BC Sikhs Making It Happen
Sikh Research Institute
Vancouver, BC, Canada-From thought provoking conferences to interactive leadership workshops, BC’s Sikh community has been busy working towards the commitment it made earlier this year to make 2009 a year focused on education, collaboration and inspiration; and without a doubt, the community has been working hard and teaming up with the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) to make it happen.
Baljinder Kaur, Director of SikhRI Canada remarked, “At SikhRI we continually highlight the importance of working with diverse groups within the Sikh community. It is essential for us to continue raising awareness, building dialogue and encouraging young Sikhs to become independent thinkers – together.” It was with these values in mind that a collaborative team of focused and dedicated Gurduara, student and public organizers, including SikhRI, came together to devote the weekend of July 24th to July 26th to a line-up of challenging, inspiring and pro-active events. The exciting and busy few days incorporated a variety of programs reaching a range of audiences.
The weekend was launched with, “Sword and Pen: Making a Sikh Activist,” a two day conference hosted by the Student Sikh Association of Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Event organizer, Moninder Singh commented, “It is our hope that this event could be the starting point to many upcoming joint ventures within the Sikh community in the Lower Mainland which will bring forward timely change and tackle important community issues.” The conference explored a range of topics beginning with, “Nam: Identification with the Divine,” a workshop presented by Harinder Singh, focusing on our individual relationships, experiences and understanding of Nam. The workshop compelled each individual participant to reflect upon the magnificence of Nam, as well as, upon the characteristics of those who lived through their identification with the Divine. Day two of the conference, moderated by, sociology professor, Indira Prahst, comprised of three sessions focusing on issues of June 1984. The opening session, presented by, Bhajan Singh Bhinder, focused on the political and social atmosphere leading up to the events of June ‘84. This was followed by, Dr. Cynthia Keppley Mahmood’s presentation on the ramifications of 1984 on the Sikh identity and militancy, on both local and diasporic levels. The third, and closing session, presented by Harinder Singh, contextualized the events of June 1984 within the progressive and defiant history of the Sikhs; with this he challenged the audience to shift the collective paradigm of the community from one of victimhood to one of inspiration and vitality, thus reviving the spirit of the Khalsa. “I loved how the conference focused on both, the importance of working on our relationship with the Divine and at the same time understanding how this experience should compel us to fight against injustice. It was so refreshing to see this combination presented in conference form,” reflected, Anoop Kaur, a student participant.
Next on the line-up of events was a provocative discussion on “Who is really killing Sikhs and Sikhi?” by Harinder Singh on the popular Sunday morning radio talk show hosted by Kuldip Singh from Sher-e-Punjab. Harinder Singh presented the refusal of acceptance of the Guru Granth Sahib and Guru Khalsa Panth as Guru, as the most prominent challenge for Sikh communities today; and further, argued that the solution lies in Sikhs evaluating their personal intentions and institutional objectives and aligning them to the vision and inspiration of the Guru, rather than focusing on the individual or institution. Listeners were challenged by the analysis on the subject and remained engaged in an energetic and lively discussion throughout the Lower Mainland.
Following the live radio talk show, SikhRI was off to give an address at the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Gurduara (SGRSG). Harinder Singh’s talk, “Community Building in Guru Granth Sahib as Envisioned by Bhagat Ravidass Ji,” was reflective of the issues on the hearts and minds of many of the sangat. He highlighted the vision of the city of Begampura, and urged the community to work towards this vision of the Guru- where there are no second or third class statuses that exist. Further, he underlined that the only language that will forge the strong Panthak relationships needed amidst the political and ideological differences at hand, will be the language of our Guru: love. “The sangat was deeply appreciative of the address and felt inspired by the message that the seat of Ultimate supremacy remains only and always that of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib’s. For the sangat, hearing this positive message meant a lot during this time of need. We hope to continue in our work towards building healthy relationships with the community of the Lower Mainland,” remarked Michael Ghirra, President of the SGRSG.
SikhRI’s work with BC’s Gurduaras didn’t end there. The weekend’s events came to a close with an exciting and valuable leadership training workshop for fifteen of Gurduara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar’s committee executives. Eager to understand and serve the needs of the growing community of BC, the Gurduara executives asked SikhRI to develop a workshop that would help them better understand their roles and responsibilities as community and Gurduara organizers. The two hour intensive covered a range of topics from the historical roots, role and importance of the Gurduara, to brainstorming community development projects with the committee. Participant and Gurdwara Board of Director, Parvkar Singh noted, “SikhRI’s workshop has shifted the paradigm of the working committees and Board of Directors of this Gurduara. We were reminded of the vastness of our responsibilities and were pushed to reflect upon expanding our team to involve even more community representation. We look forward to making the necessary changes needed to progress and hope to have SikhRI back soon to take the training to the next level.”
SikhRI congratulates the community and organizers for their proactive and committed work towards continuing to educate, collaborate and inspire. Kirpa Kaur, BC area’s coordinator for SikhRI, remarks, “It’s been an exciting weekend for many in the Lower Mainland. SikhRI continually supports and encourages progressive community projects and BC has surely been a leader in role modeling the possibilities that open up when we attempt to align our efforts with the vision of the Guru. We look forward to many more such diverse and creative initiatives in the near future.”
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