Current Events
At The Mercy of Our Own Mafia?
by A.J. SINGH
The story goes that Baba Makhan Shah Lubana found Guru Tegh Bahadar meditating alone, and it was he who proclaimed to the world that he had found the true Guru to follow Guru HarKrishan Sahib.
Fast forward a few centuries and almost 6200 miles away, to the infamous mob that ransacked the Baba Makhan Singh Lubana Gurdwara in Queens, New York this week. They too seem to have proclaimed to the world that they have found the "modern day gurus" - money, ego and power.
All you need to do before reading further is watch the clip on Youtube by clicking on
http://www.youtube.com/user/BabaMakhanShahLubana
Assuming that you did follow my suggestion and watched the video, please allow me to move further.
I refuse to recognize anyone in that mob of hooligans as a Sikh - regardless of whether they have kept their hair, or whether they have had amrit or whether they are vegetarians, or whether they give a part of their earnings to charity or whether they recite their prayers diligently or whether they wear the bana.
All of those qualities are terribly wasted if they have no allegiance to Guru Nanak's message. They violated every bit of the core values of Sikhi espoused by Guru Nanak:
1 Naam Japna: This unruly mob interrupted the jatha while the kirtan was in progress.
2 Kirat Karni: The actions of this mob are anything but kirat. They are out to kill each other with swords (not kirpans, for a kirpan is meant to protect).
3 Wund Chhakna: This group of plunderers, as seen on the video, are clearly out to gain control of the gurdwara treasury for their private consumption.
It is in those terms that the mob has defied the spirit of Sikhi. Sikhs are foremost recognized not just by their physical appearance, but also by their deeds. A Sikh is, through his actions, known for helping anyone in need and taking it on the chin for the sake of the underprivileged.
The video highlights highly irresponsible acts on the part of the individuals involved. First, they do not have the mandate to behave as they did - flouting every norm of a civilized society. Second, in a world that thrives on sensational news, they have given enough fodder to detractors of Sikhs to hurt the cause of our community for a long time to come.
Right from childhood, my father has instilled in me a really short but an immensely profound idea - "Actions speak louder than words".
If we Sikhs are fighting battles everyday to be portrayed (in a right manner by the media) for our values and beliefs, then we MUST live and act the part. There are no excuses. Merely saying that our Gurus gave up their lives to protect the freedom of the world makes no difference at all if we, the torch bearers of our Gurus' legacy, fail them in every possible way.
This applies equally to professional and personal behavior and extends to all walks of life.
Max Arthur Macauliffe, a noted Sikh historian commented:"I am not without hope that when enlightened nations become acquainted with the merits of the Sikh religion they will not willingly let it perish in the great abyss in which so many creeds have been engulfed."
Alas, members of the Sikh community itself are actively and willingly participating in the undermining of the community and pushing it towards the great abyss in which so many religions have already been engulfed.
April 28, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Mohinder (U.S.A.), April 28, 2011, 4:53 PM.
If Sikhs followed or simply attempted to follow the treasure given to us, most of world would be Sikh by now. Regarding this behaviour, we need concrete solutions. The Sikh community needs to come up with a binding solution for the perpetrators of this kind of actions. How about well meaning Sikh organizations like United Sikhs, etc., sending mass emails to all gurdwaras and members as to the names of these rascals, with video clips. The gurdwaras then need to put the picturess and actions of these folks on its boards, so they are not allowed in any other gurdwara.
2: Jasdeep Kaur (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), April 28, 2011, 9:55 PM.
When Sikhs were true to the tenets of Sikhi and willingly embraced death rather then compromise on their faith, the Guru blessed them with leaders of the same, if not greater, calibre. Now when Sikhs willingly compromise their faith routinely without a second thought, we are again given leaders that we deserve. It's really up to each individual to better himself/ herself and all else will fall into place. "aap savarain mai milay mai milayaan sukh hoay"
3: Brijinder Singh (New York, U.S.A.), April 28, 2011, 11:16 PM.
Members of Richmond Hill sangat are accusing Jarnail Singh of stealing money, not paying the mortgage, not repaying loans and damaging the credit-score of the co-signers of the gurdwara. He was removed last December, but the legal proceedings have since languished in court. He claims his removal wasn't fair because it was done by a committee and not by the sangat. His opposition, members of Akali Dal U.S.A., staged a protest the previous Sunday and vowed to return. This time, Jarnail's cronies stockpiled swords in the divan hall and waited for them to arrive. The sangat, too afraid to enter, waited outside. The Akalis somehow smuggled knives, cricket bats and brass knuckles past police officers outside, and burst into the divan hall. At this point, Jarnail's party reached for their swords and chimtey and all hell broke loose. The video doesn't show police officers entering the divan hall with dirty shoes and uncovered heads to break up the violence. Apparently, this is the fourth altercation inside this gurdwara.
4: Parmjit Singh (Canada), April 29, 2011, 2:51 AM.
Interesting that you've included professional and personal behavior. In British Columbia, we have more than our fair share of thugs when it comes to business and professional ethics. The community here blindly respects such 'bravado' and celebrates the 'success' and 'prosperity' it appears to garner. It's no coincidence that once in a while this mentality makes us all look like a circus act.
5: Karam (Mumbai, India), April 29, 2011, 4:01 AM.
Only the Sikhs of New York are responsible for this insane act. What are reasonable Sikhs doing to stop this behaviour? Are they sitting at home and believing as if God will step in and set things right for them?
6: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), April 29, 2011, 11:50 AM.
Now these gurdwara leaders are saying to the media that they want to tell others that Sikhs are peaceful. But they forget that actions are louder than words or intentions.
7: Brijinder Singh (New York, U.S.A.), April 29, 2011, 12:00 PM.
Money is the issue. Whoever comes to power in the gurdwara controls the finance. Whatever money the sangat gives is off the books. They can use some of it for their own personal things and no one will be the wiser. These people go to well-to-do members of the community and ask for money for their businesses and organizations. There is no way to tell where that money is being spent and how much of it is changing hands. Again, everything is off the books. Another source of income are the Punjabi concerts that these people organize. They take a cut from the ticket sales and don't report any of it. These same people run the Punjabi newspapers and make a profit from selling advertising space. In New York, most of this activity goes on in the Queens area, as there are more first generation immigrants living there. Unfortunately, they have brought their political affiliations and shenanigans from the old country. It is, in many ways, like a mafia operation.
8: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), April 29, 2011, 12:41 PM.
God (Akaal purakh) cannot be pleased by akhand paatths, rumaalas, gold paalkis, marbled or gold-plated buildings, etc. Let us stop filling golaks or giving money to gurdwaras blindly. The best way is to utilize your daswand by giving directly to needy projects. 1) Your immediate family (siblings & parents). 2) Your poor relatives. 3) Poor Sikh families in your neighborhood. 4) Other needy Sikh families, if any. Or any other charity you feel worthy to give - Sikh institutions, for example. Sponsor a child for higher education or give his/her tuition fee, books or uniform. Let us start from now, just volunteer yourself in your area around your home. Start telemarketing, call people of our community and convince them to use their daswand wisely, request them to pass the message to all their friends and relatives through telemarketing. Let us campaign this in a big way, until we've removed the corruption. Just call again and again to convince all within the community. This will certainly bring some change in the course of time. Send emails to all you know or even use Facebook and Twitter for the purpose. This is the easiest way to bring about change.
9: Morrissey (Manchester, United Kingdom.), April 29, 2011, 3:58 PM.
I like to call these guys "hemorrhoid Sikhs" ... very irritating, and they make me feel uncomfortable. The last straw was the patit hemorrhoid entering the hall and deciding to tie a rumaal to show his respect, before he started the punch-up. And another joker ... check the dude in the big pinkish puggh and beard with matching shirt ... this hemorrhoid walks in with his hands respectfully together and checks behind him several times to make sure his ass is covered ... very funny, if it wasn't so sad! Harry ... the problem with your willy wonka idea is ... you make too much sense! "I only laugh to stop myself from crying!"
10: Manikaran Singh (New Delhi, India), April 30, 2011, 12:06 AM.
My mother has always believed, given that every Sikh imbibes at least one tuk from gurbani into his/her daily routine, we will somehow be saved from such miscreants.
11: Bobby Singh (London, England), May 02, 2011, 5:09 PM.
How do you expect non-Sikhs to respect Sikhi and respect our gurdwaras when 'Sikhs' like this blaspheme a holy space with their violent actions? It is people like this that turn young people away from Sikhi. They are evil.
12: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), May 04, 2011, 11:15 AM.
Bobby Singh ji, one can maintain true Sikhi even by staying away from a gurdwara. Gurbani says: "jin prem kiyo tinhi prabh paayo". This way one can practice Sikhi wherever you want.