Indian culture, beliefs preserved<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A mother of Indian descent stood in front of the altar inside
\nthe Gurdwara, a Sikh temple, holding the hands of a toddler to
\nshow him how to bow toward the Sikh holy book, the Sri Guru
\nGranth Sahib.<\/p>\n
Clad in a light blue sari, the mother whispered praises in
\nPunjabi over and over to her son, "My God is one, and He is my
\nprotector".<\/p>\n
Anjani, is one of the thousands of Indonesians of Indian
\ndescent in Jakarta who adhere to strong religious and cultural
\nbeliefs.<\/p>\n
"I'm a Sikh. I go regularly to this temple during the day to
\npray, while taking some time to introduce my baby boy to our
\nreligion," said Anjani, who came to the temple, located on Jl.
\nPasar Baru Timur, Central Jakarta, with her older sister and her
\nuncle.<\/p>\n
Fifty-something Pritpal Singh, a member of the Sikh Gurdwara
\nMission Foundation, whose office is located in the temple,
\nconfirmed the notion of the Indian community in Jakarta that it
\nwas important to protect the younger generation from the negative
\ninfluence of foreign values.<\/p>\n
"Jakarta is widely exposed to modernization and western
\nvalues. We don't want our children to fall into a negative
\nenvironment. That's why parents, as early as possible, introduce
\nreligion and culture to their children," said Pritpal.<\/p>\n
"Even the Indians who know little of religious teachings, try
\nto learn by coming to the temple, just so their children and the
\ncoming generations can hold on to the traditions."<\/p>\n
Pritpal, who originates from North India, said that Giani, the
\npriest at the temple, had his own way to get children to learn
\nabout their culture.<\/p>\n
"He uses the sweet sound of Indian music to attract children
\nto listen to his lectures. Even though unable to speak
\nIndonesian, Giani always gets the children to laugh and enjoy the
\nentire religious ceremony," said Pritpal. "We invited him all the
\nway from India, and he has been staying in Jakarta for five years
\nnow."<\/p>\n
The children of Sadh Sangat, or the Sikh community, are taught
\nhow to read the prayers in Punjabi, known as Gurbani, followed by
\nsinging praises accompanied by Indian musical instruments the
\nharmonium and tabla.<\/p>\n
Pritpal explained that the Indian community values its culture
\nand background highly despite differences in their religions.<\/p>\n
"The Indians here never have any cultural problems. There are
\nIndians who are Protestant, Catholic, or Muslim, but when it
\ncomes to cultural gatherings, we are one."<\/p>\n
The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak Devji in 1469 in
\nPunjabi, India, where he taught people to believe in the oneness
\nof God and God's will, and to see God as truth. The teachings
\nwere later carried on by nine other gurus, including the last
\none, Guru Gobind Singhji.<\/p>\n
In the temple, or the House of Guru, people from various
\nethnic groups and beliefs are invited to taste many kinds of
\ntraditional Indian food, which they eat while sitting on a
\npangat, or long bench.<\/p>\n
"People of different religions or cultures are welcomed in the
\ntemple. Here, we set aside our differences to share stories and
\nlife experiences," said Pritpal.(001)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indian-culture-beliefs-preserved-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}