Time and again, the so called in house or visiting Sikh Gyanis remind ‘Guru kee Sangat’ that a true ‘Guru ka Sikh’ must have his ‘5 Kakas’, us prescribed by the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh jee. Yes, that is a very desirable goal and should be for every follower of Sikh faith but should that alone make one a good Sikh?
Is a non Keshdhari Sikh who comes ‘every week to Gurdwara & spends time listening to Gurbani or doing Sewa in preparing or serving langar, ot cleaning pots or collecting garbage or vacuuming Gurdwaras helping in lawn maintenance, snow removal, general maintenance not a Guru ka Sikh?
Many of these Gyanis who find it so easy to insult many non Keshdhari Sikhs should be reminded that action speaks louder than word, They will be more appreciated & respected by the Sangat if they took the trouble once in a while to ‘come down and roll up their sleeves and take part in Langar or Gurdwara Sewa, ‘That is what counts when you are in a Gurdwara more than anything else.
With all due respect to the so called modem day Sikh scholars, practice what you preach, “Kirat Karo te Wand Chakho”, the essence of Sikhism, just don’t criticize either members of the congregation based on their looks or people of other faith, Sikh traditions don’t allow that & nor should the Gurdwara stage be used for that purpose. Let us see how many of the so called Keshdhari Sikhs come to hear your views if you were there at 10:00 am, on Sundays rather at prime time just before Diwan’s Smapathi around 2100 pans when people don’t have any choice’
It is easier to win someone with love and much harder to win someone with criticism. Gurdwara management should bend backwards to bring in more Sangat to spread the good teachings of Guru Nanak Dev jee and other Sikh Gurus and should do everything in their power to stop who drive away Sangat.
Sad to say, while we have been able to build beautiful big Gurdwaras in the last 15 years in America in practically every major city, our Gurdwaras still sit employ on most days like white elephants.
‘The Gurdwaras get packed on Sundays afternoons or Friday evenings just before Langar time not mainly because Gurdwara offers interesting programs but either it is socially desirable place to be where you might get noticed or get some importance ‘or an outlet to exchange stories and chug lies ot some combination of all of above.
Has any Gurdwara management ever done yearly surveys to find out what brings a Sikh to a Gurdwara’ and what Kind of programs they would like to have? What impact does it have on the Sangat when the Diwan’s Smapathi gets habitually delayed every week in some Gurdwaras? How many children or as a matter of fact, how many adults understand the meaning of Shabads being sung by the Ragi Jathas? Should Ragi Jathas while singing Shabads should also explain the ‘Arth’ or meaning, importance and significance of that Shabad?
These are the things, which Gurdwara ‘management should be looking into, in ‘order to prepare for the Sangat of tomorrow. You may not always get Sangat who has only recently immigrated from India first generation immigrants) who is Well versed with the traditions & customs that are being practiced in the home that we left. In order for us to succeed & survive as a faith in America we will need to attract. The second generation Sikhs who are only seen in small numbers, so we must be doing something wrong in driving them away. That is what we need to look into, how we can also attract others to our services, perhaps by offering bilingual, shorter & timely services. Harbir Singh, Harriman, NY.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 17, 1996
