The South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) will be commemorating the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev ji at the Sikh Heritage Museum on Nov. 28, with a thought-provoking discussion and community dinner (langar). Satwinder Kaur Bains, director of SASI and organizer of the event, answered some of The Cascade’s questions about this upcoming celebration.
What is the purpose of this event?
This evening is to bring a more open, safe dialogue because in Sikhi there are not a lot of places where you can question the faith, or question where we’re going. The formal religious institutions don’t really encourage this, so this was a way for us to disrupt that one-way dialogue that is happening to create a community dialogue.
The purpose is twofold: one, to amplify the voice of Guru Nanak on his 550th birthday, to commemorate and celebrate that; second, to take some time to discuss his reforms and how far have those reforms come, are we applying them, is there room for more growth, what does that growth look like, where are the challenges, and where are the opportunities to create some possibilities for future generations.
The Sikh faith is very much about who you are and what your daily life looks like. This discussion that we hope to have will centre around our daily experiences, what we as Sikhs are facing both living in the diaspora, having migrated from another country, or just around our social attitudes and moors that we’ve established through the faith and where culture and religion are clashing and complementing each other.
During the commemoration, what topics will Harjeet Grewal and yourself be touching on?
We have kind of broken up the discussion into the political, social, and philosophical ideas of Guru Nanak. We’re not managing the people in attendance; it’s more of a guided, facilitated conversation. It’s an idea of a gathering, of Sangat, that the congregation that gets together is actually more important than any individual — the idea that the collective voice is more important than the individual voice. Our goal is to initiate a dialogue, to lead it, but leading with a light hand, with an opening.
Genuinely, we are really interested in hearing what people have to say. Every generation has new thinking, so we are really hoping the younger generation comes and talks about what they know, or don’t know, or want to know, because that is as critically important as what was said in the past. The religion has to come forward into the new millenia; it has to always be moving forward — religion can never move backwards. We are looking to ask, do we have enough of a dialogue so we can interpret the faith in a way that it means more to us, and that we can take more from it and give more to it?
Guru Nanak, as a reformist, how did he think of the faith? How did he come up with these reformed ideas? One of the tenets of Sikhism is equality, and in a country fraught with communalism and gender-biases, how did he come up with this? It’s a very good notion, but how do you make it practical, how do you apply it, how do you get people to embrace it, how do you get people to leave old ideas of inequalities behind?
What is the significance of the event being held in the historic Sikh Heritage Museum?
We were going to hold it at the Institute, but we thought, ‘Why not start the conversation in a place where the Guru’s word is already present?’ We want to walk over to the newer Gurdwara and have langar there, because breaking bread and eating with each other is a signifier of equality. It’s eating donated food that has been prepared lovingly by volunteers. A lot of us take our langar for granted. I don’t think we have really explored the idea of langar, the idea of eating together — the idea of giving, of contributing.
How can students get involved with the event?
We’re looking for RSVPs, but if you can’t RSVP, just show up; the Gurdwara is always open to everybody. So just show up, be graceful, remove your shoes, wear your scarf, come inside, be attentive to how people are sitting and talking and create that same space. We absolutely encourage students to come because we really want to hear young voices. The faith itself says “Interpret the times you live in,” so who is doing that interpreting, and where is the space to do that interpreting?
Everybody is welcome; we would love to hear what [non-Sikhs] think, and even question. That is where I think the true test of a faith is: when we can question it and still stay with it and find answers along the way.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Image: UFV Today
Photo:Satwinder Bains
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
