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Bhai Nirmalbir Singh is a senior singh within the AKJ India, that still serves within SGPC till today. This is his account of 1984 attack as an SGPC employee : heart touching to say the least..sigh courtesy: SOPW

"Life is the most difficult Exam. Many people fail because they try to copy others, not realising that everyone has a different question paper"

For the record I didn't read individual posts so this isn't even directed at anyone, just my alarm that lets me know complaining is going on without anyone actually approaching Jagraj Singh. Baba mentality is me calling you out for complaining on the internet and not confronting people to their face. That's a show of cowardice. lol You don't even know my stance on pakhandi babay. Since when is Bhai Jagraj Singh a baba? He is a normal human and Sikh like you and myself, but if you look for auguns in him (yeah you'll find them like every human) I guarantee there are 10 more in yourself that you won't publicly tell the sangat Complaints are legitimate, but as Jonny101 said on the second page there needs to be a diplomatic and intelligent take when you're in the limelight as Jagraj Singh is. Pretty sure he's available on Facebook, but I don't talk to him or know him but I do appreciate his videos. Brought a lot of awareness.

Yes it does. This is why the Nihang Singhs in the Dal Panth only eat food that they prepare themselves, even the vegetables are planted and harvested by them. Each person carries an aura about them, and from the scale of Satogun to Tamogun, someone who is preparing outside food may be more inclined towards Tamogun which can affect spiritual growth.

cleaning bateh with sand is fine but immersing them in 70 percent vinegar and 30 water for a couple of hours is also a good cleaner. Rehat wise its all a learning curve. You should struggle to keep to a bibek diet, but it shouldnt be a cause of strife in your family. If you have to eat somewhere else its not the end of the world. Just keep on working hard to improve your gursikh jeevani. Personally Gurdwara langar is very often the worst place to eat....bibiya doing chugliya whilst preparing the food. Bhog is just an empty ritual now. learn as much cooking yourself. If possible get an oven in the garage or somet where you can do your own thing.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Not sure if this has been posted before, however we came across this great initiative - http://www.1984livinghistory.org/ At the moment there are about 11 videos available to view.

VERY POWERFUL KAVITA http://youtu.be/535kDiOKIYM REMEMBERING THE JUNE 1984 HOLOCAUST THIS IS A VERY POWERFUL KAVITA WRITTEN AND SUNG BY JAGOWALE. IT DEPICTS THE EVENTS ON JUNE 4TH 1984 WHEN AT 04.40AM THE INDIAN ARMY STARTED THE ATTACK ON SRI AKAAL TAKHT SAHIB WHILST THE SINGHS AND CONGREGATION WERE RECITING SRI ASA DI VAAR, A FULL SCALE ATTACK WAS UNDERWAY. LISTEN TO THE HEROIC AND COURAGEOUS ACTS THE SINGHS HAD DONE TO DEFEND OUR HOLIEST SHRINES. KHALISTAN JINDABAD NEVER FORGET 84 SANT JARNAIL SINGH JI KHALSA BHINDRANWALE JINDABAD

The BBC have finally made a feature on the horrific number of dissapearances in Punjab. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-27585500

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh We have recently released a collection of 71 speeches by Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, You can access them here - http://www.discoversikhism.com/sikh_media/speeches_of_baba_jarnail_singh_bhindranwale.html (no need to download, just click and play) How Punjab's missing thousands are being forgotten Thirty years on from the Indian army's raid on the Golden Temple in June 1984, the relatives of those who were "disappeared" in the years after the attack feel their cause has been abandoned, reports the BBC's Jastinder Khera from Amritsar. Satwant Singh Manak says he saw 15 people killed by his colleagues when he was serving in the Punjab police - but it was the last that cemented his sense of betrayal, and led him to turn his back on the force. Kulwant Singh Kanta was a teenager who was detained by the police in April 1992 after a neighbour accused him of having joined a militant group. "They tortured him for three days. Then they took him to a canal and killed him along with another detainee," Mr Manak recalls. "They threw his body in the canal."... read more -http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-27585500

Ask them if their body is nirgun, sargun or both ? ask if they have a mind and where is it located ? Better still, ask how can the uttering of nirgun bismallah whilst cutting a chicken's head, make it halal and purified. Is their purification action completely sirgun, nirgun or Both ? Most muslims refuse to listen, so you are better off questioning their actions.

Can't believe how superficial this guy T Sher Singh is. He is a master of manipulation which he skillfully utilizes towards this article. He knows which buttons to push in order to get the right reactions from his readers. For example, the way he appeals to the sex/kaam within the young males by saying how Singhs in Bana turn off Sikh women who as a result marry non Sikhs! and notice in the comments section he got the desired results with many gullible males agreeing that yes this must be the reason for the promiscuous behavior of some Sikh women while also shamelessly doing Makhaul/Mazaak of the Bana. Then he also tries to compare Singhs in Bana to the Taliban in terms of looks. T Sher Singh is no doubt a good writer, but the man should have a little bit of sharam before writing something about the Bana. Tomorrow people like him will even object as to why Sikhs have to sit on the ground in a Gurdrara instead of a chair and will no doubt try to say sitting on the ground doesn't look sexually appealing enough. Such people when they come to the west become so westernized that they try to out do the Angrez in being western, then they pass on their newly adopted western values to their daughters who end up marrying non-Sikhs and then blame their frustration on Sikhs who try to follow the old religious traditions. BTW, I don't wear Bana myself, but the last thing I would do is criticize Guru's Bana, rehit.

Can parallel to the struggle we have that we have gone through so many lives and finally are blessed with this life and ability to merge back into Vaheguru. Hopefully that isn't any of us forsaking this opportunity and then regretting it in our next lives. Vaheguru

If you have a problem with it then approach him instead of hiding behind a computer/keyboard or give up your studies and profession to make your own YouTube channel.

Nailed it! Thats exactly whats going on here. Veer Jugraj Singh doing great seva and becoming well known even in non-Sikh circles yet he is made to be in a position that someone else has a problem with. Why stop at only him then? why only him Barinder? I beg of you to go and ask all other Gursikhs who are in the media and put a response on here: Ask Navreet Singh Ask Harinder Singh Naviar Khalsa Jatha Ask Dr Sukhpreet Singh Udhoke Ask Gurmej Singh Gill Ask Joga Singh Ask Amrik Singh Federation Ask Ravi from Khalsa Aid Ask Balbir Singh Bains SOPW So on and so fourth All the Singhs and organsations in the lime light and may need sangats support ask them all and do the same, make a dedicated thread for each of them for the stand on your question. What seriously is the point of this, you could have just asked him personally for his opinion. We all have opinions. If you think that peoples opnion on 3HO is so so important then go around and ask all the people and all the organisations menioned and do that same to them too then. Many thanks.

In June 1984, besides Darbar Sahib Amritsar (Golden Temple), the Indian Army attacked more than 30 other Sikh gurdware. So called , the Operation Blue Star was not confined to attacking Golden Temple only, there were more than 30 other historic Sikh religious places throughout Punjab that were attacked by the army. (Sant Bhinderanwale was not in them). The following article Published in Punjabi Language newspaper ‘The Pehredar’ on June 3, 2014 describes the attack at the Gurdwara Dukhniwaran, Patiala. Source: http://216.15.199.42/dailypehredar/epaperimages/362014/362014-md-hr-4/232558156.JPG

I don't think he is supportive of some of 3ho practices. He doesn't say it directly, but I remember hearing him indirectly mentioning it in one of his videos or maybe it was a comment he wrote, I forget which. He probably will not answer the question you have posted because if he condemns them, he will look very narrow minded and that will be detrimental for the overall parchar work he is doing of Sikhi to reach out to the wider audience. IMHO Some topics are left better untouched until we are in a stronger position. Right now, we should just focus all our efforts on Parchar while encouraging other Sikhs who practice manmat to start following authentic Sikhi. All religious and political wrongs will be undone once our people become more religiously observant because a religious Sikh nation is a strong Sikh nation, the less religious we are the weaker we become. During the Singh Sabha movement, the Sikh parcharaks made it a point to not condemn any religion or even start anything political. But once Sikhs were stronger demographically and overall more religiously observant, then Sikhs felt they were in a stronger position to act more bold and then we see Sikhs openly opposing the British in Ghadhar movement, Gurdwara reform movement, Babbar Akali movement while also challenging the pujaris and mahants who were in control of our Gurdwaras. Right now our position is not good. We are a nationless nation, with no international support, most of our youth have become Patit both in India and abroad. To fix this, we need to make Parchar our top priority. Another thing is, 3ho are small and have little no effect on Punjabi Sikh society because their movement is mostly geared towards Goras. We have bigger problems than them like the Kala Afghana Chelas, missionaries who are trying to turn Sikhs into atheists and on the opposite side of the spectrum we have to also deal with Sanatan Sikhs who are hell bent on trying to Hinduize Sikhi. And these two manmat groups are confusing the hell out of Sikhs instead of showing the clarity of the simple message of the Gurus.

sri Waheguru ji ka Khalsa sri Waheguru ji ki fateh I recently came upon a da'wah-to-sikhs website which i found to be quit anti-gurmat (obviously). The nirgun-sargun concept of God has been tremendously attacked by them stating that it is contradictory, paradoxical and irrational. There main point of argument is that God can't be nirgun and sargun simulteneously as it is a contradiction to a basic law of classical logic i.e. law of non-contradiction. I too am confused over it. Can you please tell me how can we explain the concept of nirgun-sargun to them (that they don't want to understand is a different thing) but for my personel spiritual growth can you please explain it to me how the nirgun-sargun concept works

He is anything but an honest journalist. A confirmed liar

check out this http://eatbibek.com/Main_Page

Mark Tully was supposed to be serving Britain (i.e. serving us) in India, and it was us (the British taxpayer) that was paying him his wages through the licence fee to bring us the truth. Instead, he served India. India was so grateful they gave him India's highest honour for 'Services to India'. Says all you need to know about Mark Tully.

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/sikhism_and_tantric_yoga.pdf - some information on the 3HO crowd. Let's take it from this perspective: If the Kana Tesiyan incident occurred where people were dancing in the presence of Gurbani was condemned, why not this (yes, Guru Sahib's saroop is not present, but Gurbani is being playes and danced to)? What makes the 3HO crowd the sacred cow when if any Punjabi group does it, we would be out for blood, but since it is 3HO, well, you know, they don't know any better? Why do we keep insisting that they are naive and don't know any better when they have been around since the 70s (listed as the origins of Sikh Dharma). Its not like the Western Sikhs don't know about Sikhs - it has been decades. They run one of the biggest websites related to Sikhi - Sikhnet. They should be fully aware of what Sikhi is at this point and have had ample time to get out of their New Mexico location and mix with the Sikh body at large (and from all stories presented on Sikhnet - they do). Sorry to say, but there are non Punjabi Sikhs who did not come from the 3HO/Yoga crew who integrated into the Sikhs at large just fine without doing Bhangra and yoga. Many of them have a severe dislike because of the corrupt message sent out by 3HO. The "oooh...look at the white clothing and the large Dastaar" awe-gawking has to stop and they needed to be held to the same standards of the Panth. I have gone to the LA Gurughar of the Sikh Dharma - it was an interesting experience, where a Western Sikh Bibi told me that I should not say "Karah Parshad" in Ardaas because "Sri Singh Sahib" said a Karah was a bowl in which animal sacrifices are done and I should call it Guruprasad (or some similar variation)- so the entire Panth is wrong and Yogi Bhajan was a BrahmGyani??? Whatever "Sri Singh Sahib" said is gold and what the Panth does is stupid - this seems to be a root cause of the problem. The SikhiWiki website (run by Sikhnet) still has an article that attempts to validate that dancing is completely acceptable in Sikhi. When I edited the article, it was immediately taken down and when challenged by Gurbani, there was basically no substantial response provided. You can read here: http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.php?/topic/35829-guru-sahib-is-telling-us-to-do-bhangra/ It's not ignorance - its arrogance and a disdain for their Punjabi Sikh brethren that is driving this behavior. It needs to stop and they need to openly either be a part of the Panth or declare themselves separate. And we need to stop making excuses for them. The people dancing, I don't blame - the 3HO organizers are fully responsible.

Listen to this wise soul!

Very profound thought provoking message by sant mani singh ji uk http://www.akalbungasahib.com/babaji.html When asked about God at Orange County, California, sympathetically he replied, “You can’t say its reality. You certainly can’t say it’s a fiction because something exists. That something needs to be experimented. Nothing can be said about God. You can study about God but nothing has been known because all you know is from the outside, what we would call external. Until you enter from within, the internal can’t be known. By studying about God, you will miss the whole concept and the consequence to that is that you are left with knowledge only. To know is to enter the kingdom, to become one with eternity. Knowledge is from the outside and has nothing what so ever to do with God. Because God is happening.” “Nothing is hidden from God because God is the inside of everything. The inside knows all. You can hide something from others, but you can’t hide it from yourself. And it is there that God is hidden.” He went on to say “Why have we invented so many names for God? There must be a certain reason, because God cannot be named, a name can easily be changed, but God remains the same. So why has God been addressed? Because there are moments when you would like to scream out your inner feelings to God in sheer joy. Some name is needed. Muslim Sufis invented ninety-nine names of God that are so beautiful, but why not a hundred? Ninety-nine looks a bit incomplete. There is a certain reason the hundredth name is kept silent and that is the true name of God, which of course can’t be uttered. That is why Guru Nanak said ‘Satnam’. Your name is thee truth. But in reality you can’t utter it because it will lose its’ beauty. It remains un-uttered at the deepest core of the heart. What is God’s true name? Nobody knows that all the names are man’s creation. The true name of God is the existence that surrounds you.” How can one call Him by all His names? The wise give him names according to His manifestations – Jap Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji He goes on saying. “those kind (the irreligious) of people haven’t known anything of spiritual experience. They’ve never felt any presence of God. The only way to receive God is to drop all your searching and seeking. The real question is recognition, not search, and the only way to know God is to live God.”

Below info is just for understanding purposes, meant to be experienced spontaneously in meditation while contemplating mool mantar, japji, jaap, Asa di //, sukhmani sahib along with 21st astphadi, especially sri akaal ustat not meant to be turned into another conceptual description, biggest problem is we try to see or understand things conceptually or its abstract separate form -separate from us-creation hence why we cannot relate to it in expereince . If this muslim veer sat for meditation for just couple of minutes without any pre-conditioning, pre-conceived notions or without all his conceptual knowledge just sitting in pure humble, innocent form as a new born would meditate on name of allah, he wouldn't have required to be convinced, this would have automatically reveal itself unfold itself to him eventually to the point its self-authentic, self convincing within meditation. -- One (ik) Vahiguroo is infinitely expressing itself/experiencing itself sponteounsly effortlessly in (ie immanent, pervading) via creation sargun/universe. It expressing expereincing itself in sargun actively (creating, preserving, destructing) very much infused in sargun (ie as back drop pure witnesss awareness of all), its fully engaged in everything and awake yet its pure thoughtless (afor-sun smadhi) awareness and de-attached (nirlaip-free cannot be confined to) from sargun. ----

He mentions William Stead who penned the book ''letters from julia'' back in early 1900's. I read this book some time ago, and it was amazingly accurate in describing the afterlife for as far as we can understand. Sant ji mentions that 5 minutes meditation is all that is suggested to help us move further in the spiritual world after death. This 5 minutes is what Julia advised whilst speaking from the other side. Just share some info........- Anyway, this William Stead, famous author was one of the people that died on the famous Titanic, that sank on it's maiden voyage from UK to US. I'm not sure if you guys have seen the blockbuster Titanic movie,.. but near the end there is a scene where it shows everyone trying to run for their lives on the sinking ship. But there were a small handful of people that stayed calm and accepted the hukam of drowning in cold sea and knew they would not be saved.......... Wiiliam Stead was one of these calm folks......... Witness accounts say that they remembered Mr Stead dining and talking so much about God and spirituality with his table guests. They noticed that he had a lot of faith and confidence as a book author compared to a preacher..... The last few accounts said they saw him sitting calmly in a seat with water rising up from ankles, and tightly holding a bible to his chest. Whilst clutching the bible, he was meditating and trying to accumulate as much wealth of naam during those final moments ! He accepted God's call and hukam very calmly and knew that he should be meditating/jap instead of panicking and running around like the majority. BTW.. christians also have a few mantras for meditation/simran and I know that ''maranatha'' is one as well as the Jesus prayer..''lord jesus christ, have mercy on me'' --which they synchronize with breath.

ITs simple Barinder Ji go and ask Jagraj pahji. What other Singhs on here have said is plain and simple. Itw as posted on here without trying every opportunity to get a DIRECT answer directly from source. It would have been fair game had Basics of Sikhi replied to you and youTHEN SHARED the reply with a post...but no keyboard warriors strike again. Im sorry im a total murak and can't think of a better more constructive way to tell you without causing offence and I apologise but it is pretty simple...you have a problem go to the source and try and sort it out as any Gursikh should do with HUMILITY...if the reply is not gurmat and are causing you a problem then let sangat know citing what in the response you were unsure of or what is Beadbi etc. The baba argument is, I'm sorry, nothing to do with this ...its about common decency...give a whole picture of account not just that you were unhappy. You could always make the Akal Takht aware of your concerns/opinions.

Please, let us not bring in Maharaj, in our own shorcomings. If darkness is there, just lit the Light. But do not blame the Light. Light is always there, we just have to allow it come, and then see how darkness flees from far.... He is meharvan, He is Dayalu, why is He going to deliberately trouble us, play with our feelings, or test us? We must keep one thing in mind, if He ever starts testing us, then for sure, we shall have no place to get relief. All of our lives, is based on our very own karmas. Does not the Bani say, "aapeh beejay, aapey khaae"? Then why to blame always our beloved Wahiguru Jee, for our misfortunes or miseries? Why? We are so weak, such moorakhs, that we doubt Him, and easily blame Him, when all the fault is ours only, shame on us. But, if we are ever messed up with the web of our own karmas, there is a solution for it always, just meditate on Him, do His bhajan bandaghee. This is the panacea for all miseries according to Gurmat: Sarab Rog ka aukhad Nam. Sat Sree Akal.

The Widow Colony - Official Trailer The Widow Colony is a film that takes an in-depth look into the lives of the widows of the Sikh men who were killed in the anti-Sikh massacre of November, 1984. The film, directed by Harpreet Kaur, explores the suffering of these women, their battle for justice and their struggle for survival in India. The film is provocative and scintillating in its effect but, what it achieves in doing most effectively is conveying the trauma that still haunts the lives of these widows. There is no denying that in all these years of analysis and discussion that has surrounded this issue, we have forgotten about the survivors and their need for rehabilitation. While the world has moved on marking the massacre as a chapter in history, these widows remain trapped in 1984. They have been in mourning for 30 years and will only be able to move forward when they see the perpetrators of their crimes punished. The widows express serious doubt in India's judicial system based on the fact that over 4,000 Sikhs were killed in the capital city alone and 11 investigations later the Government has still not been able to deliver justice.

3ho Sikhs have done huge amount to raise awareness of the Sikh faith in the western world. If Sikhs from an Indian back ground don’t agree with them. Well, it’s tough. I have previously posted my opinions on the subject before and these opinions have not changed. The 3ho Sikhs have donated huge amount in Amritsar, for the grace of God they have even taken the influences of the Sikh dharma to South America. Outlook of 3ho Sikhs on this forum is portrayed in such a negative light, do they really give any thought to, what other main stream Sikhs think of them? No. They will continue in their ways because that’s who these people are. If main stream Sikhs from an Indian origin don’t agree, they will establish their own sect and carry on. We have seen this in India and we will also see this around the world. Sikhs dharma does not belong to people of Indian origin. Sikh dharma does not belong to SGPC, Akaal Thakat or any other religious body. If you want abide by Sikh dharma by following these bodies then this is your choice. Don't think everyone will follow in the same direction.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26815298 I recall a documentary shown on CH4 12 years ago where a Sadhu was challenged to perform a miracle in front of a large crowd in India. His task was to revive a dog after feeding it poison. After much chanting and swaying the animal inevitably died. In another case one guy showed how he could make gold appear in his hand in an instance. When the reporters asked if he could perform the trick when his hands were taped with plastic bags he actually agreed. No surprises, the clear bags remained empty! The crowd surprisingly and to my amusement looked dumbstruck!! Many fake babey in India employ the same tricks to attract simpletons into the fold and news of these miracles spreads like wild fire. Many amritdharis even fall for this nonsense.

First the pretext was removal of sant bhindranwale from darbar sahib, then the pretext was pakistan is going to invade so that is why 100,000 troops were needed to be in punjab to fend of invasion by pakistan, then the pretext was dealing with anti-national terrorists. The real reason they needed 100,000 troops in punjab was to kill the Sikhs once they had rebelled against the desecration of sri harmandir sahib. The Indian army were told to do what they were told to do they had no choice each time their generals were given a false picture by the Indian terrorist intelligence agency (RAW) what their targets and mission was but the real target was depopulation of Sikhs in punjab because numbers = votes and if you can kill of the Sikhs legally by making them take up arms then their demographics will decrease their voice will decrease and their demands for equal rights and autonomy will be crushed and that is exactly what happened. Our leaders failed to see the game plan they rushed into war, taking up arms and martyrdom without military analysis of the game-play and situation. They failed to analyse how Indian brahminwad govt was conversing with other governments to paint Sikhs in a negative light so they would not have international action taken against them for the genocide that occurred against our kaum in 80s/90s. The us department of defence estimated around 125,000+ Sikhs in punjab were murdered by the Indian govt in just the early 1990s. 125,000 of our Sikh brothers and sisters who all had lives to lead, had families, had ambitions for a good long life. All wiped out by the terrorist brahminwad indian establishment and no government in the world came to our aid because the truth and true picture was not allowed to be shown.

sangat ji, , daas Jagraj Singh, this was brought to my attention just now... I've had to stay up to read it. Pls do not assume that if you put up a post on SS that we will pick it up asap. WRT to ask.fm, yes we have two other sevadaars from Birmingham that answer the qs, and I add to them. My wife does not participate in this. WRT to Yogi Bhajan, no one from BasicsofSikhi will be doing his Nindiya. We are dogs and paapi moorakhs ourselves, and no one to judge anyone. I have studied the 3HO organisation at close detail, met many of them and overall I find that they are not a bad influence. They fit into the pauri of "Dharmi log" of Japji Sahib, "Asank Jap, Asank Bhaao, asank Puja, Asank Tap Tao". They are trying to be spiritual and therefore do not become our enemies under the rules of Adharm, "asank gal vadd hatiaa kamaahe". They themselves do understand what is Yoga and what is SIkhi? Now I agree that they dont understand Bani that well and fair enough they often dont give bani satkaar and for that my personal conclusion is to blame myself. If the Khalsa (of which I am part) dont educate people about the Shabad, (which we worship) then only the Khalsa is to blame. Maharaaj kirpa kare, that this worm can spend the rest of his life speaking the praise of Gurbani and in this way, help to pass on the Gurus wisdom to all those who wish to listen.

course you do the ardas mate.......... It aint nuthing about how mighty god knows anyway. course he knows what we need and what strengths we may r i doequire.. what's the point of ardas then if he knows anyway...?.>>>>seems to be question on minds. Let me tell you from the little but that i know>>> We are his slaves>>his servants>>> so should we be cocky and play the silent treatment game that ladies play???? NO, when i do ardas i surrender myself and open up to and admit my own faults. Believe me we all have them,>if u think u aint got none, then you just fooling yourself. I'm a krodh and ego pumped fool that is always ready to smack the wrong one. but when i bow and do ardas> i immdeiately become super duper humble. .. i drop my ego for that moment of slave like humiltiy..... WHY do i do that then ??>>>>>cuz if i don't, then i will just carry on digging my own holes everywhere cuz i would be too much drowned in my own ego and world. my suggestion... just do the ardas and even beg...>>> beg for strength to help you fight your own 5 thieves.

here is beautiful katha by Babaji.....awesm......must listen dis one..... you can fine more on youtube

wanted to bring these before the sangat again:

This is a historic Gurdwara built to commemorate the Shaheeds in the battle between 6th Guru, Guru HarGobind Sahib and Painde Khan. There is a new Gurdwara building being built, as the old one is very small. At this site the Shaheeds of this battle were cremated. This jyot marks the spot of the chikha of the Shaheeds and the tree is from Guru Ji's times: langar khana Darbar Sahib of Gurdwara: new building under construction;

VJKK VJKF Yes totally agree. The elders need to step off stage and allow the youth to speak. Also think the general public should be engaged somehow.

Love this thread! Very refreshing attitude! Thank you Bhaji!

Did you know there are many Sikh artefacts being sold in the UK on auctions and such, why not see if your Gurdwara might be interested in buying some items to make a historical exhibition?

A Sikh professor has been attacked and injured by a gang in New York, USA. His repsonse? An invitation to the youths to come to the Gurdwara and see what Sikhs really are. What an excellent idea! Why not be proactive? invite the local schools in your area, to visit your local gurdwara and tell them what Sikhs are.

Do you do Kirtan? Why not develop your knowledge of a single raag and become a master of that raag? There are many simple raags, bhairo, bilawal, ect and more complex ones, ramkali, gujri. You will have the comfort of knowing that at least you can perform kirtan in a raag, and help to infuse life into a dying tradition in the panth.

There is a topic trending of the beadbi of Saroops in London. This is a serious topic that needs to be addressed in the wider sangat. Who can take on this sewa ? 1. To inform general sangat about what Guru Granth Sahib is. 2. How Guru Granth Sahib is to be kept. 3.If Saroop gets birdh or ang gets damaged, what and where can we get it repaired. 4.Agan Bhet of Guru Granth Sahib should only be a last resort. 5. Gurdwaras and Individuals with Guru Granth Sahib, should be requested to make checks on their saroops, to check any deterioration before it escalates more. Better still, check them yourselves. 6. Gurdwaras need to get a balance between the saroops they hold and the frequency of functions held. 7. Find out what the Gurdwara does with birdh saroops. Another thing that occurred to me, is that money men are making cash dollars selling the saroops, they must be making cash dollars in doing the agan bhet of them as well. Who can take on this sewa in their local area? If you do, please share any finding you have.

On SIkh Channel breakfast show, there was a young girl, who has made a documentary on the Gurdwara in Jaggannath, in Orissa, and the condition of it. Highlighting of our precious heritage all over India, Pakistan, and the UK is a brilliant sewa. Are you able to do something similiar? Or wish to volunteer with existing groups in the field? edit: And Afghanistan. There is a great Sikh historical connection with Afghanistan, that is disappearing not only from the land, but our hearts and minds.

If someone does any kind of historical preservation despite not doing bhagti, the external and superficial fal will still be the same. Of course the internal fal may not be the same, but that's a different subject. With that said, of course you're supposed to do Bhagti and simran 24/7, but you can't pick and choose or kirat karna and vand chakna. A good example of this is Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale - he does great bani and Sikhi parchaar but he doesn't have kirat kamaiyee nor does he have vand chakna. In the end you can't pick and choose when you're a Sikh - it's the whole package. To take up the tasks that chatanga paji mentioned, all you need is that internal sharda to want to help the panth - everything else after that depends on the avastha of the person. The mentality you mentioned is quite dangerous. This may not sit well with most Punjabis, but I feel like as a collective whole we make more excuses to not do something and use bhagti and naam simran as an excuse to be lazy. "Oh ki layna ah karke - mann khraab hunda. Bas baani pardi challo saara kuj set hojana". That's what a lot of pakhandi babay (who I will argue are indian govnt sympathizers) in Punjab say so the Khalsa Panth remains asleep and doesn't go out and act. Bani and Simran is a minimum every Sikh should have, but it's not the limit. A lot of times doing sewa turns into bhagti, especially when done with Kirpa of Guru Sahib/Ardas done from bottom of the heart. Like Sant Singh Ji Maskeen has said we've lost a lot, never gained much mainly because of this kind of thinking. The reason I'm saying this is because we're in a very critical stage in history right now and will be facing a lot of attacks on our ithihaas from many sides - including internal. Our goal right now should be to become GurSikhs AND it's very, very important to support any kind of sewa someone can do for the panth. An example of this can be an environmental task, maybe someone isn't really a practicing Sikh, but they love the environment. Trees they plant in Punjab or any sort of environmental work they do will still be the same as if someone with a high avasta did the same thing. Hope you get what I'm saying with this.

Darbar Sahib Entrance

mad :biggrin2:

How lucky are we to receive prashaadh from shree guroo granth saahib jee mahaaraaj!