Current Events
Khalsa Aid in Uttarakhand
GURMUKH SINGH
Uttarakhand, India
On Friday, June 20, 2013, the Khalsa Aid team was the first from any aid organisation to reach the stranded pilgrims at Gobind Ghat.
The team distributed food and bottled water on the busy route between Rishikesh to Joshimath, where the situation continues to be much worse than anticipated.
Khalsa Aid has set up a relief base camp at Joshimath, and this base is now fast becoming known as the point of aid and an important communications centre.
Recent floods in Uttarakhand in northern India have left tens of thousands of pilgrims stranded and the local community devastated. Many have had to risk their lives walking down the treacherous and wet mountain paths.
“We had to trek down the slippery mountains on foot to reach the nearest towns, we had no drinking water and many of us have fallen ill along the way," said Gurmit Singh, a Sikh visiting Hemkunt.
Ravinder Singh of Khalsa Aid explains: “Our relief team was absolutely wonderful! The young volunteers from Patiala were full of compassion and drive. They carried boxes full of food and water on their backs up the mountains. They were the first relief team to reach those stranded in Gobind Ghat. Truly inspirational!”
Inspirational indeed is the whole concept of Khalsa Aid. I recall that in 1999, young Ravinder Singh and his Khalsa Aid colleagues returned from a highly adventurous first Khalsa Aid mission to Kosovo. In his familiar and endearing, but hard-hitting style, he recited their adventure to a spell-bound mixed audience of school children, teachers and guests – Sikh and non-Sikh – at a prize-giving Khalsa school gathering at Slough, United kingdom.
Dya Singh of Australia, on his first UK tour at the time, shared my reaction: “Surely, this is the idea, the mission we have been looking for, to promote true Sikhi!”
Following in Bhai Kanhaiyya’s footsteps, Khalsa Aid encourages active participation by Sikhs and non-Sikhs. It combines a sense of seva and adventure, and promotes team spirit, initiative and improvisation in field relief work. It has clear aims and objectives, and a clear focus: It is aid or daan with akl (wisdom) – “akli keechai daan...”, which means use your head when you give to or practice charity. Which includes making optimum use of resources to leverage maximum benefit.
Khalsa Aid is the practical interpretation of the Sikh ideals of daan and seva. Of sharing with, and serving those in need. Serving with tunn, munn and dhunn – with body, mind, heert and all that you own.
Sikh rehat -- code of conduct -- is for all Sikhs, not just those who have taken the vows of the Khalsa. The first part of the what is expected of us deals with our personal daily life routine, as a Sikh. The second part promotes corporate Sikh life which promotes service outside the gurdwara. It strives for optimum good through organised, collective action.
Khalsa Aid goes to places of dire or urgent need, no matter how remote they are. Each Khalsa Aid tour of seva is also educational and full of adventure. They provide aid for all in need, without discrimination. This is seeing God in all – come to think of it, the only way you can “see” God. The sevadars rise to the next level of understanding of the challenges and threats faced by the global village.
Over the years, led by able and articulate leaders like Ravinder Singh, Khalsa Aid has developed wide, complementary type of relationships with most global aid agencies to ensure as much shared relief effort as possible for maximum benefit.
Back to the Uttarakhand relief operation:
The initial emergency relief phase was over by Tuesday, June 25, when another storm was expected to hit the area again. Phase 2 of the long-term relief for the local community will commence after the flood waters subside.
Like other Sikh aid organisations doing exemplary work outside gurdwaras, Khalsa Aid too depends on the generosity of the sangat to carry out such vital relief operations as described above.
ABOUT KHALSA AID
Khalsa Aid is the first cross border humanitarian organisation based on the Sikhi principles of sarbat da bhalla and vund kay chhakna.
For more info, please CLICK here, or call +44 (0) 1753 567 457.
To donate monthly or to make a one off donation, please CLICK here.
June 27, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), June 27, 2013, 5:02 AM.
This is Sikhi getting down to business. A visible example of 'sarbat da bhalla' and 'vund chhakna,' no matter how difficult the going.
2: Ravinder Singh (United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 6:32 AM.
Khalsa Aid is grateful to the Sikh community for its support and belief in our global humanitarian work. Khalsa Aid has built a relationship of trust and it's this trust which is the main motivation for all involved in Khalsa Aid.
3: Gurteg Singh (New York, USA), June 27, 2013, 7:03 AM.
During this horrific tragedy, unfortunately the role of the local population and business community of Uttarakhand has been most despicable and shameful. Guru ka Langar in every gurdwara and massive food aid and help in all natural tragedies in India have been the hallmark of the Sikh community in India. But when tens of thousands of pilgrims were stranded in Uttarakhand hills, large scale reports of fleecing by local Bania businessmen and even rape of women have been reported by news agencies and the survivors. While Sikhs set up free chhabeels in all corners of India every year for all, desperate pilgrims were being charged Rs 100 per bottle of water and Rs 50 per roti. In what is being described by the Hindu media as a Rambo act, Narendera Modi, the newly minted aspirant for prime minister, arranged the rescue of ONLY the the Gujarati tourists / pilgrims while ignoring other communities.
4: Randhir Kaur (London, United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 8:35 AM.
Absolutely wonderful.
5: Tony Singh Kale (Walsall, United Kingdom ), June 27, 2013, 8:48 AM.
This brief article shows us what the world-wide family of khalsa aid is all about. Not involved in any political or religious agenda, just carrying out the work of our panth. Well done to all involved in this amazing world-wide work. It's a shame more of us cannot follow this example.
6: Ranjit Singh (Birmingham, United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 8:58 AM.
Khalsa Aid volunteers showing the rest of the world how to do it! There are many that talk the talk but only a few that actually walk the walk. Well done, ladies and gentlemen, yours is true Sikhi.
7: Jaskaran Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), June 27, 2013, 10:15 AM.
May God bless 'Khalsa Aid' and all the sevadars involved. What a great Sikhi-oriented charitable organisation!
8: Harj Chatha (Wolverhampton, United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 10:28 AM.
Extremely proud of the way Khalsa Aid has represented Sikhs in the wake of such tragedies. We have been blessed by the Creator with so much, this is real Sikhi and we all need to have the Khalsa Aid spirit. May Waheguru continue to bless their efforts.
9: Narinder Singh (Birmingham, United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 1:33 PM.
With the Guru's mission of selfless service and personal responsibility for the downtrodden, it is only with the Guru's kirpa that when we think how can truth and honesty prevail in this dark age, He gives some people the strength and vision to not only inspire others but be fully committed and see through those ideals in a modern, contemporary way which is not only appreciated by the sangat but is what the sangat has been searching and hoping for. That is the work of Khalsa Aid and the extraordinary commitment of Sardar Ravinder Singh and his associates. Thank you, Waheguru, you always save the honour of your true sevaks and the panth.
10: Gurpreet Sagoo (Solihull, United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 1:50 PM.
I think the work carried out by the Khalsa Aid volunteers is amazing. Their work is an excellent way for me to show my children how Sikhi should be lived. Thank You.
11: Jas Kaur Dhesi (Sandwell, Birmingham, United Kingdom ), June 27, 2013, 2:05 PM.
All this aid and hard work would not be possible without the love, trust and support the sangat has showed the Khalsa Aid family. We carry your support proudly with us and it enables us to push further out in the world, to those who require us to be part of their lives, not only in our community but across the world. What this amazing young Sardar in the picture above is doing has proudly carried the Sikh faith, and the sangat across to safety. We thank all who have supported us and hope to make you even more proud of our Khalsa Aid family.
12: Swaran (Leicester, England), June 27, 2013, 2:29 PM.
Khalsa Aid, you are inspirational. The work you are doing is fantastic, the youth nowa days should just stop and not go out for a month and simply donate all their Friday and Saturday going-out money to your project. I hope a lot of young people will read this.
13: Shangara Singh Budesha (Walsall, United Kingdom), June 27, 2013, 2:42 PM.
As a newcomer to Khalsa Aid, I think the work they do is amazing and inspiring. I'm glad to be able to participate in their fundraising events. Thanks to Tony Singh Kale for introducing me to a wonderful organization and the sangat.
14: Harinder Singh 1469 (New Delhi, India), June 28, 2013, 1:12 AM.
Thought of the day! Such examples give so much warmth to us all, regardless of our faiths. Quality seva ... alternative seva ... less material seva ... is what our youth need to accelerate. There's so much that needs to be done in this country. For example, merely teaching people to wear seat belts on highways will be extraordinary seva: it'll save thousands of lives. Teaching people safety tips is seva, too! Choose whatever you want to do ... but do seva.