When Guru Nanak Dev Ji reached Sialkot via Jammu he found the whole city in the grip of terror. Guru Dev Ji inquired and learnt that someone had failed to keep his promise made to a great saint called Hazrat Hamza Ghaus. He had flown into a rage and made a vow to meditate for 40 days and at the completion of his meditation the whole city would be doomed. Hearing this Sat Gur sat down under a Bair tree close to the place where Hazrat Hamza was meditating and sang his verse in a loud tone.

It disturbed the meditation of Hamza Ji, who came to Guru Nanak and angrily asked who he was and why he wanted to save those liars. Guru Ji replied “Hamza, you are not supposed to punish a whole city for the misconduct of a single person.” Hamza Ji was not satisfied. Guru Ji then explained to him that there were many souls. in the city who understood the purpose of life. Guru Ji gave two paisas to Bhai Mardana to buy “falsehood” and “truth” from the market. Some people ridiculed Mardana Ji but there was a Karar (a Hindu sect) named Maula who took two paisas and wrote two chits. On one chit he wrote, “Life is bitter” while on the other chit he wrote, “Death is truth”. Bhai Mardana presented both the chits to Sat Gur Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Ji handed over the two pieces of paper to Hamza Ghaus Ji who after reading the same, pardoned the residents of Sialkot.

Maula Karar remained with Guru for some time during his travels. According to Guru’sbiographies, once Guru Ji went to fetch Maula Karar. He, at the instance of his wife, hid himself inside the dark portion of his house and his wife told Guru Dev Ji that he was not at home. Guru Ji came back and a little later it was learnt that Maula Karar had died of snake bite in the darkness.

The site where Guru Nanak Ji stayed is still called “Baba Bair”. A beautiful and grand Gurdwara has been built at the site. The Bair tree under which Guru Dev Ji had stayed is still present. A few years back a grave of a Muslim fakir has been constructed under the tree.Shaheed Natha Singh Ji had built this beautiful Shrine with great love and affection. Gian Singh Ji wrote his “History of Khalsa” while staying with the Mahant of this Gurdwara.

The Shaheed Gang of Shaheed Natha Singh is within the precinct of the Gurdwara.A big well was also constructed by him inside this Gurdwara and many Persian wheels worked in it. A beautiful tank was also there. Estate worth Rs 8000 belonging to Natha Singh Ji is now in the name of Gurdwara. which includes a garden, a pool and residential rooms. Two squares of land endowed to it is in district Layyalpur (Faisalabad). This sacred place had to suffer great damage in the wake of Babari Masjid dispute. There used to be a very high temple which was razed to ground when it was demolished by an unruly mob. The Gurdwara is in urgent need of repairs.

~Source: WorldGurdwara.com

SALDEF’s 2015 SikhLEAD Internship Class continues to make their generation’s presence known on Capitol Hill by hosting Langar on the Hill. This Sikh tradition that serves as a 500 year old anti-segregation movement keeps the essence of Sikhism intact.

Langar on the Hill will also feature remarks from members of Congress and SALDEF explaining the importance of Langar in the context of the Sikh American experience.

It is for the first time, Langar on the Hill conversations will also explore the role of Mata Khivi, a Sikh woman and historical figure who played a significant role in institutionalizing Langar and ensuring that caring for those who are less fortunate were integral to the Sikh way of life.

Acts of hate like the Oak Creek Shooting elucidates to the painful gaps between groups, gaps that are rooted in ignorance and oppression; and it reminds us of the need for Langar.

Langar is a forum to bridge the gaps between us and challenge the roots of hate, just as it did in Guru Nanak and Mata Khivi’s time 500 years ago. It was an honor to bring this message to Capitol Hill through a Sikh tradition.

Langar on the Hill is a significant opportunity for the Sikhs to introduce their American history and Sikh values, including equality for all. And also it is a unique opportunity for this rising generation to express to our nation’s leaders how we intend to deepen our civic participation.

Like & Share to appreciate the efforts of highlighting the Sikh Way of Life!

They proved this when the local army unit received a call for emergency donation of blood to a cancer patient undergoing treatment in the Fortis Hospital.

85 yr old Raminder Kaur, wife of Colonel (retd) Bhagat Singh, is suffering from cancer. They have no children and stay alone in Chandigarh. Having no close relatives of the couple in the city they were looked after by volunteers of Gurdwara Baru Sahib in their Sector 36 home.

Col Bhagat Singh is almost 90 years old and suffers from poor vision. A message on Facebook was posted where volunteers were appealed for donating blood.

Brig (retd) I S Gakhal, a former Sikh Regiment officer and an office-bearer of the local association of the Sikh Regiment officers, made a call to the Commanding Officer of 4 Sikh in Chandimandir asking for immediate help. Within an hour of receiving a call, the battalion dispatched 4 Jawans for donating blood at the hospital in Mohali.

“It was extremely kind of the Commanding Officer of 4 Sikh to have responded promptly for the call to help,” said Brig Gakhal. He added that during his service in the Army, Col Bhagat Singh had raised two battalions of the Sikh Regiment and had gone on to command three battalions, which was a rare honour and achievement.

The humane help provided by the battalion has come in for praise from veterans of the regiment. Major General (retd) K Khorana, a former Commanding Officer of the battalion, said the unit had lived up to the ethos of the Army.

Giving the history of the unit, he said that it participated in the legendary Battle of Saragarhi in 1897 in North West Frontier Province. “In 1962 Sino-India war, the unit took part in the Battle of Walong in the Eastern Theatre while in 1965 war, it captured Barki village in Pakistan Punjab which was strategically located. In 1971 war, the unit saw action in East Pakistan, later Bangladesh,” he added.

~Source: IndianExpress

Salute to their spirit towards humanity apart from serving the nation!

Almost 3000 spellers from around Australia applied to be part of the show, but Nine Yr Old Tej Singh was among the top 26 finalists of the Great Australian Spelling Bee contest. His love for words is infecticious and thus he was called the “MC speller”.

52 of the best and brightest students, aged between eight and 13, managed to clear the level.

The upcoming show Channel Ten was aired on 3rd August. The Great Australian Spelling Bee witnesses children aged from eight to 13 compete in a series of word-related games and challenges.

Each speller has to display a combination of speed, skill and smartness to deconstruct words they may never have heard before.

There were 3 stages to pass before reaching the final. The first stage had 3 online tests – spelling, grammar and comprehension tests. Second stage was a Skype interview and spelling test. The third stage was a live audition and spelling test.

Little Singh lives in Sydney with his parents and younger sister. Both his parents were born in India, though he was born here.

In Year 4 at school, Tej can also speak Mandarin and a little Punjabi. He was reciting the alphabet at 18 months and reading by the age of two. Tej admits, “My absolute love is cricket! I am mad about it,” he says. He tells me when he grows up, “

It was his first ever spelling competition. He saw the advertisement on television inviting children to apply and decided to have a go. “

Tej has developed a personal spelling technique of breaking words into syllables.

“It makes me feel like I’m spelling a lot of little words,” he says. “I get most of my vocabulary from reading lots and lots of books, which helped me become good at spelling.” The young spelling star also practises using old Spelling Bee lists from the internet.

His favourite words to spell are ‘dodecahedron’, a word meaning a polyhedron with twelve flat faces, and ‘hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia’ – an incredibly long word which ironically means a fear of long words.

Share & SPREAD this very talented little SIKH!

On August 5th, 2012, nearly three years ago, Wade Page opened fire inside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek — and six people lost their lives.

Leading up to the anniversary of that tragic day, the Sikh community is honoring those impacted by what happened.

A 48-hour prayer service began Friday, July 31st at the temple.

The Chardhi Kala 6K Memorial Run/Walk: Run 2 Unite took place at Oak Creek High School. “Chardhi Kala” is the spirit of relentless optimism: a philosophy that empowers us to persevere and grow from hardship.

The Chardi Kala Blood Drive took place at the run/walk event — operated by the Blood Center of Wisconsin.

“We have the run going on once again, the third year we are doing that. Plenty of volunteers here from all different kinds of faith. That’s our main goal here — just looking forward the years to come,” Kamal Saini, a member of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek said.

In addition to the six people who lost their lives on August 5th, 2012, four people were injured.

A responding officer shot Page in the stomach, and then Page took his own life.

“Our whole meaning of this run is to run to unite people against hate, violence, ignorance, racism. We want to spread the word of God — which is love and passion,” Rahul Dubey said.

Memorial events will culminate on the anniversary of the shooting, which is this upcoming Wednesday, August 5th.

Honouring the victims with a meaningful change in the spirit of Chardikala.

~ Source: fox6now.com

Recently deceased Sikh insurance agency leader Kulwant Singh showed a rare act of devotion by leaving all his assets to three gurdwaras in the Malaysian state of Perak.

He was born & raised in Batu Gajah and resided at Tanjung Tualang, both in Perak. He took his last breath 11 Feb 2015 close to the age of 75 years, donating all his assets for a noble cause.

He was unmarried and had no children.

In his will, he has donated 12 acres of agricultural land and bungalow plots to the two gurdwaras in Batu Gajah, Gurdwara Sahib Indian Sikh Settlement and Gurdwara Jalan Gopeng Gurdwara; and also Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh.
The land and bungalow are estimated to be worth around RM750,000.

“The respective gurdwaras have welcomed this humble gift from a devotee of the Guru,” according to an email from Kulwant’s nephew Harbinder Singh to Asia Samachar.

Kulwant Singh was described as a successful agency manager with Tokio Marine/Asia Life in Ipoh.

“He was a teacher, a mentor and a very active Rotarian who reached out to people in need – in his quiet, unassuming way. He was also passionate about seeing socio-economic advancement of Punjabis/Sikhs in Malaysia and involved himself in the local political scene in his younger days,” said Harbinder, who is a former jathedar of Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM).

In a classic financial planner thinking, Kulwant had expressed his hope that these assets continue to provide the community with a regular source of income.

He was born the late Sohan Singh and late Sant Kaur. Sohan (born 1898), who came to settle in Batu Gajah around the age of 12, was a dairy farmer and rubber smallholder.

~ Source: ASIA SAMACHAR

It seems that the heroic efforts by Salman Khan in the movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan have impacted not only the lives of common people but also that of the police department.

Recently in Chandigarh, two police officers reunited a 4 yr old girl Tanvi with her family after crossing a lot of hurdles. To begin with, they were clueless about the location of the girl’s home.

Quite similar to the story line of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the child, Tanvi, was lost and could not explain the location of her house to Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Dilbagh Singh.

Singh rescued the child from a local market and he along with his constable went all over the city in search of her house as she could not explain anything about the area where she lived nor give her parents’ details.

Like Khan’s character in the successful film, Singh started his search on the basis of whatever little information she revealed. The search was not only confined to the city but also extended to nearby villages, including Shahimajra, Madanpura and other areas.

But finally, after five hours of search, the cops were successful in Mohali village, where some students of a school identified the girl and told cops where she lived. The students then helped the police in finding her house in Valmiki Colony of Phase 6 in SAS Nagar.

Ranbir, the girl’s father, told the police that he, along with Tanvi, had gone to Phase 1 administrative complex to apply for Aadhaar card in the morning. But Tanvi was left behind near his cart, from where she walked away, reported Hindustan Times.

Kudos to his spirit of serving his duty beyond boundaries!

~ Courtesy: ScoopWhoop

The Biggest plantation Driver EVER who else than PUNJAB can do it.

Sambhav Foundation, an NGO, claimed to have planted one crore saplings in one hour across Punjab. Sambhav, started as a social club, took matters into its own hands when Ludhiana was declared one of most polluted cities of the world by a WHO report.

The aim of organising plantation drive was to lay stress on public and administration’s partnership, besides making people aware about the importance of planting more trees.

The drive covered both rural and urban areas under the programme. Saplings were planted at schools, colleges, municipal land, panchayat land, cremation grounds, land belonging to Railways and other government departments.

Members of the NGO claimed that one lakh saplings were planted in one hour on July 20 last year during a similar drive. Raising the bar, the environmentalists in city to feel that such activities send out a positive message among youth.

Like & Share this great initiative by Sambhav to Paint #Punjab Green on the World Map!

Proud to see the zeal of participated to make this dream come true!

~ Source: The Tribune

Businessman Karan Singh Thakral, who was one of the judges in Asia’s first business-focused reality programme Angel’s Gate, has been appointed as Singapore’s non-resident ambassador to Denmark.

Karan, an executive director in the Thakral Group of Companies, had earlier served as Singapore’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, resident in Singapore from July 2013 to April 2015.

The announcement was made in a statement dated 30 July 2015 released on the website of Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Among his other appointments, Karan is chairman of the South Asia Business Group and Business India in Singapore as well as chairman of Givo Limited in India. He also serves as a Board Member of the ASIAN India Business Council, the same statement added.

He is married to Mrs Devinder Kaur Thakral and they have a son and four daughters.

~ Source: Sikh24

Efforts to raise awareness about Sikh faith in the form of giving back to the community is just what these blessed souls partook this weekend preaching a silent message about being Sikhs and take their stand about being united against hatred.

Members of the Northern San Joaquin Valley’s Sikh community volunteered their time over the weekends to work with Habitat for Humanity and to serve food to the needy in downtown Modesto.

These efforts were a part of the third annual Day of Seva, or selfless service, which aims to raise awareness of the Sikh faith and honor the victims and survivors of the 2012 mass shooting in suburban Milwaukee, Wis., in which a gunman killed six worshippers and wounded several others.

“Seva is a huge part of our religion, the principle of giving back to the community,” said Goldie Pabla, a volunteer advocate for the Sikh Coalition. “We always have food and shelter available to anyone at our Gurdwaras (places of worship), especially on Sundays.”

Early Sunday afternoon, Sikh volunteers prepared meals at the Gurdwara Sahib Sikh temple on Hatch Road in Hughson, then distributed the food at I and Eighth streets in downtown Modesto to the homeless and anyone else who needed it, Pabla said.
In their Day of Seva efforts over the weekend, volunteers wore white T-shirts that on the front read “We are all Sikhs” and on the back, “America stands united.”

“We want to be recognized as just Americans,” Pabla said as she and nearly 20 other Sikhs worked with a large group of volunteers to build a four-bedroom home on Signature Court near John Thurman Field in south Modesto. “If there was more awareness (of the Sikh faith), that hate crime may not have happened.”

The Sikh religion originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. In the United States, the faith dates back about 100 years, Pabla said, and the first Sikh temple in the nation is in Stockton. California’s Central Valley has the largest Sikh community in the country, she said.

According to an “at a glance” article on the Sikh Coalition website, “Sikhism is a monotheistic religion based on a definitive revelation. With over 25 million followers worldwide, it is one of the youngest major world religions. … Sikhism preaches a message of devotion, remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality between all human beings, social justice, while emphatically denouncing superstitions and blind rituals.”

Shortly after the Wisconsin killings, an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted they constituted “the most deadly U.S. attack on Sikhs – who often have been mistaken for Muslims and targeted in hate crimes – in recent memory.”

Efforts don’t go Vein! And keeping up that spirit of relentless optimism is what Sikhism is all about!

~ Source: fox6now.com