PArt 4. Just when you thought it was safe... Dundee Camp is back

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!

Ok ive spoken to quite of you guys and i think that people DO enjoy reading these posts, they are just too busy to reply... well as long as you guys gain something from them (despite all the cheesy jokes yes there IS some sikhi in them!!)

OK so i'll sketch you where we are. Its Darbar Sahib, its late, and Manvir Singh is KICKING it with his recent chart topping singles Raamiyaa Hau Barak Tayra

This Shabad is by Bhagat Kabeer Ji in Raag Aasaa on Pannaa 478

Awsw ]

aasaa ||

Aasaa:

suqu AprwD krq hY jyqy ]

suth aparaadhh karath hai jaethae ||

As many mistakes as the son commits,

jnnI cIiq n rwKis qyqy ]1]

jananee cheeth n raakhas thaethae ||1||

his mother does not hold them against him in her mind. ||1||

rwmeIAw hau bwirku qyrw ]

raameeaa ho baarik thaeraa ||

O Lord, I am Your child.

kwhy n KMfis Avgnu myrw ]1] rhwau ]

kaahae n kha(n)ddas avagan maeraa ||1|| rehaao ||

Why not destroy my sins? ||1||Pause||

jy Aiq k®op kry kir DwieAw ]

jae ath krop karae kar dhhaaeiaa ||

If the son, in anger, runs away,

qw BI cIiq n rwKis mwieAw ]2]

thaa bhee cheeth n raakhas maaeiaa ||2||

even then, his mother does not hold it against him in her mind. ||2||

icMq Bvin mnu pirE hmwrw ]

chi(n)th bhavan man pariou hamaaraa ||

My mind has fallen into the whirlpool of anxiety.

nwm ibnw kYsy auqris pwrw ]3]

naam binaa kaisae outharas paaraa ||3||

Without the Naam, how can I cross over to the other side? ||3||

dyih ibml miq sdw srIrw ]

dhaehi bimal math sadhaa sareeraa ||

Please, bless my body with pure and lasting understanding, Lord;

shij shij gun rvY kbIrw ]4]3]12]

sehaj sehaj gun ravai kabeeraa ||4||3||12||

in peace and poise, Kabeer chants the Praises of the Lord. ||4||3||12|| And also the other shabad This Shabad is by Bhagat Kabeer Ji in Raag Maaroo on Pannaa 1106 kbIru ] mwrU ] kabeer || maaroo || Kabeer, Maaroo: rwmu ismru pCuqwihgw mn ] raam simar pashhuthaahigaa man || Meditate in remembrance on the Lord, or else you will regret it in the end, O mind. pwpI jIArw loBu krqu hY Awju kwil auiT jwihgw ]1] rhwau ] paapee jeearaa lobh karath hai aaj kaal out(h) jaahigaa ||1|| rehaao || O sinful soul, you act in greed, but today or tomorrow, you will have to get up and leave. ||1||Pause|| lwlc lwgy jnmu gvwieAw mwieAw Brm Bulwihgw ] laalach laagae janam gavaaeiaa maaeiaa bharam bhulaahigaa || Clinging to greed, you have wasted your life, deluded in the doubt of Maya. Dn jobn kw grbu n kIjY kwgd ijau gil jwihgw ]1] dhhan joban kaa garab n keejai kaagadh jio gal jaahigaa ||1|| Do not take pride in your wealth and youth; you shall crumble apart like dry paper. ||1|| jau jmu Awie kys gih ptkY qw idn ikCu n bswihgw ] jo jam aae kaes gehi pattakai thaa dhin kishh n basaahigaa || When the Messenger of Death comes and grabs you by the hair, and knocks you down, on that day, you shall be powerless. ismrnu Bjnu dieAw nhI kInI qau muiK cotw Kwihgw ]2] simaran bhajan dhaeiaa nehee keenee tho mukh chottaa khaahigaa ||2|| You do not remember the Lord, or vibrate upon Him in meditation, and you do not practice compassion; you shall be beaten on your face. ||2|| Drm rwie jb lyKw mwgY ikAw muKu lY kY jwihgw ] dhharam raae jab laekhaa maagai kiaa mukh lai kai jaahigaa || When the Righteous Judge of Dharma calls for your account, what face will you show Him then? khqu kbIru sunhu ry sMqhu swDsMgiq qir jWihgw ]3]1] kehath kabeer sunahu rae sa(n)thahu saadhhasa(n)gath thar jaa(n)higaa ||3||1|| Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints: in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, you shall be saved. ||3||1|| Poor Bhai Vijay Singh is at this point dying on the tabla because manvir is possessed and keeps going faster and faster - of course myself [Baba Paman Singh] being the Chennay Ustaad i kept up easily, but the dundee sangat all stayed as well - amazing considering the fact the gurudwara is usually only open on a sunday - and even then for two hours, sometimes with just a tape playing in darbar sahib!! Yet here it was at 11pm , and nothing like anything theyve ever heard and everyone came and sat behind the kirtanis singing their hearts out (although Bhai Siddharat Singh from Aberdeen is about as musically talented as a sheep!!) Special mention to Ravjeet Singh for continually waiting for a gurbani tuk with "Naam" or "Hau" - lol any excuse to jap naam!! After this we did smaapti, said fateh to the sangat and went upstairs, where our luxurious double beds with super soft matresses awaited us...if any sewadaar from Khalsa Camp or Sikhi Camp is reading this take note !!! We did a little assessment of the day, and of course poked a little bit of fun at the lovely - but [legal edit] - bhai vijay singh, [edit] who once again has blessing of mahraaj! He woke me up - and although i dont remember it, apparently he came over and i sat up and shouted waheguru then started doing some paath...what can i say - what a high sikhi am!!! lol dont worry , although no one will quite ever reach my level im sure some of you could possibly become a quarter as good as me ;) [btw before people kick of this is just a laugh lol ] Anyways, after unsuccessfully fighting with my blanket, i decided to get up, and just as i was walking to the door, i looked around a little smugly at the other singhs snoring, drooling over their pillows and just in general, asleep - and as i began to get my haumay even higher, i stepped right onto a nail in the floor!! Lol i was ready to let out a few un-sikhi words but then Maharaj reminded me of this Tuk kyiqAw dUK BUK sd mwr ] kaethiaa dhookh bhookh sadh maar || So many endure distress, deprivation and constant abuse. eyih iB dwiq qyrI dwqwr ] eaehi bh dhaath thaeree dhaathaar || Even these are Your Gifts, O Great Giver You cant help but be amazed - maharaj quickly brough my haumay crashing down - reminding me that these pains and things that we can sometimes endure - even those are his blessings, as Maharaj reminds us to not forget the Gursikhi path...Dhan Dhan Guru Di Sikhi!! Quickly brought back down to earth i had my ishnaan and then went downstairs to Maharajs darbar sahib, where i felt the most amazing sense of peace and fufilment at being in Maharajs Charan at amritvela, the whole Darbar seemed to be full of singhs when i closed my eyes, and we all sat doing Naam Abhiyaas (Japping Naam) It was truely one of the most amazing experiences ive had and i dont think i can really put it into words...The heaters were all off in Darbar Sahib - the others were finding it freezing but to me the heat was intense, and the more concentrated the simran got, the higher the temprature seemed to go... After this i completed my morning routine, and went into Smaadhi (a state of bliss)...well its also known as sleep to you commoners! Everybody had a few hours more sleep after their amritvela, and we woke up at 8, energised by the True Guru and ready to make the last day a day that the sangat would long remember... To Be Continued... (i must admit, im considering releasing an autobiography now...!) WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!

LAdies And Gentlemen...without further ado...PART 3!!!

This being my blog I have chosen to shall we say "adapt" the posts to suit me :P.


WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!!

ok so part 2 might have been a bit dry but i had to bring it down to your guys level hunna!!

lol anyways we have a gurudwara with not many gursikhs, but the piyaar they showed is incredible, and they have alot of respect for Gursikhs like Manvir Singh - lol [manvir singh ate all the samosa, and abardeen singh had jalabiees] he has added another area to his fanbase! He gave great lectures , full of his usual funny stories and famous quotes [Edit - Manvir singh is a spoil sport and made me edit all this chunk :( ... ]

Ravjeet Singh the Extremist ably backed up Manvir Singh by scaring the kids with his naturally handsome looks that maharaj blessed him with!! [note: Thanks Paman Singh we do ardaas that your looks develop very soon.. haha]

Satinder Singh was in charge of the middle groups and Vijay Singh and i took an odd group which was meant to be 10-16s but ended up being 10- 70!! All of the auntyji's were there to learn as well, and they were really impressive, asking questions, and in general seemed to be taking alot from MY - YES MY MY MY!! MY lecture (haha not really, i was only helping out Vijay Singh)

A quick sidepoint - Bhai Vijay Singh goes to show that Sikhi isnt something to be afraid of, we shouldnt always be intimidated - he only started to keep kes 4 months ago, yet now has a beautiful daraa and roop (not that i fancy him!) plays AKJ tabla ( always a HUGE plus lol!!), a great kirtani, [Edit:to be kept Gupt] we were sleeping at 12.30am!! Now although he has little kes just yet - he was constantly asking all of us to tie a dumalla on him :D - what a blessing to have his sangat! (The same Bhai Vijay Singh who [edit due to legal rasons] when asleep !!)

Back to the camp then - and i decided to try drinking out of a Bhataa for the first time at camp, and was ridiculed by the other sewadaars but of course when great people are alive , they are often ridiculed...you only notice you miss something when we, i mean great people, leave!!
So i continued to use my Bhataa, which was Black lol (i was told by Ravjeet singh that it ought to be shining, and when i looked back at it - it was definitely shining, but with rust!!) I scrubbed away with a lemon and by the end of the camp had it nice and shiny : )
The bibian there nicknamed me Bhataa Baba lol so i have now made plans to open a dera there in the future as well!!

The camp was a general all round success on the Saturday - with the Kirtan Diwaan held after smaapti. Just to mention, that the gurudwara is only open on the Sunday when they do Parkash, and its only for 2 hours, yet the kids sat through the camp from 9am through to 6pm, and then with us in the Kirtan Diwaan until 11ish - where as usual, Manvir Singh proceeded to kick it with his kirtan with his hit shabads such as "Raamiyaa Hau Baarak Tera" and "Raam Simur Puchtaaigaa Mun" (both currently doing well in the charts!!)

Im getting a bit tired now so i leave PART 3 at that!

To BE CONTINUED!!

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!!

Ravjeet Singh: Some pictures from camp.

Dundee Camp Part 2

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!!

ok well PART 2...

dont worry though thats all the controversy etc etc dealt with in part 1. The rest is all about dundee and happy times :)

Yeh so anyways, we travelled up north and up into the highlands, finally arriving there at 10ish , we got lost on the street that the gurudwara was on (lol dont ask!) but eventually found our way there. If you ever do go up to dundee - which lets be honest i severely doubt it(!) then watch out for the narrow roads - it was soo tight, and took about 5 minutes of driving real slow just to get into the gurudwara car park.

the gurudwara in itself is actually rather large - its been established for about 20 odd years, it used to be a dental surgery. We were greeted by Monay, which was a little odd but we didnt think anything of it.

It turns out there are NO singhs and one bibi who wears dastaar in the whole sangat! we were shocked and myself a little seed of doubt was in my mind, i was quite shocked at this but we met up with the rest of the Sweet Sikhi team and assembled our Fauj - Bhai Satinder Singh, Hayes, Bhai Vijay Singh, London, Bhai Ravjeet Singh North London, and Bhai Manvir Singh Banbury (near Oxford - noones ever heard of Banbury lol!!). And special mention to a Guru Ka Piyaraa who lives EVEN further north in aberdeen!!the guy has NO gursikhs at all in that city but still has his crown, and is Amritdhari. He was always in chardikalaa and met us with a huge smile - it really is inspiring to think that even in the middle of nowhere Guru sahibs Khalsa still flourishes!! Siddharat Singh now keeps his daraa untied, and this is the blessings of maharaj!

After our introductions and such we were shown to our rooms and retired for the night, with Bhai sahib Vijay Singh caught [Edited due to possible threat of legal action]!! (pictures will be supplied as evidence lol!)

After Amritvela on the Saturday we went downstairs and we prepared for the camp, and as we waited for the children we decided that we would have operation Dastaar on Sunday - the Gurpurb (Joti jot Sri Guru Amardas Sahib Ji and Sri Guru Ramdas Sahib Ji and Gurgadi of Sri Guru Ramdas Sahib Ji and Sri Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Ji) - where each and every one of the kids would be "dastaar'd" !!

well its now hit 9am and the expected flood of kids was more like a trickle - there were 2!!
But it was only down to typical indian timing and within the hour we had around 20-30 kids (which is alot for dundee as there is very little sangat, and whatever sangat there is - they are the stay-away kind!)

We began our lectures/activities and general camp stuff, and held a few icebreakers and stuff, and i must admit i was taken back by the amount of knowledge some of the kids had, even if the parents were monay, the kids were very inquisitive and wanted to learn - it was refreshing to see such a thirst for Sikhi!


End Of Part 2

(lol this might be going on for a while eh!)

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!

The Singh Tartan Tie :) Edinburugh

little Seva Kaur saying Fateh :D

Dundee Camp Part 1

Over weekend we went to Dundee for camp. I was going to do a write up but I just received emails from Jathedar P Singh Khalsa from Scotland so I shall edit it for blog post. lol

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHGEURU JI KI FATEH!!

i hope everyone is all well and in total chardikalla??

anyways enough about all of you and more about me :P

As im sure ive told most of you there was a camp in dundee (so far north that not even sheep stay there!!)

ok so friday 5pm i finished work at currys and then got ready for my mission, drive over to edinburgh and pick up Manvir Singh and another piyaraa Ravjeet Singh.

I reached edinburgh without too much incident (except for a friendly exchange of views with a woman driver who decided that the speed limit was 30 mph on the motorway...women drivers man... lol!!

I reached our rendez-vous (meeting ) point - I met Manvir Singh and Ravjeet Singh and blessed them with my presence and put my hand on both of their heads, putting them in chardikalla!!

[Edit Note - Due to sensitivity of Mission "B" we have had to edit it as a mater of national security.]

We started our Journey up to dundee...

Capitalist with a conscience dies

I was watching the news last night when I herd Anita Roddick had died. Have to say personally she was a great business women how she made Body Shop into such a recognizable brand name but yet campaigned for environment. It is true that she was quite ahead of her time encouraging use of organic ingredients and reuse of packaging. She often encouraged customers to bring in bottles for refills in exchange for money off. These environmental concepts have been core to success of Body Shop and have been well ahead of the rest off the world. I think she was was to a sense successful where Sikh have failed to promote environmental philosophy of Guroo Sahibs and Gursikhs such as Prof Puran Singh Ji.

Tributes flooded in Tuesday for Anita Roddick, the British founder of The Body Shop cosmetics chain and "capitalist with a conscience" who has died at the age of 64 after a major brain haemorrhage.

Roddick is best known as the driving force behind The Body Shop, a highly successful international chain of shops set up in 1976 which sold simple, ethical and environmentally-friendly beauty products.

The shop was also an early pioneer of recycling -- customers were encouraged to bring empty containers back to the store for refills after buying the products.

The Body Shop, which has over 2,000 stores in more than 50 countries, was bought by French cosmetics chain L'Oreal last year for 652 million pounds (957 million euros, 1.3 billion dollars).

Some campaigners were shocked by the decision to sell to a major corporation, but Roddick said she was confident she could be a "Trojan horse" by taking The Body Shop's principles to L'Oreal.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3L54zox0XO69d_erQcDf_oIIK1Q

Akal Takhat Sundesh Regarding Interfaith Marriages

This is a message to all the Sikh Sangat that according to the Rehat Maryada only Sikh couples (male/female) can engage in the Anand Karaj Ceremony. If the couple or either one of them is not a Sikh, then they must embrace the Sikh faith. This includes that they must change their second name to Singh or Kaur in their official Document before the Marriage Ceremony (e.g. driving licence, identity card, passport).
http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=21158&view=findpost&p=151978

A very washed down attempt at advising panth. A year or so ago a group of us Singhs tried to question Jathedaar Vadenti waiting for him to come of stage but his PA would not let us get close to him. Its a sad state of affair, I dont know sometimes who to blame everyones doing there own thing these days. You take amrit into Khalsa not any Jathabandi, Taksal, Samaj, or Sampartha.

They really should have take hard line and described Sikhs, so many mona will keep dhari put on dastar for wedding and hours later it will all be off for the booze up.

Sikh girl will convert for a place at Catholic school

The parents of a Sikh girl want to convert her to Roman Catholicism to win a place at the school of their choice.

Baljit and Bal Singh say they will change their four-year-old daughter's religion if it means she can attend their favoured school next month. ......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=476449&in_page_id=1770

How can someone who has never been of a faith convert? I have been reading this story over and over on blogs and forums and I am sick to the teeth from it. The girls parents don't seem to be living a Sikh way of life or experiencing Sikhi anyway I don't see it as a great loss, its just a shame media decided to make such a big deal about it.

Miniature Guru Granth Sahib in Agra draws awe-struck believers

Agra, Sept. 4 : It is unbelievable. The holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, is just an inch long, and this is drawing awe-struck believers to Agra's Gurdwara Maithan.

"We have Guru Granth Sahib of 1 x 1 inches long. The holy book was specially made by the British for the convenience of Sikh soldiers during World War I, as they could not carry a normal sized book in the battlefield to pray. It was manufactured in Germany," said Kashmir Singh, the head cleric of Gurudwara Maithan.

The book was handed over to the shrine by a lady in Goa some fifteen years ago.

"This Guru Granth Sahib has been here for the past 15 years. All devotees, who come here, pray to the book and take its blessing," said Daljit Singh, a devotee.

The Sikhs belief that the book contains the actual words spoken by Sikh Gurus and saints from other religions.

The Sikh religion originated with Guru Nanak (1469- 1539 AD), who was succeeded by nine other prophets, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708 AD) being the last.

--- ANI

http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=57274

a beautiful poem- poet unknown

Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch. But as she passed, she had a smile.
Hey Waheguruji, forgive me when I whine. I have 2 legs, the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy. The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad. If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Hey Waheguruji, forgive me when I whine. I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play. He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said, "Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word. And then I knew, he couldn't hear.
Hey Waheguruji, forgive me when I whine. I have 2 ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know.
Hey Waheguruji, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine

Click Mobile in liqudiation with Millions of pounds debt

Got a call today from business contact who told me about Click mobile is now bankrupt with £10 million debt.

Click Mobile forced to close stores
13:25PM Wed 29 August 2007

Click Mobile has closed its three retail stores as store staff were being threatened by angry customers demanding their cashback payouts.

Early this month, the retailer sent a letter to customers claiming cashback cheques 'may not be honoured'.

The retailer has been unable to pay customers hundreds of pounds worth of cashback because Barclays has frozen its account, according to Click Mobile director Saj Khan. The company claims it will seek legal action against Barclays for freezing its account and prompting the subsequent financial difficulties.

The stores in Hounslow, Ilford and Southall closed on Saturday and Khan expects them to remain shut for a further two weeks. 'That was on police advice because they have been called out to our premises a couple of times now.'

He added: 'We have had a meeting with the solicitors and lawyers and we are instigating legal proceedings against Barclays for damages that it has caused to our business.'
Barclays declined to comment.

The company made a 'conscious decision' not to take on any more new business until the cashback problems were resolved, but the stores remained open throughout August to offer a 'customer service function'. Khan said customers can contact the company via its call centre while the stores aren't operating.

Click said its plans to pay customers' cashback within four to six weeks are still on track. 'That situation is still the same; that hasn't changed.'

© Copyright 2007 : Noble House Media Ltd

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/content/16787.asp?men=2&sub=3

Walking to the shops 'damages planet more than going by car'

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2195538.ece

Walking does more than driving to cause global warming, a leading environmentalist has calculated.

Food production is now so energy-intensive that more carbon is emitted providing a person with enough calories to walk to the shops than a car would emit over the same distance. The climate could benefit if people avoided exercise, ate less and became couch potatoes. Provided, of course, they remembered to switch off the TV rather than leaving it on standby.

Just 2 Live Another Day

Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Ji

Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Ji was born in 1912 in the
village of Kurala in the district of Hoshiarpur. His mother’s
name was Dhan Kaur and his father’s name was Bhagwan
Singh. In his early years he was educated at Moolak Kula
primary school. His father was in the army and due to his
bravery was awarded land in the village of Mintgomary in
Pakistan, and so the whole family moved there. He completed
his secondary education there and was married to Bibi
Gurbachan Kaur. Bhai Avtar Singh was involved in agricultural
work there until Pakistan was formed in 1947. He then
returned back to his old village of Kurala and continued
farming.

He came to meet Bhai Harnam Singh and Bhai Pritam Singh
from Dasuha, and with their Sangat started to read Bhai Sahib
Bhai Randhir Singh’s inspirational books. Upon reading he felt a
strong urge to take Amrit and lead a Gursikh way of life, and
he also began going to Gurmat Smagams around Talwara and
Dasuha with other Gursikhs. He also went to Model Town
Ludhiana and met Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh.

Bhai Avtar Singh finally took Amrit with his wife on 13th
April 1961, at the Vaisakhi Smagam in Ludhiana. He started
wearing the Khalsa uniform (Bana) and also took up the strict
Rehat of eating in Sarbloh (iron utensils), which he carried on
until the end of his life. Many families were influenced by his
high standards of Rehat-Rehni and were inspired to take
Amrit.

Bhai Avtar Singh used to visit all the places where the
Akhand Kirtani Jatha Smagams were held to enjoy the Kirtan
and Naam-Bani. In 1969 the Akhand Kirtani Jatha organised a
Yatra to Patna Sahib and Hazoor Sahib by buses and Kirtan
was performed at Gurdwaras along the route. Bhai Avtar Singh
also took part in that Yatra and also took part in the Sewa of
the Panj Pyare in the Smagams.

He had such a desire to do Bhagti that he left the
accommodation of his village and erected a hut on his
farmland far away from his village, where he performed Guru
Granth Sahib’s Parkash and started living there until his last
days. He would get up at 12 o’clock in the night and after
having Ishnaan would start doing Naam-Abyass and continue
this until daylight.

He started making arrangement to go to the Vaisakhi
Smagam being held in Amritsar by the Akhand Kirtani Jatha.
He said farewell to his family and told them to always follow a
Gursikh way of life and to love one another and that he was
not going to return. Bhai Sahib had decided to leave his home
and to stay at the Khalsa farm in Gurdaspur and to accompany
the Jatha to do Sikhi Parchar in the nearby villages. He arrived
at the Vaisakhi Smagam at Amritsar and was the first person to
give Shaheedi.

The Gurmukhs who eye-witnessed his Shaheedi say that
when a bullet from the Nirankaris stuck him he immediately
fell on the floor. But he quickly regained his composure and sat
up cross-legged and started doing Nam-Abyass very loudly and
then went into a deep meditative state. As he was sitting there,
the Nirankaris smashed lathis on his bare head. Bhai Sahib
remained sitting there upright and motionless until his last
breath.

Shaheed Avtar Singh Ji has five sons and one daughter whose
names are: Bhai Kirpal Singh, Bhai Harbaksh Singh, Bhai Iqbal
Singh, Bhai Rattan Singh, Bhai Harbhajan Singh and Bibi Surjeet
Kaur. A spear and a bullet also injured Bhai Iqbal Singh in one
of his legs.

Sweet Sikhi

Recordings are NOW up on www.SweetSikhi.com


Dundee Sikh Youth Camp
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th September
Click Here for poster


Next months keertan is on Saturday 29th September 2007
Gurdwara Park Ave, Southall 7.30pm till late!


Sweet Sikhi, for the youth by the youth.

Two Wings of a Gursikh

"A bird has two wings and cannot fly without these. In the same way, for the Gursikhs sewa and simran are like two wings. Without sewa and simran, an individual will not rise above the problems of daily life and be content and positive. By doing sewa, the hands, feet and body become purified. By doing Simran, the tongue and the mind are purified."

Bhai Rama Singh Ji

Kirtan in Memory of Bhai Rama Singh

Southall - End of Month Youth Keertan In Loving Memory of Bhai Rama Singh Ji
Saturday 25th August 7.30pm till late Singh Sabha Gurdwara,

Park Avenue, Southall. Bhai Sahib Rama Singh Ji (saint of southall) had the true
light of Waheguru shining brightly in him and was a true Khalsa.
Sangat never thought of him as old , he was forever young , always smiling.

He started the Waheguru kirtan programmes at 4am in southall and 5.30 am and Wednesday evening simran programmes at hounslow (Now at Sikh Missionary Society, Southall).

He got up in the early hours and did his amritvela, then made his way to southall and hounslow every morning.

Just to see him in the sangat was SO inspiring.

He was always at the kids camps - a beacon of light to all that were in darkness.

Bhai Sahib Rama Singh Ji would always recommend to everyone he met
to do ‘joria dee seva’ to clean the sangats shoes, to be humble.

If anyone wants to show love for Bhai Sahib Rama Singh Ji, then that would
have been his request - do joria dee seva , find humility and naam
simran , make your life successful, have the true light of the Khalsa
shining bright in you.



http://www.gsikhyouth.com/?p=88

Master Gurbachan Singh Dyalpur

Hair - a Divine gift

Hair - a Divine gift

Wednesday 18th of October 2006

Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh Jee

Introduction
The essential five external Sikh-Symbols (5 Ks) are a unique gift to a Sikh from the Great Guru Gobind Singh Sahib and a baptised Amritdhari Sikh should, under no circumstances, willingly part company with any of them. Among four prohibitions (Kurehet) removal of Kesh (hair) is the most significant. To keep hair intact is the first and the foremost duty of a Sikh. The Guru gave paramount importance to Kesh as is apparent from the fact that in the sweet memory of First Sikh Amrit (Baptism) Ceremony of Five Beloved Ones, the relevant place at Anandpur Sahib was named Kesh-Garh.
The Sikh Panth are proud of one of their great sons, Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh Jee, who lived a life of a true Gursikh and suffered every hardship in the true sense of a determined and completely dedicated Sikh of modern times in treading the path shown by the Gurus. He sang Akhand Kirtan and loved Gurbani from the inner depths of his heart. His viewpoint on the basic and fundamental question of Kesh (uncut hair) is best described in the dialogue between him (Bhai Sahib) and the prison Superintendent at Nagpur Prison, where he spent 7 ½ years out of his life-imprisonment because he had taken active part in the Freedom Movement during the first quarter of the 20th century. The dialogue makes an interesting reading strictly from a religious point of view. It reveals the deep faith Bhai Sahib held and sustained in the supreme Will of the Karta Purakh (God, the Creator) and the acceptance of God’s gift of Kesh, without meddling with it in any form.
What I have done in this respect, is an attempt to translate in English Bhai Sahib's writing on the subject from his book entitled "Letters from Prison", I have every hope that our younger Sikhs will, by reading through this, further strengthen their faith in one of the most prominent symbols of Sikh Dharma. This brochure is being printed with the concurrence of the Central Office of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha.
Kirpal Singh M.A.
Kent, UK
7th September 1979

Importance of Hair
Is it necessary to keep a full-length hair intact?
(A Dialogue between Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Ji and the Prison-Superintendent Mr. Gupta at Nagpur prison.)

One day, it so happened that the Prison Officer bought a poor quality and a cheap brand of hair oil for our use while in prison. I refused to accept it, and asked him to get a better quality hair oil instead. I had already washed my hair with a strong soap, which had made my hair very rough and dry. I was to comb my hair only after it had been softened with hair oil in order to avoid damage to it. Without combing my hair, I was not going to take my meals. The Prison Officer, jailer and other staff with the exception of the new Prison-Superintendent, knew well about my problem.

I had washed my hair in the early morning, then midday came and passed and it was now late afternoon yet nobody bothered to supply me requisite hair oil. As a result of their negligence, I had to go without lunch and supper as well. Next morning it was Sunday and the Prison-Officer did not turn up for duty while the Prison-Superintendent usually stayed away on Sundays. On the third day, the Superintendent kept himself busy inspecting another section of the jail and nobody bothered to enquire about me. Everybody, perhaps, took it as a trifling matter and nobody brought me good quality hair oil. The prison superintendent knew nothing about it at all.

On the fourth day, when the Superintendent was on a round to our ward, the prison officer and others joined hands to complain against me telling him that, under protest, I had been on a hunger strike for the last four days. The helpless yet kind Superintendent came to see me and the succeeding dialogue commenced between us.

Prison Superintendent: Well, Randhir Singh! Ever since I have taken over here in this prison, this is the first time that someone has bothered and harassed me with a protest in the form of a hunger strike. Why haven’t you taken anything for so many days and why have you made me carry the burden of it all?

Myself: Good Sir, I haven’t done anything to make you feel the burden of my not eating anything for the last four days, nor have I harassed you in any manner. It just happened that I had washed my hair four days ago and I could not obtain proper hair oil for my use. Had I known that I was not likely to get proper hair oil, I would not have washed my hair with caustic soap on that day. After washing hair with caustic soap, it becomes rough, dry and entangled, and unless hair oil is applied, its combing becomes rather impossible. Hair oil softens the hair and they do not suffer from dropping off or breaking off during combing process. We, the Sikhs, have a strict religious order to comb our hair twice a day and we are forbidden to eat with our hair uncombed. So I could not eat anything out of respect for my religious commandments. It is not correct to say that I resorted to this as protest to your authority.

On hearing this, the kindhearted Superintendent got very much displeased with his prisonstaff and asked them why he was not informed of this problem earlier. He immediately ordered for a good quality hair oil. Within half an hour, good quality oil was brought and the Superintendent himself came and while handing it over to me he said very humbly, "Please forgive me, you had to suffer this trouble undeservedly because of my unawareness and absence. I should have respected your religious sentiments. I am sorry for what has happened this time. I promise it won't happen again."

Myself: Thank you very much. The fact is that both in the prison department and in other government departments, the sense of responsibility and integrity have vanished and the employees in general have become selfish and dishonest. The prison storemen buy the cheapest items for prisoners and charge the highest price from the government. Nobody bothers to investigate, especially in a prison. The poor prisoners do not dare make a complaint, and even if they do, no one listens to them. I have had a bitter experience during my prison sentence. There is a lot of meanness going on. There are only eight political and criminal Sikh prisoners in this prison. They would need hardly one large bottle of coconut oil for their use throughout the month, but these people depict such meanness that they bring the poorest quality oil and in this way, they cheat the government and exploit the poor prisoners.

The prison Superintendent listened to this all and accepted the criticism of the misdeeds of prison management. He assured me that he’d be taking steps to remedy these shortcomings. Then, all of a sudden, he raised a question and asked me, 'IS IT NECESSARY TO KEEP LONG HAIR?’

Myself: Is it necessary to keep the head on the human body?

Supdt: The body cannot survive without the head.

Myself: If, however, it could survive, would you be willing to get rid of it? (If the body could survive without the head, would you remove the head?)

Supdt: The head is more important and is an integral part of the body. With the head the body becomes complete and without the head, body cannot survive at all.

Myself: Have you placed the head on your body yourself?

Supdt: No, God has placed it there.

Myself: Undoubtedly God has placed the head on your body. If, however, it were placed by you, perhaps, you could afford to remove it as an unwanted burden.

Supdt: Of course. But how can we remove or afford to get rid of something given to us by God?

Myself: Well, suppose, if someone removes that God-given head from the body, what would you call that person?

Supdt: Undoubtedly, he would be called a tyrant, oppressor, murderer and an assassin.

Myself: If someone asks you questions as to why you have kept a head on your body, what will you think of him?

Supdt: It would be a sheer stupidity on the part of the questioner.

Myself: Just the way, our heads are placed on our bodies by the Creator Himself, the same way, the hair on my head and yours as well, have been grown by the same God, the Creator. Therefore, your question regarding keeping of long hair is irrelevant in itself, because it is not I who has grown it there, but the hair is God's gift. Just as the head on the body is God's special gift, so is the hair given by Him. It is our first and foremost duty to look after the hair (God's gift) as we would like to look after and protect our head. Those who do not maintain God-given gift on the head, (cut off or completely shave off their hair), are, in my well-considered view, ungrateful and disloyal to the supreme will of God. I consider them murderers.

Supdt: No, they cannot be called so, you can give them some other name, because in cutting hair no blood is spilt.

Myself: You mean if blood is spilt, then alone it can be called a murder or assassination. What if someone is strangled to death? Would you still not declare it a murder, because in strangling a person, no blood is spilt, though death does occur? It is no use indulging in verbal arguments. You know very well that in certain methods of murder, not even a drop of blood is allowed to spill. Would you not call perpetrators of these crimes as murderers? If not, what else will you call them?

Supdt: Excuse me, the head when once chopped off renders the body dead and the head does not grow again. But on the other hand the hair completely shorn off or hair cut short start growing again. There is a world of difference between the two instances.

Myself: Do you believe in reincarnation or transmigration of the soul?

Supdt: Yes, I do.

Myself: Nobody dies even after death, because the soul migrates. Those who kill others cannot kill their souls. The soul cannot die and it continues to take new births. The attempt to kill a soul goes in vain. There can be no success in doing this. In the same way, the effort of those who cut or shave their hair time and again, goes futile because the shaven or cut hair continue to grow again and again, the same way as the soul of a killed or dead person takes birth again and again. The difference, however, is only this that the soul moves on from one life to another and the killer or the murderer does not realise it, but the hair continue to grow until death of the person.

Persistent growth of hair acts as a rebuff to the efforts of the shaver. The way in which the life-spark of a soul exists in the total life-spark of God, the same way, the life-spark in the hair continues to exist in the life-spark of the human body until its (body's) complete destruction. It is very important that each hair on the human head and on the entire body be kept intact, because these are created there by God - our Creator. The hair on our head and body grow to such length as is needed by the physiology and biology of each individual body according to God's plan. The hair grows to certain length and then stops growing further naturally. Any attempt to undo the Creator's work by either trying to artificially make hair grow thicker and longer or get rid of it is our folly and also against the Law of God. Women do not have hair on the face. Any human attempt to grow it there would not succeed. Similarly, to cut hair from the head is also sheer folly. God - the Creator, has given beards to men but they shave them every day and try to look like women. But Nature does not let them do so. They shave but Nature administers a snub to them every morning by letting it grow again. The shavers receive double blow, one from the shaving blade and the other from Nature when every morning new beard comes out in defiance of their intentions. But they do not wake up to the ultimate Reality. Women as well suffer humility when they try to cut their hair and look like men by imitating them in this mad pursuit. Both male and female have gained absolutely nothing from this pursuit.

The question should have been "Why Nature's gift (Hair) should not be left intact on the head and elsewhere and why should it be cropped?" But, surprisingly, questions are asked the other way. The stark reality is that there is an overwhelming majority of people who defy the Divine because of this habit inherited from others through centuries and have mistaken the shaven face and shorn hair as a natural form. The reason is that, in the world, there are so few and so rare people who stick to and are consistent with the Eternal Law of Nature. When any person from powerful nations of the world chances to have a glance at a Sikh in natural form, he wonders at the latter's completely natural face and asks the question: "Is it necessary to keep hair intact?" In his ignorance he forgets that hair like other limbs of the body is part and parcel of the human body. A Sikh would never allow a single hair to be removed from his body because he bows to God's Law, he understands that hair growth has a purpose behind it and believes it a sin to do otherwise; just as a doctor would not advise to close a pore on the body.

This is a very complex question you have raised. Volumes can be written on this topic. We do not have enough time at our disposal to do full justice to the discussion on the sanctity of our hair. Those who raise such objections are usually Arya Samajists. Are you not prejudiced like them?

Supdt: (Smiling) No, I am not that much of an Arya Samajist, though, to some extent I am inclined towards Arya Samaj beliefs and practices. But I have asked this question to you just spontaneously. Even though you have used some very blunt epithets but I have, all the same, liked the line of your argument. A lot of my misconceptions and suspicions have vanished now.

When you leave jail, I wish you would write a detailed book on the philosophy of hair and propagate it throughout the world in all languages. Your argument that in cropping hair or shaving beards people just follow suit, like the movement of an individual sheep in a flock, has impressed me. All of our rishies, sages and prophets in the ancient times, were kesbadharis (with natural unshorn hair), which means they kept their hair intact. There is evidence that up to Mahabharat times all Khatries, Brahmins and religious leaders used to have long hair intact. In old Hindu books and scriptures it is written down how ignoble it was to cut hair and it was, in fact one of the seven punishments under the then state law. Lord Krishna, our Avtar, substituted cutting off hair of Rukmani's brother Rukman for death sentence in pursuance of her appeal to save his life. Rukman was so angry with this. He was so much grieved that he called his sister his enemy, because it was she who had recommended the cutting off his hair. Rukman himself thought that this punishment was worse than the death sentence.

I value your viewpoint, you are really a Singh with high ideals, Sardar Randhir Singh! No other Singh has ever convinced me like this. A grain of cogent argument is more than sufficient for a seeker after truth. Well, time has passed so quickly. Let us leave it there. Namaste. We will see to the rest later on.

Myself: Sat Sri Akal. 'Later on', surely does not so easily.

To be honest, the occasion to continue that dialogue 'later on’ never arrived again, but that prison Superintendent struck me as a very kind and a thoughtful person

Source by:
Panthic weekly

Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He
sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force
its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any
progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could
go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small,
shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any
moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,
which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able
to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the
restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of
the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it
achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed
us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

I asked for Strength.........
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom.........
And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity.........
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage.........
And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love.........
And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors.........
And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!

Amrit Da Bata

Vaheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa Vaheguroo Jee Kee Fateh

I was just blogging and found this article. WOW is one word that comes to mind :)
Make Sure you read it!


Translated from Soan ChiRee ChRee GaiN by Bhai Sahib Jodh Singh (Delhi)


Amrit Da Bata

In order to prepare the bata of Amrit the Panj Piare did ardas. The Iron vessel, Khanda, Water and sugar pellets were already present. A blanket was layed in front of Guru Sahib, on top of a large rock the iron vessel was steadily placed. In the attendance of Guru Granth Sahib sat one Singh and the jathedar arrived in the panj. They (the panj) all sat in Bir asaN (warrior position) and became the Sanmukhs of the Guru. Together the Panj poured the water into the vessel and then put in the sugar pellets. Turn by tuen the Panj bania, Jap, Jaap, Sodha Swaiye, Chaupai and full Anand Sahib were read. Whilst doing paaT the Singh held the Khanda in his right hand, whilst the bata was held with the left with complete concentration. The other Singhs held the bata with both hands and everyone focussed their conciousness into the nectar being prepared. Once the five prayers were over the Jathedar did ardas. In order to give the candidates Amrit the jathedar asked the Singh in attendance of Guru Sahib to seek permission. After this the Panj piare again sat in Bir AsaN (warrior position) ready to bless the abhilakis with Amrit. There were approximately 8-10 people getting initiated into the Khalsa brotherhood, my turn came after the 2nd or 3rd person.

Kautak (miracle)

This was an unforgettable experience which occured after complete Sodh Sudhayee. My inner state was uncontrallable, I was half concious and was completely mesmerized; my body was just shaking. It is extremely difficult to describe in detail. As Sanmukh I went to humbly bow my head before Guru Granth Sahib Ji, as I was about to do so Guru Gobind Singh Ji in all his glory gave me his Partakh darshan (in real body) on Guru Granth Sahib Ji's throne. It was as if there was a mirror and behind it Guru Gobind Singh Ji sat in Bir AsaN. It seemed as if it was happening for a long time, but it was only a second or so. After bowing my head I drank the Amrit, then Amrit was splashed in the Kesh (hair), then in the eyes. The Jathedar then proceeded to teach the method of reciting the Gurmantar, at that time my hands just clasped together in prayer and I suddenly received Guru Gobind Singh Ji's darshan once again on the throne of Guru Granth Sahib, my eyes shut and I placed my head in the holy feet of the Guru. The Jathedar Ji then tapped me on my back as if to say 'be aware!'. (Saavdhan!) He also had to physically wake one Singh up from this state of Vismadh. Everyone started doing Abhyas and the Amrit ceremony ended quiet quickly.

The Rehnsbhai

The time was 1-2am. In the hall upstairs a Rehnsbhai Keertan was in progress. I can clearly remember that the Panj Piare came into the Darbar Sahib along with us without the formal dress for the Panj, but on the other hand I do not know whether they came in with us or came in after. What I do know is that after Degh (parshad) was distributed after the Amrit Sanchar they went into a separate room in order to get changed. This I know for sure. Just like normal members of the Sangat they bowed their heads in front of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and took a seat in Sat Sang. I was coloured in the divine colours at that time, but when I did come to full conciousness I found myself sitting right behind Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Ji. Only the Guru knows how that happened! On Bhai Sahibs dastar was the Chakar (iron quoit) and whenever he swayed back and forth I felt a pull towards him as he was a divinely imbued soul. My mouth just filled with unbearable taste. Bhai Sahib was singing the following Shabad on the Vaja: “Poota Mata Kee Asees”. Keertan was taking place with an ecstatic atmosphere which is hard to forget.

Naam Abhyas

Bhai Sahibs eyes were closed, but they were rolled up towards the sky. The sound of his voice was as though a child is screaming. After 2am, abhyas started in the hall for 2 or so hours. I do not know who turned the main lights off and put on a dim one. The beautiful Jaap of ‘Vaheguru’ was being meditated upon. At that moment it seemed as though no one was present there and I myself was not present there, all that was being heard was the Vaheguru Gurmantar. My spiritual state rose to such a height that I was not conscious of my body or anything else that was happening around me. Only the beautiful name was heard all around, it can be compared to the ticking of a watch, no one was at a higher or lower pitch than anyone else, everyone was reciting with exactly the same tone and rhythm. When my eyes were closed, at times I would experience ecstatic light through my inner eyes. Sometimes I would get a divine glimpse of ‘Ik Oankar’ and it looked as though it was an electric Halogen light shaped like the symbol, whereas sometimes I would get vision of the word ‘Vaheguru’. Then, after about 2 and a half hours the Keertan kicked off again. After some minutes, we started to hear the Vaheguru dhunni resounding everywhere, even though the keertan continued. When I came down from this avastha I noticed that I was still in the same hall as before and the sangat was joined with the keertan enjoying the ecstacy of his name.

Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh and Baoo Mal Singh were sitting infront of me. Some keertani bibia were doing keertan. Some sangat were sitting behind me, some infront of me, all in total bliss. Bhai Sahibs chakar (iron quoit) was continuing to mesmerize me and had a magnetic glow. “Vaho Vaho Gursikh dhan hai”. To tell you the truth, I did not understand what kautak was taking place, nor did I know what this ras was, otherwise I would have grabbed the holy feet of that Sant (bhai sahib) and never let go. When I did get some knowledge the true king (Guru ji) made me into good friends with Bhai Sahib, he bought this Ant into his holy shade.

In the morning, after Bhai Sahib had sung many shabads, the ceremony came to an end.

Seperation

After this we went home and ate langar, we then went straight back to the Gurdwara Sahib. (In them times langar was made for sangat that had come from outside). Sangat was getting ready to go. Bapoo ji (bhai sahib) and another Singh were trying to get accommodation for the sangat to stay. I kept on gazing into their lovelorn eyes and enjoying ras and they also kept looking at me. The Singhs who were coloured in divine colours were hugging each other and leaving. Initially Bapoo ji was very sad, all the Singhs had tears in their eyes. Everyone was yearning for the same thing as I was – that the Keertan never stopped along with the Naam and Bani. But everything happens in the will of Vaheguru.

“Sanjog vijog doe kaar chalave lekhe avai bhaag”
_________________
One God: Waheguru
One Guru : Sahib Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
One Group : Guru Khalsa Panth!

This should be the Motto of Our Generation

--
Ravjeet Singh
http://www.rskhalsa.blogspot.com

Hukam

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SALOK
THIRD MEHL
O man you have been tormented by a nightmare and you have passed your life in sleep.
You did not wake to hear the Word of the True Guru’s Shabad;
you have no inspiration within yourself.
That body burns which has no virtue and which does not serve the Guru.
I have seen that the world is burning in egotism and the love of duality.
O Nanak those who seek the Guru’s Sanctuary are saved;
within their minds they meditate on the True Word of the Shabad.
|| 1 ||
THIRD MEHL
Attuned to the Word of the Shabad the soul-bride is rid of egotism and she is glorified.
If she walks steadily in the way of His Will then she is adorned with decorations.
Her couch becomes beautiful and she constantly enjoys her Husband Lord;
she obtains the Lord as her Husband.
The Lord does not die and she never suffers pain;
she is a happy soul-bride forever.
O Nanak the Lord God unites her with Himself;
she enshrines love and affection for the Guru.
|| 2 ||
PAUREE
Those who conceal and deny their Guru are the most evil people.
O Dear Lord let me not even see them;
they are the worst sinners and murderers.
They wander from house to house with impure minds like wicked forsaken women.
But by great good fortune they may meet the Company of the Holy;
as Gurmukhs they are reformed.
O Lord please be kind and let me meet the True Guru;
I am a sacrifice to the Guru.
|| 23 ||
(This HukamNama occurs on Ang: 651 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.)

vIrvwr, 1 BwdNo (sMmq 539 nwnkSwhI)

(AMg : 651)

Thursday, 1st Bhaadon (Samvat 539 Nanakshahi) (Anng: 651)

just one to remember :)

Veggie's Only Cheap life Insurance

Benefits of being a veggie now include cheap life insurance, who would have thought it. lol

Veggie lives 'cost less to protect'

31 July 2007

The health benefits of vegetarianism are being recognised by a new insurance policy.

Animal Friends Insurance is offering non-meat-eaters a discount of up to six per cent on its life insurance.

Elaine Fairfax, spokesperson for Animal Friends, said the company liked to be a "bit radical".

She said: "We're not here to preach to people about what they should eat but we just want people to know about the effects on their health of not eating meat and we think they should be rewarded just as non smokers are."

Vegetarians and vegans are 40 per cent less likely to contract serious cancer, and have a 30 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease, according to statistics from the Vegetarian Society.

The product will be available to all, but meat-eaters will not receive a discount.

Animal Friends Insurance is a not-for-profit organisation and the only UK pet insurance provider to donate 100 per cent of its net profits to animal charities worldwide.

Focusing our mind on GOD

Mahraja Duleep Singh Children Workshop

I drove up to Thetford, Norfolk this week to hold workshops on Sikhi for local school kids. On Tuesday I went to the Ancient House Museum where they where holding a two day workshop to teach local school children about Sikhism.

First the children where greeted by a gentlemen dressed to be an advisor who lived through the end of Mahraja Ranjeet Singh’s Raaj and told the story of Mahraja Duleep Singh from birth to death and gave them information with some fun facts about his life as well as how the museum came about.

There where a few workshops taking place, I was running one work shop about Sikhism while there was another where the children had a chance to make parshada (chapattis). The Sikhi workshop was about making the kids aware of the Sikh identity in a fun way which would help them remember as well answering questions. We had 6 groups of children in the day and they had chances to dress up in cholla or the boys and kameez for the girls to try on. We also gave the children the opportunity to tie dastar while explaining about aspects of Sikhi such as Panj Kakkars (5 K’s), concept of God, Sikh appearances, Sikh way of life, Gurdwara, and Langar, alot to cover in twenty odd minutes.

As I got home in the evening I was invited to do presentations on Sikhism the next day (Wednesday) for Civil Servants at a Government Office, more about that tomorrow.