AlQ- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 7, 1999

Order marks 300 years

Sikhs invite everyone for parade, food

By JEFF NAGEL LOCAL SIKHS will put their pride in their religion’s history and heritage on dis- play this Sunday with a colourful parade through the streets of downtown Ter- race.

The cvent marks the 300th aunigrsary of the crealion 4@the Khalsa — the order of | baplized Sikhs. formed--on April 13, 1699 by the Guru Gobind Singh.

He baptized . five fol- lowers, known lo this day as the Five Beloved, and bes- lowed on them the five physical symbols that made them part of the Khalsa or ‘‘pure ones’’,

Since that day, Sikhs have been baptized with ‘‘Singh’’ (or lion) added to the men’s names and “Kaur”? (or prin- cess) added to (he women’s names.

Those who are true to the order do not cut their hair and carry the kirpan or ceremonial sword that is a symbol of the Sikh faith’s fight against oppression everywhere,

Accordingly, the parade Slarting at noon Sunday, April 11 from Lower Little Park will be led by afloat on which will stand a mod- em version of the Five Beloved.

They will wear saffron coloured robes and carry

ceremonial swords in the’

same manner as their predecessors 300 years ago,

The parade will run from Lower Little Park to City Hall, where a flag will be raised and then return to the park,

Sikh temple leaders are in- viling the general public to come out and mect them and have a free lunch of In- dian food in the park with them after the parade.

There will also be people on hand to answer questions about the Sikh culture and religion.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience,” temple president Jit Singh Bal says. ‘‘Qur grand-

LAST YEAR'S Khalsa activities at the Sikh temple on Medeek were marked with the raising of the temple's brightly decorated flag. This year local residents are

invited to a parade April 11 in honour of the 300th an- niversary of the Khalsa order. The parade begins at

noon, April 11, at Lower Little Park.

children may see the 400th anniversary, but this is the only thing tike ihis we’re going to see.”

The practice of giving a free meal to the community isn’t unusual for the Sikhs,

They actually do it every Sunday around noon at the Sikh temple on Medeck Ave.

The Parade hap- pens Sunday, April 11 starting at noon from Lower Little Park. A free lunch will be put on after- wards in the park.

“The community meal is based on the principle of sharing and equality,’’ said temple spokesman Ravi

The five Ks

THREE HUNDRED years ago as the festival of the har- vest called Baisakhi was to begin in northern India, Sik- hism’s 10th Guru Gobind Singh summoned the masses to Anandpur Sahib in the state of Punjab to discuss ways to fight the repression of the brutal Mogul rulers who wanted everyone in India to convert to Islam.

Gobind Singh, whose own father had been beheaded for defying the Moguls, called upon anyone gathered before him to come forward if they were willing to sacrifice their life for their religion.

Gne by one, five volunteers approached and went with the Guru into a tent.

They emerged a short time later wearing saffron tuzbans and carrying swords. Guru Gobind Singh identified them as the five piaras, the beloved ones, the first five Sikhs baptized into the Khalsa and ready to fight with their lives if necessary against repression and in defence of freedom of religion.

The uniform of the Khalsa comprised the five Ks, which the baptized Sikhs still wear today:

@ Kara — the steel wrist bangle cach Sikh wears, is a smaller version of the metal cuff they once had to wear around their wrists as protection against sword cuts by Mogul atlackers.

i Kirpan — the ceremonial sword is still worm as a sign that Sikhs will fight oppression and cruelty,

li Kanga — the comb used to keep the hair and scalp

clean,

i Kaesh — the refusal to cut hair or beard, mi Kachaira — an undergarment that is drawn tight

against the lower leg.

Sikhs also pledge a series of abstinences. They vow to abstain completely fom drinking alcohol, smoking tobac- co or narcolics, eating meat, culling their hair or commit-

ting adullery.

Gill. ‘INobody should go hungry, nobody should not be cared for,’”’

Anyone can come and share a meal.

“You don’t have to be a Sikh to be there,’’ he said. “Anybody can come to the Sikh temple.’ *

Gill said anyone who comes will be welcomed and will be shown how to correctly follow the customs of the temple. (Shoes are removed, heads are covered and everyone sits on the floor within the temple it- self; they sit on chairs in the adjoining dining hall to eat ihe meal.)

The principle of everyone being equal and at the same

level — the root of: some of

the discord at some Sikh temples over whether to use tables and chairs in the dining hall — is at the heart of the Sikh religion.

It was in part a response to repression by Mogul rulers and a reaction against the caste system of the Hindu religion.

Sikh teachings stress equality and democracy.

Bal said the parade is also

a good way to demonstrate ,

that although times have changed and ways of doing things change, the Sikh cul- ture has a long history.

“It reminds our people

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this is our tradition, this is who we are,’’ he says.

While the parade happens April 11th, the big religious ceremony happens at the temple April 23-25,

That’s when temple mem- bers will undertake 48 hours of continuous reading of scriptures from the Sikh holy book — the Gum Granth Sahib.

There will be free com- munal lunches —- open to the public as always — on each of those days from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. kk kkk Two local Sikhs also took

part last week in a ceremony in Vancouver at the Sikh Temple there and at a lun cheon with Premier Glen Clark in Victoria.

Surinder Mattu = and Vishay Basanti were the Skeena Valley Guru Nanak Brothethood’s reps to both the Ross Street temple in Vancouver and meeting with Clark.

Attomey General Ujjal Dosanjh — one of B.C.'s most prominent Sikh politicians — organized the luncheon with the premier and invited temples province-wide to send reps.

the Sikh community on the

300th Anniversary of the

Khalsa Order

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Congratulations to Canadians who Are Sikh on 300 year Birthday Celebrations of the Khalsa. Thank you for your contribution To British Columbia.

ABOUT LOCAL SIKHS

Mf The Skeena Valley Guru Nanak Brotherhood runs the Sikh temple here on Medeek Ave.

M@ The society was formed in 1974 and the temple opened in 1977,

m@ Guru Nanak was the apostle who originally formed the Sikh faith in 15th century.

@ Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and final guru, in 1699 formed the Khalsa order of baptized Sikhs. The guru's name is masked downtown with the Gobind Mall shopping centre on Lakelse Ave., owned by prominent local Sikh businessman Mohinder Singh Takhar,

W@ There are about 300 Sikh families in Terrace, The temple here is one of 37 in B.C, There are 170,000 Sikhs in B.C.

la Many Sikhs in Terrace work in the forest industry in local sawmills. They're also very active in the busi- ness community, especially in motels and the service sector. @ Sikhs are politicians in provincial cabinet and fed- eral cabinet. There are also famous Sikhs who are journalists and writers,

mi Terrace city council proclaimed the week of April 10-16 Sikhism birthday (Khalsa) week in the City of Terrace,

ig For more information on the Sikh religion, see the Terrace Sikhs' web page at www.kermode.net/sikh/ @ Last year saw the Sikh community donate clothes to the Salvation Army, food to the Terrace Churches Food Bank.

ij The temple last year gave $1,500 to the R.E.M, Lee Hospital Foundation for equipment at Mills Memcrial Hospital in 1998,

i $2,300 was donated for aid for victims of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Mitch in central America. And $1,400 was sent to India for aid and. assistance projects. mA few years earlier the temple donated more than $5,000 towards the Terrace Public Library expansion project. i This year they're planning on raising significant funds for elther the Cancer Society or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

"The Sikh religion is really based on giving and

sharing,” explains temple spokesman Ravi Gill.

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