(Presented by: I.J. Singh and Neena I. Singh, New York) Once again we must capture the pristine glory of our noble traditions. Once again when a Sikh walks by, his neighbors should say, “Here goes a Sikh, a man of significance, an honor- able man.”
On the other hand, there are a whole set of issues that relate our heritage to that of our neighbors; these are externally directed activities. They are important to our future for we are now a significant presence in a global village where people of diverse faiths and backgrounds must understand and live with each other. What face of our heritage do we wish to show the world and how? Before we offer a few suggestions in each category, let it be clear that the hub of all Sikh activities is the gurdwara. Every action that impacts on the community emanates from the gurdwara. It is appropriate, therefore, that we first examine the role of the gurdwara in the life of the community.
Gurdwaras Their structure and function: It is time to look again at how a gurdwara can fulfill our needs in the coming years. A gurdwara has to re- claim its traditional role. It has to be the Community Center. A Center where the Guru Granth remains the focus, where katha and keertan remain cardinal and which serves the community in its varied needs. Surely a gurdwara, particularly out- side India, can maintain a panel of speakers who can represent Sikhs and Sikhism in schools, churches or to the press. A gurdwara has to become a place where the young can hang out. So it must offer sports facilities, a reading room and lounge, a book shop, library, gift shop etc. It must offer training skills to the needy. The pro- grams may vary according to circum- stances and need.
Churches and Synagogues in the United States routinely offer day care centers and also self improvement adult education courses in safe driving, western history and culture, in- vestment counseling, creative cooking, exercise, financial planning, computer skills etc. They also have music concerts and hold Bible study classes. At least in the United States and Canada many such programs can be partially funded by the State or Country.
Many new Sikh immigrants to the United States could use counseling in job hunting strategies, conversational English and so on. The list is endless. The new arrival often needs help in finding medical help, a place to stay. a job, a mate, friends; the gurdwara must help or it will become irrelevant to the lives of the people, particularly the young.
A gurdwara should develop physical and recreational facilities consistent with its resources. Many churches have such facilities; they also often have a glass enclosed well stocked nursery where the infants and toddlers can remain a part of the main function without disrupting it. Almost all have a religious school for the young. Many have special activities for senior citizens. Gurdwaras need to think in terms of gurdwara supported schools not for the elite but for the common people just as there are Church supported schools all over the world.
What I am suggesting may sound novel but it is not. If the Gurus maintained armies, they must have trained the Sikhs in martial arts. For the community, facilities for recreation must have existed. The 52 poets at Guru Gobind Singh’s court must have participated in poetry recitals. The gurdwara traditionally was the Com- munity Center. It needs to become so again while accommodating the changing needs of the community. A community not only prays together but also plays, sings and dances together. The genesis of the world wide YMCA, YWCA and the Jewish YMHA lie in such awareness. It is time to reexamine our institutions how they operate, what purpose do they serve etc.
The internal functioning and political structure of a gurdwara and its management will need a closer look. These would be long term goals which can start with small steps. Let us now list some specific activities which can emerge out of our gurdwaras.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 1, 1995
