Background
The Sikh community is renowned for its benevolence and emotional nature, and has made immense sacrifices in the past 500 years to uphold religious freedom, justice, and compassion in India. This period was marked by the invasion of foreign rulers, such as the Mughals, and the subjugation of old invader rulers, the Rajputs, which resulted in oppression of the common people. The orthodox school's varna structure not only failed the masses but also hindered the working class's struggle for justice, leading to the emergence of the Sikh religion and the Khalsa movement.
The British invasion has once again left the Sikhs in a vulnerable position. Despite being major allies of the British Armed Forces in multiple theaters of the World Wars and sacrificing the most (80%+) for India's freedom, the resulting independence led to the creation of two countries, India and Pakistan, based on the two-nation theory of Hindus and Muslims and federations of various nation-states. Both nations have since lived in constant fear of each other and have made attempts to over-centralize rule, leading to the destruction of diversity in their respective nation-states.
The prevalence of sham democracies and widespread corruption, coupled with extreme disparities and mismanagement of water resources leading to agricultural crises around the world, has put Sikhs who rely heavily on farming under significant economic stress. The densely populated region of South Asia, which accounts for 25% of the world's population but only occupies 3.5% of its land, suffers from a lack of employment opportunities, driving many Sikhs to migrate to other parts of the world.
Migration Profile
The migration of Sikh across the globe can be classified under:
• Migration to Canada and Australia post 10+2 or graduation on student visa.
• Migration to USA on H1B Visa and aspire for green card.
• Migration to Gulf as semi skilled or unskilled workers.
• Migration to Canada on work permits and rarely on basis investment.
• Migration to USA and Europe as illegal migrants.
• Migration on basis of marriage to Canada, Australia, UK and USA.
The large scale migration of Sikhs and in fact all Punjabis now has created a network of migration agents across the state. This migration trend is not limited to Punjab and has caught up with villages from Haryana to Hindi belts. The south India has been pioneer in higher studies abroad with dominance in software companies and Gujarat for migration and open hotel/small businesses.
Gurdwara Networks Globally
Sikhs have migrated the world over and with their devotion to their own religious culture, made Gurdwaras the world over. The Gurdwaras are the center for not only uniting the local Sikh community but the entire Indian community the world over. They have been running various activities to support the Indian community, from spiritual needs to provide community kitchens and Langars across the globe to short-term accommodation.
Migration Trends Canada
The recent opening of countries like Canada for student visa and stress of opportunities within India, limited seats premium institutes has pushed the Indian communities and Sikh sending their children to Canada for studies. This involves a large no of students sent by families with limited resources raising loans and pledge their land, houses etc.
Most of these students have studied in a schooling system of India involving:
• High stress on studies with no practical hands on work.
• Mug subject with no original thinking and innovation.
• Lack of culture of working with hands or physical strenuous jobs.
• Lack of playing games, good eating habits and good physical health.
• Competing for extremely competitive entrance exams like JEE/NEET etc and supported by parents not do any house hold jobs.
• Lack of exposure to any coding or innovation skills in schools.
After passing through rigorous schooling grill and failing to make a mark for admission in the premium institutes and left with private business houses colleges most opt for study in Canada. Even the collaboration degrees 2+2 with foreign Institutes by few private Institutes in India are costly and not subscribed. Most hurry for 2 years diploma/degree in Canada cutting on cost and settle meeting requirements for work permits.
The Punjab public and SGPC/DAV universities/Institutes are unable to make collaborations with good foreign universities and polytechnics even prompted by UGC recently, providing smooth way of migrating skilled, matured students with lesser financial burden. This is both due to lack of initiative, competence and rigid attitude of those managing the Institutes.
Problems Faced Migrated Students Canada
The various issues faced by migrated students are:
• Studyload
• Incorrect choice of courses and colleges and most skewed towards IT courses.
• Workload and looking after own personal administration.
• Financial strain, especially those from middle class over-stretched with loans.
• Climate stress due to extreme cold in most provinces.
• Load of learning IT skills and majority failing landing in raw labor, delivery jobs or run for earn more to risky truck driving jobs.
• Working excess hours than authorized and risk of exploitation.
In these stressed scenarios there has been cases of few students in this age of immaturity taking to path of drugs to other activities which has been highlighted by various community people. This has also lead to politicians and others question migration as option without giving alternative solution.
The Role of Gurdwaras in Canada and India Govt Projection
The Gurdwaras have been playing a very positive role in supporting student communities from India, irrespective of their state or religion, in the true spirit of Guru Nanak. Old Indian Canadians who have settled in the past also visit the Gurdwaras, where Langars (humanity kitchens) are prepared from as early as 3:30 am for all communities, including students and people going for strenuous duties in extreme climatic conditions. Even those Gujaratis who run their own hotels dine at the Gurdwaras in the evening in the free kitchen Langars. The provision of Langars (free food) is also sent to food banks in Canada for needy people from all world communities.
The rise in the number of students and reduction in hourly rate jobs have put most students under further stress. Many Gurdwaras are distributing groceries to students and providing other forms of help for their sustenance during the initial periods. Of late, there have been cases of students dying due to accidents, stress, suicide, or drug overdose, and Gurdwaras have been instrumental in ensuring that their bodies are dispatched to India or cremated after contacting their families.
There is still some resentment in certain sections of the Sikh community due to their sufferings and recent atrocities, such as the genocide of 1984 and occasional demonstrations for a separate state of Khalistan in Canada. The RSS has witnessed an enormous rise across the world since the rise of Modi, with branches operating in the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, and Europe. The rise of RSS has been opposed by South Indian and other Indian communities, as well as Sikhs, in recent events such as the dismantling of Hindutva.
The rise of China and India is seen as a potential important ally for the large poor population and pool of mercenaries to wage war with China by the USA, West, Australia, and Japan. On the other hand, Israel, with its common anti-Muslim centric agenda Hindutva, has strengthened its ties with India. This has placed India in an important position to leverage these countries from getting the latest technology for manufacturing arms, trade, and financial assistance. This leveraged position allows them to use these symbolic demonstrations by a few Sikh for Khalistan for defaming and pressurising them with threat of denying visas and PR to them.
Gurdwaras in India and Politics
Providing solutions to the Sikh community is a challenging task.
The recent farm bills and agitation led by Sikh and Punjab farmer unions, along with farmers from Haryana, Western UP, MP, and Himachal, has damaged Modi's invincible image. The large-scale contributions from Canada and global Sikhs to support these agitations have been monitored by Indian agencies. Initially, the government attempted to portray the agitation as a Khalistani movement but failed. The unity of Punjab and Haryana farmers was another issue, and the Indian government tried to play the SYL card, but again failed. Now, they are trying to create a conflict between Sikh and Haryana students in Canada and Australia to disrupt the unity among farmers.
Sikhs have been providing Langars not only in Canada but also in Gurdwaras running from Delhi to the Golden Temple, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and across India, serving meals to hundreds of thousands of people daily. Those running the Langars at Delhi's Gurdwaras are obliging most political parties, and some, like Manjinder Singh Sirsa, have recently joined the BJP and are actively propagating Modi and Hindutva. The Golden Temple has become a tourist attraction, benefiting the urban population of Amritsar through hotel and other businesses. The same crowd goes to Wagah border and fuels further hate, leading to the centralization of all trade to Gujarat ports.
Sikhs are emotionally attached to the Langars, started by Guru Nanak with Rs 20, which never end, and they see themselves as invincible while also being used as mercenaries. Recently, there has been a motivated emphasis on the tera tera of Sikh religion, Kirat Karo, Wand Shako, and Nam Japo, aiming to justify the misuse of Gurdwara resources in India by politicians, mostly affiliated with the RSS, for political purposes. This is happening despite the SGPC-run institutes, such as schools, colleges, universities, and hospitals, being in bad shape and never expanding like DAVs, on the verge of closure, or not serving the interests of poor Sikhs. This has also led to a large number of poor Sikhs being trapped and exploited by Babas.
Proposed Solution: Management Sikh Philanthropy Canada
Canada and its Gurdwaras represent a land of progression, adapting to challenges of life by starting Langars on tables, and so on. The work done in maintaining community kitchens, providing support to Indian students for groceries, and other services are commendable. However, due to a lack of proper data on how the Canadian Gurdwaras are serving their respective communities in India and Canada in various services such as Langar, grocery assistance, and help during accidents, etc., and publishing on their sites, Indian agencies have defamed Sikhs despite such services.
"In God, we trust. All others must bring data." This quote, made by W. Edwards Deming, has expanded in scope in the present world of dirty and corrupt politicians and government agencies, working alliances with the interests of countries to survive, especially with the rising China. Even those who believe in God need to bring data to the table for their good work.
The Gurdwaras in Canada need to regulate and capture this data and, in turn, expand their philanthropies more directed towards the needy by making certain modifications in their functioning. The community Langar, through philanthropy, needs to convert to a service directed to the truly needy rather than across the board as the principles of socialism. The Langar service, other than being free on Gurpurabs, should be run as a paid service on reasonable charges for the rest of the year. Needy students or anyone can be given free coupons for a month or fortnight by a Gurdwara-appointed matured women member.
The needy student or anyone can approach the Gurdwara member and get the coupon, which will help with the following:
• Capturing data of the number of students and others truly needy from the respective communities taking coupons and free Langar.
• The student, especially girls, will be able to have personal contact with Gurdwara women members and can share other issues they face. Even help for guiding to obtain safe part-time employment, accommodation on rent, etc., can be coordinated with the knowledge and maintaining a databank by Gurdwaras.
• The student facing financial stress or other issues, even drugs, can be directed to counsellors on the roll of Gurdwaras and taking help from Gurbani and spiritualism, etc.
• Lectures on career counselling to motivation with Sikh history literature and other familiarising with rules, culture and avenues in Canada can be organised.
• Gurdwaras can organise things like book banks donating books and notes, etc., by students for coming students to banks for discarded items by settled Canadian donated with transportation for use by students.
• There can be organised help with one-to-one counselling for those under dire need with Gurdwara identifying responsible people from the community who can help with academics, acquiring skills, finding jobs to financially, etc.
• The students/others taken help in the initial year of settlement and accounted for will, in turn, be returning back to Gurdwaras once stabilised in life, and even data on this will be trackable.
• This will stop wastage of Langars to maintain proper inventories, and even those donating will know how many students or families in India they have helped come out of poverty.
• There will be data on how much Langar went to food banks for helping the larger Canadian community, and all the data with this will be published on the sites of Gurdwaras.
• This will help negate the propaganda of Indian agencies defaming Sikhs doing a marvellous job worldwide and in Canada, increasing the prospects of Sikhs and Indians getting more visas, knowing that they won't be a liability on Canadian society.
All these suggestions will apply to Gurdwaras in Australia and Europe for students and community based on necessity, even though the problems faced may not be as severe as Canada. These measures by Gurdwaras in Canada will open way for reforms in India on direct the philanthropy of community through Gurdwaras directed to the needy and effective helping them come out of poverty. This will lead to in India concepts like paying for fees of a poor school student through Gurdwaras, help with academics and some poor medical treatment etc.
Conclusion
The Sikh community has been making maximum philanthropic sacrifices for India and the world, whether it's through their Gurdwaras, freedom struggle, wars of India or British Raj world wars. Sikhs are respected for these contributions, but recently, the rise of intelligence agencies to power of media and social media controlled by governments has been using propaganda against them.
Due to the lack of numerical strength and sham democracy in India, community leaders have become opportunistic, mostly using Sikhs as a vote bank and working against their interests. These politicians have been holding the management of Sikh historical big Gurdwaras and misusing Sikh philanthropy for their own political ends.
As a result, many poor communities and Sikhs have turned to Babas and have been exploited. The time has come for Sikhs to move forward and use these great institutions of faith, philanthropy, and traditions of Langars and community service directed towards those in need. Canada can show the path in this endeavor to the entire Sikh community.
The opinions expressed here are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect an editorial position of the SikhNet staff or board.