Bhangra At Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha

[Guest Guest]

Wahegurji Ka Khalsa Waheguruji Ke Fateh......

Every year to celebrate Vaisakhi the Edmonton Khalsa School kids have a banquet kind of event. This event takes place at a banquet and includes speeches from community leaders, awards for kids and bhangra performances by the kids. This year it’s happening on Friday, May 8, 2009. The thing with this event is that the kids are taught the bhangra performance in the basement of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha.

A little background first. The school is directly connected to the Gurdwara. The darbar hall is separated only by a wall with the hallways of the school. Then the kitchen of the langar hall downstairs is separated by a wall with the “gym” of the school. This gym is really not a gym, it is too small to be one, it’s more like a storage area where they store the tables and chairs for the langar hall which are used for weddings.

So the bhangra classes are taught in this “gym.” Am I the only one who disagrees with bhanga being taught to Khalsa School kids in the basement of the Gurdwara? These same kids will grow up thinking that bhangra is OK in the Gurdwara, and who knows what activities they will have in the Gurdwara in the future.

A few Singhs have confronted the committee and their response is that we don’t want the kids to be ragis and another one said that Sikhi is more than just sitting there with your legs crossed.

This is a hardcore Missionary Gurdwara and most people think it’s OK and then there are others that think it’s not their problem and the minority group is the one that cares but doesn’t know what to do because they’re so outnumbered.

The Granthi, Jagdeesh Sinh doesn’t care. Most people I’ve talked to don’t care. Am I making more of a big deal than it really is? We have Guru Maharaj, king of kings sitting upstairs and bhangra being taught to Khalsa School kids, literally in the basement.

What to do?

The president of the Gurdwara is Jagjit Sinh. Phone number for the Gurdwara is (780) 462 – 7454. If you call please be nice because these Missionary’s get defensive VERY fast.

Waheguruji Ka Khalsa Waheguruji Ke Fateh

[Guest shastr]

this beadhbi is a growing problem in other guru ghars as well. here in cleveland ohio, we have 2 guru ghars and both have this bhangra problem. we had a few singhs give out speechs in harsh words that shocked the sangat. and i mean they were like "dont u people feel ashamed of ur self haveing ur sisters and daughters doing bhangra right in front of ur face? and to make it worse, u do it at guru ghar? in front of maharaj?" there a ragi singh at one of the guru ghars that didnt do kirtan last week and just gave a speech on this bhangra problem. since

and u r right bro, no body cares at all. most punjabi people are stuck on "punjabi virsa/punjabi culture" when there is really no such thing. its all sikhi culture, and in sikhi there is no room for bhangra.

to all u bhangra supports, do u guys even know where dancing starting? back in the mugals times, they used to go to each pind and force all the girls to gather together and make them dance. and the one they liked the most, they took her back for the mugal sarkaar, to be the niwab's wife.

then slowing, people of other faiths started using dancing as a way to make money. they use to dance in order to feed their kids, and here we have our own people dancing and doing bhangra, and then on top of that, people say its sikhi culture? oh plz. give me a break.

then u have idiots who ask u to show them were it says u cant do bhangra. just like every other debate in the sikh nation right now, people need it to be written in order to believe it. there is nothing really u can do to stop these people, i mean maybe giveing speechs will help, but dont count on it.

most of these guru ghars where this takes place are outside of india for the most of them. and u cant really get anything done unlesss theres a lot of sangat willing to get behind u. theres a lot of people who do crazy things out there, and bhangra at guru ghar is deff. one of them. so i guess u have to ignore it in a way, and i know this may sound like a passive option, but wat else is there to do. if u tell a person to stop once or twice and they just dont get it, wat other method is there?

then again i know there are prolly some tyar par tyar singhs reading this and thinking y not pick up the sword?, but if we think of it that way, there is plenty of stuff that needs the sword in india let alone other countrys, so untill maharaj di kirpa nahi hundi, or untill we get somebody willing to step up and lead the panth in the right direction, these kinds of things will continue to happen.

[Singhballer]

I called the number and the person who I was talking to said that there is no Bhangra at the Gurdwara.. he said that " what place does bhangra have in a Gurdwara". So I'm a bit confused.

[Jaspaul Singh]

So therefore either somebody is lying or maybe that person has no clue....

[Guest Guest]

The number to the Khalsa School is (780) 450 - 8753. Ask them directly about the event on May 8th, then ask if there is going to be bhangra performances by the kids and ask where the kids practiced for the event. They will tell you the "gym."

The person who picked up the phone at the Gurdwara probably has no clue. Ask him specifically if students learn bhangra in the "gym" of the school for the event on May 8th and ask if it happens every year. As previously mentioned it is connected with the langar hall below the darbar hall in the Gurdwara.

[raj_karega_khalsa]

That person has no clue...I know some of the kdis who go to the school. They teach the kdis Bhangra in the downstairs area of the school thats attched to the langar hall. I know some of the young singhs who stay in their classrooms colouring when this stufff goes on. Many parents have complained but their conmplaints fall on deaf ears

[raj_karega_khalsa]

Edmonton Khalsa School (Early Childhood, Grades 1- 6) – 487-1241

[Guest _Avtar Singh_]

Sat Sri Akal,

Did you see the Edmonton Khalsa school kids performing Kirtan on Vaisakhi at Gurdwara Singh Sabha? Its was very nice to see the parents encouraging our kids to keep their faith, very difficult in western societies. Myself all I remember when my kids were young was seeing them singing songs related more to Christianity during their winter Christmas concerts. If the poster above could leave some contact information, maybe we should get together and start asking the community to donate funds to build proper facilities for the school. I would much rather donate my time/money to building a separate larger school for them than building more Gurdwara's. This may encourage some of the other families who attend the other Gurdwaras to send their kids there too, cause I know many of them don't because its related to Singh Sabha at the moment.

[Only five]

Has all the Singh in this area lost courage. Go in that Gurdwara and demand to be heard and if they try to ignore you, use force. Don't stand there and do nothing about it. Ask yourselves this, will Baba Deep Singh ji just stand there and let this happen in a Gurdwara. NEVER! First reason with these moorakhs, if they still don't listen then use force. Don't worry if your the minotry. Stand up for the Truth and God will be on your side.

[Singhballer]

The person I spoke to was a commitee member.. I don't know.. but I beleive I saw on television a bhangra "culture" show held at some banquet hall in Edmonton where the kids of the Khalsa school did Bhangra. Am I correct on this?