At a meeting held at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara,Southall, Gurdwaras today agreedon a numberof issues regarding a consistent approachtowards booking of Anand Karaj in Gurdwaras.
Sikh Council UK facilitated a meeting in partnership with Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Southall of Gurdwara parbhandaks to discuss protocols regarding Anand Karaj ceremonies.
Over 180 representatives of Gurdwaras from across the UK attended in person with written submissions from many other Gurdwaras, organisations and individuals. In a session lasting over three hours and with contributions from over 50 representatives decisions were reached on several resolutions by consensus. Resolutions agreed allow Gurdwaras to develop a consistent approach towards booking Anand Karaj ceremonies. The meeting began with Sikh Council UK Secretary General circulating and announcing details of proposals that had been put forward and that were to be debated.
Resolutions agreed include:
- That all Sikhs, whether those involved in Gurdwara managements or those who
have been involved in protests are all ultimately working to achieve the same ends. - That only a Sikh in accordance with the Sikh Rehat Maryada definition is allowed to
be married in accordance with the Anand Karaj ceremony - That a person of non-Sikh origin who accepts the Sikh faith should demonstrate
formal acceptance of this by including Singh or Kaur in their name. - That any person of any community which has a historical tradition of following many
tenets of the Sikh Faith and regularly engage in religious ceremonies and contribute
to the Gurdwaras should be accepted for the Anand Karaj ceremony without
question. - Gurdwaras agree there should be put in place appropriate processes, procedures
and resources to allow for education and reflection by couples prior to Anand Karaj
booking being confirmed. - Sikh Council UK is requested to coordinate the development of appropriate
education processes, procedures and resources for use by Gurdwaras. Sikh
Council UK will involve organisations and individuals including youth organisations
in this developmental work.
