Issue 41 Vol II, June 15, 2007

T H I S  O U R  C A N A D A

Former Sikh militants talk peace
Gurpreet Singh writes from Vancouver

Looking from their personal experiences, two former Sikh militants are asking the people of Punjab to maintain peace and harmony and restrain from violent reaction to the ``blasphemous acts’’ of the head of the Sacha Sauda sect, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Ranjit Singh Gill and his close friend, Sukhminder Singh are asking the Sikhs to counter the acts of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh through dialogue and not violence. Widely known as Kukki and Sukhi, the duo had joined the militant ranks out of emotions. They became participants in a violent struggle for Khalistan, which had its roots in the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash.

While equating the recent riots between the Sacha Sauda followers and the Sikhs with the Sikh-Nirankari clash, the two have asked the people of Punjab to act maturely in the larger interest of the society. They feel that Punjab has already lost so much during the Khalistan movement that now the people should give peace a chance and show tolerance.

The recent riots broke out in Punjab and elsewhere after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh allegedly copied the tenth master of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikhs accused him of wearing an attire of their Guru and tried to baptize his followers much as Guru Gobind Singh did. The Sikh extremists also gave a call to kill Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who later apologized for his action to none other than Guru Gobind Singh.

``If a jackal wears the hide of the lion it doesn’t become a lion. The Sikhs should use their wisdom instead of falling prey to the temptations of taking short cut roots to solve any problem like violence or murder’’, Ranjit Singh Gill commented in a special interview with the SAP. He warned that the leaders who are inciting the Sikhs to behead Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh have no following in Punjab. ``They are indulging in gimmicks’’.

He reminded the Sikhs of Vancouver that the former head of the Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh had also murdered the Nirankari guru. He was made the head of the Akal Takht for his ``service’’ to the community. ``He lacked wisdom and divided the Sikhs in Vancouver by issuing an edict on the langar’’.

Sukhminder too passionately advocated for peace and harmony. ``If anyone spits at the moon, the spit would fall on his face. The Sikhs should not fear for anything. People like Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh have no power to finish Sikhism which is a great religion’’. He believes that this controversy is an outcome of deep rooted political conspiracy. ``Since Sacha Sauda had supported the Congress party in the recent Punjab election to defeat the top guns of the ruling Akali Dal in Punjab, this situation took an ugly turn.’’

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Punjab Communal Cauldron: British Columbia Suffers the Heat
Gurpreet Singh writes from Surrey

THE recent developments in Punjab have effected the social environment within the Indo Canadian community in British Columbia.  In India , the head of the Sacha Sauda sect; Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has stirred a controversy by allegedly replication of Guru Gobind Singh’s baptism ceremony of April 1699 at Anandpur Sahib when he crated the Khalsa. The Sikhs accuse him of wearing their Guru’s attire and baptizing his followers much like their Guru did.

The Sikhs are accusing him of blasphemy, while the radicals are seeking his head. There were violent clashes between the Sikhs and the followers of this sect in Punjab and other parts of India. The crisis has been resolved for the time being. In lower mainland too, the Sikhs are angry at Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. However, things turned ugly when certain Punjabi newspapers aligned with the Sikh separatist groups published an article that used derogatory remarks for a Hindu temple in India.

The article describes the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar as a copy of the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs. The author went to the extent of describing the making of Durgiana Temple as a ``crime’’ against the Sikhs and equated this ``crime’’ with the one committed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. To add an insult to the injury, the author also used derogatory expression that indirectly suggested riddance of the Durgiana Temple.

The Durgiana Temple was built much after the Golden Temple in the same city and its structure bears resemblance with that of the Golden Temple but if there has to be a debate on this issue, it has to be civilized without any provocation or malice.

This article has invited angry reaction from the local Hindus, who had called a meeting last Sunday at the Vedic Hindu Temple in Surrey to address this issue. The moderate Sikh leaders also participated in the meeting to extend their moral support to the Hindus.

There is a growing feeling in the community that the extremist elements should be isolated to ensure harmony and peace in the larger interest of the society.  The present crisis can lead to more trouble if not handled properly. There in an extremist element in the local Hindu community as well. The Vedic Hindu Temple had invited an extremist leader, Sadhvi Rithambra in the past. She was charged for inciting a Hindu mob that demolished a mosque in India in 1992.

The extremists of both the sides should refrain from the hate propaganda, while the Canadian authorities should take notice of these developments.  The Sikh separatists should ask themselves that are they prepared to tolerate such an offence towards their own faith? Recently, a moderate Sikh priest, Giani Harkirat Singh had condemned the assassins of the former Indian Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi. The two Sikh men were her bodyguards, who had killed Gandhi to avenge the 1984 military raid on the Golden Temple. They are considered as martyrs by the Sikh clergy, but Giani Harkirat Singh had written that he doesn’t consider them as martyrs at all. The Sikh hardliners had reacted strongly to his views. If they can be upset about Giani Harkirat Singh’s negative opinion about their heroes, how can they expect Hindus to tolerate such an insult?

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Saffron Ball 2007 raises funds for new Brampton Civic Hospital

LAST fortnight, The Saffron Foundation hosted their third annual Saffron Ball to raise money for the new Brampton Civic Hospital, home of the Guru Nanak Emergency Centre. In keeping with its tradition, this year's Saffron Ball showcased the sights, sounds and flavours of north India.

The theme for this year’s ball was ‘Ik Sat Rangi Shaam’ [ “An Evening of Colours”] and welcomed more than 450 guests to an evening of food and performances by groups such as Lethal Dholis, Gurukul Arts, Punjabi Virsa Arts and Cultural Academy, the Fusion Dance Troupe, the Nachdi Jawani bhangra group, singer Werdah Zamir and classical dancer, Subhani Ragunathan. The evening was hosted by Master of Ceremonies, Parminder Singh, of OMNI-TV.

“As young people, we felt compelled to do something fruitful for our community,” said Saffron representative, Ripudaman Minhas. “It’s important for all of us to take time to appreciate what resources we have and to continue to build a stronger community. That’s the spirit of Saffron. In 2005, we did it for orphaned children in the wake of the tsunami and now we are doing it for our neighbours and our fellow Canadians.”

The Saffron Foundation strives to raise awareness of health-related issues affecting communities throughout the world and facilitate the volunteering efforts of students in these communities. The Saffron Foundation is an organization created by students from several prominent Canadian universities. In 2005 through the first ever Saffron Ball, the Saffron Foundation raised $10,000 for the Gwalior Children’s Charity Hospital and sent medical students to provide healthcare and support to hospital and orphanage in Gwalior, India. In 2006, Saffron Ball raised $17 000 for the New Brampton Civic Hospital, and this year the Foundation will continues in this direction.

“Each year, we bring together individuals from different ages and ethnicities to celebrate our successes and to focus on a cause in our community,” said Sheiry Dhillon, this year’s event coordinator. “In addition to the funds we donated last year to the new Brampton Civic Hospital, it looks like we’ll be able to add nearly $10,000 more from this year’s Saffron Ball.”

Brampton is in desperate need of a modern health care facility as the existing hospital is over 75 years old and can no longer support the city’s rapidly growing population. The total cost of the new Brampton hospital is expected to reach over $550 million of which 30% must be raised by the community. With the ever-growing threat of cancer and other terminal diseases it is important that the community support this new medical facility, so that it will possess the resources required to actively combat these illnesses. The Saffron Foundation has dedicated itself to improving health care in Brampton and depends on people and organizations such as yours to help in our cause and achieve our goal.

To show their gratitude to the Saffron Foundation, officials at the Brampton Civic Hospital have announced that they will name a room in the new hospital after the Foundation. The Saffron team hopes to continue their efforts and host another Saffron Ball in 2008. The Saffron Foundation is currently looking for more young people to get involved.

[Further information is available at www.saffronball.com. Or
ripudaman.minhas@utoronto.ca <mailto:ripudaman.minhas@utoronto.ca>]
All attached photos are credited to Diya Gill.

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