In order to rescue the depleting groundwater and increase the minuscule forest cover of the state (3.52), the Punjab Forest Department and Eco Sikh organisation have adopted the Miyawaki method, popularised by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. Saplings of 64 rare species are being planted on a war-footing to revive the forest cover of the state.
While the Forest Department has already planted Guru Nanak Pavittar Jungles (Guru Nanak Sacred Jungles) at 2,000 villages (of the total 12,800) in the state, where 11 lakh trees have been planted.

The team of the Eco Sikh has 15 key mobilisers working across the state to plant “Nanak Bagichis”. Planted in spaces ranging from 180 sq ft (smallest place required for a Miyawaki forest) to a one acre forest in Jagraon, the Eco Sikh has already planted 14 forests in the state as per the method apart from additional plantations of 550 trees (per village) in various villages.

While the organisation, which is the knowledge partner of the state government on the Miyawaki project, began plantation drives across the world last year, setting a target of planting lakhs of trees until the time of the Guru Nanak birth anniversary celebrations this year, actively adopted the Miyawaki project in March this year, seeing its viability and effectiveness in small spaces.

Pavneet Singh, Assistant Manager, Eco Sikh, said, “The Guru Nanak Sacred Jungles are part of an exhortation to people to adhere to the teachings of the Guru and achieve a greener state by the 550 Parkash Utsav. The state’s groundwater is in deep crisis and it shall help to alleviate that. Two months ago we planted four forests in a month. This month we planted six and we expect to considerably pick up speed.”

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Jatinder Sharma said, “Punjab’s forests are 6.8 per cent of the total geographical area in the state. There are space and change of land use constraints with 84 per cent of the state under crop cover. Compared to 35 lakh trees planted by farmers in 2018-19, we hope to plant over 75 lakh trees in 2019-20 under the project. With the closed-density method, monsoons shall set in motion rapid growth of many of the recently planted saplings.”

-Tribune

#RecyclePaper #BaruSahib #ZeroWaste #Wastemanagement #gogreen

#DidYouKnow Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 2 barrels of oil. Every ton of paper recycled can save the energy equivalent of 165 gallons of gasoline. 17 trees can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year.

Despite the popularity of concepts like a paperless economy and digital serves, every year countless trees will be facing the axes across the globe to meet the never-ending demand for paper.

Our consumerist attitude should be blamed for this as many of us don’t even spare a second thought about recycling or reusing them.

Paper is generated at gargantuan pace in India and a very tiny percentage of paper actually ends up being recycled in the country.

Lana Bhalta, a remote village at Baru Sahib has earned a name and won awards for cleanliness and recycling its waste. It also fulfills all the 43 norms set for winning the State award.

The Baru Sahib waste management team is trying its level best to tackle this insurmountable menace of paper waste by turning it into utility products. Apart from this, they are also providing a sustainable source of livelihood for many.

Recently, the Shimla Secretariat entrusted us with the task of recycling 15,720 kgs of their waste papers which will be reprocessed into 3930 cover files for their office.

Share & Spread to appreciate this wonderful initiative undertaken for better tomorrow!

Born in Rurka Kalan, Jalandhar district Palbinder Kaur Shergill made the Sikh community proud as she is the first turbaned Sikh woman to be nominated as a judge in Canada’s Supreme Court. She was only four year old when her family moved to Canada in mid 70s.

Here are some unknown facts you should know about Palbinder Kaur :-

She is a daughter of ex-IAF personnel, Gian Singh Sandhu.
She is married to Amritpal Singh, who hails from Jagatpur village of Nawanshar district.
She has a daughter and two sons.
She is a music lover. She loves to play tabla and harmonium.

She received her law degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

Palbinder Kaur was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2012. Queen’s Counsel is a honourary title given by the province to lawyers who have made exceptional contributions to the profession.

She is a black belt holder in karate, and enjoys playing volleyball.

She represented the World Sikh Organisation (WSO) in Supreme Court since 1991 in landmark cases such as the right of Sikh students to wear the kirpan in Canada schools.

She has extensive trial and appellate experience and has appeared before courts and tribunals across Canada.

She is also a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for community service.

My Lords, I too thank my noble friend Lady Berridge for obtaining this important debate. I have many wonderful Jewish friends, none more so than my good noble friend Lord Sacks and his wonderful family. We share the same family values and same quirky sense of humour.

I have visited Auschwitz and seen something of the horrors that thousands of Jews—innocent men, women and children—suffered. In the collective madness of the 1930s and 1940s, Jews were vilified not only in Germany but across much of Europe, including this country. As child I was frequently called a Jew by those who wished to hurt me. However, I believe that talk of a worldwide anti-Jewish conspiracy is misleading and, importantly, takes us away from the real problem which is the way in which unprincipled politicians play on ignorance and majority bigotry, regardless of the consequences suffered by others, to achieve their ends.

In Germany, Hitler blamed the Jews. In the India of 1984, it was the tiny Sikh minority. The killing of innocents in gas chambers is evil, but is it any more evil than dousing men, women and children with kerosene and burning them alive? In Hitler’s Germany, Jews were made to wear distinctive clothing to show their inferior status.

More recently, a decimated Sikh community in Afghanistan has been made to wear distinguishing patches and to fly a yellow flag outside their homes to make them an easy target for majority bigotry. Majority bigotry knows no boundaries and, as my noble friend Lord Sacks reminded us, has no constraints. ​

We like to believe prejudice is found in only a few. Sadly, it is far more widespread. We are all, in effect, hard-wired to be wary of difference. Unacceptable but understandable prejudice is easily manipulated to become irrational hatred. Since the Second World War, we have seen unspeakable acts of violence against targeted groups in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Bosnia, and I could go on.

Special sympathy-seeking terms such as anti-Semitism or Islamophobia are understandable, but they take us away from the real problem, which is combating the more widespread bigotry suffered by all faiths. To borrow from Shakespeare, if Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others are cut, do we not bleed?
Taken to an extreme, this giving of special consideration to some groups at the expense of others is, at best, unintended racism. Bigotry will continue to flourish until, in the closing words of the Sikh daily prayer, we look beyond ourselves and our group to the well-being of all members of our one human family.

‘Break the nexus of politicians, criminals and bureaucracy to break the chain of drug peddlers’- that’s the belief held by Dr Rajinder Singh (86) and Dr Sahib Singh Advani (84), two old friends who are united by their passion to wean youngsters away from drug abuse and addiction

The duo, which has been serving at the jointly-setup drug de-addiction centres at Baru Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and Cheema village in Sangrur, are now turning their attention to the City Beautiful.

Dr Rajinder Singh is running an OPD at Gurudwara Teg Bahadur in Sector 34, that provides free services to 150 patients a day.

Singh, who retired from armed forces as senior advisor of Psychiatry in 1991, joined Akal Drug De-Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre of Kalgidhar Trust at Baru Sahib in Himachal Pradesh. Advani, who joined the trust as a volunteer in 2008, became great friends with Singh.

Later, Singh and Advani extended their services by setting up their first drug de-addiction centre at village Cheema in Sangrur (Punjab), and later, one at Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.

When asked about their synergy at work, Singh said, “Rajinder reads my mind and we both complement each other.” Meanwhile, Rajinder Singh said, “Sahib Singh is an inspiration for me.”

The two friends are encouraging research in the trust to study behaviour of drug addicts and they hope this evaluation will further help in understanding how de-addiction centres can make a difference in the society.
‘’Rangeela Punjab toh nasheela Punjab ban gaya (‘Colourful’ Punjab has become ‘high’ Punjab),” Rajinder Singh laments. He adds that children as young as 8 years of age are also getting into using and consuming drugs. “Most
of them start with smoking and nicotine. We have to protect the children urgently,” Singh adds.

– Indian Express

Young table soccer players clashed with International players in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in the UAE Masters Tournament 2019 Table Soccer and returned home with success. Team of Eagle Table Soccer Club, Fatehgarh Sahib represented India under the supervision of their coach, Mr. Ashok Kumar.

Student of Akal Academy, Bhunsla Simarpreet Kaur tasted success straightaway by acquiring the second position in the Junior Doubles competition. She had always been a sports enthusiast in school and her passion for table soccer was often noticed by her teachers. Nobody knew that this girl from a rural village in Haryana would bring pride to India with her brilliant performance on an International platform.

Teams from countries such as Germany, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Syria were also a part of the competition. Principal Gurjeet Kaur said, ” What can be learned from the ground, cannot be learned in the classroom. A strong emphasis is laid in on sports and every student is encouraged to be a part of some sports team. It not only empowers the youth but also instills higher self-esteem.”

The Eternal University, sponsored by Kalgidhar Trust and situated in the Valley of Divine Peace, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh has been established by an Act No. 3 of 2009 by Government of Himachal Pradesh to provide cutting edge scientific and technical education amalgamated with spiritual rejuvenation for holistic development of young talent to serve the mankind with love and devotion for promoting universal brotherhood and eternal peace as per the visions of reverend saints and educationists of the 20th century, Sant Baba Attar Singh Ji, Mastuane Wale and Sant Baba Teja Singh Ji by their devoted disciple Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, President, former Director Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh and President of Kalgidhar Trust. The University with its seven constituent colleges has been accredited by NAAC and duly recognized by UGC, AICTE, INC, NCTE, DST, DBT, DSIR and DRDO is now imparting value based education exclusively to girl students. It provides a safest, cleanest, healthiest and most intellectually exhilarating environment for holistic development of its students.
The Eternal University has been offering more than 70 UG, PG and Ph. D. degree courses most suitable to women preference and empowerment, inclusive national development and fulfillment of sustainable developmental goals. M. Sc. Psychology,B. Lib I. S, B. Sc. IT, B. Tech ICT, PGD Renewable Energy are some of the new courses being offered form the academic session 2019-20.

The university has highly qualified, trained, experiences and devoted faculty with state of the art infrastructure, well equipped laboratories and digital teaching facilities to offer the programmes to the maximum satisfaction of all the stake holders. The Hon’ble Governor of Himachal Pradesh Sh. Acharaya Devvart was the Chief Guest at the 6th convocation of the Eternal University held on November 24, 2018 who had appreciated the Gurukul type of education in the University and blessed the nearly 300 recipients of various degrees at the convocation.

Baru Sahib the rural and residential campus has outstanding amenities to fulfill all the requirements for comfortable living of nearly 5000 students, teachers, administrators, staff members and their families and the pilgrims including departmental store, canteens, hostels, theatres, banks, ATMs, post office, bakery, laundries, hospital, bus services, gurdwara with community kitchen indoor and outdoor sports facilities to look like a modern Gurukul. Baru Sahib with 200 Kw photovoltaic solar power plant, water heaters and concentrated solar technology based cooking for all the residents established through grants of Ministry of Renewable Energy, New Delhi has been declared as the Solar Village of Himachal Pradesh. The Lana Bhalta Gram Panchayat including Baru Sahib has been declared as the cleanest Gram Panchayat of HP with the technology developed and transferred by the Trust and university.

The faculty and the research scholars are undertaking research work on the research gaps and trust areas of regional importance for achieving food, nutrition, and health security through enhanced productivity, production, profitability, employment generation, skill development for the inclusive development of the area while ensuring sustainable use of natural resources. The exploration, cataloging, and exploitation of vast biodiversity of functional foods, medicinal and aromatic plants of this mega center of biodiversity with extensive grants from various states and national funding agencies are some of the priority areas of research. Pilot plants for processing of fruits and vegetables, bakery and extrusion products have been established with a grant from Ministry of Food Processing Industry, New Delhi and establishment of Food Quality Testing Laboratory is under consideration of NoFPI.

The University has a very active Career Counseling, Training and Placement Cell for personality, communication and soft skill development of the students who are motivated to take up their certification, training and project work with the prestigious organization at and off the campus. They are required and encouraged to participate in NCC, NSS, indoor and outdoor sports activities, intervarsity sports events, industrial visits and educational tours, celebration of national and international days, conferences, workshops and symposia for their holistic and career development.

As integral part of the course curricula of some of the courses in nursing, agriculture, public health, management and engineering and to effectively participate and discharge responsibility under national initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan etc. the Eternal University has adopted more than thirteen villages of five Gram Panchayats in the radius of 15 Km from the campus to interact with the rural youth, men and women for surveys, transfer of technology and skill development for their inclusive development . They are also motivated and encouraged to visit the campus for any help in resolving crucial issues related to health, education and livelihood. The Governing Body of the University has recently permitted the admission of day-boarding girl students of the Sirmour districts so that the girls students of economically weak families from the nearby areas could come from home for their studies in the University.
The Eternal University has the lowest fee, boarding and lodging charges among the seventeen private universities in Himachal Pradesh. There are certain categories of fee waivers for meritorious students throughout their studies in addition to series of scholarships under various Government schemes. The students are also encouraged to do part time work in the Akal Academy, Baru Sahib and University. The Kalgidhar Trust sponsors more than 100 under privileged girl students every year for their free higher studies in the Eternal University. It is obvious that the Eternal University with constant support, blessing and encouragement of His Holiness Baba Iqbal Singh is poised to emerge as the world class institution with excellence in value based higher education and empowerment of girl students who will second to no one to serve the mankind with zeal, confidence, love and devotion. You are kind support, patronage and participation is solicited to make it to come up to your expectations in its noble mission and mandate.

Harcharn Singh Dhaliwal

Indian Express

Different national and state level agencies have predicted a grim scenario for Punjab, with over a majority of the state — 79% to be precise — over-exploiting its sub soil water, the water found immediately below the top soil.

If the annual rate of fall in sub soil water, currently 51 cm per year, continues, the state would empty all its water reserves in 22 years turning the country’s food bowl into a desert. From being food producer, the state would become a consumer.

According to a 2017 study by the Central Ground Water Board of the Ministry of Water Resources, 10 districts are the worst affected, including Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Moga, Pathankot, and Patiala. There, the fall is most acute, at nearly one metre a year.

The fall is evident from the fact that tubewells in these districts are dug as deep as 300 feet to get water fit for irrigation.

Only 16% of the state is in a safe zone. Out of the 138 blocks mapped, 109 blocks or 79% over exploit their sub-soil water, and 17 blocks or 16% of state’s area fall in the safe zone.

According to figures provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America, the groundwater level in the state is depleting at an average of one metre every three years.

“We alone can’t be blamed for the fall. There are other users such as industry and domestic users who over exploit the subsoil reserves. And schools, colleges and hospitals waste with impunity,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, who heads a faction of the Bharatiya Kisan union.

However, the state agriculture department’s figures show that of 35.78 billion cubic metre water extracted from the ground, 96.65% water is used to grow paddy, while 0.53% is used by industry, and 2.82% is used for domestic purposes.

In fact, the Government of Punjab enacted a law, titled Preservation of Subsoil Water Act in 2009, which mandated delayed paddy nursery and sowing activities by farmers in Punjab.

Punjab is one of the biggest producers of wheat and paddy.

The state agriculture department forecasts that if the rate of fall continues, water up to the depth of 100 m will finish in 12 years while the water available at 300 m will finish in 20-25 years.

“Falling water table is serious environmental concern. Civil society should join the effort to save our natural resources,” said Punjab’s secretary of agriculture department KS Pannu.

– Hindustan Times

Dr Harshindar Kaur was on her way to a remote village on the border of Punjab and Haryana. The villagers in this area were deprived of even basic medical facilities and Dr Kaur, a child specialist, along with her medical specialist husband, Dr Gurpal Singh, volunteered to serve in a camp.

The village was just minutes away when the couple heard strange shrieks coming from an area reserved for the carcasses of animals. Curious about the source of the noise, Kaur and Singh changed directions and headed towards the dumping ground. What they witnessed was nothing short of horrific.

“We saw a few stray dogs tearing apart some living thing, and the shrieks were coming from there. On further investigation, we beheld a shocking site. There, atop a heap of bones, lay a newborn girl who was then dead. The scavenging dogs had torn her apart,” Kaur tells The Better India.

Shaken at that gory scene, the couple approached the villagers, questioning as to how this could happen.

It was even more shocking for them when one of the villagers indifferently told them that the baby might have belonged to a poor family who probably did not want a daughter.

Up until then, Kaur and Singh were organising free medical camps in remote areas around Punjab. They had discovered their shared passion for social service after marriage and decided to foster it together. This one incident, 24 years ago, shifted Kaur’s focus from providing medical aid to fighting female foeticide and advocating the rights of the girl child.

Although the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) had been passed in 1994, thousands of female foeticide cases were recorded in the two states every year. Between 1996 and 1998, 51,000 sex-selective abortions were recorded in Punjab and 62,000 in Haryana.

“The usage of ultrasound for sex determination and sex-selective abortion is rampant in our country, even though laws like the PCPNDT are in place,” says Dr Kaur.

She adds, “But even if a girl child is born, she is neglected from her early years. After birth, daughters are not brought for free vaccination, they are denied nutrition and even medical care in cases of illness.

What is even more appalling is the ignorance due to which the mother is blamed for giving birth to a girl, although medically, it is the man’s sperm that determines the baby’s sex, not the woman’s ovaries.”

Kaur decided to tackle female foeticide at its roots and empower villages with the knowledge about the role of X and Y chromosomes in reproduction. This began with speaking to the masses during various social events, village meetings, religious congregations, social events and wedding functions.

“I concentrated on a single village near Patiala where I worked for five years, explaining my thesis to the village folk. They were convinced, and the sex ratio of girls versus boys which stood at 845/1000 rose to 1013/1000 after five years. I used a novel technique using coloured threads to make the scientific principle understandable to the illiterate people,” explains Kaur.

Of course, change will take years, but Kaur was determined to fight hard.

It started with a couple among the group understanding the basics of human reproduction, then turned into awareness about the law, and gradually into acceptance.

Elaborating on this process, Kaur told Tribune India, “Around 25 years back, people in rural areas were so open about killing their daughters, they would not mind showing the places where the foetuses were dumped. But today, they are afraid of sharing the same.”

Kaur faces challenges like age-old taboos and prejudices, but the lack of support she gets from some of her peers is just as trying. On one occasion, she was also temporarily let go from the hospital she worked at on account of speaking “against” the state on a global platform. Although her duties were resumed soon after, this is an example of the external challenges the doctor faces in her crusade.

Expanding from small social events that hosted rural populations, Kaur also started delivering lectures on mass media communication platforms that helped her reach a wider population not just in Punjab but across the world. Her work was gaining pace, and she was gathering support from like-minded people in helping uplift the rural communities.

Her passionate voice against female foeticide was heard at a Humans Rights Conference in Geneva, at the Federal Parliament of Australia, the Parliament of Canada and the International Conference in Toronto. The “Dhee Punjab Di” (Daughter of Punjab) also won several awards on national and international platforms. One among them was a place among the 100 women achievers presented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Welfare in 2016.

As her work to reduce the number of sex-selective foeticides in remote areas gained momentum, Kaur started branching out to other factors that would emancipate women.

One among them was dissent against dowry.

“I found that dowry is one of the main reasons for discrimination against girls in the Indian subcontinent as also in China and other countries,” she tells TBI.

She adds, “Some Indians living abroad have taken this illegitimate means of exploitation along with them to foreign lands. We started a ‘No Dowry’ campaign in Canada to address this issue and expanded it to other countries with considerable Indian population. Up until today, about 55,000 girls and boys have taken the pledge to refrain from giving or demanding dowry. Students from Canada, USA, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Europe and India have joined me, and so far, about 800 children have fulfilled the pledge.”

In 2008, Kaur, along with her husband and friends, started the Dr Harsh Charitable Trust to provide quality education to the underprivileged girls of Punjab. In the last ten years, 415 girls have been fostered by the Trust, with the financial responsibility of their education. Some of the girls come from farming communities where the breadwinner committed suicide. Two girls from these batches were daughters of Kargil Martyrs who were financially supported by the Trust until the government paid the compensation to the martyrs’ wife.

The doctor has also published books about the condition of girls in India to show people how the action of one woman can impact thousands of lives, as also about child psychology. Even at 52, she has not slowed down. If anything, she is utilising global support to drive change in many parts of the country.

If you wish to support Dr Kaur and her efforts, reach her at drharshpatiala@yahoo.com. She will be happy to answer your queries, share her experiences and help you understand the grassroots situation in rural Punjab and Haryana.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Source- Better India

Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, the 6th Nanak changed the philosophy of the Sikh faith. He is the pioneer of the concept of Miri Piri and Sant Sipahi. Under his leadership Sikhism evolved and took different direction. He inspired the Sikhs to be victorious in both the inner and the outer world. He wanted his Sikhs to be physically strong to fight any kind of oppression while keeping their mind connected with Waheguru. He gave new dimensions to Sikhism.

Guru Hargobind Sahib ji took the physical form and started the journey of his earthly life on 19th June 1595 at Guru ki Wadali in district Amritsar. He was the only child of Guru Arjan Dev ji and Mata Ganga ji. Guru Arjan Dev ji wanted that Sikhs should be valorous enough to fight against the injustices of the atrocious rulers. He provided resources and facilities to Guru Hargobind Sahib ji so that he can hone his skills in the usage of weapons along with being spiritual at the same time. He wanted him to be brave enough to fight the battles of both inside and the outside world. He was given training in horse riding, weaponry, martial arts, politics, spirituality under the aegis of Baba Buddha ji.

Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was very handsome and had a charming and magnanimous personality. He was only 11 years old when he took over the dynamic leadership of Sikhs when his father Guru Arjan Dev ji was martyred in Lahore. Under his leadership the Sikh nation got transformed. Guru Hargobind Sahib ji brought a new chapter in the Sikh history. He inspired his Sikhs to be physically and mentally strong to fight the atrocities of Muslim rulers. He wanted his Sikhs to imbibe the character of Sant Sipahi and he wore two swords, one of Miri (temporal power) and other of Piri (spiritual power). He asked his Sikhs to practice weapons and acquire other skills along with doing Simran and held their head high and not to be afraid of anybody. He filled his Sikhs with vigor and showed them a new and pious way of life by adopting the character of Sant Sipahi.

Guru Sahib transformed the concept of guruship to kingship. He used to possess weapons, wear Kalgi and used to sit on the throne like other kings. He was a great advocate of justice and his Sikhs used to call him Sacha Patshah (the true Emperor).

Guru Sahib began the practice of singing nine Vaars (which are inscribed in Guru Granth Sahib ji) in the war like tunes to evoke war like spirit in his Sikhs. This is one of his many benevolences on the Sikh nation. Another major benefaction of Guru Sahib is the establishment of eternal Akal Takht in front of Darshani Deori of Shri Harmandir Sahib which represents the political center of Sikh nation when Harmandir Sahib is a religious center. Guru Sahib gave a new direction to Sikhism by introducing the concept of politics in the form of Akal Takht Sahib where all important matters and issues concerning Sikhism and Sikh people were discussed and actions were executed under the able leadership of Guru Sahib.

Guru Sahib was bringing reform in Punjab and the people of Punjab were having utmost respect for him. The establishment of Akal Takht to give justice to people and the accruing of weapons by Guru’s Sikhs was posing a threat to the muslim rulers. Jahangir, the muslim emperor of that era arrested Guru Sahib in the jail of Gwalior where already 52 Rajput Hindu kings were arrested. Wazir Khan, Sai Mia Mir and Nizamuddin Auliya were the muslims who had deep respect for Guru Sahib and did earnest and tireless efforts to get Guru Sahib free from the Gwalior jail. Eventually in 1612 Guru Sahib freed 52 Hindu rulers with himself and reached Amritsar on the day of Diwali. On that Diwali the whole Amritsar was adorned with lamps and lights and from that year the day of Diwali is remembered as Bandi Chhor Diwas in Sikh nation.

In his life time Guru Sahib fought four wars with Mughals and he was victorious in all four wars. In Gujarat Guru Sahib had a meeting with Pir Shah Daula and he was impressed with Guru ji’s splendour and his grace. He asked him four questions.

Aurat kya aur faqiri kya, Hindu kya aur Piri kya?
Puttar kya vairag kya, daulat kya or tyag kya.?

Guru Sahib very gracefully and graciously answered his question.

Aurat Iman, daulat guzran, puttar nishan,
Faqir na Hindu na Musalman.

In the last years of his physical life he established the town of Kiratpur Sahib. He kept on spreading the message of Sikhi till his last breath. He kept on directing the misled people on the impeccable path shown by Guru Nanak Sahib. Sensing his nearing moments he passed the Guruship to his grandson Shri Har Rai ji who was very capable of leading the Sikh nation. On 3rd March 1644 at Kiratpur Sahib his light merged into the Almighty’s Light.

Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was such a dynamic personality who instilled strength and courage into the Sikhs at the time when the enemy had claimed that Sikh community will vanish. Under his leadership and guidance Sikh Nation became stronger and more powerful.

Guru Sahib was a great warrior and an epitome of patience and humility. He gave a unique way of life to a Sikh, a life of Sant Sipahi. As a Sant he should always contemplate on the virtues of the creator and should imbibe the divine qualities and annihilate the vices. As a Sant he should have a very high moral character so that he can lead a truthful and elated life. As a Sipahi he should stand for human rights and should raise his voice against any kind of injustice and oppression. As a Sipahi a Sikh should exhibit total intolerance against any misdemeanor. Such a unique character to a Sikh was bestowed by our sixth Guru Patshah Shri Hargobind Sahib ji.

-Ramneet Kaur