MisterrSingh

I'd argue it takes a unique personality to recognise and ultimately reject the trappings of wealth and status when it's all you've ever known. Imagine Prince William doing a Buddha; it would never happen. Even the child of a modern day millionaire businessman might flirt with the idea of walking away from it all, but the opportunities and cushion that wealth provides is overwhelmingly comforting in so many ways. That nagging little voice at the back of the mind is easier to quieten when there's nothing at hand with which to silence it into compliance. Environment probably has a part to play, too. In that regard I suppose the era of Buddha was more conducive to the kind of musings and contemplating that lead to him take the path of solitude.

She may be possessed by a mischievous demoness. Time to unleash the big guns...

They believe in something that can't be described, measured, discerned, and attempting to do so is considered to be the height of futility. Sounds familiar? Of course, there's variations in beliefs dependent on sect, etc.

You sound like you've got a wonderful head on your shoulders despite all life has thrown at you. I'm awed that you're able to assess and describe your issues in such a mature and level headed manner, and you don't seem embittered or jaded by your experiences. That's true chardikala even though you may not feel it at times. Never allow the world to grind that part of you away into dust even during the darkest of times. As for the PCOS and related conditions it's a minefield. Take it one step at a time. I wish I could provide a specific plan or definite answers to help you out, but I genuinely wouldn't know where to begin. I won't patronise you with platitudes that will seem hollow and meaningless considering all you've been through, but don't assume you're alone. Keep your head up, little sister.

Whenever I hear of or see cases where such issues have taken place, I always think of the lessons of Chatropokhiyan. It's all there in black and white. Times may change, but human nature does not.

D3, not just the regular D. Ensure it's the 25ug variety. Anything lower than that for a non-meat eater is a waste of time and money. Also, Iron capsules, but don't go overboard. Listen to your body. Don't plough endlessly through these vitamins for years, because taking them when the body doesn't require them causes as much problems as not consuming them when they are needed. You should've been soaking up the rays for the past 2 months in the UK. That's the real good stuff. Drink lots of water and get a regular sweat on. Everything should accordingly tick on quite nicely.

I don't look funny, smelly, or like an under-nourished manlet. That's probably a currycel Indian thing for urban Delhi and Mumbai dwellers. I'm Punjabi. My gene game from a wider ethnic and familial genetic perspective is strong. Make a Sikh joke at my expense, and I'll plant one on your nasaa. ?

There's also a definite sense of... I'm not sure if "racism" is too strong a word, but there's a palpable sense of these native hosts considering themselves naturally superior to these brown immigrants, such as Indians, by virtue of existence. The locals also find the idea of immigrants seeking citizenship to be mind boggling, and they actually say to those guys quite openly, "But you'll never be Spanish / Italian." lol. It's not even said in a cruel way, but almost in exasperation or disbelief, like someone trying to fathom the inner workings of an alien species. Fascinating stuff.

Speaking to Sikh guys who worked a few years in places like Italy before coming over to the UK, they say the same thing: whilst they weren't abused or mistreated, there was definitely a sense of low-key hostility or resentment towards them, on the part of the native host community, for almost having the temerity to come to those aforementioned European countries for which non-white immigration is a relatively recent phenomenon. It's certainly an eye-opener.

True. I know 2 well-to-do uk-based Sikh families who were ready to make the move to Canada a few years ago. I'm talking very well educated and wealthy people, not families living hand-to-mouth. Then all talk of it just fizzled out the more they looked into the social and communal aspects of it. It apparently became clear to them that it would almost be like a step backwards to Punjab. In the UK one can still continue to avoid the Islamic encroachment to a certain degree, but Muslim or not, even some of our people's aadataa (in terms of Punjabi arrivals to Canada) are verging on absolute third-worldness. It's strange how the Sikh families who make their way into the UK after spending years in places like Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, etc., are a lot more subdued and sensible compared to the janta that goes straight from the pind to cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Makes one wonder what's going on, lol.

He's exactly the person I've had in mind for a few years now when analysing certain aspects of this discussion. Gurdas Maan started out as the Punjabi-Sikh Bob Dylan; his folk influenced lyrics (admittedly not entirely his own compositions) that broached frankly amazingly deep sentiments about life in general and our particular Punjabi mindset, eventually gave way to the kind of frothy nonsense that Malkit Singh has been churning out since day 1. The phrase, "artistic integrity" is one that's conspicuous by its absence in the lexicon of nearly all Punjabi artists and performers.

That was something I was tempted to add to yesterday's post, but I decided against it, lol. There's a certain responsibility on the part of these performers that comes with wanting to be the faces of a cultural movement (even if ultimately they are lining their own pockets despite their assertions to the contrary), and whether they like it or not, there's more than a hint of Sikh ethics and principles as a foundation of their appeal, especially since an element of the draw of their image is rooted in much of the valour and bravado afforded to our people that has been derived in part from our glorious and honourable religious history. I wonder how many of them are even cognisant of such issues.

Spot-on. For the religious or the spiritual, this gaana and nachna & tapna is most likely kaljug, but as I said it all weirdly contributes to an awareness of certain imagery or symbols that young Sikh Punjabis simply wouldn't be exposed to if the alternative was viewing our lives purely through the lens of Indian Bollywood, which enjoys casting us in the light of the harmless clown or the boisterous and unintelligent fighter for the Indian cause.

From a cultural P.R. and optics perspective, as mentioned by OP, it's a positive thing a certain aspect of our culture is thriving not only in India but wherever in the world our people reside. One doesn't have to be an admirer or even a listener of such artistes and their music to understand the big-picture, objective, cultural aspects of getting our ideas, our ways, and our language "out there" in these times when the growing global mood and desire is moving currently in the direction of erasing those aspects of our nature and being that makes us different from each other even if those differences are perfectly just and unobjectionable. To be fair, I struggle to listen to most of it, lmao. It's just basic level stuff designed to get people dancing or in some cases over-sentimental about an airbrushed past.

It's strange, cos one would assume those with a Hindu bent to their beliefs would be decidedly anti-Sant Jarnail Singh in-line with the events of recent history, but it's true, all the Sainis I'm familiar with really go heavy on the Khalistan / Taksali side of the struggle.

I don't think that's been the plan by design -- because that would require almost unheard of Machiavellian deviousness -- to organise and execute such a longstanding plan that will have been prone to so many unexpected variables and situations over the course of a few hundred years, BUT if it does come to fruition I suppose the victors will claim it was meant to be! I agree. Their initial visual presence and enthusiasm is, as always, gradually tempered over the years and decades as the day-to-day realities, toils and the grind of the immigrant life takes its toll on us all, hehe. For the moment it's a bit of a novelty and quite a nice thing to see for Sikhs.

I wasn't specifically referring to getting one over Sikhs. In fact, I think you'd be in a prime position to boss the majority host community if certain manoeuvres were made and a few things went your way. But, yes, you make a good point about the likes of the Lebanese, Turks, Iranians, etc. That's easy to forget when one's experiences of Muslims are occasionally limited to the Pakistani demographic. I still have a feeling the needs of the Ummah would command some form of attraction for Muslims if the "prize" was in sight, but I defer to your knowledge of your own kind.

I would think furthering the collective interests of Muslims in a foreign land would call a temporary truce to these caste / country / faith-based squabbles and differences. You don't think so? Interesting. I think when something coveted and previously unthinkable like dominance and power is in reach, a cessation of hostilities is an essential strategy. Nobody's suggesting they should intermarry, lol, but your lot would be crazy not to join hands in order to secure hegemony. Then you can fight it out amongst yourselves for complete dominance, lol.

In essence, Sikhs in Canada are, at the moment, arguably the dominant minority group in terms of visibility and representation, so obviously they have, over the course of generations, ascended their host society's political and general social apparatus. This is what ultimately leads to power for whichever migrant demographic takes the initiative. Now it's Sikhs, in the distant future it will be another group, most obviously Muslims due to their numbers. In the UK we are one of many colonially-descended immigrant groups (Jamaican-origin blacks, Pakistanis, Hindus, etc) vying for the scarce scraps that the British ruling classes deem appropriate to scatter for its migrant populations to battle amongst themselves. Muslims are being enabled into power across Europe in an attempt to normalise the idea of Muslim power in white lands through a combination of long-standing yet ever-burgeoning climate of political correctness and Marxist-influenced establishments (such as the media) smoothing the way for, as I said, normalising the idea that the default norm should include considerable Islamic representation. Is this rooted in something sinister, or is it merely suicidal albeit naive benevolence on the part of European whites? I'm genuinely undecided at the moment. This should be a grave concern for Sikhs in the UK. One only has to glance at the political and social landscape to realise how far we've fallen behind in so many vital fields. We are on the verge of becoming a subordinate minority to the dominant minority group which incidentally also has the fortune of being supported by the white establishment in many overt and less than overt ways. This is all due to our complacency and -- here it comes again -- our lack of foresight and inability to peer years and decades into the future. Once the descendants of the colonial era Pakistanis are joined by the 2nd and 3rd generation Syrians, Iraqis, Somalians, etc., who flocked to the UK as refugees and migrants over the course of the past 15 or so years, where do you people think this will leave everyone else? Is it sinking in now?

The Lovepreets and Lovelyjeets of the world which are favoured by contemporary resident Punjabi Sikhs are hilariously bad choices. Although, I can't say I'm too impressed by diaspora Sikhs who name their kids after Guru Sahibs especially when the family, shall we say, struggle to live up to the stature of the name bestowed upon the child, lol. I suppose it's a positive thing ultimately, because at least the kid might grow up to ask the origins of his name.

Here's a picture of my mentor from a few days ago working with some unfortunate people afflicted by toona. He has a lot of heart.

Depends on the type of spell and the skill of the practitioner. Also, there's a WORLD of difference between the run-of-the-mill airborne variants unleashed by the average pind-dwelling pandit / maulvi, and the absolute hardcore top-tier magician (the ones who charge a hefty sum for their skills) who manages to slip his wares into the victim's bloodstream and / or digestive system through various means. If I say much more it'll seem like I probably know more than I should, lol. I will say the kind of black magic that's commonly discussed amongst our people is elementary stuff. It's kiddie level that can be dismissed with an ardaas as long as you're "practicing." But If the sharaab is flowing on the daily and the dodhe are being prodigiously smoked, then even something basic can become a serious problem. The real, dark and forceful stuff will not relent and will not be scared away by anyone or anything. Where the kamaii of a non-sant who falls victim to such evil comes into play is a) how soon the victim recognises what's been done to them, and b) how soon the intended target recovers from its affects. If, like my old friends, you're still young and you're caught unawares despite your shardaa and rehat, you're going to need to be very, very lucky to survive, and that depends on your karams.

It doesn't. It just affects the little people. But then that's why we've been gifted Gurbani, so the little people can BECOME the big people.

It must be karams, then. Previously generated and earned kamai for the individual/s in question.

It's not something I enjoy talking about on a public forum. Sure, I have my doubts like most people: "It was depression that led to suicide" or "It was a physical illness" etc. Like with most things in our community, nobody truly understands these issues until they come knocking on the door. Until then it's an issue that's ripe for doubt, disbelief, and mockery. It doesn't bother me. Who truly knows how such nonsense works.