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24th July – Gurdev Singh was denied access to lords cricket ground to watch India play England after he pointed out he was wearing a Kirpan, which was missed in the security check. 25th July – Gurdev Singh contacts the federation and his case was referred to the Sikh Council; to take up with the MCC. 29th July – Gurdev Singh was coached by the federation on the line to take for the ITV Daybreak programme, that broadcast a positive story for the rights of Sikhs to wear a Kirpan. Following the broadcast, the authorities running Lords issues an apology and announced a review of their policies. 19th September – The membership and general committee at Lords will meet and are expected to formally change the ground regulations – to be chased by federation.

In the last 6 months the Sikh federation and Sikh Council have achieved the following in regards to the Respect For Sikh Turbans in Airports issue:- March 22nd 2011 - Lobby in the British parliament in regards to Respect for the Sikh Turban at UK airports (and across Europe). April 26th 2011 – 30 minute adjournment debate took place in Westminster. Dozens of MP’s attended the Respect For Sikh Turban debate and 15 managed to make a contribution in the 30 minute session. 1st June 2011 – Minister of transport Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP sent a 3 page letter to the ministers in the other 26 EU states. In the letter the Minister stated: ‘On 30 November 2010 the UK secured EU agreement for a trial that avoids physical touching of the turban by hand….” 15th June 2011 – All Party Parliamentary Group for UK Sikhs (APPGS) meets the Transport Minister Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers. The Minister has confirmed that the trial will be taking place in 17 out of the 20 largest UK airports. Fabian Hamilton MP who is the chair of APPGS will be speaking to the executives within the remaining 3 airports for a justification as to why they wont be entering the trial. 12th July 2011 – Sikh representatives meet the Transport Mnister – Sikhs want the UK trials concluded as soon as possible and the results shared with the European Commission to allow other EU member states to adopt the same procedures as soon as possible. The Minister discussed how pressure could be exerted on EU states. 18th September 2011 – Fabian Hamilton the chair of the APPGS has confirmed that a delegation of MP’s including himself and Sikh representatives will be travelling to Brussels to meet the EU Commissioner. Representatives from Italy and Greece will also be attending the meeting as there are specific problems in these countries.

Bhullar EDM.pdf

Lord Coe from the Olympic committee wrote to the Sikh Federation on March 18th 2011. I don’t have a soft copy but the letter stated:- Dear Mr Singh Thank you for your letter and kind invitation to speak to the Sikh community. I am grateful for the invitation and I would love to be able to help, but sadly I have immovable London 2012 commitments on Tuesday 22nd March. However, on the issue of the Kirpan we have been very clear. At games-time, small symbolic ceremonial daggers (an article of faith with a maximum blade length of 3 inches) carried for religious reasons will be allowed. We have worked closely with the Sikh Community and the Metropolitan Police on our plans in this area, and published this statement on our website and I would appreciate your help in communicating this to your federation. The Sikh community has played a major role from the outset of the bid to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games here in London. For three years now, LOCOG has worked closely with the Sikh Community representatives on our Faith Reference Group, our forum to discuss and agree our approach to faith related issues. I look forward to that group continuing its work over the next 18 months. Thanks for writing and I hope this provides some clarity for you. With best wishes. Sebastian Coe KBE Chairman

Work undertaken and update:- 27th May – Following the announcement by the Indian President to hang Professor Bhullar, the Federation launched an extensive letter writing campaign to UK MPs. MPs urge to write to the Foreign Secretary and German authorities. - A similar campaign was also launched in Germany when the Federation visited Germany. - Considerable pressure also exerted on Amnesty International Secretariat to launch an Urgent Action Appeal. 3rd June – Following discussions and written exchanges between the Federation and Amnesty International Secretariat in London, Amnesty agrees to run a worldwide Urgent Action Appeal for Professor Bhullar (attached below). 7th July – A resolution was passed and adopted in the European Parliament in Strasbourg in support of Professor Bhullar (attached below). -This was followed when the vice president of the European Commission, Baroness Catherine Ashton was convinced by MEP’s, mainly from UK and Germany to write to the Indian authorities expressing the opposition of the European Member states. BHULLAR EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION.docx Urgent Action Appeal.pdf

Awesome stuff!!

The fact is that there is a trial going on at the moment across 17 UK airports which will very likely result in posstive Dastaar related procedures being implemented across UK airports. As the UK contains the highest percentage of Sikhs than any Eurpoean country, EU states look to the UK when it comes to Sikh related policies. This whole dastaar day in the UK is a complete red herring. The fact is that the UK government have been bending over backwards to help the Sikh community in regards to the 'Respect For The Sikh Turban at UK Airports' issue. And for all their hard work the thanks we give them is a large awareness day outside Parliament, when one isnt even needed! They are already aware! However, Europe is another matter, in order to have the UK Sikh airport policies implemented in Europe, it is very worth while having these awareness get togethers there. In the last 6 months the Sikh federation and Sikh Council have achieved the following in regards to the 'Respect For Sikh Turbans in UK Airports' issue:- March 22nd 2011 - Lobby in the British parliament in regards to Respect for the Sikh Turban at UK airports (and across Europe). April 26th 2011 – 30 minute adjournment debate took place in Westminster. Dozens of MP’s attended the Respect For Sikh Turban debate and 15 managed to make a contribution in the 30 minute session. 1st June 2011 – Minister of transport Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP sent a 3 page letter to the ministers in the other 26 EU states. In the letter the Minister stated: ‘On 30 November 2010 the UK secured EU agreement for a trial that avoids physical touching of the turban by hand….” 15th June 2011 – All Party Parliamentary Group for UK Sikhs (APPGS) meets the Transport Minister Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers. The Minister has confirmed that the trial will be taking place in 17 out of the 20 largest UK airports. Fabian Hamilton MP who is the chair of APPGS will be speaking to the executives within the remaining 3 airports for a justification as to why they wont be entering the trial. 12th July 2011 – Sikh representatives meet the Transport Mnister – Sikhs want the UK trials concluded as soon as possible and the results shared with the European Commission to allow other EU member states to adopt the same procedures as soon as possible. The Minister discussed how pressure could be exerted on EU states. 18th September 2011 – Fabian Hamilton the chair of the APPGS has confirmed that a delegation of MP’s including himself and Sikh representatives will be travelling to Brussels to meet the EU Commissioner. Representatives from Italy and Greece will also be attending the meeting as there are specific problems in these countries.

Guys, the situation is alot worse then Badal just selecting the SGPC president. Badal also selects the Jathedar of the Akal Takht. He can also get rid of him when he likes. So the fact is, that at this moment in time Badal is the highest temporal authority within the Sikh faith and not the Akal Takht. FACT!

Keep up the good work Sikh Council! In the last 6 months the Sikh federation and Sikh Council have achieved the following in regards to the 'Respect For Sikh Turbans in UK Airports' issue:- March 22nd 2011 - Lobby in the British parliament in regards to Respect for the Sikh Turban at UK airports (and across Europe). April 26th 2011 – 30 minute adjournment debate took place in Westminster. Dozens of MP’s attended the Respect For Sikh Turban debate and 15 managed to make a contribution in the 30 minute session. 1st June 2011 – Minister of transport Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP sent a 3 page letter to the ministers in the other 26 EU states. In the letter the Minister stated: ‘On 30 November 2010 the UK secured EU agreement for a trial that avoids physical touching of the turban by hand….” 15th June 2011 – All Party Parliamentary Group for UK Sikhs (APPGS) meets the Transport Minister Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers. The Minister has confirmed that the trial will be taking place in 17 out of the 20 largest UK airports. Fabian Hamilton MP who is the chair of APPGS will be speaking to the executives within the remaining 3 airports for a justification as to why they wont be entering the trial. 12th July 2011 – Sikh representatives meet the Transport Mnister – Sikhs want the UK trials concluded as soon as possible and the results shared with the European Commission to allow other EU member states to adopt the same procedures as soon as possible. The Minister discussed how pressure could be exerted on EU states. 18th September 2011 – Fabian Hamilton the chair of the APPGS has confirmed that a delegation of MP’s including himself and Sikh representatives will be travelling to Brussels to meet the EU Commissioner. Representatives from Italy and Greece will also be attending the meeting as there are specific problems in these countries.

The fact is that there is a trial going on at the moment across 17 UK airports which will very likely result in posstive Dastaar related procedures being implemented. As the UK contains the highest percentage of Sikhs than any Eurpoean country, EU states look to the UK when it comes to Sikh related policies. This whole dastaar day in the UK is a complete red herring. The fact is that the UK government have been bending over backwards to help the Sikh community in regards to the 'Respect For The Sikh Turban at UK Airports' issue. And for all their hard work the thanks we give them is a large awareness day outside Parliament, when one isnt even needed! They are already aware! However, Europe is another matter, in order to have the UK Sikh airport policies implemented in Europe, it is very worth while having these awareness get togethers there.

Angrez - Communication to the wider sangat has always been a weak point. I agree that this needs to be improved. You also need to understand that the federation sevadaars have families and also hold down full time jobs, all the dastaar issue related seva was done on top of these commitments and usually at considerable personal expense. I personally respect them for achieving so much with so little.

In the last 6 months the Sikh federation and Sikh Council have achieved the following in regards to the Respect For Sikh Turbans in Airports issue:- March 22nd 2011 - Lobby in the British parliament in regards to Respect for the Sikh Turban at UK airports (and across Europe). April 26th 2011 – 30 minute adjournment debate took place in Westminster. Dozens of MP’s attended the Respect For Sikh Turban debate and 15 managed to make a contribution in the 30 minute session. 1st June 2011 – Minister of transport Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP sent a 3 page letter to the ministers in the other 26 EU states. In the letter the Minister stated: ‘On 30 November 2010 the UK secured EU agreement for a trial that avoids physical touching of the turban by hand….” 15th June 2011 – All Party Parliamentary Group for UK Sikhs (APPGS) meets the Transport Minister Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers. The Minister has confirmed that the trial will be taking place in 17 out of the 20 largest UK airports. Fabian Hamilton MP who is the chair of APPGS will be speaking to the executives within the remaining 3 airports for a justification as to why they wont be entering the trial. 12th July 2011 – Sikh representatives meet the Transport Mnister – Sikhs want the UK trials concluded as soon as possible and the results shared with the European Commission to allow other EU member states to adopt the same procedures as soon as possible. The Minister discussed how pressure could be exerted on EU states. 18th September 2011 – Fabian Hamilton the chair of the APPGS has confirmed that a delegation of MP’s including himself and Sikh representatives will be travelling to Brussels to meet the EU Commissioner. Representatives from Italy and Greece will also be attending the meeting as there are specific problems in these countries. There is a lot of hard work going on to reslove the dastaar issue and we are making great progress. Going forward, any awareness days or demonstrations should be strategically organised with agreement from the Sikh Council & Sikh Federation.

Sikh Channel & Sangat Tv are doing an amazing seva and have added lots of value to the Sikh Panth!! If these petty differences do exist then c'mon channels iron them out, but they are minor at best and can never take away from the amazing seva the channels have done.

Funny how you always get newbie's starting off these threads....

I dont think that someone who is in the Executive Board member of a U.K. based Sikhi affiliated institution should hold these kind of views. Rishi Handa:- http://www.citysikhs.org.uk/meet-the-team/exec-board/ And here is where the article is from. Read the second post:- http://www.tapoban.org/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=80074&t=78759 Dont get me wrong, I am a member of the City Sikhs Network and I know that they are doing some great things. But this Rishi Handa guy on the Exec Board, he just doesnt feel right.

The Birth of the Khalsa Panth by Rishi Handa “The Khalsa is my own form; I manifest myself through the Khalsa. So long as the Khalsa remains distinct; I bestow all glory on them.” Guru Gobind Singh Ji Hindus have three ‘new years’, each for a different reason, but caste, cultural and community customs prioritise different ones. One marks the beginning of the fiscal year; this falls on the day after Divali. The second relates to matters pertaining to Dharmic rites and activities as it is believed that Brahmaji’s creation happened on this day, notably at the beginning of the Navratri in March. March 17th this year was 5100 years of Kaliyuga. The other relates to matters not immediately associated with Dharma, such as the start of the harvest season. This occurs on the beginning of the month of Baishakh, or in Panjabi, Vaisakhi. This year’s Vaisakhi, falling on April 13th 1999 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh’s army, the Khalsa (the Pure Ones). This has an enormous relevance to Hindus and if we go back in the tradition, we can see what this is. In this paper, (apparent) digression is inevitable, as one needs to see the ‘big picture’. One of the Hindu scriptures, the Bhavisya (future) Purana, was written, according to Hindu tradition, by Bhagavan Veda Vyasa about 5100 years ago at the time Sri Krsna ascended back to Vaikuntha, the abode of Visnu. The purana is believed to have prophesised the coming of many events in this dark age of Kaliyuga. Chapter 28 of the second part of the purana, tells the following story: On one occasion, Rishi Sham Kartak asked Brahmaji to tell him the characteristics of Kaliyuga and how individuals of this age could cross over the ocean of worldliness. Brahmaji replied, “When the power of Dharma weakens, in the coming age when Kaliyuga arrives, for the protection of people and for the annihilation of the barbarians (mlecchas, i.e. the Muslims), in the lineage of the Bedis of the auspicious land of the west (Panjab), an avatar of a Rajyarishi by the name of Nanak will appear. He will bring his knowledge straight from the Almighty, but his appearance will be that of an ordinary man. He will destroy the quarrels of Kaliyuga, and the miseries and chaos of the people of that time.” During the medieval time of Indian history, the uprising of the Mughal empire was proving to be disastrous for Hindus and for their consequently diminishing Vedic Dharma. What was to be done? The situation was so irredeemable that now only the Lord could save them. Such desperation of the people meant that the Almighty had to keep His promise that he made to Arjuna on the land on Kuruksetra, at the dawn of the great Mahabharata war. As the avatar of Lord Krsna, The timeless Being Sri Hari proclaimed in the Bhagavad Gita (4:7-8), “Whenever there is a decline in Dharma and a rise in Adharma, I will manifest Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of Dharma, I am born in every age (yuga).” Dharma is said to have four feet: Tapa, Jnana, Yajna and Dana, which are austerity, knowledge, sacrifice and charity respectively, and in our Sastras, Dharma is represented and symbolised by a bull. According to Bhai Gurdas Ji who was the son of the third Guru, the brother in law of the fourth Guru, and the maternal uncle of the fifth, Dharma had only to stand on one foot, and sin and irreligion spread. In one of the Sikh texts, the ‘Krit Pothi Janam Sakhi of Bhai Mani Singh’ (a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh), there is an account of a dialogue between Dharma and Lord Visnu. Distressed, Dharma took the form of a bull: Dharma went to Bhagavan Visnu and said, “Lord, as You have protected (the Dharma of) the Veda in each of the four yugas; in Satyayuga You have come as Hamsa avatar, in Tretayuga You have taken the avatar of Rama, in Dvapar You have come as Krsna, and in Kaliyuga, as Nishkalank (Kalki) avatar, in the same way taking the avatar of a sadhu, make the fifth Veda the book (granth) of Your words (bani/vani) so that Visnu bhakti may flourish and the strength of (worldly) infatuation (moh) may diminish.” Then the Lord thought, “I should oblige this bull”, and the form of Guru Nanak appeared. Bhai Mani Singh Krit Pothi Janam Sakhi Three points are worth noting here: 1) As the sadhu avatar of Visnu was none other than Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Rama, Krsna and Nanak are thus one and the same , 2) the sacred Veda number in four, namely the Rgveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Whenever any text other than these four are glorified, they get referred to as the fifth Veda to enjoy an equally exalted position. In some texts the puranas have been called the fifth Veda, as has the Mahabharata. However in the reference above, the book of Visnu’s utterences in His avatar as Guruji, is the revered Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 3) with the Mughal rule in Bharatvarsa, the bhakti of Visnu had almost disappeared. At that time there was a strong resurgence of the bhakti movement during the medieval period, especially in Bengal by the avatar of Krsna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu whose birth was shortly before Guru Nanak’s. Being avatars of Visnu, they were to inevitably show devotion to Him; they both appear to have favoured His epithet, Hari. This is why Guru Granth Sahib Ji refers to several epithets of God, thousands of times, such as Hari, Rama, Madhao (Madhav), Keshao (Keshav), Bisan (Visnu). Bhai Gurdas Ji in his first // (Ode), elucidates the etymology of the term Vahiguru. Being Vaisnavas, or devotees of Visnu, the Gurus considered Vahiguru a Vaisnava mahamantra as, per Gurdas ji, each syllable came from different epithets of Visnu: Vava from Vasudeva, Haha from Hari, Gaga from Govind and Rara from Rama. Also, Guru Ramdas, the fourth Guru had the Golden Temple or Hari-mandir Sahib made. After making the tank, the Amrit Sarovar or ‘Lake of Amrit’ from where the name Amritsar comes, Guruji commanded, “In the middle, make the dwelling of Maha Visnu”. Bhai Mani Singh, in his Janam Sakhi of Guru Nanak, reveals the first master’s prophetic promise when he was in Lahore, formerly known as Luvpur where Luv, the son of Bhagavan Rama reigned. The state of the city disturbed him. He observed that as early as the start of the day, the butcherly Muslims would be killing the sacred cows and causing chaos. Said Guru Nanak to his two companions and disciples, the first a Hindu of the Jat caste, and the second a Musalman: Bhai Bala and Mardana, knowing this to the city of Luv, we have come here. However, because of the reign of the mlecch Musalmans here, there is chaos and devastation even (as early as) at day break; So taking my tenth avatar, I shall annihilate the mlecchas. The tenth incarnation? Guru Gobind Singh! His coming as the eleven Gurus had been predetermined by God, thus the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s arrival came at the necessary time, when the most despised Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was in power. The atrocities committed by him on the Hindus at that time were unimaginably severe. To wit, Aurangzeb’s plan was to convert Hindus to Islam en masse. The Muslim Qazis had advised him to focus on the root of the religion of the infidels, the Brahmins, as firstly, due to the respect that Hindus gave them, others would soon follow their way by example. Secondly, with Brahmins converted, no one would be able to read the Sastras in Sanskrit – therefore the demise of the religion of the Kafirs. Anyone not wishing to convert would have to pay a tax called Jazia, and those who had converted were given rewards and public posts. Temples were destroyed and mosques were built en lieu. The sacred cows were slaughtered in the temples and their flesh was then thrown into wells, from Hindus gave up their lives instead of sacrificing Dharma. The emperor converted or killed so may Hindus every day that their sacred threads forcibly removed on conversion or death, weighed a ‘Maund and a quarter’, which was approximately 47kg. Considering how light the sacred thread is, one can appreciate the extent of the tyranny. The distraught Kashmiri Pandits of the time prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Bhagavan Shiva appeared and told them that in this age of Kaliyuga, Guru Nanak was the Sovereign, and that he would save them. The Nanak of the time was the ninth master, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, father of Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s solution was that a holy man would have to sacrifice his life for Dharma. When his nine-year-old son, the then Gobind Rai, discovered what was happening, at once he exclaimed, “Gurudev, who else but you is holier in this age of ignorance? They have asked for your protection and you must give it to them even though, you may have to sacrifice your own life.” Pleased with his son’s reply, the Guru knew who would succeed him on the ‘throne of Nanak’. He could also see that His son would create the Order of the Khalsa, a group of holy men that would always come to the rescue of the downtrodden and the helpless. At Delhi, Aurangzeb gave Guruji three choices: to embrace Islam and receive the highest honours, to show miracles which Muslims regard as the basic characteristic of a true prophet, or to accept death. The Guru chose death. The ‘Guru ki Sakhian, Sakhi 32’ tells of what happened. The executioner performed his task (and) the head became separated from the body. The thread around the neck was not even singed; the whole congregation remained silent. Being born in respectable Ksatriya families all the gurus were invested with the sacred thread, continuing the traditions that they protected and followed in their previous incarnations as Rama, Krsna, Vamana etc. We see above, that on execution, the ninth master’s thread was untouched by the sword. Guruji’s head was brought to the calm young boy Gobind Rai by his mourning disciples (sikhs) . In reference to his father, Guru Gobind Singh writes: The Almighty Lord protected his tilak (frontal mark) and janeu (the sacred thread) ; he performed a supremely heroic act in this age of Kaliyuga. To uphold righteousness, so supreme an act did he perform; He gave his head, but he did not utter a word of sorrow. For the sake of Dharma, he did this great heroic deed; He laid down his life, but not his principles. Miracles are a cheap way of fooling people; True prophets of God are ashamed of displaying occult powers. Guru Tegh Bahadur broke his earthly vase on the head of the Emperor of Delhi; and went to the Abode of God. No one has ever done such a unique deed as did Guru Tegh Bahadur. On the Ascent of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the whole world went into mourning. Alas! Alas! rose the wailing cries from the earth; while shouts of Glory! Glory! resounded the heavens. Bacittra Natak After Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom, Gobind Rai was proclaimed the next Guru. The first thing he did after becoming Guru was perform a pilgrimage to Sri Ram Janma Bhumi. Guru Gobind Rai was unquestionably an amazing scholar. As well as studying the Sastras, and having many linguistic capabilities, he was also a prolific writer. He kept the company of learned Brahmins and composed excellent poetry on varied themes; his most revered work being the Dasam Granth. It contains many Puranic tales of the avatars of God, the largest stories being that of the avatar of Krsna, and then of Rama. The Mughal supremacy made the Hindu population demoralised and lifeless. Around India many great warriors arose to destroy the Mughals and protect their Vedic Dharma, one of the greatest being Chatrapati Shivaji of Maharastra. A few of the other Gurus also had to fight, but now it was the time of the tenth Guru to do what all the great warriors did, for his disciples had now sought his help. Dashamesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh Ji was an ardent devotee of Goddess Durga as was his father and had always been fascinated by the Puranic story of her, particularly in her incarnation as Mahisamardini (killer of Mahisa-asura). He composed ‘Chandi di //’, Chandi being an epithet of Durga, and in his work he gives glory to the Goddess, her various forms and her divine activities. He came to learn that by performing a certain Yajna or Vedic sacrifice, she would appear and grant him his desire. The Guru made arrangements with some Brahmins to perform the ceremony; he needed to invoke her for the protection of Dharma. He fasted for forty days, the duration of the Yajna, as was required. After the forty days, Maan Bhagvati appeared and presented him with a sword. Until the earlier part of this century, there was a picture of Durga, painted on the front wall of a room near the Dukhbhanjani Beri in the Golden Temple precincts. A student, Bir Singh, in a letter to Khalsa Akhbar, (12th Feb. 1897) wrote, “The Goddess stands on golden sandals and she has many hands – ten or perhaps twenty. One of the hands is stretched out and in this she holds a khanda (double-edged sword). Guru Govind Singh stands barefoot in front of it with his hands folded.” Now the Guru was ready for his contrivance. The Guru sent messages to all his disciples to come to a great fair at Anandpur Sahib, and with unshorn hair. Masses of the Guru’s Hindu disciples arrived and sat it front of a pitched tent. When Guru Ji stood up on the platform, he thundered, “I want a head”. No-one responded. Guru Ji repeated his request. At that moment a Ksatriya from Lahore called Daya Ram stood up. “My head is for you, my Lord”, came his reply. The Guru took him into the tent and a few moments later, he came out with his sword dripping with blood. He again shouted, “Is there any other true sikh of mine who will willingly offer his head?” Again no one replied, as they were sure that Guru Gobind Rai had killed Daya Ram. Just then Dharam Das, a Hindu from Delhi stood up and said, “My Guru, take my head”. His result was the same as Daya Ram’s. Guru Ji asked three more times, and Mohkam Chand of Dvarka, Sahib Chand of Bihar, and Himmat Rai of Jagannath came forward respectively. After a longer time in the tent, he came out with his Panj Piare or his ‘Five Beloved Ones’. On seeing them the crowd cheered ‘Sat Sri Akal’ The Guru now spoke to the crowd: “In the time of Guru Nanak it was Lehna (Guru Angad Dev Ji) alone who passed the Guru’s test. Now two hundred years later, five followers have passed the test. I think the five sikhs are strong enough to support the edifice that Guru Nanak planned. I am creating the Khalsa, an army of saint-soldiers which will spread through the country and abroad to proclaim Guru Nanak’s message of peace and brotherhood. Through the Khalsa I shall work to bring about an age of Peace, in which all virtuous people will be exalted and the evil doers will be destroyed. Hail to the Khalsa Panth.” He turned to the Panj Piare and embraced them: “O beloved ones, you are the foundation of the Khalsa. How blessed I feel to pledge my head to you as you did for me. Believe me, all that is mine is yours. I will never flinch from sacrificing my life for you. After your supreme sacrifice it is only befitting to baptise you with a sword. The baptised sikhs will change from jackals (cowards) to lions (Singhs) . They will not only enjoy this life with dignity, but also obtain bliss hereafter.”12 The Guru and his Panj Piare sat around an iron bowl. In it were added pure water and sugar cakes and the Guru stirred it with his Khanda while the Panj Piare read the Panj Banian or the five sacred verses (Japji, Jap Sahib, Anand Sahib, Svayye and the Chaupai). After asking them to repeat ‘Vahiguru Ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru Ji ki Fatih’ and giving them the nectar, ‘Amrit’, he changed their names to Singh. He then presented the five ‘K’s, the description of which is in the ‘Guru Panth Prakash’, for all members of the Khalsa to wear: 1) The Kara (bangle) - this was adopted because it was worn by the Goddess Kali. 2) The Kirpan (sword) 3) The Kacch (shorts) - this was worn by Hanuman Ji. 4) Kesh (hair) – this is an interesting one. The only people who kept long uncut hair were the Sadhus. Guru Ji’s intention was to imitate them and make the Khalsa a group of Saint-Soldiers. Contrary to popular thought, none of the Gurus and their sikhs kept long hair, until the time the Khalsa was established. This is why Guru Gobind Singh made it one of the five ‘K’s (otherwise there was no need. The fact that he asked people to come with unshorn hair that day meant that they used to cut it). Man was considered to be complete with his turban. It was the sign of respect and honour for the Hindus, hence the Mughals forbade them from wearing it. The only place, in Northern India at least, that was not affected as much by Muslim authority was Rajasthan, consequently Rajasthani Hindus were able to wear them. Thus the first nine Gurus wore not turbans, but hats . The relatively recent but most popular paintings of Guru Nanak by Sobha Singh give the wrong idea. The older paintings of Guru Nanak early this century did not show him wearing a turban, but a black hat. When the Gurus undertook the ceremony of Guruship, it involved the application of tilak on their foreheads, and putting on a black hat. As well as this, upon the investiture of the sacred thread during their childhood, they had to have their heads shaved, except for the tonsure at the back. 5) The Kanga (comb) – this was to keep the hair tidy. Baptising the panj piare, he asked them to baptise him in return. Hesitatingly they did so and changed his name from Gobind Rai to Gobind Singh. He said, “The Khalsa is the Guru and the Guru is the Khalsa. There is no difference between me and my Khalsa”. Commenting on this Bhai Gurdas Ji wrote, “Great is Gobind Singh, the Guru and disciple in one” . Guruji then initiated tens of thousands of people, many of whom were Brahmins and Ksatriyas, into the Khalsa. This marked the beginning of the end of the great Mughal Empire, and the preservation of the sanatana Vedic Dharma…. I have come into this world for this purpose The Supreme Guru has sent me for the protection of Dharma: “You should propagate Dharma everywhere; Seize and destroy the sinful and the wicked”. I have taken birth for this purpose, Let the holy men understand this in their minds. I have come for the establishment of Dharma and for the protection of saints, And for annihilating (uprooting) all the tyrants. Guru Gobind Singh, Bacittra Natak The Khalsa belongs to God and to God alone belongs Victory

I've heard lots of bad things about the guy who put this all together ('Hindu Gods' worshipper Niddar). Go see the exhibition, but beware of any clever & subtle messages portraying the Sikhs to be a sect of Hinduism.

Dont get me wrong, I aint knocking the I.D.P, its good that there are people interested in politics. I just hope they work alongside existing parties to maximise the overall strength of the panth, and not work against each other.

The Sikh Federation Uk have been in this space for a number of years already. From what I understand recently thay have:- * Organised the Sikh Freedom Rally in Trafalguar Square. * Became an umbrella organisation of the Sikh Council UK, to ensure that all UK based Sikh organisations speak with one voice. * They have actively lobbied the UK government on issues such as the professor bhullar case, turban issue in airports, articles of faith issues etc etc * They do not have a formal international setup (i.e. Sikh Federations are not based all over the world), however, they work with all the key players from Canada, America etc to form a more fluid international coalition i.e. why recreate the wheel when you can just work with organisations already up and running. So my question are:- * Do we really need the I.P.D, why not just join the Sikh Federation? * Will you be working with the Sikh Federation on common causes or simply duplicating efforts? * Will you be developing a good relationship with the Sikh Federation or has the I.P.D been set up in the UK as the members are individuals who do not get on with the Sikh Federation?

Police officials visited Guru Harkrishan Gurdwara in the Oadby area of Leicester and advised that they have recieved intelligence that there may be rioting in the Oadby area of Leicester tonight, they have advised us to protect the Gurdwara. Please come and protect:- Gurdwara Shri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji 48 Kenilworth Drive, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 5LG We will start gathering there from 6:30pm onwards. Call 07717 484479 for further information.

Sweetshera your a joke!!

Sangat TV - We all love you. But please get rid of Sonia Deol!!!!

This doesnt clear up anything, the guy sounds like a complete sellout.... It was the Sikh Massands that got Baba Banda Singh Bahadhur arrested and executed.... It was the Sikh Massands that sold out and lost Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikhs their Raaj... It was the Sikh Massands that begged Indra to attack the Darbar Sahib in 84, so that they could get rid of Bhindranwale and take control... It is the Sikh Massands like Bobby Friction, who continue to stab their own community in the back at every opportunity. While the whole world praises Sangat TV, this plonker manages to find the only negative and formally report it to the relevant authorities.

Sikh Channel is the best thing to happen to the panth in decades. Cancelling direct debits is a silly resolution which would leave us back at square one.........

Good work Sikh Federation!!