Current Events
Remembering the Sahibzaadey
by JENNIFER TORRES
Rinnie Kaur, 14, covered her head, took off her shoes and sat down to listen to the scriptures of her faith in the last hours of a three-day celebration at the Dashmesh Darbar Sikh Gurdwara in Lodi (California, U.S.A).
Believers listened to the stories of Guru Gobind Singh, Sikhism's 10th Teacher. Two of his sons were killed in battle against tyrants. Two were killed for refusing to give up their faith. The Akhand Paatth - a continuous recitation of the Sikh Scripture - held at the gurdwara over the weekend honored that sacrifice, Rinnie said.
And as part of the commemoration, she said, children from the gurdwara served food to the homeless and brought donations of coats and blankets to the Salvation Army.
"God has given us so much, and we really need to give back to the community," Rinnie Kaur, a freshman at Middle College High School, said. "I've seen how people suffer and what hunger is. If you can help, do help."
John Kulwant Singh Takhar said the event, held annually for three years, helps preserve Sikh culture and traditions among the children who participate.
"As much as possible, we want to instill culture, our heritage, who we are, what we stand for," Kulwant Singh said. "It's promoting that we're all one family. We want to pass that on to the next generation."
But the event also serves to introduce Sikhism to the wider community, many parts of which have little understanding of it, another member of the congregation, Balwinder Singh, said.
Sikhism, a monotheistic religion, has its heart in Punjab in the north of the Indian subcontinent and emphasizes meditation and equality.
This summer, California legislators designated November 2010 Sikh-American Awareness and Appreciation month, noting that the first California Sikh Gurdwara was founded in Stockton in 1929, and that Sikh families remain prominent in Central Valley agriculture.
"Many people are not aware of the Sikh community; we wanted to be more involved," Balwinder Singh said.
[Courtesy: Stockton Record]
December 28, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Bibek Singh (Jersey City, U.S.A.), December 29, 2010, 9:21 AM.
In our local gurdwara, the birthdays of the Sahibzaadey is celebrated in a unique way. All the elements of the gurdwara service - Rehras Sahib, kirtan, kathaa, ardaas, etc. - are performed solely by the children. Please visit this link for the photos: http://www.nnjgurudwara.com/PhotoGallery/BabaFatehSinghBirthday2010/index.html