Our Bureau
Cincinnati, OH
Sikh children from Cincinnati (Dayton) and nearby towns in the US state of Ohio assembled at the Guru Nanak Society of Greater Cincinnati Gurdwara Sahib for participation in the local level speech competition of the annual Sikh Youth Symposium-2024. The event, organized under the banner of the Sikh Youth Alliance of North America (SIANA), was attended by 50 children and youth between the ages of 6 and 22. Sameep Singh Gumtala, convener of the Cincinnati and Dayton area, shared that the participating children were divided into five groups as per age.
The methodology used was to give each group a book four months in advance and children were supposed to answer the three questions given from it in the form of a speech in 5 to 7 minutes. This year, the first group was given the book “My Guru’s Blessings”, the second was given the book “Teaching Sikh Heritage to Youth”, the third was given the book “20 Minutes Guide to the Sikh Faith” and the fourth was given the book “Clash of Culture”. The theme of the fifth group was “The Ghalughara of 1984 and subsequent Sikh Struggle.” As every year, the symposium began and concluded with prayers and hukamnama. In his inaugural address, Dr. Kiranpal Singh Sangha proudly informed the participating youth, family, and community members that, “This is the 20th year of the symposium being organized in Cincinnati.”
According to a 2023 Sikh Coalition report, nearly 80% of Sikh youth are bullied by other children in school. The idea behind the symposium was to increase the confidence of the children participating in the symposium so that they can become leaders in the future. All the participating children were honored with awards and books. The winning children of each group will compete in state-level competitions in Cleveland with winners from other cities in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The occasion also remembered the late Jaipal Singh who taught and guided the Sikh youth selflessly and diligently year after year. Tarlochan Singh Sandhawalia, a senior member of the community and serving as a judge, thanked and congratulated the children, teachers, parents, sewadars, and organizers for the success of the event. He said, “The young children gave big messages today, all the participating children are winners. I hope and pray that Guru Sahib imparts more knowledge to these children and makes Guru Nanak’s Phulwari bigger and more beautiful.”
