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waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh great jee :doh: :doh: :doh: guru sahih kirpa karan jee. Just wanna to know why it for two month June and July ?? waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Excellent work pyareyo, guru sahib hor kirpa karan jee. :doh: :doh: Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

MAHADIAN (PUNJAB), JUNE 15: Retired Colonel Govinder Singh receives an email from a girl in a Punjab village. It’s the girl’s first email but Singh writes back: ‘‘The next time, I want you to compose your letter in your own words. And every day more people from your class should send me a mail.’’ Thirty kilometres away in Manuali village in Fatehgarh Sahib district, a teacher thinks of including internet chatting in the curriculum. ‘‘It will help them improve their English,’’ he says. At NRI billionaire Nanak Kohli’s initiative, at least 10 villages in Punjab are trying to make girls net-savvy and fluent in English to help them land BPO jobs. Kohli, 73, known as the ‘‘Rolls Royce Sikh of Washington’’, explains how he came to focus on the girl chid. ‘‘I wanted to start a project for the best of the best, but then the writer Khushwant Singh advised me to concentrate on the poorest of the poor,’’ he says. As a result, the Sundar Amar Sheel Trust which caters to 2,000 children in Delhi set up computer centres for girls in rural Punjab. Col Singh, who is part of the trust and urges girls to write their own letters, says ‘‘Right now the girls are under training, but next month they will undergo a test to check their competence.’’ He hopes the girls will pass the secretarial practice exam which will help them find some work. At Mahadian village, also in Fatehgarh Sahib district, 75 girls are learning English and brushing up their IT skills. Some are still in high school while others are graduates. The girls hope to land a job in their village itself. Some of the students and teachers have had to overcome considerable adversity. Computer teacher Paramjeet Kaur, whose father is a village labourer, boasts of a diploma in computer applications. ‘‘She is a classic example of empowerment,’’ says Satinder B Singh, project director of the Trust, who has moved from Delhi to Chandigarh. Word about the project has spread far. On a particular day, three retired colonels from Kapurthala turned up hoping to set up a similar centre at their village. Patiala MP Preneet Kaur has deputed Deepinder Dhillon, vice-chairman of the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC), to set up a similar centre at Lalru. Kohli is looking to train 10,000 girls at 100 centres and hopes to make the centres become self-reliant. ‘‘Believe me, in one year’s time they will get not just word processing work, but telemarketing and medical transcription as well,’’ he says.

Karsewa with a Difference India Posted Jun 08, 2005 - 02:46 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Print this story Email this to a friend Amritsar, Punjab, India - Groomed like many other 'karsewa wale baabae' who have the charisma of involving millions of people and plenty of resources for building religious mansions, Sewa Singh stands apart. Tree plantation is the unique feature of the Karsewa undertaken by this environ-savvy Sewa Singh, Khadoor Sahib Wale. The mammoth task of commemorating the 500th Gurgaddi Divas (bestowing of Guruship) to Guru Angad Dev, last year, changed the concept of Karsewa for him. To make the event unforgettable, Sewa Singh and his disciples started a campaign in 1999 to plant trees. By the time the all-important anniversary came in 2004, the Sewa Singh had turned the 5km stretch of each of the four approaching roads to Khadoor Sahib into a green belt. There was no let up in the zeal as Sewa Singh started distributing plants as parshad and made sure that a devotee visiting the local Gurdwara did not go back without a plant in his/her hands throughout the anniversary year. Sewa Singh’s desire for planting trees escalated with the time. Today, Sewa Singh and his team still plant new trees and carefully nurture more than 27,000 trees that they have planted along the roadsides. Starting from Khadoor Sahib, he has taken the tree-planting drive to the Gurdwaras at Markana in Rajasthan and to Gwalior in Madhya. Sewa Singh’s passion for trees has developed so strong that he does not even allow anybody to pluck a twig for cleansing teeth from his green belt. “The sewa of cleaning the air is bigger than even the sewa of langar. Whereas langar is served among human beings, air is inhaled by every living being including animals, birds and insects,” says Sewa Singh. Singh has as many as 21 volunteers whose exclusive job is of looking after trees in and around Khadoor Sahib. They have been provided with four truck-tankers for watering the plants. The volunteers remain in touch with Punjab Horticulture department for technical assistance. A similar arrangement of volunteers and equipment has been made at each location where Sewa Singh has grown plants. Apart from supervising the work of tree-planting team, Sewa Singh does not miss an opportunity to pay a regular visit to the 30-acre orchard he developed at the local Gurdwara. Motivated by Sewa Singh, as many as 44 farmers in the region have developed orchards on 250 acre of their lands. “Human beings have lifelong relationship with trees. Right from his/her birth, a child sleeps on a cot made of wood, then he/she starts walking with the help a wooden cradle and during his/her demise, a person is taken to the cremation ground on wooden plank,” says Singh. Sewa Singh says that if the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), with all of its resources at its disposal, were to take up planting trees on the banks of roads around each of its Gurdwaras, Punjab could prove to be a better place to live. It remains to be seen whether the SGPC takes his appeal seriously, but 46 years-old Sewa Singh has decided to dedicate the rest of his life to planting tree. “I you have a zeal and determination to do a thing nothing can stop you.” Note: Report and image by Munish Byala, SikhNN, Amritsar. mbyala@sikhnn.com

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Pyaryo bas karo , be cool, we are already full of differences and divisons please do not add more in it. World wide Youth come here on this site to learn and get inspiration from elders Veerjee / bhanjee and this kind of discussions will have wrong effects on them. hope u veers will give ear to dass request _/\_ Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovinc...6de17c5a&page=1 .................................. Sikh leader, police urge community to remain calm Five thugs beat up 17-year-old Sikh before cutting off hair John Colebourn and Stuart Hunter The Province June 1, 2005 CREDIT: Nick Procaylo, The Province A 17-year-old Sikh was attacked by a gang of thugs and had his turban ripped off and hair cut at Grauer Elementary School in Richmond. An Indo-Canadian leader and police appealed for calm yesterday after a young Sikh's turban was pulled from his head and his long hair cut off by five thugs. "I'd like to ask my brothers and sisters to remain calm," said Balwant Sanghera, a spokesman for the Sikh Societies of the Lower Mainland. "This is very serious and we have some young men who may get too excited and I urge them to remain calm. "The hair, the turban, they are all religious symbols to us. "I think the people who committed this heinous crime need help. "I hope it's not a hate crime -- it's an isolated incident. I don't remember anything like this in the Lower Mainland before." Said Richmond RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen: "This is absolutely disgusting. Whether this is a hate crime or not, we're not clear yet but it has all the elements that could classify it as a hate crime. "This has huge overtones in the Sikh community and we want them to remain calm and not overreact." The 17-year-old Sikh was walking home across the playing field at Richmond's Grauer Elementary School about 5:15 p.m. last Thursday when five Caucasian men in their 20s who were playing basketball approached. One uttered a racial slur and the Sikh ignored him and kept walking. But the men ran after him and punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Once down, one of them held an X-Acto knife to his neck as the others punched and kicked him. They grabbed the teen's wallet, pulled off his turban and cut off his hair with the knife. He was treated in hospital for cuts and bruises. Nav Sanghera, a volunteer with the Indo-Canadian Youth Anti-Violence Group, said the attack "would be very traumatic to a practising Sikh." "This is the ultimate insult. When you go attacking someone's religious conviction it's hard to see it as anything else other than racist." Kulpreet Singh, 22, a volunteer with the West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance, called the attack disturbing. "This is five people targeting an innocent person for no reason -- it's just a racist thing. "I think it was just a bunch of thugs. I think this is something a lot of high school students face. It is a very horrible situation." Singh predicted the victim will recover with spiritual guidance. "The things they did to him, physically, he will heal from but when it comes to cutting his hair and taking his turban, he will need moral support and spiritual strength." Kasar Bhatti, a member of the Khalsa Diwan Society which runs the Ross Street Temple, predicted a community backlash. "It is not only insulting but a desecration of the Sikh faith -- the hair is a symbol and it is to be kept unshorn and in a turban," Bhatti said. "You don't hear about that kind of incident happening very often. "This is more than just a little fight in a school yard. The whole community will be upset and have demonstrations -- it's a matter of faith just like if a Muslim or Christian was attacked for his faith." Residents of the well-kept neighbourhood where the attack took place said there have been problems in the past, but nothing so violent. "It's shocking. Weekends you hear noise and kids are drinking but I've never heard about problems like this," said Parwez Hamidi, 26. Linda Curial recently moved to Richmond from the Vancouver east side to get away from gang problems. She was surprised no one saw the attack. "You'd think at suppertime people are out working on their yards and someone would have heard or seen something," she said. "There's a lot of people going through the school grounds at that time of day." Police are looking for witnesses. In March, a 28-year-old man was swarmed by a pack of about 20 teens and savagely beaten at Minoru Park in Richmond. Three people are now before the courts on assault charges. jcolebourn@png.canwest.com shunter@png.canwest.com - - - HAIR SACRED Sikhs are not allowed to cut or trim their hair, including the beard, because they believe the hair on one's body was meant to grow. To cut the hair is regarded as an act against the Lord's will. "The hair is a very sacred part of the Sikh faith and the turban is like the crown and an emblem of being a graceful and righteous person," said Kulpreet Singh, a volunteer with the West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance. "If someone comes and cuts your hair and takes your turban they are trying to take your religion away from you and that is horrible. It's like a complete attack on a Sikh." © The Vancouver Province 2005

Waheguru Jee ka Khalsa Waheguru Jee kee Fateh Here are dass observations on the above discussions :- I agree that today so called look wise Sikhs are known and famous for eating non veg , drinking. I heard State of Punjab was the largest consumer of tabacoo min the past years. That so called look wise Sikh youth is very impress with the western culture ( open society, drinking, smoking, drug etc etc.) There are good and bad people in every communcity & religion. Our aim at www.sikhsangat.com / any other sikhi site and being Sikh is to spread the message of Guru Sahibs among Sikhs and whole universe. So let us join our hands for that holy cause, pyareyo there is no more room for division now _/\_ Well Bollywood and our T V Industry are the two biggest patronage of this culture. The quality of programmes on T V and esp. on Punjabi Musical Channels are really alarming and disgusting. Mind it Pyareyo in India TV is the most easily accessible entertainment source for largest chunk of population. Parents today watch these programmes with their kids bcoz they themself are not yet awaken towards Sikhi. So I feel SGPC should have act in past on those Musical & other channels like Print Media showing Sikhs as Cartoon, Jokers, fake turbans (used as cap), remember pyareyo that malign image of Sikhs reaches all over the India and world much faster and in larger magnitude in comparison to some scenes or character in a particular movie. Also there was a news that Censor Board will have a Sikh person and every movie having any Sikh character or relation will be shown to that member before approve it for release. The credit goes for this to sangat of Mumbai who contact Censor Board and protest for the whole issue. But there is no such prior screening for TV Serials and Music Channels. SGPC should come up and take up this issue with the concered autorities. The whole issue of sikhs in bollywood once again remind us that we despepartely NEED OUR MEDIA WORLD WIDE which can promote Sikhi worldwide and tell the truth to the World. SGPC was very confident to start its own Religious Channel and even ETC was to launch ETC Khalsa but do not know when they will be a reality. bhulla chukka dee maufai Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh seconded whole heartdly faujan bhanjee. Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Can u pls tell us what was the hukamnaama ? Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh very well said vicky singh , u r improving man day by day , why not u have sangat of www.sikhsangat.com waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Thanks a lot Pyareyo :doh: :doh: Can some body make Videos of kara prashad preparation for sangat view if there is no manmatt in it ? Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa Waheguru Jee Kee Fateh Sadh Sangat Jee, is there link giving detail about Kara Prashad, its history, objective etc. and also Preparation Method any PPT on it . Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa Waheguru Jee Kee Fateh

Keep it up dude :doh:

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh I seconded the view of Veer Mehtab Singh on this issue. Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Veerjee Guru Knows all jee. Its all Guru Jee Kirpa only. Waheguru jee ke khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh ------------------------------------------------------ The names of the Chalih Mukte are listed below: (01) Bhai Bhag Singh (02) Bhai Dilbag Singh (03) Bhai Mann Singh (04) Bhai Nidhan Singh (05) Bhai Kharbara Singh (06) Bhai Darbara Singh (07) Bhai Dyal Singh (08) Bhai Nihal Singh (09) Bhai Khushal Singh (10) Bhai Ganda Singh (11) Bhai Ishmer Singh (12) Bhai Singha (13) Bhai Bhalla Singh (14) Bhai Suhel Singh (15) Bhai Chamba Singh (16) Bhai Ganga Singh (17) Bhai Sumer Singh (18) Bhai Sultan Singh (19) Bhai Maya Singh (20) Bhai Massa Singh (21) Bhai Sarja Singh (22) Bhai Sadhu Singh (23) Bhai Gulab Singh (24) Bhai Harsa Singh (25) Bhai Sangat Singh (26) Bhai Hari Singh (27) Bhai Dhana Singh (28) Bhai Karam Singh (29) Bhai Kirt Singh (30) Bhai Lachman Singh (31) Bhai Buddha Singh (32) Bhai Kesho Singh (33) Bhai Jado Singh (34) Bhai Sobha Singh (35) Bhai Bhanga Singh (36) Bhai Joga Singh (37) Bhai Dharam Singh (38) Bhai Karam Singh (39) Bhai Kala Singh (40) Bhai Mahan Singh --------------------------------------------------- Soruce : from some other forum

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Happy Birthday Veerjee , guru sahib kirpa karan jee. Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa Waheguru jee kee fateh :TH: :TH: Good work Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Dhan guru dhan guru pyarey Last year I did Baba Jee darshan in Hazoor Sahib. The Veerjee who was along with me told me that Baba Jee give sewa punishment (langar or kar sewa etc) to one who touches his feets. He asked every sangat welfare and enquire where they are staying, had langar etc. Waheguru Waheguru waheguru :doh: :doh: Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

http://sikhnn.com/modules.ppa?op=modload&n...le&sid=306&newl ------------------------------------------------------------- By Jagmohan Singh - This letter was sent to Sharmila Tagore, Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in Mumbai, urging the censorship of the film 'Jo Bole So Nihal' which was deemed inciting and sacreligious by many in the Sikh community. Ms. Sharmila Tagore Chairperson Central Board of Film Certification Bharat Bhavan 91-E, Walkeshwar Road Mumbai - 400 006 Urgent message by email and fax Dear Madam: I write to you to express concern regarding the film, "Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!". As you may be aware, Sikhs all over the country are agitated over the contents of the movie and the gross, negligent and deliberate misuse of the Sikh war cry and greeting, "Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!" A large number of Sikh organizations, from all over the world, have protested the contents of the movie as well as the use of the Sikh slogan as the title of the movie. The producers and directors of the movie have shown scant regard for the sentiments of the Sikh people. The promos of the movie, as seen on many Satellite TV channels do not leave much to the imagination of the film go-er. Scantily clad actresses intermixed with the use of a Sikh slogan is just not acceptable. I do not need to point out to you what you and the members of the Censor Board have already seen. We strongly believe that the Central Board of Film Certification, popularly known as the Censor Board has not applied its mind while certifying this movie. This movie violates the guidelines of the Censor Board as well as judgments of the Supreme Court of India. The guidelines issued under Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952Act are very clear. This section says that ' a film shall not be certified for public exhibition, if, in the opinion of the authority competent to grant the certificate, the film or any part of it is against the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the States, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite the commission of any offence." I would like to inform you that this film will incite the Sikhs to react [unfavorably] when the movie is released anywhere in India or anywhere in the world for that matter. The Sikhs may be small in numbers but they are a proud people and any interference or jugglery of their religious sentiments by any person, by word or movie, will not tolerated. We love and respect our religion and any misrepresentation of the same is sacrilegious and will be dealt with as such. If Bollywood has chosen to debase society, it is welcome to go to any depths, but as far as the Sikh people are concerned, we have had enough. Bollywood has been tampering with the Sikh image through word and image for a long time. It is now time to stop this nauseating trend. If having a Sikh prime minister in India has not changed the mindset of the Indian filmmaker, then he/she will have to face the ire of the Sikh people. No film, which has religious content of any kind, should be certified till it is seen by a member/s of that community. In fact any movie having religious content should be send to Sikh religious bodies for prior approval. I have personal knowledge of the fact that Principal Raghbir Singh of Khalsa College, Mumbai used to be a member of the Censor Board of Film Certification in the late seventies and early eighties of the last century. He had personally told me, then, that his presence had ensured that anti-Sikh portions of movies were deleted when pointed out during the pre-release screening sessions. I also have personal knowledge of the fact that in the seventies, a film made on the life of Guru Nanak had to be canned as the film maker crossed all limits and portrayed Guru Nanak through a film actor. This is not public knowledge because the filmmaker was wise and he quietly withdrew the film when he and the Censor Board were told that this is not acceptable to the Sikhs at all. It would be naive for the Censor Board to hide behind the curtain of law and say that exhibition of the movie is a state subject. The exhibition of the movie may be a state subject, but its certification is the prime responsibility of the Censor Board. In this case, the Censor Board has to act with Godspeed. The film is slated for release on 13th May 2005 and believe me, it will lead to mayhem wherever it is released. This movie must be canned and then everybody who has participated in this venture to denigrate the Sikhs will be hauled before the law of the land. We will not take it lying down. We have appealed to the Sikh people all over the world to hold protest demonstrations on 11th May 2005. In Punjab and the rest of India, Sikhs will denounce the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for its utter negligence and will burn the posters of the movie as well as symbolically burn the effigy of the CBFC and the Information and Broadcasting ministry. We are also urging the distributors of the movie to keep away from the movie. I urge you to take immediate steps to stop the release of the movie, Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal. The Censor Board should immediately have a member each from all the ethnic minorities so that henceforth nobody plays with our sentiments. I once again implore you to take immediate action. Any further annoyance of the Sikh people will be detrimental to peace and tranquility in the region and the Censor Board would be seen as a conspirator along with the government of India. The ball is in your court and of the government of India. Thank you. Sincerely, Prof. Jagmohan Singh General Secretary Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) 07 May 2005

--------------------- Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus K J M Varma in Islamabad | May 11, 2005 15:00 IST Last Updated: May 11, 2005 16:02 IST India and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed in principle to run bus services between Amritsar-Lahore and Amritsar-Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, official sources said. A technical-level talk would be held in New Delhi to run the Amritsar-Lahore bus service, which is scheduled to start in two months, a joint statement issued at the end of two-day talks in Islamabad said. The modalities and frequency of the proposed Amritsar-Nankana Sahib service would be discussed in a subsequent technical-level meeting to be held in New Delhi in two months, it said. On the Amritsar-Lahore bus service, it said, "the two sides discussed the modalities for operationalisation of the bus service, including the designated route, bus terminals, facilities for the bus crew, modalities of visa arrangements and a Protocol and MOU." Alok Rawat, Joint Secretary of Road Transport and Highways, who headed the Indian delegation and his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Abbas said at a joint press conference at the end of talks that the bus service would be started after the next round of parleys. The two sides on Tuesday said they would also establish hotline communication links between the coast guards of the two countries. Both the bus services figured in the Joint Statement issued at the end of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's visit to New Delhi last month. It said the leader 'looked forward' to the early start of both the buses. ----------------------------

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh Happy btday veerjee, may guru jee bless u more sewa of panth and human kind, simran, ck walla jeevan, more n more kirpa jee. From BSBK ....................................................................... Vicky Chachoo Happy Btday Jee From Jaspreet Kaur Harkeerat Singh

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh In India, today Hindu Religion / other so many deras are doing their mean parchar, even quoting gurbani for their benefits only. Can say lakhs of people r coming in those so called babas / sant samagams, they are similar packed like Veer Ranjeet Singh jee programmes in India and abroad. So looking at the current situtation Parcharaks like Ranjit Singh is desperately required. I wish if the chardi kalaa sikh parcharaks no matter belongs to akj, taksal, sant samaj can make teams and visit all over India, esp. the villages of Punjab and small cities of India where the population of sikhs is compartively less. It is really alarming that sikhi in hindu or other religion majority states / cities in India is getting weeker due to no effective & organized parchar and the most worrysome point is the sikh youth / coming generations. Pyareyo there is no more room of divisons in Panth, we are already flooded with them. _/\_ Well about dharans in my opinion if Ranjeet Singh Veerjee's do kirtan without dharanas but keep doing katha/ gurbani vichar which is really very simple / understandble for every kind of sangat (so called pendu sangat of punjab too) along with kirtan of easy understandable bani. I feel Ranjeet Singh Veerjee explanation/ katha is more understandable / inspiring then the dharana. Pyareyo what I mean here to say that if by making some change, we could rewarded with more parchar, bringing more sangat together / panthic ekta, more sewa of panth there should be no harm. I will appreciate if the youth of Canada / US / UK take up all Panthic issues which can benefit the whole panth with Ranjit Singh Veerje. bhulla chukaa dee _/\_ Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh

vaaheguroo jee kaa khaalsaa vaaheguroo jee kee fatheh !!!!!!! guru pyaree saadh sangat jee, dhan dhan sri guru arjan dev sahib maharaaj jee day prakash divas deeaa lakh lakh vadhaaee jee hundreds of thousands of congratulations on the prakash divas of dhan dhan sri guru arjan dev sahib ji maharaaj vaaheguroo jee kaa khaalsaa vaaheguroo jee kee fathehhhhhhh !!!!!!!!! ------------------------------------------------ story of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Bhai Manjh: The Most Difficult Test: Bhai Manjh Researched and Written by Admin www.tapoban.org Introduction In the time of Guru Arjan Dev jee, there was a powerful and rich Jat by the name of Teeratha. Teeratha was a follower of the Muslim sect of Sakhee Sarvar. He was the local leader of this sect and had hundreds of followers who all respected him. Teeratha would regularly lead the members of this sect on a pilgrimage to the main Sakhee Sarvar shrine now in Pakistan. Meeting the Guru Once when passing through Amritsar, Teeratha decided to visit Guru Arjan. He had heard that there was a great Guru who had a large following and this Guru was spiritually enlightened. He was curious to know who this Guru was and what he would say. He decided to stop off and see the Darbar of Guru Arjan. When he saw the Darbar, he saw that people of many different backgrounds, and castes were all sitting together and living in harmony. He also heard the keertan in the darbaar and the keertan left a permanent mark on him. He heard of the great gift of naam and the thirst to have this gift rose within him. He was the leader of hundreds of Sakhee Sarvar followers but he could no longer follow that path. He realised that Sikhee was the path he must follow. He came to Guru Arjan Dev jee and introduced himself. Guru jee saw how rich and powerful Teeratha was and when Teeratha begged for naam and to be initiated into the Sikh faith, Guru jee replied, "Being a Sikh is no easy thing. The path is finer than a hair and sharper than the khanda. The primary principle of Sikhee is humility." Teeratha again repeated his request. Guru Arjan Dev jee then said, "Why do you want to be a Sikh? You are a rich and powerful man with hundreds of followers. You can continue on the easy path of Sakhee Sarvar, because the Sikh path is very hard. If you become a Sikh, you will lose your followers and all their respect and you will lose your wealth as well. You may even have to pay for this decision with your life. What use is there in becoming a Sikh for you?" But Teeratha was insistent he begged that nothing mattered. If he lost everything it would not matter, he needed naam. With tears in his eyes he begged for naam. Guru Arjan Dev jee accepted his request and initiated him into Sikhee and gave him Naam. Teeratha decided to not return home and took leave of his followers. He decided to stay with the Guru for some time. The Sikhs knew that Teeratha was from the Manjh clan and began to call him Bhai Manjh. Bhai Manjh did seva in the darbaar and one day Guru Arjan Dev jee called him and asked him to return to his village and preach Sikhee to his old followers. Return to the Village and Disaster Bhai Manjh returned to his village and began the work of preaching Sikhee to the followers of Sakhee Sarvar. In his home, there was a shrine to Sakhee Sarvar which was revered by all the local followers. Bhai Manjh reached home and immediately had it demolished. Many of his old followers who had considered him a Guru heard Bhai Manjh's message that Guru Arjan was the true Satguru and the source of all happiness. They too decided to become Sikhs and began to recite baaNee. Bhai Manjh and the new devotees of the Guru decided to build a Dharamshaala (Sikh place of gathering) in the village where they could daily meet and do sangat. While the construction of the Dharamshala was still going on, some Sakhee Sarvar leaders came to the village and saw that so many followers had become Sikhs. They spoke to Bhai Manjh and asked him to renounce Sikhee or face a terrible price. They said that he was powerful and a high official in the Sakhee Sarvar sect and he would lose all this if he did not come to his senses. Bhai Manjh sent them away and was insistent that he would remain a Sikh. The Sakhee Sarvar leaders left the village but heaped countless curses on Bhai Manjh and vowed that he would regret his decision. Within a few days of this event, one night, all of Bhai Manjh's cattle died. It was unexplainable how all cattle could die in one night. In the following nights, cattle began to die in neighbouring houses as well. The villagers began to believe that perhaps the curse of Sakhee Sarvar was responsible and by becoming Sikhs and destroying the shrine, they had made a serious mistake. More and more cattle began to die each night and the villagers decided to break off from Bhai Manjh. They declared that they had nothing to do with Bhai Manjh and his new religion. They removed him from his position as village head. Bhai Manjh now began to lose his wealth as well and soon poverty entered his home. Poverty Before, poor and needy people used to come to Bhai Manjh to request for help and money. People would still come now but he himself was living in abject poverty. Bhai Manjh had absolutely no extra wealth to give to anybody. Bhai Manjh was in a desperate situation and he decided to visit the new village head. Bhai Manjh offered his home to be rented out for some money so he could feed his family. The village head agreed to the proposal but added the condition that Bhai Manjh's wife would become his housemaid. His wife would be paid for her labour as well. Bhai Manjh returned home absolutely shattered. He was once the most powerful man in the village and today he was being forced to make his wife a maid. When Bhai Manjh's wife asked him what the village head had said. Bhai Manjh haltingly explained the offer he was given. Bhai Manjh's wife listned and then said that in such hard times she too was willing to make sacrifices and if they had to lower their dignity by doing a job such as that of maid, then so be it. They had to marry off their young daughter and needed money to raise their family. Bhai Manjh's wife agreed to go work for the village head. Bhai Manjh fell asleep that night in deep sadness. The next morning his wife would leave to begin her new job. He thought of Guru Arjan and wondered why the Guru would put his Sikh through such pain. How could the Guru allow him to see such days? Then understanding dawned: this must be the Guru's test. The Guru had said that he would have to sacrifice his all for Naam. Bhai Manjh was determined not to fail this test. He felt shame that he had ever questioned the will of the Guru. Serving the Guru The next morning Bhai Manjh's wife gathered her clothes and left for the village head's home. Bhai Manjh decided to also leave the village. He left for Amritsar with his daughter and decided to spend his time doing seva. Bhai Manjh began to take the seva of bringing wood for the langar, cleaning the dishes, serving the visiting sangat and any other seva he could find. The Guru too heard of Bhai Manjh's sevaa. He called Bhai Manjh to come see him. Bhai Manjh and his daughter appeared before the Guru and bowed. They stood before Satguru Arjan and waited for him to speak. Guru Arjan asked, "Bhai Manjh, where do you eat?" Bhai Manjh replied, "Satguru, I eat from your langar…" Guru Arjan jee then said, "well then, what you do is nothing but wage-labour isn't it?" The sangat was stunned. They knew Bhai Manjh had sacrificed his entire wealth and prestige to become a Sikh and now did more seva than anyone else in the Darbaar. How could Guru jee have humiliated him like this in front of everyone? After all, the Langar was open to everyone, why would Guru jee say such a thing? Bhai Manjh was once a powerful and proud aristocrat with hundreds of followers. He now hung his head and then said, "Satguru, you are wise. Please give me the wisdom to understand and accept your Hukam." Guru jee did not reply. Bhai Manjh then bowed and took his leave with his daughter. Bhai Manjh now decided to no longer eat in the langar. He decided to collect two bundles of wood from now on and he would give one to the langar and sell the other to earn his living and use it to purchase his food. Bhai Manjh's daughter asked her father why the Guru was so merciless to him. Bhai Manjh immediately replied, "No no! The Guru is merciful. He is testing our faith. We can not fail." The Final Test Bhai Manjh would rise early and begin to collect wood for seva and also to sell. After giving the first bundle and selling the second, the two would return to the Darbaar and do seva all day. He would put all his extra money into the Golak. Guru jee once came to Bhai Manjh and asked why he still stayed despite being so poor and having lost everything. Guru jee said he should go home. Bhai Manjh replied, "Mahaaraaj, please never speak of having to leave your feet. Sachay Patshah, worldly wealth is a dream and so it comes and goes. Nothing is lost. I have lost my worldly wealth and found your true treasure of Naam. No thief will take this treasure from me and no King will seize it. " Guru jee gave his blessings to Bhai Manjh and moved on. One day early in the morning when Bhai Manjh was going to the langar to give wood, such a dust storm arose that he could see nothing. Bhai Manjh stumbled and fell into a well. Day broke and Bhai Manjh still had not returned and everyone understood he must be in trouble. The Sikhs began to search for him and heard him call out from the well. One Sikh ran to Guru Arjan to tell him what had happened and Guru jee immediately dashed bare foot to the well. They threw a rope into the well and asked Bhai Manjh to pull himself out. Bhia Manjh jee called from the depth of the well, "Please, first pull the wood out for the langar! If they become wet, they will be of no use and not burn. If I am wet, nothing will happen." Bhai jee tied the wood bundle to the rope and had it pulled out. Only then did Bhai Manjh pull himself out. When Bhai Manjh climbed out of the well, Guru Arjan was standing before him. Bhai Manjh fell at Guru jee's feet. Guru Arjan asked, "Bhai Manjh! What have you gained by following me? You have lost your wealth, your status, and even your wife. You have lost everything!" Bhai Manjh held Guru jee's feet even tighter and with tears in his eyes replied, "No Satguru! I have not lost anything. I have only gained. Please don't push me away, this is my only request of you…" Guru Arjan Dev jee then said, "Bhai Manjh, your sevaa has borne fruit. Ask for anything you want." Bhai Manjh replied, "Guru jee, bless me that I may never want anything. May I always be content" Guru jee replied, "It will happen as you request. But still, request something Bhai Manjh…" Bhai Manjh then said, "If you are happy with me, then have this mercy. It is Kaljug. Please do not scold and test so harshly. May your Sikhs not have to bear such hardships." Guru Maharaj again said, "This too will happen, but still request something Bhai Manjh." Bhai Manjh finally replied, "May my consciousness remain at your feet and may I never forget the meditation of your Naam. If you wish to bless me, then bless me with gift of limitless faith." Guru Arjan heard these words and then said, "Manjh is the beloved of the Guru and the Guru is beloved of Manjh. Manjh is the ferry of the Guru who will ferry across the world ocean." Guru Arjan sent Bhai Manjh home and told him all had been returned. Bhai Manjh did not understand how this would be possible, but had complete faith in the Guru. Everything Restored Bhai Manjh's wife had been working in the house of the village head and she made such an impression on him that he decided to make her his sister. He requested that she take the responsibility of raising his only son. He also gave back Bhai Manjh's home where she could raise the boy. Bhai Manjh returned home and was informed of all that had happened and was stunned. Bhai Manjh never left the support of the Guru. Even at the darkest time he had faith it was all a test and if he stayed firm in his faith, nothing would happen to him. Bhai Manjh was appointed the entire Doaba area to preach Sikhee and he opened a Dharamshaalaa in his home. The langar that Bhai jee opened was famous all around. Many people became Sikhs because of his parchaar. When Guru Arjan Dev jee came to visit the Doaba area in 1596, he made a point of specially visiting Bhai Manjh and praised him for his parchaar. Bhai Manjh jee is the embodiment of faith and perseverance. Nothing in life could turn him away from the Guru and in the end, the Guru kept and protected his Sikh.

Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh You can also find on www.proudtobesikh.com. Waheguru jee ka khalsa waheguru jee kee fateh