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Temples foster love and harmony
Born in Hoshiarpur, Bikramjit Singh Sandhar moved to Canada with his parents at the age of three. The family made Williams Lake in BC their home and lived there for a long time. Not happy in leaving his aging parents behind, Bikram Singh’s father moved his family back to India so the children could spend time with the grandparents and get to know them. When he was in grade 7, the family moved back to BC. Growing up in William Lake, Bikram Singh at that time never thought he would ever grow hair, as he had never grown them like a Sikh would and then eventually head one of the prominent Gurdwaras of North America. He along with his Youth Slate won by an overwhelming margin of 13, 458 at last years election of of the Surrey based Guru Nanak Sikh Temple. He talked at length to TAOM correspondent on his win and his future plans for the temple. Excerpts of an interview:
You tell me that you never had hair like a Sikh. So what prompted you to grow your hair?
Yes, I never had hair till 1993 and never followed the Sikh religion as a Sikh should. There comes a time in a man’s life when realization dawns on him as to what is the real purpose of life? I started thinking that everyone will one day end up in a funeral hall. If you are having a good time, you don’t think about the bad times. If you do good things, people respect you. I became
a baptized Sikh in 1995 and got involved with temple and volunteer activities in a big way. It was more of a spiritual diversion from materialistic life.
What prompted you to run for elections at the Temple?
Our first attempt at temple politics started in 2006 at the New Westminster Gurudwara in 2006. I was elected the vice President and Youth Slate has since then been successfully handling the affairs of Khalsa Diwan Society. Our goal was to provide honest services to people and create an amicable atmosphere. Our aim is to contribute to Sikh ideals, ethics and its way of life in a positive and meaningful manner. We are constantly working towards uniting the community and promoting goodwill. We work along with our children, youth and seniors. We organize camps for kids and programs for seniors like organizing get together for them, taking them out for picnics etc. Our camps are so successful that we have a waiting list. We work towards creating a positive environment to reinforce Sikh ideals while contributing constructively to concerns and issues that our young people are faced with today.
A Sikh temple or any temple for that matter should be more of a place of worship than a playground for petty politics. In my view board members should be elected unanimously without bickering and based on their credibility. Courts should not be involved in disputes within the temple.
We believe in that too. But to gain that credibility we need to work in the community and actions speak louder than words. After taking over the Khalsa Diwan Soceity, we have worked tirelessly to build that credibility. We have expanded building, built more houses and rooms, improved landscaping, organize programs to bring the community together. We also teach people how to tie turbans. Till now we have tied more than 3000 turbans which draw people from everywhere. We go out to synagogues and to church. Guru Nank Street Kitchen has been feeding the homeless in the Downtown Eastside community for the last three years. We collect clothes for donation to the homeless and organize the Vaisakhi parade. We are reaching out to the larger community and the Mayor of New Westminster Wayne Wright is impressed with our work and attends a lot of our programmes. What happened in the 2008 elections were a mere technicality and the courts ruling was that either go for a new election or go for a trial. We did not want to drag the issue and waste sangat’s money. So we decided to hold another election.
Why is the Youth Slate called the fundamentalists?
I am not sure. Fundamentalists or moderates are terms given to us by the media. It was for the first time that technology like internet, website, Facebook etc were used for campaigning purposes. We use cars, computers, and all technology available but even then we are told that we are going back to the old era where people rode on horses. But in my view, all religions have fundamentals to follow. Just like the Christians have to follow the Ten Commandments, Sikhs have to follow their own fundamental rules. Unfortunately these days, fundamentalists are given a negative connotation. Religion does not change, it is the culture which changes. There is no such thing as moderates. We are only Sikhs and not traditionalists. All religions are the same and teach love and care. No religion teaches hatred.
What is the median age of the Youth Slate?
It is 25-30 years, with the youngest being 19 years old and I am the oldest-43 years.
Which means that most of your members are still in the process of making their careers, starting a new life, getting married and trying to settle down? Do you think they would have time to volunteer at the Gurudwara?
There are a couple of us older people who will be doing most of the work but they are a committed lot. There are also three women in the board.
What issues do you think are ailing our community?
Our youth need guidance and support. They are growing up without any goals in life and that is why they are going astray. A child cannot see too far ahead. He thinks of today and if he is shown the glamour of fast life, fast cars and glitter, he is misguided easily. These days kids in elementary schools are lured into drugs and then later into the drug trade. Parents are too busy and with grandparents there is a huge generation gap. Rearing of children has to be done by parents. We organize workshops and meet with the youth to help and support them in any way they need.
What about domestic violence in the community?
In our religion women are held in very high pedestal. But culture is different. People are used to the notion that women are working in the kitchen and men are sitting around drinking which has created the impression that women are the inferior lot. Silent fear prevails in homes. Our aim is to go to the basics. We are trying to bring families together and tell parents to spend more time with their children. Instead of increasing your expenses to the extent that both parents have to work, why not try to reduce your luxuries and have one person sit at home to take care of the children. People are living a fast life that has affected family life leaving the kids to fend for themselves.
So what are your future plans?
We are trying to build bridges within the community and between the youth and their parents. We want the temple to be a place where people from all walks of life and can gather to worship, learn and serve; a place where political affiliations get left at the door; a place that fosters love and harmony; and a place that everyone can feel welcome.
Your views on the Hindi language.
Like all languages, Hindi is a beautiful language. I have studied till grade 7, which is enough for me to read, write and speak. It is a language you have to study if you grow up in India.
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