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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today blamed the Congress for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and even accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of having "failed" to provide justice to the victims. Addressing a gathering during a function held at local Shalamar Bagh under the aegis of Patanjali Yoga Peeth, Ramdev said it's been 28 years since the riots took place but still the victims were "awaiting justice". On education policy, he said education should be provided in the languages of our own country, as was being done in several other countries of the world, including in China, France and Japan. Terming it as unfortunate that in our country preference was given to English, he said, "Giving preference to a foreign language is a sign of slavery and a policy should be drafted for providing education in our own languages for national pride among the new generation." Blaming the Congress for having "failed" to check rampant "corruption", spiraling high prices of essential commodities and unemployment, Baba Ramdev appealed the gathering to wipe out Congress in the coming assembly elections scheduled for February. Dubbing the United Progressive Alliance as a "sinking ship", the yoga guru claimed that several of its alliance partners would leave it due to unchecked spiralling prices of essential commodities, including petroleum products. Ramdev said he was mobilising public opinion for bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks. Subsequently, he would write a letter to the PM in this regard, he added.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15610142 what is everyone's view on this? personally although i do not agree with halal at all and i think it is inhumane way of slaughter I think as a sikh I would defend the muslims (and jews) right to practice their chosen religion properly, just as guru Teg Bahadur ji sacraficed himself to save a religion he did not belive in do you think sikhs should support muslims and jews in this situation even though we do not agree with halal or kosher?? what does everybody think???

Hari Singh RandhaweWale and the kuthaa (1969) A santh sed to hari singh to make sure you get this amrith sanchaar done on time. Hari singh was in charge of the amrith sanchaar making sure people had done their specific duty. When amrith sanchaar people came in a kuthaa came in too. They all tried to get the kuthaa out, about 300 people. They could not do it. Hari singh said to them as a joke, you are all supposed to be lions, how could you not get one kuthaa out? So they tried some more but to no avail. Then a singh named jagjit singh tried to get him out, hari singh said leave it, but jagjit singh wasn’t going to stop, the kutha realised that he’s going to catch me under any circumstances. So the kuthaa ran and sat under the manjee sahib. Jagjit singh was going to get him but hari singh stopped him and said that beadhbee by the kuthaa has already been done, we can’t do any more by pulling him from maharaaj’s sharan, because then we will get the paap. So hari singh went to the kuthaa and showed him a lot of pyaar to try and get him out, the kuthaa looked into his eyes and must have realised it was an honest man, so the kuthaa came out and followed hari singh towards the door. At this point hari singh felt the ego of managing to get the kuthaa out when 300 other people couldn’t. Mahaaraaj then reacted to hari singh’s feelings of ego by making the kuthaa jump back and run away from the door, this broke hari singhs ego. They then decided to carry on with the amrith sanchaar and the kuthaa seemed to have disappeared, when hari singh noticed that the kuthaa was sitting so unbelievably quietly in the corner. When the singhs asked the sangath if anybody hasn’t taken amrith and wishes to have choolaa then come up now, nobody came, but to the sangath’s amazement the kuthaa came and sat right where each person sat to get amrith, with his tongue out. The singhs were shocked. Then hari singh did ardaas to guroo jee that the kuthaa is asking for amrith but they cannot break marayadha by giving a kuthaa amrith. When the kuthaa realised they were not going to give it, he saw that there were drops of amrith that had fallen on the floor, which he started to lick as he knew the singhs could not do anything about that. The singhs were stunned about what had just happened, so they went back to santh jee and asked them why this happened. And santh jee said ‘i believe that the kuthaa was a human in his last life, he always listened to the fact that a person should take amrith, but he never did, and his dying thoughts must have been the regret of not taking amrith, and now he is a kuthaa, so i guess his next life will be a human where he will get the chance of getting the daath of amrith because that is the grace of guroo jee. Dhan Dhan Sri Guroo Gobindh Singh Jee Maharaaj.

Pal Singh Interview with a Judge On the 21st July 2010, Bhai Kulwant Singh, son of Saha Singh, was picked up from his home by the Special state Operation Cell (Amritsar) lead by Mal Mandhi’s Officer in Charge, Havinderpal Singh While in custody, Bhai Pal Singh was severely tortured. As a result of his ordeal the bones in his legs and feet were broken; he lost his hearing in one ear and is suffering from kidney failure. Judge SH Madhan presided over the case hearing where Bhai Pal Singh, France, a witness to this case, was cross-examined. A brief of the cross examination with Inspector Harvinderpal Singh is given below: Judge: When did Harvinderpal Singh & DA Shri Randhawa bring you intoAmritsar(jail) and when did you meet Kulwant Singh? Me: I was previously arrested on 17th July 2010 and released. Then I was re-arrested again on the 22nd July 2010. Judge: What type of condition was Kulwant Singh in? Me: He was in a very bad state. He was unable to walk and his feet were swollen. Judge: Did they (police) torture you as well? Me: The moment they brought me into Mal Mandhi, they threw me down and beat me up. I was subjected to electric shocks on many occasions. They pulled my hair and my beard. They also deprived me of sleep. All day the police officers would interrogate me and at night one or two officers would stay with me to ensure that I did not fall asleep. Whenever I did fall asleep, they would beat me with sticks. On 23rd July 2010 at 09.00am, leading Officer Harvinderpal Singh and his team, took Kulwant Singh out. At 11.00am, the lower ranking officer dragged the unconscious Kulwant Singh back in. Kulwant Singh’s condition was very poor at this stage. Judge: It is written on your FIR, that on 25th July 2010, Kulwant Singh & Gurmukh Singh brought weapons that were in your vehicle from the border and that the police had arrested you from theAmritsar – Jalandhar by-pass. Me: Kulwant Singh, Gurmukh Singh and I have been in police custody since the 21st July 2010. When the police arrested me from my village, they had taken my vehicle with them. The police officers then sent Kulwant Singh and co, to bring the weapons. Judge: What evidence do you have that they (Police) had arrested you on 22/07/2010? Me: Firstly, I would like the court to check the location of the officer’s mobile phones. Secondly, my daughter from Canada, sent emails to the French Embassy in Delhi, stating that I had been arrested on 23/24th July-2010. Thirdly, there was a news article in the Ajit newspaper that ‘plain clothed police officers had picked Pal Singh from his house on 24th July 2010 and have kept him at an undisclosed location’. They have shown my arrest to be on 27th July 2010, near Jalandhar bus stand. So if the police had arrested me on 27th July 2010 how would my daughter in Canada know that I was going to be arrested 5 days earlier than what they have stated?! The village leaders, who were trying to find me, arrived at Mal Mandhi in the morning of the 27th July 2010. This was when Harvinderpal Singh said that the villagers had not done a good thing by putting a writ in the high courts. He then told them to take the writ back and we (police) will not put any case on him (me). My village leaders had given the writ on the 26th July 2010, stating that the police have taken me from my home. But according to the police, the villagers saw me in the morning of 27th July 2010 and then arrested me in the evening. Judge: When they took you to the first judge, did you tell him that you were tortured? Me: I said to the first judge, that the police had scared us so bad that if we speak out or told anyone that they had tortured us, they would have killed us. This officer, who is in front of you, had said that: “we have brought your car so that we can break your hands and your feet and then put you back in the vehicle to make it look like you hit a tree and no one will know or care about you”. The officer then said, “This is not France, we can make you disappear and no one will ask any questions”. Also when they first presented me to the judge, the police asked for 2 days remand but the judge gave me 3 days. Harvinderpal Singh then said to me “did you see who the judge is? Is it me or the one sitting in the court? We (police) asked for 2 days and we get 3 days remand, usually when police ask for 2 days, the judge gives 1 day”.He then boasted that he is the judge and that he is the one who can save me or kill me. Judge: I will tell them (the police): “Am I the judge or are they the judge? When they brought Kulwant Singh, did he walk in or was he in a wheelchair? Me: They had to carry him in and then carry him out. Judge: Did they take you to the doctor? Me: They only took me twice; once in Manawala and then here inAmritsar. I told the doctor about Kulwant Singh, that he couldn’t walk and that the police were dragging him around. The doctor asked me if there was any bleeding and I told him that the police method of torture did not allow blood to be seen, but you can see my legs and feet are swollen. Also the electrical torture they have used dries up the blood, hence no bleeding. However, the doctor ignored everything I had said and instead wrote down that everything was ok with me. Judge: The police have claimed that you had weapons on the 30th July 2010 Me: They had taken me to my village on the 30th July 2010. In my property I had a mare (horse) which had won first place in Punjab and 4th place in India in a beauty contest. Harvinderpal Singh had said: “We don’t know if we will get the time. Let’s take you to your village and let’s see your mare”. Judge: Is it true, that you have a horse like this? Me: Yes I do. We reached my village at 6pm. I showed them my horse dancing to them, by then a lot of villagers got together and also the local city press decided to come over. Havinderpal Singh then asked me to send the villagers back home and that he would release me in two days. Harvinderpal Singh said to the press and the villagers that: “He (me) is innocent and we will release him in two days, he is my uncle and don’t worry I will release him, he is a very good man”. The next day, the villagers read in the newspaper that was given by Harvinderpal Singh, that they had found weapons on me when they had arrested me. The villagers were shocked and worried about me. The local press present at the time, published an article stating that the police was blatantly lying, because they (police) had taken me empty handed on the 22nd July 2010 and also again on the 30th July 2010. The police though at the time had admitted that I was innocent, later fabricated the story of having found weapons on me. Judge: You are a French citizen; did the French officers come to see you, if so what have they done for you? Me: They come once a month. They check my health and have informed both the police and jail officers about my health condition but no one has done anything about this. Also when they took me from home on the 22nd July 2010, the police also took, my laptop, my phone, my French passport, my French ID, my driving license, my dual citizenship and some of my FD books from the bank. The French embassy has repeatedly asked the police, about my paperwork but they did get any reply. The Embassy officers are really surprised and really worried because of the police officers attitude towards me. The police kept asking me, where I took Amrit (Ambrosial Nectar) and who do I believe my Guru is. One day Harvinderpal Singh asked Kulwant Singh:“do you believe in another Guru after Guru Granth Sahib Ji?” There was a picture of Baba Deep Singh Ji and Kulwant Singh pointed to the picture and said Baba Deep Singh Ji. Harvinderpal Singh then hit Kulwant Singh and said to him, ‘is Baba Deep Singh closer to you or the stick in my hand’? Kulwant Singh felt dreadful that these people saw themselves higher than these Shaheed (Martyred) Singhs. I told the judge that they had taken me to the DGP of Chadigargh once on the 02nd July 2010 and then on the 03rd August 2010. The DGP asked me why I did not allow Parkash Badal or his son speak on the stages. What was the reason, he asked? I said that they controlled the SGPC unlawfully. These people use the Guru’s Golaks (Sikh Depositary) money in wrong ways and they have made the corrupt and drug users, all members of the SGPC and whenever they want they make someone the Jathedar (Leader) of Akaal Thakth Sahib and then take him away. They can also ex-communicate anyone with there own made-up Jathedars (Leaders). I added that the father and son should release their control over Darbar Sahib, Akaal Thakth and the other Thakths (Thrones of Authority). Only then would it be appropriate for them to speak on the stages. This is not just me but anybody who believes in Guru Nanak Dev Ji & the Panth and believes that the members of SGPC should be honest, keep their Rehat (Code of Conduct), have nothing to do with dirty politics and are Pooran Gursikhs. The Guru’s Golakh should be used for Sikhi parchaar and expanding Sikhi not for dirty politics. Because of these two (Parkash & Sukhbir Badal), the whole of Punjab’s youngsters are druggies and alcoholics. The judge said that, it is his duty to tell the high court who had tortured Kulwant Singh and that he will now forward this report on. Following the above enquiry the high court found Havinderpal Singh and co guilty of the said atrocities on the 09th June 2011.

SinghInTraining, out of interest why did you write "I would defend the muslims (and jews)", and not "muslims and jews" or "jews (and muslims)" ?? I support the ban due to the barbaric blood thirsty way in which living creatures are killed. Guru Sahib died defending rituals of the hindus - true, however we should remember, the hindu rituals did not involve causing bloodshed of any sort. We should further remember SatGuru Amar Das Sahib refused to have veiled women in sangat. Personally im a vegeterian and dont eat outside, but some of you may be interested to know that in many subways in the UK the Ham isnt not actually Ham, its halal turkey that has been dyed pink. Halal meat is served in a huge amount of places, and customers are totally unaware. This is against consumer rights and possibly tthe religious beliefs of others. If meat is halal, customers should be clearly informed.

Tell her parents in an anonymous way, as in through someone else, like indirectly maybe? That way you won't hopefully get in trouble. But they need to know where their hard-earned money is going. I'd say tell them about her bad habits as well if they don't know already. In my opinion THIS would be your moral duty.

Kalsingh Jee, you have raised an interesting issue here concerning the future i.e nuclear war, Iran etc. As human beings, we naturally are curious about the future, the pains and promises it holds and there is no end to speculations and prophesies to this end that have been made even by respected persons, scholars and saints of all religions, not just Sikhism. A Sikh focusses on the here, surrendering past, present and future to Akal Purukh, the Father of the world whose creation this is, who had made, operates and dissolves the world according to His bhana. A Sikh wakes up thanking God and loving God and praying for the bhela /good of the world, and works tirelessly to save the planet, save the environment and spread love and unity in humanity, planting the seeds of Naam and good virtues in eveyone she/he meets. Thus a Sikh is a humble person, using the mind to do good, to pray and to surrender to God. We have only one brain and it is supposed to be surrendered to God so we become spirit led people living by the order and grace of God. This brain must not become a ground for speculative, erratic, confused, worried, hateful , envious, or spiteful thinking which keeps worrying about the past and future. Rather this brain has to be calm, relaxed, surrendered, joyful, beautiful, loving, kind, forgiving, generous, and never opinionated or desire-churning. You have to remember birth and death are happening less than every second within you as cells die and are born. A gurmukh sees birth and death inside and outside happening continously nonstop. Only God is stable. Universes are being made and destroyed every second when you have the eyes to see. That death we worry about of our planet is happening I don’t know how many times every minute out there in the vast reaches of space filled with billions and trillions of planets and suns! And that same death is happening at a microlevel within you if you could see faster than I can type this. By the time I have typed this or you have read this, millions of planets would have been wiped out, trillions and trillions of insects would have died and countless births would have taken place from the birth of worms to humans , fishes , birds and all!. That is why we say God is great! Saints say what they say so that people will wake up and start becoming gurmukhs and if you are an avid reader of Gurbani, this is the focus of Gurbani rather than to map out a timeline future history of this planet! During Guru Nanak Jee’s time so much would have been happening all around the world but what Gurujee focussed on was to travel place to place writing and singing Gurbani to bring Light to the world and drive out the forces of darkness. That is our mandate as Gurujee’s children.

Yes I agree with you but until the leadership of Punjab - who are majority Sikh if I'm not mistaken - begin to help vulnerable people (or those who live on the breadline) no amount of parchaar will help. What will parchaar do if those people who are being preached to cannot feed their families or afford medicine? If a Christian missionary turns up at a village and says "You will never have to worry about your children's education and your medical health if you become Christian" then you simply cannot beat those incentives in this warped world. Yes, I am sure I will be reminded of the wonderful "Sir Jaave Ta Jaave, Sikhi Sidak Na Jaave" and I completely and utterly agree with that. But the poor of the modern world do not have an appetite for religious fervour and loyalty. They will follow whoever offers them the most incentives - those of them who have a choice of course.

Coming from a family with granthis and having known a lot of granthis, let me tell you guys their side of the story. Its not easy being a granthi. People dont respect them at all. They think because they give money to granthis, these men and their families are less than them. Kids of granthis get called giani and often grow up hating the profession. Yes its a profession/job now. It might not have been in Guru ji's days but a lot of religious work was voluntary then. But the granthis and raggis still got rewards from Guru jis. Anyways, so its even worse when you are from India. People and committee members are always ready to use this against you. I know a 33 year old granthis who was "ASKED" by a committee member to clean up her garden. He worked all day and didnt get a single penny. If as a granthi you forget to read one person's name in the ardasas or misread it then the family is all over you. Committees run gurdwaras like a business. Lets talk about salary. Granthis, in UK dont get paid much. The weekly salary of the granthi usually is very low, even then they take the charawa from the granthi if he does kirtan. I have seen committee members change the kirtan schedule so that granthi will do kirtan at the end and people who will give the money back to the gurdwara or committee do the kirtan first. So that when the granthi does kirtan, no one is left to give any money. Some gurdwaras even tell people not to give any ardas. The above is just very few examples of things I have seen. With this kind of attitude toward our granthis, its no surprise that they do not put much effort into their job and just go through the motions. I fully support the above granthi who won the case. Its about time committees started treating guru ghar de sevak with respect they deserve.

Lol.. thats true, the granthi jee above just opened the flood gates... I think what our community pay granthi singh around the world is just a pure joke and disgusting considering that majority of sikhs are good earners around the globe.

Giani jis need to be paid accordingly so they can live and support a life. They shouldn't have to worry about maya, but they shouldn't be paid in donations like some people give to parcharaks.

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa! Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh! Giani Bhajan Singh, a very good Sikh writer, himself went to Bibi Harnaam Kaur the wife of Shaheed Bhai Partaap Singh and interviewed her on what exactly happened at Punja Sahib railway station. Following is the the translation of Giani Bhajan Singh jee's interview with Bibi Harnaam Kaur jee: Giani Bhajan Singh: Mata jee (wife of Shaheed Bhai Partaap Singh jee), could you please tell us something about the Punja Sahib incident? I have specially came to see you to get first hand information from you. Bibi Harnaam Kaur: Why won't I tell you what happened on that fateful day at Punja Sahib? I remember the whole incident as if it occurred yesterday. I was one of those people who were sitting on the railway tracks to stop the train. I was sitting just behind my martyr (shaheed) husband. I have been getting the urge for long time, to tell the true story of Punja Sahib incident but no one took the effort to write what I had to tell. I am glad to hear that you came specially to hear about this incident and would be writing the story as I tell you. Giani Bhajan Singh: How did this whole incident occur? Please tell me in detail. Assume that I don't know anything and you are telling a new person this incident. Bibi Harnaam Kaur: This was the time of Guru kaa Baagh Morcha (1922). Police had arrested the singhs and trains of these arrested singhs of Morcha, were being taken to the Attock and Kaimelpur jails. Two trains had passed Punja Sahib. My shaheed (martyr) husband approached the station master, who was a very kind Hindu gentleman and asked him why he was not informing the Sangat of the arrival of the trains carrying the Sikh prisoners. My husband told him that the sangat wanted to do some sewa of the Sikh prisoners. At that time my husband was the member of the managing committee of Siri Punja Sahib and he served in the capacity of the treasurer. Prior to that he served as the general secretary of the committee. Anyway, one day, the Hindu station-master informed my husband that next day at 8am the train was scheduled to arrive at the Punja Sahib railway station. As soon as the sangat heard of this, they started preparing langar for the Sikh prisoners. After the completion of the morning congregation (diwaan), an ardaas was performed as follows: "O Sache Paatshah (True King), we have prepared Parshaada (food) for your Gursikhs. Please fulfill our wish of feeding langar to our gursikh brothers and grant us the boon that we come back to the Gurdwara Sahib only after serving langar." After the ardaas (prayer) when we arrived at the station, we were informed by the station master that as per orders from the top, the train will not stop at the station. The sangat was at once overwhelmed by sadness and anger. They got together and decided through a Gurmata that langar would be served to the sangat at any cost and that they would not let the train proceed further without this. After this decision, the despondence that the sangat was in, at once disappeared. Giani Bhajan Singh: What was the total number of sangat? Bibi Harnaam Kaur: It must have been about 300. Giani Bhajan Singh: Then what happened? Bibi Harnaam Kaur: When the train arrived, all the sangat sat on the railway tracks with their legs crossed and started doing paath. Some men sat by the signal. Giani Bhajan Singh: Did anyone flee after seeing the train arriving? Bibi Harnaam Kaur: There was no question of fleeing. Everyone had decided unanimously. At that time, those present there did not have any fear of death. Motivating lectures and motivated everyone to die for this noble cause. Giani Bhajan Singh: Then what happened: Bibi Harnaam Kaur: The train arrived, it whistled but no one got up. At the front of everyone, my shaheed husband Sardar Partaap Singh jee was sitting. Along his side was Sardaar Karam Singh. The train hit my husband and crushed him and Sardar Karam Singh. Many were thrown off the track by the bumper of the train. My husband and Sardaar Karam Singh got shaheed there and six others who had been crushed under the train did not die but had their legs and arms severed. I too suffered massive wounds and stayed in the hospital for many months. Giani Bhajan Singh: Did Sardar Partaap Singh get shaheed right at the spot, or later? Please tell me everything. Bibi Harnaam Kaur: Shaheedi did not occur right on the spot. When the train stopped, people rushed to see the singhs crushed under the train. My shaheed husband, who was very seriously injured at that time said: "First go and serve langar to the gursikhs prisoners, then come for our care. If you take us out of from under the train, the driver would take the trainaway and we will not be able to serve langar to our brothers". After serving langar to the prisoners, then my husband was taken out. Bhai Karam Singh left his body within few hours but my husband gave his life at amritvela, next day. Giani Bhajan Singh: Please tell us something about the time between he got crushed under the train and till he died the next day. Bibi Harnaam Kaur: When I tried to go near him, after he got severely injured, he said, "If you are my wife, then don't come to me crying, rather be happy because I have passed my test of Gursikhee". His jaw was severely injured and had been ripped apart from one side. His forehead had a very severe and deep cut. He himself kept thanking Vaheguru that he was able to fulfill his vow of serving langar to Gursikh brothers. Giani Bhajan Singh: Please tell me some incident of his life. How old was he? Bibi Harnaam Kaur: At the time of shaheedi his age was about 24 or 25. We had been married for about 4 years. He was serving in the military back then but had to leave job for wearing Black turban. We came to Rawalpindi (a city near Punja Sahib, Pakistan) and started living there. He was in the forefront when the jatha went to free the Punja Sahib Gurdwara Sahib. After relinquishing Mahant control from the Gurdwara Sahib, my husband was appointed the first Manager Secretary of the Gurdwara Sahib. He kept working without any pay or salary. At that time, we got by, by selling our possessions. We did not have any money with us but my husband did not care about these things. When he attained martyrdom, at that time too he was working in the management. Before shaheedi, we had a son who died when he was 2 years old. At his death, my husband gave proof of obeying will of Vaheguru by accepting the will of Vaheguru. He did not cry at all and not only that but he called a band group and played the band in the front of the procession as my son's dead body was taken for cremation. I gave birth to our second child, few months after the shaheedi of my husband. That child is our only daughter - Joginder Kaur (She was standing by us). A GREAT MIRACLE Giani Bhajan Singh: Can you mention any other significant incident related to this great Saaka (incident) of Punja Sahib? Bibi Harnaam Kaur: The driver of the train was an Araayeen Muslim from Gujrat city of Pakistan. I don't remember his name. The government had filed a case against him and he was investigated by a retired judge as to why he stopped the train despite orders not to do so. That driver gave a statement in front of that tribunal and this statement is of great historical significance. His statement was as follows: "I had been given orders to not stop the train at any cost. As per the orders, I did not stop the train and it was moving at full speed. When the train hit shaheed Partaap Singh, I felt as if it had hit a huge mountain. I fell down and my hand got lifted from the speeder and the train stopped. After investigating the engine, it was found that the brake had not been applied. I felt that some unseen, hidden power (Vaheguru) stopped the train". This driver was subsequently fired from his position. His statement proves that Satguru jee himself stopped the train. Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa! Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Free wIll is an illusion. Hukam andar Sabh Ko , Baar Hukam Na Koi.

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa! Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!! I was just browsing my old web folder and found some files that I had converted a few years back. I once downloaded a powerpoint presentation about the Lotus Flower. Like probably half of us have gone through, my computer starting acting up and when i sent it in for repair they formatted my hardrive. Turns out that i had converted the powerpoint presentation to html and uploaded it to a server. I only did this because I had a friend who didn't have powerpoint and wanted to see it. Anyway, years later I'm glad that I converted it over because I'm having an extremly difficult time finding the original powerpoint file that i had downloaded. Anyway, i've converted the files to text so that I can share it and hope that hopefully somebody might have that lotus.ppt file saved on there hardrives. I know the original message was sent to an yahoo! egroup but I've checked all the ones i'm subscribed to and couldn't find anything, the search feature for the yahoo groups is kinda lame or maybe I just don't know how to use it properly. Sorry for the lengthy explanation, I hope you all will enjoy the following text from the presentation, and I hope even more that you will get to enjoy the actual powerpoint presentation in the near future. Amardeep Singh Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa! Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!! I left the text how it appears in the presentation, hoping that maybe someone knows some super search technique and can find me the ppt file ]»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««« The Lotus Flower By Tajinder Kaur Rai WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh In case you haven’t already guessed this is an image of a Lotus flower. Otherwise known as “Nelumbo Nuclear” or the Sacred white Lotus. Famous for it’s unique quality, that although it grows in such muddy water, it maintains it’s enchanting beauty Revered by Hindus’ and Buddhists’ alike, You’re probably thinking, what has this got to do with Sikhi? Well before I continue, I’ll just let Guru ji say a few words: || MARU, FIRST MEHL: In the pure, immaculate waters, both the lotus and the slimy scum are found. The lotus flower is with the scum and the water, but it remains untouched by any pollution. || 1 || You frog, you will never understand. You eat the dirt, while you dwell in the immaculate waters. You know nothing of the ambrosial nectar there. || 1 || Pause || You dwell continually in the water; the bumble bee does not dwell there, but it is intoxicated with its fragrance from afar. Intuitively sensing the moon in the distance, the lotus bows its head. || 2 || Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (page 990) So what is Guru ji saying? This flower exists alongside the mud, all the rubbish, yet it remains untouched by the pollution. Its beauty is not effected by its surroundings. Therefore in the context of Sikhi, Guru ji is making a statement, that where there is good, there is also bad. Moreover, as Sikhs we are being told that it is possible to live as a Sikh, in the age that we are living in. Where not everything is pure, but it needn’t effect you. If you are living a life of truth and love then everything around you could be mud, but you’ll keep glowing. So when you think about it, the Guru is talking direc tly to you, every Sikh is a Lotus flower. When someone looks at a Sikh, they should be able to see their inner beauty radiating. The Lotus flower is born in the water and also grown in it, then it rises beyond the water and remains unsoiled by it. Similarly as a Sikh you are brought up in todays Society, but instead of running away from it, to meditate elsewhere, you live within it. Therefore the metaphor is simple, instead of letting society bring you down, a true Sikh rises above everything. It is so true, a real Sikh always stands out, Its not simply their physical image but you feel their whole aura. || 3 || O Musan, the Light of the Lord's Love has spread across the sky; I cling to my Lord, like the bumblebee caught in the lotus flower. || 4 || Chanting and intense meditation, austere self-discipline, pleasure and peace, honour, greatness and pride - O Musan, I would dedicate and sacrifice all these for a moment of my Lord's Love. || 5 || O Musan, the world does not understand the Mystery of the Lord; it is dying and being plundered. It is not pierced through by the Love of the Beloved Lord; it is entangled in false pursuits. || 6 || When someone's home and property are burnt, because of his attachment to them, he suffers in the sorrow of separation. O Musan, when mortals forget the Merciful Lord God, then they are truly plundered. || 7 || Whoever enjoys the taste of the Lord's Love, remembers His Lotus Feet in his mind. O Nanak, the lovers of God do not go anywhere else. || 8 || Climbing thousands of steep hillsides, the fickle mind becomes miserable. Look at the humble, lowly mud, O Jamaal: the beautiful lotus grows in it. || 9 || Even today scientists are baffled by this flower, with all the modern technology we have today, they still haven’t figured out the secret behind the Lotus flower. Similarly it is amazing to see a Gursikh who has risen above their ego, nobody can quite work out how they do it. Most people get caught up in their own pride, very few truly live up to the Gurus standards. But those who do, truly stand out like the Lotus flower. And like the bubble bee goes to the Lotus flower, people try to keep company with that Gursikh. On another level Guru ji is comparing the mud, to that of the humility that is required to be a Sikh. This also represents how God doesn’t judge us on social status, caste, race etc. As long as you have love for the Guru, these temporary things do not matter. Furthermore, it represents how the Gursikh clings to the Guru, as does the bubble bee go to the Lotus. It really is a unique creation, most flowers dwell in the mud and die without water, The Lotus never loses its connection with its water, from which it was born. As does a Sikh never lose that connection with Guru ji, from whom they originally came from. I hope that I have not offended anyone in this attempt to illustrate what is in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. If I have I am truly sorry. For I realise my knowledge of Sikhi is probably very limited compared to most. However I do believe that it’s not merely about knowledge. Anyone and everyone can learn something from Guru ji. It was just by chance that I looked at these pages and contemplated on the Guru’s ideas. It always amazes me, how wise beyond their time the Gurus were. Today in the year 2002, scientists are still trying to work out the logic behind this flower, but the Gurus were talking about it, hundreds of years ago. It just goes to show how modern, Sikh philosophy really is. However, what this emphasises the most is that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is not simply a book, It’s a Masterpiece There is no end to its wonder, every time we read it we merely scratch the surface Just take a moment to reflect on the Gurus words WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa WaheGuru J i Ki Fateh

Guru Gobind Singh Ji writes, " I am an idol breaker" in Zafarnama. There are contemporary paintings of Darbar Sahib from the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and there are no idols. As Bijla Singh has written, they were installed later on, by the British appointed mahants. Before this time, the Gurudwara was in control of the Nihangs - do you really see them allowing idols? Har in Gurbani does not refer to the devta of the same name, but to Waheguru. I wait for the day that someone will repeat the bs from the hindusikh website to my face, but I fear it won't come, because the people who come up with type of rubbish are all cowards, just like their forefathers.

glad you liked it would be much nicer to see the powerpoint presentation though ANYONE have it, search your hardrives for .ppt or .pss PLEEEEASE

very good post. definately worth the time taken to read it.