Roundtable
Celebrating ...
The Roundtable Open Forum - Round XVI: Feb 17 - 23
EDITOR
The Rules of the forum are posted here on the right, and need to be followed strictly by all participants.
The following is this week's (Feb 17 - 23) topic for discussion, which should focus on the questions posed therein:
CELEBRATING
1 So, Vaisakhi is around the corner again. In less than two months, there will be celebrations galore around the world, with gargantuan parades through city thorough-fares, colossal darbars in stadiums and gurdwaras, and sprawling town-square gatherings. A good time will be had by all.
2 There will be no dearth of passion and commitment. In the diaspora ... in downtown Toronto, for example, almost a hundred thousand Sardars and Sardarnis will create a prairie of puggris and chunnis. There will be no dearth of money collected and spent, either. Millions of dollars will free-flow into community coffers, for this is a day to celebrate Sikhi and its epitome, the Khalsa.
3 And then, we will all go home, and - what is really applauded by all - leave not a trace behind: we are now known far and wide for our meticulous seva and leaving no garbage behind!
4 Parades have many purposes, in addition to celebration and commemoration: to impress ourselves of our unity and commitment; to impress others by our presence, our ardour, our deep civic sense, our pride in our Faith and our pride in our nation.
5 We achieve all of this hands down. Now, is it time to do more?
6 If the goal is to dazzle, it may be time to get professionals to turn our floats into spectacular platforms that depict our history, our roles and our contributions.
7 And with all the energy and resources each local community puts into these events each year, is it time to assign say 25% of each year's budget into planting a seed annually for a new institution in the same community. A weekly langar at the local drop-in, a theatre or dance troupe, a sports arena, a women's support centre, a senior's lounge, a child care ... there are so many projects begging to be given an encouraging nudge.
8 Is it time for us to venture further this year?
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
- What can we do to get more out of our parades and nagar kirtans, without turning them into a mardi gras? What can we do to improve our floats? To showcase community participation and representation at these public spectacles?
- What can we do to draw the general public as spectators? Merely singing shabads and doing public kirtan will not get us very far with those who know little about us.
- What can we do to produce impressive printed and video materials as handouts during these mass gatherings? Is it time to go beyond home-grown computer-wizards and get professionals to do the job?
- How can we convince the committees that run these events to spend money more carefully, and to budget, say, 25% of their intake into permanent new projects that will enrich their own communities? For example, take up one new project every year and let the community know where their money is going.
- What are examples of the type of initiatives and projects your own local community would benefit from such a program?
- With a mere two months plus to go for the beginning of this year's ‘celebration season', what can you and I do - TODAY and TOMORROW - to get the ball rolling?
Conversation about this article
1: Sukh (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), February 17, 2010, 11:39 AM.
A weekly langar at the local drop-in, a theatre or dance troupe, a sports arena, a women's support centre, a senior's lounge, a child care ... all sound great and would serve the community well. Great ideas absolutely!
2: Gur Singh (Boston, U.S.A.), February 17, 2010, 4:08 PM.
We need a project titled "Guru Granth Sahib for U.S.A./ Canada/ U.K., etc", which should involve Sikh scholars, the Sikh media, Sikh elders and Sikh youth, to spread the message of how it is the epitome of a healthy inter-faith interaction, and to show how it is the best guide for all people interested in spirituality.
3: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), February 18, 2010, 12:53 PM.
Great topic. Let's step back a bit and explore. Why do we think that parades are 'the way' to celebrate Vaisakhi and prominent Gurpurabs? You mention the reasons that appropriately reflect our thoughts: 1) to impress ourselves of our unity and commitment 2) to impress others by our presence, our ardour, our deep civic sense, 3) our pride in our Faith, and 4) our pride in our nation. If these are our goals, the projects you mention are far more impactful than blocking the streets and town squares, showing off our mediocre, hastily assembled displays and handout-materials and (I beg to disagree but..) leaving definite traces behind. Even if we clean the streets of the trash, we still leave a heavy carbon footprint via the disposal of enormous quantities of water bottles, soda cans, styro-foam cups and plates, for earth-unfriendly foods, used beyond necessity to indulge ourselves and attract passers-by in the name of seva. Don't you think that spectacular floats that depict our history, our roles and our contributions will find more effective use when displayed in the National Day Parades of Canada, U.S.A., U.K., etc., where we currently don't show much presence; although they are the ones that attract mainstream media and millions of spectators? We can accomplish much more that way, without inconveniencing people one extra day while showing pride in our heritage, faith as well as the country we live in. Dispelling the stereotype that we are not a segregated community but a part of the mainstream. Love the action question: "What can you or I do today to get the ball rolling?" 1) Find out when the next major town parade is scheduled and get the a slot of Sikh floats in. Get the leadership to buy-in, budget, plan and execute! 2) Pick one project from the list above, get some like-minded people and go for it. Start small and watch the sangat take over. Just do it!
4: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), February 19, 2010, 10:22 AM.
This topic on Sikh parades and celebrations is an excellent action-oriented topic which should get our creative juices flowing. It has much to do with our projection to the world. Looking forward to our readers stepping out of their comfort zones: My friends: Let's think, speak, take ownnership and act!
5: Amarjit (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), February 23, 2010, 2:46 PM.
The Toronto Sikh scene is an excellent example of how one successful institution in a community can give birth to a string of equally successful institutions. The Macauliffe Institute of Sikh Studies, established by T. Sher Singh of Toronto and Manjit Singh of Montreal in the mid-1980s, became the parent of, and seeded the following projects: 1) A monthly gathering of Sikh professionals in downtown Toronto, commencing in 1985 ... these continue to date. 2) The Sikh Foundation of Canada, which from time to time supports interesting projects, such as the Toronto venue of The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms exhibit at The Royal Ontario Museum. 3) The Centennial Foundation, which continues to hold an annual Vaisakhi Gala in downtown Toronto. 4) The Spinning Wheel Film Festival, which has not only inspired a worldwide movement of film involvement in far-flung communities and off-shoots in a number of cities and countries, but is now in its eighth successful year in Toronto. 5) This online magazine itself - sikhchic.com. There have been other minor offshoots - such as The Young Turban Professionals Dance Troupe, which later expanded into a full-fledged dance and music academy. It proves that one or two visionaries - in this case the above-named T. Sher Singh and, more recently, the arrival of another inspired leader on the scene, Dr. Birinder Singh Ahluwalia - can make a difference by somehow convincing, luring or cajoling others into doing their share of community seva.
6: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), February 23, 2010, 5:56 PM.
How can we get more from our nagar kirtans and parades? My mind drifts to a Vaisakhi parade that I attended many years ago in New York. Along the parade route, I saw an elderly Sikh couple, she in her Sunday best salwar-kameez and he in a suit and tie standing along the parade route handing out ladoos as parshad. Between them, they had about 20 boxes to distribute. I watched them for a while and then walked up to them. The women said, 'beta, parshad lao'. I knelt to take the parshad. After giving me the parshad, she put her hand on my head and said, 'sadaa sukh pao'. I immediately looked at her face. It was glowing. To this day, I remember that moment. Her seva filled me with awe and humility. Not in a million years would I have ever thought of taking ladoos to a parade. But she did and I was the recipient. Our parades are joyous celebrations. So what if the floats are mediocre, so what if we are drinking lassi from styrofoam cups. We are together, chanting, sharing and loving every moment of it. This is closest to feeling the energy of the Guru Panth. Hearing kirtan on the streets of Manhattan is very special. Being in the midst of a sea of turbans is magical, to say the least. Would I change anything? Hmm-mm ... Maybe just one tiny thing, if I may. I would love each local community to dedicate the year to a specific service project. We could all vote on the project. It could be serving the homeless, cleaning the park, or any other project. However, this dedication is individual based. If every Sikh (even with 1/100th of Sikh blood) around the world dedicates two days in the year to that project, what an impact that would make! Wow! Now, that would be a force to be reckoned with! Let's think about it.
7: Sanmeet Kaur (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), February 23, 2010, 9:08 PM.
I want to know the reason behind this atypical lack of response on this topic. Can anyone explain to me why they didn't leave a comment after reading this page? Last year, my husband and I took our two-year old to the Vaisakhi Parade in Toronto. I was amazed by my people, by the abundant seva that flowed, the gratitude, the pride. Humility, joy and pride filled my heart and I prayed that our daughter be able to witness this miracle, own part of and become part of all of this. This is the Guru Panth. Imagine a rainbow of turbans and chunnis singing divine melodies and tell me again why we need floats and pamphlets when we have this? A jaloos or a parade has traditionally displayed our best as a community - Gatka demonstrations, Kavi Sammelans, Langar, Seva. It is here where as individuals we recall our pride, rediscover fortitude, re-connect and realize that we are part of something bigger - the spirit of the Guru Panth.
8: Amardeep (U.S.A.), February 24, 2010, 11:17 PM.
This Martin Luther King's day, I had the opportunity of observing organized volunteer work. Local charity organizations were connected by one site (United Way) and one could sign up to do different types of chores, e.g., cleaning, organizing different homeless shelters, cleaning parks/ trails, etc. On Vaisakhi Day, after the initial 2-3 hrs of celebrations, we can do volunteer work as a community (sign up for different projects). In no time, charities/ people will know about this, and we can end up doing something constructive besides celebrating.