Reflections on 10 Khalsa Camps

On Monday, we wrapped up the Winter Khalsa Camp. It was the 4th Winter Camp in addition to 6 Summer Camps that have been going on since the Summer of 2010. As one of the core organizing Sevadars from the beginning, this seems like a good time for reflection and hopefully, in the process of reflecting, it might also turn into an opportunity for further learning and growth.

And so my thoughts/reflections, in no particular order...

1) Feeling Blessed... I feel enormously blessed to have been involved with this Seva. My eldest brother and his wife (among others) were involved in the founding of the West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance (WCSYA) in 1994. At the time, they and their friends were just 19 years old. With Guru Sahib's Kirpa, they founded an institution that still serves the sangat today, fully 21 years after it began. Just next month, WCSYA will organize its Winter Retreat for adults with Harinder Singh presenting on Panthic Issues. More than any other legacy, WCSYA was the first regular Sikh Youth Camp in BC; it paved the way for the other Camps that followed and eventually, as a result, Guru Sahib even blessed the sangat here with a beautiful campsite. Seeing my brother and my eventual Bhabhiji (sister-in-law) doing this type of Seva inspired me to become involved in this Seva too and so I am thankful to them for their trailblazing.

At Camp, we've been blessed to have amazing sangat with genuinely inspired souls attending locally and from around the world. We've had so many inspiring speakers at Camp including Bhai Tarsem Singh, Bhai Manvir Singh, Bhai Balpreet Singh, Bhai Santbir Singh, Bhai Tejinder Singh, Bibi Mandeep Kaur, Bhai Surjit Singh, Bhai Navreet Singh, Bhai Sadhu Singh, Bhai Dalvinder Singh, Master Niranjan Singh, Bhai Jagraj Singh, Bhai Manvinder Singh, Bibi Balpreet Kaur, Bibi Gurminder Kaur (my sister in law) among many many others. I feel genuinely humbled to think that I was involved in helping to facilitate the parchaar of these inspiring Gursikhs. 

2) Reflections on the Beginnings of Khalsa Camp... Khalsa Camp started here almost by accident. When I was 21 in the Summer of 2008, I made contact with some other Singhs and the idea came about to do a weekend retreat for Singhs which was focused on Kamaaee. It sounded like a great opportunity and I jumped at the chance to help get it going. At the time, I was working at our family's hotel in Harrison Hot Springs. I coordinated with some other Singhs and we quickly agreed on a weekend the following month. I set aside some hotel rooms and a couple of meeting rooms. Doing a Camp in a hotel was nice in ways and a lot of people liked it, but it was also kind of limiting. We couldn't possibly do Parkaash of Guru Sahib in a hotel and we also couldn't get the full camp experience in a hotel setting. And so it was discussed with Singhs to do a full blown camp the next Summer at a proper campsite. With my limited experiences in camps and in life generally, I set out to help make the 2009 Camp a success. I poured my heart and soul into it. For this Camp, I was responsible for many core duties (even though I was a complete newbie to Camp Organizing)... I was involved in arranging transport, camper recruitment, liaising with the campsite director (before Khalsa Centre existed), finances, and just general camp matters. I embraced the Seva but things did not turn out as I had hoped they would. Before Camp, we had convened a 5 Singh committee to take on the organizing of the Camp. Without getting into too many details, I felt that the burden of responsibility was being placed unevenly on my shoulders. This sense that I felt ultimately led to issues. Due to my youth and inexperience with these types of issues (which are common in so many organizations), the issues ultimately led to my quitting the camp organizing committee. I didn't want to resign but the force of Vijog (separation) was pulling too strongly and the result was not in my control. I wanted to stay and continue the Seva. I was attached to it. I had spent so many hours to help build up this Seva and yet it felt like there was no way for me to continue. It was mysterious, how things turned out. One of the Singhs on the organizing committee made efforts to facilitate a discussion to continue my involvement with the Camp but all efforts were in vain. It wasn't meant to be.

Initially, I wanted to "retire" (yep, at the ripe age of 22) from doing these kinds of Seva. I was frustrated but eventually, in the aftermath of my involvement with Singhs Camp, the opportunity arose to do Seva in Khalsa Camp. Someone had broached the idea with me while I was still involved in Singhs Camp and they happened to still be interested in the idea after I had departed the Singhs Camp organizing team. After some time, I accepted this new Seva. It was a difficult beginning given the fallout of my departure from Singhs Camp but I feel that it was Guru Sahib testing my resolve. Eventually, we took a Hukamnama at Khalsa School and the result was an amazing blessing. Guru Sahib spoke and insisted that we carry forward the Seva of Khalsa Camp BC with full vigor and with full faith.

3) Camper Recruitment / Purposes of Camp: Ideally, when doing a Seva, especially one such as a Camp, it is probably best if there is an organic demand for the Seva amongst the Sangat. Meaning, it is most straightforward if the Seva is filling a void or a demand that is not already being met. It is less straightforward when one is doing a Seva where the demand needs to be created rather than when it is existing already. Let me try to elaborate.

Over the years, two purposes of Camp have become apparent to me. I would define these two purposes as Parchaar and providing Sangat. Parchaar itself can probably be divided into two levels. On one level, Parchaar means bringing people onto the path of Sikhi who are not already on it. It also means Parchaar to those who may have taken Amrit but who need continued inspiration to continue their growth as Sikhs. Now some people long for Parchaar but I would bet that most people who need Parchaar don't really know that they need Parchaar. And most of those people won't be persuaded that they need to come to Camp in order to have Parchaar done to them. Their desire to come to Camp is usually minimal. Strategies need to be developed in order to ignite their interest in coming to Camp. Sometimes this means focusing on non-Sikhi aspects such as recreation or it could also mean focusing on the more generic concepts of spirituality and self-discovery while de-emphasizing other aspects of Sikhi. With regards to Parchaar, interest in Camp may not exist organically but all we can do is encourage people to come to Camp and hope that the power of Sangat and Gurbani can transform them.

The other important purpose of Camp aside from Parchaar is creating a positive Sangat experience (to the extent that the two are distinct). Everyone needs Sangat and Camp is a great opportunity for a complete Sangat experience: Darbars, accumulating Sikhi-related knowledge, having fun and meeting new Sikhs. What else can a Sikh look for? Over the years, I've increasingly taken the view that if someone is not inherently interested in seeking out Sangat in the form of the Camp experience, it is usually not worth my time to convince them otherwise. If someone is following the Sikh path and thinks that coming to Camp presents a great opportunity for Sangat, I love seeing them at Camp. If someone is following Sikhi but seems to lack interest in joining Sangat at Camp or if they lack an appreciation for the value of Sangat at Camp then it is usually pointless to try and convince them otherwise. The purpose of Camp is to fill the demand for Sangat. If someone has that desire for Sangat at Camp, it's a great match. If someone doesn't, then I wish them the best in seeking out Sangat in another venue that suits them better because everyone needs Sangat somewhere. After all, there is no Sikhi without Sangat.

4) Dealing with Negativity and Egos... I've mentioned above that everyone needs Sangat but it's still the case that for whatever reasons, people can sometimes even disparage Camp to others due to what I think can only be described as shortsightedness or malice. Being involved with 10 camps has allowed me to come to relative peace with this. For some, Camp is too "AKJ", for others, it is not AKJ. For some, Camp is too "hardcore" while for others it is a non-serious "fun camp". It is impossible to please everyone. You just have to keep charging ahead and do your best, even when there are setbacks.

There are certain people who think they deserve a special status at Camp. There are others who want to be courted in order to attend Camp. Dealing with people with egos is always a difficult task. What is the balance between accommodating them vs. harming the unity at Camp and therefore the Camp atmosphere? It's always a tough balancing act.

5) What Makes a Successful Camp? There are many ingredients that go into creating a successful Camp. A partial list is as follows:

a) Good organization. This can mean a lot of very general things. It can mean an easy and accessible way to register for Camp with registration being open for long enough before Camp. It can mean multiple Sevadars each being responsible for their own Seva area. It can mean good timekeeping at Camp. It can mean arriving at Camp on the first day on time and departing from Camp on the last day on time with little to no complications in transport. It can mean being on top of the poster design and the t-shirt design. It can mean coordinating cleanup in an organized way on the last day of Camp. It means creating a feeling of calm rather than a sense of confusion.

b) A Strong Langar Team. Brian, the campsite director at Camp Hope (where Camp happened in 2010 and 2011), told me that a strong kitchen team is the key to a successful Camp and over the years, I've seen how true that is. A Langar team that can prepare good meals on time is the strongest way to anchor the Camp schedule. A good Langar Team usually means a good Camp. An inexperienced Langar team can make the difference in how successful a Camp is. Langar Sevadars also do the most Seva at Camp and it can sometimes be hard to find Sevadars who have the necessary level of commitment. I know we struggle with this although Guru Sahib has a way of taking care of things in the end.

c) Good Speakers. Camps are all about learning and sharing knowledge. For this, good speakers are essential. Thankfully, Guru Sahib has always blessed Khalsa Camp BC with amazing speakers. Calling international speakers usually involves paying for tickets and this can create an additional strain on the camp budget but it's usually always worth it. Inspiring speakers make the Camp experience feel extra special.

d) Great Darbars. Sometimes, the Darbar experience can depend on the Kirtanis who are at Camp. But a lot of the Darbar experience depends on proper Darbar management. Are there many awkward pauses between Banis or between Kirtanis because the Darbar isn't being managed effectively? Is everyone getting a turn to do Kirtan? Are more skilled Kirtanis being given the opportunity to do Kirtan Seva? Are Ardaas, Parkaash and Sukhaasin all happening in an organized manner? Is there a peaceful and spiritual atmosphere?

e) A friendly and relaxed atmosphere. This is arguably the hardest thing to "create" and sometimes it can take time before it can take hold. It can depend on the types of Campers you have. It can depend on the number of cliques who registered for Camp together. But there are always ways to promote this even if the success of this point is ultimately also in the hands of each individual Camper. You can challenge campers to sit with a different group of people for every meal. You can challenge campers to learn the names of at least the campers of their own gender. Icebreakers are usually a good idea. A good orientation can also be used to set the right tone and make people feel at ease. This is crucial and we at Khalsa Camp BC need to brainstorm how to implement this more effectively.

6) Creating a Lasting Legacy... Recently, Harinder Singh resigned from his role as CEO of the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRi). Many people are doubting the future of SikhRi because our community is traditionally so poor at handing over a Seva to someone new. It is usually the founders of any given Seva who are the most passionate about its success. But we cannot afford to think like this. Every Sikh should feel a stake in different Sevas. Everyone should feel a sense of ownership and of responsibility. I know that certain people think that Khalsa Camp is "my" camp which is an unfortunate perception. I won't be doing this Seva forever and who knows how long I'll be involved for. Every Seva ultimately belongs to Guru Sahib and the Sangat at large.

Ideally, the responsibility relating to Camp should fall on many shoulders. In most circumstances, it is important for many people to feel a stake in the success of an institution or else its future is always going to be in question. On this point, I don't feel as if we have been very successful with Khalsa Camp BC. And so I am ending this post with an invitation. If you are passionate about Sikhi Parchaar and creating a special and unique Sangat experience, I am asking you to join the Khalsa Camp Sevadar Team. Send me a Facebook message or a text. Together, we can take this Seva to the next level of success.

Jeb Bush's Path to Victory

In American politics today, the situation is somewhat terrifying, at least on the Republican side of things. Donald Trump is disingenuously but disgustingly appealing to the worst inclinations of some of those on the extreme far-right. The other three competitive options on the Republican side are also deeply flawed. Ben Carson is too inexperienced and too beholden to extreme elements of the Republican base. Ted Cruz is extreme, uncompromising and his Presidency would be incredibly polarizing and therefore destructive to the fabric of the country. Marco Rubio lacks the resume to be President, is too young and inexperienced and is also too scared of the far-right. As President, it seems as if he would seek to appease the far-right rather than be a unifying figure for the entire country.

So who does that leave? Rand Paul is too dogmatically libertarian, even if his views on civil liberties, criminal justice reform and other issues can be appealing. John Kasich and Chris Christie have some appeal but I favour the candidacy of Jeb Bush, who I think is the candidate with the potential to be the most unifying figure as President among all of the candidates running, in either party. He's also polling somewhat ahead of Christie and Kasich and is the non-extreme and grownup candidate with the greatest likelihood to prevent a Trump, Cruz, Carson or Rubio victory. Conservative, but not extreme. Open to immigration and not fearful of the consequences that might have on America's demographic makeup. Inclusive in tone and not someone who plays to people's fears (based on my read of his public statements over the past few months).

But Jeb Bush is so far behind, right? He's polling at between 3-5% in national polls and isn't doing much better in Iowa and New Hampshire. So how does he pull it off? In my opinion, it will start with him outperforming expectations in Iowa. This means a 2nd or 3rd place finish (right now he is polling a distant 5th). Outperforming expectations in Iowa could potentially set the stage for a victory in New Hampshire. A victory in New Hampshire would lead to the dropping out of Kasich and Christie (along with others, although Kasich and Christie are both betting heavily on NH and a Bush victory there would almost certainly lead to their exit from the race). The momentum from a New Hampshire win along with the narrowing of the field would slingshot Jeb right back into contention for the nomination.

So how does one outperform expectations in Iowa? Jeb Bush recorded a respectable 6% in a poll released today by Monmouth University. Considering how poorly his campaign has been going, that 6% is a decent base and depending on how the other candidates split the vote, 2nd or 3rd place could be achieved with as little as 13-15% of the vote, which shouldn't be out of the question. As David Brooks notes in his most recent column, voters will turn more sober by early February. Trump's shameless demagoguery and attention-seeking antics will likely start wearing a bit thin at some point. Carson will continue to lose support given his lack of fluency with the issues. Cruz is Cruz and his extremism won't play well in a general election. Voters will likely increasingly wake up to that reality as voting day approaches. Rubio's flaws should also become more apparent with time. The sobering of the electorate, a decent debate performance or two, along with a strong campaign effort could push Jeb easily north of 10%. I also have this gut feeling that Rand Paul's support in Iowa is understated in the polls. He's inheriting much of his father's ground game which made Ron Paul come shockingly close to winning the Iowa Caucuses in 2012. 26,000 votes when Santorum and Romney got 29,000+. I see no reason why Rand Paul can't tap into those 26,000 votes. He won't win but I think he can get around 10% of the vote when his dad got over 21% of the vote.

So for the purposes of handicapping the caucuses, I am assuming that Trump, Cruz, Carson, Rubio, Jeb and Rand all get at least 10% of the vote. I know right now it's not clear that Jeb and Rand will get 10% but I think both will be able to pull it off. The four poll leaders (Trump, Cruz, Carson and Rubio) could potentially drop below 10% in the final Iowa results although I don't see it happening just yet. If all 6 candidates get 10%, that speaks for 60% of caucus-goers. Another 15% of the vote will likely go to the other candidates (Huckabee, Santorum, Fiorina, Christie, Kasich and others). The other candidates may get more than 15% of the vote but 15% is probably a safe bet as a minimum considering there are two former winners of the caucuses in their ranks (unless we see some dropouts before Iowa).

So in total, under this scenario, 75% of the electorate has been spoken for. 25% is up for grabs. I would spot another 5% to Trump. I think his floor is maybe at around 15%. I also think Cruz's trajectory and the strength of his campaign will also have him finishing the race with at least 15%. That leaves 15% up for grabs. I would spot another 2-3% each to Rubio and Carson, assuming they each finish at 12 or 13%. This leaves us with another 10%.

Trump - 15%
Cruz - 15%
Rubio - 13%
Carson - 12%
Jeb - 10%
Rand - 10%
Others - 15%
Up for Grabs - 10%

If Jeb could take enough of the remaining 10% to slingshot himself over Rubio and into 3rd place behind Trump and Cruz (say 4% with 4% to Cruz and 2% to others) , he could position himself as the default non-extreme candidate for New Hampshire. It might seem like a bit of a stretch right now, but it's plausible. Bush 43 could be utilized in the homestretch in Iowa. That should definitely be good for a few thousand votes, if deployed smartly. With a couple good debate performances and the construction of a somewhat compelling narrative, a finish in even the high-teens is not out of the question. First place is likely out of reach but a strong second or third place finish would really shake things up for his campaign.

In the last Iowa caucuses, there were around 120,000 votes cast. Given the increase in interest in the current race, we might expect there to be 180,000 votes cast this time. 14% of 180,000 is about 25,000 votes. With a campaign and related organizations with maybe 200 million dollars at their disposal, turning out 25,000 Jeb voters seems achievable. That's $8,000 per voter if they spent their entire campaign in Iowa... and still $2,000 per voter if only one quarter of their funds were spent in Iowa! I'm guessing a lot of voters could be reached with $2,000 in outreach... and outperforming expectations in Iowa seems like the surest way to position the Jeb campaign for victory in New Hampshire. And with victory in New Hampshire, a strong result in South Carolina is plausible. By that point, Jeb would likely have the endorsement of Lindsay Graham and John McCain. And Mitt Romney may intervene too for Jeb if Jeb overshadows Rubio in Iowa and New Hampshire.

We Need a Plan

Last month, I wrote about the dangers of an 18th Century style Sarbat Khalsa in 2015. Instead of an 18th Century style Sarbat Khalsa, we got something closer to a Contemporary Punjabi Politics style Sarbat Khalsa: decisions made in a secretive backroom, narrow agendas driving things forward, a lack of vision, big-thinking, foresight, political strategy, inclusion, magnanimity, and so on and so forth.

Gursikhs who did not participate in the Sarbat Khalsa such as Bhai Ranjit Singh Dhadhriawale have been vilified instead of being courted and persuaded. They have been accused of being on the side of the government when instead, their concerns should have been listened to and addressed. This is the problem. There is such a dearth of far-sighted and magnanimous political thinking in Punjab. What gain can there be in alienating Dhadhriawale? Don't we want him on side? Guru Sahib was so magnanimous: being concerned with Datu's foot, treating Dara Shikoh even when his grandfather had been responsible for the Shaheedi of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, asking his Sikhs to apologize to the Fake Guru Dhirmal after assaulting him, wanting to reason with Aurangzeb even after all of his atrocities. We need to learn even an ounce of Guru Sahib's magnanimous nature if we have any hope of getting things on the right track in our Panth. 

The many defects in the Sarbat Khalsa's execution and aftermath laid the groundwork for what was to come: the arrest of the Sarbat Khalsa-endorsed Jathedars and the general feeling of hopelessness surrounding Panthic Gursikhs who want to take back their Panth. Hopelessness, however, is not a state of being that is befitting of the Khalsa. We don't need hopelessness. We need a plan. 

Humbly, what we need right now is the following:

1) Uniting the Panth around a singular mission: the freedom of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Freedom from government law, government interference and corruption. And replacing this current mess with a system that is genuinely adhering to Sikh Principles as enshrined in Gurbani and as demonstrated in Sikh history. 

2) Uniting the Panth around what a free Sri Akal Takht Sahib looks like. Many Gursikhs are already working on this. Yes, we need to repeal the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, a law of the Indian State. Yes, we need to ban state political parties from having a role in our Gurdwaras and especially in our Takhts. Yes, we need to have a system where a select few cannot corruptly suspend the rules as the current SGPC has done. Yes, we need safeguards to ensure that genuine Gursikhs are coming forward in positions of leadership. And yes, we need to do away with the corrosive influence of electoral politics in the form of the SGPC elections. No other religion's leadership is influenced by an elections system, let alone one that is so subject to vote-buying and dirty tricks. We need to rally around a vision of what our institutions must look like. Sarbat Khalsa 2015 got this dialogue started and that was perhaps its greatest contribution. Many proposals will be coming forward over the next several months. Eventually, the Panth needs to rally around one. 

3) Uniting the Panth around Sarbat Khalsa Vasakhi 2016. Every Jathebandi needs to be brought to the table. Every organization needs to have a voice.  Khalistanis need to be there, non-Khalistanis need to be there. Even those who have been co-opted by the Badals need to be courted. Bhai Harnaam Singh Dhumma, how can we convince you to come? What are your conditions? We are asking nicely and respectfully. Please let us know. Bhai Ranjit Singh and Bhai Panthpreet Singh: what are your conditions for attending? Let's meet them. Let's not let the next Sarbat Khalsa be as lacking in inclusion as the last one. It may take too many years to recover as a Panth if that were to happen. 

Future Panthic Decision making may be dictated by a different system such as a World Sikh Parliament but before any of that can happen, we need every organization that calls itself Panthic at the table. Each organization needs to rally around the singular mission: a proposal for a Free Sri Akal Takht Sahib. And then a realistic political strategy needs to be adopted on how to achieve this mission.