The concept of seva is absolutely central to the Sikh faith. Various organizations of Sikhs, particularly ones composed of people in professions requiring a high degree of education, have done commendable work in this area and committed considerable resources in an effort to help the Panth. It provides great pleasure and inspiration to see that so many financially comfortable Sikhs take seriously their religious DUTY, as Sikhs, to engage in seva.
Unfortunately, many of us do not seem to appreciate the true reason the Gurus mandated its inclusion in our lives. Seva is not undertaken to "toot one's horn." It is not done to impress people with how much money or time one has donated, for that would merely be a vulgar display of haumai (ego). The reward for seva comes not from recognition by mere mortals, but from the personal satisfaction one derives from selfless service, and from the grace that Waheguruji will bestow for heeding the Hukam.
The malady that afflicts so many Sikhs in professional occupations and/ or from privileged backgrounds, prevents them from empathizing with the plight of Sikhs who are not as fortunate as they are. These financially secure Sikhs are all too often completely unsympathetic to the daily travails of those who are neither highly educated nor well-off financially. This is somewhat understandable-though not excusable-due to their physical separation and removal from the immediate squalor that so many of our less fortunate sisters and brothers must contend with on a daily basis. The results of this division are starkly evident from the fashion in which we are divided as a community: socially, politically and even in our gurdwaras.
Although many of us have been blessed by Guruji to have "made it" in this country, this is no longer true for a rapidly growing proportion of our people. The demographics of the Sikh community have shifted radically in the last decade, as less educated relatives of earlier immigrants arrive in this country, and as numerous rural Sikhs flee the repression of the oppressive regime in India for the United States. These recent arrivals have entered the economy by finding work in a number of occupations, often with lower wages than those occupied by the highly educated immigrants of earlier years. I realize that this may be a revelation to some of us, and ignorance is certainly not a crime.
These recently arrived Sikhs face the same racist discrimination that all of us do (and sexism in the case of the women), as well as the additional burden of being socially and politically disempowered workers in a society that is increasingly hostile towards unionization and other types of organization by low-wage workers. It is this segment of the community that I am concerned about-a segment some of us may not have known existed-because they suffer not only in the workplace and in the private sphere, but they are also being marginalized and isolated within the Sikh community itself. This is our fault. Furthermore, the moral obligation to remedy the situation lies with those of us in privileged economic and social positions. We must reach out to these alienated members of our religion in order to prevent the further splintering of the Panth.
In order to begin fostering ties to non-professional Sikhs, something that should be the goal of anyone who takes the Guru's HUKAM seriously, we need to recognize that Sikhs in the US now occupy a MUCH GREATER variety of occupations than they have at any time in the past. Sikhs are no longer just professionals, nor are they only soldiers and farmers like many Sikhs in South Asia have been historically. Sikhs have expanded into a whole range of non-traditional jobs such as gas station attendants, truck and cab drivers, waiters and waitresses, and a whole host of other working class jobs. We should be equally proud of our sisters and brothers who have taken up these types of occupations, as we are of our community's doctors and engineers. After all, they have followed the Guru's dictate to live honestly through one's own hard work. Instead we are all too often exposed to a sickening arrogance among the wealthier segment of our community that seems to indicate that they consider themselves superior to people who have less money, or smaller houses or less expensive cars.
Among the Sikhs to recently arrive in the US are many who have been forced to leave their homes, out of fear of torture or death, to seek political asylum in this country. These people who have risked their lives for the well-being of the Panth-something precious few of us can say-usually do not have access to the higher-paying jobs in this country. But their lack of schooling and wealth does not mean that they are any less hard-working than any engineer or doctor! Quite to the contrary, they, like most working class people, receive much less compensation for equally HARD work. In addition, their labor is usually conducted under far more adverse working conditions than we "intellectuals and professionals" in our air-conditioned offices have to face. I think once we begin to respect the position and life circumstances of our less-privileged community members, we will have made great strides as a community.
Unfortunately, many Sikhs continue to cling to the archaic, illogical idea that in order to gain respect and political clout in this country, we need to promote professional organizations. This inherently elitist concept is revealed as perceptibly flawed when one considers that political strength comes from masses of people, not a few exceptional individuals. Politicians seek not only monetary contributions, but votes. Votes are what get them their jobs, and something they will go to great lengths to secure. Saying we need organizations comprised of "professionals" in order to garner political power is not only fallacious, but a convenient rationalization for an attitude of elitism!
Would it not be FAR better to impress Americans with our deeds than our wealth? I would much prefer that people think of how honest, hard-working, trust-worthy and religious Sikhs are, than of how much material wealth (which we cannot take with us after this life anyway) we have as a community. Wouldn't you rather have people identify Sikhs with SEVA instead of MAYA??? Furthermore, trumpeting our financial success to others may arouse resentnment instead of respect, something the Jews have learned the world over.
We need to unlearn much of what we have been taught in regard to upper-class elites and so-called leaders of the community. History has shown repeatedly and irrefutably that great leaders do NOT make history, the masses do. To illustrate my point, let me give a brief historical example from American history, as interpreted by Kwame Toure. Take Martin Luther King Jr., righteous as he was, and put him in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950's, speaking out against structural, systematic racism in this country. He will be lynched. But if you surround that same Black preacher with THOUSANDS of people who believe in the same things he does, and are willing to work and sacrifice to make them reality, then you have the possibility for revolutionary change. By the same token, the only way for Sikhs in the US to truly achieve political power (and with it the ability to raise awareness about the inhumane situation in Punjab) is through unity among ALL Sikhs, regardless of age, caste, class, wealth, education, etc. Our commitment to our community and to our Guru are concretely demonstrated by how sincerely we attempt to make this goal a reality.
I think you will be able to see where I am heading if you engage in an exercise of empathy with me. For a few minutes, try to place yourself in the place of and attempt to imagine how a person who is not a "professional"-yet a dedicated sevadar or sevadarni-would view a group that apparently (from the name of the organization) holds as one of the primary criteria for admission, membership in a professional occupation.
Instead of elitist organizations that exclude people, what the community needs are more broad-based groups that reach across class (and caste) lines. Such a group would be able to unite Sikhs from all types of backgrounds behind a common mission, while fostering unity amongst its members in the process. A fine example of such a group is one in England called Sikh Community and Youth Service. Another was the short-lived Sikh Seva Society in the San Francisco Bay Area. Names like these are not only inclusive, but welcoming to Sikhs of all socio-economic backgrounds. Membership in such a group indicates only a dedication to the principles of Sikhi, not how much money, education or prestige one has. An organization which mobilizes the entire Panth will certainly be much more effective that any group which limits itself to just "professionals."
My intent is neither to attack nor throw brickbats at members of our community, but to bring to light a serious quandary plaguing it. This problem is one that anyone concerned with the welfare of the Panth must contend with, but one to which the majority of successful Sikhs seem quite blind. As I said above, this myopia is certainly understandable because, due to their material success, these Sikhs have been insulated from the degradation that accompanies low-wage work in the contemporary American socio-political superstructure. However, they can no longer plead ignorance to the charge that they did not know that many people feel excluded from their activities. This short-sightedness must be dealt with for us to ever achieve the level of success that phenomenally united minority groups like the Jews have attained.
When the adherents of Islam embark upon the pilgrimage to Mecca, the hajj, they don simple, symbolically-charged, identical attire. Thus, one is unable to distinguish between one of high or low status, great or insignificant wealth, race or national origin. It is a demonstration of human oneness and unity. In our faith, the great equalizer in this regard is gur ka langar. This brilliant institution was similarly designed to eradicate the differences between us. All were to sit TOGETHER as one body of disciples of the Guru, and show their commitment to a casteless society by partaking of food with people from all strata of society-again a tremendously powerful symbolic statement.
However, when one enters our langar halls today, the sight is anything but one of unity among the various classes of Sikhs. Those of similar economic and educational backgrounds tend to congregate together, and the occupationally segregated groups do not usually have too many good things to say about people in the other groups (I am sure I do not have to go into detail on this point!) This segregation by class/education in gurdwaras is merely a symptom of what occurs on a much wider scale in the community as a whole-a disease we must eradicate!
I have iterated the aforementioned criticism at numerous Sikh public forums throughout the country and have met either tacit agreement or boisterous concurrence. Yet, this primarily economically advantaged group of people then return to their communities and fail to act upon their espoused convictions. I think that we can all support the idea that the gap between the various segments of the community must be bridged. Yet for this to happen, someone must take the first step. My firm conviction is that it must be those of us in a privileged position who must offer the fig leaf, and I think it is our duty as slaves of the Guru to do so! The way to do so is NOT by isolating ourselves into organizations that preclude the membership of large portions of the community. Barricading ourselves in such a manner not only exacerbates class tension in our community, but prevents the utilization of our full potential. Seva should not only be useful, but efficient. Excluding large portions of the Sikh community is anything but.
Jaideep Singh