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Summary of Question:	Programmes At The Gurdwara Don't Reach Youth
Category:	Gurdwara
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 10/03/2001 6:16 AM MDT

I am Sikh living in Australia and have spent over 95% of my life growing up in Australia. My father is a amrithardi and spends alot of his time collecting money for different gurdwaras across Australia. I am now 28 years of age and have a very high interest in my religion. However when I go to the Gurdwara the elders of the community do the preaching which is difficult to understand. They read directly out Guru Granth Sahib but do not explain what it means. Or they preach directly with speeches. However the elders are from the old school and I feel they mix traditions with religion. At the Gurdwara a couple of weeks ago the Granthi was discussing younger people are no longer attending the Gurdwara and do not understand Punjabi. They are to busy chasing western girls in nightclubs. Being a young sikh I found the last comment to be insulting. I am married to a western girl. I thought the guru said all man kind is equal. I think we need to educate young sikhs in a language they can understand and I t

hink the Granthi's need to focus on strategies to get people to the Gurdwara rather than talking up the evils of western culture. Last time I was India I had to pay a bribe to get to the airport a bribe at a police checkpoint and a bribe to the land office to get some soil tested. Before we start pointing the finger I thing we should take a look in our back yard.

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REPLY
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Sat Siri Akaal Ji. The problem you mention is sometimes called a 'generation gap" and is typical of youth and their elders. The situation you describe is also common to immigrant communities around the world; the above is a Sikh version of it. The immigrants moved their families to the West but do not want their children to be Western. Go figure.

Sikh Elders should not judge youth if youth have not (1) been raised speaking Punjabi and (2) been taught the essential teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. SGGS is in poetry, and reflects Sanskrit, punjabi, hindi, arabic and persian dialects of Guru's time. It is not easy for fully bilingual Punjabis to always understand. But we do have resources available for study of Gurbani in the West (search http://www.sikhseek.com or http://www.sikhnet.com)

However, do NOT expect the elders or granthis to try to reach youth. Granthis are paid by Gurdwara management and their politics and viewpoints are subject to review. I suggest you become a problem solver rather than hope that the elders will change.

Start a youth group or organize weekend youth camps in your community or gurdwara. Create a youth study group and together decide on shabds or bani to study. Read and discuss the lives of the 10 Gurus and look for the special example each one set for humanity. In this way, teach youth the SPIRIT of the Sikhs, the SPIRIT of Khalsa, and how to manifest that spirit in everyday life. Siri Guru Granth Sahib's message is consistent throughout: the one who serves others serves the Lord; stabilize one's mind and life through daily practice of meditation on the Naam, and end the cycle of reincarnation. Take this technology and apply it in/with the youth. To quote Joe Lewis, a famous American labor organizer: "don't mourn [complain], ORGANIZE." Take the lead on this and be sure that you include women/girls in the groups and in the leadership, because Guruji taught us that women and men are equal in Sikhi.

Guru rakha,
DKK