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Gurdwara 'folk Dancing' Vaisakhi At City Hall


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So apparently there is a Vaisakhi at City Hall event being organised by, "the mayor, with support from Singh Sabha London East and EY Sikh network".

The event will include:

  • Shabad kirtan - spiritual music
  • Langar - food
  • Folk dance and martial arts
  • Poetry
  • Exhibitions
  • Turban tying
  • Short films by Sikh artists, inc. Q&As
  • Displays by Sikh organisations
  • Fun children’s activities

Now I am very curious to know why an event being organised (At least in part) by a Gurdwara is including 'folk dance'? Is it not beadbi to have folk dance in the same line up as shabad kirtan?

I am also interested to know, how will the organizers ensure respect for the bani being sung by making sure everyone is sat on the floor, heads uncovered, shoes off and quiet?

Which sikh organisations will be doing the displays? Who are the sevadars running all of these exhibits?

If there is such a large scale event happening, why is it that it seems to only be in the hands of one gurdwara and a small city organisation? Where is the accountability??

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Seems to me to be a bit of envy going on.

I am no supporter of Gurdwara committees but if one has got its act together to put a function for the community then surely we should be supporting it rather then the usual - finding any point to complain about and then criticize and criticize - otherwise known as Pishall khichoos.

Vaisakhi is a religious and cultural festival. We fundamentalists will start our complaining early and so put off many people who maybe would come into Sikhi but are put off by such views.

Folk dancing is most likely Giddha, that is all, it is Punjabi folk dancing from the villages.

Tell me, when you go past a shop that is selling alcohol and cigarettes and they have kirtan playing in the background do we picket the shop?

I have walked past shops in Southall who sell CD's and DVD's and they are blaring out kirtan from their speakers, I see no one complaining that when you enter the shop no one takes off their shoes or sits on the floor while selecting which CD to buy?

Yes, if there was a disco or there was alcohol being served that is something else, here we have a vaisakhi function part religious and part cultural.

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Seems to me to be a bit of envy going on.

I am no supporter of Gurdwara committees but if one has got its act together to put a function for the community then surely we should be supporting it rather then the usual - finding any point to complain about and then criticize and criticize - otherwise known as Pishall khichoos.

Vaisakhi is a religious and cultural festival. We fundamentalists will start our complaining early and so put off many people who maybe would come into Sikhi but are put off by such views.

Folk dancing is most likely Giddha, that is all, it is Punjabi folk dancing from the villages.

Tell me, when you go past a shop that is selling alcohol and cigarettes and they have kirtan playing in the background do we picket the shop?

I have walked past shops in Southall who sell CD's and DVD's and they are blaring out kirtan from their speakers, I see no one complaining that when you enter the shop no one takes off their shoes or sits on the floor while selecting which CD to buy?

Yes, if there was a disco or there was alcohol being served that is something else, here we have a vaisakhi function part religious and part cultural.

No gurdwara put this together.. it has been pushed as a pr exercise by London city.

Only way to 'celebrate' or remember the birth of the khalsa us in the hazoori of guru maharaj where there is no place for 'folk dancing'.

I hope much of the stage time and focus from the sikh co-organisers is to push our political demands!

I would be extremely disappointed if London plc walk away from the event thinking they are back in the sikhs good books.

Singho dont be mugs! Use the platform effectively!

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Seems to me to be a bit of envy going on.

I am no supporter of Gurdwara committees but if one has got its act together to put a function for the community then surely we should be supporting it rather then the usual - finding any point to complain about and then criticize and criticize - otherwise known as Pishall khichoos.

Vaisakhi is a religious and cultural festival. We fundamentalists will start our complaining early and so put off many people who maybe would come into Sikhi but are put off by such views.

Folk dancing is most likely Giddha, that is all, it is Punjabi folk dancing from the villages.

Tell me, when you go past a shop that is selling alcohol and cigarettes and they have kirtan playing in the background do we picket the shop?

I have walked past shops in Southall who sell CD's and DVD's and they are blaring out kirtan from their speakers, I see no one complaining that when you enter the shop no one takes off their shoes or sits on the floor while selecting which CD to buy?

Yes, if there was a disco or there was alcohol being served that is something else, here we have a vaisakhi function part religious and part cultural.

Completely unfair comments. Let me ask you, if one person was to kick your mom and another person was to punch your mom. Would you say I just walked by the punch and did nothing to stop it, so it is okay to kick my mom as well. No! you would not let any of it happen. Sikhs today have lost all sense of what it means to respect Gurbani. Everything in Gurbani is for sale. But this does not make the sale of Gurbani right. Gurbani (Shabad Kirtan) is our Guru. Open your eyes and see Gurbani for what it is. Dancing and Shabad kirtan together under one celebration is all wrong. Why not let the punjabis do gidda in Darbar Hall and then do katha on how Gurbani disapproves of it, if it is only punjabi folk dancing as you say? :stupidme: I had some fool committee member stare me down after a wedding because I nicely told some white people to cross their legs in darbar Sahib. Too bad this committee member didn't have the balls to actually approach me and have a decent conversation. Goon behavior doesn't work, when the other party doesn't fear committee members. Vaisakhi for the Sikhs is ONLY a religious celebration. I wonder how many hindus, Mulsims, Buddhist, and Jains were put off by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ji condemning Sikhs from celebrating like fools and instead took heads and sang Kirtan? Tell me how many celebrations did we have from Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji to Sri Gobind Singh Sahib ji that allowed Gurbani to be sang after or before what Gurbani does not approve of in the same venue

You don't even know what alcohol is, if you think it is only the liquid substance consumed. alcohol is already in the body. The giddha awakes the alcohol in the body and takes the person away from Gurbani. Over 1000 post on this website and you still can't figure this simple puzzle out!

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This is an event being organised by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The event itself is being paid for by all Londoners, i.e white christians, black christians, hindus and muslims as well as Sikhs. The event is for their benefit as well as ours. The things going on there that day are for the cultural enrichment of people from throghout the world, especially tourists, to enjoy a fun day out with their families. By default, it is also a great chance for us to showcase Sikhi and people to learn about Sikhi. I think where some of you are going wrong here is that you're confusing this fun-fair mela type event with a nagar kirtan.

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Then it should be made clear that shabad kirtan has no place where those activities will take place. Now, I don't know the floor plan of this event, whether it's taking place in one location or spread across various rooms. If the event is largely being projected as a cultural showcase, then the organisers should be advised that folk dancing, no matter how apparently harmless, is not the place to have spiritual and religious Sikh prayers (from our scriptures, our Guru) being recited and heard. To be fair, the rest of the event seems pretty decent.

Yes, I agree with Bundha Singh in regards to off-licenses selling all sorts of stuff whilst kirtan can be heard through the speakers, and that's equally wrong. This situation, however, requires us not to be gormless onlookers afraid to offend non-Sikhs due to it being a government funded event.

If the taxpayer is funding this soiree, then fair play, but keep Gurbani out of it. You don't need to make a tamasha out of our scriptures to keep everyone happy. It's the equivalent of having a Christian choir singing hymns whilst there's a group of gaily dressed Morris dancers cavorting around a pole nearby, lol. It's very silly.

If we don't speak up when something like this occurs, we are, in essence, giving the greenlight that we accept this disrespect even if it is unintended. Of course, there's a way of expressing your distaste, and acting overly indignant and offended doesn't go down well with those looking to demonise brown people who it's assumed are always upset by something or another, lol. A polite, conciliatory word with the right person should do the trick.

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You people yourselves are making Sikhi small.

Sikhi and gurbani are for the whole world, yet you want to shrink it down and down.

There was a time when many many Hindus would go to the Gurdwaras and mutha take inforn of Guru Ji. Many Muslims also went to the Gurdwara. Many hindus had Guru Sahib Ji at home and mandirs but we with our small minds pestered them and haraased them until now no hindu or muslim had guru Ji at home. Rather then teach respect and understanding we go in all guns blazing , take Guru Ji from here, take it to the Gurdwara, that is our mantra. Rather, we should teach them respect and so let sikhi grow and blossom. Do we not repeat gurbani when we are out and about? Do we not repeat bani when we are in the bathroom? Gurbani is for all and for all time, we with our small minds make it small.

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You people yourselves are making Sikhi small.

Sikhi and gurbani are for the whole world, yet you want to shrink it down and down.

There was a time when many many Hindus would go to the Gurdwaras and mutha take inforn of Guru Ji. Many Muslims also went to the Gurdwara. Many hindus had Guru Sahib Ji at home and mandirs but we with our small minds pestered them and haraased them until now no hindu or muslim had guru Ji at home. Rather then teach respect and understanding we go in all guns blazing , take Guru Ji from here, take it to the Gurdwara, that is our mantra. Rather, we should teach them respect and so let sikhi grow and blossom. Do we not repeat gurbani when we are out and about? Do we not repeat bani when we are in the bathroom? Gurbani is for all and for all time, we with our small minds make it small.

Nobody has made any comments about not sharing gurbani or guru jis teachings..

In fact the posts u seem to be referring to are against celebrating the birth of khalsa via a bhangra display..

the message of the gurus have watered down enough amongst our own by mixing with the ever liberalising punjabi culture.. dont u think its better to share the message of the gurus exlusively rather then mixing with a dance to a song about a 'soni kuri/patiala peg/fake kharku' or whatever bhangra track is rocking on britasia nowadays.

You've gone off on a bit of a tangent there.

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On Vaisahhi two events occur: Vaisakhi( Harvest Festival) and Creation Of the Khalsa, Sikhs will celebrate the latter while Punjabi's the former. Yes we should ' showcase' sikhi at this London fair , but not by having kirtan/gurbani. Not only is it not understandable by nonSikhs but disrespecrable. So have like street prachaar or PowerPoint's or displays about Sikhi. Maybe about sikh contribution to world wars or britain. Or about 1984.Something that tourists can understand and interact with...

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