message from the csa president president - canberra · pdf filephones: president: 0411 773 260...

July- September 2014 Edition
The Newsletter of the Canberra Sikh Association
Phones: President: 0411 773 260 Vice President: 0421 082 393 PO Box 1060 Woden ACT 2606
July - September 2014 Edition
Message from the CSA Message from the CSA Message from the CSA Message from the CSA
President President President President
Mrs Jesse Sidhu RandhawaMrs Jesse Sidhu RandhawaMrs Jesse Sidhu RandhawaMrs Jesse Sidhu Randhawa
Respected Saadh Sangat Ji,
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
I want to take this opportunity to firstly thank each one
off you in bestowing your faith and confidence in me
and allowing me to serve the Sikh community of
Canberra as its President.
I share with you how the CSA Executive Committee has
been able to work with local and other organizations to
forge greater partnerships to connect and promote our
Sikh religious faith and its ethos. We have worked to
share information about the Sikh tradition and our faith
and its history both at the Federal and ACT level. We
have met with Bill Shorten, and Ministers from the
ACT governments office and raised concerns the
community has in Canberra. We wrote to address the
issues and concerns the Sikhs felt in our community
about the changes AERIAL taxis was imposing on them
under the guise of implementing a uniform with
specification on "the turban". Later on, we met the CEO
and discussed this matter in a meeting with him
The committee is promoting its main aims and
objectives to have:
A fully functional Gurdwara that will
hold regular daily and weekly events in
accordance with the established Sikh
protocols (Rehat Marayada). We have
been successful in achieving that.
To hold major Sikh community
religious events commemorating the Sikh
Gurpurabs and Sikh festivals in the Sikh
calendar. We have been successful in
accomplishing this objective and have
had many Ragi Jathas come and perform
Kirtan and help us in achieving this goal.
Provide education and opportunities
for Sikh children to study the Sikh
language and script (Gurmukhi),
recitation of the Sikh hymns and music
(Shabad Gurbani), and studies on its
scripture, ethics, customs and traditions.
I have had members requesting Kirtan
classes to be held for young children, and
this is something that the next
committee needs to implement. We also
need to keep working towards improving
the teaching and learning at the Punjabi
school.
Besides this some of the other initiatives
taken by the committee and CSA
membership in this past year have been:

July - September 2014 Edition Page 2 of 18
A Gurmat Camp was organised with the
support of members of "Basics of Sikhi" from
Sydney.
An all-day Stall was organised at the
Multicultural Festival to create awareness about
Sikhs among the wider community. Free soft
drinks and snacks were distributed to all the
visitors at the festival. Gatka presentation was
staged in the afternoon to showcase Sikh Martial
art.
In March presentation on Sikhs was given at
the Canberra Interfaith Forum at the National
Multicultural Festival.
Paving around Nishan Sahib has been done by
Kaar sewa without having to engage paid workers
in the tradition of Sikh heritage.
Levelling off the front ground has been
completed to improve the parking facilities for the
sangat.
With the generous participation of the Sangat a
shed was built over the utensils cleaning area this
year. This is a big benefit for the Sangat involved in
the sewa of cleaning utensils, especially in adverse
weather conditions. We have also bought a
container to store Kitchen utensils and food to
increase the working space in the kitchen and in
the surrounding area.
We started this quarter with some major
construction activities at the front of Gurdwara
Sahib (some still underway) to provide more open
space and better ambiance for the visitors to the
Gurdwara Sahib. This will help cater and
accommodate the various needs of our growing
community such as weddings and other festivities.
The Executive Committee has also taken some
administrative decisions with respect to reviewing
the proposed constitution. Today we are putting
forth before you all the proposed constitution
with the aim to provide a detailed written
document which is inclusive, user-friendly and
answers all those questions on which our
constitution is silent or is lacking in detail. We are
looking forward to listening to your
suggestions and accommodate them in
the review process via amendments
today.
This year we have had a saving of
more than hundred thousand dollars, the
details of which will be presented by the
Treasurer. Out of that money, a saving of
$75000 has been put in the ME bank
account which is part of our building
fund. The committees aim has always
been to be transparent and open with
regard to the use and spending of any
money that we all have collectively
collected. It is important that we trust
and have faith in each other and in the
goodness that we all have in us as human
beings.
I would like to conclude my speech by
publicly thanking, Hardeep Singh,
Kanwal Pahwa, Harbans Melhi, Vikram
Grewal, Surjit Kang, Madhu Sudan
Sidhu, Amardeep Singh and Gurminder
Girgla and Bob Sekhon for the respect
and support that I have received from
each and every one of them in this
journey. I also thank all the volunteers
whose tireless efforts when performing
sewa at the gurdwara helps us in
establishing greater appreciation of our
values, heritage and history of the Sikh
religion. I also acknowledge and thank
Terry Hunjons work in putting together
our Newsletter, the Sanjhi for us, and the
Punjabi school teachers who have worked
to support young children in learning
Punjabi.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji
Ki Fateh
Mrs Jesse Sidhu Randhawa
President CSA

July - September 2014 Edition Page 3 of 18
CONTINUATION OF CSA CONTINUATION OF CSA CONTINUATION OF CSA CONTINUATION OF CSA
AGM AND ELECTIONS AGM AND ELECTIONS AGM AND ELECTIONS AGM AND ELECTIONS
2014 2014 2014 2014
See Sanjhi Notice Board on Page 14 for details.
SIKH NEWSSIKH NEWSSIKH NEWSSIKH NEWS
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Golden Temple Airlifts Food for 100,000 in Kashmir
October 9, 2014 by Paramjit Singh Kohli
When all the forces including the army, government,
social media and public are working together to help
the victims of Jammu and Kashmir flood, considered to
be the worst in 100 years, Guru ka Langar in Amritsar
has created a record of sorts when food for 1,00,000
flood victims was airlifted to be distributed to them.
The Guru ka langar, which runs continuously round the
clock at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, has risen to
the occasion to help the flood victims of Jammu and
Kashmir by preparing langar (food prepared in the free
kitchen) and supplying it to the victims in their time of
need. Last week, perhaps a record of sorts was created
when food for more than 1,00,000 victims stranded in
different places across the affected state was airlifted
from Amritsar to be distributed to them. 50,000
individual aluminium-foil wrapped packets containing
four desi ghee paranthas, dry potato vegetable and
pickle, that can serve 100,000 people, were sent to
J&K through an Air Force plane. Earlier a private
airplane was helping them with the transport of food.
The idea of langar or providing food to all and sundry is
perhaps the most vibrant tradition ensuring that
nobody goes hungry when one has come to
the haloed sanctum sanctorum of the
gurudwara. Initiated by Guru Nanak Dev, it
became an established tradition of the Sikh
community by the third Guru Shir Amar Dasji
at Goindwal. As a matter of fact, the langar
that runs continuously, 247, is equipped to
provide food to more than 70,000 people on a
daily basis and this could have been the
reason why the SOS message was sent to it to
help out the needy who have been caught in
the fury of the flood. When the demand rises,
the Guru ka langar is able to serve food to
more than one lakh devotees as well.
Guru ka langars are perhaps one of the rare
community kitchens where women are
accorded a place of importance, as the
kitchens of festivities in most

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