I found this article not only informative and built on what I already
know, but very emotional and draining. The one question that I keep
asking myself and others that share my pain and sentiments is "when will
Sikhs ever get justice and autonomy?" I feel so hopeless, Sikhs have such
short memories, they keep forgetting how they have been betrayed time and
time again. Look at the present situation in Punjab, 90% of its youth are
addicts. What will happen to us? I strongly believe that enemy is not
only from the outside, its very much within the Sikh community at large.
We have lost the Khalsa spirit and the path of spirituality set by our
great Gurus', and are headed for self-extinction and annihilation.
I was very young when my family emigrated overseas, but I hold my religion
and culture very close to my heart, I feel this pain for the people of
Punjab and the atrocities being committed against them.
This is an interesting article, but it does'nt go anywhere. The author
seems to be well-intentioned and brave man (good things in and of
themselves), but there's no denying that if prostitutes do tout for trade
outside mosque Faisal, that's inexcusable and cannot and must not be
tolerated. It's not appropriate to draw a comparison between attempts to
stop immoral practices going on outside a house of God, and the excesses
of the Taleban regime in Afghanistan. Plus, it must also be realised that
when the wooden rod is used on people to punish them for wrongdoing, it is
not usual for death or broken bones to result.
The author fails to establish any good reason for why his opinion is that
proportionate punishment in an appropriate context (where immoral or lewd
behaviour is going on outside a place of worship, for example) is wrong in
itself. Surely it would be naive to think that the agents of the State
(police, etc) actually care about the moral turpitude of individuals,
especially in a country like Pakistan. In the circumstances desribed by
the author, surely it is most appropriate for mullahs (malvis) or even
devout men, to keep the streets clean around a sacred place. What's so
wrong with that?
Please save Davinder veerji at any cost. He is innocent and try to reopen
the case that Punjab police put on the father of Davinder veerji and the
accused of that case should be hanged.
Thank you for an informative article on the internal...
Thank you for an informative article on the internal
workings of the SGPC ('Our Heads Hang in Shame,' Sikh
Spectrum, April 2003).
In his book 'Minority Politics in the Punjab,' Baldev
Raj Nayar writes (p. 185) that "... any Sikh who
wishes to register as a voter for the gurdwara
elections must make a specific application stating ...
that he neither smokes nor takes alcoholic drinks."
[Punjab, Home Department, General (Gurdwaras)
Notification No. 1207, dated July 16, 1959].
I have great trouble believing that such a rule, even
if it is still on the books, is ever enforced.
Nayar also writes (p. 185), "In contrast to the
general elections where government officials register
voters through visits to their place of residence ...
bands of Akali workers go from village to village and
get Akali supporters registered, whereas the congress
Sikhs have no comparable organization to encourage
registration."
The above, if true, suggests that the elections are
skewed even before voting begins.
Finally, Nayar writes (p. 179), "... gurdwaras have
been established [by the SGPC] for members of the
backward classes."
Why would the SGPC, religio-political leaders of the
egalitarian religion that is Sikhism, encourage
segregation within Sikhism by acts such as those
described above?
Your feedback on the above comments would be greatly
appreciated.
Puneet Singh Lamba
Founder
The Sikh Times
Boston
http://www.sikhtimes.com
I especially enjoyed the artcile which throws light...
I especially enjoyed the artcile which throws light on the great insight in the sacred book like Guru Garanth Sahab. It may be strange for you that I have a natural tendency towards Bhakti (mysticism). This relates to one of my dreams in the year 1985 in which I found myself singing a melodious Punjabi song sitting within a big group of people under a grand tomb in a great hall. All the participants including me were wearing the orange dresses and singing that song on dholak in a state of great ecstasy and intuition. The strange thing with that dream was that on my awakening I was literally singing the first verse of the song in the same tune. I also shared the dream with my brother and my mother.
In 1997 I was in New Delhi for the first time and here I got the opportunity of visiting few temples and Gurdawaras there including taking part in the 'seva' for the under-construction Gurdawara at the Chandni Chowk. Afterwards my further developments really converted me into a Sufi (mystic). Now I'm a true devotee and bhagat of the greats Gurus and Bhagats like Bhagat Kabir, Guru Nanak dev Ji, and Baba Farid.
In this regard this article has reinforced my energies to face life in a more realistic way. Especially the wisdom in these lines is much impressing:
"The Sikh poetic tradition advises the individual faced with a situation of inevitable suffering, to accept it with a sense of resignation to the Divine Will. The only alternative is to engage oneself in prayer for the alleviation of suffering, not only from one's own life, but from the life of humanity at large".
Or in the words of Farid:
"Life is like a tree growing on the river's
bank - how long may it last?
How long may the unbaked pitcher retain water?"
I believe all this process is a learning phase in which I have learnt a lot, perhaps more than the whole knowledge of my previous life. I also believe the Nature does not waste its true Bhagat but places the persons at their suitable points. Now I'm ready to accept my duty granted by the Nature either in this world or the world to come.
I found this article not only informative...