India ..

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

"When someone wants something only then they pray in front of them pictures to achieve that specific thing."

yup, those pictures are being worshipped but people on this forum always say they are for inspiration. I went to punjab a while ago and will be going again next year. basically when i go there I see why the indian constitution says sikhs are hindus, cause in india, they are.

[munjoth]

First, i think we need to admit that Maharaj, you are doer, we have no power to do anything. Thank you Maharaj for atleast giving us the budhi to know between gurmat and manmat.

^^

Now that is a comment that i havent heard in ages! We all claim we are gonna do this and that but never mention guru granth sahib ji! When we put our guru first sikhi will flourish...

Look at it like this.....sikhi is a club and not everyone is invited > those that guru granth sahib ji wants to take to sach khand he puts them onto the dharam path those guru ji wants to send to hell he puts them in the mist of maya > why? Who knws its all his play

[Nirvair S Khalsa]

First, i think we need to admit that Maharaj, you are doer, we have no power to do anything. Thank you Maharaj for atleast giving us the budhi to know between gurmat and manmat.

I was just pondering over some ideas...why don't we guys go in groups (5-10) every year to india, as sort of a vacation type thing. Go to each our respective villages and do Naam Simran at the Pind gurdwaras non-stop for a week. Go around to each of our villages...=> that makes like 5-10 villages that we will have done some kind of prachar.

Plus, knowing Pendu mentallity, they might be attracted to a bunch of "phoren" Singhs in Sikhi.

I think over a couple of years of doing this we might see results in atleast our own family villages.

Tell me what you think?

149566[/snapback]

@ the Pindoo mentality part...soo true.....

...but yes, on the serious side I think that is a real good idea, it will work out much better in groups rather than one or two people in one village, how Daas tries to do with cousin brothers at the moment. I will definately forward this idea to some Singhs...no point in waiting around.....

Vaheguroo Jee Kaa Khalsa, Vaheguroo Jee Kee Phateh!!!

[Lionchild]

Sad to see such bad stuff going on... i thought the west was the worst of all sikh branches, i guess not!

We really have let our ancestors and the sikh religion down, we have not kept the panth/growth/group cycle and as a result we are all paying the price one way or another.

We need to do something that hasn't been done largely since the living (human) guru's time - spread the word to the masses. We don't do that much anyomore, we get converting and awareness mixed up. As again, we have cut off, or prevented would-be sikhs and new energy to enter into our struggling communities.

sant-sipahi nihang singh had a good idea - preach the TRUE meaning of sikhi (only through the SGGS) and another good idea is to expand into new areas where sikhi is non existent.

I think we as a people, not sikhi itself, need to get to grips with the reality that our religion won't just flourish and thrive without ssome ort of effort. And also that our minimalist attitude had turned most of us into "lazy" sikhs.

on a similar note...

We paid a high price in 84 when we were largely caught of-guard, not grouped together as one and lacked the courage/will to fight on.

Honestly, we have let people like Sant Bindranwale by not going in the same direction and path.

What will we do when we are called up for duty next time???

[The Khalsa Fauj]

Guess what jaspaul Singh was offered

He was offered something by a Nihung

What was it

Sukhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

A nihung offered him Sukha, Bhung, (in reality) Dukh Nidhaan, Cannabis!

So another problem is Sukha addicts offering Sukha to other Sikhs.

[Simran9]

i agree with jaspaul singh having seen it myself in india few times.... ...india is not what we generally think it is or what our parents say it is (back inteh day when they still lived there).

anyway, i juz saw this article on tribune, kind of relevant if we're thinking bout whats being done in india to promote sikhi or what the SGPC is doing. Anyone know more about this "Singh Sajo Lehar?"

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060130/punjab1.htm

Over 8,000 baptised under Singh Sajo Lehar

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 29

More than 8,000 persons were today baptised under the SGPC’s Singh Sajo Lehar at Baba Dall Singh Deewan Hall of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo in the presence of jathedars of four takhts of Sikhs.

Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti urged all persons, who had been baptised at the programme, to follow the Sikh tenets and the path shown by Sikh gurus.

In his message, the SGPC chief, Mr Avtar Singh, conveyed his gratitude to all SGPC members of the area for making this programme a grand success. He said participation of people in large numbers pointed to an overwhelming response to the Singh Sajo Lehar. Social evils prevalent in society today could only be eliminated after being baptised, he added.

Under the Singh Sajo Lehar, the SGPC has baptised 1,100 persons in Muktsar, 2,100 in Shri Chohla Sahib, and 1,400 persons in Gurdaspur. A similar programme would also be organised at Gurdwara Manji Sahib Alamgeer on January 31.

The SGPC has set a target of baptising 1.25 lakh people to mark the tercentenary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib and 400th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev. The drive is aimed at uprooting apostasy among the Sikh youth and sensitising them on Sikh philosophy.

Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh said another Amrit Sanchar programme would be held at the Takht on Baisakhi.

Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Tarlochan Singh, Takht Sri Patna Sahib Jathedar Iqbal Singh and Head Granthi of Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, Gyani Gurbachan Singh were also present.

[Sher Khalsa]

Singhs in Toronto have raised enough money and are now financing one bus to go pind to pind doing parchar, Singhs in New York have recently done the same.

So soon 2 busses of parchariks travelling pind to pind to talk individually to families, teach them to leave nasha, grow their hair and live the sikhi life will be in operation 24/7.. also on these busses will be ppl to teach santhiya and do katha...

we need more ppl to donate and take up initiatives like this

this is the kind of work that needs to be done behind the seens as we all start working and take otu our daswandh

[S1ngh]

Punjab is indeed in bad shape just like other states. Reading Jaspaul's post i have to agree with him on certain points. I myself noticed the latest fashion of bibian wearing "Sindhoor" and other stuff. On my first trip i was shocked but then on the second trip i was less shocked. I learnt that no matter how grave the situation is but one have to look for the positive. Jaspaul listed the weakness of our community back in punjab, now our point should be "how to get rid of it."

Going deeper, i would not blame ppls living there, so one point is that we can't label them as anti-panthic or RSS followers. They don't see any change in their society as they are used to it. Think this.. Most of the Punjabi kids and youth constantly watch bollywood films, songs where 100% of heros are with fashionable hair cut, drunk, wear tight jeans and flirts with girls on screen. Now the youths in punjab see these actors as their role models because thats what they see in their daily life. They see them on TV, they hear them in car, they see them again on posters on walls after every 5 km and even they hear stories of them in school. We all know that we always try to be like our role models right? thats what happened to our brothers and sisters who shed their hair to be look like their role models. So one point is that Media is controlling them and thats why we have youth who are less interested in sports. Every problem has solutions and solutions can't be brought into the reality over-night.

On several occasions, i got bumped into many guys who come upto me to say "Thanks for keeping gursikhi roop and we are proud of you." So nice of them.. BUT Hey, i wear normal shirt/jeans with NB shoes and EVEN with normal punjabi pug and yet ppls come to me and say THanks.. u know why?? because of my open un-cut beard.. Having beard open of the youngh sikh in public is the rare scene in Amritsar far away is other districts... Once i was talking to sikh book shopkeeper near darbar saheb and this guys who is doc (phd in sikh literature) was telling me how the situation is bad and called sgpc and other leaders as "Empty Heads." I have to agree that the situation is bad and no question about it..

I agree with bsbk about prachar and thats what we needed this time but before we do same decade style prachar we first have to survey or find out "what todays youth over there find COOL in" .. Whether its hanging out in coffee cafe or whether its hanging out in local pizza joint. Sikhi is cool but we have to start the new way to link the youth with sikhi thru "COOL" way. We have to prove them "Hey, we are sikh and being sikh you can still enjoy the social stuff." Pls don't argue on whether its sikhi to hang out in pizza parlor or not. In first stage, a soul do not find anything wrong in that. Anyway.. what my point is "If you want to spread sikhi there, don't bother to explain sikhi to the grown up but rather focus on youth/kids because they gonna be grown up in few years and will be the one who will control their kids." So it's the long term thingy and very hard and takes the unity.

Not only in religious its bad in shape but also in enviornmental issues. If im given the chance of having warehouse full of seeds, plants, trees.. i will go one place to another just to plant em ahaha.. sorry its just the nature that i love the most.. Punjab.. u can't find a bunch of trees together.. give me the location where one can sees more 20 acres of trees. Way to follow bhagat puran singh jees' teaching on saving the enviornment.

Anyway.. Jaspaul brother on ur second trip u won't be more surprised but i have to agree that it does hurt sometime.. oh well thats the life and all we have to do is either watch the play or participate in the play. Either stay-up or do something !

[Jaspaul Singh]

Thanks for all your replies everyone. I am first of all srry i just listen all the downsides that i seen but i was so upset that that is all which i remembered. But yes there are many good things i seen as well.

S1NGH veerji, great post. And btw, this is my second visit. I went 2 years back in august when i had the oppurtunity to visit the other gurdwaras in other areas that i didnt go to this time.

Parchaar is needed, i agree wit bsbk and sher khalsa that is amazing seva. Singhs that can take out time to go do this maha seva in india is a very important seva.

My mumma ji, is like my best man in india. He tells me lots of painful stories. Everyone probably hears stories about punjab police (and others) and how they are so corrupted. Well he told me how they are so looking for any reasons to just takein young and old sikhs that do sikhi related parchaar around india. Even if your just doing sikhi parchaar in pinds you should stay alert and that they can take you in and may put a false acclaim on you that your a kharkoo and your a sant jarnail singh ji follower.

Aside from all these negativity, theres a lot of positive. The amount of pyaar amongst people in india is unmatchable. There was this one guy we asked directions from our car, he came over, i think he either was hindu or punjabi but couldnt tell, and hes like jio did you eat ? are you thirsty ? chaa seva ? and then he answered us where to go, first he wouldnt stop asking if we wanted something to eat or drink on him.

Pyaar of normal people even gursikhs at samagams, wow, they are so chardi kala! The way they welcome you with open arms and make you feel at home, and teach you as much as they can in that span of time. I had kirpa on going to 3 samagams in india both of akj and sadhsangat. (i could have attended more but my grandma felt severely ill, shes ok now, shukar hai) I first went to dodra, and i tell ya, the pyaar and comfort i received here i got no where else. The strict rehit these singhs follow.. WOW .. truly amaazing, i was amazed at the love and devotion every single person put in for a 10 day smagam, day and night. And the same thing again at AKJ Ludhiana Samagam! Gursikhs are amaazing !

Challo, shukar hai, vaheguroooo !! Lets hope guru ji keeps us all in chardi kala and blesses more soles wit gursikhijeevan !

[jss]

jaspaul veer..

you wrote a whole essay about the negatives...and i'm sure we all appreciate the awareness..

yet your wrote two sentences about how chardi kala the samagams were...perhaps you can write some more of your experiences at the samagams...something to inspire us all...