New Ikk Onkar Network Launched
On March 2nd, Ikk Onkar launched ikkonkar.com in New York. The website is the first ever platform which uses your location to find nearby Gurdwaras and identifies what events are happening at that location. Mahinder Singh, CEO of Ikk Onkar Media, first thought of the idea around a year ago. His motivation came from a feeling that all Sikhs have felt at some point in their lives. As Sikhs are immigrating to all corners of the world, they are slowly losing their sense of community. In a foreign environment, the only place that can give them a sense of peace is their local Gurdwara.
Gurdwaras have been very helpful to the first generation of immigrants. If you look now, there is a Sikh Gurdwara in almost every major city around the world. The problem now is with the second generation, who were raised in foreign countries and don't feel any attachment to Sikhism. The fault is not their own. The world is more complex than before and it's not going back. Even 1ST generation immigrants, who are parents now, are feeling the effect of this change. They are losing interest in their community and Sikhi in general.
To address this problem, we have created the Ikk Onkar platform. Using our platform, a Gurdwara, regardless of its location, can share their events, programs, images and videos with their local members and the world at large. Their members in return can give their feedback and recommendations. Also, daily visitors to the site can also view live stream programs from Gurdwaras around the world and have access to the Daily Hukamnama and several radio stations. This channel of communication is not just a way organize but it's to instill a sense of belonging which will have a large effect on the Sikh population. So that the next the time you see someone walking down the street, you can exchange greetings and not just walk away after an awkward stare.
So, I hope that the Sikh Community all over the world will support us in this effort and share their feedback as we start to rollout more new features.