Past Projects 2022
Every year, the Gurpurab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is celebrated on a grand scale at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh. Likewise this time the committee of the Gurdwara invited many NGOs including Sikhmai to set up booths and promote their products and services to the public. The event took place in a hall located on the ground floor of the Gurdwara for 2 consecutive days.
The objective of Sikhmai participating in this event was to raise awareness of our association and showcase Sikhmai’s work to the sanggat. We planned to recruit new members and converse with existing members if they wish to discuss anything. Moreover, we invited some members to promote their food/confectionery/services/ business at the booth. Sikhmai also gave out free clothes to the sanggat who wish to have them.
Indeed a lot of people visited our booth. While some people bought the products and picked their desired clothing, other generous souls came forward to give donations to our association. Furthermore, 4 new members were registered to be Sikhmai members. Other than that, 11 existing members updated their information or discussed their matters with the committee present on duty.
In the near future, the committee has decided to invite many other members to promote their product or services when such opportunities are/will be given to Sikhmai as this platforms can be very beneficial for our members. Also, for the betterment and progress of their business, Sikhmai will advise the members to be lively and friendly to attract more customers. Besides, they may give out food samples for tasting purpose so people will be willing to try and buy it.
On 18th September 2022, the Sikh Single Mothers Association Ipoh, Perak lead an empowerment workshop at MH Hotel Sungai Siput. The program was held from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. This event was made possible with the assistance and aid from the Registrar of Societies Malaysia. The workshop focused on the mental and physical health of Sikhmai members. It was meant to raise awareness on the importance of their overall well-being. The target group for the workshop was 35-50 years old ladies living in Chemor and Sungai Siput. We managed to get 54 participants from the designated group of people and other members from Ipoh.
The programme started off with the recitation of Ardaas and a welcome speech by the President of Sikhmai, Madam Pushpinder Kaur. Following that, the first session was held by Associate Professor Dr. Naginder Kaur who spoke on 5-step plan of loving yourself. She also did several eye-opening activities which helped the members to reflect on who they really are. To uplift them further, she even got the participants to sing songs or geet like ‘Love You Zindagi’ and ‘Shukar Dateya’.
The next session was Laughter Therapy by Veer Daljit Singh and Phenji Sukhveer Kaur. Both husband and wife shared their life stories where they mentioned that they were cancer survivors. Through their experiences, they taught the members how to laugh and be positive at all times. Apart from that, Phenji Sukhveer also conducted some activities and demonstrated different exercises for the participants to do it daily.
Throughout the day, meals were prepared and served to the attendees. Though certain delicacies were arranged by Sikhmai itself, the rest of it were sponsored by Gurdwara Sahib Sungai Siput. Among the dishes served to everyone included Mamak Mee, Kuih-Muih, Vegetarian Fish Curry, Fried Bitter Gourd and Cha Pakore.
In the evening, a small closing ceremony was held to commemorate the special day. The guest speakers and other VIPs were given souvenirs to thank them for their contribution towards the event. As for the members, certificates were handed out to them for being wonderful participants and to celebrate their achievement as a whole.
Overall, it was a fun filled day for everyone who attended the event. With god’s grace, the empowerment workshop at Sungai Siput MH Hotel was a great success. In the near future, we plan to have another workshop to allow our other members in joining us and celebrating themselves.
The Single Mother’s wing of Majlis Pembangunan Masyarakat Negeri Perak (Perak State Community Development Council) held a one-day workshop on 24th August 2022 followed by a trip to Cameron Highlands on 25th August 2022. This was the first event to be organised by the newly formed Single Mother’s wing of MPMNP.
The workshop was held at Dewan Muslimah, Kg. Kepayang, Fair Park. Six Sikhmai members voluntarily participated in this program. The workshop consisted of four sessions. The first two sessions were conducted by Madam Logarani a/p Mathivanan, a psychologist from Lembaga Penduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara (The National Population and Family Development Institute). She spoke on the importance of loving oneself and how to prevent depression.
The next session was on Family Financial Management which consisted of two parts. The first part was taken up by Miss Tung Ka Yin of Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency). The counsellor spoke on how one should take charge of their financial situations. She also provided some good guidelines and advice on the topic of discussion. Part two was conducted by Mr. Amirul Nazrin and Madam Susila a/p Chandran of MBSB Bank. We discovered that this bank has only 3 branches in Perak, located in Ipoh, Taiping, and Sitiawan. The speakers overall spoke on saving plans for children and personal accident policies provided by their bank.
The final session of Hydroponic Plants was a brief course on Urban Farming Skills where a complete demonstration of it was given to the participants. At the end of the workshop, an officer from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (Department of Social Welfare) officiated the ceremony and handed out starter kits to all participants present. He represented Dato’ Wan Norashikin Binti Wan Nordin, the head of Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Kebajikan Masyarakat (Development of Women, Family and Social Welfare as she could not be a part of the function. The entire program took place from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
The following day, five Sikhmai members together with other participants went on a day trip to Cameron Highlands to attend the remaining course over there. A bus was arranged to accommodate all the attendees. The participants visited the following places below:
- Agroto Business (M) Sdn. Bhd.
- Agro Technology Park MARDI
- Boh Sg Palas Tea Centre
- Kea Farm Market
Overall, this course was a fun learning experience for the participants as they gained knowledge on different topics of discussion while enjoying the sightseeing of various places.
On 13th July 2022, the Honourable Chief Minister of Perak, Dato’ Seri Saarani Mohamad invited all Sikhs residing in the state of Perak to a ‘Meet and Greet Dinner’ at his official residence in Ipoh. This was the first time in the history of Perak that the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) had requested to meet the Sikhs to hear their views and suggestions.
The turnout was overwhelming. A total of 153 Sikhmai members attended the dinner. Initially, it was reported that the confirmed attendees for the event were a total of 450. However, on that day, a crowd of 1200 people gathered to be a part of the event. Despite the last minute turn up, the Chief Minister managed to accommodate everyone with the help of his Special Secretary for Sikh Affairs, Tuan Suwaran Singh a/l Mangal Singh.
The event took off with the singing of the national and state anthems followed by dinner. While everyone was enjoying the sumptuous dinner , two Sikh boys who won the public speaking competition in the State of Perak, presented the economic blueprint for the next 8 years for the state of Perak. This economic blueprint was inaugurated by the Chief Minister in June 2022. They spoke eloquently in Bahasa Malaysia and the community was very proud of their talent. Subsequently, a dialogue session was held with the Chief Minister, moderated by the Principal of ACS Kampar, Sardar Hardev Singh. Several issues were brought up by the public. Some of the issues discussed were as follows:
- President of Sikhmai, Pushpinder Kaur suggested that the Welfare Department set up a separate division for single mothers so their grievances can be looked into immediately.
- A man from Malim Nawar had land issues for cattle rearing.
- A boy with kidney failure hoped that more dialysis centres can be set up in Perak.
- Dato Naran asked for a modern crematorium for the Sikhs.
- A young man said there should be more job opportunities in Perak so that the youth do not have to go to other states to look for jobs.
The Chief Minister took note of all the feedback and promised to look into the issues raised.
Finally, souvenirs were presented to the Chief Minister as a token of appreciation. Sikhmai presented a symbolic culture tool (Charkha and Madani) to Dato’ Seri Saarani Mohamad and a Punjabi suit to his wife.
The event ended on a happy note at around 11.00 p.m.
MIC Dinner
On 3rd July 2022, 10 members of Sikhmai attended a Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) Dinner at Kok Thai Restaurant. They were the guests of Mr. Dheer Singh a/p Thel Singh. It was to celebrate the awarding of PSM Medal to Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Subramaniam Sathasivam by His Majesty The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. In his speech, Tan Sri Datuk Seri stressed to support for the government and live in unity. The guests were all then served with dinner.
Chaupai Sahib Path for the wellbeing of Bibi Rajvinder Kaur
Sikhmai was approached by an anonymous member to have Chaupai Path for the speedy recovery of Bibi Rajvinder Kaur from Johor Bahru. The prayers were held for her on 23rd June 2022 at 7.00 p.m. in Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh (WGSI). The congregation consisted of 50 Sikhmai members and the sanggat of WGSI. Five Chaupai Sahib Path were read, followed by Katha and Kirtan by the local Granthi (priest). The Granthi sang a blissful hymn ‘Tati vau na lagai, parabraham saranai’. Anand Sahib was read, Ardas was done followed by Hukumnama and Prasad distribution. Langgar was served.
Opening Ceremony of Sikhmai Jangiro Nivaas
Sikh Single Mothers Association Ipoh, Perak held an inauguration ceremony of their new office and home on April 19, 2022. All donors and NGO representatives who were working hand in hand with Sikhmai, Gurdwara Presidents and Istris, were invited for the celebration. This accomplishment was made possible by the contribution and support of all the guests.
Upon their arrival, the guests were cordially greeted and welcomed by the committee members. As we were still recovering from COVID-19 and for safety precautions, everyone was required to mark their attendance at the registration table. We received praises and congratulatory gifts for achieving this milestone.
Madam Amarjid Kaur, Sikhmai Deputy President, and master of ceremonies (MC) welcomed all the guests at 2 p.m. Ardas was recited and the ceremony began with the Sikhmai President, Madam Pushpinder Kaur, presenting a heartwarming speech. Sardar Dheer Singh, the founding advisor, was called upon to say a word or two to the attendees. He gave a brief history of Sikhmai and some words of encouragement to the committee to carry on their good work. The guest of honour and representative of the State government, Tuan Suwaran Singh, was invited to share his keynote address. The MC then called upon Tuan Swaran Singh to unveil the curtain of the Sikhmai Jangiiro Nivaas board. Phenji Pushpinder Kaur, Sardar Dheer Singh, and Dr. Gurpal Singh, joined in to officiate the opening ceremony of the Sikhmai home. The guests were then taken for a tour of the house. Tea was served with a variety of food.
A token of appreciation was received by Tuan Swaran Singh on behalf of the State government. Sikhmai expresses deepest gratitude to all the guests for supporting Sikhmai to date. A big thank you to Vignesh Food Caterers and AV Technician, Mr. Harchand Singh, for doing a wonderful job in their scope of work. Heartfelt appreciation to all our members who tirelessly worked towards the success of this ceremony at all times.
On 13th March 2022, Women’s Day was celebrated at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib, Ipoh. The event was organized by Sikh Single Mother’s Association Ipoh, Perak in collaboration with Wadda Gurdwara Istri Satsang and Kuala Lumpur Women’s Group. The objective was not only to commemorate the special day but also to encourage women to socialise and make friends as well as create a strong bond of sisterhood with one another.
This joyous occasion was attended by 65 Sikhmai members and other ladies. The event began with the recitation of the Ardaas and welcome speech by the emcees. Next, the organizing committee and guests speakers carried out many interesting activities for the attendees such as:-
- Interactive Health Talk by Dr. Satnam Kaur
- Sakhi of Mata Gujri Ji by Phenji Harjit Kaur and Phenji Sharon Kaur
- Meditation by Phenji Jasvinder Kaur
- Games
- Poem Recitation
- Door Gifts
The event was very fruitful as we saw the attendees having a great time while keeping aside all of their worries. It was evident from their faces that they felt appreciated and loved. They also gained some knowledge on mental health and Covid-19, learnt a new Sakhi and some yoga poses to help them relax.
Looking at the success of this programme and due to public demand, we plan to invite many other people to join us in this fun gatherings. Hence, we will consider increasing the no. of participants for our upcoming projects depending on the response we receive from the public.
