Nagar Kirtans - Is there Hope out of this Chaos?
Sheer Colossal Waste of precious funds. Break the Silence Please!
It looks like a sight from a war zone. Massive Traffic jams, utter chaos all around, strewn paper plates and eatables, mass hysteria, honking cars, eve-teasing, motorcyclists showing their daredevil skills, cursing victims of traffic jams and in the midst of all this; discordant cacophony of loud horns blazing divine kirtan. Somehow, the serene kirtan seems out of sync with the action, turmoil and bedlam.
You can see the over-fed affluent being fed gleefully by over-indulgent generous looking Sikhs. All the while shooing away the under-nourished poor urchins. It is a very confusing and inverse sight when we see people call this chaotic pomp and show as Nagar Kirtan. And it is diametrically opposite to Guru Nanak's Langar when you actually display your egos and wealth through your stalls and yet call it Parshad. I have seen Parshads flying around and that is an indicator of how pious we hold it to be.
It is time enough to have a relook at this extravaganza. In historic times Nagar Kirtan used to be a processional congregation of singing divine hymns early in the mornings, also called Prabhat Pheris. We have reduced it to sending the already overcrowded city to spiralling traffic jams, littering the already dirty streets, vulgarly displaying our wealth, earning the ire of others and getting cursed by lakhs of people put to discomfort.
Can we look at it differently? If the goal of such Nagar Kirtans is spreading the love and message of our Gurus.
- Then why not assemble in our Gurdwaras for singing divine hymns daylong in peace and serenity? Without putting lakhs of people to hardship.
- Why not spend on National media and channels to portray our message? Make historic documentaries and films on our Gurus. These will be documents for generations to come.
- Why not ask all Langar-interest people to adopt one JJ colony or areas of the homeless? Setup stalls there and feed the poor. They will bless you enough and the nation would be apprised of the sanctity of Langar.
If you have read this till here, can you make it a point to write your thoughts in the comments below or post it on your wall? BREAK THE SILENCE PLEASE!
