Editor’s Note: Thompson is a small city in the province on Manitoba, Canada. It is 830 km (520 mi) north of the Canadian border with the USA.
OTTAWA, Canada—Sikhism is a practical religion – a faith of hope and optimism. Its ideals form a large part of the more progressive elements in humanity today. The Sikh way of life is based on three fundamentals: Earn an honest living, share that with others and always remember the one Omni present God.
The Sikhs came to Canada as early as 1900 and today the total population of Sikhs in Canada is around 700,000. A large number of North Americans today are embracing Sikhism.
Sikhs started settling in Thompson in the 1960s. With the passage of time they have made their presence felt in almost every sphere of life. Today the Sikhs in Thompson are working as engineers, managers, technicians, professors, businessmen, healthcare professionals and salespersons. With their hard work, innovation and commitment to basic human values they are contributing to the economic, social and spiritual growth of their new homeland and the City of Thompson in their own way.
Like every culture or religion Sikhs, too, have their own festivals and customs which they celebrate with devotion and fervour. For many years, Sikhs in Thompson used to hold monthly congregations and mark religious days in rented halls.
Since last August, the local Sikh community, under the name of Thompson Khalsa Darbar, set up as a religious and charitable non-profit organization, has permanently rented a hall for its temple at 721 Thompson Drive South in Southwood Plaza, where Sri Guru Granth Sahib has been placed with all reverence and daily prayers are being held. Besides daily prayers at 6 a.m., weekly religious ceremonies are held every Sunday, while free Punjabi culture, spiritual music and Sikh history and religion education is being provided to children and adults.
The Khalsa is the collective body of all initiated Sikhs. The word Khalsa translates to sovereign and free and genuine and pure. The organization is in the process of framing formal bylaws and a constitution and planning to co-ordinate volunteer activities, such as making blood donations, working on environment protection, and the promotion of Punjabi culture and language in the coming days to help build Thompson into a better place to live and rejoice for both long-time local resident and more recent immigrants.
Anyone interested in more information about Thompson Khalsa Darbar at 721 Thompson Drive South in Southwood Plaza, or joining the free education or music classes, can contact Nama Sandhu by telephone at (204) 679-2133 or by e-mail at: [cryptex][email protected][/cryptex]Note: Thompson is a small city in the province on Manitoba, Canada. It is 830 km (520 mi) north of the Canadian border with the USA.
The Sikh religion is the youngest and the fifth-largest religion of the world with almost 30 million followers spread all over the world having an incredible history of heroism and sacrifice. The term Sikh translates into English, from the original Punjabi, as Disciple.
The religion was founded in the 15th century by Guru (Prophet) Nanak Dev Ji, who was born in 1469 in Punjab province of India. Sikh religion progressed through the teachings of the successive Sikh Gurus with the Gurus leading their followers by way of example on a path of truth, humility, sacrifice, universal brotherhood, equality, justice and service to mankind. In 1708 the last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh vested all the powers of Guru in the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib (a collection of spiritual hymns and teachings of the Sikh Gurus and 35 Saints from different faiths and areas) and ordered the Sikhs to consider it as their Guru and living embodiment of the 10 Sikh Gurus for all time to come.
Sikhism is a practical religion – a faith of hope and optimism. Its ideals form a large part of the more progressive elements in humanity today. Sikhs believe in the oneness of God and always remember that it is the same divine light of him that is present in every living and non- living being in this universe. In Sikh faith there is no place for discrimination on the basis of cast, creed, color, religion, gender or geographic boundaries.
The Sikh way of life is based on three fundamentals: Earn an honest living, share that with others and always remember the one Omni present God. The Sikhs, after a long struggle, established their secular and just rule around 1800 with the Sikh kingdom extending from present Punjab in India to Pakistan and half of Afghanistan with its capital in Lahore, which is in present day Pakistan. In 1849, ten years after the death of Emperor Ranjit Singh, the British annexed the Sikh ruled area as a colony. The Sikh army fought under British command during both the First and Second World Wars and against fascism on three continents and is among the most decorated army in history.
The Sikhs came to Canada as early as 1900 and today the total population of Sikhs in Canada is around 700,000. A large number of North Americans today are embracing Sikhism.
Sikhs started settling in Thompson in 1960s. With the passage of time they have made their presence felt in almost every sphere of life. Today the Sikhs in Thompson are working as engineers, managers, technicians, professors, businessmen, healthcare professionals and salespersons. With their hard work, innovation and commitment to basic human values they are contributing to the economic, social and spiritual growth of their new homeland and the City of Thompson in their own way.
Like every culture or religion Sikhs, too, have their own festivals and customs which they celebrate with devotion and fervour. For many years, Sikhs in Thompson used to hold monthly congregations and mark religious days in rented halls. Since last August, the local Sikh community, under the name of Thompson Khalsa Darbar, set up as a religious and charitable non-profit organization, has permanently rented a hall for its temple at 721 Thompson Drive South in Southwood Plaza, where Sri Guru Granth Sahib has been placed with all reverence and daily prayers are being held. Besides daily prayers at 6 a.m., weekly religious ceremonies are held every Sunday, while free Punjabi culture, spiritual music and Sikh history and religion education is being provided to children and adults. The Khalsa is the collective body of all initiated Sikhs. The word Khalsa translates to sovereign and free and genuine and pure. The organization is in the process of framing formal bylaws and a constitution and planning to co-ordinate volunteer activities, such as making blood donations, working on environment protection, and the promotion of Punjabi culture and language in the coming days to help build Thompson into a better place to live and rejoice for both long-time local resident and more recent immigrants.
Anyone interested in more information about Thompson Khalsa Darbar at 721 Thompson Drive South in Southwood Plaza, or joining the free education or music classes, can contact Nama Sandhu by telephone at (204) 679-2133 or by e-mail at: [email protected]
