 Yatra To England  |
Yatra to England
SS Shanti Kaur Khalsa
Espanola, New Mexico, USA
In February at the request of the Jethadar of Akal Takhat, Singh Sahib Professor Manjit Singh Ji, the Siri Singh Sahib joined the Jethadar in England to promote and announce the formation of the new World Sikh Council. Born as a resolution from the Vishav Sikh Sammelan held in Amritsar in September 1995, the World Sikh Council is being formed under the authority of the Akal Takhat to serve the needs of the growing population of Sikhs, outside of India as well. There are an estimated 20 million Sikhs in the world today, and only a little more than half of them reside in India. Our need for a cohesive, central organization is enormous and the World Sikh Council is the advent of that organization.
Receiving the Jethadar at the airport was a cheerful reunion for all of us. But nothing was as wonderful as the news that he brought with him: Plans were underway to allow Gursikh women to take their rightful place in cleaning the Siri Harimandir Sahib in the Amrit Vela. After years of lobbying the Akal Takhat for the restoration of this privilege, the news was electrifying. Tears of joy were shed, and plans were immediately made for several ladies to travel to India. "Slowly!" Singh Sahib Manjit Singh cautioned us, "barriers are still in place and it will still be difficult to accomplish. Proceed slowly!" We saw the wisdom of his statement, but our enthusiasm could not be contained.
Crushed and heartbroken by the attack on the Siri Harimandir Sahib in 1984, the Sikhs of England cried out for action and decisive leadership from Amritsar. Agitated and instigated by bold words that proved empty, they found they were fooled by false promises and insincere leadership. Into this crisis of the heart and soul, Singh Sahib Manjit Singh Ji arrived. Because of the betrayals of the past, the sangat responded with a cynical assessment and hesitant distrust.
Together, the Jethadar of the Akal Takhat and the Siri Singh Sahib of Sikh Dharma toured the sangats, speaking in Gurdwaras, counseling the youth, and addressing meetings of the local leadership. The Siri Singh Sahib spoke boldly to the sangat saying, "There are three Manjit Singhs: Manjit Singh the man, Manjit Singh the Gursikh, and Manjit Singh the Jethadar of the Akal Takhat. You don't have to like Manjit Singh the man, and you may or not respect Manjit Singh the Gursikh -- that is up to your own head and heart. But as Sikhs, you have to honor Singh Sahib Manjit Singh, the Jethadar of the Akal Takhat. The Akal Takhat is our supreme seat of authority, by our own charter laid out by the sixth Guru, Siri Hargobind Sahib. This is not an authority only of the Punjab, but of the entire world. Wherever there is a single Sikh, there lies the jurisdiction of the Akal Takhat. Management committees, councils, and congresses will rise and fall.
The power of the Akal Takhat is eternal and shall remain forever. It cannot be burned, or bombed, or destroyed. That is why we have to honor the Jethadar of the Akal Takhat.
"We are a small community with a great impact. Impact is the power of a Gursikh! We are now a community with nearly half of our population outside of India. There are European Sikhs, African Sikhs, Arabian Sikhs, American Sikhs. We are Vishav Sikhs with a global future. Singh Sahib Manjit Singh is the first Akal Takhat Jethadar to extend his reach beyond the five rivers, and you must admire him for his courage and vision. We are just beginning! And we are watching to see where the seeds will sprout."
While in England, Singh Sahib Manjit Singh discussed the formation of the new World Sikh Council. Meetings were also held to form a World Dharmic Parchar Committee, to collaborate and assist the many parcharics world-wide in their efforts to promote and support Sikhism.
The Siri Singh Sahib met with the Sikh youth in open discussions in Dudley, Shepard's Bush, and Southall, as well as in many informal discussions and meetings. Their questions were painfully honest and brutally frank -- seeking answers to the basic questions of life as a Gursikh. When faced with questions such as: Is it permissible to watch TV? Is it okay to sing shabds in English? Is it okay to intermarry between castes? He answered clearly and definitively. "Of course it is okay to watch TV. How else will you know what is happening in the world. Of course it is okay to sing shabds in English, or French, or German. The Guru's Bani is beautiful and powerful in all languages and we should serve the entire world. Intermarriages should not even be a question. There are no castes in the Khalsa!"
He told them to lift themselves out of this depression and expand into the reality of the future -- the regal royalty of the World Sikh. "Shed your 'island consciousness’," he proclaimed, "use England as a springboard to the entire world! We are Sikhs of the computer age, and the entire world is our arena. It is time to move into the future and let the Shabd Guru reign."
Throughout England we met many hardworking and beautiful Gursikhs serving the youth. In Reading, Bhai Avtar Singh runs a youth program called the "Mighty, Mighty Khalsa." These dynamic young Gursikhs can perform every function in the Guru's Darbar with grace and hard-won pride. In London, Bhai Bhupinder Singh organizes the youth with programs and a newsletter. Navleen Kaur works with youth of Greenford and many of the colleges in the area encouraging them in kirtan, Nam Simran, and Dharmic summer camps.
In Dudley, Giani Sukhdev Singh and his family work daily to support and teach the young people on the path of Sikhi. There are many, many more teachers and leaders-- known and unknown, who work tirelessly for the future of the Panth.
Plans are being made to return to England for a Sikh Youth Camp in Birmingham. For more information, please contact Bhai Randhir Singh or Bibi Balbir Kaur, 129 Oak Road, West Bromwich, West Midland, UK.