About Me
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Hinduism and Sikhism
"It (Hinduism) is like the boa constrictor of the Indian forests. When a petty enemy appears to worry it, it winds round its opponent, crushes it in its folds, and finally causes it to disappear in its capacious interior....Hinduism has embraced Sikhism in its folds; the still comparatively young religion is making a vigorous struggle for life, but its ultimate destruction is, it is apprehended, inevitable without State support." (Max Arthur Macauliffe, 1903)
GGS - page 855: LET US SEEK GOD'S GRACE AND SUPPORT
Bhagat Kabir jee says that I neither study nor get involved in wrangles ofthis world because I remain completely immersed by listening and praisingGod’s glory and virtues. (1)
O my friend! In the eyes of others I look like a mad person whereas thewhole world pretends to be very wise. The people consider as if I havefollowed a wrong path because I keep myself busy in reciting God’s True Naambut if it is so, others need not to suffer like me. (1 - Pause)
I have not become mad of my own because it is only due to God’s Bliss that Icompletely absorbed in the True Lord’s love. By virtue of God’s Grace, allmy dual-mindedness and doubts have disappeared. (2)
I have overcome my ego and abandoned my self-minded wisdom. If someone doesnot believe me, then they should neither follow my example nor they shouldworry about me. (3)
I wish to make it clear that the person is really mad, who has not attainedthe self-realisation. When devotee attains the Divine Enlightenment by God’sGrace then that Guru-oriented person understands the Truth that God pervadeseverywhere. (4)
Bhagat Kabir jee says that the person, who has not realized God’s love inthis life, will never rejoice equipoise elsewhere. But such true realizationcould only be attained if the person remains busy in reciting God’s TrueNaam with love and devotion. (5 / 2)
[By God’s Grace & Support, all moments, hours, days, months and years are excellent.]
Sharred by: Gurmit Singh (Sydney-Australia):
O my friend! In the eyes of others I look like a mad person whereas thewhole world pretends to be very wise. The people consider as if I havefollowed a wrong path because I keep myself busy in reciting God’s True Naambut if it is so, others need not to suffer like me. (1 - Pause)
I have not become mad of my own because it is only due to God’s Bliss that Icompletely absorbed in the True Lord’s love. By virtue of God’s Grace, allmy dual-mindedness and doubts have disappeared. (2)
I have overcome my ego and abandoned my self-minded wisdom. If someone doesnot believe me, then they should neither follow my example nor they shouldworry about me. (3)
I wish to make it clear that the person is really mad, who has not attainedthe self-realisation. When devotee attains the Divine Enlightenment by God’sGrace then that Guru-oriented person understands the Truth that God pervadeseverywhere. (4)
Bhagat Kabir jee says that the person, who has not realized God’s love inthis life, will never rejoice equipoise elsewhere. But such true realizationcould only be attained if the person remains busy in reciting God’s TrueNaam with love and devotion. (5 / 2)
[By God’s Grace & Support, all moments, hours, days, months and years are excellent.]
Sharred by: Gurmit Singh (Sydney-Australia):
"Mittar Pyare nu" by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji
this Shabad was sung by him on the night of the cold Winter when Guru Sahib jio had earlier in the day led the Khalsa forces in the battle of Chamkaur where Guru ji fought with the huge army of enemies of Khalsa Panth.His sons embraced martyrdom in front of his own eyes fighting for Khalsa ideals.Guru Sahib ji in this shabad yearns for remembrance of Waheguru inspite of hardships and tough times. There is a Gurudwara Macchhiwara Sahib in the forest where Guru Sahib ji slept on ground after reciting this Shabad. Satguru ji left the fortress of Chamkaur after Khalsa ji ordered him to do so.
.
Source:Sikh Heritage College USREF TAMPA
Here is the kirtan sung by the great singer, the late Mohd.
Rafi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_jm2MCaZqE&hl=en-GB&gl=SG.
Source:Sikh Heritage College USREF TAMPA
Friday, December 28, 2007
Awesome lyrics
When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse?
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worst?
Lights will guide you home,
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you,
High up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse?
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worst?
Lights will guide you home,
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you,
High up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
loneliness
Read the blog of http://onepicaday.blogspot.com/. He wrote "
And if you are scared of being alone: never forget that ultimately you will be alone. When you die, you die alone, even if someone might be holding your hand. You will go by yourself. So there's no way around but to face ultimate loneliness, and you might as well get used to it while you're alive.
"
He wrote about loneliness. I totally agree with it.
Saturday, 29 Dec 2007.
And if you are scared of being alone: never forget that ultimately you will be alone. When you die, you die alone, even if someone might be holding your hand. You will go by yourself. So there's no way around but to face ultimate loneliness, and you might as well get used to it while you're alive.
"
He wrote about loneliness. I totally agree with it.
Saturday, 29 Dec 2007.
AOL kills Netscape
AOL today pulled the plug on Netscape Navigator, the Web browser that once owned the lion's share of the market and was the focus of a landmark federal antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. In an announcement posted to AOL's blog for the browser, Tom Drapeau, the director of the company's Netscape brand, said the team is ending development and would cease issuing security updates as of Feb. 1, 2008.
* To read the entire article, click the following link
http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2554538/207397/92648/2/
* To read the entire article, click the following link
http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2554538/207397/92648/2/
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SIKHISM AND ANCIENT CHINESE CULTURE IN KEEPING LONG HAIR BEARDS AND TURBAN
It is interesting to note that there are similarities between Sikhism and the ancient Chinese culture of keeping long hair beards and surprising the keski (mini-turban)with a comb inserted in the hair. Anyone who is familiar with Chinese culture will note that ancient Chinese keep long hair and beards.
In "Xiao Jing" (principle of filial obedience ?) Confucius said(roughly translated) "body,hair and skin all came from parents, not dare to damage, that's the beginning of filial obedience(xiao).
Han Chinese were not allowed to cut their hair because of filial piety, all the way until the Qing dynasty forced them to adopt the Manchu shaved-head-and-pigtail look. That was part of the reason for the fierce Han oppostion to the pigtail policy during the early Qing, which resulted in several rebellions. Men would tie their hair up in a topknot (mini-turban) and enclose it with a headdress or cap (guan), while women would coif or plait it in various ways. However, shaving the beard or moustache was not considered unfilial, because one only developed them at puberty. Many Chinese men chose to grow out their beards and/or moustaches simply because they felt it looked good.
Imagine this - to the ancient Chinese, a person with short hair was probably an uncivilised barbarian!
I believe that if the Chinese had not been mentally prepared for the idea of cutting their hair by the experience of the Qing dynasty, they might still be leaving their hair long like they did in the Ming. The filial piety ethic, after all, is extremely strong in Chinese society and it took much coercion by the Manchus to separate filial piety ethically from the practice of keeping one's hair. It can probably be said that there was no such occupation as a barber in pre-Qing China. Today, the only people who still refuse to cut their hair or even shave their facial hair are the Sikhs, and they do so for cultural-religious reasons as well..
the "barbarian" peoples of the south, such as the Yue and the Chu, are known to have cut their hair short for practical reasons. But the Han people of the north continued to keep their hair uncut after expanding southwards - simply because cutting one's hair was considered not only unfilial but also uncivilised. Similarly, Europeans did not discard their clothing after coming to the tropics, even though the native peoples wore only loincloths or sarongs because of the heat and humidity. Instead, wearing next to nothing was considered a sign of barbarism itself. It was only from the Qing dynasty onwards that Chinese people got used to cutting their hair - or, in the case of men, shaving their heads since the hair on the back of the head was still left uncut to form the pigtail.
I forgot to point out that Buddhist monks and nuns were actually the first Chinese to shave their heads - and this was one of the big reasons why some Confucian scholars condemned Buddhism for being very unfilial... the other reason being the vow of celibacy which prevented a monk from carrying on the family line.]
Most Chinese nowadays do not adhere to the older custom because of modernisation and due to genetics they cannot grow a full beard like the sikhs.
Perhaps someday the old practice of keeping heards and long hair may be revived thus encouraging more Chinese to embrace Sikhism
In "Xiao Jing" (principle of filial obedience ?) Confucius said(roughly translated) "body,hair and skin all came from parents, not dare to damage, that's the beginning of filial obedience(xiao).
Han Chinese were not allowed to cut their hair because of filial piety, all the way until the Qing dynasty forced them to adopt the Manchu shaved-head-and-pigtail look. That was part of the reason for the fierce Han oppostion to the pigtail policy during the early Qing, which resulted in several rebellions. Men would tie their hair up in a topknot (mini-turban) and enclose it with a headdress or cap (guan), while women would coif or plait it in various ways. However, shaving the beard or moustache was not considered unfilial, because one only developed them at puberty. Many Chinese men chose to grow out their beards and/or moustaches simply because they felt it looked good.
Imagine this - to the ancient Chinese, a person with short hair was probably an uncivilised barbarian!
I believe that if the Chinese had not been mentally prepared for the idea of cutting their hair by the experience of the Qing dynasty, they might still be leaving their hair long like they did in the Ming. The filial piety ethic, after all, is extremely strong in Chinese society and it took much coercion by the Manchus to separate filial piety ethically from the practice of keeping one's hair. It can probably be said that there was no such occupation as a barber in pre-Qing China. Today, the only people who still refuse to cut their hair or even shave their facial hair are the Sikhs, and they do so for cultural-religious reasons as well..
the "barbarian" peoples of the south, such as the Yue and the Chu, are known to have cut their hair short for practical reasons. But the Han people of the north continued to keep their hair uncut after expanding southwards - simply because cutting one's hair was considered not only unfilial but also uncivilised. Similarly, Europeans did not discard their clothing after coming to the tropics, even though the native peoples wore only loincloths or sarongs because of the heat and humidity. Instead, wearing next to nothing was considered a sign of barbarism itself. It was only from the Qing dynasty onwards that Chinese people got used to cutting their hair - or, in the case of men, shaving their heads since the hair on the back of the head was still left uncut to form the pigtail.
I forgot to point out that Buddhist monks and nuns were actually the first Chinese to shave their heads - and this was one of the big reasons why some Confucian scholars condemned Buddhism for being very unfilial... the other reason being the vow of celibacy which prevented a monk from carrying on the family line.]
Most Chinese nowadays do not adhere to the older custom because of modernisation and due to genetics they cannot grow a full beard like the sikhs.
Perhaps someday the old practice of keeping heards and long hair may be revived thus encouraging more Chinese to embrace Sikhism
Star Voice of India and Sikhs
Written by WSN Bureau
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ishmeet Singh’s emergence as the Star Voice of India in a high eyeball gathering Indian TV channel reality singing talent contest, coupled by the increasing awareness about identity among the ethnic minorities in an increasingly globalized world, and the high profile 300th year celebrations of the Guru’ta Gaddi Diwas. All these have somehow combined in making the Sikhs realize that they must take care of the one symbol that has caught the imagination of the world. The Turban. Instantly marking out the Sikh from a crowd of a million, a turban has done for the Sikhs what takes communities many many years and efforts to achieve.
See the last issue of the famous Time magazine (India 'Idol' Launches a New Turban Legend) which features the 18-year-old Ishmeet Singh and calls him as winner of the “glitzy American Idol-inspired Voice of India contest on Star TV last month.” It wrote: “(T)he phone hasn't stopped ringing at his family's home in Ludhiana, the busy industrial hub of Punjab. But the kudos is about more than Singh's impressive singing prowess; he has earned it by the fact that he is a keshdhari (turban-wearing) Sikh.”
The Time article continues: "It is his sabat-surat [appearance conforming to the Sikh ideal] that has brought him where he is today," says his proud father Gurpinder Singh. "He has shown other Sikh boys that they don't need a trendy hairstyle to attain stardom." At a time when more and more young Sikh men are relinquishing the turban considered the very core of a Sikh man's cultural and religious identity community leaders have hailed Singh's win as, literally, a godsend. Sikh blogs have been pointing out that Singh was declared a winner on Guru Nanak Jayanti, the anniversary of the birth of the founder of Sikhism. And he has been honored by the Akal Takht, the highest seat of the Sikh clergy.
The event also gave the Time the opportunity to explain the Sikh faith to a wider world audience. On Sikhism, it wrote: “Founded by Guru Nanak in northern India during the 15th century, Sikhism drew from Sufism, Islam and Hinduism, but rejected what it saw as their worst traditions, such as the Hindu caste system. … The religion claims 23 million followers today, 76 percent of whom live in the Indian state of Punjab…But the battle to preserve the turban may well be the toughest facing the Sikhs since they were first rallied as a martial nation by their tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, in 1699, to fight the oppressive Mughal rulers of India.”
Such efforts help the Sikh community in explaining to the world that they are a unique nation and cannot be confused with people of Middle East origin, something the average American is prone to do, as symbolized by the many hate crimes against the Sikhs in the United States in the wake of 9/11.
The Sikhism’s norms enjoin Sikh men to wear their hair long and sport a turban. But Sikh scholars estimate that in some regions of Punjab home to 60% of India's 14.6m Sikhs as many as 80% of Sikhs no longer comply. And that may reflect the generational conflict in many a Sikh household, between conservative parents and children who want to break free. The Time magazine quoted the Chandigarh based sociologist Dr. Rajesh Gill, whose 18-year-old son sports a turban, and said she spoke for many Sikh parents when she said, "A turban is a Sikh's pride, and I don't want my son to shear his hair once he becomes more independent."
The number of turbanless, clean-shaven Sikhs has grown astronomically in the last two decades. "Thanks to the onslaught of satellite TV, there's a drive towards mainstreaming," says Gill. As young people travel far for work, they feel less obligated to adhere to the demands of their culture. Some cite convenience as a factor since, as per this argument, young, working mothers have no time for the elaborate, early-morning practice of tying turbans and washing boys' long hair on weekends. What kind of argument is that to cite for a mother who brings the children into this world? That she assumes no responsibility to transmit the religious, cultural values and will merely feed well and send the kids to a good school? Efforts to preach values to young Sikhs have lagged. Even Sikh schools do not preach Sikhism, the Time article said quoting a Sikh scholar, who added that as a result the children don't realize the philosophy behind wearing a turban.
The euphoria over Ishmeet Singh's victory reflects the need of the Sikh community's elders to find turbaned role models. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, always seen with a spiffy turban, is an obvious example, but cricketer Harbhajan Singh is no hero. Daler Mehndi only to a certain extent, he does not put “Singh” in his name. “Sikh organizations from Vancouver to Melbourne are renewing efforts at prachar, or preaching, to the 3 million-strong Sikh diaspora,” the Time said, adding the “how to tie a turban” schooling is part of the initiatives.
Even on Baisakhi, the Sikhs, increasingly aware and worried about the younger generation's attitude towards the religion and much concerned about their outer identity symbol of the turban, celebrated the festival simultaneously as the International Turban Day.
In Amritsar, as part of the Mr. Singh International, Sikh models walked down the ramp and were feted not primarily because they were beautiful or had perfect attributes of the body but because they had all that but were also Sikhs, or at least sported all the outer symbols of the religion -- the hair, the turban, the untrimmed eyelashes, a perfectly tied turban and an impressively styled beard.
At a time when the human body has started to pre-empt all other measures ofvalue in the West, the effort by certain organizations to ensure that the sabat-soorat Sikh also remains in the race, and in fact, becomes the in thing in fashionable circles are being appreciated by the community.
Social isolation is a dreaded state and the turban must not be allowed to become a symbol of that in a world where the clean shaven hair styles are being marketed as fashionable.
Contests like Mr Singh International and efforts like that of Ishmeet Singh have made a contribution in this regard upon which the community must build further.
A string of successful Sikh modeling contests will lead to similar pressures closer home. It makes our youth take a pride in a stylishly worn turban.The majority of children between three and twelve in the United States spend more time in front of a screen - television, computer, video-game, mobile phone - than with their parents, teachers or their friends: on average more than five hours a day, as against four with teachers, less than three with friends - and scarcely more than an hour with parents. In these conditions, the transmission of customs and values that was once assured by the family is not happening. The imaginative and moral distance between progenitors and their offspring is growing. In such circumstances, the child or our youth will learn more from what goes on in a modeling contest or on a TV reality show than the traditional channels of value transition. It is necessary that the community learns how to hog that space. Ishmeet Singh is helping us.
Initiatives like that of Jaswinder Singh, the SGPC member who has been a prime force behind many Sikh modeling contests, are to be appreciated. The turban wearing achievers must be celebrated.
That is why the fact that the Time magazine features Ishmeet Singh in a thorough report instead of dismissing the Idol-ization in a passing reference should be celebrated.
But while we must do that, we must also remember, as the WSN had pointed out earlier also many a times, whether we have indeed thought through all the implications of celebration of the youth, of the human shape, of the Sikh modeling contests, of the images that will beam eventually in gurdwaras after any Ayur Herbal Sikh Value-laden Turban Tying and Eyelashes-preservation Contest?
We must ensure that our youth realizes that even while it celebrates turban, it is necessary to understand that the gurbani hymn being played in the background of the modeling contest is commensurate with value system that they have in their lives.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ishmeet Singh’s emergence as the Star Voice of India in a high eyeball gathering Indian TV channel reality singing talent contest, coupled by the increasing awareness about identity among the ethnic minorities in an increasingly globalized world, and the high profile 300th year celebrations of the Guru’ta Gaddi Diwas. All these have somehow combined in making the Sikhs realize that they must take care of the one symbol that has caught the imagination of the world. The Turban. Instantly marking out the Sikh from a crowd of a million, a turban has done for the Sikhs what takes communities many many years and efforts to achieve.
See the last issue of the famous Time magazine (India 'Idol' Launches a New Turban Legend) which features the 18-year-old Ishmeet Singh and calls him as winner of the “glitzy American Idol-inspired Voice of India contest on Star TV last month.” It wrote: “(T)he phone hasn't stopped ringing at his family's home in Ludhiana, the busy industrial hub of Punjab. But the kudos is about more than Singh's impressive singing prowess; he has earned it by the fact that he is a keshdhari (turban-wearing) Sikh.”
The Time article continues: "It is his sabat-surat [appearance conforming to the Sikh ideal] that has brought him where he is today," says his proud father Gurpinder Singh. "He has shown other Sikh boys that they don't need a trendy hairstyle to attain stardom." At a time when more and more young Sikh men are relinquishing the turban considered the very core of a Sikh man's cultural and religious identity community leaders have hailed Singh's win as, literally, a godsend. Sikh blogs have been pointing out that Singh was declared a winner on Guru Nanak Jayanti, the anniversary of the birth of the founder of Sikhism. And he has been honored by the Akal Takht, the highest seat of the Sikh clergy.
The event also gave the Time the opportunity to explain the Sikh faith to a wider world audience. On Sikhism, it wrote: “Founded by Guru Nanak in northern India during the 15th century, Sikhism drew from Sufism, Islam and Hinduism, but rejected what it saw as their worst traditions, such as the Hindu caste system. … The religion claims 23 million followers today, 76 percent of whom live in the Indian state of Punjab…But the battle to preserve the turban may well be the toughest facing the Sikhs since they were first rallied as a martial nation by their tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, in 1699, to fight the oppressive Mughal rulers of India.”
Such efforts help the Sikh community in explaining to the world that they are a unique nation and cannot be confused with people of Middle East origin, something the average American is prone to do, as symbolized by the many hate crimes against the Sikhs in the United States in the wake of 9/11.
The Sikhism’s norms enjoin Sikh men to wear their hair long and sport a turban. But Sikh scholars estimate that in some regions of Punjab home to 60% of India's 14.6m Sikhs as many as 80% of Sikhs no longer comply. And that may reflect the generational conflict in many a Sikh household, between conservative parents and children who want to break free. The Time magazine quoted the Chandigarh based sociologist Dr. Rajesh Gill, whose 18-year-old son sports a turban, and said she spoke for many Sikh parents when she said, "A turban is a Sikh's pride, and I don't want my son to shear his hair once he becomes more independent."
The number of turbanless, clean-shaven Sikhs has grown astronomically in the last two decades. "Thanks to the onslaught of satellite TV, there's a drive towards mainstreaming," says Gill. As young people travel far for work, they feel less obligated to adhere to the demands of their culture. Some cite convenience as a factor since, as per this argument, young, working mothers have no time for the elaborate, early-morning practice of tying turbans and washing boys' long hair on weekends. What kind of argument is that to cite for a mother who brings the children into this world? That she assumes no responsibility to transmit the religious, cultural values and will merely feed well and send the kids to a good school? Efforts to preach values to young Sikhs have lagged. Even Sikh schools do not preach Sikhism, the Time article said quoting a Sikh scholar, who added that as a result the children don't realize the philosophy behind wearing a turban.
The euphoria over Ishmeet Singh's victory reflects the need of the Sikh community's elders to find turbaned role models. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, always seen with a spiffy turban, is an obvious example, but cricketer Harbhajan Singh is no hero. Daler Mehndi only to a certain extent, he does not put “Singh” in his name. “Sikh organizations from Vancouver to Melbourne are renewing efforts at prachar, or preaching, to the 3 million-strong Sikh diaspora,” the Time said, adding the “how to tie a turban” schooling is part of the initiatives.
Even on Baisakhi, the Sikhs, increasingly aware and worried about the younger generation's attitude towards the religion and much concerned about their outer identity symbol of the turban, celebrated the festival simultaneously as the International Turban Day.
In Amritsar, as part of the Mr. Singh International, Sikh models walked down the ramp and were feted not primarily because they were beautiful or had perfect attributes of the body but because they had all that but were also Sikhs, or at least sported all the outer symbols of the religion -- the hair, the turban, the untrimmed eyelashes, a perfectly tied turban and an impressively styled beard.
At a time when the human body has started to pre-empt all other measures ofvalue in the West, the effort by certain organizations to ensure that the sabat-soorat Sikh also remains in the race, and in fact, becomes the in thing in fashionable circles are being appreciated by the community.
Social isolation is a dreaded state and the turban must not be allowed to become a symbol of that in a world where the clean shaven hair styles are being marketed as fashionable.
Contests like Mr Singh International and efforts like that of Ishmeet Singh have made a contribution in this regard upon which the community must build further.
A string of successful Sikh modeling contests will lead to similar pressures closer home. It makes our youth take a pride in a stylishly worn turban.The majority of children between three and twelve in the United States spend more time in front of a screen - television, computer, video-game, mobile phone - than with their parents, teachers or their friends: on average more than five hours a day, as against four with teachers, less than three with friends - and scarcely more than an hour with parents. In these conditions, the transmission of customs and values that was once assured by the family is not happening. The imaginative and moral distance between progenitors and their offspring is growing. In such circumstances, the child or our youth will learn more from what goes on in a modeling contest or on a TV reality show than the traditional channels of value transition. It is necessary that the community learns how to hog that space. Ishmeet Singh is helping us.
Initiatives like that of Jaswinder Singh, the SGPC member who has been a prime force behind many Sikh modeling contests, are to be appreciated. The turban wearing achievers must be celebrated.
That is why the fact that the Time magazine features Ishmeet Singh in a thorough report instead of dismissing the Idol-ization in a passing reference should be celebrated.
But while we must do that, we must also remember, as the WSN had pointed out earlier also many a times, whether we have indeed thought through all the implications of celebration of the youth, of the human shape, of the Sikh modeling contests, of the images that will beam eventually in gurdwaras after any Ayur Herbal Sikh Value-laden Turban Tying and Eyelashes-preservation Contest?
We must ensure that our youth realizes that even while it celebrates turban, it is necessary to understand that the gurbani hymn being played in the background of the modeling contest is commensurate with value system that they have in their lives.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Aisa Des Hai Mera
Concept & Story:
RUHI had grown up wearing her best dresses to Sunday Mass at the church they attended in downtown London. She was the only daughter of JOHN and LINDA, an upper middle class white family residing in England. Yet in all her growing up years, she inexplicably was drawn to many facets of the PUNJABI INDIAN culture that was very abundantly on display at various corners of England. The music fascinated her, the aroma of spices, the fabric and the dresses, the colors everything seemed to have some kind of meaning to her though she could not explain why. LINDA seemed to avoid any conversation about INDIA and even JOHN who was an otherwise liberal man seemed to clam down on the mention of INDIA. Overtime, the Gurbani from local Gurudwara started to haunt yet attract her.
Then one day RUHI comes to know that, she was half-INDIAN and JOHN was actually her stepfather. LINDA had once been married to RANDHEER - a SIKH and RUHI was their daughter. RANDHEER’s mother had refused to accept this relationship and had insulted LINDA when they had visited Punjab just before RUHI was born. After that their marriage disintegrated, they divorced, and RANDHEER requested LINDA to raise RUHI without telling her about her INDIAN origins for reasons best known to him.
Traumatised RUHI is drawn towards PUNJAB where she knows her biological father lives. She decides to go to PUNJAB to search for some explanation to the primeval pull that she feels, the inexplicable draw towards PUNJAB that has always lurked in her subconscious.
RUHI lands in PUNJAB to a huge extended family completely hostile to her. Moreover, a culture that is so alien to her that she does not know whether she will survive another day here. We look at PUNJAB and the culture of its landlords who staunchly hold on to their traditional methods of life. We explore PUNJABIYAT, the term, which defines PUNJABI culture in INDIA like never done before.
The pastoral way of life where the same brawn and the raw emotions that have managed to reap millions from what seems like unyielding plain raw earth, describes daily living. Every expression is like primeval scream of the farmer who heaves up a stone stuck in his field. Loud, animalistic, passionate, boisterous yet innately human and poignant where both pain and happiness is expressed in equal gusto and aggression. From a very rational state of mind that RUHI carries, PUNJAB and its people look to be simply surreal and childlike in their possessiveness and their hatreds. RUHI inherits not only the wrath of the family, she also inherits the decades old rivalries, she inherits their pains, their angst, their hopes and their dreams. Though the family outwardly does not accept her but in true PUNJABI tradition she is a guest whose honor is sacrosanct and they would kill for her, though never talk to her. She gets embroiled in their charades, in their intrigues and in their pains, yet she is a far cry from being accepted.
And the abundance of ceremonies, such an integral part of PUNJABIAT, in the beginning seem absurd and illogical to RUHI. However slowly she starts understanding the emotional foundations behind those ceremonies and she herself becomes an expert in them. It is a journey for RUHI from rationality and skepticism to accepting and understanding an emotional way of life. AND herein the serial differs from others. It does not talk about right and wrong, it just shows a way of life in all its dramatic hues. The choice to accept or reject is yours. And RUHI falls in love with not just PUNJAB but with a boy from the family with whom her own family has had traditional rivalry. And all hell threatens to break lose.
The novelty of this serial lies in the exploration of the way and life of pastoral and feudal PUNJAB. A PUNJAB on the verge of change and desperately tying to ward off the western influences, Punjabis desperately trying to hold on to their quaint cultural idioms, their ethos, their unshakeable belief in the hierarchy of social classes. Yet it is a PUNJAB, which is vibrant, celebratory, energetic full of passion and aggression. The music and the songs, the celebration of life and even death, the billowing crop swaying to the magic folk songs, the same ripe fields that see the first sexual escapades to the murders of century old enemies, for long forgotten reasons. The people who hate passionately, who love passionately, who live passionately, who will passionately defend what they believe is right and at the same time in a fit of passion will throw all the above mentioned passions out of the window and sacrifice themselves with the same passion. From her staid, BRITISH way of life RUHI is thrown into a dramatic melting pot of high strung emotions and loud gregarious emotionality and the with RUHI even the AUDIENCE is plunged into this roller coaster ride. The people are rich, the people are brawny and good looking, the women are sexy, the dresses are ornate and great, the locales are beautiful yet the serial is different because we explore the dramatic conflicts rooted in a certain culture that has not been seen on television on the recent past.
RUHI had grown up wearing her best dresses to Sunday Mass at the church they attended in downtown London. She was the only daughter of JOHN and LINDA, an upper middle class white family residing in England. Yet in all her growing up years, she inexplicably was drawn to many facets of the PUNJABI INDIAN culture that was very abundantly on display at various corners of England. The music fascinated her, the aroma of spices, the fabric and the dresses, the colors everything seemed to have some kind of meaning to her though she could not explain why. LINDA seemed to avoid any conversation about INDIA and even JOHN who was an otherwise liberal man seemed to clam down on the mention of INDIA. Overtime, the Gurbani from local Gurudwara started to haunt yet attract her.
Then one day RUHI comes to know that, she was half-INDIAN and JOHN was actually her stepfather. LINDA had once been married to RANDHEER - a SIKH and RUHI was their daughter. RANDHEER’s mother had refused to accept this relationship and had insulted LINDA when they had visited Punjab just before RUHI was born. After that their marriage disintegrated, they divorced, and RANDHEER requested LINDA to raise RUHI without telling her about her INDIAN origins for reasons best known to him.
Traumatised RUHI is drawn towards PUNJAB where she knows her biological father lives. She decides to go to PUNJAB to search for some explanation to the primeval pull that she feels, the inexplicable draw towards PUNJAB that has always lurked in her subconscious.
RUHI lands in PUNJAB to a huge extended family completely hostile to her. Moreover, a culture that is so alien to her that she does not know whether she will survive another day here. We look at PUNJAB and the culture of its landlords who staunchly hold on to their traditional methods of life. We explore PUNJABIYAT, the term, which defines PUNJABI culture in INDIA like never done before.
The pastoral way of life where the same brawn and the raw emotions that have managed to reap millions from what seems like unyielding plain raw earth, describes daily living. Every expression is like primeval scream of the farmer who heaves up a stone stuck in his field. Loud, animalistic, passionate, boisterous yet innately human and poignant where both pain and happiness is expressed in equal gusto and aggression. From a very rational state of mind that RUHI carries, PUNJAB and its people look to be simply surreal and childlike in their possessiveness and their hatreds. RUHI inherits not only the wrath of the family, she also inherits the decades old rivalries, she inherits their pains, their angst, their hopes and their dreams. Though the family outwardly does not accept her but in true PUNJABI tradition she is a guest whose honor is sacrosanct and they would kill for her, though never talk to her. She gets embroiled in their charades, in their intrigues and in their pains, yet she is a far cry from being accepted.
And the abundance of ceremonies, such an integral part of PUNJABIAT, in the beginning seem absurd and illogical to RUHI. However slowly she starts understanding the emotional foundations behind those ceremonies and she herself becomes an expert in them. It is a journey for RUHI from rationality and skepticism to accepting and understanding an emotional way of life. AND herein the serial differs from others. It does not talk about right and wrong, it just shows a way of life in all its dramatic hues. The choice to accept or reject is yours. And RUHI falls in love with not just PUNJAB but with a boy from the family with whom her own family has had traditional rivalry. And all hell threatens to break lose.
The novelty of this serial lies in the exploration of the way and life of pastoral and feudal PUNJAB. A PUNJAB on the verge of change and desperately tying to ward off the western influences, Punjabis desperately trying to hold on to their quaint cultural idioms, their ethos, their unshakeable belief in the hierarchy of social classes. Yet it is a PUNJAB, which is vibrant, celebratory, energetic full of passion and aggression. The music and the songs, the celebration of life and even death, the billowing crop swaying to the magic folk songs, the same ripe fields that see the first sexual escapades to the murders of century old enemies, for long forgotten reasons. The people who hate passionately, who love passionately, who live passionately, who will passionately defend what they believe is right and at the same time in a fit of passion will throw all the above mentioned passions out of the window and sacrifice themselves with the same passion. From her staid, BRITISH way of life RUHI is thrown into a dramatic melting pot of high strung emotions and loud gregarious emotionality and the with RUHI even the AUDIENCE is plunged into this roller coaster ride. The people are rich, the people are brawny and good looking, the women are sexy, the dresses are ornate and great, the locales are beautiful yet the serial is different because we explore the dramatic conflicts rooted in a certain culture that has not been seen on television on the recent past.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Hindi movie Chameli
Beautiful songs and movie. Loved it ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameli_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameli_%28film%29
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
The transistor: The most important invention of the 20th century?
SOME FACT:
The first transistor was about the size of the palm of a hand, with a depth of two matchbooks stacked on top of each other.
The first commercial device to use a transistor was the Sonotone 1010 hearing aid, created in 1953.
The first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, went on the market for $49.99 in 1954. The radio contains four transistors.
Sony Corp. introduced the first portable, transistorized TV, the TV8-301, in 1960. It had a 5-in. screen and used 23 silicon and germanium transistors.
Intel Corp.'s Gordon Moore in 1965 came up with what came to be known as Moore's Law, which stated that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years. Forty-two years later, Moore's Law still holds true.
Busicom introduced the first single-chip, pocket-size calculator, the LE-120A HANDY, in 1971.
In 1983, Motorola Inc. introduced the first commercial mobile phone, the DynaTAC 800X. It was powered by transistors and cost $3,995.
Today, a 45-nanometer Penryn chip from Intel holds 820 million transistors.
Intel estimates that about 10 quintillion (or a 1 followed by 19 zeros) transistors ship each year. That 10,000 times the number of ants on Earth
Read more
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9052781&pageNumber=2
The first transistor was about the size of the palm of a hand, with a depth of two matchbooks stacked on top of each other.
The first commercial device to use a transistor was the Sonotone 1010 hearing aid, created in 1953.
The first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, went on the market for $49.99 in 1954. The radio contains four transistors.
Sony Corp. introduced the first portable, transistorized TV, the TV8-301, in 1960. It had a 5-in. screen and used 23 silicon and germanium transistors.
Intel Corp.'s Gordon Moore in 1965 came up with what came to be known as Moore's Law, which stated that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years. Forty-two years later, Moore's Law still holds true.
Busicom introduced the first single-chip, pocket-size calculator, the LE-120A HANDY, in 1971.
In 1983, Motorola Inc. introduced the first commercial mobile phone, the DynaTAC 800X. It was powered by transistors and cost $3,995.
Today, a 45-nanometer Penryn chip from Intel holds 820 million transistors.
Intel estimates that about 10 quintillion (or a 1 followed by 19 zeros) transistors ship each year. That 10,000 times the number of ants on Earth
Read more
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9052781&pageNumber=2
Sunday, December 9, 2007
This song came to my mind one day as i drove home.
One day in your life
you'll remember a place
Someone's touching your face
You'll come back and you'll look around you
One day in your life
You'll remember the love you found here
You'll remember me somehow
Though you don't need me now
I will stay in your heart
And when things fall apart
You'll remember one day...
One day in your life
When you find that you're always waiting
For the love we used to share
Just call my name
And I'll be there
You'll remember me somehow
Though you don't need me now
I will stay in your heart
And when things fall apart
You'll remember one day...
One day in your life
When you find that you're always longing
for the love we used to share
Just call my name And I'll be there
you'll remember a place
Someone's touching your face
You'll come back and you'll look around you
One day in your life
You'll remember the love you found here
You'll remember me somehow
Though you don't need me now
I will stay in your heart
And when things fall apart
You'll remember one day...
One day in your life
When you find that you're always waiting
For the love we used to share
Just call my name
And I'll be there
You'll remember me somehow
Though you don't need me now
I will stay in your heart
And when things fall apart
You'll remember one day...
One day in your life
When you find that you're always longing
for the love we used to share
Just call my name And I'll be there
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Depreciation of life
We are all worried about depreciation of wordly things in our lives.
Why are we such fools not knowing that our own life is depreciating. The count down to death happens every second, every hour and every day.
Why are we not doing anything about it ?
The 9th Guru says.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The sacrifice of the ninth Nanak, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji
There is a slogan written on the main gate of the ‘House of Commons’ of England: ‘Though I do not agree with your views but I will sacrifice my life to get you a right to express your views with freedom.’
But we do not find any example in the history of mankind where such a sacrifice had been given except that of the ninth Nanak, Guru Teg Bahadur ji.
That unique event took place in November 1675, in Chandni Chowk, New Delhi. The Gurdwara ‘Shish Ganj Sahib’ stands in his pious memory at that place. The Guru ji and his three disciples laid down their lives to defend a faith that they didn’t even believe. It was the most significant incidence in the history of mankind that a Prophet sacrificed his life to save the followers of other religion.
He was firstly asked to convert to Islam. He was put to jail for three months and tortured. Then his three close Sikhs, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dayala ji were martyred in most heinous manner to frighten the Guru ji. Lastly, when every effort and technique including royal offers and allurements failed, he was beheaded in full public view. The executioner and the people were astonished at the composure with which the Guru ji met the deadly sword. He was completely in peace as the executioner prepared to strike him.
Bhai Jaita ji, a devout Sikh lifted the head of the Guru ji and carried to Anandpur Sahib to the tenth Guru. Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara cremated the body at his house at Rakabganj, New Delhi. There stands the Gurdwara ‘Rakab Ganj Sahib’ adjacent to the Parliament building in New Delhi.
It’s Causes:
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb issued a general order to demolish Hindu temples and put down their religious practices. He started forcible conversions too. He targeted specially the high class Brahmins and expected others to follow. Some terror-stricken Brahmins from Kashmir came to Guru ji to seek his guidance and protection. Guru ji stood against the cruel and unjustified rule of the Emperor.
He gave away his life to protect the spirit of the people that was dying under the oppressive and fanatic policies of the ruler. His sacrifice was against aggression and injustice. This was the first supreme sacrifice for the cause of freedom of religion, faith and beliefs which to date is unique, in human history.
It’s Impact:
This event infused a new spirit among the people. This inspired them to rise for the fundamental rights of liberty, justice and equality. It filled a great sense of fearlessness into the oppressed people of India. Finally, the movement so evolved blossomed into the fruit of ‘Khalsa’ that played an important role in redefining the fate of India.
It’s Relevance:
Guru ji’s life and sacrifice shows that he had a keen interest and concern in issues of social consciousness of his times. He was totally unlike the so-called saints of his times and today, who remain indifferent and unconcern of temporal affairs and sufferings of mankind.
The message of his life and sacrifice is more relevant today in the multi dimensional societies of modern world. Guru ji’s life and martyrdom advocates freedom of belief and practices. His great sacrifice stands for the social cohesion and individual freedom.
But we do not find any example in the history of mankind where such a sacrifice had been given except that of the ninth Nanak, Guru Teg Bahadur ji.
That unique event took place in November 1675, in Chandni Chowk, New Delhi. The Gurdwara ‘Shish Ganj Sahib’ stands in his pious memory at that place. The Guru ji and his three disciples laid down their lives to defend a faith that they didn’t even believe. It was the most significant incidence in the history of mankind that a Prophet sacrificed his life to save the followers of other religion.
He was firstly asked to convert to Islam. He was put to jail for three months and tortured. Then his three close Sikhs, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dayala ji were martyred in most heinous manner to frighten the Guru ji. Lastly, when every effort and technique including royal offers and allurements failed, he was beheaded in full public view. The executioner and the people were astonished at the composure with which the Guru ji met the deadly sword. He was completely in peace as the executioner prepared to strike him.
Bhai Jaita ji, a devout Sikh lifted the head of the Guru ji and carried to Anandpur Sahib to the tenth Guru. Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara cremated the body at his house at Rakabganj, New Delhi. There stands the Gurdwara ‘Rakab Ganj Sahib’ adjacent to the Parliament building in New Delhi.
It’s Causes:
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb issued a general order to demolish Hindu temples and put down their religious practices. He started forcible conversions too. He targeted specially the high class Brahmins and expected others to follow. Some terror-stricken Brahmins from Kashmir came to Guru ji to seek his guidance and protection. Guru ji stood against the cruel and unjustified rule of the Emperor.
He gave away his life to protect the spirit of the people that was dying under the oppressive and fanatic policies of the ruler. His sacrifice was against aggression and injustice. This was the first supreme sacrifice for the cause of freedom of religion, faith and beliefs which to date is unique, in human history.
It’s Impact:
This event infused a new spirit among the people. This inspired them to rise for the fundamental rights of liberty, justice and equality. It filled a great sense of fearlessness into the oppressed people of India. Finally, the movement so evolved blossomed into the fruit of ‘Khalsa’ that played an important role in redefining the fate of India.
It’s Relevance:
Guru ji’s life and sacrifice shows that he had a keen interest and concern in issues of social consciousness of his times. He was totally unlike the so-called saints of his times and today, who remain indifferent and unconcern of temporal affairs and sufferings of mankind.
The message of his life and sacrifice is more relevant today in the multi dimensional societies of modern world. Guru ji’s life and martyrdom advocates freedom of belief and practices. His great sacrifice stands for the social cohesion and individual freedom.
Why do Gurbani
In a simple sense, it is to train the mind. The scriptures are written in a such a way it is always being read to the mind.
Below is an example how the words from the 9th Guru is directed to the mind.
The words "The ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad", it to tell your mind about the One and Only True God.
The idea is to get the mind to realise about the truth of God. A big percentage of this is about getting in touch with the subconscious mind.
Below is an example how the words from the 9th Guru is directed to the mind.
The words "The ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad", it to tell your mind about the One and Only True God.
The idea is to get the mind to realise about the truth of God. A big percentage of this is about getting in touch with the subconscious mind.
Our life and happiness
It is interesting how everyone things the other person's life is happier then mine.
The kitchen helper at the Langar in the Gurdwara thinks i have have a good life. I have a very nice job, i nice car and house and i look happy all the time. I have all the freedom i need.
And i am thinking his life is simple and must be worry free. I wish i had his life. Spend time cooking langar and doing sewa and listening to Kirtan and Gurbani the whole time.
We spend our entire looking for and chasing what seems like happiness.
The 9th Guru writes:
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Sometimes.
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
that you've been made just for me.
Before this, you were dwelling somewhere in the stars;
you were summoned to earth just for me...
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
that this body and these eyes are kept in trust for me...
that the dark shadows of your hair are for my sake alone,
that these lips and these arms are charged to my care...
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
just as the shehnaii sounds on the roads...
that it is my wedding night, and I am lifting your veil...
You're shrinking for shame, blushing in my arms...
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
that you'll love me like this our whole lives through,
that you'll always lift a loving gaze to me like this.
I know you're a stranger now, but even so,
sometimes the thought crosses my mind
that you've been made just for me.
Before this, you were dwelling somewhere in the stars;
you were summoned to earth just for me...
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
that this body and these eyes are kept in trust for me...
that the dark shadows of your hair are for my sake alone,
that these lips and these arms are charged to my care...
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
just as the shehnaii sounds on the roads...
that it is my wedding night, and I am lifting your veil...
You're shrinking for shame, blushing in my arms...
Sometimes the thought crosses my mind
that you'll love me like this our whole lives through,
that you'll always lift a loving gaze to me like this.
I know you're a stranger now, but even so,
sometimes the thought crosses my mind
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Funny airline incident.
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard.
The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline."
He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you aquestion?" "Why, no! , Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline."
He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you aquestion?" "Why, no! , Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Sikh Values
Believe in only One God, the creator.
Sing praises of the Creator, not the creation.
God is the sustainer and provider for all his creation.
To realise God one has to read, understand, feel and follow the teachings of our Guru Ji, Shabad Guru - Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in our daily life.
---------
Guru ji explains God as the creator and sustainer in the following Shabad.
Solak, Second Guru:
Oh Nanak, don't be anxious;
the Lord will take care of you.
He created the creatures in the water,
and He gives them their nourishment.
There is no stores open there,
and no one farms there.
No business is ever transacted there,
and no one buys or sells.
Animal eat other animals;
that is what the Lord has given them as food.
He created them in the oceans,
and He provides for them as well.
O Nanak, don't be anxious;
the Lord will take care of you.
Sing praises of the Creator, not the creation.
God is the sustainer and provider for all his creation.
To realise God one has to read, understand, feel and follow the teachings of our Guru Ji, Shabad Guru - Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in our daily life.
---------
Guru ji explains God as the creator and sustainer in the following Shabad.
Solak, Second Guru:
Oh Nanak, don't be anxious;
the Lord will take care of you.
He created the creatures in the water,
and He gives them their nourishment.
There is no stores open there,
and no one farms there.
No business is ever transacted there,
and no one buys or sells.
Animal eat other animals;
that is what the Lord has given them as food.
He created them in the oceans,
and He provides for them as well.
O Nanak, don't be anxious;
the Lord will take care of you.
Shabad of Second Guru
Why praise the created being?
Praise the One who created all
Oh Nanak, there is no other Giver,
expect the One Lord.
Praise the Creator Lord,
who created the creation.
Praise the Great Giver
who gives sustenance to all
Oh Nanak, the treasure of the,
Eternal Lord is flowing.
Praise and honor the One,
who has no end or limitation.
(Source: Sri Granth Sahib Ji, Page 1239)
Praise the One who created all
Oh Nanak, there is no other Giver,
expect the One Lord.
Praise the Creator Lord,
who created the creation.
Praise the Great Giver
who gives sustenance to all
Oh Nanak, the treasure of the,
Eternal Lord is flowing.
Praise and honor the One,
who has no end or limitation.
(Source: Sri Granth Sahib Ji, Page 1239)
Gurmat
Gurmat is a great way of life. Whosoever has come near it with dedicated heart, has not escaped adopting it. When Guru Nanak Dev Ji showed the true path to this distressed world, then not only thousand but millions of people adopted this true path. According to Mirza Gulam Ahmed Kadian, Guru Nanak Dev Ji initiated three million crore seekers and brought them in the fold of Sikhism.
Even the great Saints, Sadhus, Pandits, Chaudhris and Kings started adopting Sikhism.
Even the great Saints, Sadhus, Pandits, Chaudhris and Kings started adopting Sikhism.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji's martydom
Saain Mian Mir was greatly annoyed on seeing Guru sitting on a hot plate, while hot sand was poured on his head and body. He sought Guru Ji's permission to end this cruel rule but the peace loving Guru commented which is expressed by a poet as:
(Mian, chhodo preeti cham se,
Tan tap raha to kiya hua,
hum shant hain Harinam se.)
Main, let go the attachment of the skin,
If my body is getting hotter, so what,
i am totally at peace with Naam (his presence).
The mighty composer of the Divine Bani displayed its miraculous power practically. The granter of peace, tolerance, patient, humility, and goodwill towards all showed its characteristics through Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
(Mian, chhodo preeti cham se,
Tan tap raha to kiya hua,
hum shant hain Harinam se.)
Main, let go the attachment of the skin,
If my body is getting hotter, so what,
i am totally at peace with Naam (his presence).
The mighty composer of the Divine Bani displayed its miraculous power practically. The granter of peace, tolerance, patient, humility, and goodwill towards all showed its characteristics through Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
Love for Sikhism.
The principles of the Sikhism being clear, concise and easy to follow attract every human being. Persons of other religions also consider this religion to be supreme and dispenser of purposeful sermons to its followers. Many anecdotes are available in the Sikh history that show that many leaders of other religions adopted Sikhism and became famous followers of Guru's house.
Of the anecdote, one of the famous incident found mentioned relates to Saain Main Mir Ji, who was the jewel of the Qadri sect of the Muslims. He developed such an ardent affinity for Sikhism that he stayed with Guru Ji for ever.
source: Selected Episodes from Sikh History.
Of the anecdote, one of the famous incident found mentioned relates to Saain Main Mir Ji, who was the jewel of the Qadri sect of the Muslims. He developed such an ardent affinity for Sikhism that he stayed with Guru Ji for ever.
source: Selected Episodes from Sikh History.
Gurmat
Sensible and intelligent people now that a human being is not only leading life with conscious mind but also unconscious mind also plays an important role in moulding his personality. Thus unconscious mind is the treasure house of consciousness.
All the sacraments starting from birth are stored in this unconscious mind. This unconscious mind can be called a power house of human life in which the electric surges of emotions and sentiments work to run this life.
In order to form good sacraments or to control the current thoughts of unconscious mind, the inevitable principle of the tenets of the Gurmat is - refuge of Guru, Sangat of Guru and love for Gurbani.
Many episodes from Sikh history teach us that a great life can be moulded by Sangat causing transformation in life.
from: Selected Episodes from Sikh History.
All the sacraments starting from birth are stored in this unconscious mind. This unconscious mind can be called a power house of human life in which the electric surges of emotions and sentiments work to run this life.
In order to form good sacraments or to control the current thoughts of unconscious mind, the inevitable principle of the tenets of the Gurmat is - refuge of Guru, Sangat of Guru and love for Gurbani.
Many episodes from Sikh history teach us that a great life can be moulded by Sangat causing transformation in life.
from: Selected Episodes from Sikh History.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Guru: Guru Granth & Guru Panth
Concept of ‘the Guru’ in Sikhism is two fold; spiritual and temporal, also known as ‘Guru Granth & Guru Panth’. This can be defined as follows:
Guru Granth:
Guru Granth Sahib is the only Guru (the guide) for the Sikhs. It is treated as the spiritual embodiment of the ten Gurus. It provides all type of spiritual and temporal guidance to the mankind. Here is brief information about the Holy Guru Granth Sahib, which a Sikh must know:
Compilation:
When: 1604
Where: Ramsar Sahib near Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar
Who compiled: The fifth Nanak, Guru Arjan Dev ji
First Installation as a Holy Book:
When: 1604
Where: Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar
Who installed: Baba Budha ji, in presence of the fifth Guru and other Sikhs.
Final Installation as the spiritual Guru:
When: 1708
Where: Sri Hazur Sahib, Nander, Maharastra
Who bestowed the Guruship: The tenth Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh ji
Other Information:
Total Contributors: 35
Total Compositions: 5885
Musical Measures: 31
Guru Panth:
“The Guru Panth (Panth’s status of Guruhood) means the whole body of committed baptized Sikhs. This body was fostered by all the ten Gurus and the tenth Guru gave it its final shape and invested it with Guruhood.” (Sikh Rehat Maryada)
All Sikhs belong to Guru Panth. It is also called Khalsa Panth. It is a combined family of the Sikhs. Any man or woman of any nationality, race or social standing, who adheres to the principles of the faith, can join the Sikh Common wealth, the Khalsa Panth.
Every Sikh has to fulfill his obligations as a unit of the corporate body, the Panth along with his or her individual duties.
The common rules prescribed in ‘The Sikh Code of Conduct’ (Sikh Rehat Maryada) are the guidelines to be followed by all members of the Panth.
The Khalsa as a whole believes in:
Unity of God: the Creator, Provider and Savior
Unity of Mankind: the Equality
Unity of Religion: the Truthful living
Unity of Guru: the Shabad (true Knowledge)
The Khalsa doesn’t believe in:
The Caste System;
The Rituals;
The Superstitions;
Magic, spells, incantation;
Omens, auspicious days or occasions;
Influence of stars, horoscopic dispositions;
Fasting on some special occasions;
Wearing of frontal marks on the forehead;
Wearing of thread;
Wearing of a necklace of pieces of some stone;
Worship of graves;
Idolatry;
And other such superstitious observances.
Guru Granth:
Guru Granth Sahib is the only Guru (the guide) for the Sikhs. It is treated as the spiritual embodiment of the ten Gurus. It provides all type of spiritual and temporal guidance to the mankind. Here is brief information about the Holy Guru Granth Sahib, which a Sikh must know:
Compilation:
When: 1604
Where: Ramsar Sahib near Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar
Who compiled: The fifth Nanak, Guru Arjan Dev ji
First Installation as a Holy Book:
When: 1604
Where: Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar
Who installed: Baba Budha ji, in presence of the fifth Guru and other Sikhs.
Final Installation as the spiritual Guru:
When: 1708
Where: Sri Hazur Sahib, Nander, Maharastra
Who bestowed the Guruship: The tenth Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh ji
Other Information:
Total Contributors: 35
Total Compositions: 5885
Musical Measures: 31
Guru Panth:
“The Guru Panth (Panth’s status of Guruhood) means the whole body of committed baptized Sikhs. This body was fostered by all the ten Gurus and the tenth Guru gave it its final shape and invested it with Guruhood.” (Sikh Rehat Maryada)
All Sikhs belong to Guru Panth. It is also called Khalsa Panth. It is a combined family of the Sikhs. Any man or woman of any nationality, race or social standing, who adheres to the principles of the faith, can join the Sikh Common wealth, the Khalsa Panth.
Every Sikh has to fulfill his obligations as a unit of the corporate body, the Panth along with his or her individual duties.
The common rules prescribed in ‘The Sikh Code of Conduct’ (Sikh Rehat Maryada) are the guidelines to be followed by all members of the Panth.
The Khalsa as a whole believes in:
Unity of God: the Creator, Provider and Savior
Unity of Mankind: the Equality
Unity of Religion: the Truthful living
Unity of Guru: the Shabad (true Knowledge)
The Khalsa doesn’t believe in:
The Caste System;
The Rituals;
The Superstitions;
Magic, spells, incantation;
Omens, auspicious days or occasions;
Influence of stars, horoscopic dispositions;
Fasting on some special occasions;
Wearing of frontal marks on the forehead;
Wearing of thread;
Wearing of a necklace of pieces of some stone;
Worship of graves;
Idolatry;
And other such superstitious observances.
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : The Sikh
The definition of a Sikh is, that whoever,
1. Believes upon the One God.
2. Believes upon the ten gurus (from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh) and lives life according to the writings and teachings of Guru Granth Sahib.
3. Believes in the concept of Sikh Baptism.
4. Don’t believe in any other faith or religion.
1. Believes upon the One God.
2. Believes upon the ten gurus (from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh) and lives life according to the writings and teachings of Guru Granth Sahib.
3. Believes in the concept of Sikh Baptism.
4. Don’t believe in any other faith or religion.
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : The Four Taboos
The under mentioned four practices are taboos for a Sikh. These must be avoided.
1. Dishonoring the hair;
2. Eating the Kutha (meat of an animal slaughtered the Muslim way);
3. Cohabiting with a person other than one’s spouse;
4. Using tobacco in any form and other intoxicants such as alcohol or any other drug.
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : Five K’s
These are the five symbols, all beginning with the letter ‘K’ and hence are called ‘Kakars’. These are carried by a baptized Sikh, after the Amrit Ceremony. ‘Kesh’ and ‘Karha’ are supposed to be worn by all the Sikhs, whether baptized or not-baptized.
Kesh ---- Unshorn hair ------ Acceptance
Kangha ---- Comb ----- Cleanliness
Karha ---- Steel bracelet ----- No superstitions
Kachhaira ---- Shorts ----- Character
Kirpan ---- Sword ----- Bravery
Kesh ---- Unshorn hair ------ Acceptance
Kangha ---- Comb ----- Cleanliness
Karha ---- Steel bracelet ----- No superstitions
Kachhaira ---- Shorts ----- Character
Kirpan ---- Sword ----- Bravery
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : Five Takhats (Temporal Seats)
Takhat means a throne or a royal seat. It symbolizes a seat of authority, both temporal as well as spiritual. Among these, Sri Akal Takhat Sahib at Amritsar , is the central seat of the Sikh Path. The issues concerning the entire community are debated here and resolutions are passed, with the consent of whole Panth.
Sri Akal Takhat Sahib ------ Amritsar , Punjab
Sri Keshgarh Sahib ------- Anandpur Sahib, Punjab
Sri Harmandir Sahib ------- Patna , Bihar
Sri Hazur Sahib ----------- Nander, Maharastra
Sri Damdama Sahib -------- Sabo ki Talwandi, Punjab
Sri Akal Takhat Sahib ------ Amritsar , Punjab
Sri Keshgarh Sahib ------- Anandpur Sahib, Punjab
Sri Harmandir Sahib ------- Patna , Bihar
Sri Hazur Sahib ----------- Nander, Maharastra
Sri Damdama Sahib -------- Sabo ki Talwandi, Punjab
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : Four Great Sons
These are the great sons of tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji. The two elder ones attained martyrdom at ‘Chamkaur Sahib’ while fighting against the Mughals and the two younger ones were bricked alive at ‘Sirhand’ in December 1705 AD. They gave their lives for freedom of the faith and values. They are remembered for their bravery, courage and fearlessness. Their names signify some special qualities of the Sikhs.
Baba Ajit Singh -----------Invincible
Baba Jujhar Singh ------- Struggling
Baba Joravar Singh ------ Powerful
Baba Fateh Singh --------Victorious
Baba Ajit Singh -----------Invincible
Baba Jujhar Singh ------- Struggling
Baba Joravar Singh ------ Powerful
Baba Fateh Singh --------Victorious
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : Five Beloved Ones
They were so designated by the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, after the historic event of ‘Expose of Khalsa’ at Anandpur Sahib on the Baisakhi day, 1699 AD. They were first five to receive the Sikh baptism (Khande di Pahul) from the tenth Master. The name of these ‘Panj Piaras’ depict an important virtue, a human should have.
Bhai Daya Singh -------- Compassion
Bhai Dharam singh ------ Righteousness
Bhai Himmat Singh ------ Courage
Bhai Mohkam Singh ------ Balanced life
Bhai Sahib Singh --------- Mastery
Bhai Daya Singh -------- Compassion
Bhai Dharam singh ------ Righteousness
Bhai Himmat Singh ------ Courage
Bhai Mohkam Singh ------ Balanced life
Bhai Sahib Singh --------- Mastery
Quick Lesson in Sikhi : Ten Gurus
Ten Gurus
There are ten Gurus of the Sikhs. A Sikh regards all Gurus as the effulgence of one light and single entity. After the tenth Guru, the Guruship is vested in Guru Granth and Guru Panth. Below are the names of the ten Gurus with one of their chief virtues.
Guru Nanak ---------- 1469-1539 ----- Humility
Guru Angad ---------- 1504-1552 ------ Obeying Hukam
Guru Amardas ------- 1479-1574 ------ Service
Guru Ramdas --------- 1534-1581 ------ Kindness
Guru Arjun ----------- 1563-1606 ------Accepting God’s Will
Guru Har Gobind ------ 1595-1644 ------Miri-Piri (Saint-Soldier)
Guru Har Rai ---------- 1630-1661 ----- Respect for Gurbani
Guru Har Krishan ------ 1656-1664 ---- Caring the sick
Guru Teg Bahadur ----- 1621-1675 ---- Fearlessness
Guru Gobind Singh ----- 1666-1708 ---- Endurance
Life and Death
Life, as a whole is a cycle. It starts from birth and ends with death. It is a known phenomenon. As long as, anything is in process, you cannot judge its impact. As long as a performer is performing on the stage, you cannot judge the show. You cannot judge the success or failure of the show. In the same way, as long as you are living...no one can actually evaluate your life. It is only after the death that one can feel the impact of your life...cry for you, feel proud of you and remember you in a certain way.
So, in short...we should do things in our life...in the best possible way that we can. Live our life in a way that no one else would have can lived and then leave the stage.
So, in short...we should do things in our life...in the best possible way that we can. Live our life in a way that no one else would have can lived and then leave the stage.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
conquer death while you are still alive
" Know the state of your inner being; meet with the Guru and get rid of your skepticism. To reach your True Home after you die, you must conquer death while you are still alive. " - ( Guru Granth Sahib, 21)
Master Ji Prof Jaswant Singh explains
Conqueting the death means:
1) Being (feeling) dead while alive and doing all that we suppose to do as a good human being means to be totally ego-less while participating actively in life.
2) Removing the fear of death and truly living in His Hukam while alive i.e. not bothering about death, thinking that once I am in his shelter totally, so He will take care of every thing and thus being free (worry less and fear less).
Master Ji Prof Jaswant Singh explains
Conqueting the death means:
1) Being (feeling) dead while alive and doing all that we suppose to do as a good human being means to be totally ego-less while participating actively in life.
2) Removing the fear of death and truly living in His Hukam while alive i.e. not bothering about death, thinking that once I am in his shelter totally, so He will take care of every thing and thus being free (worry less and fear less).
Sikh settlers in Central Australia 150 years ago.
Read this in a mailing list. Sikh Sense of Adventure?
------------------------
A 6,000 kilometers drive into the Australian “Outback” and desert country to discover that Sikhs had been there before !
As we sat on the top of Uluru (also known as Ayres Rock) in central Australia, we wondered if young Sikhs today are as adventurous as their forefathers. With our forefathers went the Sikh identity to different parts of the world more tha 150 years ago. One of those distant places they called "Talia", was, of course, Australia. What we found on our 6,000 kilo meters of adventure drive on all sorts of roads in central Australia, was that Sikhs had been there before ! Uluru, a mysterious 348 meters high monolith sandstone rock, was one of our more reachable destinations as was Alice Springs. Not so, remote places like William Creek, Marree (has remains of a mosque) and Blinman and the drive along the Oodnadata Trail which runs along the disused track of the ancient Ghan (short for Afghan) Railway.
Consider the following facts and compare the sense of adventure of todays young Sikhs with our forefathers.:
1. The first official bank account of the State Bank of South Australia, in 1847 was a Croppo Singh (probably Kirpa Singh).
2. The first official sundry store established on Kangaroo Island (island off the coast of South Australia) at the turn of the century was established by "Otim Singh of Moca" (Utam Singh of Moga)
3. There is proof of at least 26 “graves” of Sikhs in South Australia.
4. Rhoda Singh, a Sikh camel handler, died at the ripe old age of 110 (in the town of Marree). Kan Singh is also mentioned.
6. There are at least five aboriginal families in the Riverland region of South Australia with the surname 'Singh'
7. Some engine drivers on the Ghan (for Afghan) Railway were Sikhs (Dr Bhagwant Singh who worked in that area confirmed this) .
Just imagine how the ancient Sikhs reached these places in those days. Only the Sikhs ventured abroad on their own; other Indians were taken as menial workers etc by the colonial British. Sikhs were confused with Bengalis in Malaya, with Afghans in Australia and, I suppose, with "Indains" elsewhere!
Uluru (Ayres Rock), is a world wonder and has great spiritual significance for the natives. Suggested Dya Singh of Australia, “Would it not be wonderful to hear the Simran of “Waheguru” AKJ style resounding from this rock?” Trust Dya Singh to make such a provocative suggestion. After all, Kirtan is for Gurdwaras.
Oh yes, I did leave my “Eastern Media Group” identity card at a display of visiting cards at Blinman, the smallest town in the world with only about 10 families! It has an airstrip and there were a couple of small planes and a helicopter standing there.
Others would wish to follow if they really want to see Australia.
As a community, we have a great tradition of travelling and adventure and young Sikhs should continue with this tradition of taking Sikh identity to different parts of the world.
Credits to:
Gurmukh Singh
E-mail: sewauk2005@ayahoo.co.uk
------------------------
A 6,000 kilometers drive into the Australian “Outback” and desert country to discover that Sikhs had been there before !
As we sat on the top of Uluru (also known as Ayres Rock) in central Australia, we wondered if young Sikhs today are as adventurous as their forefathers. With our forefathers went the Sikh identity to different parts of the world more tha 150 years ago. One of those distant places they called "Talia", was, of course, Australia. What we found on our 6,000 kilo meters of adventure drive on all sorts of roads in central Australia, was that Sikhs had been there before ! Uluru, a mysterious 348 meters high monolith sandstone rock, was one of our more reachable destinations as was Alice Springs. Not so, remote places like William Creek, Marree (has remains of a mosque) and Blinman and the drive along the Oodnadata Trail which runs along the disused track of the ancient Ghan (short for Afghan) Railway.
Consider the following facts and compare the sense of adventure of todays young Sikhs with our forefathers.:
1. The first official bank account of the State Bank of South Australia, in 1847 was a Croppo Singh (probably Kirpa Singh).
2. The first official sundry store established on Kangaroo Island (island off the coast of South Australia) at the turn of the century was established by "Otim Singh of Moca" (Utam Singh of Moga)
3. There is proof of at least 26 “graves” of Sikhs in South Australia.
4. Rhoda Singh, a Sikh camel handler, died at the ripe old age of 110 (in the town of Marree). Kan Singh is also mentioned.
6. There are at least five aboriginal families in the Riverland region of South Australia with the surname 'Singh'
7. Some engine drivers on the Ghan (for Afghan) Railway were Sikhs (Dr Bhagwant Singh who worked in that area confirmed this) .
Just imagine how the ancient Sikhs reached these places in those days. Only the Sikhs ventured abroad on their own; other Indians were taken as menial workers etc by the colonial British. Sikhs were confused with Bengalis in Malaya, with Afghans in Australia and, I suppose, with "Indains" elsewhere!
Uluru (Ayres Rock), is a world wonder and has great spiritual significance for the natives. Suggested Dya Singh of Australia, “Would it not be wonderful to hear the Simran of “Waheguru” AKJ style resounding from this rock?” Trust Dya Singh to make such a provocative suggestion. After all, Kirtan is for Gurdwaras.
Oh yes, I did leave my “Eastern Media Group” identity card at a display of visiting cards at Blinman, the smallest town in the world with only about 10 families! It has an airstrip and there were a couple of small planes and a helicopter standing there.
Others would wish to follow if they really want to see Australia.
As a community, we have a great tradition of travelling and adventure and young Sikhs should continue with this tradition of taking Sikh identity to different parts of the world.
Credits to:
Gurmukh Singh
E-mail: sewauk2005@ayahoo.co.uk
Friday, October 26, 2007
Landmine by Train
well there ain't much entertainment
in a town this size and all
so i got myself up, dressed for this arraignment
cause i don't think i'm ready for the fall
now i find my thoughts deep in this room all by myself
thinking the moon might just explode if i don't leave
and the more i wait
it seems the more i hate this town
for what it's doing to me
this is when i need you most of all
then i stepped upon a landmine!
and i saw my future rise
i'm getting to know you between the lines
i dropped down about one forty two
hoping to get more looks from you
but it never made much difference in your eyes
and i suppose that it couldn't have helped things much
to set this day in a whirlwind rush
after finding out the backseat changed our lives
then i stepped upon a landmine!
and i saw my future rise
now i'm getting to know you between the lines
it's 5AM and if i run,
i'm sure to pay for what i've done
but if i stay i'm sure to wish i ran
and though i knew this day would come
i never thought that i would run
from someone who is blind to me
you're as blind to me as you could be
then i stepped upon a landmine!
and i saw my future rise
now i'm getting to know myself between the lines
between the lines
in a town this size and all
so i got myself up, dressed for this arraignment
cause i don't think i'm ready for the fall
now i find my thoughts deep in this room all by myself
thinking the moon might just explode if i don't leave
and the more i wait
it seems the more i hate this town
for what it's doing to me
this is when i need you most of all
then i stepped upon a landmine!
and i saw my future rise
i'm getting to know you between the lines
i dropped down about one forty two
hoping to get more looks from you
but it never made much difference in your eyes
and i suppose that it couldn't have helped things much
to set this day in a whirlwind rush
after finding out the backseat changed our lives
then i stepped upon a landmine!
and i saw my future rise
now i'm getting to know you between the lines
it's 5AM and if i run,
i'm sure to pay for what i've done
but if i stay i'm sure to wish i ran
and though i knew this day would come
i never thought that i would run
from someone who is blind to me
you're as blind to me as you could be
then i stepped upon a landmine!
and i saw my future rise
now i'm getting to know myself between the lines
between the lines
Friday, October 5, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Did you know?
August 30, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Foreign nationals living in the U.S. are responsible for one of every four international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, according to a study released this month. But the study warns that if the federal government doesn't make it easier for foreigners to get green cards or permanent residency status, many of those inventors may leave the U.S. in what the authors describe as a "reverse brain drain."
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