Thursday, September 14, 2006

Kimveer Gill - Another Lost Boy of Neverland!

I was just reading the news below about Indo-Canadian youth that went on a Columbine style shooting rampage in Montreal. I am shocked and start wondering about what kind of environment did he grow up in and what would be going thru a person's mind? The name Kimveer Gill sounds very Punjabi but it is hard to tell these days. I wish someone could have helped him and showed him the light of the Guru to keep him from straying away into something like that and killing innocent people. I wonder how many lost souls like this are there in this World. Why are all these killers so obsessed with Gothic stuff? There was a murder here in Bay Area in Lafayette that had very similar thing and that killer's obsession with all the Gothic stuff, wearing big crosses, trench coats, guns, knives, tough image, druggy image, loner attitude etc. Somehow they seem to lose it somewhere in the late teens. It is just sad sad sad!

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060914/D8K4MJBO0.html

Lesson: Please pay attention to your kids as to what they are doing and try to show them Guru's messsage early on. I love the beautiful lines out of Guru Granth Sahib in Japji Sahib:


asaNkh moorakh anDh ghor.
Countless fools, blinded by ignorance.
asaNkh chor haraamkhor.
Countless thieves and embezzlers.
asaNkh amar kar jaahi jor.
Countless impose their will by force.
asaNkh galvadh hati-aa kamaahi.
Countless cut-throats and ruthless killers.
asaNkh paapee paap kar jaahi.
Countless sinners who keep on sinning.
asaNkh koorhi-aar koorhay firaahi.
Countless liars, wandering lost in their lies.
asaNkh malaychh mal bhakh khaahi.
Countless wretches, eating filth as their ration.
asaNkh nindak sir karahi bhaar.
Countless slanderers, carrying the weight of their stupid mistakes on their heads.
naanak neech kahai veechaar.
Nanak describes the state of the lowly.
vaari-aa na jaavaa ayk vaar.
I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.
jo tuDh bhaavai saa-ee bhalee kaar.
Whatever pleases You is the only good done,
too sadaa salaamat nirankaar. 18
You, Eternal and Formless One. 18

6 Comments:

Blogger Sifar said...

More disturbing is the fact that the press / media has refered to Kim Gill as Gunman who is a Sikh from India. I donot think that any media reported on the Columbine shooters' religion. It would be fair if they would have reported that xyz, a Christian went on shooting rampage in Columbine high school... The point is when the media donot think that it is necessary to report the religion of one killer, why do they feel that the religion of an ethnic person needs to be reported in such incidents....

PS. Kim Gill didnot even followed Sikhi, which is evident from the act of his....

2:21 PM, September 15, 2006  
Blogger SikhsRus said...

I agree Sifar Ji. Religious background or ethnicity do not need to be reported. But I think there is a double standard when it comes to Sikhs claiming who is a Sikh or not. I was just reading on Sikhnet about a boxer with an Ek Onkar tattoo on his arm. The title of the news is as follows:

"Sikh Boxing Star...."

http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/news.nsf/NewsArchive/8D53D7841429D72A872571E7006B73BF!OpenDocument

Sikhs do need role models but I think sometimes definition of Sikh gets stretched it when it comes who is identified as a Sikh. I don't know what the right answer is when t comes to who is a Sikh and who is not. I mean I claimed to be a Sikh when I was clean shaven, drank alcohol etc. but looking back I say I wasn't even 10% percent Sikh. Even today, I may have a beard and turban, but it is a long way to go when it comes to saying I am a Sikh.

9:10 AM, September 19, 2006  
Blogger Sifar said...

You are right. To be a Sikh mentaly & spiritually, one has to travel a long road to get there. Mere having un cut hair and tying turban does not qualify's one to be a true Sikh. One has to live life as a Sikh rather than just have hair and turbans.... On the other hand, my brother has his hair cut long ago and he still goes to the gurdwara. I dont consider him to be a Sikh. He may be a Sehjdhari (people who cut hair and go to Gurudwara). Also, there is difference between A Sikh and a Khalsa... All Khalsas are Sikhs but not all Sikhs are Khalsas... though they are supposed to be...

But I believe and you will agree too that when it comes to physically identifying a Sikh, most of the world who know Sikhs, associate them with beards and turbans. So to associate the word "Sikh" with a suspect or a terrorist or any bad event will only bring to the readers/viewers vision turban and beard and thus they will not have the right impression of Sikhism.

8:21 AM, September 20, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm from Toronto and Kimveer was all over the papers for the whole week...I don't think I missed reading even a single article on this guy and the massacre. None of the articles I read (only Toronto star) mentioned his religion, except one article on the second day after the event which never mentioned Sikhism: they said he followed some christianity and mainly followed goth culture. I was quite impressed that they digged his true affiliations rather than subscribing to his natural descent.

Sikh or not, the act was horrific and after effects will be felt by those who witnessed it forever.

I however find him a victim too. Yes, Kimveer Gill. I don't blame his parents either. What I am enraged at is people's scrutiny over him! As many claim and from evidence, it all stemmed from being bullied in school. What is the big deal you may ask? But there is!!! A big big deal! He is from the region called Laval where one of the biggest and grand Gurudwara is situated. He grew up during the time when that Gurudwara was being built. Will you believe the kind of vandalism that persisted in that area? The kind of comments people spray painted on those walls while it was under construction. We are talking many years ago when tolerance was still a big issue to tackle. Imagine going to school with those students in their area in their leadership.

That is just one thing...and then there are several others. If his mother says that he was a "good son", I believe her!! A LOT, and I mean a whole LOT occurs to trigger something like this. And then it can also be a mental lockdown and if an act attempted then, it might be fulfilled with little interference from the conscience.

I have had more than a couple of seminars of discussions over him at school now...it's just hard to explain someone's profile...especially someone who is already judged!

Bhul chuk maaf!

1:55 PM, September 25, 2006  
Blogger SikhsRus said...

It is hard to believe how bullying can affect people especially at the kids at Jr. High and High school level. I just hope there are not very many like him waiting to snap and hopefully will find peace within before harming themselves or others. There is no comparison to having a peace of mind in one's life. What were the incidents with Gurdwara? We don't hear much at all here.

7:52 AM, September 28, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i saw a link on the top of the article known as;
"BF Directory"

is that ur BF (boy friend) directory?

11:35 AM, September 28, 2006  

Post a Comment

<< Home