An Important Message for the Sadh Sangat

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh fellow Singhs and Kaurs,

We have an important duty on our shoulders today. We always speak of how brave we would be to step up should we be needed, and now our day has come. It perhaps isn’t how you thought it would look when you imagined the words bravery and courage, but your contribution is significant. 

 

Sikhi teaches us that no matter what, it is our ethical and moral duty to help others. Even if we have to give up our lives, we are willing to do what it takes to protect the right of another. One of the earliest examples of this comes from the shaheedi of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, who gave up his life in order to protect the right of Hindus to practice their faith. Waheguru is both nirgun and sargun, both formless and in formed form, meaning that in each and every plant and living being there is this Universal Oneness. We see all of humanity as One. 

 

Prior to even the formation of the Red Cross, Bhai Kanhaiya Ji was on the battlefield, serving water to soldiers from the enemy side. When he was asked what he was he was doing, he said he could only see God anywhere and Guru Gobind Singh Ji instructed him to also treat the soldiers’ wounds. The values of selflessness, humility, standing up for what’s right, fearlessness, compassion, and love are written into our who we are as Sikhs. 

 

I am writing today about a crisis that requires us to do our part. The covid-19/coronavirus pandemic is real. We have had 11 001 deaths in Canada thus far. Despite any misinformation you may have gotten on social media, this virus is serious to all of us. We do not have a cure for covid. It is our responsibility to protect our Nana Ji, Nani Ji, Dhadha Ji, and Dhadhi Ji. It is our responsibility to protect other members of the community as much as our own. There are things that we can do to help protect them, and these include wearing a mask, social distancing, washing hands, not touching your face, and following Public Health Guidelines. Stay home if you are sick or if you get tested. Be mindful of rules for gathering for your specific area, do not go to large gatherings. Please get educated and do not spread misinformation to others. Doing all of these will make a big difference. As a real example released by Fraser Health, one positive person at a fitness class had some shocking consequences with over 100 positive people, 3 admissions to hospital, as well as 260 people who had to self-isolate. Similar events happen from weddings and funerals.  

The other important piece for us is about going to the Gurdwara Sahib. The Gurdwara is obviously an important part of our faith, as we go and visit our Guru Ji, get spiritual growth, learn, gather and interact with community, and it serves the purpose of providing langar and shelter. If we are not careful, the Gurdwara could sadly become a place where covid could spread. In fact, places of worship have been hotspots for covid outbreaks, including an outbreak declared recently at the The Sikh Heritage Center in Brampton. It would be devastating if the spread of covid from people attending the Gurdwara Sahib resulted in deaths of community members. Whether intentional or not, that would be your karm. The North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association has put together some excellent guidelines that can be reviewed and they need to be combined with local policies. At minimum, rules around how many people can be there, social distancing, masking and hand-washing need to be maintained inside the Gurdwaras. If these policies aren’t being followed I would strongly encourage you to stay home and participate in virtual sangat opportunities. We all sing Anand Sahib, and often the sangat sings along to the shabads played during kirtan. The distance covid travels while singing is much further than while talking- American guidelines talk about 12 feet, and the sharing of microphones is also problematic. Thus, there are important changes that need to be made in the way that Gurdwara Sahibs function in order to keep them safe. This is particularly true when it comes to the distribution of Karah Parshad as well as langar. Communal meals are one of the ways that covid has been known spread, and there are many suggestions made in the NASMDA guidelines to address this. Please strongly consider doing as much virtual sangat as possible. 

It is our responsibility as individuals to play a role in protecting our communities. There are higher rates of spread in the South Asian community in BC right now than other communities. As a doctor and as a fellow Sikh, I am making a request to my fellow sangat that you fulfill your duty to protect others and follow up to date covid-19 guidelines. I appreciate all of you who are working to do sewa whether in your free time, or through your job, and playing your part in this pandemic. If you want more information, please reach out to your family doctor or public health. 

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

Dr. Manpreet Kaur Sidhu, Family Physician 

References: 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

http://nasmda.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GURDWAR-RECOMMENDATIONS-TOOL-KIT.pdf

https://peelregion.ca/news/archiveitem.asp?year=2020&month=10&day=9&file=2020109a.xml

https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/11/12/covid-19-south-asian-community/

https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/2be831dd-d83e-42da-b634-6bc6d5232d1a/resource/dc6e8a2e-978b-4121-acc7-8889fcfc160e/download/covid-19-relaunch-guidance-places-of-worship-2020-05.pdf

http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/PublishingImages/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/case-counts-press-statements/covid19_lha_cumulative_20201031.png?fbclid=IwAR1k5zR7rKMZVyb8U02YYNe4FhxxsfbbxBsAYLfa2pdtHDXcd1Bh11ZPueU

https://globalnews.ca/news/7457383/bc-covid-19-superspreader-map-posters/

Punjabi resources: 

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/translated-content

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/topics/Page17044.aspx

If you are in any sort of leadership position or work in healthcare I encourage you to start speaking up to educate the Sikh Community about covid. The numbers in our South Asian community are increasing.