I know we have some differances on some issues but lets not get this in the way, of friendship and togetherness. The last thing we want is, people fighting people. I dont want that and im sure you dont either so all i can say to you and everyone around the world is this, please take into account that Punjab's future isnt looking good and everyone who is involved in Punjab's future must choose that right path that will benefit everyone who lives there. To be fair again, im just simply looking out for, the people in the Punjab. I can only hope that the problems there can only get better. I know that Sikhism can offer alot to the people of this world, i just hope that the people of this world can resolve there differances and make this world better so that the people of this world can come together as one.

Ok, one thing, this guy (the cult leader) is working for the Indian Government, there is a VIDEO on youtube that proves that he's funding, comes directly from the Government. He is performing meracles using his own money or Government money on the poor people, which they believe he is the guru. The money is also going into building, big buildings, buy lots of land and he is hurting alot of Sikhs including the SPGC. He is NOT a religion, he is a cult leader with alot money and has the backing of the indian Government. WAKEY, WAKEY....lol. As for other issues you have mentioned, im not going to comment because im not sure what to say right know. however i am still dissapointed with how you have dealt with this issue. To be fair, the Sikhs in punjab, cant even speack out against this guy without fear of being killed or arrested. This proves as well, that india is not a democracy, its just a super state instead.

1) We do not support nor deny the Dera, but as you know some Sikhs just react to things that they hear in the news. Also, no one from the Dera has actually been convicted of anything, there are just allegations. A few of the followers of the Dera leader have been accused of rape and killing some Sikhs, but they deny the claims and say they have been framed. Baring in mind that the judicial system in India is questionable, one must be a bit more cautious about coming to conclusions about what is happening there, and although this does not excuse the Dera of anything they may have done wrong, since nothing has been proved or disproved it would be ludicrous to take a stand for or against the Dera. 2) The other point is that in mainstream Sikhi, Deras are not even considered a part of the faith. Therefore, Sikhs do not have a right to impose their ideologies upon them of what they consider to be right or wrong. Whatever the Dera does or does not do is their own business. If it hurts the ego of some Sikhs, then those Sikhs do not understand Sikhi, because Sikhi is about acceptance of people for who they are and not about judgement or right and wrong, and certainly NOT about imposing your own way of living on other human beings. 3) So question is, when is it alright to stand up for your faith? The answer is when your own way of life or the way of life of others is being interrupted because someone is trying to impose their view of the world on you. The irony is that, the Sikhs are meant to be protecting the freedom of religion of others, but instead are trying to impose their views upon the Dera, which is against the philosophy of the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. 4) The final point is that Sikhs must learn to not react emotionally to news. Today, the situation in the Punjab is that it has one of the highest rates of female infanticide in India. It also has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in India. Also, rape is one of the fastest growing crimes in India. So, question yourself, if you as a Sikh really care about people dying, destroying themselves and committing crime such as rape, then why not create active initiatives to reduce these statistics in India and stop focussing on issues which may or may not be happening in a Dera? The reason is because Sikhs are reactive and not proactive. Reactive only when it concerns themselves or their ego, and not proactive in serving the world genuinely from the heart in matters which affect all of humanity.

The main reason why i have put this on Sikhnet is to let the Sikhs know whats happening in the news. I have nothing against you nor anyone for that matter, however, i do have the right, to let the Sikhs know about this news. I dont know, but maybe, you (ProjectNaad) can learn from this and say....sorry, it's up to you. Supporting a cult leader who has cometted murder and rape for example, isn't a good idea if you know mean. I do have the right to speak out and i can only hope that this issue is resolved soon.

From Panthic weekly. http://www.panthic.org/news/123/ARTICLE/4247/2008-07-25.html Now, now, whos been a naughty boy.

First of all,please don't wrongly insinuate that I have ever made any comment on Yogi Bhajan.I have all my respects for him even though I do not agree with his mixing kundalini yoga practice with Sikhism if that is what he did,which I doubt anyway.It is his followers,as is usually the case,who have distorted his teachings,I feel. Secondly,please provide a reliable reference that 'sampardaas' were practicing yoga.Moreover where does it say in Guru's teachings that Sikhs should practice kundalini yoga or 'white Tantrik yoga'?Kindly do not misinterpret Guru Ramdas Jee's 'Raaj yog' as it only means "saintly king or kingly sainthood".I don't think it is wise to cook up one's own Sikh History. Thirdly,white Sikhs only make up a tiny number in the Panth,and majority are of Punjabi descent or affiliation.So naturally their issues are the most urgent issues facing the Panth today. If the 'Sikh Dharma' you mention is composed of kundalini yoga,white Tantrik ideology,solstice rituals and other unSikh malpractices,then it certainly cannot be practising true Sikhism and its followers cannot therefore be true Sikhs.Assuming an outer appearance and name suffix of 'Khalsa' does not necessarily make a true Sikh.Such practices only run parallel to fake practices of dera-babas in Punjab an elsewhere. Lastly,calling me small-minded,dogmatic,etc, is only being emotional and not reasonable.Pointing out and warning against wrong and unSikh practices is not at all insulting.It is simply awareness of fake from truth,which is a Sikh's duty at all times.

I agree with everything with what ProjectNaad has said. It's just simply, the future of Sikhism in Punjab, that really concerns me, mate. All of our history, culture and heritage, all comes from Punjab. If that was lost, to a new Punjabi state for only Hindus, then we are in....big trouble. It always comes back to the samething of what to do.... An example, that is said on the Sikh Genecide Project website on the front page. "The first step in liquidating a people is to erase it's memory. Destory it's books, it's culture, it's history. Then have somebody (Indian Government) write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history (dera saucha sauda, if you know what i mean,lol). Before long that nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was...The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting" --Milan Kundera. There are Sikhs in Punjab that cant even speck out against, people who do try to attack Sikhism. If you type in on youtube, "Sikh Human rights" for example then look at the first video the comes up on the next page. That video shows the true side of the Indian Government in 2008. It's a must see for anyone who follows Human rights issus around the world. Really, to be fair again, im just simply looking out for, the Sikhs in the Punjab. I can only hope that the problems there can only get better, if they dont....then Bye, Bye to Punjab. I know that Sikhism can offer alot to the people of this world, i just hope that the people of this world can resolve there differances and make this world better so that the people of this world can come together as one.

Sat Siri Akal Ji! Yes we completely agree that the people of the land should decide on what they would like to be part of!...we would support kashmiri people to have the democratic right to devolve from India or remain with India and we would agree that punjabi people shoud have the same right to decide whether they want to be more independent or whether they want to remain part of bharat. Its just that we know that from the 50% of hindu punjabi in India, very few people would be attracted to an independent state and out of the 50% f sikhs that form punjabi not all will support khalistan and as you need > than 50% vote to create an outcome...this is a non-starter. We definately believe that India does need to create more power at a local level and not everything decided at federal level...e.g. work more like the European Union. But the system would need to benefit everyone and win the hearts and minds of all indians and not just hindu and sikh punjbabis. But certainly shouting Khalistan Zindabad during Nagar Keertan's will neither take people closer to any resolution nor satisfy the social, spiritual, economic or political aims of people in any way. This is all I see the average Indian sikh do who supports this idea. Sikhs own major businesses in North India outside of Punjab and in all other parts of India. Our economic and spiritual strength will ensure we have strong political representation. Just look at the example of American sikhs and the impact they have on society! Also Indian Sikhs gave their lives for India to be independent and it follows that we have a right over the whole of India. A tiny segment of India is simply not enough....I think it is much better to have open access to all parts of India and build wealth empires that spread the length and breath of the country. This is an extremely complex debate though and there is no simple answer to it....and all opinions are valid. It is also one thatis almost never ending and even if we came up with a better management structre for Bharat that inclues a greater amount of de-centralisation, I doubt the many millions of nationalist Hindus that run racis groups like the BJP, RSS, VJP would ever support such an initiative! These are just some thoughts from the top of my head and i a slighty dis-organised order! blessings and love to you ji!! www.ProjectNaad.com

I agree with the above, however i do know the reasons why you dont get a responce from the indian political parties is because they do not except Sikhism as a faith altogether. India's history with the Sikhs has not been go for one reason, the Indian Gvernment will not let the Sikhs expand the Sikh Faith throughtout India. The Indian Government dont need educating, what Sikhism is or who are Sikhs because they already know what Sikhism is and who Sikhs are,lol..they have know what Sikhism is since independence in 1947 and before. An Example (History) When the British left in 1947, the Sikh chose to stay with India or Hindustan. The Sikhs made an agreement with Congress led by Neru. The agreement was based on promises given to the Sikhs from congress, to make sure that the Sikhs and Sikhism would be kepted safe in a new India. Other agreement were made as well such as, the water would be controlled from Punjab and that there would be a new Sikh Marriage Act put in place by the British before they left. So from this the indian government knew what they were doing with Sikhs anyway. AFTER 1947. India's first prime minister, Neru and the new indian government changed there agreement with the Sikhs without out the support of the change, from the Sikhs. In the words of Neru to the Sikhs, "Cercomstances have know changed". In 1950, the Indian Constitution was compiled with 391 articles. One of the articles was 25 (Freedom of religion in India). The constitution of 25, then and today stills says, that Sikhs, Jains and Buddists are to be classed as Hindus. So basiclly, by Law in india today, Sikhs are Hindus. In 1955, the indian Government obolished the new Sikh Marriage Act and replaced the marriage act with, a new Hindu Marriage Act imposed opon the Sikhs. Again the new Hindu Marriage Act is still around today. I, projectnaad have only touched the surface with what the Indian Government have done with Sikhs over the last 60 Years. The very servival of Sikhism in India was falling right from the very start of independance in 1947. The Indian Government know what they are doing with Sikhism. As an example again, why are Sikhs facing and have been facing such big proplems from the Government. In other words, Why are Indian Government not willing to talk with the Sikhs?..it's simple, they dont want too, they last 60 years should tell you that. Sikhs have and will always be dicriminated in India, regaredless of how much the Sikhs want to talk with the Indian government. Yeah, we can keep trying but the result is always the same, Nothing. The water, Electrcity, food and even the schools in Punjab, are controlled by the Indian Government, the very same Government that sees all the Sikhs as Hindus, Think about it?. As for M.Singh as Prime minister, one thing, Never judge a book by it's cover. If he (M.Singh) really wanted to sort out, all of Punjab problems for example, then why doesnt he have the power to change India's constitution and of what it says about the Sikhs?. He's had three years in office so why no change, Think about it?. Im not saying Khalistan is the only option but think about the future of all the Gurdwara's and Sikh History there in the Punjab. Sikhism in Punjab, is and has been eroding away thoughtout history because of some Sikh gurdwara committes not doing enough for Sikh communities but mainly because of the Government, of how much control they have over Sikhs in punjab. Many Sikh organisations and Sikhs in general, have already been trying to talk with the Indian government throughtout history and yet, Nothing. If the Government are never going to listern to the Sikhs, then what can the Sikh there do? for the sake of the future Sikhism and there childerns future, surly people must have the right to stand up against oppression and injustice and fight for freedom though peaceful means?. The people in Punjab should have the right, to diside there own destiny.

Hindu nationalism is a problem in India and Punjabi people are certainly victims of resource manipulation by the central government. To test the maturity of modern Indian Political parties, our group sent an email to the VHP and the BJP to ask them to add a link to the ProjectNaad resource because we had noticed that they had links to Islamic and Hindu Dharma website but nothing for sikh dharma... yet we are still waiting for the link to be posted 6 months later! Point being that Hindu nationalism does not support or accept even spiritual Sovereignty of Sikh Dharma. But Hindu nationalism aside, we should in no way as a community support the idea of a separate Khalistan for Sikh people because even the idea of such a concept would be against the principles of Sikh Dharma. Sikhs need to work actively to fix India and some of its broken or discriminatory policies ... they need to be drivers in healing India and uplifting its consciousness as well as uplifting the consciousness of the entire planet. I have been to Gurdwaras where they say "Khalistan Zindabad" and its off putting as the people shouting these slogans can barely manage their Gurdwara's let alone be ready for governing and managing the various functions of a state. We need to regard all people good and bad as our brothers and sisters and we need to more than ever consider the planet Earth as our home and not just Punjab, or India or any other specific place. We are very fortunate to not have a "Sikh" country because that I think can help us to regard every place as our place. Sikh Dharma has never been for any specific racial or ethnic group and if Punjabi people are moving away from the dharma then there is nothing that anybody can do about that because it is hukam... in the same way many people in south america are resonating and connecting with the dharma ... again it is hukam of the Guru. People definitely need to be educated about Sikhi but to do that we require effective tools for the propagation of that education. A country is not the right tool. For example English people have traditionally followed Christianity and yet the every year in England their are churches which are closing because the average public no longer resonate with mainstream Christian lifestyle or philosophy. The above of course has nothing to do with the article...and that is still open for debate. I would say the biggest challenge for the Sikh community as a collective is to really create an impact on the world scene... e.g. doing seva that creates value for the wider non-sikh communities, reaching out in ways that we have never done before across geographic boundaries, language barriers...This is something that we really need to work on as a collective. Blessings and Love to all www.ProjectNaad.com

I think, Prabhu Singh Khalsa is right in how, he decribes Khalsa and soveregnty. I dont know what Prabhu Singhs thinks about the Sikh Sovereignty or the Khalistan issue though? It is harder now, for any Sikh to live in Indian Punjab peacefully without all problems with the Indian Government and the Hindu Nationalist, that are going round the streets and villages of Punjab killing inicents Sikhs and stealing all of Punjab's resources to other states, leaving the people in Punjab to suffer from it. Many Sikhs believe in the idea of an independnet State or freedom, that will bring back the very Sikh soveneignty, that was lost when the British invaded Punjab in 1849. Surly if Sikh Soveneignty was resorted back to how it use to be, weather it's within India or with Khalistan in Punjab, then surly that would be a good thing for the punjabi people or Sikhs in general. Sikh Sovereignty would be a good thing for the Sikhs to work on to bring back Sikhism to all the thousands of Sikhs in the villages and towns of the Punjab. If Sikh Sovereignty was resorted in that area of the world, then it would give the Sikhs of the Punjab a chance to learn Sikhism freely and peacefully. From this, through Sikh sovereignty, the Sikhs of the Punjab over time, would then start to realise through better Sikh education, the differance between physical sovereignty to purly being Khalsa within yourself. Sikh Sovereignty, i believe already exist outside of india in many Sikh communities around the world but as for the Punjab, that is not the case. To be fair though, better education is needed of Sikhism in any part of world anyway.

I'm curious to what degree these "three highest priorities facing the Sikh Nation" where discussed and what conclusion was reached. For instance I don't consider sovereignty an issue facing the Khalsa Panth. It is certainly an issue amongst Punjabi and Punjabi Sikh people, but the Khalsa by their very nature are sovereign. When you receive the immortal nectar of the Khalsa, you have given your head, your life to a cause beyond yourself. You have faced death and accepted that it may come at any moment. You are free from the shackles of any society and belong to the Guru. Slavery begins in the mind and so to does sovereignty. If it is that much of an issue amongst Sikh youth perhaps there are a lot of mental slaves, shackled to a notion of physical sovereignty. The Khalsa panth will always be unified in spirit. The spirit of the one God within all is what unifies humanity and the universe. The Khalsa recognizes one God and that spirit within all, this recognition brings unity amongst diversity. As far as education, that's what a Sikh is, a life long learner. I appreciate all efforts towards education. Education can bring unity through understanding and acceptance of diversity, and it can also bring sovereignty by recognition of our infinite soul, not bound by anything. WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh!

It is absolutely no use waffling about this subject of Panthic problems within the Sikh community.The one and only major issue requiring everybody's immediate attention is the big stink caused by the caste or jaat-paat issue.The need now is to completely eradicate this seriuos malady which lies at the root of all Panthic problems.And the ONLY way is for the foremost and premier Sikh administrative-religious body,Sri Akal Takht Sahib to pass a mataa or edict banning caste practice and enforcing a Hukam that anyone not sharing his daughters in marriage with other Sikhs regardless of caste,jaat,paat etc. will be excommunicated from the Panth.This is the only way to deal with this obnoxious caste-consciousness which is preventing unity and progress in the Panth.There are thousands of Sikh organizations today but they are only wasting their valuable resources if they do not address this central issue which is the crux of the problem.Enforcing this Hukam will ensure that the Panth recovers its social and spiritual health gradually with time.Once this process begins,all other problems will just evaporate.Remember Guru Jee's teaching:"Khalsa Roti-Beti Di Saanjh Karega".But are we honestly following this Updesh?Not at all,as everybody knows very well.So let's wake up and face the music and become true Sikhs of the mighty Khalsa Panth of Almighty Sri Akal Purakh Waheguru.