and balanced. On the other hand, my </p> <p style="text-align: left">experience with my children has been somewhat different. Being unique makes </p> <p style="text-align: left">them stand out and gives them an incentive to do well at school. They know that </p> <p style="text-align: left">they have to prove their worth and they seem to work hard to become successful much more than others. Had all the Sikhs who migrated to this country and their </p> <p style="text-align: left">children maintained their form, each and every school in US today would have seen </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikh boys and girls on their rolls and then this ignorance and loneliness would have </p> <p style="text-align: left">vanished. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Bollywood Perversions: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">Now let us move to another issue that has been haunting me personally for quite </p> <p style="text-align: left">some times. This refers to Bollywood industry. Unfortunately the movie industry in </p> <p style="text-align: left">India is doing the biggest disservice to the turban-wearing Sikhs now-a-days. For </p> <p style="text-align: left">example, just look at new movies from Bollywood where Sikhs are frequently shown </p> <p style="text-align: left">with caps made in the form of turbans worn by actors who have partially trimmed </p> <p style="text-align: left">beards, on their partially shaven heads, performing the roles that should have been </p> <p style="text-align: left">taken by Sikhs. We often see these pseudo-Sikhs performing “Mata Da Jagran” and </p> <p style="text-align: left">other rituals of dominant culture at their homes, rather than the Sikh services. The </p> <p style="text-align: left">scenes of Gurdwara are often shown where the style of Kirtan is subtly changed to </p> <p style="text-align: left">Bhajan form in which audience would be moving and clapping hands such as </p> <p style="text-align: left">happens in Mandir. Bowing and praying in front of pictures of the Gurus in the style </p> <p style="text-align: left">of Hindu faith instead of Guru Granth sahib Ji is something unacceptable in the Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">doctrine, but the influence of Bollywood cinema has totally masked this thought </p> <p style="text-align: left">process. One might ask: does it really matter? I think it does. My concern is that </p> <p style="text-align: left">these trifle issues would slowly and steadily creep into Sikh way of life permanently, </p> <p style="text-align: left">over a period of time, and the lines of differentiation between the two would be </p> <p style="text-align: left">blurred, thus chipping away at our unique identity. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Those of you who have seen popular movie “Gadar” might remember that the </p> <p style="text-align: left">hero at times is shown to be a turbaned Sikh, and the next minute his beard and </p> <p style="text-align: left">head is shaven making it appear as if it were of no consequence to a Sikh. How </p> <p style="text-align: left">painful it was when being questioned about his affinity for hair, vs. love for his </p> <p style="text-align: left">country, this actor in Sikh character responded that cutting hair is not a big deal to </p> <p style="text-align: left">him but to talk bad about India would not be acceptable to him! What was the need </p> <p style="text-align: left">to make him choose one out of the two equally important issues? Does that mean </p> <p style="text-align: left">that one can not be a Sikh and Indian at the same time? The movie could have </p> <p style="text-align: left">worked without such dialogue. In another recently released movie “Shaheed”, Sardar </p> <p style="text-align: left">Bhagat Singh‟s sister while combing his hair suggests to him to cut his hair as they </p> <p style="text-align: left">were too long. His response: “I will do it but at a time when the entire Sikh nation </p> <p style="text-align: left">would feel proud of my act of cutting hair”! Now tell me how could an entire Sikh </p> <p style="text-align: left">nation feel proud about a Sikh cutting his hair? Where do we stand when these kinds </p> <p style="text-align: left">of films are produced by none-other than Sikhs? There are countless such examples </p> <p style="text-align: left">both on small screen, and in the movies, day in and day out. The purpose of </p> <p style="text-align: left">bombarding audiences with three movies on Bhagat Singh recently had a hidden </p> <p style="text-align: left">agenda. I believe they wanted to “brain wash” the Sikh youth with a message that if </p> <p style="text-align: left">Bhagat Singh could cut his hair for the sake of country, it is OK for others to do so. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Timing of such a message, in their point of view, was appropriate, especially when </p> <p style="text-align: left">we notice progressive erosions of Sikh values amongst our Sikh youth. </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Stop Patka for Adults: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">Another style that seems to be taking hold and being popularized by Bollywood </p> <p style="text-align: left">now days, is the use of Patka, or a piece of scarf, by mature Sikh adults in place of a </p> <p style="text-align: left">full regular turban. The use of cap amongst the urbanite Sikhs is also becoming </p> <p style="text-align: left">popular at the expense of a regular turban. Similarly, I have noted another phenomenon here. A saffron scarf, with big Khanda with Golden Temple printed </p> <p style="text-align: left">underneath in front is being popularized for covering the head of so-called clean </p> <p style="text-align: left">shaven Sikhs for use before entering the Gurdwaras. This seems to create an </p> <p style="text-align: left">impression, as if these scarves were approved to be used in place of a Sikh turban </p> <p style="text-align: left">by the management of Golden Temple i.e. SGPC, and it is OK to do so. The point I </p> <p style="text-align: left">wish to make here is that Sikhs of India either have been so brain washed or they </p> <p style="text-align: left">happen to be scared of the main culture to raise their voice. The young American </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikhs could take a lead and organize some kind of educational awareness in a </p> <p style="text-align: left">systematic way to send a strong message back home that this kind of behavior is not </p> <p style="text-align: left">to be accepted </p> <p style="text-align: left"><strong>Wake-up call for SGPC: </strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">Now, let us look at our most important organization that is supposed to take care </p> <p style="text-align: left">of our Gurdwaras and our religious affairs and help disseminate our faiths through </p> <p style="text-align: left">Dharam Prachar. I am referring to SGPC, our most important and at one time </p> <p style="text-align: left">sacred, organization. The dons of our faith in fact are busy fattening their own </p> <p style="text-align: left">pockets and have not done any thing that could help the faith and make us feel </p> <p style="text-align: left">proud. Born in small villages of Punjab and having never been exposed to the world, </p> <p style="text-align: left">they act like frogs in a well, so to speak. For them the Sikh faith is what a Sikh living </p> <p style="text-align: left">in a small village of Punjab thinks. What would be wrong if a few SGPC members </p> <p style="text-align: left">could be chosen from countries other than India or Punjab for that matter? This way </p> <p style="text-align: left">the decisions directly affecting the Sikhs of other countries could be made by the five </p> <p style="text-align: left">high priests keeping in mind the different needs of Sikhs abroad. I would encourage </p> <p style="text-align: left">this august body to find ways to impress upon the geriatric population of this </p> <p style="text-align: left">organization to think again. </p> <p style="text-align: left">We all know that quite often such individuals are chosen for SGPC memberships </p> <p style="text-align: left">who have nothing to do with the faith. Many of them had past history of drinking and </p> <p style="text-align: left">cutting their hair, but they were made candidates just because they would tow the </p> <p style="text-align: left">line of the leadership in power. One of them even told this writer personally, some </p> <p style="text-align: left">twentyfive years ago, that he had just put on this uniform of full hair with a blue </p> <p style="text-align: left">turban, and a Gatra of a sword, at the behest of the Party leader. Once elected, he is </p> <p style="text-align: left">to provide support to the leadership. In turn, he was promised the use of a free car </p> <p style="text-align: left">provided by SGPC. He had nothing to do with Sikh faith as such. Now how can </p> <p style="text-align: left">these kinds of dubious individuals ever inspire the Sikh youth? </p> <p style="text-align: left">Despite the fact that our first Guru emphasized equality for the woman, even now </p> <p style="text-align: left">our women-folk are not allowed to perform the early morning seva at Sri Harmandir </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sahib, a seva that is considered the most sacred by each and every Sikh. I am </p> <p style="text-align: left">talking about the seva that is done at 3 am when the main sanctuary is washed from </p> <p style="text-align: left">inside. A few years ago when an American Sikh Women Jatha went to perform this </p> <p style="text-align: left">seva they were denied this privilege. The explanation given was the silliest one. </p> <p style="text-align: left">These Sikh women were told that the seva can only be done by a person wearing a </p> <p style="text-align: left">Kachhaira and as Kachhaira shows the naked legs of the women, it is not possible to </p> <p style="text-align: left">allow them to do this seva. What a foolish thought! Many of you might be surprised </p> <p style="text-align: left">to know about another painful saga that is unfolding in Punjab. The use of ultrasound </p> <p style="text-align: left">to detect the sex of unborn baby is at a rise in the state of Punjab and amongst the </p> <p style="text-align: left">Sikhs. This is done mostly for one sole purpose i.e. to kill the unborn female fetuses, </p> <p style="text-align: left">a practice in total contrast to the fundamentals of Sikh faith. </p> <p style="text-align: left">Bold Initiatives needed: As far as my information goes, young Sikhs living in Europe seemingly are also </p> <p style="text-align: left">losing this battle. It is no secret to all of us that Sikh girls are being whisked away in </p> <p style="text-align: left">to the fold of Islam in UK in rapidly progressive numbers simply because the young </p> <p style="text-align: left">Muslim boys are being encouraged by their society and parents to marry non-Muslim </p> <p style="text-align: left">girls so as to add to the inventory of Islam. Illiteracy of their first generation </p> <p style="text-align: left">immigrant Sikh parents from Punjab, without true knowledge of Sikh faith, and </p> <p style="text-align: left">having meager resources at their disposal with no time to spare for their children, in </p> <p style="text-align: left">all probability, has some thing to do with this alarming trend. </p> <p style="text-align: left">My fear is that the practice of the true Sikh faith is steadily vanishing from Punjab. </p> <p style="text-align: left">If one were to look at the history, it would not be unrealistic to assume that future </p> <p style="text-align: left">might turn out to be bleak for Sikhs in India, much in the same way it happened to </p> <p style="text-align: left">Buddhism in India. Fortunately, we have the luxury of having some well informed </p> <p style="text-align: left">young Sikhs living and growing in the Western world who not only could influence </p> <p style="text-align: left">the other Sikhs here but could turn around and teach the Sikh youth of India and </p> <p style="text-align: left">else where. </p> <p style="text-align: left">This highly charged and well informed second generation Sikh youth of America </p> <p style="text-align: left">must make efforts to reverse this trend not only here but the world around. It is the </p> <p style="text-align: left">responsibility of the dedicated Sikhs born and raised here in this culture, without </p> <p style="text-align: left">backward pulling strings, to come forward and realign the directions for the right path </p> <p style="text-align: left">for the future generations. Only taking a proactive stance by the Sikh youth of </p> <p style="text-align: left">America will make our faith survive in its truest form in the twentyfirst century. This is </p> <p style="text-align: left">an urgent message and I am fully hopeful and confident that it will be seen in the </p> <p style="text-align: left">same spirit. Nothing could be more inspiring than to take the pieces of thread and </p> <p style="text-align: left">knit them together to help create a strong rope to stem the tide of these unfortunate </p> <p style="text-align: left">developments in Sikh faith here, in India and elsewhere</p><p></p><p></p><p>Source: <a href="http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/september2003/pdf-files/youth1.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/september2003/pdf-files/youth1.pdf</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Abneet, post: 195613, member: 19402"] [B]Vital Issues pertaining to Sikh Youth [/B] by: DR. JASWANT SINGH SACHDEV, MD [LEFT][B]SIKH FAITH IS A LIVING RELIGION[/B]. The concept of Chardi Kala i.e. the optimist upward looking attitude of Sikh faith and its followers, is what the believers of this faith apart from many others. Sikh faith inherently has the characteristics that make it non-denominational and universal. The first evidence comes from the way in which Shabad Guru, our Eternal authority has been revealed to us in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The divine hymns contained in it, had been compiled not only by Sikh prophets but also by the Saints and Sufis belonging to other Asian faiths. Northern India where Sikhism originated and then saw its further progress and maturation, under the guidance of succeeding Ten Gurus, is the land where majority of Sikhs had lived since then. While Sikhs constitute less than two percent of the total population of India, their robust and outward life style makes them look larger than life. Ask any body and it becomes apparent that Sikhs look more predominant than their true numbers in almost all spheres of life. [B]New Horizon: [/B] In keeping with their forward-looking attitude and motivation for future success, they were the first to explore new horizons in and out of their country of origin. No hurdles or risks in their way could ever stop them. They gained success in whatever they did. If one looks at the history of the arrival of the Sikhs in the Western world, one can not help but be amazed to realize that, despite their meager numbers, Sikhs were the pioneers amongst the Indians who took the initiative to explore North America. Earliest Sikhs arrived in the land of opportunity in 1880 and, since that time, their journey has been laden with discrimination, pain, adventure and hurdles, as well as great success. Many of us, the parents, who are born and raised in India, were influenced by the majority faith and culture of India, i.e. Hinduism. This has incipiently blinded us to differentiate between the true dictums of our faith from the religio-cultural traditions of Indian culture and Hinduism in which we, the parents, lived during our formative years. Over a period of time, instead of understanding the real spiritual message contained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, we started believing in practices that were mired in rituals emanating from Brahaminical faith that are at odds with the true spiritual guidance provided to us by Guru Nanak and the succeeding Gurus. [B]Young Hopefuls:[/B] The second generations of Sikhs who, in USA rightly call themselves American Sikhs, have become a force to reckon with. As their name implies, they are Sikhs but at the same time they are Americans. Therefore it is but natural that they will not act, behave, live or practice the faith in the same hypocritical style in which their immigrant parents did - and indeed they should not. The inquisitive mind of a young Sikh born and raised in US culture that never had the opportunity to live in a small village of Punjab, is genuinely concerned over the apparent disparity of our true religious dictates and our actions that lack fundamental Sikh religious basis. This is so because culture and traditions of a community are primarily „country-dependent, with modifying effects from majority. However, faiths on the other hand know no boundaries. [B]Illiterate Raagis: [/B] The big problem, which has always been bothersome, is the lack of properly trained preachers and Raagis who come to the Western countries from India. I have yet to find a Sikh preacher whose motto is to serve the faith. Granted that all “Religious workers” from India do have their obligations to financially support their families and, as such, need to have a reasonable living, but what troubles me is that taking care of the financial needs ultimately turns into their full time job. The preaching of true faith takes a back seat in their minds. They avoid discussing the issues that need emphasis such as dignity of maintaining full hair and turban. They do so to avoid the wrath of so-called pseudo-leaders of our Gurdwaras, who act as their masters but themselves don’t believe in the fundamental principles of Sikh faiths. When we ask our children being raised here to learn the Sikh faith from recently imported „home-grown‟ raagis or preachers, from India who are absolutely devoid of knowledge of this culture or language, and may also lack true perspectives of the faith they were supposed to preach, it is bound to lead to disaster. Coming from small villages of Punjab, these poor souls hardly understand the issues of young American Sikhs and, as such, cannot be in a position to connect with the Sikh youth growing here. They keep themselves concerned with the recently arrived old generation immigrant population. As time passes, they start playing the game of same petty politics of Punjab that they were used to, while at home. Their sole purpose becomes to find ways to please their masters, i.e. Gurdwara leaders by conniving with one against the other. [B]Cadre of Missionaries: [/B] I personally might not have any solution, but at least if we recognize the problem in a collective body like this, my purpose would be served. I have been impressed with what Yogi Harbhajan Singh Khalsa has done by asking some American born young Sikh boys and girls to live in the boarding school close to the religious places in India so that they could get training in Sikh ways, Gurdwara etiquettes and Kirtan. Similarly, one could consider opening Sikh seminaries in USA, based on Catholic model, where interested young boys and girls with inclination towards Sikh faith could be admitted with financially attractive scholarships and job security and be trained as career Sikh religious workers. I am fully cognizant of the fact that, as per our faith, a priestly class is not to be encouraged but to prepare service-oriented Sikh youths of America who could serve the Sikh cause in a humble way, should be acceptable. [B]English is no Bar: [/B] We should all be aware of the fact that our Gurus did not hesitate in preaching in the local dialect of the community whereever they went. So what is wrong if the young Sikhs born and raised here in USA are taught in the language of the land. I am certainly not saying that one should ignore Punjabi. Without doubt our religious scripture could only be truly understood in the language in which it was originally written. However it certainly should not be made into such a sticky point that we end up depriving our next generation of Gurbani. It will not be out of place for me to mention that the people who question the use of English side by side with Punjabi, here in Gurdwaras for teaching Sikh way of life to children, are the ones who themselves have lost touch with Punjabi in the state of Punjab. Go to any city of Punjab and it becomes obvious that Punjabi has been relegated to second position. So-called “gentry” of Punjab feels insulted to get their children admitted to the schools where the first language of instruction happens to be Punjabi. They get a perverse sense of pleasure when their children talk in Hindi or English even at home. Additionally, those of you who tune to Zee T.V. news in Punjabi might have noticed that when a reporter puts a question to a Sikh or Punjabi in Punjab, the response is delivered in Hindi, and that includes the ministers of any government. It seems to me that they feel a peculiar shame while talking in Punjabi. [B]Gun Battles for Gurdwaras? [/B] The other issue that, unfortunately, has plagued our religious institutions is the management of Gurdwaras. We some how carry this notion that Gurdwara must be managed through democratic set up. But, unfortunately, our concept of the democracy is limited to vote casting for the purpose of holding on to the positions of Presidents or Vice-Presidents. People who have absolutely no religious background, and whose only interest is to show up in Gurdwara at the Langar time to spend time in gossip, should not be given the authority to run our religious places. I have been part and parcel of the operational needs of Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Phoenix, Arizona, since almost its inception. I would not stand here and say that we do not have similar problems, but at least we do not have the kind of fighting and gun battles that are usually seen in many Gurdwaras at times of elections. As they say in our vernacular: “If there is no bamboo, there will be no flute”. Simply stated, it means that if there are no positions to fight for, there would be no fights. Again, it is so because only a few persons have the responsibility for its operational needs. However this model is not perfect and is not without problems. [B]Mistaken Identity:[/B] Up until 9-11, the identity of a Sikh was relatively a non-issue. Sikhs were in a deep slumber. Many amongst those who do not maintain beards and turbans really were not bothered by the dilemma in which Sikhs maintaining their full identity found themselves. If we dissect this issue further there are two major concerns that pertain to the identity crisis for the Sikhs. One is external and other internal. Externally the threat to our lives and harassment in our daily lives have become a reality. Many Sikhs are being confused with Middle Eastern Arabs, and a couple of Sikhs have even lost their lives. The external threat gives an easy exit to a weak minded Sikh who is at the edge. Lot of work is being done by concerned Sikhs who have taken upon themselves to involve fully in the social issue of the community they live in, thus highlighting the faith and identity. But still a lot is left to be done. Becoming part of inter-faith organizations would be something which each and every young informed Sikh should consider. It is through such social organizations that we could let the people of other faiths know about Sikhs so that myths and „mistaken identity‟ of a Sikh could be washed away from the minds of Westerners at large. Taking part in homeless dinners and other social events related to diversity, will highlight our identity. The issue we must talk about is: “The turban in this country is only worn by Sikhs and none others and 99% of the turban wearing people in this country are Sikhs.” I would not be talking about these issues had I personally not been part of these activities. The results of such activities became so obvious to us in Phoenix that, while traveling to Washington DC last December to meet with some Senate members after the unfortunate death of Balbir Singh, the airport security pleasantly surprised me by saying that they have seen me talk at various social events and they understood very well who Sikhs were. It was at a time when turbans and beards were giving them jitters. [B]“Self-Destruct” Sikhs[/B] Though we cannot belittle the external threats, yet I see a big problem in internal thought-process and actions of many Sikhs. The danger and consequences of this internal threat are far too serious. I have often noted that when a Sikh abandons the Sikh identity, he tries subtly to influence other friends and relatives to do the same. Not only does he influence friends and colleagues negatively, rather he tries to give impression that the turban wearing Sikhs are orthodox and backward, somewhat akin to the Mullahs in Islam and Sadhus of Hindu faith, whose jobs only pertain to the religious affairs contrary to the modern look of non-conforming Sikh. Quite often my American friends have asked this question: “Does your beard and turban signify that you are a Sikh religious priest because majority people of your faith do not have turban and beard”. This is a very unfortunate development. Some years ago, my son while a medical student was sitting in Langar’s Pangat and was addressed as „Gyaniji‟ by a non turban wearing Sikh. The poor boy didn‟t even know why has he been so addressed? We all are too familiar with the situations where non-conforming Sikh owners of small businesses would discourage turban-wearing Sikhs from seeking jobs in their enterprises. I know of several examples when turban-wearing newly-arrived Sikhs had been asked to have their turbans taken-off and beards shaved off prior to seeking jobs in their businesses. The very people who were to protect and help those in need are the ones who try hard to convince those with the turban and beards to let go of their form. Similarly, modern day young Sikh girls are showing tremendous aversion for the turbaned Sikh boys. They want “clean shaven Sikhs” as their life partners. Open any Indian newspaper, here and in India, or internet web sites for matrimonial, and you would be hard pressed to find entries where Sikh girls would opt for alliance with a turbaned or bearded Sikhs. The word “clean shaven” appearing in Sikh vocabulary sends a shock wave through my spine. Does this mean that those of us who try to maintain our identity are unclean? Naturally, if Sikh youth with beard and turban would not find matches of their likings they are bound to shun their identity. Additionally I hardly find a Sikh girl now-a-days who would not cut her hair to give it a smooth shape. This is a very unfortunate trend and the Sikh youth needs to ponder over this matter seriously. [B]Timid Parents:[/B] More often than not, many Sikh parents in Western countries are routinely cutting hair of their young toddlers prior to admitting them to school. These poor little souls are not even given a chance to decide for themselves. I have often heard from Sikh children that they wanted to maintain their full hair, but it is their parents who would not want them to have the full form. The excuse given by such parents is that the development of the child cannot be proper and balanced. On the other hand, my experience with my children has been somewhat different. Being unique makes them stand out and gives them an incentive to do well at school. They know that they have to prove their worth and they seem to work hard to become successful much more than others. Had all the Sikhs who migrated to this country and their children maintained their form, each and every school in US today would have seen Sikh boys and girls on their rolls and then this ignorance and loneliness would have vanished. [B]Bollywood Perversions: [/B] Now let us move to another issue that has been haunting me personally for quite some times. This refers to Bollywood industry. Unfortunately the movie industry in India is doing the biggest disservice to the turban-wearing Sikhs now-a-days. For example, just look at new movies from Bollywood where Sikhs are frequently shown with caps made in the form of turbans worn by actors who have partially trimmed beards, on their partially shaven heads, performing the roles that should have been taken by Sikhs. We often see these pseudo-Sikhs performing “Mata Da Jagran” and other rituals of dominant culture at their homes, rather than the Sikh services. The scenes of Gurdwara are often shown where the style of Kirtan is subtly changed to Bhajan form in which audience would be moving and clapping hands such as happens in Mandir. Bowing and praying in front of pictures of the Gurus in the style of Hindu faith instead of Guru Granth sahib Ji is something unacceptable in the Sikh doctrine, but the influence of Bollywood cinema has totally masked this thought process. One might ask: does it really matter? I think it does. My concern is that these trifle issues would slowly and steadily creep into Sikh way of life permanently, over a period of time, and the lines of differentiation between the two would be blurred, thus chipping away at our unique identity. Those of you who have seen popular movie “Gadar” might remember that the hero at times is shown to be a turbaned Sikh, and the next minute his beard and head is shaven making it appear as if it were of no consequence to a Sikh. How painful it was when being questioned about his affinity for hair, vs. love for his country, this actor in Sikh character responded that cutting hair is not a big deal to him but to talk bad about India would not be acceptable to him! What was the need to make him choose one out of the two equally important issues? Does that mean that one can not be a Sikh and Indian at the same time? The movie could have worked without such dialogue. In another recently released movie “Shaheed”, Sardar Bhagat Singh‟s sister while combing his hair suggests to him to cut his hair as they were too long. His response: “I will do it but at a time when the entire Sikh nation would feel proud of my act of cutting hair”! Now tell me how could an entire Sikh nation feel proud about a Sikh cutting his hair? Where do we stand when these kinds of films are produced by none-other than Sikhs? There are countless such examples both on small screen, and in the movies, day in and day out. The purpose of bombarding audiences with three movies on Bhagat Singh recently had a hidden agenda. I believe they wanted to “brain wash” the Sikh youth with a message that if Bhagat Singh could cut his hair for the sake of country, it is OK for others to do so. Timing of such a message, in their point of view, was appropriate, especially when we notice progressive erosions of Sikh values amongst our Sikh youth. [B]Stop Patka for Adults: [/B] Another style that seems to be taking hold and being popularized by Bollywood now days, is the use of Patka, or a piece of scarf, by mature Sikh adults in place of a full regular turban. The use of cap amongst the urbanite Sikhs is also becoming popular at the expense of a regular turban. Similarly, I have noted another phenomenon here. A saffron scarf, with big Khanda with Golden Temple printed underneath in front is being popularized for covering the head of so-called clean shaven Sikhs for use before entering the Gurdwaras. This seems to create an impression, as if these scarves were approved to be used in place of a Sikh turban by the management of Golden Temple i.e. SGPC, and it is OK to do so. The point I wish to make here is that Sikhs of India either have been so brain washed or they happen to be scared of the main culture to raise their voice. The young American Sikhs could take a lead and organize some kind of educational awareness in a systematic way to send a strong message back home that this kind of behavior is not to be accepted [B]Wake-up call for SGPC: [/B] Now, let us look at our most important organization that is supposed to take care of our Gurdwaras and our religious affairs and help disseminate our faiths through Dharam Prachar. I am referring to SGPC, our most important and at one time sacred, organization. The dons of our faith in fact are busy fattening their own pockets and have not done any thing that could help the faith and make us feel proud. Born in small villages of Punjab and having never been exposed to the world, they act like frogs in a well, so to speak. For them the Sikh faith is what a Sikh living in a small village of Punjab thinks. What would be wrong if a few SGPC members could be chosen from countries other than India or Punjab for that matter? This way the decisions directly affecting the Sikhs of other countries could be made by the five high priests keeping in mind the different needs of Sikhs abroad. I would encourage this august body to find ways to impress upon the geriatric population of this organization to think again. We all know that quite often such individuals are chosen for SGPC memberships who have nothing to do with the faith. Many of them had past history of drinking and cutting their hair, but they were made candidates just because they would tow the line of the leadership in power. One of them even told this writer personally, some twentyfive years ago, that he had just put on this uniform of full hair with a blue turban, and a Gatra of a sword, at the behest of the Party leader. Once elected, he is to provide support to the leadership. In turn, he was promised the use of a free car provided by SGPC. He had nothing to do with Sikh faith as such. Now how can these kinds of dubious individuals ever inspire the Sikh youth? Despite the fact that our first Guru emphasized equality for the woman, even now our women-folk are not allowed to perform the early morning seva at Sri Harmandir Sahib, a seva that is considered the most sacred by each and every Sikh. I am talking about the seva that is done at 3 am when the main sanctuary is washed from inside. A few years ago when an American Sikh Women Jatha went to perform this seva they were denied this privilege. The explanation given was the silliest one. These Sikh women were told that the seva can only be done by a person wearing a Kachhaira and as Kachhaira shows the naked legs of the women, it is not possible to allow them to do this seva. What a foolish thought! Many of you might be surprised to know about another painful saga that is unfolding in Punjab. The use of ultrasound to detect the sex of unborn baby is at a rise in the state of Punjab and amongst the Sikhs. This is done mostly for one sole purpose i.e. to kill the unborn female fetuses, a practice in total contrast to the fundamentals of Sikh faith. Bold Initiatives needed: As far as my information goes, young Sikhs living in Europe seemingly are also losing this battle. It is no secret to all of us that Sikh girls are being whisked away in to the fold of Islam in UK in rapidly progressive numbers simply because the young Muslim boys are being encouraged by their society and parents to marry non-Muslim girls so as to add to the inventory of Islam. Illiteracy of their first generation immigrant Sikh parents from Punjab, without true knowledge of Sikh faith, and having meager resources at their disposal with no time to spare for their children, in all probability, has some thing to do with this alarming trend. My fear is that the practice of the true Sikh faith is steadily vanishing from Punjab. If one were to look at the history, it would not be unrealistic to assume that future might turn out to be bleak for Sikhs in India, much in the same way it happened to Buddhism in India. Fortunately, we have the luxury of having some well informed young Sikhs living and growing in the Western world who not only could influence the other Sikhs here but could turn around and teach the Sikh youth of India and else where. This highly charged and well informed second generation Sikh youth of America must make efforts to reverse this trend not only here but the world around. It is the responsibility of the dedicated Sikhs born and raised here in this culture, without backward pulling strings, to come forward and realign the directions for the right path for the future generations. Only taking a proactive stance by the Sikh youth of America will make our faith survive in its truest form in the twentyfirst century. This is an urgent message and I am fully hopeful and confident that it will be seen in the same spirit. Nothing could be more inspiring than to take the pieces of thread and knit them together to help create a strong rope to stem the tide of these unfortunate developments in Sikh faith here, in India and elsewhere[/LEFT] Source: [URL="http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/september2003/pdf-files/youth1.pdf"]http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/september2003/pdf-files/youth1.pdf[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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