|
Sikh Nation Pays Tribute to
Martyrs With Free Flowing Blood
As queues
formed before blood donation drive across gurdwaras in the US, the
community made a point hard to miss.
WSN Bureau
 Fremont: "You
have all been brought up on vegetable oil. Thankfully, our
generation was was brought up on desi ghee." The old man with a long
silver flowing beard was pithily making a point at the Stockton
gurdwara, pointing to a large number of seniors in the queue waiting
to donate blood. His words led to much laughter all around.
In Fremont,
where the seeds of the idea of a nationwide blood drive were first
sown, the young vied with the old to donate blood on June 21, and it
seemed desi ghee and vegetable oil were giving each other stiff
competition.
The First Sikh
Nation Blood Drive turned out to be a huge success, and organisers
-- Sikh Youth of America and Fremont Gurdwara president Harjot Singh
Khalsa -- seemed satisfied that the hardwork, team effort and
organisational skills had paid off well.
 Deep inside
their hearts, however, they all knew it was not just a blood
donation drive. This was a community making a point. A community
that had been wronged, that was targetted by the might of the Indian
nation state, a community that has a history to be proud of, a
legacy to be cherished, a heritage of sacrifice and selflessness,
and also an experience of genocidal attacks and machinations aimed
at ethnic cleansing. It was this Sikh community that was making a
significant point with each unit of blood collected across the
United States.
In this 25th
year of Operation Bluestar, the Indian Army's attack on the centre
of Sikhism and the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikh devotees
in 1984, the Sikh community choose the Martyrdom Day of the fifth
Sikh Master, Guru Arjan Dev ji to commemorate the spirit of
sacrifice and pay homage to the martyrs of the community by holding
unprecedented blood donation campaign. Each drop reminded the world
of what the Sikhs are and what they have gone through in
contemporary history.
 Gurdwara Sahib
at Fremont took the lead inspired by a hugely successful blood drive
in June last year to honor the Sikh Shaheeds. Once SYA joined forces
and Harjot Singh Khalsa decided to pool all his energies for the
cause, the path was blessed by the Akal Purakh. The response of the
sangat was beyond expectations.
Blood drives
were held in Gurdwaras all across United States, with Fremont,
Stockton, Cataret NJ, Dallas TX and Queens NY Gurdwara Sahibs to
name a few.
 Response was
enthusiastic at all locations. Not only every single drive was able
to meet its goal of blood collection, they all managed to exceed
that goal by few units. All day long, blood drives witnessed
serpentine queues of people waiting to donate their blood.
Unfortnately, a large number donors had to be turned away due to
long waiting period and inability of blood collection agencies to
cope with the huge turn out.
Large turn out
at the blood drives shows the respect Sikhs have in their heart for
their Shaheeds. Sikhs all over the country were willing to give
their blood to remember those who gave their lives to protect their
faith. It also showed how Sikhs always step forward to help others.
At Fremont
Gurdwara Sahib, the drive was started after the Ardaas performed by
Sant Hari Singh Ji Randhaweh Walleh. Just as the Ardaad finished,
Gurdev Singh, a 55-year-old resident of Newark, stepped forward
energetically and seemed in a tearing hurry. "Take my blood first, I
got to go back to langar sewa". What could you say to such
enthusiasm, except to salute the spirit? Even though unable to speak
English, he pushed his way with the help of translators.
|
 In
Queens Village, NY
On June 21, Sikh
Youth of America organized a Blood Donation Camp at the 222nd St
Gurudwara in Queens Village, New York. The Blood drive was organized
in the memory of the martyrs and innocent people who lost their
lives in the 1984 attacks on the Golden Temple by the Indian Army.
 The
Blood Drive that took place from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm was able to
collect blood from 28 people whereas many were sent back due to the
shortage of time. There were numerous volunteers ranging from
different age groups that helped make this Blood Camp a success. The
Volunteers were Jasvir Singh, Jaswant Singh Dakha, Amarpreet Kaur,
Sukhdip Singh and many others. Sikh Youth of America will make this
an annual event commemorating the people who lost their lives in the
1984 attacks.
|
|
 Among other
notable donors was a 65-year-old woman, Bibi Ranjit Sandhu, who
navigated her motorized wheel chair up the sharp ramp to donate
blood. Three members of Martindale family -- Guy, Parminder and Bali
-- drove all the way from Elk Grove to Fremont to donate blood.
Kulwant Singh
Khera, who also waited for over two hours to donate blood had a
suggestion. "Next year we shall hold a collective blood drive with
the all the Bay Area Gurdwara Sahibs participating at a public
location like San Francisco City Hall." His idea was worthy of
serious consideration. He wanted not only the Sikhs to donate blood,
but to use the occasion to help make the world aware of the events
of 1984 and showcase the unique way of the Sikh community to
remember those events.
In Stockton, the
donations were twenty percent more than the goal set by collection
agency. Sandeep Singh and Harsimran Singh, who organized the blood
drive there, said they were surprised to see such strong support
from the community, especially the seniors, who lined up to donate
blood. Any doubts about the winner in desi ghee versus vegetable
oil?
The Sikh Youth
of America (SYA), a non profit organization dedicated to help young
Sikhs become leaders of tomorrow, worked hard to make the nationwide
drive a grand success. Various units of SYA are already working on
the second phase of drive to be held in Yuba City, CA during the
Nagar Kirtan.
1
July 2009
|
Read Also