Do We Love Our Gurdwaras Enough To Save Them?

[GurSa Singh]

Below is an article by Animal Spirit, Slough.

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Do we love our gurdwaras enough to save them? -

'Gurdwara' or Party Hall?

"I did not reveal this sacred vision of Khaalsa life, for you to turn into a

dead-creed!"

Guru Gobind Singh jee

What do you do, when confronted with such obstinate abuse and obscenity like

this? Do we launch an inspiring morcha like our forefathers did in the

1920s, to liberate and cleanse our sacred institutions from the clutches of

the anti-Sikh mahants? This is, indeed, something to consider in England.

Our gurdwaras are going down the drain, into the muck and mire of man-made

whims and desires - "wedding machines", party-ing, commercialisation. They

are being drained of their gurmat purpose and beauty. There is no regard for

the vital principles and endless sacrifices that, have gone into initiating

and sustaining Sikh practises and institutions. The gurdwara has been

reduced to a convenient venue for free food, for weddings and all those

things people do when they gather in large masses.

This situation described below is not unique to the said Ramgarhia gurdwara.

Indeed, it is commonplace across all so-called 'Ramgarhia gurdwaras'

('ramgarhia' is a title hijacked from Sikh history). For example, according

to reports, in one such Ramgarhia gurdwara, surplus langar is being actually

sold to sangat. Yes, SOLD for money! Equally, many other mainstream gurdwara

committees are indulging in many other forms of unprincipled behaviour. The

jat run gurdwaras are, only, a little better. They commit pretty much the

same obscenities as the darkaans and other sectarian groups within the Sikh

world. Indeed, all gurdwara committees are the same in their duplicity,

manipulation and gross lack of principles. For the committed Sikhs, this is

not an issue of jats, darkans, etc. It is first and foremost an issue of

SIKH ETHICS. It is about rescuing these powerful Sikh institutions from the

hands of these poisonous oppressors - committing self-destruction and

contamination in the heart of the Sikh world.

Gurdwaras are a bastion of Sikh spirit, Sikh ideals, Sikh practises, Sikh

examples. They are a positive and benevolent FORTRESS of Sikhi. Take for

example, "Kes-Garh Sahib" - the Fort of Natural Hair! GURDWARAS were set up

by the Gurus to be the POWER-HOUSE of Sikh life and living - to inspire, to

activate, to unite and take forward human society.

The opponents of the Sikhs throughout history, were always deeply

distrustful and hostile to the activity and moral strength of the gurdwaras.

Like the Mughals, the British sought to contain and constrict the power of

the Akal Takht and Darbar Sahib and all Sikh gurdwaras. A quote from a

British minister in the late 1800s refers to gurdwaras as a 'dangerous

places', as places of 'resistance and rebellion', as a 'state within a

state'. He stresses the need to contain and pacify these places. Indeed, the

Indian state wholescale attack on the SIKH NATION in 1984 began with a

destructive attack on the primary Sikh gurdwaras (Darbar Sahib, Akaal Takht

and 80 other significant historic Gurdwaras across Panjaab). India and

British rulers are today happy to see Sikh gurdwaras in a state of chaos and

mis-direction. The potential powerhouse of Sikhi have been neutralised and

emasculated! No conscious parchar, means no inspiration, which means no

activity, which means no campaigns or morchas, which means no threat from

the gurdwaras and the Sikh community. Gurmat and active minded Sikhs are

excluded from the gurdwaras, as 'trouble-makers' and 'fundamentalists'; as

the uncommitted and uncaring 'Sikhs' secure their fiefdoms. The power-houses

of Sikh spirit and action are pacified and tamed.

Gurdwaras are not passive centres for individual private prayers - paying

£2-300.00 to bribe god to give a named individual or a family a private and

personalised form of escapist 'peace' or 'shanti'. Today, gurdwaras up and

down Britain have been turned into wholescale commercial operations. As the

Sikh writer highlights below, they are "marriage machines". Gurdwaras are

rented out on weekends for a jamboree and circus of vane materialism. This

shows an open contempt for the Guru, the Gurus precious principles, the

sacrifices that went into sustaining Sikh principles and practises and

everything to do with the ideals and spirit of an ethical Sikh way of life.

Every gurdwara committee is happy to rent out the gurdwara premises for

marriage shows to any and every person whoh is prepared to pay £600.00 plus

to the gurdwara coffers.

Sikhi is not about money - never was and never will be! You don't have to

pay to go to the gurdwara. You don't have to pay to partake of langar. You

don't have to pay to embrace Sikh principles. You don't have to pay for

God's benevolent guidance. You don't have to pay to become a member of the

Khaalsa Panth, through the baptism of death & life (khande-da-amrit). Why

then do you have to have to pay to conduct an Anand Karaj or any other

activity in a gurdwara? Why do you have to pay for a Paath in the Gurdwara?

Indeed, there is no such thing as a personalised or private prayer in Sikhi.

A true Sikh never prayers for private wealth or private gain. Instead, a

Sikh always prayers for "sarbat da bhalla" (no less, no more) - abiding

fully with god's global hukam (earthquakes, tsunamis, life, death, bliss,

sadness, or whatever is ordained). A Sikh accepts that, graceful

participation in the entire journey of life - as given and shaped by god -

is a fulfilling and purposeful experience.

A Sikh does not seek escapism to some private 'shanti' or private callings

for gods 'blessings' for a new car, a new shop or a new businesses. "When my

life comes to its end, May I die in the thick of struggle." (Khaalsa

National Anthem) Like the Sikhs of old (e.g. Baba Deep Singh) and present

(e.g. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale); a committed believeing Sikh prayers for a

glorious death to complete their life on earth. Such a death is one of

struggle, torture, painful punishment in the pursuit of a idealistic world -

'halemi raaj'. A Sikh is saint-warrior for a benevolent, just and holistic

global world. Sikhi is a vision for a global 'dharamsaal' (as stated in

Japji Sahib). Sikhi is not a private personalised 'religion'; or something

that ones does to find private solace or 'shanti'. For that, there are

plenty of private gurus and sects across the world. And, indeed, many

nervous and fragile minds join these passive 'guru'-worship groups, to

address their individual fears, phobias and desires. The Khaalsa is a global

vision. The Khaalsa warrior is a global mind, a global citizen. The Khaalsa

warrior is a buoyant and free mind (chard-i-kala). As Sukha and Jinda said

in their letters to India: "You can imprison our bodies, but you cannot

imprison our minds".

The challenge for us now is, do we respond to this stage of history, by

asserting Khaalsa sovereignty and freedom over our stolen and hijacked

gurdwaras; or do we passively let the current tide of dismantling and

destruction take its course? Do we launch a peaceful morcha of non-violent

intervention, like our inspiring forefathers in the historic Gurdwara Sudhar

Lehar of the 1920s?

Article by animalspirit, slough

[TavPrasad Singh]

Sangat needs to take control of the situation. No committee is beyond the reach of the Sangat.

Some committees run Gurdwaras as businesses, someone should tell them that Guruji is their employer and he does not worry about profit margins!!

Alot of the committees make decisions to construct party halls so they have the facilities to throw a party at the time of their own children's marriages. Its sad but very true.

Monies from Gurdwara funds and ploughed into halls that will benefit a shelfish few at the expense of the Whole community.