Dudley Singhs

respect to comradz for your reply, much needed. Jai Singh... "Have you thought about the 40% Hindu's living in Punjab?" Although i didnt agree with any of your message and dismissed it as coming from someone who does not have Sikhi in their heart, the above question of yours promted me to reply and voice my opinion. Yes, i have thought about the 40% of Hindu's living in Punjab. But ive also thought of the thousands of Sikhs that werent living in Punjab who were brutally murdered, ive also thought about the thousands of sikhs who gave their lives to make india independant. you want to talk figures? 90% of all people who were martyred in relation to independance were Sikhs. Ive also thought about the many women who live in Widows Colony, left alone due to every generation of male family members in their lives being tortured and killed in front of their eyes, ive also thought about the plea's by the indian government of india, asking sikhs to stick by them "you are our right arm sword" eventually being promised a homeland. ive even thought about how after these very people turned around and declared that sikhs are "Hindu's with long hair" in their constitution. and that they should "clean themselves up and cut their hair" - words fromthe chief of justice, 2 years after independance. ive thought about all of these things AND more brother.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. I would like to first state that im not a very knowledgable person in regards to Sikhi and Panth, but i do try, so if i say something wrong in my post please inform me of it and correct me and i would also like to apologise in advance. I would like to discuss the topic of Ekta, as i was watching Panth Time on Sikh Channel on Saturday, from Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Smethwick. In my opinion, in the current climate, Ekta in the Khalsa Panth cannot be achieved. People are more dedicated to their Jathebandiya than they are to the "Khalsa Panth". I remember a Singh standing up in that programme and saying Ekta for who? Who do we want Ekta for? How are we going to get Ekta when we are not at one with ourselves? I would like to support this view as i believe he was right. The core values of Sikhi, values that Guru Nanak Devi Ji instilled in people were to do with Ekta of yourself and people were. I think that just like to Khalistan issue, the issue of "Can there ever be Ekta in the Panth" is a very very distant thing, as grass roots and the individual are things we need to concentrate on. Forgiveness, humbleness, honesty, sharing, togetherness, serving......the CORE elements of Sikhi. Guru Nanak Dev Jis message. If we dont have these core values, we cant have Ekta withourselves, therefore we cant have Ekta with our family, therefore we cant have Ekta with the community, so how can we even begin to even think about Panthic Ekta? its not just a case of not having these values, its a case of the fact that us not having them means we have others in their place. E.g. Hate, stubbornness, revenge, ignorance, anger, ego....... Such are the feelings that certain Jatha's feel for others. This fact is the reason why so many Sikhs are Anti Khalistani (Being hated as a result by Jatha's who appose this view, increasing the gap between division and Ekta). Khalistan is not what will acheive Ekta: More Money, More Power = More Problems. Having said that, i myself am pro-Khalistan. For the reason of Sant Gyani Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale's qurbani. Now theres proof of Ekta occuring. Im my opinion, events and atrocities of 1984 led to Ekta occuring. If tanks rolled into Siri Harmandir Sahib today id like to meet a Singh who would say that he wouldnt go and defend Sikhi. As i believe every Singh would and should. Is that what it should take to bring about Ekta? Should things have to get so bad to make Sikhs unite? Although the events of Ludhiana were very tragic this year, i was hopeful and a little convinced that events like these can unite different Jatha's of our Panth. But i wish that it didnt take such events to wake people up...... Carrying on the issue of Khalistan and again on Panth Time, there was a Singh that said reiterated the issue of Khalistan and why we are asking about it now when we should be concentrating on grass roots. Although i have mentioned i believe that these grass roots start within ourselves, i would like to support this Singh's view about the role that Gurdwara's play (or can play) in supporting Khalistan or bringing about Ekta in general. I can relate to the issue of youth oppression in Gurdwara committies and Sangat as i have been struggling with it myself for two years being in the committee of my local Gurdwara. Gurdware are now all about power struggles, mis-trust of youth from elders, and to be frank, just like a business that turns over profit. Committees are content with opening locking up the Gurdwara and receiving enough donations to keep the place running. Id like to challenge my elders, the committees of Gurdware, id like to ask them what they have done for the cause of Khalistan? 25 years have passed and committees have in fact gone in the other direction. they dont want it to be mentioned on their stages, they dont want the "hassle". yes, you may have lived through that era, and i know youve lived in fear of even just being a Singh, and i know you think it better to be quiet. but ive heard all the horror stories, and people my age and my generation are the ones that WANT to have justice, and WANT to fight for the rights of Sikhs, and WANT redemption at any cost. We know the language, we know how to communicate, we know how to make use of political avenues. so why dont you just give the youth a platform? get past your thinking of "they are going to close us down, they are going to waste our money, we dont get on with his dad, his uncle once spoke innapriately to me". get past that. because there are two ways around this. one way is you ACCEPTING that the youth are future. and when you go, they WILL take over, and as a result you start integrating them into your institutions now, and begin trusting them and teaching them the running of the Gurdwara. thats the humble route. Otherwise, it will be a case of community disruption and division, arguments, more power struggles.....and to use the example of the Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada as an example (as it has a youth committee) the sangat see what is right and what is not, they see the corruption in Gurdwara's and speaking from my personal experience, i believe they would support change and ensure it takes place. Having said this much, id like to apologise for the many errors i must have made. I truly am sorry. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.