The biggest influence on daas while coming into sikhi were chardikala rehatvaan akhand keertan singing gursikhs, steadfast in rehat. Personally, I am the biggest loser there is, I have no kamayee or rehat, however I beg the blessed sangat to take note of a few sad things I am noticing these days. If the gursikhs get dhil then what hope is there for reliant keere like me??
What I notice in jatha these days:
-Competetiveness over doing keertan seva - slots, who has the best tunes, best voice etc. I have seen some alarming behaviour by 'gursikhs' due to jealousy of others' Guru blessed gunns.
-Doing keertan is a bit of fun with friends - forming a band, rehearsing not out of pyar but as if preparing for a show, coordinating outfits etc. Comments heard afterwards, "you smashed it", "that was sick", "tabla was wikid", etc.
This includes an emphasis on instruments and tunes. Lately I have been seeing a bizarre trend of two tablas being played alongside a single keertani, actually blocking out the voice of the keertani.
- Lack of ANY bibek within jatha. Now I don't keep full bibek, but acknowledge that without a doubt we should all be striving to keep sarbloh bibek, however what we are seeing now is khulla chhakna from anywhere and everywhere, including those who do keertan and other sevas. It started from eating factory food, then gursikh owned restaurants, then pure veg restaurants, but now I am shocked and dumbfounded to see jatha gursikhs openly eating at places like Pizza Hut, Nandos etc,and taking drinks from places like starbucks.
- Going to cinemas by gursikhs. It just does not fit well with the eyes at all to one day see a group of gursikhs tyar bar tyar in bana for doing keertan and the next day the same group wearing the most fashionable english clothes out and about at cinemas.
-Wearing non-gursikhi clothes to the Gurdwara Sahib/keertan samagam. I can understand if someone has just come from work and they are desperate to matha tek, but I cannot understand gursikhs choosing to come to keertans wearing non-gursikhi clothes.
- The one that hits me the most. LACK OF GURSIKHI PYAR. Why are Gursikhs so alag in their own cliques? There is a dissapearance of saying fateh to gursikhs one doesn't know, let alone showing pyar and inclusiveness.
-Keertan style, somewhat covered above, but just to note that tunes seem more and more innapropriate to the shabad, do not invoke any emotions of bhagti, though are much more complicated and flashy. Lack of any sincere love in keertani's voice.
Its also just become fashionable to scream and shout, and make gurmantar dhuni more into a techno rave than anything bairagi.-Generally innapropriate behaviour within youth. Yes a gursikh should be able to laugh and joke but at the same time should remain composed and not act just like any non-gursikhs of their age, with overly silly joking and behaviour in little gangs - especially seen in singhs.
I am sorry to have to make a negative post but hopefully we can all chaathi maar and see if we ourselves are contributing to this dhendi kala in any way, and if so think about how we can stop.
bhull chuk maaf.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥