Very Sad Incident Today

[Singhstah]

I was on the bus this morning, looking out the window and I see an adult man, with a dhari and patka... and a cigarette in hand.

The immediate thought came in my mind that I should get off at the next stop and go back to speak to him. Then I just thought, forget it the bus is going hes not going to listen, but just as the bus doors were closing I could not bear it and got off to go find him.

There he was on a busy high street shamelessly smoking away. He did not even seem to care when he saw me, with my dumalla and open dhari, approaching. I started speaking to him in punjabi saying "sardarji tusi ki kare ho, ah ki ah?", with no sharam at all he replied, 'cigarette hai' . I said to him how can you do this with a dastaar on (dastar automatically came out of my mouth). And with complete confidence his gobsmacking reply was 'Eh dastaar nai hai, patka hai'! I said, 'Kes ta rakhe ne, kara ta hai' (a gold 'kara' was on the same hand with which he was holding the cigarette).

I said to him do you not know what Sikhi says about this? While blowing smoke into my face he just mumbled away and then told me to just go and get on with my own business. I replied that I cannot do this as you have taken my Guru's roop and are doing badnaami of it. I recalled to him the sakhi of Guru Sahib's ghora but of course he did not care. After a while he just chucked his cigarette away and walked into a shop which I think was his.

I bore his insulting attitude as I believe our approach, especially the first approach should be one of pyar (but of course firmness) and the giving benefit of the doubt. I think if I see him again I will not be taking this approach.

Some important points to take away from this:

-A guy with sikhi saroop is smoking on a busy high street with no care that this is wrong

-This street has a fair amount of Sikhs walking up and down it, the confidence with which he is openly smoking tells me that other Sikhs must not be confronting him.

-No sharam even infront of someone who clearly looks amritdhari.

The purpose of me posting this is mainly to say, if you see something like this, make sure you don't just ignore it but give the person a piece of your mind. At the very least we must make sure that such people do not dare smoke out in public like this, or realise they must get rid of all outward displays of Sikhi if they insist on continuing. I had to walk the rest of the way home but I just could not tolerate what I saw. It is our duty to make such people account for themselves.

[SarabhaPanjab]

true. unchallenged, social acceptance is our biggest downfall.. as with turban wearing alchi's, it's now accepted, and goes completely unchallenged.

you did well, we all need to do the same

[Singh559]

Great job bro with confronting him. Similar story my mamaji told me when I went to Punjab. He saw an elderly Sikh went an uncut beard (sitting down, must have been poor) with a blue dastar on and he went up to him and said "thohanoo sharam ni aundi, Sikh saroop vich beerdi peeyee jande oh?" At first he tried to hide it and then the old man said "Ki kariye sardar ji sanoo majboori hai".

Really sad people are addicted to this poison.

[JSinghnz]

Well done, brother. If all Sikhs show the same guts to challenge these kind of

scoundrels, we would be so much better off.

[N30S1NGH]

Great job veer, the way you approach this issue was wonderful..hopefully he will think about what you said instead of brushing it off.!!..thats exactly what we need to do..!!

[Kalsingh]

But I don't get it. No offense to you brother but would you do the same thing to a Singh if you saw him drinking alcohol? Why is so much noise made about cigarettes but nothing hardly done or said to singhs who drink?

If you think about it, drinking is actually worse than smoking as it messes with your mind. You are more likely to fall prey to the 5 thieves when drunk compared to smoking. Smoking is bad of course, but it messes one up physically whereas drinking messes with your mind which from a sikhi standpoint, is more dangerous.

[Singh559]

But I don't get it. No offense to you brother but would you do the same thing to a Singh if you saw him drinking alcohol? Why is so much noise made about cigarettes but nothing hardly done or said to singhs who drink?

If you think about it, drinking is actually worse than smoking as it messes with your mind. You are more likely to fall prey to the 5 thieves when drunk compared to smoking. Smoking is bad of course, but it messes one up physically whereas drinking messes with your mind which from a sikhi standpoint, is more dangerous.

Both are equally bad, but cigs not only messes you up worse physically it also plays a mental toll. It kills your spiritual thinking.

[RanjeetSingh]

I was on the bus this morning, looking out the window and I see an adult man, with a dhari and patka... and a cigarette in hand.

The immediate thought came in my mind that I should get off at the next stop and go back to speak to him. Then I just thought, forget it the bus is going hes not going to listen, but just as the bus doors were closing I could not bear it and got off to go find him.

There he was on a busy high street shamelessly smoking away. He did not even seem to care when he saw me, with my dumalla and open dhari, approaching. I started speaking to him in punjabi saying "sardarji tusi ki kare ho, ah ki ah?", with no sharam at all he replied, 'cigarette hai' . I said to him how can you do this with a dastaar on (dastar automatically came out of my mouth). And with complete confidence his gobsmacking reply was 'Eh dastaar nai hai, patka hai'! I said, 'Kes ta rakhe ne, kara ta hai' (a gold 'kara' was on the same hand with which he was holding the cigarette).

I said to him do you not know what Sikhi says about this? While blowing smoke into my face he just mumbled away and then told me to just go and get on with my own business. I replied that I cannot do this as you have taken my Guru's roop and are doing badnaami of it. I recalled to him the sakhi of Guru Sahib's ghora but of course he did not care. After a while he just chucked his cigarette away and walked into a shop which I think was his.

I bore his insulting attitude as I believe our approach, especially the first approach should be one of pyar (but of course firmness) and the giving benefit of the doubt. I think if I see him again I will not be taking this approach.

Some important points to take away from this:

-A guy with sikhi saroop is smoking on a busy high street with no care that this is wrong

-This street has a fair amount of Sikhs walking up and down it, the confidence with which he is openly smoking tells me that other Sikhs must not be confronting him.

-No sharam even infront of someone who clearly looks amritdhari.

The purpose of me posting this is mainly to say, if you see something like this, make sure you don't just ignore it but give the person a piece of your mind. At the very least we must make sure that such people do not dare smoke out in public like this, or realise they must get rid of all outward displays of Sikhi if they insist on continuing. I had to walk the rest of the way home but I just could not tolerate what I saw. It is our duty to make such people account for themselves.

Very good approach,fantastic veerji.

Can I ask where did this happen and what shop was it please?

[ishvtan]

i wish there were more gursikhs like u virji..our panth would've been in chardikala

[chatanga]

While blowing smoke into my face

you shouldnt have stood so close to him to let him do that. You may need to go pesh.