Quote of the moment

Time: ~4:05pm
Date: Sunday January 15 2006
Place: Student Union Building, UBC

As the 2006 Sikh Students Association conference is about to come to an end the guy at the podium looks towards his left and signals for someone to come up and give a short speech. In the dimly lit ballroom about 200 people are seated and about 7-8 are standing against the right wall where I stand.

The 6 foot figure makes his way to the stage area from among us. Hard to phantom he, the quiet frail little grade 2 kid I saw over 13 years ago on a Richmond farm, had turned into a man! Not just any man, someone who can really talk. Seizing the mic he asks: everyone fold your hands and say fateh. The response is weak with a feww scattered voices replying from the floor. With a look of disappointment taunting the gathering he again asks everyone to give a proper response to fateh. This time the response is thunderous, the figure in white seems pleased. He addresses the gathering confidently with charm like a seasoned leader.

Everything moves on form one theme to the next point smoothly for about 10 minuets. He then switches to the topic of bad sangat. Determined to push through this thought into everyone’s heads he proclaims: "ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਕਹਿੰਦੀ ਆ ਕਿ ਜੈਸੀ ਸੰਗਤ ਤੈਸੀ ਰੰਗਤ" (Gurbani says: jaisee Sangat taisee rangat/ you become like the people you hang out with) As his head turns around the hall making eye-contact from right to left, I catch a glimpse of Japnaam Singh’s blank face standing to my right. I turn around and look back at the man in the white hooded shirt, he too pauses and sees Japnaam Singh’s confused look. He looks back at me and seeing this I swing my head from left to right again and again. There’s a pause... with only the hum of the overhead lights he comes to the sudden realization and says: "no no its not gurbani, gurbani doesn’t say that, its just made up... it’s a... it’s a, it's just a saying”

I glance back at Japnaam Singh, unable to control his laughter he has slipped down against the red brick wall. Hidden from view behind the rows of chairs he struggles to contain himself. From there the wave of laugher spreads throughout the crowd..........