Sehajdharis Seek Separate Sgpc If Voting Right Denied

[kdsingh80]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100412/ldh1.htm#13

Sehajdharis seek separate SGPC if voting right denied

Our Correspondent

Jagraon, April 11

The national executive council of the Sehajdhari Sikh Federation (SSF), a political party registered with the Election Commission of India, has decided to form a separate SGPC for ‘Patits’ and Sehajdhari Sikhs as they have been denied voting right in the SGPC elections.

Condemning the new definition of the Sikh given by the High Court, SSF leaders stated that the fanatic attitude of the SGPC and the Delhi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee the Sikh religion had been confined to the ‘keshdharis’ and ‘amritdharis’ only.

Spokesperson of the federation Balwant Dhaliwal stated that the World Sikh Conference at Delhi was merely an eyewash of the Sarna brothers where 85 per cent of the Sikh population had been ignored by declaring them ‘Patits’ and non-Sikhs.

‘If a person who trims his beard is not a Sikh, a person who colours his /her hairs is not a Sikh who goes to the beauty parlour is not a Sikh, who consumes alcohol is not a Sikh, then who is left behind to be called a Sikh’, questioned the SSF leaders.

The SSF council stated that after the Haryana, Rajasthan SGPC was formed and after that a few so-called Sikhs have formed an All-India SGPC but all of them have ignored the Sehajdhari Sikhs. They stated that the persons born in Sikh families who does not keep unshorn hairs or trim their beards cannot be called ‘Patit’ as it is applicable for those thrown out of religion and those who commit transgressions after par taking amrit of the 10th Guru.

Labeling non- amritdhari as the ‘patits’ and non-Sikhs has divided the religion. Sikh religion, which is already in minority, has been divided into a sub-minority by this definition of the Sikh.

[shaheediyan]

"‘If a person who trims his beard is not a Sikh, a person who colours his /her hairs is not a Sikh who goes to the beauty parlour is not a Sikh, who consumes alcohol is not a Sikh, then who is left behind to be called a Sikh’, questioned the SSF leaders."

What a sad, sad, sad, sad state of affairs...

[cul]

"‘If a person who trims his beard is not a Sikh, a person who colours his /her hairs is not a Sikh who goes to the beauty parlour is not a Sikh, who consumes alcohol is not a Sikh, then who is left behind to be called a Sikh’, questioned the SSF leaders."

What a sad, sad, sad, sad state of affairs...

Other than that sentence he has a point. There have always been Sikhs of varying degrees along the road to being Amritdhari, you can't draw a line in the sand and say that they are not Sikhs.

By definition a Sikh is a student of the Guru, it doesn't have any other requirement. You cannot call them patit on the basis of shorn hair.

[shaheediyan]

Traditionally, 'Singhs' have done seva and made decisions regarding panthic matters via Gurmattas or from Takht Sahibs etc.

Yes, alongside, Nirmalai, Sevapanthi and Udasis (most not being Singhs) have also played roles, but they are not Sehajdhari or Patits, they are Sadhus, and the people fitting the above defition i.e. drinking, kes kathal types are not part of these recognised non-Singh Sikh traditions.

Go to any traditional Sikh jathaabandi, and seva of all types is still carried out by Singhs as per puratan Maryada. The puratan rehits also discriminate against non-Singhs in different matters, so the scenario is actually old.

Sehajdhari, be that slow adopter or whatever you want to call it i.e. non Singh Sikhs, have always played a role supporting the Singhs etc, but the Panth most def needs to be run by jeevan valai Gursikh. Today they are asking for voting rights, tomorrow they will be asking for the seats of authority, where do you draw the line.

Also, I don't classify these people as Sehajdhari either, as Sehajdhari traditionally were Sikhs who lived a dharmic life, did paat, did seva they were allowed to do, followed Sri Guru Granth Sahib, but had just not taken amrit. These people are mostly just born into Sikh families, do what the hell they like, go to Gurdwara on special occassions and think they have the right to everything Sikh (sorry if this sounds like stereotyping, but I am basing it 1t hand on the nonsense quoted above from the Sehajdhari org).

Sehajdhari is also a title which needs to be earnt, being a born into a Sikh family and living a hip hop lifestyle does not make you a Sehadhari, these guys are just ultimately looking for long term opportunity to find 'respectable positions' in Sikh society.

In teh UK we have inherited a generation of Gurdwarai run by so called Sehajdhari - look at the mess its gotten us into, its beyond a joke. Gurdwarai need to be run by passionate jeevan vale Gursikh, who have the interests of the Gurus words/rehits/culture and long-term religious benefit of Sikhi in mind for what will be challenged future generations.

[shaheediyan]

If the system was honest, then those with shardaa, respect for Guru and Gursikh jeevan would ensure that their votes benefited the Panth (present adn future) rather than themselves.

Personally I believe a fair and representative cross section of the Khalsa jathebandiyan inc the old orders (non-Singh) should control all matters Gurdwara adn Sikh, as the voting system in Indian is simply a corrupted means for those with power to stay in control 9or gain control).

[kdsingh80]

Sehajdhari, be that slow adopter or whatever you want to call it i.e. non Singh Sikhs, have always played a role supporting the Singhs etc, but the Panth most def needs to be run by jeevan valai Gursikh. Today they are asking for voting rights, tomorrow they will be asking for the seats of authority, where do you draw the line.

is It really happening?Are the people who are running the Panth are jeevan valai Gursikhs?As You have good knowledge of Puratan sources Could you please tell was any time in sikh history there was any system of voting?

BTW I am not in Favour of Sehajdhari voting because

then lots non sikhs will vote in disguise of being sehajdhari for their candidate.

Edited April 12, 2010 by kdsingh80

[shaheediyan]

"is It really happening?Are the people who are running the Panth are jeevan valai Gursikhs?As You have good knowledge of Puratan sources Could you please tell was any time in sikh history there was any system of voting"

Lol, you are being patronising right? I speak of the ideal rather than the status quo, but replacing one evil with another is not the answer. Historically, Nihangs were teh sevadaar of Akaal Takht, and Gurdwarai were run by various factions i.e. Udasin, Nirmalai, Nihangs etc. I suppose if foul play was at hand anywhere, the Panth would collectively resolve or any individual Singh would take it upn himself to do teh 'seva'. These were the good ol'days when the 'Singhs' were the law. That aside, I do believe a variety of practices existed within the Panth and were tolerated within reason.

The only voting system was the Gurmatta, you can look up the details of this on teh net, to see when it was used. This is what I think we should return to, with the leaders of the various Panthic groups being the ones allowed to participate in teh Gurmattas and choose 5 Singhs to do seva at Akaal Takht.

[jaikaara]

The person who heads the federation has nothing to do with the actual sehajdhaaris, there are thousands of sindhis and other communities in himachal pradesh, punjab, haryana who follow the Guru Granth Sahib and the Panth since generations but have not had any Gursikhs in the family .

this person a congressi and is wanting to gain control

here is a link to the website

http://www.sehajdharisikh.in/

[chatanga1]

very good points made shaheediyan ji.