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Derawad and Sikhs
Justice Mewa Singh
 The
problem of the Sikhs and Sikh religion is not limited to the derawad,
but Sikhs are also being converted to Christianity and churches are
being set up in Punjab now, though during the British rule it could
not be done. It is a great aspersion on the present day Sikhs and
particularly the Sikh leadership. This evil needs to be nipped in
the bud, which may otherwise take any ugly turn. The Christian
missionaries exploit the poor persons by giving them the economic
help, which is the objectionable inducement. Similarly the weaker
sections and scheduled and backward classes are induced to the Deras.
Sikhs should contact these persons to give them the security of
their individual dignity and economic safety as in Sikh religion
those who look after the weak get the grace of God. The caste system
has been rejected in Sikh religion, and it must be ensured that it
leaves no trace in Sikhs.
Even beyond the deras and churches in Punjab, the Sikh youth are
drifting away from Sikh code of conduct and Sikh way of life. In
fact the beards and turbans, the signs of Sikh identity, are under
under threat. Drugs are a menace. Preaching of Sikhism is hardly
happening. There is no dearth of the self proclaimed Sikh Sants,
preachers, jathedars and Sikh leaders, and several Akali Dals have
been set up and every one of these parties claim to represent the
Sikhs, but the Sikhs are continuing to drift away from Sikh Code of
Conduct and Sikh way of life, day by day. The so called Sikh
political leaders appear to be engaged in their vested interests and
raise only the empty slogans of panth in danger when out of power to
attract the Sikh votes. Now there is the internal danger to Sikh
religion from Sikhs themselves.
Now it is the time, without any scope of further delay, to start the
movement of preaching Sikh religion among Sikhs themselves and of
Sikh initiation, Amrit -khande de pahul, as prescribed by Guru
Gobind Singh, to be mandatory for Sikhs, with honesty of purpose,
and to ensure that all the Sikhs take Sikh initiation and to observe
Sikh code of conduct and live in a Sikh way of life. The SGPC,
having all the resources at its command with the huge budget of
about Rs three hundred crores and duty bound to preach the Sikh
religion, should lead this movement in Punjab, with the co-operation
of all the Sikhs, Sikh leaders and Sikh organizations. The SGPC
constituencies should be made a unit for this purpose and the local
SGPC member should be in charge of it. All the Sikh leaders of that
area should be actively involved in it, rising above the party
factions. The jathedars of the Takhats should supervise it in their
areas.
 First of all, the Sikh leaders and their families, the members of
all the Akali Dals and Sikh organizations and their families, should
be imparted the Sikh initiation and be made aware of the Sikh
dictums and asked to live in Sikh code of conduct and Sikh way of
life. Then all the Sikhs should be imparted the Sikh initiation and
ensured that they live in Sikh code of conduct. All the Sikhs will
then be automatically alienated from dera wad and other vices.
Such a movement should also be undertaken by Delhi Sikh Gurdawara
Management Commitee and the managements of the Sikh Takhats, Hazoor
Sahib and Patna Sahib and all other Sikh Gurdawaras through out the
world in their areas and by all other Sikh organizations. It is only
then that all the Sikhs can be brought in Sikh code of conduct and
Sikh way of life, from which most of them and particularly Sikh
youth are drifting away. Only those Sikhs, who are committed to Sikh
way of life and to preach Sikh religion should hold the posts of the
management committees of the Gurdawaras and other Sikh organizations
as it is then only that these Sikh institutions can discharge their
duties with honesty of purpose in this regard.
It is the urgent need now to make the Sikh educational institutions,
Sikh schools and colleges, to be Sikh oriented, to teach the
students, Sikh religion and History, as to enable them to live in a
Sikh code of conduct and Sikh way of life, for which these schools
and colleges had been set up, but which have now lost that purpose.
The managements and teachers, what to say of the students, are not
in Sikh code of conduct and Sikh way of life, in most of these Sikh
educational institutions, resulting the Sikh youth to drift away
from Sikh code of conduct and Sikh way of life. In the foreign
countries, there are as yet no Sikh schools and colleges but Sikhs
have set up Sikh Gurdawaras in the areas of their residences, world
over. Sunday Gurdawara schools should be set up in all the
Gurdawaras to teach Sikh religion, history and Punjabi to Sikh
children to enable them to live in Sikh way of life.
The world scholars of religions are accusing the Sikhs for not
discharging their duty to bring the Divine message of Sikh religion
to the notice of the world, but it is yet to be brought to the
notice of Sikhs. If that is so done then the Sikhs can preach it in
the world. Sikhs are now spread world over and they now need the
world Sikh representative body to preach Sikh religion to the Sikhs
first and then to the world and to look after the common Sikh
affairs in uniformity and unitedly, which should consist of the
eminent Sikhs, known for their honesty, integrity, capability and
commitment to Sikh religion and the Sikh cause. The involvement of
all the Sikhs world over is a must to take the collective decisions
in the Sikh affairs to be made acceptable to them.
The concept of Guru Granth-Guru panth, as ordained by Guru Gobind
Singh, needs to be revived. In Sikh Rehat Maryada it has been
provided that all the decisions affecting the Sikh panth should be
taken by the panthic committee and the accredited representatives of
the panth, form a meeting of the panth, and their decision is called
Gurmatta, to be taken in the presence and Divine guidance of Guru
Granth Sahib, on the subjects which are calculated to clarify and
support the fundamental principles of Sikh religion, such as
safeguarding the position of Sikh Gurus and the holy Guru Granth
Sahib, the purity of the ritual and the panthic organization. The
decisions of the panth are to be invoiable and binding on all Sikhs.
These should not violate the Divine teachings of Sikh Gurus and the
Divine thought of Guru Granth Sahib and the established Sikh
traditions of Sikh religion, which are binding upon Sikhs. The Sikh panthic decisions were taken in this manner at Akal Takhat by the
Sikhs during the Sikh struggle in 18th century and they became
victorious to wipe out the mughals and Afgan invaders and to
establish Sikh empire.
Sikhs are now spread world over and there is now the need of a world
Sikh representation of Sikhs, may be named as, World Panthic
Council, as the Sikh interests are the same every where. It can
effectively solve the problems of the Sikhs world over. It can
preach Sikh religion in the world, with the co-ordination of all the
Sikhs and Sikh organizations, for which Sikhs are being accused not
to have discharged their duty to bring the message of Sikh religion,
of love and peace, to the notice of the world, needed today. It can
make the Sikhs to live in Sikh code of conduct and Sikh way of life,
from which they are now drifting away, particularly the Sikh younger
generation. It can take the decisions on Sikh affairs unitedly as
the involvement of all the Sikhs is a must to make the decisions to
be acceptable to all Sikhs, in accordance with the Sikh concept of
Guru Granth-Guru panth, which are being brought under disputes,
dayby day.SGPC, is the creation of Sikh Gurdawaras act 1925, to
manage historical Sikh Gurdawaras in Punjab, and to preach Sikh
religion. It has to function under the provisions of that law. No
one can contest its election, who is not a resident of Punjab, under
the act. Its representation in the world panthic council will be
very effective, being the main Sikh representative body, to do
theconstructive work for the solution of the Sikh problems and to
preach Sikh religion in Sikhs and in the world. It needs to be kept
beyond any political pressure to discharge its religious duties with
honesty of purpose. Its members should rather be of religious
aptitude and not to meddle in anypolitical activities, as political
leaders have to sometimes make compromises to the detriment of
religion.
(The earlier two instalments of this piece appeared in the
last two editions of the WSN.)
22 August, 2007
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