Jakara began as an idea, a thought, a vision. It was the hope that the Sikh youth could have an opportunity to come together and openly discuss the issues that they face as individuals and as a part of a greater Sikh community. Now in our seventh year, we still strive to hold true to our original mission and have improved in our methodology of creating a forum and delivering the message of Panth first. The following is a walk down memory lane from Jakara-pasts.
JAKARA 2000 - “The Awakening”
Jakara 2000 was Jakara's first year. We bravely put forth our mission statement announcing that Jakara's inauguration was “A call to the next generation of Sikhs from all places, backgrounds, and points of view to reflect on our past and prepare for our future.” The originators of Jakara felt that Sikh conferences and camps in the past had only focused on theological matters, without taking into account the actual experiences of the Sikh youth living in America. Our topics ranged from “Changing of the Guard: How Will the New Leadership Rise in our Gurdwaras and Institutions”, “Dating and Relationships: Gender Double-Standards, Gossiping, and How Can We Insure Sikhs Marrying Other Sikhs?”, “Self Hatred: What is the Problem of Denial of Identity and Self-Depreciation Amongst the Sikh Youth?”, “What's Goin' On: Domestic Violence, Drugs, and Gangs”, and many other topics. While being hailed with abuses and criticisms from our detractors, we gained a following for those that understood our mission. While there were bumps along the way and a definite learning process for the entire staff, the conference culminated in the keynote addresses by Ravi Singh, a congressional candidate from Illinois, and Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, the then partial owner of MirCorp and currently a senatorial candidate in Illinois. Here is a view of our first website and some pics from the conference.
JAKARA 2001 - “Ourstory and Realization”
Following the success of Jakara 2000, Jakara came back with its return appearance. Identifying the problem that too often our Sikh youth is more knowledgeable about the heritage of Europe than our own ‘land of five rivers, the staff sought to redress this issue. Trying to incorporate the need for theological, historical, and social background of the faith, the Jakara staff saw the need to increase the content knowledge so that the youth will be armed with the tools to make the decisions that will affect our future. From Guru Nanak's Revelation, to the Sikhs' Rising from the East, Project Gurdwara the staff of Jakara worked to find a harmonious balance between theological understandings and social problems. With a booklet of important articles, newspaper clippings, and printings of note, the Jakara staff compiled a thorough collage to arm the attendees with important tools to ‘realize our identity.' Jakara 2001 also saw the introduction of our ever popular “Rangeen Raat,” our still highly sought-after Jakara T-shirts, and ended with the stirring keynote address by Parminder Singh, CEO of Ethnicgrocer and 2000 Ernest & Young's “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Another look at our 2nd website and pictures from the conference.
JAKARA 2002 : “Sarbat Khalsa: Harmony in Discord”
The aftermath of September 11, 2001 provided the Sikhs a glimpse of their decision-making processes. As Sikhs braced themselves for the aftermath, the community appeared leaderless and unsure. The community continues to rely upon our cultural ethnic leadership models, instead of understanding the models that our Gurus presented. The third Jakara was the first part in a 3-part installation seeking to understand Sikh theological application from the global to the local, from the Guru Panth to the Guru Granth. In the third Jakara, we sought to understand our own ‘authentic' Sikh institutions and decision-making processes. The Sarbat Khalsa was the religio-political congregation that represented the Khalsa Panth , during the years following the death of Guru Gobind Singh. It was this democratic system, based on consensus, egalitarianism, and group-loyalty rather than simple majority rule that aided the Sikhs in their victory against imperialist forces. The attendees joined in an interactive exercise that sought to look at how a Sarbat Khalsa could be formed today. Using examples of dominant groups and institutions that fall under the Sikh umbrella, the exercise sought to help individuals learn about the diversity within the qaum, but also emphasize the need for intra-group and inter-group cooperation and consensus building. Attendees left with a greater understanding of Sikh democratic models and had the opportunity to meet and talk to Gurumustak Singh Khalsa, the popular web-design sevadar for Sikhnet, and Monita Rajpal, the anchor for CNN International's signature “World News” program. The following are some pictures from our third conference.
JAKARA 2003: “Gurdwara: Empowering Local Democracy”
Last year, we completed the 2nd part of our 3-part series seeking to understand Sikh theological application. Moving from Jakara 2002's attempt to understand global issues, we sought to move it closer to home in understanding the Gurdwara. While for many the Gurdwara has become nothing than the site of ego-battlegrounds, the aim of Jakara 2003 was to look at the roots of the Gurdwara: Sangat, Seva, and Guru. The Gurdwara is the grassroots organizational structure of the Nation. However for a myriad of reasons, the Sikh youth have become alienated from the Gurdwara. After being presented the Gurdwara's historical precedence and significance, the Jakara attendees sought to understand the Gurdwara's theological and social necessity. By delving into the contemporary literature and writings of the Guru, we hoped to understand the Gurdwara's place and importance. Finally, attendees formulated ideas and strategies to rejuvenate the importance and life of the Gurdwara. This is not an institution that can be discarded; it must be reclaimed. Many attendees left inspired and some even organized a ‘mini-Jakara' in their local sangats. Jakara 2003 saw the integration of the latest teaching models, including lesson planning, and greater interactive media and computer technology. Jakara 2003 also saw the introduction of the “Jakademy Awards” and culminated in reflections on the conference by Pardeep Singh Nagra, the noted amateur Sikh Canadian boxer, Malton Police Officer, and Sikh activist. Click on the following to see images from our fourth conference as well as the productions, videos, and work of our attendees.
JAKARA 2004: “Remember 1984”
The year 2004 presented an opportunity to remember, reflect, and respond to the events affecting the Sikh nation in 1984. While many in the community wish to forget the events that befell and have shaped the Sikh Nation, at Jakara we felt that it was vital for the 'next generation of Sikhs' to be aware of their history and understand how it shapes our present and our future. While twenty years have passed since the attack on our sacred home, much has changed and much has remained the same. Through a "What If" video giving a contemporary contextualization of the attack, we hoped to draw the attendees into the magnitude of the Sikh experience. Following, they heard case studies and unheard voices that were trapped in the state carnage. A panel of various experts gave their eyewitness testimonials of their experience in post-Bluestar Punjab. That evening, the Jakara attendees bandied together in a candlelight vigil to celebrate those that made the ultimate sacrifice for the Qaum's honor. The following day, attendees listened to a PowerPoint presentation on the significance of the event and came together to form their own "Jakara 1984 Charter." Finally, the day concluded with a new exercise. Students were grouped by their local regions and urged to create a project to commemorate the events of 1984. Groups from central California filmed various videos and made presentations relating to 1984 throughout the Central Valley, while the Bay Area group led and concurrently held an international remembrance day Remember84 with great success. The conference culminated in the reflections of Raj and Pops of Tigerstyle that discussed the Immortal Shaheedi project and the continued place of music within the Sikh Resistance struggle. Also presenting were Jaskaran Kaur and Sukhman Dhami, discussing their human-right work, in addition to Michael Singh, who is currently working on a movie documenting the Delhi Pogroms.
JAKARA 2005: “ The Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul”
Jakara 2005 was the third installation of the three-part series begun in 2002. From the Sarbat Khalsa, to the local Gurdwara, to finally the individual's relationship with the Guru, Jakara 2005 sought to experience "The Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul." All too often many Sikh youth bow down to the Guru without ever experiencing the rich heritage and divine found within. Through workshops allowing for youth to ask questions regarding the regalia of the Darbar ('Royal Court'), to understanding the Guru Granth Sahib through the 'Mundavni' of the 5th Nanak, to understanding the rich musical raag tradition of our Gurus, the first day concluded with attendees having the opportunity to discuss how Panjabi cultural traditions were re-interpreted and given new shape by our Gurus with Gurpreet Kaur and Harinder Singh [www.sikhri.org]. On Saturday, the focus broadened from understanding the poetic, musical, and cultural of the Guru Granth Sahib to realizing how we can make the message of Gurbani a reality. Attendees reflected on the shabad "Kartarpur Karta Vase Santan Ke Paas" and through a consensus building-exercise created a 'Contract with the Guru' to formulate ways that we will remain committed to our Guru and work together to improve our Qaum. Regional groups were created to further the message of the Guru Granth Sahib in their local communities to be conducted in October 2005. The conference concluded on Sunday with a presentation by Harpreet Kaur and Manmeet Singh [www.sachproductions.org] regarding the stringed musical tradition of Panjab and its resurgence as well as with attendees affirming their commitment to Kartarpur with their Contract with the Guru. Jakara 2005 sought to have the 'People of the Shabad' and the 'next generation' of Sikhs to explore, understand, know, and love our Guru.
JAKARA 2006: "Kaur Voices: Exalt, Express, Empower"
Jakara 2006 sought to create a forum to engage and question gender inequalities in our community. Too often violence against women is swept under the rug and the community makes no efforts to engage with these critical issues. The silence can be deafening. To begin the process of finding solutions, the Jakara Movement inaugurated a quantitative study seeking input from over 285 women in a web-based survey. The results were alarming, but unfortunately not too surprising. As perpetrators of domestic violence, sexual abuse, sex-selective abortion, and internet pedophiles run rampant in our community, we all suffer. The conference began on Friday by engaging in case-studies highlighting these problems. Participants created videos of these case studies and ended the day exploring the Guru's message about how we should be forming relationships with one another. At times conversations became heated; at times some participants felt the issues had not received the importance they required; at times some participants felt the critical analysis required to discuss these issues were lacking. Some were hurt; some were upset; some were relieved; some were excited. The first day was the first awkward first steps to begin a conversation long overdue in our community. After identifying and realizing the tragedies, on Saturday, the conference moved towards proposing solutions. Organizations that were suggested included "Ladoos: Pink and Blue" that would include a community-pooled fund that would distribute ladoos in celebration of both boys and girls. Also on Saturday, regional groups were created to celebrate the first annual Mata Khivi Day in the local communities to open these issues to a larger forum amongst the youth. Jakara 2006 sought to create a space for "Kaur Voices" to be exalted, expressed, and empowered.
