Other Miscellaneous Organizations

Sri Guru Ram Das Avtar Purab Committee

This organisation was started in 1968 at 293, Green Avenue, Amritsar with Dr. Dharamvir Singh Jolly as the Founder President and Dr. Surjan Singh Pasricha as Gen. Sec. mainly to celebrate the Avtar Purab of Sri Guru Ram Das Ji on a large scale. Since then the organisation has been celebrating this occasion in a unique manner. Wherein various competitions of the youth are organised, religious places are shown and lectures and seminars on the life and works of Guru Ram Das Ji are organised. The competitions among the youth include quiz, poetry, Shabad Singing, Art and that of speech competitions. In addition to that, the organisation also celebrates Baisakhi Diwas and various other programmes for promoting Punjabi culture and language. A number of tracts and books on Sikhism are printed (e.g. Amritsar Sifti Da Ghar, Guru Gatha in three parts and Jeevan Darshan Sri Guru Ramdas Ji) and distributed free of charge. The prominent Sikh personalities are also honoured on various occasions. Presently, S. Charanjeet Singh Chadha and S. Narender Jeet Singh Architect are President & Sr. Vice President. A very active participation in the activities of the organisation is made by Principal J. S. Bawa (RETD), the General Secretary, S. Sukhdev Singh Sandhawalia, Additional General Secretary and S. Bhupinder Singh Nanda as the Secretary. The organisation has recently started a Student Welfare Fund for helping the needy and deserving students.

Sikhs Helping Sikhs

Sikhs Helping Sikhs is a non-profit organisation aimed to benefit the lives of the Sikhs and unite them in the process of helping each other. In other words it is all Sikhs participating organisation with a desire to increase the level of integrity, loyalty and oneness among the religious minded community. This feeling of helping each other in our community increases our tendency to help other people also. Thus, helping the entire mankind as envisaged in Gurbani becomes the main object of the organisation. S. Jatinder Singh Uppal, a resident of Melbourne in Australia founded this organisation with a broad vision. This computer engineer business entrepreneur believes in participative management and thus propounded this idea of Sikhs Helpings Sikhs. He admits that this is a dream, a reality in waiting, a wish which will be fulfilled by Guru’s grace. With a view to understand the vision and the structure on which the organisation has started working, it will be appropriate to quote him. “I see thousands of Sikhs working together in SHS Offices in every major capital city in the world. Each office to house over many companies owned named managed by Sikhs. Every company will have many offices worldwide. All individually owned and working and promoting one another.” As per the vision of the creator of this organisation, if estimated turnover of SHS offices worldwide touches hundred billion dollars, it will provide a Dasvandh which will be utilized for helping not only the people of Sikh community, but also the poor people of other races and religions anywhere in the world. Compassion towards all of mankind is the very essence of the teachings of our Gurus. Thus, if we unite to do this, we shall be acting according to our Guru’s mission. However, as this movement could not be immediately proceeded as envisioned, it’s focus was shifted to promoting the Sehaj Paath of Sri Guru Granth Sahib among the people. The various teams working at different countries focussed their efforts in connecting Sikhs in general and younger generation in particular, with Bani and Bana. Particularly, the Punjab team comprising of S. Satnam

Singh Salohpuri (7973329833), S. Rajpal Singh, S. Jatinder Pal Singh, Dilbaag Singh, S. Ratan Singh and S. Davinder Singh started visiting various educational institutions to hold seminars and discussions with the students on the ralevent subjects. The students are encouraged to do Sehaj Paath of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and inculcate the spiritual values and way of living given by the Masters. In many of the camps organized by them, they not only administer Amrit to the young ones but also train them for their personality development as true Sikhs. Hundreds of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Beers in smaller parts known as ‘Sainchian’ have been distributed to students, families and organizations desirous of doing and promoting Sehaj Paath among the people. Sehaj Paath means reading Sri Guru Granth Sahib slowly by understanding its meaning and spiritual import. In addition, competitions for writing Gurbani, for explaining the Shabads and for lectures to clarify the concepts of Sikhism are also organized and winners suitably awarded. The Sehaj Paath doers students are also encouraged academically and those who score positions at institution level, district level and state level are given cash awards from the Daswandh of the family of S. Jatinder Singh Melbourne, (the founder of this organization). Their mission is to make the students excellent Gursikh engineers, excellent Gursikh doctors and so on. The organization has now planned to start new Sehaj Paaths in big number to make it a real movement. Along with Sainchian Shabadarth of Bani (meaning and explanation) are also being provided. This movement is not restricted to Punjab, but extends to various other states upto southern India and several foreign countries, particularly East Asian countries and Australia. Thus, the spirit of the Sikhs Helping Sikh is being projected through these efforts of encouraging and connecting the people with Guru’s Shabad. This is really a rewarding experience as Bhai Gurdas Ji has assured.

Just as a hundred temples raised in gold are given away in charity,
its reward is equal to teaching one hymn of Gurbani to a Guru’s Sikh.

(Bhai Gurdas Ji, Kabit : 673)

More information about the organization can be obtained through the website www.sikhshelpingsikhs. com and S. Jatinder Singh Uppal can be approached at Contact No. 0061-412310621.

The Living Treasure

The Living Treasure is an organisation based at 109, Mukherjee Park, Tilak Nagar, New Delhi. It was Regd. under the Societies Act XXI of 1860 at New Delhi in the year 1999 with Registration No. 35421. It is an organisation which is propagating Sikh religion in a unique way. The main preacher of the organisation is S. Bhupinder Singh popularly known as Veerji who has dedicated his life to this nobel cause of spreading the message of the Masters through lectures, seminars, workshops and discussions.

While explaining Gurbani he focuses upon its application in our day to day life clarifying that how Gurbani can transform our lives. It conducts mind balancing seminars in schools, colleges and corporate houses under the masterly guidance of Gurbani. Veer Bhupinder Singh Ji has been exploring the Gurbani from the very aspect of nurturing the shrivelled human thinking process by understanding and living the precious Godly qualities. His lectures and discussions on various topics are also available in the form of books, CDs and pen drives. Besides, Gurbani discourses are also done in Gurdwaras all over the world. Dialogues and workshops on various subjects of daily concern like Anger, Relationship, Parents and Kids, Stress Management and Time Management etc. are also held at different venues. Most importantly, taking valuable guidance from Gurbani doctrine, one to one counselling services are also offered to ensure the emotional welfare of the concerned persons. A charitable dispensary which provides medical services and medicines to the needy is being run in Nehru Vihar, Delhi. For the children of slum area, an educational support system is also provided for raising their academic levels. Although, the force behind this organisation is S. Bhupinder Singh, popularly known as Veer Ji, The present President and Secretary of the Organisation are Mrs. Gunwant Kaur and S. Dhanwant Singh respectively. Their contact nos. are, Mrs. Gurwant Kaur 9312715200, S. Dhanwant Singh – 9810003029.

Shabad Foundation

Shabad Foundation, an organisation based in Faridabad (Haryana) was registered (Registration No. 17092) in the year 2014. This organisation is doing a unique service of propagating teachings in Guru Granth Sahib with their initiative of sharing Gurbani in the form of an email service, named as “A Word A Thought from Gurbani” abbreviated as AWAT. It is a wonderful initiative, perhaps the first of its kind. By taking a word from Gurbani, explaining its meaning through its context in Gurbani, aided by etymological hints, the message of Gurbani is presented in modern but easy to understand terms. This evolves into ‘Gurbani Word of the Day’, that helps to keep the Divine in mind. This is published on their site : www.awordathough.com and sent out to all the subscribers at their emails, with pronunciations of the quote and message. The explanation provokes the seekers to think about the message given in the verse using the said word. While preparing the content for AWAT, weekly themes are selected. Themes include content from worldly wisdom to family relations, to embracing divine virtues as our way of life, understanding the faculties of the mind to establish harmony in our environment and world. It also covers linguistics and samples of a variety of languages and dialects used in the Guru Granth Sahib. The AWAT has included terms from other faiths and traditions which are used in the Guru Granth Sahib.

This was to ensure the universality of this service as well as spread awareness about different ways of life led by people of different faiths. Through the AWAT service, Shabad Foundation has also sought to spread the message of equality, empowerment, and justice with the help of Gurbani teachings. To reach out to the public with the content from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Foundation has worked to put up stalls and organize talks at various places in India and abroad. Dr Jaswant Singh is a scholar well-versed in Gurbani, both in its content and import. He helps in promotion campaigns by spreading the word about the AWAT during his seminars and workshops in India and abroad.

The AWAT has contacted a number of institutions for lectures and discussions and endeavoured thus to link people with the universal Gurbani teachings. Dr Jaswant Singh has visited Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia to spread the word around. Presently, AWAT has become a part of daily routine of thousands of subscribers across the world. It sends out daily email campaigns and has a large Face book and Instagram following who receive regular updates on Gurbani teachings. The AWAT has grown from strength to strength. It reaches out to subscribers in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, United States, Canada, and United Kingdom, etc. This unique service of the foundation has been highly appreciated both in intellectual circles as well as among the masses. The scholars like Inni Kaur, Dr I. J. Singh, Dr Harbans Lal from USA, and Baldave Singh and Ravinder Kaur from Australia have written articles appreciating their service, which have been published in Journals like the Sikh Review, Asia Samachar (an online newspaper) and also on Social Media websites like Sikhnet.com, sikhchic. com, sikhsayasat.com and sikh24.com, etc. In addition, the foundation has distributed in good number, CDs and printed material. It has also published the contents of the first year in two volumes, Gurbani Gems,Vol. I and Vol. II, by Singh Brothers, Amritsar. It is also planning to organise online discussion groups, online talks and courses. It is because of this great endeavour on the part of the foundation to distribute Shabad Langar in the spirit of Gurbani that Dr Harbans Lal Ji has described their effort as a ray of light :

(SGGS, 967)

May this light spread to all the people so that the universal message of love, brotherhood and welfare of all becomes known to the whole world!

This learned group consist of Dr Jaswant Singh, Mahinder Singh, Sucha Singh, Harjeet Singh, Sarabjeet Kaur, Baljeet Kaur and Ajit Kaur (India); Ajit Singh, Balwinder Kaur, Harcharan Singh and Raspal Kaur (Singapore); Sohan Singh (England) and Baldave Singh and Ravinder Kaur (Australia). The group seeks advice and solicits the views from all the people who can usefully contribute to the great mission.
Those who wish to receive the Gurbani Word of the Day from AWAT can register here: http://awordathought.com
Recently, two of its Editors, Dr Jaswant Singh and Sohan Singh have published a book, “Living in High Morale – Charhdee Kalaa”. To know more about AWAT visit : www.awordathough.com, or email at :contact@awordathought.com or baljitcaur@gmail.com, and contact on +91 9015537352

Alag Shabad Yug International Charitable Trust

Dr. Sarup Singh Alag, after his retirement from Punjab Government, thought of serving the people by enlightening them about teachings of the Sikh Gurus and Sikh religion through its history, culture and unique identity. Being a writer and a highly literate person with Master’s degrees in different subjects (history, Urdu, economics, English and Punjabi), he wrote wonderful books on the relevant subjects and distributed the same free of any charge. With a view to fulfil his mission, he created a trust known as Alag Shabad Yug International Charitable Trust, which was registered at Ludhiana. This Trust has since published more than 107 publications authored by Dr. Sarup Singh Alag and distributed the same throughout the world free of any charge. These publications translated into various languages are available in Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, English and Italian. More than five million books have been distributed so far all over the world. The publication of some of these books in different editions has created records and figures in various world records. His book
Harmandar Darshan figures in Limca Book of Records and India Book of Records 2017 for its maximum published editions (206 Deluxe editions). His other important books include Mistaken Identity of the Sikhs, Sikh Elegance: The Turban, Turban: The Sardari Emblem, Hair glory, and Understanding Hair Power.
Besides distributing high class literature, this Trust serves humanity through its various noble services, the brief mention of those is as under :-
To provide assistance to the needy Children.
To honour the deserving students.

To work diligently in ameliorating the plight of Women-folk and work to improve the pathetic condition of unborn girl babies which are done away before taking birth. Trust Punjabi book in this regard titled “Anjammi Bacchi Kujh Kehendi Hai” worked wonders and the Trust has so far distributed its lacs of copies and the impact in this behalf was overbearing.
The Trust provides some financial assistance to the budding writers and to standard writings.
The Trust tries to help some needy families.
The Trust offers blood to suffering patients who need direly the much needed life saving blood.

Trust’s General Secy. S. Sukhinder Pal Singh Alag (M.: 99884-00018) has donated blood about 100 times and the team of willing donors is doing yeoman services in this behalf.
Keeping in view the forthcoming 550th birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the Trust chairman has written three research books on the life and teachings of the Guru of human race in Punjabi titled “Dhan Nanak Teri Vaddi Kamai”in Hindi “Satgur Nanak Pargatya” and in English “Guru Nanak : The Master Divine” and about fifty deluxe and Super deluxe editions have been distributed so far. Now the Trust is striving hard to take the number to 101 editions by the time, this auspicious celebration takes place on 12.11.2019. The Trust never allows its multifarious activities to slacken. All its trustees are men of letters and are rendering services selflessly in the love of humanity and their Gurus.

Dr. Alag, who has not only won a number of awards and appreciations at different platforms, whose name also appears in ‘500 Sikh Role Models of the World’ and ‘Prominent Sikhs of India’ publications (a copy of this book was presented to his son in a special function, Chaired by the Vice-President of India on 29.10.2018), Dr. Alag along with his sons, S. Sukhinder pal Singh Alag and Dr. Raminder Deep Singh Alag has started a new programme under the Patronage of the Trust, through which thought provoking illumining Gurmat blended literary piece is narrated and despatched electronically to thousands of the readers, viewers and listeners every morning. This programme of the Trust is highly beneficial and is received and liked whole heartedly, the globe over

Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh

The institute of Sikh Studies (IOSS) was established and registered in 1989 by a group of Sikh Scholars who felt concerned over the large scale misrepresentation of Sikh doctrines, misrepresentation of Gurbani and the lack of understanding of the message of the Gurus, its importance in history and its contribution towards the development of mankind. These scholars included stalwarts like S. Daljit Singh, S. Jagjit Singh and Dr. Kharak Singh (founder members of the institute). The main aims of the institute are listed hereunder:-

To interpret the basic philosophy / theology of Sikhism enunciated in the original writings of Guru Nanak and the succeeding Gurus.

To study the history of development of Sikh religious thought, society, traditions and polity, and to bring out the contribution of Sikhism towards advancement of universal religious thought and human welfare.
To prepare and publish suitable literature on the above aspects, and to disseminate information on Sikhism through common media, meetings, seminars, talks, discussions, etc.
To watch and to counter any attempts to misinterpret Sikhism, or any hostile propaganda against religious philosophy, doctrines, traditions and history of Sikhs or the Sikh way of life. To encourage establishment of centres / groups / fora of Sikhs at suitable places in India to promote the aims and objectives of the Institute.
To maintain close liaison with affiliated centres through visits, periodical newsletter exchange, and supply of literature published by the Institute from time to time.
To establish and maintain contact with existing religious organisations and institutions interested in the aims and objects of the Institute, and to extend co-operation to, as well as seek co-operation and assistance from them on specific projects.
To set up a Reference Library for the benefit of members and scholars working for the Institute.
To prepare and introduce courses of instruction on Sikhism in schools and colleges, willing to participate.
To cater to the needs of the masses and religious groups of Sikhs in their missionary pursuits, mainly through supply of literature.
To co-operate with non-Sikh organisations, genuinely interested in the study of Sikh religion.

As the main object to publish books for spreading the message of the Masters and awareness about Sikh religion, a number of books have since been published by them. These include Sikhism – its philosophy and history (Eds. Daljeet Singh and Kharak Singh), Sikhism and civilization (Daljeet Singh), Essays on Sikh Philosophy (N. Muthu Mohan), Guru Granth – Guru Panth (Ed. Kharak Singh) and Khalsa & 21st Century (Ed. Kharak Singh). The institutes had also started a projects to write an authentic Sikh history under the overall guidance of Dr. Kharak Singh ad Dr. Kirpal Singh along with several leading historians as contributors. Two volumes of the same have already been published. After the demise of Dr. Kharak Singh, a five member project coordination working group under the Chairmanship of Dr. Kirpal Singh was constituted. S. Gurpreet Singh, S. Gajinder Singh, Col. Amrik Singh and Dr. Birendra Kaur were its members. The work is yet to be completed. In addition, the institute has got a number of classical works translated. This translation work has been completed in respect of primary sources of Sikh history like Sri Guru Sobha, Gurbilas Patshahi VI and Sri Guru Panth Parkash. They have also taken the help of scholars in other languages like Dr. N. Muthu Mohan and Dr. Himadri Benarjee for translating selected compositions from Gurbani into other Indian languages. The institute also organizes Sikh conferences, seminars and discussions on Panthak issues. A journal, abstracts of Sikh studies is being published since 1991. The institute has its own library at its headquarters. Around 4000 books including some rare book are available in this library. The institute has branches all over the world with main office outside India in USA. S. Gurpreet Singh (M.: 9815193839) is presently the President of this organisation. Its contact details for the Indian headquarters in Chandigarh are as follow:- Address: Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Kanthala (opp. Tribune Chowk), Industrial Area, Phase-II, Chandigarh-160002, Ph No. 91 172 2642580 and E-Mail is iosschd@gmail.com & ioss@satyam. net.in.

Basics of Sikhi

There are very few Sikh organizations which are doing excellent work for propagating and promoting Sikh religious values, teachings, history and traditions. One of these organizations is “Basics of Sikhi” which was founded by late S. Jagraj Singh in England. This organization is in fact, a well planned and a structured campaign of spreading Sikh education, using printed material and social media, mainly funded and supported by Everything’s 13, a registered Sikh education and humanitarian charity.

Bhai Jagraj Singh started several initiatives to raise awareness about the Sikh religion. Some of these initiatives include the Amritsar Visitor Centre, Sikh Press Association and the Mighty Khalsa Project. The Sikh Press Association is a media facing project to provide publicity for the panth. The project runs positive PR Campaign to raise the profile of Sikhs in the main stream. Mighty Khalsa is a project for the Sikh kids to provide them with kids oriented books, games and apps.

The Parchar method of this organization is also different from others. Its volunteers carrying the “Three facts” leaflets, meet the people on the streets and at public places and apprise them about Sikh religion by involving them in discussion on important issues and explaining the Sikh viewpoint in that regard. They hold programs like Katha Vichar in English and question and answers session with a view to involve the Sangat. There is weekly kirtan and english discourse series at Park Avenue Gurudwara Southhall in London and also at various other locations in U.K.
The organization also holds International Sikhi camps aimed at bringing the people together and inspiring each other through Sewa, Simran ,Sangat, Kirtan and Katha. Inspirational speakers impress and inspire the participants in the camps.
The organization has also a YouTube channel with over 1500 videos of Sikh analogies, short / long talks and various discussions on different aspects of Sikhi. They have started a ‘Basics of Sikhi Academy’, where training is given in different courses covering Sikhi concepts and teachings, as enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib (eg Guru course).The Academy also provides a six month training course for making Amritdhari Sikhs ‘preachers’. They have also produced literature and T-shirts with quotes inspired by Sikhi, in addition a

number of games, that have been developed exclusively for the children. These include Sikhi activity books & puzzle books .
Kiddie Sangat is also a parent & toddler play group, with a number of play groups set up and running not only in U.K., but all over the world . This project has become very popular and is spreading very fast, in various parts of the world. Kiddie Sangat provides resources for teaching the concepts of Sikhi to children between 4 and 14 years of age, in a playful and interactive manner. The teaching mediums used are conducive to fast learning using tools such as Games, lots of activities, Craft, Group discussions, Sakhis & Videos and songs.
The organization has spread its activities in almost all the big countries of the world. There are thousands of volunteers, working for them in Canada, USA, Europe, Australia and India. A good number of them have got their training from the organization’s own academy. They have grown as inspirational speakers mainly known as educators. This team of motivational speakers includes S. Baljeet Singh , S.Harman Singh , S. Sukhdeep Singh , S. Kal Singh , S. Amardeep Singh Sodhi , Sardar Gobind Singh , Sardar Harinder Singh , Sardar Harjinder Singh , S.Preet charan Singh , Partap Dev Kaur and Sukhmani Kaur. S.Harman Singh, living in Calgary, Canada is among the most known educators and speakers of the organization. He is now heading the North American team of basics of Sikhi. The initiatives within India are led by a renowned psychologist and Sikh scholar – Sdn. Avneet Kaur.

In Australia also, there are a good number of volunteers of ‘Basics of Sikhi’. They undertake all the projects and also raise the voice for protecting the interest and rights of Australian Sikhs. Recently, a school in Melbourne refused to admit a Sikh child because of his wearing of patka. Jaspreet Kaur, a volunteer of organization joined others to educate the public and institution about Sikh concept of covering the head with a patka. The joint efforts of various organizations succeeded in getting the said child admitted in the school. This case of Sidak Singh Arora is only one example, but ‘Basics of Sikhi’ volunteers are always there to educate the people of Australia about the Sikh faith.

So far as India is concerned, a separate unit was registered in September 2015 with the address C-11, Vijay Nagar, Delhi. This unit known as ‘Basics of Sikhi -India Charitable Trust’ has four trustees namely, S. Jasjit Singh, Ervinder kaur, S. Jaideep and S. Harjinder Singh. They are undertaking various activities at different places in India. Their network consisting of more than thousand volunteers, has organized various Ignite camps (a camp meant to ignite the minds of youth between 14-24 years of age), at different places in India. The objective of such camps is to discover ourselves, sharpen our skill, gear

up for our aspirations and strengthen our relationship with the divine. This is done through fun activities, simulating workshops, inspiring Vichar sessions and motivational lectures by the organization’s renowned educators and other motivational speakers. For example, in Mumbai an Ignite youth camp was organized in Dec 2017, which proved to be extremely useful for the youngsters and has transformed the lives of several participants.
There are over 40 Kiddie Sangat centres within various parts of India, such as Delhi, Punjab, Jammu, Maharashtra etc. In Mumbai & Thane, within a matter of only a few months, the Kiddie Sangat movement has spread into multiple locations such as – Ulhasnagar, Kalyan, Chembur, Powai and Andheri. The sessions are proving to be a big hit with the young kids and hence the demand for more centres, is constantly on the rise. This programme has touched the lives of more than 2,000 kids and their parents, across India. A typical itinerary of subjects covered in a Kiddie Sangat session, pertaining to a particular theme, includes – Simran and Japji Saheb Vyakhya, Activity / Game, Group Discussion, Sakhi / Videos, Craft session. The content of the sessions all over India, are standardized and documented for consistent delivery to all centres, across India.
One of the organizers of these camps within Mumbai, S. Jotinder Singh apprised regarding these programs including Kiddie Sangat held at Gurudwara Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Shere Punjab colony Andheri. “The program is shaping out very well. I feel the biggest achievement of this program is that the kids, are self-motivated and look forward to attending these sessions. Complex topics such as Hukam, Karam and Sikh Identity are explained in an interactive, fun-loving and easy language, which makes easy learning for the kids. Waheguruji has been kind to show us the right path, along this journey. The parents couch for little transformations, that are visible amongst their kids. Infact, the program is also turning out to be a bigger transformation for the Sewadars, who conduct this course. While we hope to transform the next generation with Guru’s blessings, we are also creating a young fleet of future Parcharaks for the Panth. This makes it a win-win situation for all stakeholders viz – Children, their parents, Gurdwaras, BoS Sewadars and Sikh Panth. We are in the process of opening another 2 centres, within the next 1 month itself”

Sarab Rog Ka Aukhad Nam Mission

It was in 1983 that S. Hardiyal Singh, one of the most educated persons with various post graduation degrees to his credit, an IAS officer of the Government of India, suffered from heart enlargement. He used to have fever even after mild exertion. He could not be cured with any system of medicine even by the top most men in the respective fields. He prayed at a historic place sanctified by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Gurdwara Paonta Sahib (H.P.) He got well and his heart size was reduced to normal. He tried this method of cure under the supervision of expert doctors of Medical College Amritsar and he found similar results. On the request of patients this Sarab Rog Ka Aukhad Nam Mission was founded by him. He was joined by his brother Dr. Balwant Singh, a medical practioner, who had served the army before taking up this noble mission. This organization started organizing various camps for the treatment of the people through Gurbani recitation. Although, the patient under goes the medical treatment, this Gurbani cure helps him in speedy recovery. This is based on the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji we learn that the cause of sickness is forgetting God and the cure lays in remembering Him. Through the service of Guru comes the happiness which would be everlasting and no problem or worry would ever cross the mind anytime. One can live in ecstasy all the time. The Service of Guru is to follow His teachings in letter and spirit. The camp teachers try to attach the patient with the concept of Nam by reading and imbibing the spirit and content of Gurbani in their life. There are numerous verses which assure that Guru will take care of devotee and he will get rid of the disease. The patient, when attached with Guru physically and mentally feels betterment in his condition and gets relieved of the stress and egoney of the disease. This method of cure became so popular with the passage of time that now this mission has number of branches in India and abroad. Camps are periodically held in different places in India and other countries. The organizers not only hold the heeling camps, but also camps for the healthy people known as Nam Simran Camps. The mission is also bringing out a magazine twice a year, entitled as ‘Sarab Rog Ka Aukhad Nam’. The special issues of this magazine are brought out depicting there by history or other important applications of Gurbani. S. Hardiyal Singh stationed at Chandigarh may be contacted on telephone no +91-172-2741957 and through email aukhad@mantraonline.com. Dr. Balwant Singh is living at 385L Model Town Ludhiana, the general sectary of the mission has setup a centre at his place known as Mata Raj Kaur Memorial Rog Niwaran Centre. He may be contacted on telephones +91-161-2433241 / +91-941-7696268 and email : info@gurunanakhealing.com.

Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam Mission Canada

Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam Mission Canada is a Not for Profit Organization with a primary goal to explore the potential of the healing power of Naam- Gurbani -medicine i.e. the inner power by arranging healing camps around the word. This method is very effective and we continue to observe excellent results in the five days healing camps. The message of Gurbani is universal and anyone can follow this process and obtain benefits.
Sufferings and diseases are per God’s Will and are due to sins. So long as sin is not atoned for, a person does not get proper medicine from the proper physician and he wanders from pillar to post in order to obtain relief from suffering. Sins are washed with Naam-Gurbani-medicine but not with medicines. When sins are washed, no room is left for ailments and sorrows to stay and therefore proper treatment becomes available. Many people suffer from tension, restlessness and anxiety without any particular physical ailments.
Insomnia and bad dreams are a common complaint. The Name medicine removes all these tension, anxieties, fears and agonies and induces sound dreamless sleep. No doubt, strenuous effort, self- restraint and single minded devotion are essential for the use of Divine Name medicine. With total faith, even serious chronic diseases can be cured in no time.
Naam-Gurbani-medicine i.e. inner power resides in all human beings. Access to it can be attained through four components:

Singing, listening and meditating the Divine Name i.e. one word denoting Name of God by following the methodologies and techniques ordained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Singing reciting and listening Gurbani and contemplating the teachings of Gurbani.
Cultivating faith in the healing power of God and as Remover of all sorrows, sins and obstacles through singing and reciting selected hymns from Gurbani.
Discipline and self-restraints in terms of diet care, personal hygiene and good conduct.

Congregational singing, hearing Divine Name and Gurbani leads to quicker results.
Often, the people coming to our camps are suffering from mental and physical ailments such as depression, insomnia, anxiety, joint pains, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, Cancer and family problems. Moreover, some patients avail of the Name medicine to get their retarded children cured. Anyone cultivating faith in the healing power of God can cure anyone, whether or not present in the camps.

Healthy, Happy, Holy Organisation

When Yogi Harbhajan Singh went to America and started teaching Yoga to the people, he assured that he will give them a healthy, happy and holy life. The Americans, mostly hippies, had indulged in drug addiction forgetting the concept of real happiness based upon the true religion. It was in these circumstances that healthy, happy, holy organisation came into being in 1970. It came to be known as 3HO in the abbreviated form. It is also referred in the West as the Sikh Dharma movement or Khalsa Dharma movement, and 3HO is the official name of their educational branch. Many Indian origin Sikhs refer to this movement as the Gora Sikhs (White Sikhs), while others question whether they are actually Sikhs-something resented by those who belong to it.
3HO has a code of conduct called rahit quite similar to the orthodox Khalsa, including the Five ks. The movement requires both men and women who join it to adopt Sikh names and Khalsa as their surname. Their central beliefs are found in the scripture Guru Granth Sahib. Men and women wear white turbans. The movement is known for including some practices found in certain traditions of Hinduism, such as vegetarianism, meditation and Yoga, particularly Kundalini yoga. The Sikh Dharma movement members consider themselves to be Sikhs, but the orthodox Khalsa organization headquartered in Amritsar does not consider them as Sikhs. The 3HO Sikhs consider the teachings of Yogi Bhajan as authoritative as the Guru Granth Sahib, and believe openness to Yoga and spiritual ideas as a source of strength.

Sikh Dharma International

The various other organisations initiated by Yogi Harbhajan Singh Group include Sikh Dharma International. Sikh Dharma International is a non profit religious organization sharing the universal teachings and life style of the spiritual path as shown by the Sikh Gurus. This organization came into being in 1973 and is a recognized non profit 501 C (3) religious organization in USA. It was registered in California to serve the needs of the Global Sikh Sangat. The head quarter of this organization is located in the beautiful Espanola Valley in northern New Mexico, at Guru Ram Das Ashram. However, there are many affiliates of the organization throughout the US and many communities around the world. Yogi Harbhajan Singh started this organization with a vision of ‘serving the one in all’. It aims at sharing the teachings of the Sikh Gurus as described by the Sri Singh Sahib in his unique style. His way of talking and teaching about the path of the Sikh has, for the first time in history, made the Sikh faith accessible to people from every background, language and culture of the world. The organization organized many events for teaching the people. They hold classes, publish literature, organise camps, and distribute videos to enable the devotees for their spiritual practice. The courses in Gurbani are provided in different languages. For example a course on Japji Sahib was given in French in August 2017 wherein all the paurdies were not only explained, but, were also relevant questions raised by the participants were answered. The best part was that an hour of pernounsation practice in Gurmukhi was undertaken with a view to make the foreign devotees used to do part correctly and after understanding its meaning and content. The organization also publishes the lectures of Yogi Harbhajan Singh Ji with a view to explain the various concepts of Sikhism. These lectures are not only useful and enlightening, but are also couched in simple beautiful language which can be understood.

Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle

Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle based at Ludhiana since 1972 is a non-political, academic, cultural and socio- religious organization for inculcation of moral and ethical values amongst the youth. It was setup with the following aims and objects.
To create awareness about our rich and glorious heritage.

To remove social and other evils from society.
To launch a movement in the fields of Literature, Culture, Social Service, Education and other aspects, as per universal approach of Gurbani.
To educate people about the ill designs of unholy and untruthful individuals, create respect dedication & faith in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
To restructure and transform the society into casteless social system.
To encourage non-professional recitation of Gurbani and Kirtan.

The organization engages itself in various programs such as Seminars, Conferences, Panel Discussions, Contests, Personality Development Camps, Audio-Video method, Group Discussions and personal contacts etc, for achieving its objects. During all these years, they have setup their chapters in various cities of India and Abroad. Presently the organization is working in 17 Indian States and 11 countries of World.
It has really emerged as an organization fully committed to the cause of future generations for bringing moral awakening as enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib among the youth irrespective of their caste, religion and nationality. The Organization has already been recognized by the D.P.I. (Schools) and D.P.I. (Colleges) Punjab, to establish the Units of Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle in all the schools and colleges of the Punjab. GGSSC is recognized as “Messenger of Peace” by UNESCO and this organization is also got certification of ISO 9001:2000 from UKAS.

The various projects undertaken by the organization include a few sewa projects like Bhai Ghanaiya Sewa International, Poor Patient Fund, Eye/Blood Donation, Higher Education Scholarships, De-addiction and Giani Dit Singh Memorial Free Literature, for helping the poor and needy people. Their other projects include Kes Pyar Mohim, Nasha Chadao Mohim and Sehaj Path Mohim. In addition GGSSC has also published a good number of book and magazine with a view to propagate the teaching and tenants of Sikh religion. Their unit at Hyderabad with S. Hazur Singh as the President has published a Gurmat Quiz Book both in English and Punjabi which covers the life history of all the Sikh Gurus and their teachings including Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagats, Sikh Generals, Sikh Warriors and Ghallughara (Holocuastes) and Sakas. Some members of Ontario Unit of Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle recently visited Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar (Khalsa Diwan Society) New West Minister and conducted a Gurmat Crash Course which was attended by more than 400 children and their parents. Such a crash course was conducted by them last year also. In the crash course, the history of Sikh Gurus was discussed with the participants as to emphasize upon them the Sikhi way of living. S. Jatinderpal Singh (9316029647) and S. Prithipal Singh (9888798055) are presently the President and Secretary of the organisation with headquarters at Ludhiana.

Chardikalaa Foundation

It is a California – based non profit Sikh organization aimed at promoting understanding of Gurbani and core Sikh values. One of the main functions organized by this organization
is annual conference on Sri Guru Granth Sahib. This conference is organised in association with Nishaan, Nagrra, a quarterly Sikh journal published from New Delhi. First such conference was held in 2012. The foundation based at 1245S Winchester Blwd, San Jose CA 95128 along with San Jose Gurdwara and Sikh Net were the main sponsors last year conference which was held on 19 August 2017 at San Jose Gurdwara in California. The chairman of the foundation Dr. Indermohan Singh along with other scholars like S. I.J. Singh and Dr. Jaspal Singh were the main speakers. Like every year, the theme of the conference was related to the Universal appeal of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The theme was “Applying the timeless, universal message of SGGS – across centuries, cultures, religions
and continents – in today’s world” In addition, the organisation also conducts vichaar programmes at San Jose Gurdwara. In these programmes, the scholars are inviting to speak on different subjects taken from Gurbani. The contact number is 408294-4536.

International Institute of Gurmat Studies

One of the modern methods of connecting the younger generation with Sikhism has been holding of the spiritual camps. These camps have helped considerably in countries like USA and Canada where the present generation was born in these countries and, but, for these camps this generation would not have known about their religion. A number of camps are being held in these countries for more than 50 years. One of the pioneers in this regard was Capt-S. Kanwar Harbajan Singh ji, founder of the International Institute of Gurmat Studies. He was only 19, when he founded Young Sikh Missionaries in Lucknow, India. He led and motivated college-going youngsters to take active part in Gurpurab Seva and formed Kirtan groups. He particularly loved to decorate gurdwaras, and take part in “shoe seva”. His peers called him “Singh ji” and followed his example by tying immaculate turbans and turning out as well-dressed, suave, saabat surat Sikhs. In 1972, he renamed his organization as ‘Institute of Gurmat Studies’ and pioneered the co-ed Sikh Youth camping movement in USA. IGS became international when the 12th Sikh Youth Camp was held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1979.
To date, 85 IIGS camps have been held in India, Nepal, U.K., U.S.A., Canada, Australia, and South East Asia. These include 72 Sikh Youth Camps and 13 family and women’s camps. Thousands of campers were inspired to take Amrit at these camps. Many Kirtan groups were formed under his guidance and conducted performances in several countries. He worked passionately towards disseminating knowledge of Gurbani through the written and oral words. While he moved audiences with his oratory, IIGS, under his guidance, published several nitnem books with translations, Kirtan books, Kirtan teacher handbooks and produced kirtan CDs. He also supervised the publication of two children’s books, Dear Takuya and the Royal Falcon that have won much acclaim not merely from Sikhs all over the world but also mainstream educators.

As Capt. Sahib had moved to southern California, USA in 1985, the head quarter of IIGS was also shifted to this place. This organization started celebrating every year the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji on December 25th in a manner so grand and unparalleled in pomp and opulence that the annual event is now widely known as the ‘Darbar-e-Khalsa’. A day long festival of Kirtan, speeches and awards for exemplary Sikhs and Sikh organizations culminates each year in a grand finale of the Guru Granth Sahib being sent off in a helicopter amidst thunderous jaikaraas. It also started camps in India where it became an annual feature. The GRD academy at Dheradun becomes the venue of these annual camps. 87th Youth camp in India is scheduled to be held from 16th to 24th June 2018 in which young Sikh men and woman between the ages 10-24 can participate and learn about the great Sikh heritage, history and culture. After the passing away of captain Kanwal Harbhajan Singh Ji, his son S. Kaviraj Singh is now the main person for running the activities of this US based, non profit and non political Sikh organization. Their address is 1579 Peacock Avenue, Sunny Vale, California and contact number is 4087739878. Their Delhi address is 0-22 Lajpat Nagar 2 Third floor New Delhi 110024 and the contact number is 9311541854.

Guru Harkrishan Institute of Sikh Studies

Guru Harkrishan Institute of Sikh Studies is a non-profit organisation Regd. in the state of Maryland, USA since 1995. The main object of this organisation was to organise Annual Sikh Youth Gurmat Camps. In these camps every year, a number of activities are included to inculcate the spirit of Sikhi in the youth. These activities relate to various aspects of Gurmat living. The participants are taught Keertan (Gurbani Singing), playing Tabla and string instruments, Gatka training and communication skills. They participate in discussion on various topics of Sikh history and Gurmat and also compete in quiz and other competition organise in the camp. One unique feature of these camps is that they get an opportunity to meet prominent Sikh personalities from different fields and interact with them. The 23rd Annual Sikh Youth Gurmat Camp has already been announced by GHISS from 21 July to 28 July 2018. The main person who had founded this organisation and is continuing to do this service is S. Gurdeep Singh. In addition to these annual camps, the institute endeavour to expose the new Sikh generation of the western world to the principles and values of Sikhism. To achieve this goal, GHISS has conducted a number of camps, retreats, workshops, seminars, etc. in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area and other States as well. The Annuals Sikh Youth Gurmat Camp, the year-round Gurmat and Punjabi Studies Program, and the Annual Sikh Adult Gurmat Retreat play a major role in this endeavour.

The Gurmat and Punjabi Studies Program was first initiated in the Sprint of 1995 and has been held at various different locations including Recreation Centres of the Maryland Parks and Planning Commission and various Gurdwara faculties. GHISS has conducted 45 Semesters so far in which more than 800 unique kids have received Gurmat and Punjabi education.
The 22nd Annual Sikh Youth Gurmat Camp was organised at Maryland, USA from 29 July to 5 August 2017 at Latharop E. Smith Environmental Education Centre 5110 Meadow Side Lane, Rock Ville, Maryland 20855. The Contact details of S. Gurdeep Singh, President of GHISS are 18502 Thundercloud Road, Boyds, MD 20841, Tel. (301) 5282222, Email : ghisscamp@gmail.com.

Khalsa Camps

Khalsa Camp is the name given to various camps held at different places in the world. It is a non profit camp which is run around the globe in UK, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and India. These camps were started by an organisation known as Khalsa Foundation which became a Registered Charity No. 1161419 in 2015. Prior to that, it had been functioning in U.K. and was holding camps there. At that time the foundation was constituted by a group of students studying in UK who went eager to adopt a Sikhi way of living and to tell others about the Sikhi. It was started with a view to provide Gurmat education for anyone wishing to learn about Sikhi in a language are could understand. Khalsa Foundation’s flagship event was born, in the summer of 1990, under the first ever Sikhi based camp was held in Bangor, Wales and attended by many throughout the UK. From the outset it was clear that there was not only a yearning from the students who had established the organisation, but, also the Sikh community which was now, first and second generation Sikhs in the UK. Year on year, Khalsa Camps grew, more and more people attended, facilities became bigger and better. Due to limited financial support and personal commitments of key Sevadars, Khalsa Camp did not take place during the late 90’s. With the founding members having passed on the torch to a new team of Sevadars, Khalsa Camp came back with a bang in the millennium. More and more events outside of Khalsa Camp were organised, with Khalsa Talks taking place in university campus’ and in Gurdwaras. When these camps became popular, its branches came into being in different countries. They started holding such camps independently with the name Khalsa Camp. These camps aim to provide an inspirational camping experience to the participants. The camps are stated to come with a yearning and aspiration to ‘discover the spirit within’. This is the motto of Khalsa Foundation.

The organisation added to its camps Khalsa Darbars aimed at education in Gurdwaras, Khalsa Keertan Darbars which give everyone a chance to perform Keertan in Sangat were established alongside Khalsa Camp and Khalsa Talks. In 2017 Khalsa Family Retreat was launched, aimed at providing a whole family experience of Sikhi as well as practical steps in which to encourage families to make Sikhi the core of their family unit. 2018 saw the launch of the Sikh Parenting Course which provides a brief snapshot for parents, guardians, grandparents and potential parents on what it means to bring children up with Sikhi.
Future aims and ambitions :
Khalsa Foundation is planning to continue to help implement Khalsa Camp’s around the world, with projects taking place to expand Khalsa Camp in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Khalsa Foundation is also looking to invest in full time Parchariks (speakers) who are able to travel UK, Europe and the rest of the world, providing Gurmat knowledge and understanding with the aim of helping people discover that ‘WaheGuru is closer then they think’. The address of this organisation is 43 West Street, Barbury, OX163HA. The operational head of Khalsa Foundation, the mother organization for all world wide Khalsa camps is S. Ravjeet Singh (Contact No. +44 7863335166). In India that camps are oraganized by the Indian Team lead by S. Sukhwinder Singh (M.: 9815071645)

Sikh Youth Alliance of North America (SYANA)

Another organization which has been holding camps since 1970’s in USA and Canada is Sikh Youth Alliance of North America. Earlier, this organization was named as Sikh Youth Federation, USA and Canada. That organization had started working in 1968 and organized the first Youth Gurmat Camps in Metropolitan Detroit on an annual basis in Michigan area since July 1973. It has organized Kirtan Durbars on selected topics on the auspicious occasion of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji’s Gurgaddi Divas every year since 1987. Kirtan is performed by the Youth to depict various aspects of our present Guru. It has also held Annual Sikh Youth Symposiums since 1989 in the Midwest Region of USA (From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Chicago, Illinois). After it changed its name to Sikh Youth Alliance of North America, SYANA has been engaged in various social and religious activities which include discourses on Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scriptures in a congregation, where the hymns are recited on a specific theme and the meanings of the hymns are explained, Sikh educational seminars and conferences on Sikh and Multifaith related topics, Symposiums on theology and history books on Sikh religion, when the youth belonging to various age groups will summarize the books assigned to them and learn to present their respective summaries before the congregation. The youth not only get themselves acquainted with the Sikh literature but also learn the art of presentation in a persuasive manner before a large audience, Weeklong camps and retreats shall be organized annually to give the participating youth a glimpse of the Sikh way of life. They learn the daily routine of a Sikh, while learning about their history, Scriptures and the code of conduct and \initiate and support research and education in all matters pertaining to Sikh Religion by providing fellowship and grants and cooperate with other institutions that are engaged in the educational uplift of all,

SYANA organized its 2018 Gurmat camp from 25th May to 28th May at YMCA Camp store. S. Kuldeep Singh, now living in Florida (Contact No. 00141945400695) has been one of the main organisers of these camps. S. Ujagar Singh is another prominent Sikh personality associated with Gurmat Camps in USA. When he shifted to USA, they had desire to do something for the younger generation of the community. They thought of organising Sikh Youth Camps to keep the younger generation attached to their religion. They started the Sikh Youth Federation. He and his wife Gobind Kaur started the Sikh Youth Federation of North America, and the first Sikh Youth Camp was held in 1976. They brought teachers of Sikh history, Gurmukhi and Kirtan from all over the world to teach the youngsters of the area. They would used their two weeks of vocations in a year to holding of these camps. Over the year, the camp became popular and grew in sized. S. Ujagar Singh was the court Director of the Summer camps from 1976-1980. In 1980 he took over as the Director of camp Chardikala named after the spirit its bring to the youth. This Chardikala camps became a model for all the Sikh youth camps held in United States. This is organised every year during the 3rd week of August at a new camp site in New York. The youth leader of today belonging to various organisations like SALDEF, Sikh Coalition and United Sikhs have been trained in Chardikala camps.

Other Camps

As stated above the different unit setups in different countries are organizing Khalsa Camps every year. Khalsa Camp Australia was organized in Jan 2018. The next Khalsa Camp in Australia is scheduled from 16-January-2019. During this year Khalsa Camps were also organized in UK and India. The team which organises these camps in India consists of a number of volunteers led by S. Sukhwinder Singh (Contact No.9814180354). Khalsa camp was also organized during this year is USA. In addition to the above noted Sikhi Camps, camps are also organized in many Gurdwaras in foreign countries during vacations. These camps are of different durations and provide different courses like Punjabi Teaching, Gurbani Singing Teaching, Gatka etc. In India also such camps are organized in some Gurdwaras, particularly in the states far away from Punjab. Sometimes, camps exclusive for Girls, Ladies or families SYANA Summer camp SYANA Gurmat Camp 2018 BOSS Sikhi Camp 2017 are also organized. This year a summer camp was also organized by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. Miri Piri Academy also organizes camps, both in USA as well as in Punjab.

Camps in Australia – Sikh Nojawan Melbourne

In Australia, Sikh Youth Australia is an important organization, which has been organizing camps for more than 20 years. Sikh Nojawan Melbourne also organizes family camps. This is a non profit organization in Victoria, run by the Volunteers from all walks of Life. They devote their resources and time for organizing the camps with the objects of preparing their children and youth to face the challenges in a multi cultural society. Sikh Nojwan Melbourne works in harmony along with various Gurdwara organizations as well as other local and international organizations. Apart from the camps they also organise Talks, Seminars and plays to develop the confidence and communication skills among their young ones. Mighty Khalsa programs are organized fortnightly in both the east and western Gurdwara’s for children aged from 4-12 years. These programs include Story Telling, Games, Art Competition and Talks about Sikhi. Children and young are encouraged to actively participate in the sewa of Chaur Sahib, Rehras Sahib, Kirtan Sohila, Ardas and Hukamnama. These activities not only help to build leadership and communication skills, but also build the confidence of our youth and children when they actively participate in the satsangs, and teaches them Gurdwara Sahib Decorum and Etiquettes. Sikh Sewaks Australia has also been organizing Gurmat Family Camps since 2010.

Sikhi Camps in UK

In UK, British Organization of Sikh Students called BOSS is also well known for its camps. This organization has been holding Sikhi camps since 1996. The organization has been working with young students across the country during all these years, primarily via Sikh societies, as well as organising other events such as talks, fun days and camps for young children, conferences, exhibitions, inter-faith work and providing free literature. Sikhi Camp is organised and delivered by volunteers. The vast majority of their volunteers are young
British Sikh students and professionals who understand the needs of young Sikhs in the UK today. Many of the volunteers have attended camp in the past and having been greatly inspired and moved by the experience, now help to organise the week. No one is paid a wage and all camp fees go into the actual cost of running the camp.
Sikhi Camp takes place each year and is a 6 day residential based retreat. This Sikh camp for adults aims to attract people who may not know much about their faith but wish to learn more in a friendly and nonjudgemental environment. Due to language or cultural barriers, they cannot always obtain this from the local Gurdwaras and this is where Sikhi Camp steps in.
The contact details of this organization are, mailing address: Boss Sikhi Camp, PO Box 4350, Birmingham, B20 2FB, Contact No. 07935900546 and Email: info@sikhicamp.org. A group of volunteers in UK also organizes camps known as Sikhs 2 Inspire. Sikh Missionary Society, UK has organized so far more than 40 camps.

Sikh Missionary Society

This society was founded in 1969 at South Hall in West London and was registered as a British Charity with registration no. 262404. It was aimed at producing and distributing literature on Sikh religion in English, Punjabi and other languages to apprise the younger generation about their religion, arranging classes, lectures, seminars, conferences, gurmat camps and the celebration of Holy Sikh events to award prizes to children on the basis of their achievement and interest in learning about Sikh faith and Punjabi language and finally providing the younger generation with latest educational videos, DVD’s and multimedia CD-ROMs. The Sikh Gurmat camps organized by them include lectures, workshops and other Sikhi related activities along with the learned scholars on Sikhism, the concerned officers from British Authorities are also invited for interaction with the children. This year camp was organized on 29th July to 4th August 2018 at Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Roding Lane, Chigwell, Essex IG76BQ. The camp organizers were Sukhraj Kiran Kaur and S. Harcharan Singh Tonque. In this camp, the campers were given the opportunity to learn about and experience the Sikh way of life through prayer, music, activities, talks and workshops. The children were split into 14 groups monitored at all times by between two and three voluntary group leaders. In the workshops, they were led by local police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) in conjunction with Essex Police’s dedicated youth participation worker, Dan Rankin. Subjects such as policing the extended police family, drugs, knife crimes and personal safety were covered. An interactive relay-race in old police uniform (including riot shields and body armour) got the children’s pulses racing. The contact details of this organization are, address 10, Featherstone Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB2 5AA, United Kingdom, Contact No. +44 (0) 2085741902 & email: info@sikhmissionarysociety.org

Saanjh

Saanjh is a Punjabi Word which means partnering, sharing and connecting. It is a community based organisation that was born in winter 2007, to focus on inspiring the next generation to be a force for positive social change. Saanjh’s programming includes leadership retreats, kid’s camps, and services tailored to new immigrant youth. Saanjh initiates and encourages programming that encourages social activism around race, religious identity, gender, and class issues, towards a collective empowerment.

Camps in East Asian Countries

Even in East Asian Countries, camps are organized in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia has maximum Sikh population. The practice of holding Gurmat camps was started by Baba Sohan Singh of Malacca along the lines of the earlier Granthi Sammelans. These Granthi Sammelans were organised to educate and update religious and educational personnel. Punjabi School teachers, Missionary preachers and Gurdwara Granthis used to attend these Granthi Sammelans. S. Dya Singh, the famous Sikh preacher, now settled in Australia, was among the first participants of these camps. He received encouragement and blessing from Baba Sohan Singh and recalls Gursikhs like Master Joginder Singh (now in Adelaide, Australia), late S. Sarjit Singh Bassian and S. Sangat Singh with great affection. Later S. Hari Singh, S. Karminder Singh and S. Autar Singh (of the Learning Zone) have been involved in Parcharak training so important for Sikh diaspora countries.
Large scale international Gurmat camps are now run in countries like Malaysia. These are well organised and led by those with good experience of working with children and young Sikhs. Sikhs brought up in the Malaysian Sikh Youth Gurmat Camp culture are now part of the second wave diaspora (from Malaysia) and have taken their methodology to other parts of the world. In the words of S. Dya Singh “those trained in Malaysian camps, have started up similar ‘camps’ in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane in Australia. I met two others, Sikh Naujwan Sabha, Malaysia, Sewadars – Inderjeet Singh and Sukhdev Singh in Vancouver where they have similar camps. Yadhvinder Singh has a similar camp in Auckland, New Zealand. Malaysian Gurmat Camp facilitators travel regularly to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore to conduct such camps. Recently such facilitators also travelled to Sweden, Germany, England and also Vietnam to assist in similar camps.”
For the camps in Malaysia, an important role has been played by various organisations. The first and the oldest among them was Khalsa Diwan Malaysia.

Khalsa Diwan Malaysia KDM

This society was established on 27 December 1903 at Taiping. It was at that time the only organisation of the Sikhs for various functions such as establishing Gurdwaras, Punjabi Education and ‘Dharam Parchar’. Other requirements of the community including cultural, social, sports and general welfare matters were also part of their charter. Another organisation of Malaysia which has played an important role in Sikh Prachar is Sikh Naujwan Sabha of Malaysia. This organisation is famous for its Annual Gurmat Samagams. Infact these Gurmat Samagams are Gurmat camps attended by a large number of Sikhs not only from Malaysia, but also other nearby countries. Master Gurbachan Singh was the main force behind this Sabha. He was not only among the founders, but also among those who brought international fame to the organisation. Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) has been an important vehicle in keeping the tenets of the Sikh faith alive for the Malaysian Sikh community. It is primarily a Sikh youth organization, initiated with the blessings of the Malaysian Sikh community elders in the 1960s, who decided that starting the activity of prayer and contemplation on Sikhi was crucial from a young age. Over the decades, the SNSM has been adept in evolving its activities and organization to cater to the altering needs and self-conceptions of the various generations of Sikh youth. S. Dya Singh has writely said that this organization has played invaluable part in Sikhi Parchar amongst the Sikh youth in South East Asia. In his words “Today barely a weekend goes by without a ‘mini-samelan’ in virtually all major towns in Malaysia, including Singapore leading to the Annual Sammelan in some city of Malaysia, one week before Christmas. On average 1000 Sikh youth descend upon some university or technical college which is hired for one week for the purposes. It takes a dedicated ‘Sewadars team’ of over 300 to carry it through. That would include classes converted to dormitories, continuous langar and a fully coached ‘delivery team’ which is always bilingual (English) and also the Mala language (Infact, Master Joginder Singh Ji wrote a book on Sikhism called ‘Ugama Sikh’ in the 1960’s which has been reprinted again last year).” Today Sikh youth all over the world attend the Malaysian Annual Sammelan – from U.K., USA, Canada, India, UAE and other countries.

Sikh Naujawan Sabha Indonesia

Like Malaysia, Indonesia is another Muslim country where Sikh population is quite substantial. Here also we have a Sikh Naujawan Sabha Indonesia in Jakarta. SNSI is the body for Sikh youth in Indonesia. The nonprofit organisation was set up 2000 and has been running on a purely volunteer basis for the past 18 years. SNSI conducts various activities such as youth camps, samelans, excursions, games and sports to achieve their objective of promoting culture, understanding and philosophy of the Sikh way of life and also to create and foster leadership and responsible citizenship values amongst the Indonesian Sikhs. Both Malaysian and Indonesian Naujawan Sabhas have a good rapport and unite to work in common matters. When Tsunami hit the Western coast of Indonesia in 2004, the Malaysian Sikhs were the first to appear on the scene with their relief workers (even before Government assistance came). The Sikh Naujawan Sabha Indonesia was also aimed at holding Gurmat Parchar Sammelans every year. But it could not be organised for a number of years due to certain reasons, during this year it came back with full splendour. More than 500 Sikhs took part in the six days camp from 17-22 June 2018 at Taman Wiladatik, Cibbur in Jakarta. The participants included both Hindus and Sikhs from all parts of Indonesia including Batam, Bali & Madiun and also from Singapore, Malaysia & U.K. etc. Special guests from the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) and Basics of Sikhi UK were also present to support the camp in educating and guiding the Indonesian sanggat throughout the programme. There was also a special talk from a representative from the Narcotics Bureau, Badan Narkotika National (BNN), who educated participants on the dangers of drugs and how Sikhi also prohibits this. Daily Gatka classes, conducted by the gatka team, allowed participants, sewadars and visitors to try their hands at the Sikh martial art. Some even showcased their newly acquired skills on the last night, where the ladies and kids did a gatka performance! A daily parents sessions featuring talks specially dedicated to the Sikh parents and adults also ensured the adults learnt something from the Samelan. As per Samelan tradition, the Samelan concluded with a Khandey-Da-Pahul (Amrit Sanchar) ceremony with a record number of participants (as per Asia Samachar Report dt. 1st July 2018).

Sikhi Sewa Society

Sikhi Sewa Society in Italy is doing Parchar of Sikh religion by getting the books on Sikhism written and published in Latin. They have become so popular that they are invited in many important interfaith gatherings. They went even to Vatican City to attend the International Conference on Religion. The society also organises camps for the young Sikh children and makes arrangements for teaching them Gurmat and Punjabi Language. It also holds competitions among the children for tying Turban. In the times of any natural calamity, the society provides health and relief to the affected person. For example, when there was an earthquake in Italy on 24th August 2016 leaving more than 300 people dead and a trail of destruction behind, the society sent volunteer who helped pulling survivors and dead bodies from the rubble. The society was also in touch with the local councils and the Indian Embassy to find out the ways to help the affected people. It collected blankets, tents and cloths for such people. The Gurdwara Sahib at Fabriano, Italy, which is the base place of the society, sent sealed packets of food for the people in the affected areas. The distinguish service which the society is rendering has brought it rewards and appreciations at different platform. Recently in the month of May 2018, it was praised by Ambassador of Human Rights organization of Italy and its office bearers were honoured at a function held in Milan. S. Gurjeet Singh accepted the honour on behalf of the society. The contact details of the society are Lorenzo Bandani 7, 42017 Novellara. Its contact no. is 00393806903435.

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