birkhalsa

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! Good news is on the way, all our prayers will be answered soon!!

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! Vir Singh, You wanted to post the story and you have done it. No need to drag the issue further. We all will read t and draw our conclusions. Meanwhile, you move on to better things and leave this topic at rest.

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! Since Vir Singh claims to quote the story from the official biography, his claims should be verified and if found to be true, he must be allowed to post. Lately, the moderators are getting hyper-sensitive. They too need to make ammends

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! <> siqgur pRswid ] (366-1) ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad. One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: rwgu Awsw Gru 2 mhlw 4 ] (366-1) raag aasaa ghar 2 mehlaa 4. Raag Aasaa, Second House, Fourth Mehl: iks hI DVw kIAw imqR suq nwil BweI ] (366-1, Awsw, mÚ 4) kis hee Dharhaa kee-aa mitar sut naal bhaa-ee. Some form alliances with friends, children and siblings. iks hI DVw kIAw kuVm sky nwil jvweI ] (366-2, Awsw, mÚ 4) kis hee Dharhaa kee-aa kurham sakay naal javaa-ee. Some form alliances with in-laws and relatives. iks hI DVw kIAw iskdwr cauDrI nwil AwpxY suAweI ] (366-2, Awsw, mÚ 4) kis hee Dharhaa kee-aa sikdaar cha-uDhree naal aapnai su-aa-ee. Some form alliances with chiefs and leaders for their own selfish motives. hmwrw DVw hir rihAw smweI ]1] (366-3, Awsw, mÚ 4) hamaaraa Dharhaa har rahi-aa samaa-ee. ||1|| My alliance is with the Lord, who is pervading everywhere. ||1|| hm hir isau DVw kIAw myrI hir tyk ] (366-3, Awsw, mÚ 4) ham har si-o Dharhaa kee-aa mayree har tayk. I have formed my alliance with the Lord; the Lord is my only support. mY hir ibnu pKu DVw Avru n koeI hau hir gux gwvw AsMK Anyk ]1] rhwau ] (366-3, Awsw, mÚ 4) mai har bin pakh Dharhaa avar na ko-ee ha-o har gun gaavaa asaNkh anayk. ||1|| rahaa-o. Other than the Lord, I have no other faction or alliance; I sing of the countless and endless Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||1| ;|Pause|| ijn@ isau DVy krih sy jwih ] (366-4, Awsw, mÚ 4) jinH si-o Dharhay karahi say jaahi. Those with whom you form alliances, shall perish. JUTu DVy kir pCoqwih ] (366-5, Awsw, mÚ 4) jhooth Dharhay kar pachhotaahi. Making false alliances, the mortals repent and regret in the end. iQru n rhih min Kotu kmwih ] (366-5, Awsw, mÚ 4) thir na raheh man khot kamaahi. Those who practice falsehood shall not last. hm hir isau DVw kIAw ijs kw koeI smrQu nwih ]2] (366-5, Awsw, mÚ 4) ham har si-o Dharhaa kee-aa jis kaa ko-ee samrath naahi. ||2|| I have formed my alliance with the Lord; there is no one more powerful than Him. ||2|| eyh siB DVy mwieAw moh pswrI ] (366-6, Awsw, mÚ 4) ayh sabh Dharhay maa-i-aa moh pasaaree. All these alliances are mere extensions of the love of Maya. mwieAw kau lUJih gwvwrI ] (366-6, Awsw, mÚ 4) maa-i-aa ka-o loojheh gaavaaree. Only fools argue over Maya. jnim mrih jUAY bwjI hwrI ] (366-7, Awsw, mÚ 4) janam mareh joo-ai baajee haaree. They are born, and they die, and they lose the game of life in the gamble. hmrY hir DVw ij hlqu plqu sBu svwrI ]3] (366-7, Awsw, mÚ 4) hamrai har Dharhaa je halat palat sabh savaaree. ||3|| My alliance is with the Lord, who embellishes all, in this world and the next. ||3|| kiljug mih DVy pMc cor JgVwey ] (366-7, Awsw, mÚ 4) kalijug meh Dharhay panch chor jhagrhaa-ay. In this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, the five thieves instigate alliances and conflicts. kwmu k®oDu loBu mohu AiBmwnu vDwey ] (366-8, Awsw, mÚ 4) kaam kroDh lobh moh abhimaan vaDhaa-ay. <admin-profanity filter activated> desire, anger, greed, emotional attachment and self-conceit have increased. ijs no ik®pw kry iqsu sqsMig imlwey ] (366-8, Awsw, mÚ 4) jis no kirpaa karay tis satsang milaa-ay. One who is blessed by the Lord's Grace, joins the Sat Sangat, the Tr ue Congregation. hmrw hir DVw ijin eyh DVy siB gvwey ]4] (366-9, Awsw, mÚ 4) hamraa har Dharhaa jin ayh Dharhay sabh gavaa-ay. ||4|| My alliance is with the Lord, who has destroyed all these alliances. ||4|| imiQAw dUjw Bwau DVy bih pwvY ] (366-9, Awsw, mÚ 4) mithi-aa doojaa bhaa-o Dharhay bahi paavai. In the false love of duality, people sit and form alliances. prwieAw iCdRü AtklY Awpxw AhMkwru vDwvY ] (366-9, Awsw, mÚ 4) paraa-i-aa chhidar atkalai aapnaa ahaNkaar vaDhaavai. They complain about other peoples' faults, while their own self-conceit only increases. jYsw bIjY qYsw KwvY ] (366-10, Awsw, mÚ 4) jaisaa beejai taisaa khaavai. As they plant, so shall they harvest. jn nwnk kw hir DVw Drmu sB isRsit ijix AwvY ]5]2]54] (366-10, Awsw, mÚ 4) jan naanak kaa har Dharhaa Dharam sabh sarisat jin aavai. ||5||2||54|| Servant Nanak has joined the Lord's alliance of Dharma, which shall conquer the whole world. ||5||2||54||

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! guxw kw hovY vwsulw kiF vwsu leIjY ] gunaa kaa hovai vaasulaa kadt vaas leejai || One who has a basket of fragrant virtues, should enjoy its fragrance. jy gux hovin@ swjnw imil swJ krIjY ] jae gun hovanih saajanaa mil saajh kareejai || If my friends have virtues, I will share in them. swJ krIjY guxh kyrI Coif Avgx clIAY ] saajh kareejai guneh kaeree shhodd avagan chaleeai || Let us form a partnership, and share our virtues; let us abandon our faults, and walk on the Path. Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Raag Soohee on Pannaa 765

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! nwnk siqguir ByitAY pUrI hovY jugiq ] naanak sathigur bhaettiai pooree hovai jugath || O Nanak, meeting the True Guru, one comes to know the Perfect Way. hsMidAw KylµidAw pYnµidAw KwvMidAw ivcy hovY mukiq ]2] hasa(n)dhiaa khaela(n)dhiaa paina(n)dhiaa khaava(n)dhiaa vichae hovai mukath ||2|| While laughing, playing, dressing and eating, he is liberated. ||2|| Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Gujri on Pannaa 522

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! Pls provide the link to this article, if its available online.

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! http://www.akj-media.com/ranb/BhaiManpreet...i_Dec2003_1.mp3

Sister seeks release of jailed brother http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040120/...0/punjab1.htm#4 Chandigarh, January 19 Dr Davinder Kaur, a leading gynaecologist of Ludhiana and sister of Ranjit Singh Gill, currently undergoing life imprisonment for owing conviction in the Lalit Maken case in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, has appealed to all human rights bodies and political leaders to take up her brother’s case and secure his release since he has spent almost half his life under detention until now. “Although the Akalis mobilised hundreds of supporters to secure the release of Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his son, Mr Sukhbir Badal, who were sent to judicial custody by a Ropar court in a corruption case, no one barring a few like Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, has bothered to inquire about my brother who is behind bars in Tihar Jail. It seems youngsters like him have been left to their fate,” Dr Davinder Kaur said in a statement issued here today. “No Akali leader worth his salt has ever bothered about the plight of youngsters like Ranjit. He has already spent 17 years behind bars, including 14 years in American jails. A life convict is usually free after 14 years but with no one to support his cause, Ranjit is languishing in jail and his imprisonment has already exceeded the life term,” she said while appealing to the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dixit, to review Ranjit’s case sympathetically at the remission committee meeting especially because of their mother’s grave illness. Incidentally, Ranjit Singh Gi ll’s case is a classic example of an impressionable mind being led astray under unfortunate circumstances. Born on June 22,1961, Ranjit now 43, has spent more than 17 years behind bars. Out of these almost a decade and a half was spent in American prisons, where he along with Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, was interned after being arrested on May 14, 1987 at a New Jersey gas station. Following extradition from the USA, Ranjit Singh Gill was tried and convicted in the Lalit Maken case last year. Reminisces Dr Davinder Kaur whose husband, Dr Bhupinder Singh, is also a renowned surgeon: “It has been over a decade and a half since I was separated from my brother. Ranjit was then a 25-year-old bubbling with energy. He cleared his matriculation exam securing 70 per cent marks. As a student of M.Sc. Genetics, he was all set to carve out a brilliant career after topping in the B.Sc examination. He was selected for PhD at Kansas University. As a player he excelled in hockey. Then like countless young men in Punjab who were swayed by religious emotion and rhetoric of political leaders, he left home never to return. Since then, 17 precious years of his life have been wasted behind bars. On his extradition to India, I could only catch a glimpse of him through a wire mesh unlike the privilege extended to Zaffarwal and I was not allowed to go anywhere near. For months, I could not talk to him. He has greyed. The prime of his youth has been lost behind bars. The period of his imprisonment has already exceeded a life term. Will he ever get an opportunity to start life afresh,” she asks in bitter tone. The family of Ranjit Singh Gill, whose father, Dr Khem Singh Gill, is a former Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, has suffered emotionally as well as financially. During his imprisonment in the US transit jail, contact was difficult. For 10 years he did not get to see the sky. The US lawyers, namely Mr Ronald Kuby and Ms Mary Pike, who were defending them, charged as much as $ 4000 per hearing. Ever since his extradition, Ranjit Gill has been lodged in Tihar Jail.

Singaporeans Urged to Act Like Monkeys http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...s&e=11&ncid=757 SINGAPORE - People in strait-laced Singapore were urged Monday to act like monkeys — the Chinese zodiac sign for the coming Lunar year — for the sake of their country. Singaporeans could foster an economic recovery this year by behaving more like monkeys, Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said in a Lunar New Year message reported in The Straits Times newspaper. Chinese communities around the world will herald the start of the Year of the Monkey on Thursday. Chinese believe the monkey is clever, flexible, innovative and confident, but can also be selfish, jealous and vain. "Be like a monkey. When things happen, you have to be nimble. Take advantage of opportunities, don't be cast down, but rise to the challenge if it does occur," Tan was quoted as saying. Tan urged Singaporeans not to be daunted by the challenges of helping the city-state recover from its worst economic downturn. The SARS (news - web sites) outbreak, the Iraq (news - web sites) war and slumps in global manufacturing and air travel hit Singapore hard in 2003. Singapore's economy grew 0.8 percent last year, but unemployment sits at a 17-year high of 5.9 percent. Last year, in the Year of the Sheep — known in Singapore as the Year of the Goat — Prime Minister Goh Chok Tung issued a similar animal-themed call to arms when faced with "an imminent war in Iraq." "In the year of the Goat, we must try to be like the mountain goat, sure-footed and hardy and able to move safely in a rocky environment," Goh said.

French Sikhs Defend Their Turbans and Find Their Voice By ELAINE SCIOLINO http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/12/internat...ope/12FRAN.html OBIGNY, France, Jan. 7 — No one, it seems, thought about the Sikhs and their turbans. As part of a struggle to separate religion from the state, France is poised to pass a law banning religious symbols like Muslim veils, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses from public schools. But a report by an official commission of experts and a speech by President Jacques Chirac last month recommending passage of a legal ban said nothing about the head coverings worn by Sikhs. After all, France is home to only several thousand Sikhs, compared with about 600,000 Jews and 5 million Muslims. Historically, the Sikh population is quiet, law-abiding, apolitical and almost invisible — living, working and worshiping mainly in a few isolated pockets of suburban Paris. Now they have found their voice, demanding that they be exempted from the anticipated prohibition. Sitting barefooted and cross-legged in a large worship room in the Gurdwara Singh Sabha temple in the working-class Paris suburb of Bobigny, two dozen Sikhs sounded a chorus of protest. "I'm 100 percent French, I speak French, I was born here," said Dhramvir Singh, a 17-year-old student who wears a dark blue turban knotted in front to school everyday. "But it's impossible for me to take off my turban. If they force me, I'll have to drop out, and never be able to do anything except a job that no one else wants." He said he had no identity card — a violation of French law — because he refused to remove his turban for the official photo. Others said that Sikhs in Britain, Canada and the United States were now allowed to work turbaned in police departments and in the military and that Sikh soldiers fought and died for France in World War I with their turbans on. "If Marshal Foch were still alive, he'd be fighting against such a law!" exclaimed Manprit Singh, Dhramvir's older brother, referring to the French general who commanded allied troops in World War I. The Sikhs' situation underscores the perils that confront a state when it ventures into the complicated world of religious practice. The impetus for the law stems largely from the increase in the number of Muslim girls turning up at public schools in head scarves, or even in long, black veils that hide their chins, foreheads and the shape of their bodies. Most Jewish students who wear skullcaps attend private Jewish schools; there has never been a problem with Catholic students' wearing crosses that Mr. Chirac described in his speech as "obviously of an excessive dimension," members of the government's commission said. In a recent letter to Mr. Chirac asking for an exemption for Sikhs, Chain Singh, a leader of the Bobigny temple, said that if Sikhs could not wear turbans to school, "This will not only be a failure of our freedom to practice our religion here in France but also of the attitude of the French toward the Sikh community." The Sikhs' outcry so late in the game has stunned and dismayed French officials and experts involved in the commission. "Why didn't the Sikhs come forward, why didn't they protest while we were doing our investigation?" Bernard Stasi, who led the commission that produced the report, said in an interview. "I have finished my job and it's too late to change the report. Now it's in the government' ;s hands." He acknowledged that no French Sikhs were among the more than 200 people interviewed by his commission during its six-month investigation. An official at the Ministry of National Education, which is responsible for negotiating the law with Parliament, declined comment, except to say: "What? There are Sikhs in France?" A senior official at the Ministry of the Interior responsible for religious matters said: "I know nothing about the Sikh problem. Are there many Sikhs in France?" The ideal of the secular republican state in which all Frenchmen are equal is so strong that the census does not count people according to race, religion or ethnic origins. Affirmative-action laws do not exist. The Bobigny temple has begun collecting signatures on a petition that calls on all "citizens of France, religious or not, believing or not" to help protest a law that it contends will be "inhuman." Even though a vast majority of Sikh students are French citizens, the Sikhs have also sent a letter of protest to the Indian Embassy in Paris, asking the Indian government to intercede. The Sikh letter to Mr. Chirac injects a new twist into the debate, arguing that the turban should be allowed because it is a cultural, not a religious, symbol. "Different from a Muslim veil or a Jewish yarmulke, a turban has no religious symbolism," the letter said. One of the tenets of the Sikh religion requires Sikh men never to cut their hair, but says nothing per se about wearing turbans. The distinction between cultural and religious dress cuts both ways, though. On the one hand, the French government could argue that if the garment is purely cultural, then there is no reason why Sikhs must wear it, just as schools traditionally ban students from wearing baseball caps and other head coverings. Denis Matringe, one of France's leading specialists on India, said, however, that "for Sikhs to remove their turbans and show their long hair would be to humiliate them." On th e other hand, the Sikhs could contend that there is nothing intrinsically religious about the turban and recommend that French school principals continue to turn a blind eye to the practice, as some do when Muslim girls turn up in veils. In its current draft form, the law states only that in public schools, "Signs and dress that ostensibly show the religious affiliation of students are forbidden." Some politicians are calling for the ban to apply to political symbols in schools as well, like the Palestinian kaffiyeh and T-shirts emblazoned with the face of Che Guevara. A debate also rages on about whether the law should ban religious symbols that are "ostensible," "ostentatious" or just plain "visible." vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Crossing boundaries Preserving heritage, indeed! On the land where stood the great deras now walk corrupt men. If religion itself is under assault, how can a heritage be preserved, asks Anees Jung. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040111/...ctrum/main5.htm The Harmandar Sahib embodies the religious and socio-cultural core of Amritsar I went to Amritsar with visions of experiencing a heritage that I associated with the Golden Temple, and the Gurbani chanted from dawn to dusk and through the night under the stars ringing serenity. To see stalwart men bowed deeply under rainbow-coloured turbans, and the women as sturdy in looks evoking a sense of gentle order, epitomised in my mind the spirit of what I call a heritage. But alas this heritage was only imprisoned within the parameters of the Darbar Sahib. Outside, right within the hem of the sanctum sanctorum, another heritage loomed. In the main streets where large banners announced the Amritsar Heritage Festival, I confronted a city that left me appalled. Hoardings of semi-nude women were festooned on every other electric pole in the city. While the impressive structure of the Khalsa College, the venue of the festival, glittered with lights, graffitti, of the most vulgar sort adorned walls nearby. Piles of garbage lay around the chowks, pigs scrounged and men stood pissing in front of crumbling heritage walls. The organisers of the festival were not concerned with this face of a heritage. Nor were those who claim it. Under a wide white tent lined with red velvet sofas and less padded chairs, sat a motley crowd chattering, moving, sitting and half listening to musicians as great as Vilayat Khan. When he walked up to the stage, dressed in formal gear, the way he would have in the durbar of a maharaja, the chattering crowd stood up. The welcome did not last long. Sensing the animated restlessness, Vilayat Khan cut short his performance. While he played Raag Yaman, which he explained meant Amen (long live), an ironic evocation, the wife of a senior bureaucrat sat munching at her dinner brought reverentially by two minor officials who were in attendance. Two more, liveried in police uniform, carried a sofa as their boss arrived and there was no seat on the red sofa for him. The sofa moved with the boss till an appropriate place was found in the front row. He was in no way less than an erstwhile maharaja, more nattier perhaps. Back in the resort hotel, the lobby sizzled like a shopping mall. Women dressed in gaudiness dazzled each other. Men as radiant as peacocks jostled in the coffee shop to pile their plates with cheese pakoras, aloo paranthas, dahi, sambar and an array of food items that cancelled each other's flavours. Were these the same people who I had seen lined up in ordered columns to press their heads before the Guru Granth Sahib? If you want to sense Amritsar's heritage, take a rickshaw and go around the temple. In the maze of tight lanes, lined with ancient shops, lives the culture of Amritsar I was told. It was easier to walk than sit in a rickshaw that was slower than my feet in the medieval lanes. But I was less tired in this jam than I was in the wide but noisy streets of the city. Instead of horns blaring, one only heard human voices shrieking at each other. The kar sevak of Darbar Sahib, who was my proud escort knew each bazaar—bazaars for fine rice and hand-rolled papad, gold gotas for dupattas, shawls and silk suits, silver and gold ornaments, fancy red velvet tray covers, decorations for marriages. To see thes e streets packed with the business of living circling the Golden Temple left me baffled. How can the same people reflect such opposites in the way they live and feel? How real is religion outside its centre? I remembered what a chief granthi, in another revered gurdwara, had told me. Exuding a conventional dignity, spotless in his white garb, a blue turban crowning his head he had seemed helpless. "Regard for religion no longer exists," he had said. "The time we are living in is Kalyug. Truth is not around. There are no more teachers or gurus to guide us. Religious groups are now mixed with politics. On the land where stood the great deras now walk corrupt men." If religion itself is under assault how can a heritage be preserved?

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! Bhenji, Is Nishan Sahib a mere symbol which can be discarded at will by anyone? In such a case, how about the five kakars including our kesh? Arent they symbols too? A patit can getaway using the same logic on the grouds that he has tremendous respect for Guru sahib and the physical attributes dont matter at all. Since the times of our Guru sahiban, countless Sikhs have fought and given up their lives under the Nishan Sahib and it as dear and reverent to us as a national flag is to the citizens of a country. During the years of Sikh struggle in Punjab and rest of India in the eighties and nineties, I havent come across a single instance of contribution by any of the numerous Nanksars' spread throughout India. During the 1984 riots, hundereds of Gurudwaras were attacked and burnt down but i cant recall any Nanaksar gurdwara being amongst them. Sa rabjit Singh

Peace Gurus In communally charged Nanded, the Sikh community plays mediator between the Muslims and the Hindus NANDED I MUMBAI: ‘Jo bole so nihaal, sat sri akaal’ http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.ph...ontent_id=37174 Nanded railway station’s platform number one. The Sachkhand Express heading for Amritsar is just pulling out and emotions are running high. About six Sikh men stand on the platform with folded hands, seeing the passengers off. Each member of the group takes turns to chant the Sikh mantra. And every passenger on the chugging train responds—from the old, bald, smiling saffron-clad sadhvi to the weary-looking middle-aged Maharashtrian couple. The rhyme of the chant blends with that of the train. Those ten minutes of peace seem almost unreal in the communally sensitive town of Nanded. And these moments of peace are ushered by the 25,000-strong Sikh population. And the famous Sachkhand gurudwara. Last month the bombing of a mosque triggered riots that went on for a week. In a place where Hindus and Muslims clash at the drop of a grenade, the Sikh community plays the all-important role of the neutral party that often mediates and mends. They enjoy a peaceful existence away from the riots and bloodshed. Even when the rest of Nanded is under curfew, members of all communities throng the gurudwara. The gurudwara—Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib at Nanded—marks the site where Guru Gobind Singh hel d a camp in 1708 A.D. after the departure of emperor Bahadur Shah. The tenth Guru held his court and congregation here. Sachkhand or region of truth means the abode of God. The present building of the Takht Sahib was constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh with money, artisans and labour sent from Punjab during early 1830s. On any given day, at least 3,000-odd devotees stream in and out of the magnificent holy shrine. Many of these are brought in by the Sachkhand Express that arrives in Nanded five times a week. Every time the train halts here, members of the gurudwara’s langar samiti organise an elaborate lunch for the passengers on board. ‘‘What we cook and distribute is out of love. It’s not just for Sikhs but for every passenger on the Sachkhand Express,’’ says Mahendra Singh Paidal, a member of the langar samiti. ‘‘The gurubani teaches us that the biggest religion of all is humanity. That’s why anybody can come and pray at our temples.’’ Paidal, 38, and his co-workers are a humble lot. They are common people—businessmen dealing in motor spare parts and running petrol pumps. But in times of conflict, it is they who, through their contact with members of other religions, try to wave the white flag. ‘‘We are on good terms with both Hindus and Muslims,’’ says 57-year-old Devendar Singh Chaddha. ‘‘We try and talk them out of this rift as much as we can. These riots do disturb us though we are never directly affected. It’s all about politics.’’ Sikhs in Nanded are not many in numbers and do not have a significant political presence but they do enjoy an important place in Nanded’s religiously divided society. Some of them even take active part in peace initiatives. Like Inderjeet Singh Ghadliwal and Ranjit Singh Kamtekar—both members and ex-office bearers of the gurudwara board—who participated in the peace march in Nanded after communal riots disturbed the city. ‘‘We are a minority in Nanded but that doesn’t mean we are not concerned with what is happening here. Maintaining peace is everybody’s duty and we actively participate in whatever it takes to do so,’’ says Ghadiwal. Sikhs in Nanded are not many in number but they play an important role in the town’s religiously divided society, taking active part in peace initiatives Nothing stops the faithful from visiting Sachkhand, not even riots. Locals like young Inderdeep Bhatia are regulars. A final year business administration student, Bhatia drives down to the gurudwara on her Kinetic Honda with her cousin. The girls are not scared to venture out even when large parts of the city are under curfew. ‘‘It doesn’t affect us. Just that we can’t attend lectures in college,’’ Bhatia says and the girls giggle as they drive out of the gurudwara lane, their dupattas still covering their heads. A number of non-Sikh locals also visit the gurudwara and shop for kadas and decorative articles outside the shrine before sitting down to enjoy a hot meal at one of the numerous dhabas. Inside the place of worship, foreigners in jeans and bandanas stand along with chiffon salwar-kameez clad women. Non-resident Indians with accents as thick as the ghee in the prasad shoot frames of the evening prayer session on their tiny handicams. The flashes from their sleek cameras light up the already dazzling gold and mirror interiors of the gurudwara. Gurbachan Singh Sabharwal is accompanying his brother’s family who have flown in from Canada to visit the takht. ‘‘We were aware of the tension in Nanded but that was not a deterrent,’’ he says. ‘‘Our devotion has brought us here,’’ he adds smiling through his thick salt ‘n’ pepper beard. ‘‘Once you’re here, there’s nothing to fear.’’

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!! Pls try and post more often, we desperately need some sane voices like yours.

Tarn Taran: Justice denied http://www.outlookindia.com/bullseye.asp?f...odname=20030818 Fourteen people died in the Best Bakery carnage. Twenty-one persons were accused. All were acquitted. The judge who acquitted them blamed the prosecution. Legal pundits ridiculed the judgement. The media exposed how the police suppressed evidence. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought a retrial. The media and the nhrc have proved our institutions work and democracy thrives. Right? Wrong. Institutions get tested only when they have to extract accountability from popular icons. After the riots, Narendra Modi is hardly an icon outside Gujarat. How might the performance of nhrc and the media be described in a far bigger case involving a popular icon? The case was earlier mentioned in this column. It was researched by Ram Narayan Kumar who recently published his investigative book, Reduced To Ashes—a classic work. Consider the bare facts. In 1995, a Punjab human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, alleged in a press conference that the Punjab police illegally cremated thousands of unidentified bodies. In April that year, the human rights organisation associated with Khalra petitioned the Supreme Court. In September, Khalra was kidnapped and disappeared forever. In response to a public interest litigation, the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to investigate Khalra's disappearance as well as the allegations he had made at the press conference. Rebutting Khalra's press conference, Punjab's director g eneral of police K.P.S. Gill had told the media, "Thousands of Sikh youth who had left for foreign countries under fake names and documents were claiming to be missing persons killed by security forces in encounters." He said they "were missing with the consent of their parents". But the CBI found nine police personnel guilty of Khalra's murder. The CBI also confirmed that the police had illegally cremated 2,097 people in Tarn Taran. Of these, 582, all non-terrorists, were identified. In August 1997, the SC designated the NHRC to deal with the case and vested it with the full powers of the apex court. Six years have passed. The NHRC has accomplished nothing. The media has reported nothing. Instead, in March 2002, DPM Advani and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh sought amnesty for all the tainted policemen. The media echoed them. Gill frequently criticises human rights organisations on TV. He should respond to the Supreme Court and CBI. Chile's Pinochet had 3,000 murder victims. Milosevic of Serbia had 2,000. Both are called war criminals. Tarn Taran is one of the 16 districts of Punjab. It alone had 2,097 victims. Think about that. vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw! vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Here's an article on Sex written by SikhSoc, UK. Hope it answers some of your questions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Something we all have is Sexual feelings, the mind lusts after someone weather your driving in the car or walking down the road, and you think “Coor She/he is fit ” but then what happens is that the next person will walk past and your mind tells you it again..hahaha In the clubs/gigs Lust is ripe, when yah bumpin’ & grindin’ its like a catalyst for lust to take over and with a Archer’s Lemonade’s and a few shots of Southern comfort’s the senses go out of the door and often ppl end up regretting “What they did last night & who with” don’t think that Guru ji doesn’t talk about these feeling’s/actions because guru ji has covered all areas of every area of your life and next. Even though in society and especially parents “Sex “is a taboo subject but let’s see what Guru ji says in Guru Granth Sahib and how to avoid making the mistakes. Read on…… O man, when you were coiled in the cradle of the womb, upside-down, you were absorbed in meditation. You took no pride in your perishable body; night and day were all the same to you—you lived unknowing, in the silence of the void. Remember the terrible pain and suffering of those days, now that you have spread out the net of your consciousness far and wide. Leaving the womb, you entered this mortal world; you have forgotten the Lord from your mind. || 1 || Later, you will regret and repent—you fool! Why are you engrossed in evil-mindedness and skepticism? Think of the Lord, o r else you shall be led to the City of Death. Why are you wandering around, out of control? || 1 || Pause || You play like a child, craving sweets; moment by moment, you become more entangled in emotional attachment. Tasting good and bad, you eat nectar and then poison, and then the five passions appear and torture you. Abandoning meditation, penance and self-restraint, and the wisdom of good actions, you do not worship and adore the Lord’s Name. You are overflowing with sexual desire, and your intellect is stained with darkness; you are held in the grip of Shakti’s power. || 2 || In the heat of youthful passion, you look with desire upon the faces of other men’s wives; you do not distinguish between good and evil. Drunk with sexual desire and other great sins, you go astray, and do not distinguish between vice and virtue. Gazing upon your children and your property, your mind is proud and arrogant; you cast out the Lord from your heart. When others die, you measure your own wealth in your mind; you waste your life in the pleasures of the mouth and sexual organs. SGGS, Ang/Page 93 So then we still continue to live in this world with Sex pumped into our brains everywhere we go, on TV, Billboards, Advertising, Magazines, Guru ji emphasises the “FAMILY” life i.e.: marriage and children because he understands that everybody has this energy, in the bond of marriage it is used in the correct manner ,however, we have all had situations where the lust inside is unbearable and we all want to be with a girl/boy friend + we face so many pressures from our mates and guru ji goes on to say …………… || 3 || Your hair is whiter than the jasmine flower, and your voice has grown feeble, as if it comes from the seventh underworld. Your eyes water, and your intellect and strength have left you; but still, your sexual desire churns and drives you on. And so, your intellect has dried up through corruption, and the lotus flower of your body has wilted and withered. You have forsaken the Bani, the Word of the Immortal Lord, in this mortal world; in the end, you shall regret and repent. SGGS, Ang/Page 93 So now guru ji explaining to us how lust overtakes us and takes control, think of a Chariot and horse and there are 4 wild horses (Lust, Anger,Greed,Attachment) & Ego is the Whip…that drives this 4 horses wild…hence we begin to lose control of ourselves and we forget we are here only for a short while. || 4 || Gazing upon the tiny bodies of your children, love has welled up within your heart; you are proud of them, but you do not understand. You long for the dignity of a long life, but your eyes can no longer see anything. Your light has gone out, and the bird of your mind has flown away; you are no longer welcome in your own home and courtyard. Says Baynee, listen, O devotee: who has ever attained liberation after such a death? SGGS, Ang/Page 93 Now guru ji explains how we are obsessed with Sex… Men and women are obsessed with sex; they do not know the Way of the Lord’s Name. Mother, father, children and siblings are very dear, but they drown, even without water. They are drowned to death without water — they do not know the path of salvation, and they wander around the world in egotism. All those who come into the world shall depart. Only those who contemplate the Guru shall be saved. Those who become Gurmukh and chant the Lord’s Name, save themselves and save their families as well. O Nanak, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, abides deep within their hearts; through the Guru’s Teachings, they meet their Beloved. SGGS,Ang/Page 246 So by us remembering god, saying Waheguru 24/7, feeling paat, helping sikhi camps, society’s doing seva in charity’s feeding he homeless etc these things really begin to bring compassion to the soul and the search for finding god inside your heart then automatically we can start to control the feelings that run wild …trust me it works J In the following Shabad guru ji explains…… || In the second watch of the night, O my merchant friend, you are intoxicated with the wine of youth and beauty. Day and night, you are engrossed in sexual desire, O my merchant friend, and your consciousness is blind to the Naam. The Lord’s Name is not within your heart, but all sorts of other tastes seem sweet to you. You have no wisdom at all, no meditation, no virtue or self-discipline; in falsehood, you are caught in the cycle of birth and death. Pilgrimages, fasts, purification and self-discipline are of no use, nor are rituals, religious ceremonies or empty worship. O Nanak, emancipation comes only by loving devotional worship; through duality, people are engrossed in duality. SGGS, Ang/Page 75 So here guru ji is clearly telling us straight what we do not do, and that by Loving devotion we can improve our lives Fire and water join together, and the breath roars in its fury! The tongue and the sex organs each seek to taste. The eyes which look upon corruption do not know the Love and the Fear of God. Conquering self-conceit, one obtains the Name. || 2 || One who dies in the Word of the Shabad, shall never again have to die. Without such a death, how can one attain perfection? The mind is engrossed in deception, treachery and duality. Whatever the Immortal Lord does, comes to pass. || 3 || SGGS, Ang/Page 154 We all have these sexual organs that play havoc on the mind and cause us to act foolishly but again guru ji is stressing the need for family/marriage and meditation as a form of control. So next time your at a gig just think about what your doing before you make a mistake that will live with you for the rest of your life…..Barcardi Breezer’s ..releases the Latin Spirit in you so the Advert says, Guru ji liberates the soul to the next level of love…. “Respect is not what you do in front of your parents its what you do behind their back”

The Great Deception Randhir Singh http://sikhsentinel.com/sikhsentinel0306/o...atdeception.htm "To acknowledge the amrit of the iron bowl and the double-edged sword, as means to become the Guru's Sikh, is a grave mistake" Gurbux.Singh (aka Kala Afghana), Bipran Ki Reet (Volume 6 - page 35) "The requirement of Amrit Sanchar (a baptism-like ceremony involving an iron-bowl and with a double-edged sword) to become a true Sikh has discouraged the youth from becoming and staying Sikhs, and thus has encouraged them to become apostate and renegade [1]," writes Gurbux Singh. It is also his contention that "from the beginning of the fifteenth century to 1850, unshorn hair was the only outward identity of the followers of Nanak. The word 'sehjdhari' is responsible for bringing laxity among the faithfull and it was coined in those days when, along with Sri Guru Granth Sahib, idols of gods and goddesses were also kept in the Gurudwaras by Udassis and Nirmala mahants, by no means friends of Sikhs. Those were the days when 'Gurpratap Suraj' was written and its authors distorted the outlines of Amrit Sanchar." Gurbux Singh views it as "a great folly to recognize Amrit Sanchar as the criterion to be known as Guru's Sikh." [2] He continues to write that the "adoption of the five kakkars, as proof of Nanak's Sikhi, is the prerogative of the entire panth. It is not acceptable that the Gurus limited this right t o five Singhs. This was stipulated by the unworthy leaders who violated the uniqueness of the Panth and controlled its religious teachings and places of worship for 200 years." [3] On the Rehat Maryada he writes, "The present day Rehat Maryada is not entirely based on Gurbani… Those engaged in drafting it were overwhelmed by clever and far-sighted brahmins who conspired to perpetually influence the Sikh Panth by their brahminical thinking. After all, the Rehat Maryada was written by those Sikhs in 1849, who after losing the empire, did not care to know why they had lost their uniqueness which had once taken them to great heights. What is the use of having the Rehat Maryada when on the death of a well-known person - a powerful jathedar, or a so-called intellectual or a prominent political leader - we rush to Kiratpur Sahib to immerse their remains and observe the fourth, thirteenth, seventeenth day according true to brahminical traditions." [4] Gurbux Singh also writes in no uncertain words that "the Rehat Maryada, as it exists, offends Gurbani" and thinks it should be discarded and a stop put to formal Amrit Sanchar. [2] Gurbux Singh is widely known for his knowledge and lucid exposition of Sikh scriptures through words of mouth and print. He refers extensively to the Guru Granth Sahib and, on a subject of his choosing, profusely quotes selective hymns of the Gurus. It has to be said to his credit that he is not miserly in praising and eulogizing the Sikh faith and Gurbani. Surely he pays glowing tributes which gladden every Sikh heart. His portrayal of an ideal Sikh is a perfect picture of virtue and every Sikh is bound to feel proud of it. It is no surprise that he has been successful in attracting a sizeable number of admirers and followers. He is right on the dot in striking a sympathetic chord among his readers when, for the pitiable position Sikhs find themselves in, squarely blames the leadership. No wrong is committed in criticizing t he self-seeking leaders who, bereft of religion and oblivious of selfless service to the community, have betrayed it repeatedly for their immediate material gains, be it money, power or position. It is also true that because of selfish and opportunistic leaders certain distortions have come into Sikh institutions that need immediate and serious attention. Where does the friction arise? Gurbux Singh offends by his outright and wholesale condemnation of the established, recognized institutions. He castigates them as a product of the brahmanical mind, having no sanction and authority of Gurbani. He vehemently pleads to abolish them. By doing so, he does not sound sincere and betrays his sinister motives, however elaborate the camouflage may be, however hard he may try to hide behind the screen of Gurbani. The examples from his writings cited earlier hardly leave any room for doubt that he is bent on maligning and discrediting Sikh institutions and traditions, and to eroding respect and faith in them. Already gross materialism is weaning the youth away from religion and such insidious and subtle propaganda is nothing short of adding insult to injury. Mesmerized by his familiarity of Gurbani, the casual reader may not readily grasp the intent and subtlety in his writings. A serious and critical reader, however, will notice what lies between the lines. Falsehood left uncontested, if repeated over and over again, over time, begins to look like the truth. Before Guru Gobind Singh crystallized the social idea of God, Bhai Gurdas, the first theologian of the Sikhs in the days of the fiifth Guru, wrote: "one Sikh is an individual, two make up a community and five constitute God." Guru Gobind Singh crystallized the same concept with the Panj Payaras (five faithful ones) by ceremoniously administering amrit to the Panj Payars and then taking amrit from them himself. The Tenth Guru, therefore, put his own seal on the revolutionary concept of socialized God. Sangat (the Sikh congre gation) is held in special esteem and reverence by all Sikhs. Where there is Sangat there is God. This is the belief. How does Sangat act as a group? It does so through the Panj Payaras as its representatives. Gurbux Singh disputes the historical evidence of the Panj Payaras. He believes that the concept was first adopted in the mid nineteenth century as a result of infiltration of brahmanism. Why should he create such confusion? What are his motives? A little reflection reveals the web. As a first move the aim, is to get all those who believe in Gurbani and keep outward symbols, but do not undergo Amrit Sanchar, recognized as Sikhs. Once this is achieved the next logical step would be to press for recognition as Sikhs all those who believe in Gurbani but may not keep outward physical symbols. In his writings, Gurbux Singh has often stated: "What use are physical symbols if the mind does not accept these?" With this the transformation would be complete. All Hindus paying even lip service to Gurbani would then, as a matter of right, be classified as Sikhs and become eligible to stake claim in Sikh affairs. From another angle, all Sikhs would be Hindus. The game plan is subtle. The word 'sejahdhari' which, according to Gurbux Singh, was given currency by those opposed to Sikhs, and which irritates him most, would become irrelevant. What a master stroke. It would be appropriate to touch upon another matter closely connected to maryada which is Anand Karaj. According to Gurbux Singh, the Gurus intended the marriage ceremony to be brief, simple and solemn. He rightly laments that in actual practice this solemn occasion of bonding two families has degenerated into vulgar display of wealth and position. Unfortunate and painful as it is, Sikhs by and large do not enter into matrimonial alliance with a Sikh outside their caste, regardless of his or her merit. The search is limited to the respective castes. Equally deplorable is the fact that the Sikh community continues to fol low the same elaborate and expensive customs and rites before and after the marriage as practiced by Hindus. What then is the point of contention? Gurbux Singh wastes no words to discredit the maryada of the whole ceremony of Anand Karaj, including the four lavans, and dubs it as misuse of Gurbani amounting to disrespect. [5] His stock thesis and argument is that "codification of the Rehat Maryada, the outcome of brahmanic mind, is the root cause of the whole problem." The sooner the Sikhs defy, reject and disassociate from the Rehat Maryada and Anand Karaj, the better it would be. Why have such utterances gone unnoticed and unquestioned for so long? Quite simple - he won complete confidence and respect of the community by impressing it with the depth of his knowledge of Gurbani and Sikh scriptures. Having established his credentials, he began firing salvos by selectively criticizing Sikh institutions and eminent personalities. The community, after the events of the eighties and nineties, was feeling very hurt and humiliated. Gurbux Singh shrewdly made full use of the prevailing mood of discontent and disillusionment and projected himself as a messiah of the community. Encouraged by his success with his readers he started systematically striking blow after blow on the structure of the faith to pull it down brick by brick. Once he swayed the minds of his unsuspecting readers (ironically including some respectable persons) it was easy for him to incite them to defy, to revolt and to overthrow. Soon the band of dedicated followers took over, raised ominous voices, amplified by media, insisting instant restructuring. It is in the interest of the he Sikh nation that Gurbux Singh discloses who his influences are. He has to answer vital and pertinent questions raised by his destructive preaching against the Rehat Maryada, Amrit Sanchar and Anand Karaj. He incites Sikhs to disown their institutions and maryada which have become infected - according to him bey ond redemption - by brahmanism. What will happen if tomorrow he himself says that Guru Granth Sahib contains many references to brahmin gods and goddesses and their mythologies and were later interpolated by individuals with brahmanic mind and thinking. What solution would he suggest? Discard Guru Granth Sahib or change it? How perverted and dangerous his whole approach is! Gurbux Singh has all along been complaining that the Akal Takht has not been responding to his letters. He has been given an opportunity to talk face to face. Why is he not appearing before the Akal Takht? What is he afraid of? In his writings, Gurbux Singh has been denouncing Jarnail Singh, yet he now claims to be a close associate of his. And on this account, he is afraid of arrest by the Indian government and pleads inability to enter India. What a complete shift and blatant falsehood. He extols Sikhs to be courageous and ever ready to die for their ideals. What about his Sikhi? Sheer possibility of arrest - which may or may not even happen - has frightened him to climb down from the ideal. This may not be the real reason. He may be afraid that his falsehood will be exposed or he may not be able to stand the scrutiny by Sikh theologians who are equally well versed in Gurbani. Gurbani is intended to be the spiritual essence of divine and eternal Truths which have universal appeal and application without the fetters of time, space or race. It is meant to guide mankind through the evolution of its relationship with God, the Ultimate Truth. On the other hand, there is an equally important need to have a sanctified code of conduct that guides us in living our everyday lives. This document should strengthen and illustrate the practicality of the eternal Truths revealed in Gurbani rather than blur those. It is this composition that is called the Rehat Maryada. It was left to the genius of Tenth Guru to wield the followers of the Sikh faith into a strong, distinct and vibrant people. Amrit was designed to achieve this. To doubt this historical fact would amount to doubting Guru Gobind Singh himself. Although he may not say so in so many words, the accusing finger of Gurbux Singh is pointing indirectly toward the Tenth Guru, for it was he who conceptualized the Khalsa and the importance of Rehat Maryada. The Guru was emphatic in saying: "Rehat payari mujh ko, Sikh payara nahin" It is Gurbux Singh's style to first shower superlatives and then in one blow shatter the splendid edifice he just built - reducing in a moment a positive account into a negative one. Because of ineptness and mismanagement certain distortions have arisen in Sikh institutions and traditions. Lest other hostile and inimical forces take advantage of lack luster Sikh affairs, these controversial issues need to be addressed pragmatically, boldly and urgently. The youth are disenchanted, the tendency toward apostasy is increasing and Sikh youth are cutting their hair and taking to drugs. The tide has to be turned. In the Gurus' times spiritualism was the first priority and temporal concerns occupied the secondary position. What has happened now is that religion has been given a back seat and politics has become dominant. Serving the community is no longer the driving force. The greed for money, power and position has corrupted and blinded us. No wonder fights for controlling Gurdwaras and institutions is a common occurrence. This is the opportune time for Sikh intellectuals and theologians of proven integrity and moral strength to get together and deliberate on all the controversial issues agitating the Sikh mind. This has to be done objectively, totally free of passions and party considerations, by consensus. Power seekers, politicians and their supporters should be kept at a distance. In the ultimate analysis, it is the character of the individual members of the community that will determine the real and lasting strength of the faith. The need of the times is hard introspection by e ach and all to reform oneself and become a true Sikh dedicated to serve the community, not to control and influence it. Sikhism is a practical religion; let all Sikhs practice and live it in their daily lives. [1] Page 35, Vol. 6, Bipran Ki Reet [2] Page 33-35, ibid [3] Page 33, ibid [4] Page 31, ibid [5] Page 38-39, ibid The writer is a lawyer by training and has served as a consultant to World Health Organization. He is now retired and spending most of his time conducting research and study of Sikh affairs.