23rd Nov 2018, Mumbai (Maharashtra, India): Sangat in very large numbers assembled to celebrate the Prakash Purab organized by Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Mumbai (SGSS) which is the central body of the Sikhs here.
On this Prakash Purab we, Sewak Jatha Dadar (SJD) have started a new Initiative titled "Let's Take A Pledge" with the support of SGSS, which touches the social aspects of our lives, irrespective of religion and need to be addressed, especially in India. To start with, we selected 6 topics, namely:
(1) I pledge not to waste water & food
(2) I pledge to follow traffic rules
(3) I pledge not to give or take dowry
(4) I pledge not to discriminate - boy or girl child
(5) I pledge to save and educate a girl child, and,
(6) I pledge to keep my surroundings clean.
Who inspired SJD to take up these social causes? Guru Nanak Sahib Ji himself.
On his Prakash Purab, the entire day these lines are sung:"Satgur Nanak Pragtya, mitti dhund jagg chaanan hoa".
What is the "dhund" or mist or fog that Bhai Gurdas Ji is talking about? It is nothing but the irrelevant rituals and social issues that had led human beings astray. To cite a few, casteism, the women were looked down upon, they were forced to die on the death of their husbands (Sati), not allowed to re-marry, etc..
Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid the foundation to eradicate all these social scars. We at SJD came up with this notion of I-Pledge as we felt that this would add Value to the way we celebrate the Prakash Purab and these simple but small steps will surely help in clearing away the "dhund" that we ourselves have created by not following the teachings of our Gurus.
We are pleased that more than 150 people from different communities took the pledge this day.
You too can join the "I Pledge" through the following link and take a pledge and contribute your bit to make the world a better place to live in.
It also serves as a caution that if such social malpractices are not stopped, such a fog will eventually turn into a smog and we have just recently seen the horrendous pictures of smog caused in Delhi due to man-created pollution!
Very good and sensible social initiatives by the Jatha. Well done!