12 September 2011: London, UK – Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) spent the end of summer on a two week tour through the UK from 26 August to 4 September. Audiences in London, Birmingham, and Glasgow attended a wide variety of programming, and there were TV interviews which aired across the UK and Europe.
Beginning in London, Harinder Singh participated in a live TV appearance on the “Savi Seeks Show” with Dr. Savinder Singh, on the Sikh Channel. Discussing contemporary issues in the Sikh community and ways to draw inspiration from historical figures and the lessons of Gurbani regarding education, the show proved so popular with audiences, that he was invited back for a second interview in Panjabi with anchor Rajinder Singh Rathour. Later in Birmingham, he also recorded two short programs on Sangat Television for the show “Sangat Arts,” hosted by Jasprit Singh.
Besides television, Harinder Singh engaged with the people of London at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, the largest Gurdwara in Europe, which sponsored the London portion of the tour. Covering four separate topics over the long weekend, there was something for everyone who was interested in attending a SikhRI event. One hundred ten people, including married couples and those planning to marry soon, attended “Grihast: Deciphering the Guru’s Recommendations,” which explored love in Sikhi and emphasized the importance of building lasting relationships rooted firmly in the teachings and guidance of Gurbani. “This program encouraged me to both explore what love and marriage mean to me, but also, something I’ve not explored before, what it means in Sikhi,” said Ameet Singh.
The following evening, Harinder Singh presented “1984: The Attempted Suppression of a Nation” to an audience of over 500 at Singh Sabha Park Avenue. The topic covered the political, social, and economic persecution of the Sikhs in India since 1947, which culminated in the genocidal campaigns of 1984. He implored the audience to contrast the Sikh community’s reaction to the genocide of 1984 with those of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and to focus on connecting with the Guru for strength as individuals, families, and communities when responding to these events of the not-distant past.
The final day in London held two events on the topics of “Nam” and “Inspiring Gurmat in You and Your Family,” attended by 100 people. Jaswinder Kaur, commented on the session on Nam: “This program brought me back to reality, about what I could change and how. It was very inspirational.” Kamaldeep Kaur, echoed similar sentiments after attending the session on Gurmat: “We always hear about Nam during Katha at the Gurdwara, but today was the first time I’ve ever heard it addressed in English, and I think I’ve got a much better appreciation of what it means to my everyday practice of Sikhi.”
From London, SikhRI headed to Birmingham where Harinder Singh addressed over 200 attendees at the annual Khalsa Camp on the topic of Leadership. He stressed that Sikhs should display the same leadership characteristics as our Gurus, as each Sikh has a leadership role to play at some level in their world.
On 3 September, Harinder Singh went north to Scotland for the final stretch of events. At the Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Glasgow, he presented “Purpose of Life” and “Sikhi: The Revolution.” Attendees left comments afterwards resounding with praise and appreciation for the relevance of the topics to their daily lives. “The programme opened my thoughts on how to live as a Sikh, and how that is a very personal thing and not a structured way of doing things,” said Dr Jasmeet Singh. Another attendee, Harjinder Singh Gharyal, wrote that the talks were, “thought provoking on a personal level, which helped me focus on my life’s purpose and what I still need to learn and discover in order to effect actions in my life.” Later that afternoon, Harinder Singh presented a Grihast session on “Family Life” which was attended by 70 people. The final day in Scotland, Harinder Singh iterated two sessions of an increasingly popular talk, “Guru Granth Sahib” to coincide with the recent anniversary of the Adi Granth.
You can watch video of the Guru Granth Sahib talk from an earlier trip to New Jersey here.
Jagdeep Singh, SikhRI’s UK Coordinator, summarized his impressions of the 10 day tour: “SikhRI has reached over a thousand people directly during this trip and many thousands via the Sikh TV channels. Everyone I spoke with was filled with inspiration, and brought up some way that the information presented at these events was the first time they’d heard such refreshing insights. With the help of Gurdwaras and other local organizations over the coming year I know we will bring more programming like this again soon, and we will look to regularly send young Sikhs to SikhRI’s annual Sidak program to encourage them to take up leadership roles in the UK.”
Photos By Terry Jones