Sikhs gather for annual camp at KKB

OVER 900 Sikhs gathered at Khalsa Land in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor, to participate in an annual youth camp.

This year’s event marked the 60th Annual Gurmat Parchar Samelan, which had been held in the town since 2016.

It was held online in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The youths from across the world spent a week together to renew their faith in Sikhism.

This year’s theme was Charan Chalo Maarag Gobind (Imbibe the virtues of God and you will attain inner peace).

Other than Malaysia, participants came from Britain, Canada, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

Organised by Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM), the camp has been held consistently since the first one at a school in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, in 1963.

The number of participants grew and it became difficult for schools to accommodate them, hence the camp moved to Khalsa Land, said SNSM president Paramjeet Singh.

He said the aim was to instil the Sikh way of life in every youth who attended the camp.

“Apart from educating them on their religion, the camp helps mould the youths to become leaders.

“This year’s camp celebrated 60 years of Sikh youth empowerment in Malaysia.

“It was also an opportunity for young Sikhs to come together and connect with other Sikhs within Malaysia and globally.

“I believe we are all responsible to prevent youths from getting involved in social ills,’’ said Paramjeet.

Motivational speakers were also invited to give presentations on various topics.

On some days, lectures were held in the open so everyone could enjoy learning in natural surroundings.

Khalsa Land’s project director Harnarinder Singh said they wanted to champion the back-to-nature concept.

“We also taught them the finer points of planting, pruning and identifying the many fruit trees on the land.

“You will be surprised that many of them had never seen a guava tree,’’ he said.

Games, jungle walks and many other fun activities were also organised.

The participants’ day started at 5am with morning prayers.

The Sikhs’ living guru, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, was brought to the camp and placed at a makeshift prayer hall.

After breakfast, youths were broken up into teams for group dynamics and projects based on their age.

Paramjeet said the youths were also taught the importance of gotong-royong.

Groups were given daily tasks to clean the toilets, camp grounds and serve vegetarian food to participants.

Jagdesh Singh, who has been a participant at the camp for many years, was one of the volunteers who helped ensure the smooth running of the camp.

“Many former participants who attended the camp as volunteers also brought their children,” said Jagdesh.

Jagdip Singh, 13, from Petaling Jaya, looked forward to the camp every year.

“Besides learning how to pray, the camp had many exciting activities as well.

“I have been attending the camp since I was eight and have made several friends.

“We look forward to meeting each other every year. Khalsa Land is like my second home,’’ said Jagdip.

Student Jashvinaraj Kaur said coming to the camp had been a transformative experience as she deepened her knowledge on Sikhism.

“Every December, I look forward to the camp to feel spiritually connected,’’ she said.

The camp was made possible via donations from the Sikh community.