For the first time in a long time, I was able to connect with Sikh sangat at an annual youth retreat on Memorial Day weekend.

Promptly after check-in, evening prayers commenced. A larger room was made into a diwan hall — the room where a Sikh congregation sings and prays. In a diwan hall, Sikhs sit cross-legged on the floor, separated by gender and equidistant from our holy scripture, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It must have been six months since I heard sangat singing religious hymns, what we call keertan.

Gurbani tells Sikhs to meditate and vibrate on God’s name, to never forget him. Hearing keertan at retreat last weekend reminded me what that is like.

But beyond listening to keertan, the retreat was a place for discussion. This year’s theme was Rehit, a Sikh’s code of conduct. Sikhs have produced an official document, the Rehit Maryada, outlining these principles. Accordingly, the retreat began with a brief history of its conception in 1945.

One-hundred-seventy-five giants of academic and religious stature took 12 years to craft it. The finished product was ultimately a compromise among men of differing factions, an achievement whose process was not unlike that of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

But just like the original U.S. Constitution, our Rehit Maryada carries with it flaws that require amending. While the vast majority of the document is in line with our Guru’s message, it is stained with sexist language and certain statements that leave thoughtful Sikhs perplexed. A large part of our discussions were focused on how to change these flaws within Sikhism’s existing religious institutions.

Another presentation discussed how social media could be used to advance selfless service, what Sikhism calls seva. If Facebook and Twitter have the power to overthrow tyrants in the Middle East and become a marketing treasure trove for corporations, it surely could be used by Sikhs to better serve us and the world.

It was also discussed how social media could be used to expose hate crimes and injustices facing Sikhs around the world. The presenter went as far as to tie seva to activism; he said Sikhs should take up causes that speak to us and do them in the spirit of selfless service.

From time to time during group discussions, elders added their two cents. They cited Gurbani from memory to answer questions and gave valuable insight to a mostly young crowd. I only can hope to be so wise when my beard becomes as white as theirs.

For me, sangat such as this only happens a couple of times a year; we all come back home for a break, and we visit someone for their birthday or go on retreat. I never get every question answered, but I get to ask many — and I always learn a lot.

Admittedly, the camp food was, well, camp food. It probably wasn’t a good idea to bring dress shoes to walk on dirt trails, and it is a fact of life that three mirrors in a bathroom are insufficient for 15 Sikh guys to tie turbans all at once. Regardless, the retreat this year, like every year, was a much needed escape into the hands of my Sikh sangat.

When history regarding Sikhism’s Renaissance is written — and it will be written one day — perhaps retreats such as this one will be recorded as the places where Sikhs reformed our religious institutions to meet the demands of new generations.

Until then, I’ll just have to continue to vibrate on God’s name and get sangat any place I can find it.

Ameek Singh is a State News guest columnist and an international relations junior. Reach him at sodhiame@msu.edu.