I was recently invited to share my views in Gurudwara Sukh Sagar Sahib in New Westminster (Vancouver, B.C.) during the centennial celebration of the Khalsa Diwan Society. In these hundred years, the Sikhs in Canada have come a long way. It was obvious, from the participation of political and religious leaders, as well as many scholars, that the Sikh community in Canada has been able to create a unique place in Canadian society.
It will not be an exaggeration to state that the Sikhs in Canada are the most important center for the Sikhs outside the Indian subcontinent. Vancouver, B.C. is now the leading center of the Sikhs and Punjabis in North America. The Sikhs are an integral part of the political, social, economic, educational, and cultural components of Canada, particularly in British Columbia.
The struggle of the Sikhs in the last hundred years has had a very significant impact on Canada. It has helped Canada to recognize its multicultural reality, and Canada is looking at its multiculturalism more as an asset rather than a liability. It has certainly made Canada a more tolerant society. The Sikhs in Canada have, in a way, helped to open a dialogue between the east and the west. Canada may play a leading role in this new interaction between east and west, which has become a pressing need of today’s world.
Sharing my views with the congregation, I said that the present globalization lacks a global perspective and an ethical component inasmuch as it is limited to economics only. This linear and unilateral approach has led to the present deep crisis. It has also led to unequal relations between east and west. The west has used material progress as the only criterion for measuring human progress. This has resulted in the weakening of the spiritual aspect of life, and thus instead of progress, it has created conditions for dehumanization. The philosophy of Siri Guru Granth Sahib can impart the global perspective and ethical component to the present globalization. Therefore, Siri Guru Granth Sahib can be the model for alternate globalization–which the world needs.
After sharing my views with the congregation in the Gurudwara Sukh Sagar Sahib in New Westminster, I went to the Gurudwara Singh Sabha Sahib Surrey, which is not too far from there. The Canadian Singh Sabha Gurudwara Sahib is establishing an institution for the comparative study of Sikhism. I discussed my upcoming book (East and West: Beyond Globalization) with the president and leading members of the Gurudwara Sahib. It was decided that my book will be the first piece of literature to be published by the new institution, which is in the process of being established.
Earlier in the day, I was interviewed by the radio Sher-e-Punjab, which is located in Richmond, close to Vancouver, B.C. The Sher-e-Punjab Radio reaches an audience of a few hundred thousand Punjabis. The Vancouver area now has several radio stations and even Punjabi TV channels. In the other big Canadian cities, such as Toronto and Calgary, we have Punjabi radio stations, TV stations, newspapers and magazines.
Many Canadian cities have Punjabi markets. Even Punjabi malls with many different kinds of stores in one building are being built in many Canadian cities. In some cities, street signs in Punjabi can be seen. Indeed, in so many diverse ways, the Sikhs have earned their place as a vitally significant component in Canadian culture as a whole.
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Dr. Sawraj Singh is Chairman of Washington State Network For Human Rights, and Chairman of Central Washington Coalition For Social Justice.
Source: INDOlink – www.indolink.com
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