Roundtable
Sikh Men's Group
PAYING HEED TO THE SUGGESTIONS WE HAVE RECEIVED ON THIS PROPOSED PROJECT, WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE MAY 7 MEETING, IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE ORGANIZERS TO RE-GROUP AND SET UP A SIMILAR MEETING, BUT - AS SUGGESTED - OPEN TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
Sikh men, 18 years and over, are invited to an inaugural meeting of The Sikh Men's Group on Saturday, May 7, 2011, at 6.00 pm.
The meeting will be held at The Macauliffe Manor, 170 Wellington Street East, Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada N0G 2L0. A vegetarian dinner will be served.
There is no fee for the meeting or dinner.
There is no religious or political agenda - the only criteria is that the participants be Sikh males (over 18), and interested in a conversation on issues of mutual interest. All are welcome.
Mount Forest is located centrally, between a number of Sikh communities in the region.
DISTANCE
Mount Forest is 1 hour's drive NW from Brampton
- 1.20 hr NW from Mississauga
- 1.40 hr NW from Toronto
- 1 hr N from Kitchener/ Waterloo/Cambridge
- 50 min N from Guelph
- 1.45 hr NE from London, Ont
Certainly, those living in the states close by in the U.S. are equally welcome. We are a little over 2 hours' drive from Niagara Falls, New York, and three hours from Detroit, Michigan.
The purpose of this initial meeting is to formulate a once-a-month gathering of Sikh men in order to discuss the issues of the day. The first meeting will be devoted to canvassing the concept and its parameters, as well as deciding the topic of discussion for the next meeting.
Please confirm in advance at SikhMen@GMail.com if you wish to attend, and let us know at the same address if you require any further details, info, directions, etc.
Hope to see you there ...
March 30, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Preeti (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), March 31, 2011, 2:37 PM.
Why "Men's"? Why not women too? I am interested.
2: Tarsem Singh (Rochester, U.S.A.), March 31, 2011, 2:43 PM.
Great idea. I would love to join ... and plan to be there. Is there accommodation close by, in case I need to stay overnight?
3: SMG (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada), March 31, 2011, 2:50 PM.
In answer to Preeti's question: we have been approached by a number of men for some time, wanting a place where they could get together and have a dialogue about community issues. They've specifically requested a "men's group", only because they prefer a forum which would allow them full freedom to express themselves, without being self-conscious, etc. We're going to try this out and see how it goes. However, we are open to making the facilities at Macauliffe Manor available to anybody who wishes to have a similar "women's group", and will facilitate it equally. Please let us know if there is an interest in it. And, some day, if it works out, let's hope there'll be an all-inclusive group. In the meantime, let's take it one step at a time.
4: SMG (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada), March 31, 2011, 2:58 PM.
Tarsem Singh ji: If you let us know well in advance, we'll be glad to arrange accommodation for you at the Macauliffe Manor - there are a number of rooms available for those coming from long distances, albeit a limited number.
5: Sandeep Singh Brar (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), March 31, 2011, 10:57 PM.
I'm honestly put off by this idea of a men's group, especially given the description of the group's proposed activities. If there is no specific agenda, why would you eliminate half our people from participation or enjoyment of a social get together? As Sikhs, the issues and challenges that we face and our vision for our future as a people that we urgently need to discuss are not gender specific. Our religion is not one that segregates the sexes. We sit in langar together. In the Guru's divan we both sit at an equal distance from Guru Granth Sahib. Our kirtan or prayers can be conducted by either sex, so why the determined effort to exclude women? Are their opinions or views secondary? Should their discussions, issues or concerns be only for their own ears? If this was a group with a specific agenda of discussing male sexuality or wife abuse for example, then sure it would make perfect sense to have a men-only group to provide a comfort level to discuss difficult topics in a peer comfort zone, but if it's just a social meeting with no specific agenda, then practicing social apartheid really does not make much sense. If individuals are not comfortable having open discussions on any random topic with members of the opposite sex present, that's their own problem, no need to institutionalize or promote that kind of thinking on a group or collective level, especially if you use the word 'Sikh'.
6: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), April 01, 2011, 6:06 AM.
In 1989, I was invited to attend a Macauliffe meeting in Toronto. And met a number of interesting people. It was fun ... But I think women should be included in this new format; they offer greater insight!
7: S.D. (Queens, New York, U.S.A.), April 01, 2011, 9:42 AM.
I feel you guys are almost apologizing for being men. Someone has the chutzpah to start something fresh and new and all we can do is pooh-pooh the idea. Let's not turn this into an emasculating exercise.