| Opinion | Malaysia | 23 Dec 2016 | Asia Samachar |
By Jagdesh Singh
As the rain pours down heavily and noisily on the large metal structure that arcs over the Langgar Hall, teenagers are seen mingling with each other, there’s laughter, there are smiles. The announcements on the loudspeakers continue to bellow out instructions on what activities are next and where.
Next to the noisy Langgar Hall, classrooms situated a flight of stairs below are now converted into the prayer hall for the Khadey Da Pahul, commonly referred to as the Amrit Sanchaar ceremony. New born Amritdharees (those who have partaken the Khandey Da Pahul) will emerge soon from this holy congregation where the Beloved Five, the Panj Pyares, would have gracefully administered the sweetened water prepared in the Khandey da Bhata, along with the standard prayers recited.
It is the second last day of the Annual Gurmat Parchaar Samelan for 2016, organised by the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia. The participants have yet to exhibit any signs of weariness from the jam packed activities they’ve participated in over the past 5 days starting on 18 Dec 2016.
Spirits are still very high, judging from the excited chatter in the Langgar Hall. Sewadars are seen to be busy preparing for the penultimate event in this week long camp, the celebration of the Khandey Da Panel Amrit ceremony. All participants, young and younger, along with sewadars and visitors, will converge in the Main Darbar Hall to sing the Glories of their Guru.
For the regular sewadars who have been volunteering to be cooks, washers, cleaners, lecturers, teachers, medical doctors and nurses, security personnel, media crew and general workers, this scenario on this second last day is standard, almost working like clockwork. After all, years of practice with generations of sewadars over the last few decades makes this Camp set for success every single time. I have to say, this year has been another wonderfully planned Samelan. My yardstick to gauge this has always been the value that the children get out of such a short period of time.
From the participation in classrooms and discussions, from the Inspirational Parchaar sessions (the kirtan-katha combo referred to as IPS), from the group dynamics and group sewa work, the energy and enthusiasm has been as high as the many years before. And most important, the children seem to be enjoying themselves thoroughly.
An estimated 840 participants and 370 sewadars have come to this facility called Khalsa Land at Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor, for the second year in a row. This is unprecedented, with the locations for Samelans of the past being rotated at government schools in different states. The facility snuggled between the foothills of Kuala Kubu Baru have improved this year somewhat marginally, but this was to be expected with the phased measured approach SNSM has taken with the development of this facility.
SNSM Jathedar Jasbir Singh, fondly known as Father in the Samelan circles, has passed his first test. His first five months as Jathedar hasn’t been a bed of roses, with SNSM being pinned in the middle of a religious debate raging behind the scenes. It is safe to say, for this year’s Samelan, the children that came here to learn and be exposed to the vibrant Sikh way of life, were not at all touched by proponents from both sides of the debate. Ignorance is bliss, especially when young impressionable minds are concerned. Instead, these wonderful children were taught about making the best of choices for their lives while walking the path of their Beloved Guru. Charan Chalo Marg Gobind.
Jagdesh Singh, a Kuala Lumpur-based executive with a US multinational company, is a father of three girls who are as opinionated as their mother
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
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