Japnaam Singh

There were these many Sikhsangat members at the rainsbhaee!?!?!?! I barely noticed any. Especially you, Daasn Daas, I thought I would've noticed you.

I agree. UBC is totally the best, by far. And as UBC-SSA just pointed out, we also have the best SSA... For pictures and video from the UBC SSA conference from this past January you could visit: GursikhiJeevan.com GurmatStudies.com GurmatStudies.com (Video) Picture of Charnjit Singh, Parminder Singh, and Rena Kaur from last year's conference

Vaaheguroo jee kaa khaalsaa Vaaheguroo jee kee Fateh! Mkhalsa (Manjot Singh) just started a blog: Mkhalsa.com This should be pretty interesting... Its nice to see Sikhs getting into the blogging thing... It should be interesting to watch. Maybe others will follow suit. I've heard lots of stories about Christians doing enormous amounts of parchaar because of the experiences they wrote about in their blogs. Reading about the daily adventures of a Sikh in California (and especially a Sikh who looks as unique as Mkhalsa to begin with... :wub: ) should be pretty interesting and fun. Vaaheguroo jee kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo jee kee Fateh!

Yes... except we have Samagam here starting in Vancouver... so once that's all over with... It being a weekly thing or even twice a week would be awesome.

CanWest News Services has a subscription only internet news system, (and for some reason you can't copy and paste it) so I'm going to type up the article from this morning: They were our bright future, says a grieving community Matthew Ramsey and Stuart Hunter The Province Alberta emergency crews work feverishly at the crash site near Brooks, Alta., where three people died. May 9, 2004 Lower Mainland Sikhs were mourning two promising youth leaders and a young girl with a bright future yesterday -- all three dead in a grim highway crash in Alberta. Parminder Chahal and Charnjit Singh, both 27 and key youth instructors at the Guru Nanak Academy in Surrey, were willed along with 17-year-old Rena Dhillon Friday Morning when their minivan rolled on Highway 1 near Brooks. Four teens and a 12-year-old, all from Surrey, were also hurt but are expected to survive. The group was heading from Surrey to the Nagar Kirtan Festival in Edmonton, where they were to perform gatkha, a traditional Sikh martial art. The sister of two of the injured people said the group had missed a turnoff, stopped for directions and were on their way back to the correct road when the accident occurred. Investigators are trying to determine if fatigue and speed were factors in the crash. Harpreet Sondh, said her brother, Sundeep, was in the van and recalls it rolling eight to ten times. He escaped the crash with just seven stitches on his knee.< br> Chahal was behind the wheel when he apparently lost control of the vehicle and it rolled before coming to rest in a field on the north side of the highway. Chahal was the only occupant of the van wearing a seatbelt -- and the only one not thrown from the wreck. Singh, who was visiting Canada at Chahal's invitation, was pronounced dead at the scene. "It's certainly a very large tragedy," said Staff-Sgt. Ray Noble of the Brooks RCMP. "Family members, and all of their group in the temple I'm sure, will be impacted. The impact will spread well beyond the occupants in the vehicle and their immediate families." Chahal and Dhillon died yesterday morning in hospital. Passengers Sundeep Sondh, 15, and Teghbir Badwal, 17 were treated for minor injuries and released from hospital Friday. Mundeep Sondh, 12, and Gagandeep Sahota, 17, and Sukhjinder Bains, 15, all remain in hospital and are being treated for extensive, non-life-threatening injuries. Sukhpreet Heir, secretary at the Gurudwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar temple in Surrey, described Chahal and Singh as important mentors and spiritual guides for youth. Chahal was the head of the Guru Nanak Academy and was dedicated to his faith and the prevention of violence among youth in his community, Heir said yesterday. He also preached at the temple every Sunday. "His way of preaching, his way of handling the program was what was needed by youth," added temple volunteer Amarjeet Kaur. "It's such a great loss that we have suffered," Heir Said. "We need more individuals such as him" Singh was visiting from the Punjab, where he was a prominent member of a Sikh institution and an expert in gatkha. Chahal met Singh on a visit to India 18 months ago, Heir said. Singh had been in Canada for about four months and worked with as many as 70 young people instructing them in gatkha. Dhillon and the other youth in the van were students of Singh and Chahal and have shown great potent ial in all areas, Heir said. "These are the kids we all hope for to carry a bright future for our community," he said. Funeral services at the temple are being planned for all three. Heir said Singh's body will be flown back to India following the service. Meantime, Sikhs from Vancouver and Toronto are coming together to help the families of the dead and injured however they can, including paying for the funeral and transportation of Singh's body, Heir said. "The whole community feels this," said Iqbal Gill from the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society in Surrey. "I didn't even know them, but we all share the grief they are feeling." Harpreet Sondh, whose brothers Sundeep and Mundeep were injured in the rollover, said yesterday that her parents are at Mundeep's side. The Grade 7 student from Strawberry Hill suffered serious leg injuries and some damage to his spleen and lungs. Although he was unconscious yesterday, he is expected to recover. Sundeep is a Grade 9 student at Princess Margaret. Both are dedicated gatkha students who began practicing the martial art just four months ago. Harpreet, 16, said she planned to head for Calgary to see her brothers as soon as possible. "I'm planning to take a lot of balloons and roses and flowers," she told The Sunday Province. "[My brothers are] the most important thing in my life."

Still hard to come to grips with... The cover of today's Vancouver Province:

Do you know who else did amazing speeches? Bhai Parminder Singh Jee. :umm: Go to GurmatStudies.com and listen to his past speeches, they're amazing.

Another picture someone just sent me:

Parminder Singh and Rena Kaur are in really bad shape from what we're hearing. :umm: Everyone who reads this message, please do a Sukhmani Sahib, a number of Jup Jee Sahibs, Chaupai Sahibs, or whatever, something, anything.

Eventhough everything is in bhaaNaa, this is terrible, heart-wrenching news. This is going to be hard to accept for the dozens, if not hundreds of Sikh Youth who were touched by Parminder Singh's and Charanjit Singh's sevaas. Parminder Singh was undoubtedly the best sevaadaar the youth on the west coast have had in a long time, and this isn't an exxageration now because of what happened in the accident, he truly was an amazing sevaadaar. His Katha was heartfelt and thought-provoking and he had a really special shine on his face. None of the reports at this stage are finalized, so we should continue praying, and if they are, at the very least, those of us who knew these Singhs along with Rena Kaur can, without hesitation, say that they made good for the time that they were here, and although only Guru Sahib knows, one can only imagine that their karma will serve them well.

How is Bush making money off of 'rich businesses'?

Vicky Singh! May Samagam finishes on the 22nd-23rd so there's a decent chance a lot of American college students might be able to make it!

How did it arise? Why does that matter? We know for certain that Dasam Granth was not compiled by Guru Gobind Singh Jee. It was collected and put together after Guru Sahib passed away. (I'm not talking about when it was written, I'm talking about when it was "compiled") Guru Sahib gave Gurgaddi to Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Period. Who are we to give an equal place to Dasam Granth which was essentially created by man and not by Guru? Its pure manmat - Makes no sense. PS. Dasam Bani is great, should be respected, worshipped, meditated on, reflected on etc. etc. But only Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee is our Guru.

In the twisted world of logic of the UK Nangs and their sympathizers, yes. Why do these Nangs have to be so anti-panthic? But in order to answer r.singh's questions, using the logic of *actual* Singhs, no, self-rule does not have to be discarded due to the actions of a few.

JSingh, Homosexuality is obviously anti-gurmat, but so are a lot of things (which are still legal according to the constitution). I base that opinion on the analysis of the collective judgment of Gursikhs. However, you have to make clear that Sikh scriptures only contain divine inspiration, motivation to reach the ultimate goal of salvation instead of commentary about useless laws and regulations concerning homosexuals. When you talk to the newspaper you should try to make clear that the Sikhs are not a monolithic people and also that there is a wide variety of opinions on this matter. I personally believe Same Sex marriages should be "legal" in a supposedly secular country like the United States or Canada simply because I don't think government has any place in telling 2 people what they should do. When you live in a pluralistic/multi-cultural country, religion should not play a factor in determining such an issue. I think same-sex marriages are utter manmat, but does that mean that Sikhs should lobby the gov't to make all all manmat ILLEGAL? No. We're not the Taliban. People should have the freedom to do the manmat they want, their personal judgment will bring them morality, not laws passed by governments. Anyways, I would also hope that you present the opposite side of the issue as well (Say that some Sikhs also believe it should be illegal for the following reasons...). Present the opposite side just so people know that the Sikhs aren't a group of people that have the same opinion on the topic. That leads to ignorance. Talk about how some Sikhs believe it is neccesary to maintain morality in laws because morality is neccesary for hu man judgment. Say that some Sikhs believe that most criminal laws are based on our morals and values and that doesn't neccesarily make them wrong. Also say that some Sikhs believe in family values and the current family structure. Say that they believe that by having 2 dads or 2 moms, children are hurt in that they don't receive the full benefit of parenting (i.e. qualities from both gendered parents). Anyways, make sure you don't make Sikhi seem as if Sikhs only have one opinion on the issue. Sikhs are just as divided as any other group. So present both arguments. Good luck with the interview. Japnaam Singh Vaaheguroo jee kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo jee kee Fateh!

I think you should post these types of questions on The Mata Bhaag Kaur Jagrati Dal Website. Just for the sake of getting the best answers from other Singhnees. Although the above answer is .

Is this going to be an actual event open to the public? When the judges judge the people participating, can other people sit in and listen? Where is the event taking place? When is it taking place? I know many people who aren't prepared to speak, but want to hear others speak. And maybe they'll speak at the second Gurmat Studies speech competition.

Here's a post that was taken from Tapoban.org and posted on this site a couple of months ago... I think it relates well to this topic. Author: Kulbir Singh Date: 11-13-03 19:34 As written by Bhai Nandlal jee, the majnoo of Vaheguru does not fall for a worldly beauty like Laila: MAJNOON-E-TAU KAI AASHIQ-E-LAILA BAASHAD || Our Guru Sahibaan expects his Sikh to be an Aashiq (premi, lover) not of a worldly beauty but of Vaheguru. In Siri Aasa kee Vaar, Siri Guru jee states: IH, KINEYI AASHIQEE, JE DOOJAI LAGAI JAAYE|| (What kind aashiqee i.e. love is this, that permits to love someone else, other than your beloved Vaheguru?) NANAK, AASHIQ KAANDHIYE, SADD HEE RAHAI SAMAAYE|| (Guru Angad Sahib writes that the true aashiq is so who stays forever merged in Vaheguru) Look how high the ideal of love in Sikhi is and how lowly the worldly (ishq-e-mazaajee) love is. Gurmat preaches that we should be such lovers of Vaheguru that we should stay forever in his yaad (sweet rememberence). Is there anything that the lovers of Vaheguru have not done for their love? The true aashiqs of Vaheguru have sat on red hot pans and had hot sand pour over them. They had their head severed in love for their beloved. They let the aggressors burn them alive in cotton but they did not even once let their love for their beloved one go down. They were cut in half. They were boiled alive. They were made to roll over the killer wheels. The aashiqs of Vaheguru gave their lives at one signal from their beloved Guru. They had their skulls removed for their beloved. They had their children cut into pieces fo r their beloved one. The aashiqs of Vaheguru spent their youths in jails but did not let their love go down. They kept their rehit intact and against all odds obeyed the hukam of their beloved. This is what aashiqs of Vaheguru did. What did Vaheguru do in return? Vaheguru in return gave them immense bliss of Naam Rass and gave them everlasting spot in Sach Khand. Now let us look at the lives of worldly aashiqs. They too sacrificed a lot. Kaiz who is popularly known as Majnoo gave up his royal status for Laila, his beloved. He went city to city for her and in the end perished in the deserts of Arabia. What did he get in return from Laila? Nothing substantial. Ranjha, gave up Takhat Hazaara and for a dozen years worked as a servant for Choochak (father of Heer). He became a diwaana of Heer but what did Heer do in the end? She married someone else and left for her in-laws at Rangpur KheRa. Poor Dheedo (Raanjha) become a jogi. Sassee perished in the desert for Punoo and Sohni pershised in river chanaa for Mahivaal. What did they get in return? This way we can give several examples of failure of ishq-e-mizaajee. In the case of Laila Majnoo, what could have been the possible peak of this love? At the most Majnoo would have married Laila. So is this an everlasting relationship? Not according to baani. On the other hand, Bhai Taaroo Singh jee had his skull removed by the Muslims, out of love for Siri Guru Gobind Singh jee. What did Bhai Taaroo Singh jee get in return? He already had Naam Rass and now he became one with Vaheguru and is now in Sach Khand with Vaheguru. I don't have any doubts over the intentions of Raanjha and Majnoo. Even Bhai Gurdas jee has praised their spirit and hard work but the reality is that the end result of this love is not that great. Reading baani we learn that the true aashiqs i.e. the Gursikhs of Guru Nanak Dev jee, succeed in getting good results out of their hard work. The worldly aashiqs too are of two categories - ones who are inspired by kaam (99%) and the ones inspired by love for soul e.g. Ranjha, Majnoo etc. The ones inspired by Kaam surely go to hell and the ones like Ranjha and Majnoo too cannot achieve anything high according to baani, because baani preaches that one gets what one aims for and if these guys Ranjha and Majnoo were to get their love, what would they really gain from that? At the most they may marry their love in the next life and then have children from them. Would it result in everlasting rest? No! It will surely put them back in chauraasee (8.4 million life forms). There will be no way out. According to baani, only those ones, who become aashiqs of Vaheguru, get any real results for their hard work. Rest waste their time. In the light of all this, is it not our duty to deliver ourselves by dying on the Amrit Naam of Satguru? Is it not our duty to never miss amritvela and during amritvela japp naam with full concentration? May Guru Sahib make us his real aashiqs. Gurbani is calling out to us, to take precaution during our youth. During the youth time, there is high probability of making a mistake that can leave a scar on the life of Gursikh for rest of his life. It is not worth it. Daas, Kulbir Singh

Actually, Bibi Jagjeet Kaur won't be in town for the interfaith conference, But she'll definitely be in town for the UBC SSA Conference which happens on the Sunday before this conference (January 18th 2004). Parminder Singh is going to speak at both conferences. The UBC SSA conference also has 3 other speakers - Santbir Singh, Rupinder Kaur and Jatinder Singh.

http://www.tapoban.org/phorum - Generally very panthic (although it leans slightly towards AKJ) and gives stories of different Gursikhs from different jathas in many different periods in Sikh history. Generally very good, productive threads as well. And http://forums.waheguroo.com - I think all of us are more than familiar with Sikhsangat.com. This site is probably the best exchange of information between Sikh youth on the internet in terms of beginners into Sikhi gaining knowledge along with other Sikh youth maintaining a network of "Sikh Sangat". These two sites are the only ones I think Sikh Youth need. But of course, thats only my personal opinion. My desire for knowledge, inspiration, and basic curiousity/boredom etc. is fulfilled with only these 2 sites. I'm sure others might have more sites that they think are productive and pro gurmat inspirational, But for me, these 2 sites are the only sites I see out there that are overall positive influences instead of argument places and time wasters.