This month, we are reading the article, “Guru Nanak and his Mission” by Principal Teja Singh. This article is available on the Sikh Coalition website. The link to the article is posted below along with links to other articles that accompany the main reading.
Readings:
1. Guru Nanak and his Mission (Prin. Teja Singh) (Main Reading)
2. Founder of a World Religion (S. Kapur Singh)
Sikh Research Institute’ Response:
Sikhs Appreciate Comprehensive Sojhi Curriculum
Mandhir Singh, principal of Bridgewater Khalsa School, NJ, speaking of the Sojhi curriculum says “Several of our teachers and separately parents have studied the Sojhi coursework over the past year and a half and have been very pleased thus far. We intend to continue implementing Sojhi at Bridgewater Khalsa School.”
Recently, Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) and its Sojhi curriculum have been questioned by a handful of individuals who may not have had an opportunity to understand the facts and the spirit behind the development of this curriculum. Unfortunately, misinformation has been circulated saying that SikhRI has changed the ardas and modified the Dohre. There have also been allegations that parents of children at Khalsa School Gurdwara Sahib Fremont, CA have removed their children from the school because of opposition to the Sojhi curriculum. There have been remarks circulating about SikhRI’s facilitators not respecting the Guru and not being open to questions. None of these allegations are true.
Jasmine Kaur, Sojhi’s project lead and SikhRI’s Director of Education states “we neither have the authority to change the Ardas nor have we done so. SikhRI maintains the integrity of all its documents through applying Gurmat-based inspiration and developing them in line with the Panthic Sikh Rahit Maryada”.
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Recently, I received an email regarding an excerpt of a book that is part of the syllabus taught to sixth and seventh grade children during Sikh Sunday School. This section was written by the Sikh Research Institute, a leading think tank that presents research, views, and education to the Sikh community at large. This chapter has attracted some controversy. It covers the historical context in which dohre (Aagiya Payee Akaal Ki) was composed and its significance. Here are the links where you can find the excerpts:
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.2&thid=11fdc88aa99eb203&mt=application%2Fpdf
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.3&thid=11fdc88aa99eb203&mt=application%2Fpdf
We invite you to share your knowledge, articles, and views on this topic. This post is intended to be a platform for open discussion on this issue that has recently emerged. Given the nature of this topic, we humbly request you to submit only NON-judgemental feedback. However, we sincerely welcome differing views and would love to hear from you!!
