25th year of Sikhs at Interfaith Concert in Washington, DC
A major celebration in Washington
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Washington Hebrew Congregation
(Wisconsin Ave & Mass Ave in DC)
7.30 - 9.00 PM
Courtesy Tickets are available on first come basis.
Please call GGSF Management ASAP. We would like you to join us!
The Sikh community, represented by the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, has been participating in the Interfaith Concert (IFC) since 1987. This was perhaps the first time that the Sikh group in a large number of 25 voices had sung kirtan together at an interfaith setting. The concert, which features many faith communities presenting their own music, helps increase the sense of community among the very diverse audience and participants.
The engagement of the Sikhs started with Dr. Rajwant Singh of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation(GGSF) approaching Clark Lobenstine, the executive Director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington in 1987 wanting to start the Sikh participation in the organization. This exploratory dialogue set the stage for Sikhs to participate in their first concert. The group was named Sikh Kirtani Jatha to give them an authentic identity and efforts were made to bring together large contingent of Sikh men and women to sing together. GGSF did not have its own location or even a gurdwara. They used to meet in a rented space every Sunday so the practices had to be done at people’s home in the basements.
Many weeks of rehearsals produced a melodious number singing Guru Arjan’s shabad, ‘Sab Ko Assay Teri Betha’. This launched an unbroken tradition of Sikhs participating for the last 25 years with the exception of two years not participating due to a change of rule by the IFC to alternate faith communities each year to keep the concert brief. A number of faith groups joined after Sikhs had become members of the IFC and now the faith community membership number stands at 11.
The group Sikh Kirtani Jatha brings together men, women and youth to sing one shabad which is selected to coincide with the theme of the night. Various ragis such as Ragi Jaspal Singh, Satvinder Singh, Baljit Singh, Nirmal Singh Nagpuri, Bhai Gurdarshan Singh and Bhai Kanwarpal Singh have led the jatha. Over the years, the Interfaith Concert has become one of Washington’s most prominent and inspiring events by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds to experience the spiritual music and chants of other faiths.
The concert rotates between three venues to accommodate a large audience number which sometimes exceeds 2000. It is held at Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington National Cathedral and National Shrine days before the Thanksgiving holiday to fill participants’ hearts with prayers and blessings.
This program is organized by the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and it raises funds to support the critical work of the IFC. IFC brings together eleven historic faith communities to advance justice, build communities and nurture understanding in the metropolitan Washington, DC region. IFC’s members are the Baha’I, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Sikh and Zoroastrian faith communities in this region.
Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, representing the Sikh faith, has been a member of the IFC since 1988. Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, based in Washington, is active nationally and locally in different forums on behalf of the Sikhs.
GGSF appeals to all Sikhs to join in this event to show our presence and to support the spirit of harmony and peace while we are celebrating Guru Nanak's Gurpurab.
Images of the past:
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GGSF Management:
Inderpal Singh Gadh (Chairman) 301 980 9305
Dr. Rajwant Singh 301-294-7886 (secretary)
Arvinder Singh 301 421 1953 (treasurer)
Romi Kaur Sawhney 301 528 5128 (Executive Director)
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Directions for the Gurdwara Sahib: |