Sikhism is a faith for modern limes with its key concepts of equality and fraternity the challenge is how to take Sikhism beyond the Sikhs. There are two obvious ways The one way is to Provide educational information at American institutions to include verbal presentations and pirated materials The second way is to promote and encourage Americans to visit Sikh institutions especially gurdwaras The two modes are obviously not mutually exclusive This can be accomplished by inviting American speakers or better still by letting them imbibe the atmosphere view our traditions and ask questions. While many Sikh organisations have laudably focused on adult visitors youth have rarely been part of the such an effort.

On Jan.61991 about 40 junior and senior high school students in Fairfax County who attended the Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Burke Virginia along with about a dozen adults visited the Gurudwara at the Sikh Foundation of VA in Fairfax Station VA. They were greeted by the Chairman Dr. Amarjit Singh the Secretary Balwant Singh Multani and the Youth Coordinator Dr. Barinder K. Deu along with the youth from SFV.

On a sunny ‘cool; and. crisp January morning they were escorted into the Gurdawara and scarves were provided. After about a 15 minute introduction to Sikhism by Dr. Kamaljit K. Sethi they went into the main hall and listened to kirtan. At the conclusion as a-DiVar the visitors asked a lot of questions. Many of the queries related to the symbols they saw such as kirpan chakar and khanda. There were questions about the palki the Guru Granth Sahib and pictures of the Gurus. The youth sang a shabad followed by parshad distribution.

There followed an informal discussion during the serving of refreshments in the langar hall. The kids wanted to know more about the difference between “patkas” and “pugrees”. Many recognized Sikh boys and girls who attended their schools. The difference was they viewed and understood them as Sikhs for the first time. The visiting American youth were polite and respectful. The accompanying adults were very polite and respectful. The accompanying adults were very interested and expressed an interest in returning at another time. The visit was enjoyed by both visitors and hosts.

The real motivation for this visit came from the pastor of the Abiding Presence Lutheran Church the Rev. Thomas Bailey He felt that the American youth needed an opportunity to understand other faiths. This prompted a visit to the Gurdawara al SFV This certainly should prompt management and youth Committees of gurdwaras to encourage and solicit such visits A simple mailing to churches in the surrounding areas inviting visitors for a planned tour would go a long way in fostering a better understanding of Sikhism with other faiths. The SFV extended its appreciation to the pastor the Rev. Thomas Bailey for engaging their youth in this exercise in secularity.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 25, 1991