Reflections on the Surrey Gurdwara Incident Part 3

vwihgurU jI kw ^wlsw[
vwihgurU jI kI &iqh[

Note: I don’t want to diss the ISYF too much because I have agreed with and supported them over the years even though I disagree with 99% of their policies. So I am going to try to make this as short as I can...

What went on in surrey in 1997 had a huge impact on the lives of many, including mine. For years I used to go to the Surrey Gurdwara Sunday morning Asa Dee Vaar kirtans until the Federation and Koamnshut factions decided to clash and make a complete fool of the community. Because of the sheer stupidity and the lack of basic intellect the leaders of both sides chose to go through with their plans of total domination of the Surrey-Delta Gurdwara. That has been explained in detail in the previous post. So now I am going to comment on the Federation “Singhs.”

The History:

The federation was made in the 70’s in India and was called the “All India Sikh Students Federation.” Their intentions were good and what they did was not bad. I have great respect for Bhai Amrik Singh Shaheed, who gave his life in the 1984 attack. But the people who are in char In the early 80’s the WSO was made, and soon after some people split off and created the ISYF (International Sikh Youth Federation).

The ISYF collected who knows how much money in the US and Canada as well as England that was supposed to support the movement back in Punjab. The amount of western money that actually funded the movement is anyone’s guess. By the end of the 90’s they had control of the majority of Gurdwarrai in North America.

The Reality:

People allege that the federation leaders became overnight millionaires because of the peoples generosity. I have seen huge mega-houses that these guys built myself. This is what people say. All this may not be true. They might have worked hard to get where they are right now, then again all the people that talk about this stuff can’t all be wrong.

It doesn’t matter what these guys made from panthic funds(no it does), the concrete reality is that they divided the community right down the middle and it made the community look bad and an eventual loss of respect. People make jokes about Sikhs because of these people. Its clear that the ISYF had no true respect for the langar maryada, but only a failed political agenda. I know of a singh that came from Toronto in 1996 and asked the Surrey Gurdwara Management why they had chairs and tables in the langar, when the maryada was to sit on the floor. The management told the singh, “keep the maryada to yourself.”

And after a few months the ISYF management took this maryada and made it into an issue to try to hold control of the gurdwara. I think it was pathetic. They totally used the wrong approach. Rushing the maryada enforcement made them lose the elections. After losing the elections they thought that they could use Akal Takhat Sahib, the supreme sikh authority to further their agenda. That obviously backfired and because of a great number of Koamnshut minded people in BC, many gurdwarrai were taken over by anti-panthic elements.

The ISYF and their alliance tired to show that they were following akal takhat maryada. This was far from the truth. There were many violations of the maryada published by the Akal Takhat. For example, none of these gurdwarrai allowed for bhog at the end of modavaneee, pathic mool manter, panthic rahraas, panthic chopee, and far worse fake sadhs(sants) were running rampant making fortunes by telling hindu stories and kacchi-bani. I hate to say this but, the sangat was made fools by the ISYF propaganda machinery.

And still the ISYF strongholds in Surrey and Abbotsford, Dashmesh Darbaar and Kalgidhar Darbaar follow a weird form of maryada that dumbfounds me. Its no recognizable kind of a maryada, but I do know that it is a maryada that challenges the maryada of Shri Akal Takhat Sahib. And that is the biggest hypocrisy ever! After all the community went through in the past 7 years, and the ISYF still not following what their original mandate was?!?!?! How could this be? I think the “sangat” is to partly blame. People just can’t put two and two together and see what’s going on. And until they do, things won’t change.

Just one final comment on maryada: The only place that you will see proper Akal Takhat Maryada being followed outside of Punjab is Khalsa School and Gurdwara Tapoban Sahib. I heard that these ISYF had tables and chairs at Dashmesh Darbaar before the hukamnamaa came. So who are they to say that they follow maryada. Khalsa school has maintained the proper langar maryada since its inception in 1986. And most of the ISYF people are anti-Khalsa school.

I don’t feel like talking about this because its making me feel bad and angry. So I will stop right here...

vwihgurU jI kw ^wlsw[
vwihgurU jI kI &iqh[