Primary reading:

To get started, a brief explanation and links to bani in Gurmukhi and its translation/transliteration in English can be found at this link on SikhiWikiwebsite.

Secondary readings:

1. Came across this piece on Asa ki Var by Manjyot Kaur posted on SikhChic. She wrote it coming out of Saneha, a seminar in NJ which was organized bySikhRI on the topic of Asa ki Var. Interestingly, Inderpreet facilitates learning about Asa ki Var at the Sidak leadership program by SikhRI and will be gone for the same this early August. Having him for this book club discussion soon after Sidak should be an incentive for many of us.

** We gather at noon and start with potluck lunch.

• How well do we (or atleast I) understand those Banis of Guru Gobind Singh Ji that are not controversial (i.e. Jaap Sahib, Chaupai Sahib, and Svaiyay)?
• Are their messages any different than the controversial parts?
• Can I comfortably and confidently recite the most controversial ones in public?

I left the meeting with the embarrassing discovery of how limited my understanding was of the widely accepted Banis of Guru Gobind Singh Ji….And three of those Banis are supposed to be recited everyday!: Jaap Sahib, Svayai, and Bayntee Chaupai (which is part of Rehras Sahib)

This self-realization forced me to take a step back and try to understand the theme of each of these Banis. After CAREFULLY listening to the Banis (ok not on an everyday basis like I am supposed to) and after tapping into my dad’s knowledge of Gurmat, I really came to appreciate these Banis in a new light!

To me, Jaap Sahib, for example, is an expression of awe, love and admiration of the ONE almighty spirit and of HIS (or you can say HER) attributes. It makes me wonder, just how rarely have I said or thought “Vahiguru, you are simply awesome.”?  I know, that sounds corny, but its true! My interactions with Vahiguru mainly consist of me asking for something and on occasion thanking the Giver. But admiring or being amazed by Vahigguru, hardly ever! Guru Sahib’s bani is full of passion where he goes on and on about HIS greatness and feeling humbled by it.

On the flip side, the Guru Sahib focuses on our own minisculness in Svaiyaa and even more, about how the ONLY way to establish a relationship with the powerful ONE Vahiguru is through this love and passion, literally spelling it out for us “Jin Prem Keeo Tin Hee Prab Payio.” Actually, Svaiyaa I think is very relevant to our lives, though on the surface it seems it is no longer applicable to our culture. I mean, why would I care for having tons of elephants and bands, BUT in todays world, our definition of success is still determined by worldly possessions and accomplishments…(ie…money, best job, crazy huge weddings, etc) Or we follow rituals…by not understanding why we believe or doing what we do.

And then, there is Bayntee Chaupee, another bani that is recited everyday. Again, Guru Sahib is being humble, revering the one, but mainly in this Bani, showing how Vahiguru is that BEING from which we can find friendship and protection (not literal necessarily).

So, it appears that each Bani is centered around revering, loving, fearing, and befriending that one Spirit. The language of the Bani was composed with great vigor! I think that it is these aspects that make Guru Gobind Singh’s bani. It is this criteria by which we need to determine which sections of Dasam Granth are authentic. (and of course historical evidence should be considered)

Bhul Chuck Maaf! Feel free to let me know what you think!

So here is how we mapped our conversation on the whiteboard:

From the readings, we identified arguments about DG regarding its

1. authorship
2. content
3. status in the Sikh society, and
4. implications, if any, on Sikh theology as understood in SGGS

These issues, which at first seem independent of each other, later turn out to be interrelated. For example, those who opine that contents of Charitropakhyan section of DG are too sexually graphic in nature believe that the author may not have been the Tenth Master. Thus, the issue of content has a direct bearing on the issue of authorship. And questioning the authorship leads to questioning the status it should be accorded in the Sikh society.

1. Authorship: The dominant view in the community is that Dasam Granth is a text by Guru Gobind Singh and which was compiled by Bhai Mani Singh after Guru Gobind Singh’s death. Hukumnamas from Akal Takht on matters related to this issue endorse this dominant view. However, those disputing this stand claim that all sections of DG were not authored by Guru Gobind Singh but some might have been written by Hindu poets of those times.  Citing the lack of authentic historical evidence, these few also dispute the claim that all sections in the current version of DG were put together by Bhai Mani Singh .

2. Content: Around 15 sections comprise the text of DG.  Charitropakhyan section is the largest section with 7555  verses with tales illustrating moral and immoral conduct. Some find the tales and the language/imagery too graphic for it to be read and discussed in Sangat. Scholars have responded to such objections (example). Some have objections about other sections too (such as Bachitar Natak and Krishna Avtaars, the argument being that these are theologically inconsistent with SGGS).

What is interesting about the Charitropakhyan controversy is that English translations of Charitropkhyan are not easily available on the internet. Websites such as these that offer English translation of Dasam Granth, however, do not provide translation of the Charitropakhyan section. I don’t get it.

3. Status: Most agree that there should be no controversy about the status of DG in Sikhism and the controversy, if it exists, is a red herring. DG is a granth, a text, and not to be given the same reverence or status as that of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS). Even Guru Gobind Singhji himself chose to not include this composition in SGGS, and strictly instructed Sikhs to regard SGGS as the only true guru after him. Two things confuse us about the status of DG in Sikhism. 1) Takths Huzoor Sahib and Patna Sahib have the prakash of DG in the same area as that of SGGS, and 2) daily, hukumnama is taken from DG too (in a manner similar to SGGS) accompanied by similar prakash and sukhasan. What message does this send to the Sikh masses?  Does this mean that DG can be revered the same way as SGGS? If not, then why doesn’t Akal Takht stop Huzoor Sahib and Patna Sahib from continuing the prakash of DG in the same area as that of SGGS?

Speaking for myself, our reading and discussion left me with more questions than answers.  More than the actual knowledge of DG – I had not read the entire DG – the readings made me aware of the discourse on DG in the Sikh society. And the way this discourse is shaping up suggests to me that the number of questions and number of people asking the questions about DG are only going to increase. Not all the questioning can be or should be construed as mischief by anti-Sikhism forces to create divisions within the panth. Many questioners I know are young, bright minds with enthusiasm and passion for Sikhi.

Hopefully, the next reading will not stretch for as long as this reading did. Is there a book or a topic on your mind you would like to suggest for the next reading?

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]]> http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/a-dasam-granth-weekend/feed/ 0 Sarbjeet Dasam Granth http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/next-reading-dasam-granth-the-controversy/ http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/next-reading-dasam-granth-the-controversy/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:44:30 +0000 Sarbjeet http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/?p=793 ]]> At our last book club meet, we had decided the next reading would be on the topic of Dasam Granth.  (Rendering the topic timely is Akal Takht’s recent excommunication of Prof. Darshan Singh, raagi and ex-jathedar of Akal Takht, following the latter’s stance on and public actions related to Dasam Granth).

Links to some readings on Dasam Granth for our next book club meet are provided below. To ensure that we do not rely on commentaries alone for our knowledge of Dasam Granth but that we also read it ourselves, we have included link #4 below that gives access to DG (with English translation) on the Internet.

Readings:

1. “Dasam Granth: Its history” An article by Daljeet Singh (pdf file)
2. Dasam Granth (from the website SikhiWiki)
3. “Historicity of Dasam Granth” (A report from World Sikh News)
4. Read Dasam Granth on the web (if this link does not work, try this alternative website)  (However, these two resources either do not provide access to Charirtopakhyan, the part of Dasam Granth that some find controversial, or if provided, the English translation of this section is missing. To read the English translation, follow this link that will take you the relevant page on the SikhiWiki website; once you reach that page, scroll to the bottom of that page and you will find links to English translation of Charitropakhyan) (Let me add here that this translation by Bindra is controversial; however, I could not find links to any other less-controversial translation on the internet. If you do, please post a link in the comment and we will look it up.)
5. A website with extensive resources (articles, videos, etc) supporting the authenticity and significance of Dasam Granth

As with our previous readings, the purpose this time too is to get educated on a particular aspect of Sikhism – Dasam Granth – and we should take care to not get side tracked by controversies such as the one embroiling Darshan Singh’s excommunication.

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]]> http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/next-reading-dasam-granth-the-controversy/feed/ 0 Sarbjeet http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/garland-around-my-neck/ http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/garland-around-my-neck/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:42:00 +0000 Sarbjeet http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/?p=768 ]]> We are meeting at Supreet’s apt on Oct 3 Oct-17 Nov-21 for the September book reading discussion. The book we are reading is ‘Garland around my neck’, written by Patwant Singh and Harinder Kaur Sekhon.

You can check out some reviews and summaries of the book here:

1. On Sikhiwiki
2. On SikhChic

Here is the link to the website of Pingalwara Society that Bhagat Puran Singh founded for physically and mentally challenged members of the larger society.

*Update: We are moving the meet from Oct 3 to Oct-17.  Some folks are still awaiting the book in their mail. Technically this becomes an October book read, I guess.

**Update 2: With Kirtan, celebrations, etc happening on the evening of 17th, the book discussion has been moved to Nov 21.  This reading period has really stretched out. For some of us who are wont to make excuses for not completing our readings, the extension rules out that excuse.

1] The first part of the discussion is structured around the following topics:

• Historical background
  

  Khalsa College - Founded during Singh Sabha Movt.

• Critical events that spurred the movement (e.g., four Sikh students announcing their decision to convert to Christianity)
• Some key people involved & their contribution (e.g., Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha – ‘Hum Hindu Nahin’)
• How the movement unfolded
• Differences within the Singh Sabhas (e.g., Amritsar & Lahore; retaining or rejecting Hindu practices at Harmandir Sahib)
• The role of British govt. (help or impediment?)
• Achievements of the Movement (e.g., paved the way for Gurdwara Reform Act, SGPC, Sikh Rehat Maryada, Khalsa College, etc)
• Controversies/debates about the movement (e.g., ‘reformist’ versus ‘revivalist’ nature of Singh Sabha Movement)

2] The second part involves applying the above learning. It is centered around the question: how do we apply the lessons learnt from the Singh Sabha Movement to affect change in the current times?

In this breakout session we will split into groups; each group will:

• Identify a problem area affecting the Sikh society.
• Explain the problem. [Describe the problem, list possible causes of the problem, and the significance/need to address the problem.]
• Suggest a plan of action.
• Identify likely resistance to the proposed plan and what can be done about it.
• Deliver a short presentation to the other groups.

3] Wrap up.

The idea is to tie the workshop with the July 19 talk on Sikh Rehat Maryada at the Milford Gurdwara. Sikh Rehat Maryada, in its current form, is one of the outcomes of the Singh Sabha Movement. So tying in our discussion with the July 19 talk makes lot of sense. Having the workshop on the Singh Sabha Movement before July 19 will provide a context in which we can better appreciate the talk on Sikh Rehat Maryada. And if the workshop is organized after July 19, we hope that the talk on Sikh Rehat Maryada will generate an interest amongst the sangat leading to a greater participation in the workshop, for which the Gurdwara seems a more appropriate venue.  Also, having the discussion in a workshop format makes sense, as it will let us ‘work’ with the material we are reading. The discussion involves two sets of questions. The first set of questions will explore our understanding of the movement; Singh Sabha Movement had in its time targeted beliefs and practices in the Sikh society that were antithetical to Sikh principles and ideals. What were some of these beliefs and pratices? Who were the key people involved in this movement? How did they go about achieving the change they wanted to see? What were the events that led to this movement? What did this movement accomplish?

The second set of questions will require us to work with our understanding of the movement. That is, how do we apply the lessons learnt from the Singh Sabha Movement to affect change in the current times? That is, in current times, what are the problems plaguing the Sikh society? What are the areas in Sikh beliefs and practices that need to be attended to? How can we address these issues? How can we engage the various stakeholders affecting and affected by these issues?

To address this second set of questions, in the workshop we will have participants forming groups; each group will identify an area/issue that needs to be addressed, outline some ways to affect the change, and present its ideas to the rest of the groups.

(An email has been sent out for a quick feedback on setting a date for the workshop. More information on the workshop will follow shortly.)

]]> http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/the-next-discussion-is-a-workshop/feed/ 1 Sarbjeet http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/readings-for-july-singh-sabha-movement/ http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/readings-for-july-singh-sabha-movement/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:20:35 +0000 Sarbjeet http://sikhbookclub.wordpress.com/?p=676 ]]> Readings on the Singh Sabha Movement.

1. Singh Sabha Movement by Prin. Teja Singh (from the book, Essays in Sikhism) It is a small reading; don’t let the pdf file size (4.87 mb) fool you.
2. Singh Sabha Movement by New England Sikh Study Circle
3. Singh Sabha Movement by Gurdarshan Singh (Chapter from the book ‘History and Culture of Punjab’). Opens in Google Books. (This reading has got more numbers and dates than the above two have.)

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KEY PEOPLE & THEIR WORK: Below are some links related to people who played a key role in the Singh Sabha Movement, their work and some key events that occurred during that period.

1. A short write-up on Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha here and here.
2. And on the book “Hum Hindu Nahin” by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha written during the Singh Sabha Movement
3. On Bhai Ditt Singh
4. On Bhai Vir Singh (from SikhiWiki) (One of his works: Sundri)

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CONTROVERSIES & DEBATES: Singh Sabha Movement

1. “From Ritual to Counter-Ritual: Rethinking the Hindu-Sikh Question 1884 – 1915″  – by Harjot Oberoi (At the heart of the controversy is his overarching thesis that Sikhs did not have a form and identity distinct from the Hindus until the Singh Sabha Movement).
2. “Women in the Singh Sabha Movement” – by Doris Jakobsh (from ”Relocating Gender in Sikh History”)
3. “The Historical Roots of Sikh Communal Consciousness” – by Harnik Deol (from Religion and Nationalism in India: The case of Punjab)
4. “Singh Sabha Movement – A Revival” – by Dr. Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon (from the document put together by Sikh scholars across the world and submitted to the University of British Columbia).

Main Reading:

The Golden Temple: Its Theo-Political Status (Sirdar Kapur Singh)

Supplemental Reading:

The Crisis of Akal Takht Sahib (by Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)

This is a short piece about the role of Akal Takht. It does not provide answers or opinions on this issue but raises lots of questions that we can use in conjunction with the main reading.

The relationship of Punjab with agriculture, of Sikh farmers with hard work and reward, of industriousness with prosperity is etched on our minds much the same way as the stereotypical relationship of makki-di-roti with sarson-da-saag.

So when we hear about thousands of debt-trapped farmers committing suicide in the prosperous Punjab, about the poverty and hardships their families face, about the refusal by the state to recognize these deaths as suicides, the symptoms of our grief are evident: we first experience  shock and denial, followed by pain and then anger, anger at the state for causing these conditions, at the moneylenders leeching on the farmers, and even at the  poor farmers for committing suicide. Which is all quite understandable as long as we don’t stop there but go on to educate ourselves on the issue and work towards the reconstruction.

Two events occurred over the last couple of months that has got some of us here in Boston interested and involved in this issue. The first was the set of readings on farmers’ suicides in Punjab, which we read last month in our Sikh Book Club. The second was a visit by Ms. Harman Kaur, a grassroots activist in Punjab working with rehabilitating those farmers’ families. She was here to present her work at Harvard University. I will share some information on each.

We get educated:

Last month, we read the report published by FoodFirst, an institute for food and development policy. The report, authored by Brian Newman, explored the darker side of the Green Revolution in Punjab, contending that the crises of farmers’ suicides in Punjab is essentially a product of the same processes which had in the first place so greatly increased rice and wheat yields. That is, the Green Revolution had sowed the seeds of the current economic and social crises in Punjab. The report identified the following three issues linked with the farmers’ suicides:  

1. increasing rates of rural inequality,
2. ecological collapse both in soil and water systems
3. skyrocketing levels of debt among Punjabi farmers.

Though the Punjab govt. concedes 2116 suicides between 1988-2004, activist organizations such as MASR  (Movement Against State Repression) spearheaded by Inderjit Singh Jaijee contest the actual numbers to be more than 40,000. The report makes us revisit our perceptions of Green Revolution in Punjab and see the point that the critics are making. “The Green Revolution’s critics do not dispute that rice and wheat yields have increased through its implementation; what they do dispute is the extreme fixation on these two crops, to the detriment of a more all-encompassing analysis of the Revolution” [Newman, 2007].

When we met to discuss the readings, we ended up with more questions than answers. However, we did not have to wait  long for those answers. This month, we were fortunate to have with us Ms. Harman Kaur from BNES (Baba Nanak Education Society), Punjab. She was at Harvard University for a week-long Bridge Builders conference, to present her grassroots work, ‘Rescue and Recovery Punjab’, that provides aid to the families of farmers who have committed suicide. Its primary objective is to keep the widows and children together in their own village and home environment and save them from the trauma of being placed in orphanages. It also enables the children to study up to 10+2 and  monitors their education and in some cases sends the children for vocational training.

Harman spoke at the Milford Gurdwara and later some of us met with her at a dinner at Inderpreet’s to learn more about the issue. We watched a film made by Manmeet Singh and Harpreet Kaur that gave a glimpse of the hardships that the surviving families are experiencing. One such clip continues to stay with me: a young girl, probably in her teens, now bringing up herself and her siblings as their father committed suicide and mother deserted the family, was cooking dinner in complete darkness for her family (they had no electricity). It was enough to dampen my appetite for the dinner that followed the discussion.

“It is easy for us to blame the farmers for their greed, for falling in the debt trap. But the reality is more than that”, says Harman. “In large number of cases, the loan taken has been for as small a sum as Rs. 30,000 (or $650). It is common to find the money lenders charging an interest rate of 40 to 60 percent. Piece by piece the farmer sells of his land to pay off the debt; finally, the last piece of land is gone too but the debt still remains. That is when the farmer begins to contemplate suicide.”

“Drinking pesticides and jumping before a train are two most common methods of suicide,” she informs. “The police claim that the person died of drinking alcohol. But the truth is that in many cases, the person has been drinking alcohol to muster the courage to drink the pesticide. And in many cases, the victim’s family does not have money to send the body for post-mortem, which is a must to prove it as a case of suicide by drinking pesticide.”

Newman [2007] provides another insight into why the deaths do not get reported as suicides. In India, suicide is a criminal offense and therefore a person attempting suicide but surviving the attempt could be arrested on criminal charges. Also, a farmer’s suicide could mean trouble for the family members from the corrupt police.

Interventions:

Harman has taken up the work that her father, Inderjeet Singh Jaijee, started. Together, the duo has documented the large number of farmers’ deaths. In case of suicides, they involved the panchayats to register them as suicides. They prepared a list of families that are in desperate need of help and have started raising funds to help these families help survive and send their children to school. Under the aegis of MASR and BNES, they have been fighting to have the State recognize the farmers’ deaths as suicides so as to enable the families the compensation. They have started schools and vocational training institutes that encourages but is not restricted to children of suicide victims. All in all, a heroic effort but still far short of what the situation demands. Here is where their organization, the farmers and their families, and Punjab are reaching out to you.

There are several ways you can get involved in this movement. Some that we discussed at the meet are:

1) Sponsor a family: You can ‘adopt’ a family of the suicide victim. By funding $1 a day, you commit to $360 a year. This roughly translates into Rs. 1000/- per month for the family, which ensures their basic living plus sending the children to school. Sending the children to school is a must condition for the family to continue receiving aid. You can choose the family you want to adopt from the database maintained by BNES and the organization sends you regular updates on the well-being of the family. (Read the BNES Brochure)

2) Raise the awareness: If you are in the media, or know some one who can give exposure to this issue, go for it. Articles in newspapers, magazines, documentaries, songs, blogs, youtube ….. let us educate ourselves on the issue and increase the decibel level. (for example, check this blog …)

3) Volunteer in Punjab: Go to Punjab. Work with these families. As Manmeet Singh says, “Understanding the issue intellectually is one thing, but to see it from close quarters and to experience it with the families is quite another thing.”

4) Generate Employment: The debt-trapped farmers, their families, families of those farmers who have committed suicide, are all seeking employment. There are no industries in those poverty-struck areas. But these are hardworking people. Can you start or be a part of a group that starts industries – howsoever humble it may be – in those areas? For example, Harman and her group had supplied some raw materials to the women in those areas, the women knit some shawls, etc., however, when the group tried selling those products, it found empathizers and sympathizers but no takers. Can you work to source and sell their products? (We already had one volunteer who is buying a box of shawls and will sell them in the US.)

5) Educate the farmers: Educate the farmers about the pitfalls of borrowing money from the profit sharks. Make or sponsor radio ads to counter the radio ads by the profit sharks. Work with ‘high-risk’ farmers to steer them away from contemplating and committing suicide.

6) Raise funds: Reach out to those who are not aware of this issue. Educate them, seek funds from the willing towards this cause.

The list is not exhaustive. If you think of some way that can help the cause, suggest it, and then take the initiative to make it work. But more importantly, also understand the different forces playing out in this issue. As Newman puts it, “It is in then seeing these interconnections that linkages can be drawn between water tables, irrigation costs, debt, loans and finally, self-murder; farmer suicide becomes one point at which the totality of Punjab’s agricultural crises converge and can be seen in their true magnitude.”