By Jagdesh Singh | Opinion |
The cacophany of excited voices, clattering of steel plates and cups, heavy downpouring rain battering the roofs, can be overwhelming to the auditory senses. But the life energy manifested from the joyful conversations helped eased the mild discomfort. As I chew my last morcel of roti with cabbage cauliflower curry, I can’t help but wonder at how magical that instant was in the Langgar Hall.
I’ve been attending this annual Gurmat Parchaar Samelan camps, organised by the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM), for more than half my life, as participant child, as participant teenager and as an adult volunteer cooking and then teaching. You can certainly imagine the so many bonds and relationships that have been built over the many years. So many faces, so many smiles, so many laughs. Some are familiar faces I only see after 12 months every year, some become close friends that share my happiness and sadness even more than my sibling sister.
My journey as a Sikh, learning from the volunteering lecturers as a young participant and then learning from the children I had imparted my understanding knowledge to as a lecturer, has been anchored by all these Samelan camps throughout the years.
My journey as a husband and as a father had many foundational bricks laid upon for me to look back at and learn from, also through these Samelan camps.
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We celebrated rather jokingly with one such friend who participated in his first Samelan held in Taiping way back in 1974, half a century ago.
We also celebrated the lives of two dear good friends who left us from this world earlier this year leaving a huge vacuum as volunteers who empowered generations of children to becoming outstanding Sikhs.
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Only through this loss, and upon reflection, that I personally can say with conviction that these relationships have been of greater value than any academic lessons about Sikhisms learned from these Samelans. Don’t get me wrong, the Sikh knowledge or Gyan gained formed my inward and outward being as a Sikh, but the friendships, the brotherships, the bonds became tremendous support for me through thick and thin.
Perhaps this was the Goddess of Good Fortune smiling on me, and in isolation only within my circle of life to have these relationships built. I wished the same good fortune may fall upon my family, especially my daughters.
It was during the COVID-19 lockdowns that I saw this wish manifested into reality. The friendships they formed over the many Samelans since they were as young as 5 years of age was seen clearly. Boys and girls of the same age kept in touch with them, emotionally supporting each other as they navigated through the days of the pandemic.
Till today, their strong bond is apparent. Still communicating with each other, advising each other into early adulthood, navigating through tough challenges as they come while being in different countries and in different time zones.
Most outsiders view the Samelans as some indoctrination grounds to get children to being conservative fundamental Sikhs. That may be so, as the lessons we impart onto them are centered around the Sikh way of life, based from the Sikh Code of Conduct (Sikh Reht Maryada). Our methods of teaching have evolved over the many years, our styles to inspire have also changed.
But the life lasting relationships and friendships are the true diamonds, priceless with no value for barter. Birds of a feather flock together for life. In our Sikh tradition, the community we are part of determines our journey towards our Creator. We call this as Satsang. For one week, every year in December, we form a Satsang for our children, that will remain their Satsang even after the Samelans ends.
Until the next Samelan next year, we shall meet, my dear friend, brother and sister.
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
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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