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Summary of Question:	Lohgarh Sikh Camp
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Tuesday, 7/17/2001 2:13 AM MDT

I actually have a comment on Lohgarh camp, aftermeeting some of the counselars from this camp. I had visited bhangra blowout in GW a couple of months ago and had met some of the sikhs who went to George Washington Univerity and some from schools in Virginia. I must say that till then I had held this camp in very high regards and was all for this camp. However after meeting some girls who went to school at GW i completely changed my mind and was disgusted beyong belief. These women were smoking and doing drugs as if it was an essential part of sikhism and there characters were of even worst reputaion. The same can be said about the men. However what really surprised me was the fact that these women were counselars at Lohgarh camp, and many parents trust their children to them. I really hope that someone can convey to the older and much wiser organisers of this camp on what is going wrong, so that they can take some action. AS these young women and men are bringing shame to everyone.

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REPLY
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Dear One:

Sat Siri Akaal Ji. I am sorry to hear of your experience. As it happens, I know the Caretaker at Lohgarh, and know that if she thought for a moment that Lohgarh encouraged such behavior, she would have nothing to do with it. So I asked Lohgarh for a reply.
Let it be understood that the reply that follows is (1) from Lohgarh Management, not Sikhnet and (2) that this situation and reply could apply to ANY Sikh Youth Camp and its counselors.
---DKK -----------Here is the Lohgarh reply:


Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh!

The contents of what this person has said is troubling. I am most concerned and can understand this person's concern.
While Lohgarh strives to encourage and promote Sikhism throughout camp and beyond, we cannot control the environment in which our counselors and campers
live, nor other influences in their lives. I think that smoking, drinking and using drugs by anybody, let alone another Sikh, is regretable, and hope that this behavior is a youthful indiscretion and will stop. However, this negative behavior cannot be pinned on Lohgarh as though the camp sponsors, endorses, or encourages it.
From this person's posting it is clear that the influences of modern U.S. society have a broad and deep impact and appear to be corrupting young Sikh kids who themselves hope to serve as role models within the community. Instead of casting aspersions at these young people and at Lohgarh, it would be more
productive to get involved in education and awareness so that these problems do not affect more Sikh youth. Bashing Lohgarh neither addresses nor solves the problem. The apparent actions of a few young Sikhs do not reflect the philosophy of Lohgarh nor the actions of the great majority of Lohgarh counselors and campers.
Hundreds of young Sikhs come to Lohgarh to carve out and sustain their identity. Hopefully, kids coming to Lohgarh will begin to help them understand
and face the challenges greated by growing up in America. Not sending kids to Lohgarh will not address the problem, nor protect Sikh children from the
influences of smoking, drugs, and alcohol in our society.
Lohgarh does not remove youngs Sikhs from the world they live in. Our hope is to help them deal with that world. It appears , in this case, that the
individuals described may have not been able to deal that well and we can only hope and pray that they will see the error of their ways and will find strength in Sikhism.

From the camp Caretaker: It is wrong to judge Lohgarh by what a minority of its counselors have been alleged to have done. It is also wrong to assume that all Lohgarh counselors, or all Lohgarh counselors who attend GW indulge in such harmful, destructive, appalling, and unSikhlike conduct. The thought that even one of our counselors or campers is behaving as described causes me, personally, great pain. This is not what Lohgarh stands for nor what it endeavors to teach.