Nirankari Vision 20/20, a two-day Youth
Conference/Samagam was held on July 2 and 3, 2011 at the
Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center in Elizabeth, New
Jersey, USA. It was the fifth youth conference of the
Mission in North America and it was hosted by the New York
Metro Branch, with more than 250 participants, in the age
group of 13 to 30, from all over the United States and
Canada. Thanks to the visionary behind Vision 20/20, Satguru
Baba Hardev Singh Ji, who gave the youth this opportunity to
congregate, engage, interact, discuss and draw an action
plan to implement his clarion call: “Stop Globalizing
Hatred…Globalize Love…Live in Harmony!” The two-day event
was presided by Rev Sandeep Khinda Ji and graced with the
presence and support of several members of the US and Canada
Executive Committees of the Mission.
This Youth
Conference/Samagam received accolades from all
participants, attendees, and the press for its interesting
content, interactive presentations, brainstorming segments, and
remarkable multimedia format which created an overall immersive
and unforgettable experience. Two months prior to the event, as
soon as it was announced that the New York Metro Branch will be
hosting the conference, the preparations began and picked up
pace almost instantaneously. The youth took upon themselves the
responsibility of brainstorming for the content, format, and
organization with minimal guidance, on as- and if-needed basis,
from the elders and organizers on local and national level. They
were given the discretion to take their decisions and they
followed through, putting together a flawless conference,
demonstrating that they are ready for the future. An impressive
exhibition created by the youth and langar was also arranged at
the same location.
Day 1:
On the morning of Saturday, July 2, the participants lined up
to receive their welcome packages which consisted of a back-pack
bag with conference insignia, a program binder, a T-shirt, a
name badge, a copy of Gurudev Hardev, and a wrist band bearing
the slogan—Universal Brotherhood. The conference hall was
arranged to accommodate the youth participants in the seating
area directly in front of a large stage and other attendees on
the sides. The hall was equipped with projection screens on both
sides of the stage. The stage was adorned with a massive blue
backdrop with a portrait of His Holiness Satguru Baba Hardev
Singh Ji looking into the theme of the conference, Vision 20/20,
as if to bless the youth to be imbued with His vision.
The Formal Opening segment began with brief welcome remarks
by Rev Arun Ahluwalia (General Secretary, SNM, USA). Youth
coordinator in-charge Sarabjit (Chand) Michra welcomed Rev.
Sandeep Khinda with a bouquet of flowers. The formal opening of
the conference took place with a special message from His
Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji who expressed His happiness that
the Fifth Youth Conference was being held, and blessed the event
for success.
In His message of blessing to the participants, His Holiness
Baba Ji stated that youth is a part of life that is specially
endowed with energy. It behooves the youth to utilize and
channelize this energy in constructive pursuits and lead a
moral, ethical life that bears a testimony to their spiritual
enlightenment—the Divine vision. He acknowledged that the
veterans of the Mission were once young too; now, it’s the new
generation that has to be prepared to render selfless services
and be ready to take the Mission into the future. This
continuity is a process that will continue as our youth today
dedicate themselves to the cause of the Mission.
Thereafter, the conference co-moderators, Ankit Chelani and
Nancy Sangha, took the stage.
What followed next was eight 30 to 60-minute long
interactive, educating, entertaining, and enlightening segments
with a lot of slides and video content shown on dual screens
using modern interactive technologies to convey the precise and
profound message. These modules were interspersed with inspiring
commercial breaks, which were enacted live by the youth to
convey powerful inspiring messages using the format of famous
commercials we often see on television. The audience admired the
creative use of this medium to skillfully infuse humor into the
program and convey profound messages. Unlike on television where
commercials are perceived as interruptions, the attendees at
this event eagerly looked forward to seeing the next commercial.
Each commercial served as a perfect seguae to the next segment.
The segments included:
Introduction and Icebreaker: During this opener, the
participants were asked to get to know one another. The binder
included various to-do tasks for this activity.
Nirankari History/Trivia: Taking a cue from the famous TV
show, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader!, this interactive
program was formatted with a focus on the important historical
and organizational aspects of the Mission.
Importance of God-knowledge (Gyan): An in-depth segment which
had so many dimensions that the audiences of all ages were
spellbound. It was a truly multi-media and multi-sensory
experience including narrative, didactic, interactive, audio,
and video. It delved deep into the subject by explaining the
nature of creation and then moved on to expounding upon the
Creator and His knowledge.
Formation of Teams: A breakout session during which each
group was given a challenging issue that the youth faces today.
The group members discussed and came forward to present their
recommendations to tackle the issues.
Nirankari Vision 20/20: The youth defined their perception of
“Nirankari Vision 20/20” and addressed the goals that need to be
achieved by the year 2020.
Role of Youth in Vision 20/20: In this interactive session,
many video clips were shown highlighting different scenarios
such as peer pressure, alcoholism, and common problems
confronted by the youth today. The youth showed how they would
deal with those situations according to the teachings of the
Mission.
Unity in Diversity and Introduction to the Mission: In this
2-part segment the participants first discussed different forms
of discrimination in the society and recommended ways to change
such radical behavior. In part two, they suggested different
ways to introduce the philosophy of the Mission.
Avtar Bani: This segment provided the history and teachings
of the Avtar Bani in a quiz format. Each multiple choice
question was followed by an explanation for the correct answer.
The event concluded with brief remarks from Revs. Iqbaljit S.
Rai (President, SNM, USA), Surjit Arneja (President, SNM,
Canada) and Sandeep Khinda.
Cultural Program: The long day ended with cultural activities
which included skits and devotional hymns while keeping the
theme in focus. The upbeat mood of the participants was at its
peak in this grand finale to the first day of the conference.
TV Asia covered the Youth Conference event including
interviews with the youth and the presiding saint Rev. Sandeep
Khinda Ji. The taped excerpts of the program and the interviews
were telecast throughout the United States and Canada in TV
Asia’s Community News segment twice and reached thousands of
audiences.
Day 2
The songs and speeches on this day reinforced the theme of
the conference—Vision 20/20. Many speakers impressed with their
thoughts on the need to implement Baba Ji’s call to “Stop
globalizing hatred…globalize love…live in harmony.”
In his address to the youth, Rev. Sandeep Khinda Ji said:
The youth needs to have a firm belief that the only things
that are ever true in life are Satguru, Sadh Sangat and Nirankar.
He said that in this youth conference the enthusiasm was
evidently high. Now there is a need for the youth to go out in
this world and become an inspiration and role models. One
important thing to take from this conference is that we need to
understand the Gyan and its application in our day to day life.
We need to imbibe Gyan into our life and become one with Gyan,
which really means to become one with the Satguru because there
is no difference between the two. He exhorted the youth to
become an asset to the Satguru. This can be achieved if we
surrender ourselves unconditionally and let the holy master
utilize and help us to help others.
In their concluding remarks, the NY Metro youth coordinator
Sarabjit (Chand) Michra and the New York Metro Branch Parmukh
Rev. Ashok Wahi admired the effort of the youth and thanked the
attendees and the Satguru for the opportunity to host this
event.
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