The ideal season to recite this raag is in the spring time.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji tells us …..

Ang 1168: ….Among the months, blessed is this month of Basant when spring arrives. Blossom forth O my consciousness, contemplate on The Lord of the universe forever and ever.

The thought of spring, the fields become green, spring blossoms abound along with the yellow mustard flowers…

Spring also brings memories of the festival of kite flying that is celebrated at this time of year.

The kites fly high in the sky. I beg, may the string of my life’s kite always be connected with You O Lord.

~ by Dr Navjeet Kaur

With a motor road built between Govindghat and Pulna, the 22-km trek to the Himalayan Sikh shrine of Hemkunt Sahib has been reduced by four km.

Pilgrims visiting Hemkunt Sahib will now be able to go in their vehicles upto Pulna from where they will have to traverse a distance of only 18 km on foot to reach the shrine, Chamoli District Magistrate Ashok Kumar said. Better facilities including rain shelters and tourist amenity centres have also been made for pilgrims on the 18-km trek route this year, he said.

Yatra to Hemkunt Sahib will begin on May 30 as portals of the shrine are scheduled to reopen on June 1. However, the 18-km route is not completely ready yet for pilgrims with a four km stretch between Ghangharia and Hemkunt still clogged with snow.

But the district magistrate has expressed confidence that everything will fall into place by the time the yatra begins.

Powerlines damaged in snow avalanches at Hemkunt and Ghangharia in the past have all been restored, he said, adding that measures have also been taken to deal with avalanches and additional police deployment is being made in more vulnerable areas for the safety of pilgrims.

Located at a height of about 16,000 ft, Hemkunt Sahib is the highest altitude pilgrimage centre for Sikhs and is thronged by lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad. It is closed with the onset of winter every year due to snowbound conditions.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has asked the Centre to begin flight operations between Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Dehradun in view of Hemkunt Sahib pilgrimage beginning from June1. The request was made by Rawat in a letter to civil aviation minister P Gajapathi Raju, an official release here said.

~ Source – HindustanTimes

Restoring the heritage of the holy city, Sri Harmandir Sahib and Jallianwala Bagh surrounding area would be made to live up to the international standards, disclosed at a high level meeting to review the implementation of developing Amritsar as a smart city.

A Giant waterfall with the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh atop will be a major tourist attraction. This fountain would showcase cascading waterfalls, water animations, computerized water show and would emerge as a ‘thing of beauty’ in the city. This will be coupled with the façade development and beautification of the earmarked stretch.

Saragarhi parking will have electronic façade signage equipped like the Times Square. Town Hall building would to be transformed into a state museum. Renovation of Guru Nanak auditorium would be done.

The façade of buildings in the area including Dharam Singh market would be beautified under a uniform theme, with red sand stone and would have uniform signage. The automatic bombards would be installed near the main fountain, demarking the further stretch as pedestrian pathway having all amenities. He added that ample plantation and Punjab heritage related sculpture in front of Dharam Singh Market would be done besides a tall sculpture related to freedom struggle near Jallianwala Bagh.

The total pathway would be well lit up and information kiosks displaying weather information, electronic signage and tastefully chosen street lights would be installed. Moreover, the statues of stalwarts of Punjab would also be installed on the suitable spots.

Another main highlight of this prestigious project is transformation of the façade of Saragarhi parking area into an electronic façade signage equipped with LED video screens, on the pattern of Times Square, New York. A food court would also be developed opposite Dharm Singh market. Along with this project, the beautification of Town Hall building would also commence to transform it into a State Museum.

The detailed project report is ready and work would commence on it by August 2015 after completing tendering and allocation formalities.

~ Source: sikhnet.com

THERE are many things a person could spend $5,000 on. But none of them crossed the mind of taxi driver Sarbjit Malhi when a passenger left a jacket with a pocket full of cash in the back of Mr Malhi’s cab.

“I never thought about keeping it,” he said. “It wasn’t my money, how could I have kept it?”

In fact, the 34-year-old Zillmere man didn’t even count the money — but said he knew there was a significant amount just by looking at it.

Being unable to track down the passenger because he had hailed the cab from Brisbane International Airport, the taxi driver went to great lengths to track the man down. Mr Malhi went to a hotel on Mary Street where he thought the customer may have been headed. Despite being unable to find the man, the dedicated cabbie left his phone number at the hotel reception.

Thankfully, the distressed passenger phoned Mr Malhi the next day and was reunited with his goods. The customer was very, very happy,” Mr Malhi said. “I can’t imagine a happier customer.”And for all his trouble, the customer gave Mr Malhi a $100 reward — but he didn’t tell him why he was carrying so much cash. Mr Malhi said he would encourage anyone who has found lost goods to return them “as soon as possible”. Black and White Cabs managing director Greg Webb said he was “proud of the calibre” of drivers employed by Black and White Cabs.

~ Source: Courier Mail

The ideal time to recite this raag is in the winter season.
The word Tushar means frost.

Guru Ram Das ji

Ang 1113
Guru ji refers to the rain bird cries “Prio Prio”
“O beloved” the rain bird cries night and day…my thirst is not quenched without You.

For me this painting has a personal story….
My Dad a physician, teacher, who had an eye for things artistic….on his visits, would check out and critique my addition to this series.

For this raag I had painted a different composition…I shared with him how I was challenged by the forest scene, the source of light, the bird itself….Dad listened….then encouraged me that if I was so challenged with this one, then to start afresh. So I redid this one with a more mystical composition…..sadly Dad was not here to see the redo, but each time I look at it I am reminded of his gentle encouragement.
So the process of making this painting was more personal one for me.

So…..Let’s look at the painting…the rain bird in flight trying to place itself strategically so as to receive the drop of rain….the light source is from above and is also the source of the rain drop…..
The thirst of the rain drop inspires the thirst for Naam.

~ Dr Navjeet Singh

The ideal time to recite this raag is late afternoon or sunset.
Bhagat Kabeer ji says ……

Ang 1105: …..he alone is a spiritual hero who goes to the battle to fight for the meek ——-and never leaves or runs from the battlefield.

Kabeer ji describes what it means to be heroic….

1) to stand up for the meek….to fight against injustice done upon others, in particular those who are unable to defend them selves…the meek.
2) In addition to this, to have the courage to subdue the evil traits within one’s own mind.

The two swords are suggestive of these values of the truly brave…
The choice of colors is for a late afternoon, which is the ideal time for this raag.

~ Dr Navjeet Kaur

A ray of hope in darkness
and a savior in the ocean-like world,
Guru Arjan Dev ji – the fifth guru
Is the Sikh martyrdom’s herald.

He chose faith over life
and upheld the Sikh philosophy.
Undeterred by days of torture,
He vanquished every fallacy.

In theses days of blistering heat,
Sitting cross-legged on a burning plate,
In sweet remembrance of Waheguru
he accepted every turn of fate.

In complete acceptance of Waheguru’s will
and with a valiance that has no equals,
he stood for what was divine and right
in conditions that have no parallels!

In a world that needs his virtues,
his legacy must perpetuate.
He set a precedent for us – his children,
of an inspiration so great.

He lives in us as a guiding light,
as a proof of a will indefatigable.
He taught us how to stand upright
for rights that are inalienable. . .

~ by Prabhjot Singh

Rabinder Singh QC has created history after becoming the first Sikh to be appointed as a High Court judge.

The 47-year-old is set to take up his position on the Queen’s Bench Division (QBD) in October and will preside over cases wearing a turban rather than the traditional judicial wig.

Singh is the first male from an ethnic background to be made a High Court judge and his appointment comes at a time when diversity in the judiciary is being looked at by a House of Lords select committee.

But his selection is far from being a response to a lack of representation from the BME community.

Singh has been seen as a high caliber appointment and someone who can inspire more members from the ethnic community to aim to get to his level.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said,”The appointment of Mr Rabinder Singh QC, a talented and highly respected barrister, to the High Court, represents a real landmark in the drive to create a more diverse judiciary which continues to attract the highest quality candidates.”

Singh was one of the founding members of Matrix Chambers in 2000 and has been known as a staunch defender of human rights. In 2004, he successfully represented human rights group Liberty, in the House of Lords against the indefinite detention without trial of non-UK national suspected of terrorist activities.

A year later, Singh again was successful representing Liberty and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants in the case against the UK government over the refusal of economic benefits to refugees.

Born in Bristol in 1964, Singh achieved a double first in law at the Trinity College University of Cambridge in 1985 and four years later he was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn and was one of the Junior Counsel to the Crown (A Panel) until he took silk in 2002. He has also been the recipient of a number of awards including being named Barrister of the Year in 2001 by Lawyer magazine.

Singh was also given the award of Human Rights Lawyer of the Year (JUSTICE/Liberty) in 2006 and in 2010 was Human Rights and Public Law Silk of the Year (Chambers Bar Awards).

~ Source: www.obv.org.uk