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Sikh Gurmat Summer Camp at Gurdwara
Fremont
ends on a high note
Aimed
at imparting Sikhi and Punjabi values, the camp was a special
venture that received cooperation from teachers, volunteers
WSN Network
.jpg) FREMONT:
"Hoe ekatar milho mere bhai, dubhidha door karho liv layi,
Har Nameh Ke hovo jorhi, gurmukh baithe safha vishaye"
* “It’s a wonderful
experience of my life and I learned a lot about history and
importance of turban in our culture. Now I can tie turban on my
own.” -Navjot
Singh, Bellingham, WA
* “The content and
the presentation has enabled me to read, write and understand
Gurumukhi. This is exactly what I came here for.”-
Karishma Kaur,
(name city), Austria
* “I never knew
that we have such a great culture and background. The Sikh history
is interesting and lifestyle is unique & straightforward.”-
Tegbir
Singh, Fremont, California
These were some of
the views expressed by the students of the annual “Sikh Gurmat Camp”
held at Gurudwara Sahib Fremont, California. By Guru's grace it
concluded successfully with the Bhog of Sri Akhand Path Sahib on
Sunday, August 16, 2009. The duration of the camp was six weeks
starting from July 6 and about 150 children, aged 3 to 16 years old,
marked their attendance. The main objective was to produce future
leaders and ambassadors dedicated to the Panth. Emphasis was
laid on enabling the students to spend their life in accordance with
the Sikh tenets. The uniqueness of the camp was the slight age
difference between the students and teachers involved. The majority
of the teachers aged 22 – 25 hailed from Damadami Taksaal and Sikh
Students Association, SJSU.
 The carefully
examined syllabus and supervision enabled the students to excel in
the respective fields. The output was evident in competitions held
in the last week of the camp which included turban tying, Gurmat &
Punjabi, and art craft. The syllabus was prepared in accordance
with the feedback from the students and grouping was done according
to their ability in the respective field to work on their most
vulnerable part. The division of students was done as shown below.
The Gurmat camp was
supported by a lot of volunteers from community, their dedicated and
persistent efforts helped in the successful completion of the camp.
They helped in the preparation & serving of meals three times a day
that included traditional Punjabi foods such as pakodas, kulche,
lassi, etc to western foods like Pizzas, burritos, cakes, etc. The
student volunteers played an important role in maintaining the
discipline for the smooth functioning of the camp.
Jakara,
a nonprofit Sikh organization, which seeks to encourage engagement
with Sikh culture through education, research and community outreach
initiatives, visited the camp and spent a whole day with the
students. About 10 volunteers headed by Gurjit Singh, divided the
students in different age groups and taught them the correct manners
to visit Gurudwara. The importance of different sections of
Gurudwara was imparted and the students made notes in their
Adab-Namah or book of manners. Students were also encouraged to
write the things they like or dislike at Gurudwara sahib. At last
students wrote postcards to encourage their friends who do not visit
Gurudwara sahib.
The Sikh
coalition, a New York based organization held a seminar on
awareness of Sikh rights on August 13, 2009. Bhavreet Singh, a
representative of the coalition, discussed the common problems faced
by Sikh children in schools due their identity and language. He
insisted the children not to keep quiet but to report the incident
immediately to the Sikh coalition. The Organization has recently
opened an office on the west coast in city of Fremont. The students
filled a questionnaire in which they were asked to write their
experiences in their respective schools regarding their identity.
The seminar ended with a view to raise awareness in schools and
colleges about Sikh and turbans by holding seminars and discussions.
During the camp
proceedings, the students were refreshed intermittently and were
taken on a field trip approximately once a week. Friday was reserved
for games or field trips. Water games, races, basketball, soccer,
were integral part of the play. The students were taken to
Chucky-e-Cheese and Lake Elizabeth where they enjoyed to the
fullest.
On Sunday, August
16th, the proceedings started with the Bhog of the Akhand
Path Sahib. After this, Bhai Soddhi Ji enlightened our souls with
“Katha” of the Gurbani verses. This was followed by the recitation
of Kirtan Gurbani, Vaars and poems by the students of
Khalsa
School,
Fremont. Ajaypal Singh, a student of the “Santhya” class
played Tabla during the Kirtan. The students recited the Kirtan with
devotion and reverence to Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji and got
accolades from the “Sangat” present in the darbar hall. The Poems
recited by the students commemorated the sacrifices made by the Guru
Sahibans and the Sikh community in the past to hold up the “khalsa
panth”. This was followed by honoring the students of the Santhya
class, who did seva of Akhand Path Sahib.
The volunteers of the
camp namely Kuljit Singh, Jaskirat Singh, Karamjit Singh, Jaspreet
Singh, Daljit Singh, Pardeep Singh and Gurbhej Singh were also
honored by the Head Granthi, Bhai Sahib Bhai Gurpreet Singh Ji. The
winners of the turban tying competition were presented with the
turbans of their favorite colors. At the end, all the students of
the camp were given “Certificate of Participation” to acknowledge
their enthusiasm to learn Punjabi, Gurbani, the unique Sikh culture
and history. Harvinder Singh Kang, SJSU student representing the
Sikh Student Association, SJSU gave us a glimpse of the summer camp
through his words and thanked all the teachers, volunteers and
sponsors for the successful completion of the camp.
19
August 2009
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