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Takht leader endorses partnership with Canadian military and cadets
By Mata Press Service
In an exclusive interview with The South Asian Post, Singh Sahib Giani Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib at Sri Anandpur Sahib told Harbinder Singh Sewak, the publisher of The South Asian Post, that he was very impressed with the recent Surrey Khalsa Day parade held on Saturday April 20th.
The historic event marked the first time one of the Jathedars of Sikhism’s five takhats (thrones) attended the event hosted by Dasmesh Darbar.
The nagar kirtin had a record turnout of approximately 250,000 people, leading Jathedar Singh Sahib Giani Tarlochan Singh to comment on how the Surrey event exceeds even the Anandpur Sahib nagar kirtin given the population comparison between Surrey and Punjab.
The Surrey event also marked the 3rd consecutive year in which the Canadian Armed Forces participated in the parade. This year was particularly poignant for the military’s participation given the recent inauguration of the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corp unit 3300 – the first cadet corp in Canada sponsored by the Sikh community.
The Khalsa Day event also marked the announcement by The Friends of the Sikh Cadet Society that they are now working in conjunction with Scouts Canada to create the movement’s first Sikh Scouts corps.
“The formation of the Sikh Cadets and strengthening relationship of the Sikh community with Canada’s military are tremendous achievements,” said Singh Sahib Giani Tarlochan Singh in his interview with The South Asian Post.
"All Sikhs here must respect and care for Canada and share their wealth with fellow Canadians. They must show respect for the environment and feed and care for the needy. This is our ardaas, this is how we work for Sarbat Da Bhalaa, the goodwill of all people.
The Anandpur Sahib Jathedar expressed special acknowledgement for the formation of the Sikh community sponsored cadet corp.
“The development of the (3300) Cadets is a very important step the community has taken, because this will combine Canadian values with Sikh spirituality,” he stated. “These kids will be the envy of the world, and an example to the rest of the world of how pluralism in Canada can nourish both the body and soul."
Jathedar Singh Sahib Giani Tarlochan Singh concluded his interview by expressing thanks to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the gift and letter that he received from him after the Prime Minister visited Anandpur Sahib last year.
Prime Minister Harper was the first western head of state to pay respect at Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of The Khalsa movement.
The endorsement of Surrey Cadets for their two plus years of behind-the-scenes organising work was warmly received by the groups’ members.
“To be recognised by the Jathedar of the Anandpur Sahib Takht is very humbling,” said Harbinder Sewak, who initiated the Cadet program and is now the chairman of The Friends of the Sikh Cadet Society.
“Our team has worked tirelessly from day one to broker this partnership between the Canadian Military and our Sikh community. This endorsement will only spur us to work harder as we develop new partnerships, particularly with Canada’s Scout movement this summer.”
Scouts Canada is a highly diverse organization with over 100,000 members nationwide representing every faith and culture. Scouts Canada offers programming in more than 19 languages reflecting Canada’s multicultural landscape and communities and has brought a world of adventure, outdoor experience, friendship and fun to 17 million Canada youth.
Terry Campbell, the area support manager for Scouts Canada, hosted a booth at the Surrey Vaisakhi event and commented how he was very impressed with the response, handing out over 750 packages to enquiring families.
“Every once in a while two groups come together to form the perfect union. Such is the case with scouting and Friends of the Sikh Cadet Society,” said Campbell.
The beginning of this story however goes back to November 2010, when Harbinder Sewak’s idea to form a cadet corps supported by Sikhs emerged after he arranged for the military to take part in Surrey’s mammoth Vaisakhi celebrations.
On Remembrance Day 2010, more than 2,000 devotees packed Surrey’s largest Sikh temple, Dasmesh Darbar, to honour members of the Canadian Armed Forces in a poignant tribute.
The event was the first of its kind held in a British Columbia Sikh temple and congregation members also collected and presented $2,500 in donations to military officials.
The following year, the temple hosted officials from the HMCS Algonquin. This led to the Canadian military participating in the Surrey Vaisakhi parade.
“That was very special not only to me but to all Sikhs because having the Canadian Forces involved is an acknowledgement that our contribution to society is highly regarded,” said Sewak.
“Sikhism shares the same pluralistic values as the Canadian military and this was a show of solidarity for everything we cherish as Canadians.”
The Friends of the Sikh Cadet Society includes Surrey businessman Babbar Singh Tumber and his brother Mukhtiar Singh Tumber, lawyer Amandeep Singh and Dr Bupinder Singh Sachdev.
Last month, Canada’s first army cadet program sponsored by the Sikh community came into being in Surrey – the culmination of many months of hard work.
At its formation, the unit had 60 members, already making it one of the largest cadet corps in BC.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his congratulatory message to the 3300 RCACC said: “Today, the newly formed 3300 RCACC joins the Army Cadets family, a federally funded youth organization. I would like to commend the parent sponsoring committee for assisting in fundraising activities ahead of the program’s launch.”
Canada’s first army cadet program sponsored by the Sikh community carries a coat of arms which is the official symbol for The Friends of The Sikh Cadet Society, the sponsoring committee for the 3300 RCACC.
This coat of arms is comprised of a white falcon which represents Guru Gobind Singh Ji, five arrows that represent the Panj Pyare, two swords that represent the Sikh concept of Miri-Piri, and lastly the motto Degh Tegh Fateh which express the principles of service and duty.
For more information on the Sikh Scouts, contact Babar Tumber at 604 825 0700 .
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