Azaad

In a fresh twist in the case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the complainant, who the police claimed had submitted an affidavit seeking cancellation of the FIR, today said in a Bathinda court that he had never filed such an affidavit.

On January 27, three days before the Assembly elections, the police had filed an application in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Harjit Singh stating that the 2007 case against the dera chief be cancelled. The dera chief was booked for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.

The application submitted by the police has an “affidavit” of complainant Rajinder Singh Sidhu that states he had not seen the dera head dressed as Sri Guru Gobind Singh at his Salabatpura Dera and that he did not listen to the religious discourse given.

On the basis of this affidavit, the Kotwali police had moved an application seeking cancellation of the FIR. CJM Harjit Singh summoned Sidhu who told the court that he did not want the FIR to be cancelled. He also claimed that he did not give any such affidavit to the Bathinda police. His advocate Jatinder Roy Khattra claimed the affidavit police presented in court had not been attested. Sidhu added that after registering the FIR, police had forced him to sign a few blank papers.

The complainant Sidhu told the court today and that legal action should be taken against the dera chief. He also insisted that police should soon present challan in the case.

The next hearing has been fixed for February 11. Interestingly, the Bathinda police has not filed a challan in the court even after three years of registration of the FIR.

“The cancellation of the case was used as a bait to woo dera and ensure that dera votes are cast in SAD’s favour. However, on January 28, the dera secretly decided to support different candidates and did not come out openly on this subject. After the elections concluded and the Congress thanked dera for its support, the equations changed,” said sources.

• Three days before the Assembly elections, on January 27, the Bathinda police had filed an application in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Harjit Singh stating that the FIR against Gurmeet Ram Rahim be cancelled.
  
• An affidavit said to have been signed by complainant Rajinder Singh Sidhu accompanied the application.
  
• The complainant said on Saturday that he did not give the Bathinda police any such affidavit.
  

Dera Sacha Sauda spokesperson Ram Singh said the case has already died its own death. "Police was supposed to present challan in court within three years of registration of case. Four-years-and-a-half have passed, but there is no trace of challan," he said. He however refused to comment on the complainant Rajinder Singh Sidhu turning hostile, saying he has not yet seen the facts.

VJKK VJKF phaji... Yes you can.

On the product page http://www.sikhistor...m-kurta-pyjama/

You need to enter details about your Kurta Pyjama. Along with the sizes, enter any other preferences like collars instead of round neck etc. We have updated this page now on the website to make it clearer for customers in the future.

And we are awaiting photos for this, maybe yours could be the one photographed

Thanks,

www.SikhiStore.com

As soon as I figure how to measure myself I will be ordering!! :biggrin2:

Three days after armed activists of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee, a private outfit, attacked SGPC employees with sharp-edged weapons, the SGPC today talked tough and warned the committee to mend its ways, besides announcing to approach the Akal Takht over the issue.

Addressing mediapersons here, SGPC Secretary Dalmegh Singh alleged that the committee was unnecessarily intervening in the SGPC's work. He accused the committee members of carrying out searches in different gurdwaras on their own without having any authority to do so. "Who has given them the right to act in such a manner?" he wondered. He further charged the panel members of attempting to conduct a search at an SGPC-run gurdwara in Kartarpur, besides taking away some literature from the house of writer Anoop Singh.

He claimed the SGPC was receiving complaints against the committee from different quarters. He said if at all the committee members fond something wrong at a religious place, they could sort out the matter in a peaceful manner by initiating a dialogue. "Assaulting individuals and taking law in hand is not a solution," he added.

Dalmegh also showed a video footage of the committee members brutally thrashing some individuals for allegedly committing sacrilege at a Ludhiana village. He said by resorting to such a move, the panel members not only took law in their hand but also exhibited disrespect to turban as during their action turbans of the aggrieved individuals fell off. He also lashed out against a committee supporter, Gurjinder Singh, who targeted the SGPC in an interview to a foreign TV channel, alleging that he himself had been booked for smuggling of drugs in the Chabbal area of Tarn Taran in 2006. He also produced a copy of the FIR lodged against Gurjinder in this regard. He cautioned Sikhs to be aware of such elements and "don't allow themselves to get misled by them".

Earlier, a group of armed activists belonging to the committee had attacked employees of the SGPC's publication wing in the city on January 31, accusing them of perpetrating sacrilege of religious scripture. Subsequently, the police had registered a case and arrested some of the activists of the committee involved in the violence in which some SGPC employees suffered injuries.

I wanted to order the custom made Kurta Pjyama but wanted to ask if they would be able to make one with the collars instead of a round neck? Also if possible upload a picture like you have done with the custom Taksali Chola please?

my predictions:

Congress: 63 seats

Shiromani Akali Dal: 42

BJP: 8

PPP:4

I personally would've loved to see PPP get more seats but dont think it will happen.

Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana criticises Simranjit Singh Mann and says that he has never visited the Singhs in the Prison.

if only simranjit singh maan could get babbu maans backing instead, love him or hate him, atleast simranjit gets happily arrested for shouting khalistan zindabad whenever he feels like it.

Simranjit Singh Mann can't even get the support of the Jujharoo Singhs. Bhai Balwant Singh has said Mann is a sell out for not visiting the SSinghs in jail and just using them for his own benefit

Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana criticises Simranjit Singh Mann.

While the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) has released the Punjabi version of the lovelorn song “Kolaveri Di” to influence young voters, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is banking on “dhadis” (ballad singers) to boost its election campaign in the countryside.

“For us, the next four weeks are going to be very busy as we will be performing at the election rallies of various SAD candidates during this period,” said a member of “dhadi” jatha, led by Jaspal Singh Tan. His jatha, which performs at almost all major religious congregations, is popular in most parts of the state.

Before the beginning of a rally here today, Tan’s jatha of “dhadis” charged the crowd with ballads based on the Sikh history, especially those related to the period of Guru Gobind Singh. The election meeting was arranged by Justice Nirmal Singh.

“Dhadis have a good understanding of the Sikh psyche and they know how to relate the Sikh history to the winning of the battles, be it poll battle or some campaign started by Akalis for their demands,” Gurdev Singh, a senior Akali leader, said, adding that he was not aware about the song “Kolaveri Di”.

He said “dhadis” had a tremendous appeal in the rural areas and they fit well in the cultural ethos of the rural life. Moreover, the SAD was supposed to maintain its traditional identity having roots in religion dominated politics, although the party was now dominated by young leaders such as Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, he added.

Meanwhile, Bhagwant Mann has not only improvised “Kolaveri Di” song to make it a PPP’s poll song but has also released an album of songs which includes a song based on popular Punjabi number “Yar Anmule” to spread the message of his party among the masses. He said music these days had a major impact on the public, mainly the youngsters.

“Slogans and songs have always remained an integral part of the elections. There is a custom of making theme songs, especially in countries like the US. These songs prove an effective way to register party’s message among the voters,” said an election watcher. The Congress leadership, which has so far remained busy in selecting candidates for the assembly elections, is also likely to come out with its own version of “Kolveri Di”.

Because with the Punjab Elections around the corner (30th January) many political parties have approached Ofcom and reported the channel for biased viewing. To counter this all parties have apparently been invited to come on and explain their aims and objectives. Sangat is free to question them on any issue. Apart from the Congress, The Akali Dal (Badal), Akali Dal (Amritsar), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP) have already been confirmed for forthcoming shows.

To find this out all you had to do was phone up the studio and ask...

The Akal Takht here today held the members of Italy-based National Sikh Dharam Parchar Committee (NSDPC) guilty of showing disrespect to Sri Guru Granth Sahib and misbehaving with the SGPC officials who had gone there (to Italy) to distribute 450 Birs (holy scriptures).

Led by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, the five high priests directed the guilty to clean footwear and wash utensils of devotees who partake ‘langar’ at a path they have been told to hold at Vakanza gurdwara in Italy. They were also directed to appear again before the Akal Takht to pay obeisance and offer ‘karah prasad’ of Rs 1,100.

Also, the high priests recommended registration of a police complaint against the voluntary organisation supporting civil activist Anna Hazare for showing black flags to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his recent visit to the Golden Temple.

The hearing on another key issue, alleged involvement of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in provoking anti-Sikh riots, was deferred.

It was for the first time that following a request from Italian gurdwaras that 450 holy ‘saroops’ were transported to the foreign nation as ‘tourists’ on April 19. The Birs were sent in special vehicles up to Mumbai from where they were sent to Italy by ship with an SGPC delegation, which included general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, secretary Dalmegh Singh and information officer Dalbir Singh Fauji.

The issue raked controversy when upon returning, the delegation submitted a complaint of misbehaviour and non-cooperation by NSDPC officer bearers.

The NSDPC members too levelled allegations against the SGPC delegation. Following this, the Jathedar summoned NSDPC head Harwant Singh to appear before the Akal Takht secretariat today to pronounce the verdict.

On the black flags shown to the PM, the Jathedar said it was a breach of VVIP security. “The PM was here on a personal visit, not with any political motive. It was not proper on the part of a handful of miscreants who disturbed the peace and sanctity of the Golden Temple. We recommend registration of a police case,” he said.

Meanwhile, the high priests also advocated that no one would be allowed to script Sri Guru Granth Sahib without the prior permission from the SGPC.

A labour of love has gone into the creation of a massive new book about the Golden Temple that incorporates a comprehensive account of the photographic and visual history of the holy place, including the earliest known image from an 1825 miniature.

The cover of ‘The Golden Temple of Amritsar, Reflections of the Past (1808-1959)’

Amandeep Singh Madra and his co-author Parmjit Singh are the moving spirits behind this 303-page book that has been published on Friday by Kashi House, the publishing wing of the UK Punjab Heritage Association. The book has been designed by Juga Singh with writing and research back up provided by Harbaksh Singh and Gurdeep Singh Gill.

Critics describe the book as a coffee table presentation, but there is much more substance to “The Golden temple of Amritsar, Reflections of the Past (1808-1959)”, which starts with an impressive and detailed introduction that records pre-Sikh mythology, including the story of the Pandavs, as well as Lav and Kush and the visit of the Buddha. Also detailed are the past acts of destruction, the re-building of the temple and the Great Game played out between the British Empire and its European rivals from France to Russia.

Few can fail to be moved by quotes from the Gurus, such as Guru Arjan Dev, as well as the observations of secular, foreign visitors. Three Englishmen who visited Harmandar Sahib in 1897 had this to say, “It was beautiful, this offering of blushing flowers, the reverence, the meekness, the atmosphere of mysticism, the lavish resplendent wealth, the impressive music, the fascinating Eastern-ness of it all. We came away speaking no words.”

One of the most interesting and shocking stories, extracted from the published account put together by the late Prof Sahib Singh of Khalsa College, Amritsar, concerns the attempted auction of the Golden Temple by the British authorities in 1877.

This is a shock and awe story related to an actual miracle that happened when a ball of lightning that entered the temple in April 1877 from one door while the congregation inside was at prayer, hovered above the Guru Granth Sahib and disappeared through the opposite door, leaving everyone in a sense of shock. The shocked British authorities were told of the miracle on the morning they were planning to auction the temple. The auction was subsequently cancelled.

The authors also write about the ‘bungas’, the palatial dwellings along the temple periphery that belonged to the Sikh aristocracy, as well as to various religious orders who offered free education in languages and religion, as well as comparative religions. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s bunga was demolished by the British in 1870 to make way for a clock tower that overshadowed the temple itself. Demolitions of other bungas continued thereafter until none were left by the time of Partition.

Although the book is pricey at £45, it represents a huge amount of effort spanning two years with archives investigated from Delhi to Honolulu, including the uncovering of 70 eyewitness accounts.

Profits from the limited edition of 3,000 copies are to be ploughed back into special new edition of the now out of date and much sought after book, first published in 1999, entitled, “Warrior Saints, 300 years of the Sikh military tradition”.

The Guru Teg Bahadur Museum is located less than 1 km from the monumental Virasat-e-Khalsa and just 50 metre from Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in this holy town, but its condition is very different from the Rs 300-crore monument inaugurated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on November 25.

The museum was shut for renovation some 18 months ago and is yet to be opened to the public though work was “completed” some time in June-July at a cost of Rs 1 crore. The reason: Official apathy and an unending wait for some exhibits that were taken to Patiala and Chandigarh for restoration soon after renovation began in the first half of 2010.

Located across the road from one of the five Sikh Takhts, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the museum’s main door was found locked earlier this month. A woman employee, one of the nine working at the museum, revealed that due to renovation “it had been closed to the public for over 18 months. Some of the artifacts were yet to arrive and only once they did could the museum be formally reopened to the general public,” she told The Tribune team.

A little later, a member of the museum security staff opened the side door to allow the team to have a look at the paintings on display in the exhibition hall. The paintings had been taken to Chandigarh and Patiala for retouching and for new mounts.

A cannon belonging to Guru Gobind Singh lay wrapped up in a piece of cloth in a corner as its mount was yet to be assembled. Empty display cases waited for Guru Teg Bahadur’s robe and Guru Gobind Singh’s sword.

Though polished granite and glossy imported tiles have been used in the renovated exhibition hall, a thick dust cover could be seen on paintings of the Sikh Gurus. The museum does not have a cleaner.

The Guru Teg Bahadur Museum is dedicated to the ninth guru’s sacrifice but not many in the holy city that primarily owes its eminence to ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur, and tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh,were aware that it had been closed for almost two years.

The SGPC employees at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib didn’t know. The Director of Cultural Affairs, mandated to look after all museums in the state, is not even aware of its existence.

“To be honest, I am not aware of this museum. I was given charge of this department recently. I was brought in as the Chief Executive Officer of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation to get the Virasat-e-Khalsa completed. That task has been accomplished. Now I will focus on other heritage buildings, museums and war memorials in the state,” says Karamjit Singh Sra, director of Cultural Affairs. He had no explanation for the state of neglect.

The new-look museum boasts of close circuit cameras, neon lights and other state-of-the-art fittings. The original plaque tracing the museum’s origin lay stacked outside along the boundary wall with broken pieces of furniture and old fittings.

The plaque says that the museum was developed under the guidance of Dr MS Randhawa. Architect Surjit Singh, artists Kirpal Singh, Jaswant Singh and Devinder Singh and engineers SS Virdi, TN Gupta, Surjit Singh and Sarup Singh Rattan were associated with its design, construction and exhibits. Also associated with the museum were the then Director of Punjab Public Relations Tej Singh and Additional Director, Cultural Affairs, Tarlochan Singh.

The museum was completed in the early 80s. In 2010, because of years of neglect, it was shut for renovation. There is still a lot of wet paint around and it is likely to be a while before the museum is re-opened to the public.

Current Status of Punjab Vidhan Sabha:

Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) 49 seats

Indian National Congress 44 seats

Bhartiya Janta Party 19 seats

Independents 5 seats

my prediction for 2012

Indian National Congress 63

Shiromani Akali Dal 40

Bhartiya Janta Party 5

Sanjha Morcha (PPP) 6

Independents 3

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann today said he had placed the order for T-shirts that carried the name and image of Khalistan ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Hondh-Chillar whistleblower Manwinder Singh, meanwhile, denied having any link with the pro-Khalistani T-shirts seized by the Ludhiana police recently.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president said, “Why to harass Manwinder. I have placed the order for the T- shirts. Bhindranwale is my hero.”

He said the trader was not selling weapons but simply making T-shirts. “The police has unnecessarily exaggerated the issue by showing that the T-shirt maker was indulging in anti- national activities,” he said.

Levelling allegations on the police, Mann said, “If the police seized the T-shirts due to security reasons, then why the activists were allowed to showcase the T-shirts and given the opportunity of grabbing political mileage.”

The city police seized 200 pro-Khalistan T-shirts from a manufacturing unit located in the Salem Tabri area here last evening. The incident has alerted the state police which had been expecting trouble from pro-Khalistan activists ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

Senior police officials have said the intelligence wing has received inputs about pro-Khalistan activists getting active.

The matter further snowballed into a controversy today when the police booked Manwinder Singh Gyaspura, the whistleblower who brought to fore Hondh-Chillar massacre that took place in Haryana, for inciting religious sentiments.

Talking to The Tribune on the phone, Manwinder claimed that he had been implicated in the case. "The police has registered a false case against me. These T- shirts belong to one Dilbag Singh of Amritsar. I have nothing to do with these," he said, adding that a local leader, Baljeet Jassian, had been blackmailing him for the past few days.

"Last night, Baljeet and his cronies along with a police officer raided the places where these T- shirts were being manufactured and seized the material. I came to know about the incident after I was booked for instigating religious sentiments," said Manwinder.

Police sources said they were investigating the matter as the government had issued specific instruction to show "zero tolerance" towards any activity that vitiated the peaceful atmosphere in the state. The government has been cautioned by Central intelligence agencies about attempts by Khalistani ideologues to push in weapons to be used during the elections.

The seizure of the T-shits has sent the police department in a tizzy. DCP Ashish Chaudhry said necessary action had been taken and law would take its course.

The T-shirts, bearing Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's picture with "Pakke Khalistani" written on these, were being manufactured in a factory unit.

Baljeet Jassian has alleged that nearly 10,000 pro-Khalistan T-shirts had been sold by Manwinder. "I suspect a political conspiracy behind the issue. The motive is to upset peace in the state," said Jassian, who lodged a complaint against the manufacturing of these T- shirts.

In what will fulfil one of the long-pending demands of the Sikh community, the Union Home Ministry has given its nod to the Anand Marriage Bill, also known as the Anand Karaj Bill. This will allow Sikhs to get their marriages registered under the separate law.

The next step will be the passing of the Bill in Parliament. Some fine tuning of the same is being done and it could be tabled in Parliament next week in case the Union Cabinet meets before that. The Bill was not discussed at today's meeting of the Cabinet. The ruling combine does not see any problem in getting the Bill passed, if it is tabled in Parliament.

At present, the Sikhs have to get their marriages registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, while Parsis, Christians and Muslims have separate laws for the registration of their marriages. During British times, the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, was promulgated. However, it was not adopted at the time of framing of the Constitution of independent India.

There were protests by political parties of Punjab during the monsoon session of Parliament after the government announced that it did not favour amendment to the Anand Karaj Act for the registration of Sikh marriages.

Earlier, a Parliamentary standing committee had unanimously approved the necessary amendment, but the Centre had vetoed the Sikh community's demand on the plea that this could lead to similar demands from other communities covered under the Hindu Marriage Act.

The government was, however, forced to reverse its earlier position as it realised that it could snowball into a political controversy and provide a potent issue to rival Akalis in the forthcoming Punjab elections.

Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh had recently taken up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court restored voting rights to Sehajdhari Sikhs, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said they would not let the verdict go unchallenged while reiterating that the judgment would have no impact on the newly constituted SGPC House.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Makkar claimed “the court didn’t go into the details as to who was a Sehajdhari Sikh and merely passed its order on the notification barring Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections”. “The court has termed the notification invalid and has only given the legal point of view in the verdict,” he said.

Makkar sounded confident that there would be no glitch in the functioning of the new SGPC House, stating that the notification regarding the election of new members had already been issued and co-option had also taken place. He said they were consulting legal experts to decide their future course of action in connection with yesterday’s HC judgment. He hoped the co-option of 15 members would be notified soon, following which another meeting of the new SGPC House would be called to elect the office-bearers. He said once the new office-bearers were elected, they would make efforts to get the necessary amendment made in the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, to bar Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections.

Meanwhile, the HC verdict has prompted various Sikh intellectuals to say that the concept of Sehajdhari Sikhs was being misinterpreted. Noted Sikh scholar Bhai Ashok Singh Bagaria said a person who was born in a Sikh family could not call himself Sehajdhari.

Former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, in whose tenure the notification barring Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in SGPC elections was issued, said, “A Sehajdhari Sikh is the one who follows basic Sikh tenets, one of which is keeping “kesh” (hair). Those who are born in Sikh families but have trimmed their hair cannot be termed as Sehajdhari. For the individuals born in Sikh families, the next step should be to get baptised and not shear one’s hair.” She said a Sehajdhari Sikh was expected to show minimum commitment towards Sikhism, which is to have a “sabat surat saroop”.

Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh claimed Sehajdharis were non-Sikhs and, therefore, describing them as part of Sikhism was untrue. He slammed politicians, including former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, for creating unnecessary confusion over the definition of Sehajdhari and mixing it with “patits” (apostates) for vested interests. He said the apostates were not eligible to vote in the SGPC elections ever since the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, was enacted, whereas Sehajdharis were debarred in 2003 with a government notification.

Dashmesh Darbar

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Before becoming a Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh jee, Bhai Sujaan Singh was living at Lahore and worked as a Hakim (doctor). Not only was he a good doctor but he also was a poet. He used to do poetry in Persian. One day Bhai Sujaan Singh heard from his friend that Guru Gobind Singh jee greatly appreciates poets and scholars and have 52 poets and scholars in his darbaar. Hearing this, he started getting the urge to get the darshan of Guru Sahib.

Another reason for his urge to see Guru Sahib was that, though he had everything a person can ask for, yet he was not satisfied with his life. He was feeling that something was missing in his life. He felt a spiritual void in his life. He decided to go to Siri Anandpur Sahib and get darshan of Guru Gobind Singh jee.

Upon his arrival at Siri Anandpur Sahib, he was greatly impressed with the spiritual atmosphere of this sacred place. He came to Guru Sahib one day and after matha-tek, asked for Sikhi-daan i.e. Naam. Guru Sahib had something else in store for him. After bestowing him with Naam, Guru Sahib ordered him to leave Anandpur Sahib immediately and serve the humanity by caring for and curing sick people.

Bhai Sujaan Singh was taken aback when Guru Sahib told him to go away from Anandpur Sahib. He humbly asked Guru Sahib where to go. Guru Sahib told him to just leave Anandpur Sahib and not come back again. He told him that he should just leave and he will himself will know where he should stay (Bhai Sujaan, ithon bhajj jaa).

Bhai Sujaan Singh immediately got up after matha-tek. As he had just received Naam, he felt that all his thirsts had quenched. He felt very good. He came out of the darbaar of Guru Sahib and started running in the direction he was facing. He ran for the whole day. His had not even bothered to wear his shoes and as a result his feet were badly bruised by the thorns and had blood simmering out. At last he arrived in a small town and passed out.

When he woke up, he felt that this was the place where he wanted to live and serve the sick people. He felt his Naam going very fast and he could hear the shabad (naam) very clearly. He started living there and felt great contentment serving the sick and doing naam jaap all the time. The only thing he missed was the darshan of Guru Gobind Singh jee. He used to long for Guru Sahib’s darshan day and night. He used to get great bairaag for Guru Sahib.

One day he heard that Guru Gobind Singh jee was arriving at his town. His happiness knew no bounds. He could not wait for that day, when Guru Sahib would arrive in his town and when he would finally get to see Guru Sahib. At last that day arrived when Guru Sahib was scheduled to come. When the time for Guru Sahib came in the town and Bhai Sujaan Singh was getting all set to leave to see Guru Sahib, an old lady came and asked Bhai Sujaan Singh to go with her as her daughter-in-law was very sick.

Bhai Sujaan Singh was facing a dilemma now. On one hand he did not want to miss the darshan of Guru Sahib and on the other hand he had to treat the sick woman. Finally after giving it profound thought, he decided to treat the sick woman and do ardaas before Guru Sahib for darshan. He left with the old woman. As he was walking towards the woman’s house, he saw all the sangataan (devotional people) walking towards the direction of the samagam. He controlled his mind and focussed it on shabad.

Upon his arrival at the sick woman’s house, he discovered that she indeed was very sick and required immediate help. It took Bhai Sujaan Singh about one hour to serve her and at the end of his treatment, she felt better. After Bhai Sujaan Singh completed his task there, he started slowly moving towards the samagam place. Inside he was feeling that he had missed an opportunity to see Guru Sahib. As he approached his house, he noticed that there were a lot of people standing around his house. He got a little concerned.

As he approached near his house, he got the surprise of his life. There on his bed, Guru Gobind Singh jee Maharaaj himself was sitting. Bhai Sujaan Singh rushed forward and fell at the lotus feet of Guru Sahib. With his tears, he wiped the lotus feet of Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib lifted Bhai Sujaan Singh and embraced him. He told him that he was very pleased with his devotion and he blessed him with Khanday daa Amrit and changed his name from Bhai Sujaan Chand to Bhai Sujaan Singh. Bhai Sujaan Singh was blessed with full shakti of Guru Sahib and he reached the top-most spiritual state of Gurmat.

BUMP...that time of the year again

this time of the year marks an important series of events in Sikh history. It is during this time in 1705 that Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj left Anandpur Fort, were separated from their family at the River Sirsa, and stayed at Macchiwara jungle. Aswell as this the two older Sahibzade attained Shaheedi at the battle of Chamkaur and the two younger Sahibzade were bricked alive by the governor of Sirhand.

In this time leading upto Guru Gobind Singh Ji's Gurpurab in January, please feel free to post saakhiya, pictures or inspirational quotes regarding Dasam Pita ji in this thread.

In a development that may affect its poll prospects, People's Party of Punjab's (PPP) two founder members, Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and Jagbir Singh Brar, here today joined the Congress.

Levelling allegations of nepotism and favouritism against PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal, the duo (both senior vice-presidents of the PPP) were formally inducted into the PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress Legislature Party Leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and party's Punjab affairs in-charge Gulchain Singh Charak.

Amarinder said the duo and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Sukhjit Singh Kaka had joined the Congress unconditionally, but that the party "would keep their political aspirations on mind while assigning them duties.

All three, Kushaldeep (a former SAD MLA), Jagbir (MLA from Jalandhar Cantt who resigned on joining the PPP) and Kaka (SGPC member who defeated SAD official candidate by 76 votes), were present at the media conference along with other senior Congress leaders. Those who joined Congress today also included Balvir Singh (Block Samiti chairman) and Simarjit Kaur (SGPC member).

"Manpreet spoke against family-run politics, corruption and ideals of Bhagat Singh. In the last PPP rally at Malout, Manpreet's wife and brother-in-law dominated the stage while other leaders were simply ignored. The PPP is run like a private company. There is no internal democracy," Jagbir said.

Kushaldeep alleged that Manpreet and Bhagwant Mann had brought over US$ 50,000 given in donations from America, but no account had been given of the same. Even other donations were kept with Manpreet without maintaining any accounts.

Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon:A former SAD MLA and PPP founder member and senior vice-president

Jagbir Singh Brar: A cousin of Manpreet and PPP founder member; only sitting MLA who stayed with Manpreet till now

Others to join…

Sukhjit Kaka, SGPC member

Balvir Singh, Block Samiti chief

Simarjit Kaur, SGPC member