Dokument #1207346
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
A granthi is a person responsible for
reading the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, in the proper
intoned manner during public worship in the gurdwara or temple
(Contemporary Religions: A World Guide 1992, 493). A granthi
is not a priest and he or she need have no theological training
(ibid.).
According to a representative of the World
Sikh Organization in Nepean, Ontario, granthis also act as
spiritual advisors to a congregation (15 Mar. 1994). The source
stated that temples with small congregations may not employ a
permanent granthi but that temples with larger congregations may
employ several (ibid.). The representative added that on-site
residences are often maintained for granthis (ibid.). The source
stated that any one is free to speak in a gurdwara (ibid.).
A professor of modern Indian history at the
University of Toronto stated that granthis are paid employees who
are hired by the management committees elected to run sikh temples
(15 Mar. 1994). He added that gurdwaras are highly politicized
institutions and that political power generally resides in the
management committee, as opposed to the granthi (ibid.). The source
also stated that temples may have more than one granthi depending
on the size of the congregation and the number of services held per
week (ibid.).
A source at the American Sikh Information
Centre in San Jose California, stated that a granthi has a certain
level of influence since he or she is a temple's central religious
figure, but that the management committee ultimately determines who
is allowed to remain with the congregation (15 Mar. 1994). The
source stated that if a committee was contemplating dismissing a
member from the congregation, the granthi would be consulted if a
clarification of religious doctrine was required (ibid.). However,
the representative added that when internal political matters are
at issue, the granthi is not likely to be involved in the
decision-making process (ibid.).
For additional information on the role of
the granthi, please refer to Response to Information Requests
IND15211 of 31 August 1993 and IND15101 of 24 August 1993.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
American Sikh Information Centre, San
Jose, Ca. 15 March 1994. Telephone interview with
representative.
Contemporary Religions: A World
Guide. 1992. Harlow, UK: Longman Group UK Ltd.
Professor of modern Indian history,
University of Toronto. 15 March 1994. Telephone interview.
World Sikh Organization, Nepean, Ont. 15
March 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Contemporary Religions: A World
Guide. 1992. Harlow, UK: Longman Group UK Ltd., p. 493.