By Asia Samachar | Singapore |
Gurdwaras are important to a huge majority of Sikhs in Singapore as they offer important cultural, spiritual and emotional ties, says a survey. Even the youth share the same feeling.
This was a key finding of a Singapore survey keen to see where Sikh places of worship fit as the republic charges forward.
The Gurdwara of the Future (GOF) survey found that a majority of survey respondents (90%) said that gurdwaras are important because they offer important cultural, spiritual and emotional ties. It also noted that 83% of youth aged 18-34 agree that gurdwaras are important for the Sikh community.
At least 70% of survey respondents regard Sikh history (and related practices such as commemorating Gurpurabs and other Sikh calendar events), Sikh music (kirtan) as well as the Punjabi language, culture and heritage as important to them, according to a survey report.
“This has been the most comprehensive survey done to look at the Gurdwara of the Future in Singapore. We would like to get sangat members who are interested and have expertise for each pillar to be part of the team to execute the recommendations,” one of the survey promoters told Asia Samachar.
The survey was initiated by the Central Sikh Gurdwara Board (CSGB) and supported by the Sikh Advisory Board Singapore (SAB).
The survey had 387 respondents who were Sikhs from Singapore. Over 92% of the respondents were between the age of 18 – 50 years old which was a good representation (95% confidence) of the young Sikh population in Singapore. Also noteworthy is that a large number of the respondents were married and many with young children which is an important subgroup for the gurdwaras.
Many of the gurdwaras are almost 100 years old, with Silat Road Gurdwara commemorating its centenary next year and the Central Sikh Temple (CST) will be celebrating 110 years anniversary in 2022.
“Our Sikh Pioneers had great foresight to build our Sikh Institutions for the religious & social needs of the community. These institutions have helped the Sikh community to remain visible and assert influence in the region. It is important to have regular introspection on the purpose of these Sikh Institutions so that they remain relevant for the future generations,” according to the promoter.
The GOF survey was conceptualised around a 4-pillar framework which emerged from informal discussions and ad hoc community discussions during the 2020 circuit breaker. The pillars identified were deemed important to preserve the relevance of the gurdwaras and to be made future ready for the community needs, according to the GOF report.
The survey asked different questions to track and map how community members gain awareness of Gurdwara related activities and engage at a Gurdwara, to better understand their needs as per the four pillar framework:
1. Sangat engagement – are community members firstly aware of existing services and programmes and/or have access?
2. Technology roadmap – are current digital offerings sufficient to practice the Sikh faith (i.e. dasvand, book programmes), build knowledge and/or connect with fellow community members?
3. Professional development – do community members need skills or job related support in the form of network building, training or resources?
4. Financial sustainability – the recession from the pandemic has its impacts: how can Gurdwaras think long-term and mitigate these challenges while supporting fellow community members who may be in need?
The survey outreach captured a broad range of viewpoints that are useful in understanding the different needs of the Sikh community.
KEY TAKEAWAY
These are the six key takeaways gleaned by the survey:
1. Gurdwaras Are Important And Need To Stay Relevant
2. Top Priority is Sangat Engagement
3. Digital Transformation Ensures Accessibility
4. More Open, Transparent Communications Encouraged
5. Gurdwaras Are Pivotal to both Intra-Sikh and Inter-Faith Community Building
6. Good Corporate Governance Practices Will Increase Trust
Some excerpts from the report:
The GOF Survey then sought respondents’ thoughts on the four proposed pillars where majority (84.8%) of survey respondents stressed the importance pillar 1: sangat engagement, especially more targeted programmes and services for youths.
60.5% of survey respondents agreed the second pillar on technology roadmap development is crucial to support/boost community engagement, especially in times like the pandemic and in targeting digital natives.
44.4% of survey respondents who answered the open-text question gave reasons why each pillar is important and many stressed that long term thinking requires all four pillars. Gurdwaras are the primary Sikh institutions for community and network building; and this is where professional development and financial sustainability (pillars 3 and 4) need to be considered as well.
82.7% of survey respondents would like to engage in sewa opportunities in and outside a Gurdwara.
64.6% of survey respondents would like to learn how to read Gurbani in regards to pronunciation and practices. 58.1% appreciate personal and professional networking opportunities. Counselling in terms of spiritual guidance and support for needy families was selected by 47.8% of survey respondents as well as doubly stressed in the open-text segment of the question.
62.3% agreed there is a need for Gurdwaras to think of new services. And some shared it would be prudent to improve existing programmes before embarking on new initiatives.
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Taking the pulse of Singapore Sikhs (Asia Samachar, 27 Aug 2021)
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