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Full Tv Show On Sikh Channel Uk (Dsgmc-Sangat Q&a)


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As I noted during the show, whether you agree with Sardar Manjit Singh GK or not, you have to give him credit for having the courage to express his thoughts without fear or favour. Too often our leaders speak with forked tongues and will say whatever they think might be popular. I also think his rejection of a Sikh separatist agenda should not be interested as him being 'anti-panthic'. The reality is that the Khalistan agenda has to date been very poorly articulated and this should be a wake-up call for those that support the legitimate demand for Sikh independence. Indeed, it would be great if Khalistani leaders came to the SIkh Channel and presented their case in front of live a learned audience. Unless advocates of Khalistan are able to move from hollow slogans to a real vision for the emancipation of all Panjabis and ultimately all Indians, then I am afraid, there is little future for that agenda.

In this programme Manjit Singh GK offered a very clear vision of how to save Sikhs and Sikhi. By drawing parallels with the Jews, he emphasised the importance of building a highly educated, globally orientated nation. He also correctly identified that the crisis of Sikhi and Sikhs, particularly in rural parts of Panjab is as much related to dramatic social changes to the social, cultural and economic fabric associated with rapid urbanisation, globalisation and new social media as it is to the failures of government. The solution therefore is tom open our eyes to such momentous changes rather than to simply blame the politicians or to constantly rely on conspiracy theories. Today, through strengthening our existing institutions such as the DSGPC and SGPC and by building new progressive institutions, the Sikhs can have a real future. Failure to do so will certainly result in the ongoing demise of a once proud people and nation. Today, we need to move away from Sikhs as sadhus - which is the image being promoted by many of the so called 'dharmic' jathebandhis, particularly those led by a baba's - but of humanitarians, scholars, scientists, ecologists, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, journalists, film makers, media personalities and peace activists. Sadly a nation of once proud Saints, Scholars, Soldiers, is being led by those who do not even have the capacity to understand not respond to my argument in any thoughtful way.

When you are few in number then the only way to survive, as the Jews have demonstrated for the past 2500 years, is to focus on quality and brain power. Rather than retreat to the Gurdwaras and dears, to spend every spare minute in ritualistic meditation sealed off from the rest of the world, we now more than ever before need to recound the practical example set by Dhan Guru Nanak Ji, who confronted the 'holy men' in the temples and deras and sites of pilgrimage, the rich and the powerful. Who, from Sri Lanka in the South to Bangladesh and Sikhim in the East, from Tibbet and China in the North to Mecca, Bagdad and even Italy in the West, he embarked on his own revolutionary struggle to unite humanity, to rid us of irrational superstitious beliefs and to bring peace and co-operation to what was and remains a divided world.

If you want Sikhi to survive, give up the rituals and fancy dress and put gurbani into practice. Reach out to others and share with them the living universal social spirituality for the modern age which Sikhi most definitely is. Putting aside the politics, there can be no doubt that Manjit Singh is perhaps the first and only Sikh Leader from India that has ever articulated so clearly such a vision for the future of Sikhs. It will be a tragedy if blinded by our own unquestioning political and dera affiliations we fail to see this opportunity to wake-up and sieze the moment.

Dr Gurnam Singh,

(Please note these comments are my personal views and not those of the Sikh Channel. I very much welcome and intelligent and critical response to my argument)

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He seems very straightforward person. His father was a very bold sikh leader.

Most of khalistani leaders outside India have proved to be fakes as they condemn

bani of Guru Gobind Singh ji.What type of khalïstan they will make when they have

no belief in bani of khalsa.

Gurbani is bedrock of sikhism. It is gurbani that makes us good humans and teaches

us to recognize all humans as from one source.

I wish sikhs have leaders of his caliber in Punjab too.

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He seems very straightforward person. His father was a very bold sikh leader.

Most of khalistani leaders outside India have proved to be fakes as they condemn

bani of Guru Gobind Singh ji.What type of khalïstan they will make when they have

no belief in bani of khalsa.

Gurbani is bedrock of sikhism. It is gurbani that makes us good humans and teaches

us to recognize all humans as from one source.

I wish sikhs have leaders of his caliber in Punjab too.

veerji ... who was his father?

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veerji ... who was his father?

His father was Santokh Singh. He was shot dead..I heard that there were many rumors afloat about why anyone would kill Santokh Singh. One of the rumors was that a deranged person thought that Santokh Singh was acting as a Congress stooge . So he killed Santokh Singh. --- a very strange case indeed.

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As I noted during the show, whether you agree with Sardar Manjit Singh GK or not, you have to give him credit for having the courage to express his thoughts without fear or favour. Too often our leaders speak with forked tongues and will say whatever they think might be popular. I also think his rejection of a Sikh separatist agenda should not be interested as him being 'anti-panthic'. The reality is that the Khalistan agenda has to date been very poorly articulated and this should be a wake-up call for those that support the legitimate demand for Sikh independence. Indeed, it would be great if Khalistani leaders came to the SIkh Channel and presented their case in front of live a learned audience. Unless advocates of Khalistan are able to move from hollow slogans to a real vision for the emancipation of all Panjabis and ultimately all Indians, then I am afraid, there is little future for that agenda.

The need for Khalistan has been poorly articulated by everyone besides Dr. Amarjit Singh of Washington D.C. The case for Khalistan needs to be made by discussing all fronts of how that nation would be different from the current situation in Punjab. An answer on how Khalistan would improve things for Punjabis, in relation to human rights and freedoms, socially, economically, and overall quality of life needs to be clearly given and be openly available.

In this programme Manjit Singh GK offered a very clear vision of how to save Sikhs and Sikhi. By drawing parallels with the Jews, he emphasised the importance of building a highly educated, globally orientated nation. He also correctly identified that the crisis of Sikhi and Sikhs, particularly in rural parts of Panjab is as much related to dramatic social changes to the social, cultural and economic fabric associated with rapid urbanisation, globalisation and new social media as it is to the failures of government. The solution therefore is tom open our eyes to such momentous changes rather than to simply blame the politicians or to constantly rely on conspiracy theories.

Sikhs do need to raise literacy levels and education within themselves and have a more interconnected community globally. But besides fostering a culture of higher education and pursuit of knowledge, I don't believe there is anything greater Sikhs as a larger community could do.

Yes, the people of Punjab are suffering due to changes in the economy and the sub-par effort to adapt effectively with necessary legislative amendments and new policies (current policies and regulations do not entice foreign investment in Punjab).

But the responsibility to improve economic conditions in Punjab, to increase foreign direct investment, and to provide the general populace with well paying jobs that grow the economy toward a information based economy is with the Punjab and Indian governments.

It doesn't help when your Minister for Education has only passed the 10th grade (Sikander Singh Maluka - http://myneta.info/pb2012/candidate.php?candidate_id=446). Not to mention half of the Punjab cabinet has no post secondary education.

The failure of Punjab to adequately adapt to social trends, rapid urbanization, and globalization are failures of the Government.

Literacy rates are not high enough and access to credible and relevant information on these precise topics is very poor. It cannot be expected that people can learn how to adjust to a changing world on their own.

Today, through strengthening our existing institutions such as the DSGPC and SGPC and by building new progressive institutions, the Sikhs can have a real future. Failure to do so will certainly result in the ongoing demise of a once proud people and nation. Today, we need to move away from Sikhs as sadhus - which is the image being promoted by many of the so called 'dharmic' jathebandhis, particularly those led by a baba's - but of humanitarians, scholars, scientists, ecologists, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, journalists, film makers, media personalities and peace activists. Sadly a nation of once proud Saints, Scholars, Soldiers, is being led by those who do not even have the capacity to understand not respond to my argument in any thoughtful way.

The sole job of the SGPC is to defend and bolster Sikhi. This encompasses propagation of the Sikh way of life, the protection of Sikh history and its related historical Gurdwaras and artifacts, and providing life's basic necessities (food, shelter, clothes) to humanity. To mold the Sikh populace into productive and nurturing members of Society is under its mandate, however, I fail to see what role the SGPC would have in moving Sikhs toward being any of the occupations you listed.

Sikhs in their basic form are saints and soldiers. Why would we want to remove the Sadhu aspect from Sikhi? It should be a part of us but of course not be our sole trait. I highly doubt the assertion that Sikh organizations led by "Babas" are teaching that Sikhs should solely focus on a Sadhu lifestyle.

Baba Jagjit Singh of the Harkhowal samparda have many times given guidance to, in addition to living the Sikh lifestyle, have scholastic pursuits and go into honorable professions.

Rather than retreat to the Gurdwaras and dears, to spend every spare minute in ritualistic meditation sealed off from the rest of the world,

There are actually a lot of rituals and prayers that devout Jews preform on a daily basis, and they are not so liberal in their linkage with society as you might think. Many are recluses and focus much of their time on their religion, family, and work. Its hard to contrast Jews being opposite to your view of what Sikhs are apparently doing.

When you are few in number then the only way to survive, as the Jews have demonstrated for the past 2500 years, is to focus on quality and brain power. Rather than retreat to the Gurdwaras and dears, to spend every spare minute in ritualistic meditation sealed off from the rest of the world, we now more than ever before need to recound the practical example set by Dhan Guru Nanak Ji, who confronted the 'holy men' in the temples and deras and sites of pilgrimage, the rich and the powerful. Who, from Sri Lanka in the South to Bangladesh and Sikhim in the East, from Tibbet and China in the North to Mecca, Bagdad and even Italy in the West, he embarked on his own revolutionary struggle to unite humanity, to rid us of irrational superstitious beliefs and to bring peace and co-operation to what was and remains a divided world.

In year 70, after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the control of elite Jewish priests, in whom control of religious ceremonies vested, was relinquished. Jews became more widespread after the Roman conquest. Since Jewish life revolved around the Torah, it required all Jewish men to read and study the Torah themselves and no longer reliant on Rabbis. Their children would begin their instruction to do the same from a very young age. Education was compulsory for people of the Jewish faith and this was revolutionary compared to other societies that existed through the first millennium and a half. It gave them an intellectual edge on all other communities as a whole.

However, Jews who's livelihoods relied on resource industries, like farming, had a hard choice to make. Do they send their children to learn Hebrew, which is religiously mandated but brings them no economic benefit, or do they become less devout or even convert religions? The bleeding population was one reason Judaism did not flourish in the world as other faiths did.

Within devout Jews, education was a basic building block for their families and the community. Because of their early connection to education, Jews were, in large part, ahead of their peers. The culture of educational pursuit and excellence was cultivated through religious necessity and became ingrained in Jews themselves. They all push their children on an individual level to pursue their academic interests and morph into professionals.

There is a great parallel with Sikhi.

From 1716 to the establishment of the Sikh Misls, Sikhs were displaced with very few substantial and permanent habitations. It required every Sikh to be self-reliant and learn Gurmukhi and keep alive the Sikh way of life. Education was likely more precious during those times. As Sikhs have endured through a century of relative peace, a culture of complacency has festered and Sikhs no longer feel there is a need for that basic understanding of our language, which is the gateway to Sikhi.

Most Sikhs living in rural areas in the past 150 years likely saw no economic benefit from education, similar to the thinking of some Jews. If any culture of learning Gurmukhi as a necessity to our way of life existed, it was wiped out by generations of ill opinion toward education.

Very few Sikhs send their children to Gurdwaras to learn Gurmukhi, Sikh history, and music, so kids aren't getting an influx of knowledge at a young age like Jewish children have been.

Had Sikhs had the long and winding ordeal the Jews had and developed that deep rooted culture of academia over two millenniums, we might also be staunch champions of education too. For the present, we are not. What are your ideas on how to change that? What role to Sikh groups have to play in that? What real world steps and ideas can be implemented to get the change we need?

Many would argue institutions like Dam Dami Taksal, Mastuana, Nihang Dals, Harkhowal, and Jawaddi Taksal have been promoting and providing costless learning of languages, history, music, the Sikh way of life, and to some degree for some, the quest for technical and academic knowledge for a long time.

If you want Sikhi to survive, give up the rituals and fancy dress and put gurbani into practice. Reach out to others and share with them the living universal social spirituality for the modern age which Sikhi most definitely is. Putting aside the politics, there can be no doubt that Manjit Singh is perhaps the first and only Sikh Leader from India that has ever articulated so clearly such a vision for the future of Sikhs. It will be a tragedy if blinded by our own unquestioning political and dera affiliations we fail to see this opportunity to wake-up and sieze the moment.

Suits may be fancier than Salwars (oh the irony).

In all seriousness though, I agree with reaching out to those who aren't living the Sikh way of life and giving them the Guru's message in a medium and channel that is most productive for them.

I think Manjit Singh's statements about Sikhi sound great and are good ideas, but they seem to be wide blanketing statements that are far from being a clear direction to a better future. The problems that Sikhs face in India and around the world are well known; having a vision for a better future is a good place to start. Nonetheless, until concrete steps and plans to actually tackle the problem are put into practice, its all just talk, which Punjabis are more than accustomed to hearing.

On a side note, most of the immense problems that Sikhs/Punjabis in the west have with Indian and Punjab governments almost entirely have to do with unfair treatment before the law, human rights, and freedoms of the people. They include but are not exclusive to:

In no particular order.

1. Being categorized as Hindus in Article 25 of the constitution

2. The leaving out of Punjabi areas from Punjab

3. Punjab river waters being controlled and diverted in violation of international riparian law

4. State sponsored murder of tens of thousands of Sikhs/Punjabis, widespread use of torture, and extra-judicial killings of peoples without fair/due process taking place.

5. State sponsored killings, assaults, rapes, arson, and looting that took place in the Sikh genocide of November 1984.

6. The mass impunity of all those involved in the events listed in 4 & 5 from political leaders, political party workers, para-military & police personnel, and Indian citizens .

8. The needless attack on Harimandar Sahib in June 1984 that killed thousands and saw hundreds of Sikh artifacts destroyed or looted.

7. The rejection by the state to the freedom of speech, freedom of public protest, and freedom of political thought.

Promises to address and tackle said problems have been given by all political parties, most of all the Badal Dal. People are well accustomed to political double talk; its hard for many to believe Manjit Singh GK is genuine in his statements knowing he represents the interests of the Badal Dal (A view on GK's statements on Sant Bhindrawale and comparison of Iran to Khalistan - ).

That's my take at least, sorry for being all over the place.

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They are politicians and will align with ã party thät suits them.In punjab they have marginalized BJP by pulling

away many Hindu votes. In Haryana they are in league with lok dal and not BJP.

But their actions in Punjab are bad resulting in youth akäli dal harbouring anti social elements.

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