How Much Parchaar Actually Happens

[Tera]

One thing I wanted to get some discussion on was parchaar, or the lack of it. If we forget about parchaar to other communities for a moment (because thats a separate issue on its own) and think about parchar to our own children, younger brothers/ sisters etc.

The Christians have Sunday school, the Muslims are known to teach their kids to read the Koran at very young age etc. What do us Sikhs do? What actually takes place where the youngsters can learn anything regarding Sikhi from. One maybe 2 Gurmat Camps a year? How many Gurdwara committee's are actually interested or active?

Just wondering what other people think about this and if anyone has anything in there area that could be replicated elsewhere etc...

[rupinder singh]

In my view “lack of parchaar” is being used as an excuse for people’s lack of commitment to Sikhi. In this day of major technological advance, with Sikhtothemax, Internet forums, Websites, Audio recordings, Live TV broadcasts, literature/books, DVDs, 24 hour radio stations, numerous Camps, Samagams etc access to parchaar has never been any better.

Why is it the Singhs were more pakay in the olden days before Gurdwaras had projectors translating Gurbani or power point presentations? The answer is simple, people bothered to live Sikhi and not expect Sikhi to drop on their lap. Today we make excuses for our individual lack of focus on Sikhi by blaming others. If people are truly interested in Sikhi they don’t need to be spoon-fed, they will discover for themselves.

It's up to us to project Sikhi through living it and not just presenting something on MS powerpoint every weekend. Kids want real life role models, people they can look up to and aspire to be. Those role models have to be people like you and me who lead by example, who show kids how to live as a Gursikh by ourselves living as a "full time" Gursikh. We will continously struggle to project Sikhi if we don't have any Sikhi ourselves and will always blame the people around us. Frankly I am bored of the "lack of parchaar" excuse and blaming the old Gurdwara prabhandaks. The fault lies with us not wishing to implement that parchaar into our own lives.

[Bored]

It all comes down to those children's parents. At the gurdwaras here in toronto you will see babay telling parents to educate their children and get them into sikhi...but at the end its the parents that really make the decision. The gurdwaras can only do enough. Its the parents to blame at the end of the day, not the gurdwara not the young children. Statistics proof that parents lack parenting more today then ever. They SUCK!

So if parents cant encourage their children or forcfully send them to learn a thing or two, then why blame "us" the elder youth who are the ones to educate them when parents cant even get their kids through the first step. there one and only excuse would be "time". They got all the time in the world to have fun but not this. Its lame.

I strongly agree with the above post about how parchaar has never been any better. It is the elderly youth who come in and want to make change, not the babay. Babay would never think about projectors and sikhi to the max etc, only the youth have and will. Babay only thought about classes in gurdwara which is great by the way.

peace

p.s parents suck!

[k_S_T]

i think parchaar starts from Home From Parents

but i think in this day and age there are SUM parents who dnt want there children to get into sikhi for many reasons (which are jus silly reasons )iv seen and ive Experienced it my self with my parents and i knw many singhs and singhni who have and are Experiencing

[rupinder singh]

i think parchaar starts from Home From Parents

but i think in this day and age there are SUM parents who dnt want there children to get into sikhi for many reasons (which are jus silly reasons )iv seen and ive Experienced it my self with my parents and i knw many singhs and singhni who have and are Experiencing

There's only so much parents can hold us back. There comes an age when your parents won't be able to hold you back anymore.

But I agree from my experience some parents seem to fear that their child might be exposed to fanaticism or extremism by having exposure to Sikhi. In these cases we need to think more strategically about the type of parchaar we are doing and to what audience. Watch out for misinterpretations, it happens very easily. Talking about 1984/Shaheeds freaks alot of the Sangat out, think wisely and assess your audience when speaking about the issues of 1984. If you want to glorify the movement than be able to describe, justify and answer all issues raised, don't just show a video and expect everyone to accept your viewpoint.

If people do not respond to parchaar or there is negative feedback then accept the criticism and reassess what you are talking about and look at different ways of getting the message across. Don't be distant from the Sangat, be part of them, be part of the physical sewa taking place there, be an active member of your community (Sikh and non Sikh).

And above all don't forget to Smile!!

[Jaggaa]

i think parchaar starts from Home From Parents

but i think in this day and age there are SUM parents who dnt want there children to get into sikhi for many reasons (which are jus silly reasons )iv seen and ive Experienced it my self with my parents and i knw many singhs and singhni who have and are Experiencing

There's only so much parents can hold us back. There comes an age when your parents won't be able to hold you back anymore.

But I agree from my experience some parents seem to fear that their child might be exposed to fanaticism or extremism by having exposure to Sikhi. In these cases we need to think more strategically about the type of parchaar we are doing and to what audience. Watch out for misinterpretations, it happens very easily. Talking about 1984/Shaheeds freaks alot of the Sangat out, think wisely and assess your audience when speaking about the issues of 1984. If you want to glorify the movement than be able to describe, justify and answer all issues raised, don't just show a video and expect everyone to accept your viewpoint.

If people do not respond to parchaar or there is negative feedback then accept the criticism and reassess what you are talking about and look at different ways of getting the message across. Don't be distant from the Sangat, be part of them, be part of the physical sewa taking place there, be an active member of your community (Sikh and non Sikh).

And above all don't forget to Smile!!

+1