USA, Boston: On Saturday, November 3, 2001, the Boston sangat will host a seminar on the ideal Gurdwara. A diverse group of speakers, including Dr. Amarjit Singh from Washington D.C., Dr. I.J. Singh from New York and Sardar Kuldeep Singh from Ohio, is to present ideas and opinions from the spiritual, political, educational, economic and social perspectives.

Throughout Sikh history, the Gurdwara has been the focal point of Sikh activity. Wherever Sikhs have settled, their first task has always been to establish a Gurdwara. Many Sikhs have died defending Gurdwaras and our right to control them. Why?

The purpose of this seminar is to help understand the role of the Gurdwara. The needs of Sikhs living in North America will also be examined. The seminar hopes to answer questions like: What is the ideal balance in running a Gurdwara? How do we manage between the needs of the elder and younger generations? Do our Gurdwaras provide a place for learning and development?

Following the seminar, there will be a candlelight vigil at Boston University in commemoration of the 1984 pogroms. Commonly known as the '1984 riots', it is widely acknowledged that the attacks in India against the Sikhs in November 1984 were organized and planned, hence 'pogroms', and not riots, is the appropriate term.

According to the publication 'Who are the Guilty?', "There were two phases to the operation in New Delhi: Phase 1 - spreading of false propaganda against the Sikhs by the police to raise the levels of fear and hatred against the Sikhs and making the atrocities against them seem acceptable. Phase 2 - Bringing of groups of armed men to at least ten different sections of New Delhi. During this phase the government allowed the attacks to go out of control for over two days before beginning to restore law and order."

The Boston University Sikh Students seek participation of the entire community to the vigil in memory of the 1984 attacks.

More information may be had from Harpreet Kaur: hkaur