after Believes that “Guru is everywhere”

In 1964, when some of the weapons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji were brought back from England, an Englishman, in complete Sikh form, accompanied them. Out of curiousity, someone asked the Englishman what inspired him to adopt the Sikh form. Was it due to respect for the weapons or was there some other reason? The explanation given by him at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi is something that should be of interest to all readers.

“My name was A. David. I happened to be commanding a Sikh Regiment during World War II. My Regiment suffered very heavy losses fighting the Germans. Most of the Sikh jawaans (soldiers) of my Battalion were killed. Only a few survived and we were all surrounded by the Germans. As there were very remote chances of our survival, I called the Subedaar major of the Battalion and informed him about our precarious situation. Death was facing us and there was no chance of survival. I suggested to him that the jawans should individually attempt to escape from the enemy encirclement and save their lives.

The Subedaar Major replied, “We cannot bring ignominy to the Sikh Regiment by running away from the battlefield.” However, he suggested that they should perform an Akhand-Paath ceremony and take action as per the Divine Hukam (Holy Command). Accordingly, necessary security arrangements were made and the Akhand-Paath ceremony was completed without interruption. After the supplicatory prayer (Ardaas), the Divine Hukam from the Holy Scripture was explained to me by the Subedaar Major and the religious teacher (Granthi).

The Guru’s instruction as per the Divine Hukam was that we should not abandon the battlefield; victory will be ours. Then I conveyed to them the miracle that I had witnessed during the supplicatory prayer. While standing with my eyes closed during the Ardaas, a fully armed Sikh on horseback with a unique grandeur appeared in front of me and ordered “Follow me.” I pointed out the direction in which the fully armed Sikh went after giving the order and asked them about the identity of the warrior. The Subedaar Major said that from the description I had given, he seemed to be none other than Sri Guru Gobind Singh himself!

So, we got ready and launched an attack in the direction pointed out by the Guru. After a short while, we were able to break through the German encirclement and save ourselves. We then got in touch with the Brigade Commander on wireless and requested for additional help.

After the war, I reflected upon the incident and the divine personality who had saved our lives from the impregnable enemy encirclement in a desperate situation by ordering me to follow him. I made up my mind to follow him for the rest of my life. I resigned from the Army and along with my daughter, embraced Sikh Dharam with the initiation ceremony of the Khalsa. Now my name is Devinder Singh and my daughter’s name is Surjit Kaur. This is due to the blessings of Guru Gobind Singh that he made us his disciples.”

~ Sorce: http://dailysikhupdates.com/

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Machhiwara: Gatkebaaz from Ludhiana district bagged first position on the concluding day of Punjab state Gatka Championship (men & women) at Machhiwara (Ludhiana) by winning 73 gold, 26 silver and 2 bonze medals during the mega event. Former champion Patiala district have to console with second place with 43 gold, 24 silver and 17 silver medals while Gurdaspur got third position with 8 gold, 26 silver and 15 bronze medals.

Divulging details Punjab Gatka Association coordinators Baljinder Singh Toor and Dr Deep Singh Chandigarh said that in this two days martial art tournament about 900 Gatka players from 15 districts participated in under 14, 17, 19, 22 and 25 years events in single soti, farri-soti and weapons demonstration.

Speaking on the occasion MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon facilitated the Gatka players and assured all help to the Gatka Association. Gatka Federation of India President Harcharn Singh Bhullar IPS asked the participants to refrain from bazigiri acts and stunts during the performance of martial art skills. Adding further he said that adopting Gatka as an amateur sport enables youth to stay healthy and agile and keeps them away from the menace of drug abuse and other intoxicants to lead a disciplined life.

General Secretary Harjeet Singh Grewal said that Gatka Federation has taken major initiatives to revive and promote this rare art as a sport in India and abroad by organising “Virsa Sambhal” Gatka competitions to perpetuate the rich legacy of age-old martial art Gatka amongst the future generations on one hand and to revive this dying art on the other. He solicited that the Punjab Government must award due gradation to Gatka sport at par with other games at the earliest.

Among others Sabans Singh Manki member SGPC, Jarnail Singh Bajwa Sunny Enclave and Avtar Singh Patiala also spoke on the occasion.

It is informed that the martial art Gatka is a style of fighting with sticks between two Gatka or more players, intended to simulate the sword and focuses on infusing physical, spiritual and mental fitness.

~ by GatkaFederation
~ Source: http://www.sikhnet.com/

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Thirteen children aged between one and 12 were among 35 Afghan Sikh immigrants found in a shipping container at Tilbury Docks, Essex Police have said.

The group arrived on Saturday on a ship from Belgium and were said by police to be victims of “people trafficking”.

One man was found dead and the others were taken to hospital to be treated for severe dehydration and hypothermia.

The 30 people released to police include nine men and eight women aged between 18 and 72.

They have been brought to a makeshift reception centre set up inside the terminal buildings at Tilbury Docks.

Police said they are “being spoken to about their ordeal” before they are passed on to the UK Border Force.

The other four people discovered in the container remain at Southend Hospital.

Essex Police said the stowaways are to be interviewed to find out how they came to be inside the container.

Police launched a homicide investigation following the death of the man, who is thought to be in his 40s.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Sunday but police say further tests need to be undertaken to establish the cause of death.

The container is being forensically examined, they added.

Officers are working with Interpol and other international authorities to try to establish what happened.

‘Horrific ordeal’

Supt Trevor Roe of Essex Police said: “The welfare and health of the people is our priority at this stage.

“Now they are well enough, our officers and colleagues from the Border Force will be speaking to them via interpreters so we can piece together what happened and how they came to be in the container.

“We now understand that they are from Afghanistan and are of the Sikh faith.

“We have had a good deal of help from partners within the local Sikh community in the Tilbury area to ensure that these poor people, who would have been through a horrific ordeal, are supported in terms of their religious and clothing needs.”

The Red Cross provided food and welfare for the group overnight.

Immigration lawyer Harjap Singh Bhangal told the BBC that the Sikh community in Afghanistan had long complained of harassment.

He said the number of Sikh families had been “dwindling” and they faced verbal and physical abuse.

He said: “As a result Sikhs are leaving Afghanistan, and they feel persecuted, and they’re leaving for other countries in Europe such as Germany, France and the UK.”

Sikhs in Afghanistan
By Inayatulhaq Yasini, BBC Pashto

The history of Sikhs in Afghanistan goes back about two centuries. In the 1970s they are thought to have numbered about 200,000, with most living side-by-side with other communities in cities like Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar and involved in the fabrics and clothing business.

But the population is now thought to number less than 5,000. After the Soviet invasion in 1980, a great number migrated to India. A second phase of migration took place after the fall of communist government in 1992. And during the civil war that followed, Sikh business and homes were occupied. They were forced to leave the country with other minorities, including Hindus.

During the Taliban era, Sikhs gained some independence. However, they were forced to wear yellow patches in order to be “recognised or differentiated” from other Afghans.

After the US invasion in 2001, Sikhs were given more freedom by Hamid Karzai’s new government. But even now they are in dispute with the government over their custom of holding outdoor cremations.

Until recently, Sikhs did not have any representation in the Afghan Parliament. However, last year President Karzai allocated a seat for them, which will be shared with a Hindu representative.

‘Screaming and banging’

The discovery was made after the container arrived from the Belgian village of Zeebrugge at about 06:00 BST on Saturday when “screaming and banging” were heard coming from inside.

All the remaining containers on the ship have been searched and no-one else has been found.

Essex Police said there were initial concerns more people could be inside a container that arrived at Purfleet but that this turned out not to be the case.

Belgian police said they believed the lorry which delivered the container in Zeebrugge had been identified through CCTV footage.

Chief Inspector Peter De Waele said it was likely the people were already inside the container when it was dropped at Zeebrugge as it appeared “impossible” the group could have entered it during the hour it was at the port.

It is not known where the container, one of 64 aboard the P&O commercial vessel Norstream, originated, nor where the people inside it were heading.

‘Exploited by gangs’

Former head of the UK Border Force Tony Smith said those inside the container were victims of international organised criminals.

He told the BBC: “They’re being exploited because the prize is a passage to the West – that’s what they want, they want to migrate to the UK or to Europe but they’re being exploited by criminal gangs who are probably taking their entire life savings away on the promise of a passage to the West.

“We really need to get a message out to migrants that if they want to come to this country there are legal routes that they need to explore and they need to apply for visas and permits.”

Anthony Steen, chairman of the Human Trafficking Foundation, said: “It shows how desperate people are to improve their economic situation – how desperate they are to leave their own homes, and own countries, and hope to arrive in somewhere that’s more accommodating, more kind, and offering them a better quality of life. Usually, they’re sadly wrong.”

Police have set up a “casualty bureau” hotline for anyone concerned about relatives. The numbers are 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010 if dialling from outside the UK.

~ Source: http://www.bbc.com/

Amritsar: A lone turbaned Sikh distributing disinfectants, fruit and medicines to Yazidis and Assyrian Christian refugees who have taken shelter in Erbil, Kurdistan, invites curious glances from everyone, making many wonder about the Santa-like man with a flowing white beard.

Ravi Singh, CEO of UK based Sikh charity Khalsa Aid, who headed out to the war zone to do his bit towards reducing the suffering of these displaced groups, is living the Sikh credo of sewa (selfless service) by doing whatever possible, be it arranging water or milk supplies.

“The majority of these people don’t know about Sikhs, only that they are of Indian origin,“ Singh told TOI over the phone from Erbil on Monday .“They are amused to see a turbaned man helping them when other turbaned men (ultras of the Islamic State or ISIS), who also sport beards, are killing them in cold blood.“

He has launched a relief mission to assist the fleeing minority communities being persecuted in Iraq by the ISIS.“We are working towards providing aid in the form of clean drinking water, food items and shelter,“ he said.

Singh said on his arrival in Erbil he found around 3,0004000 refugees taking shelter in St Joseph’s Church. They needed everything — brooms, disinfectants, bleach, milk — and he put together a network with the help of like-minded natives and began distributing rice and vegetables. “Today we distributed milk to the refugees,” he said.

After getting a phone call from a Swedish doctor about 70,000 displaced people in Duhok desperately needing water, Singh extended his stay in Erbil by another couple of days. “We will request the governor of Erbil and the officials of the private company that supplies water, and see what can be done,” he said.

Asked what inspired him to go to the war zone, Singh said: “Khalsa never turns its back on such atrocities. It is our duty as Sikhs not only to wish everyone’s good but to enforce it too.”

~ By Yudhvir Rana
~ Source: The Times of India (Delhi)

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Change is the sign of development. Indian society is also changing continuously. Joint family system is being converting into nuclear family system. Our kids were previously looked after by their grandparents who inculcated in them the moral values and attached them to their culture and heritage by telling them the folk tales.

In such a scenario Gurmeet Kaur , in March 2013, launched the first set of folktale books under the title of Fascinating folktales of Punjab. It was the first time ever that Punjabi folk literature was presented to our children in a fun, educational and inspiring manner. Set of 3 board books printed on child-friendly, heavy, laminated art-board with vibrant colors made the characters come to life.

These books connected our children to Punjabi heritage and language from a very early age while bringing the stories that are being forgotten back to life. They helped the children to form an association and bonding with the Gurmukhi script.

The feedback was amazing. Public demand for more books made her continue this work. After a year and half of hard work, her team has now completed the design for two more board-books that makes the series of board-books complete. How exciting it will be for our little ones to be able to hold and enjoy Five Folktales from the Land of Five Rivers!

We are sure you will fall in love with them as you did with the first ones.

She needs to raise funds to get the books printed and shipped to the USA to be in your hands. You may pre-order the books for your family, friends and the local community.

She needs your contribution TODAY.

Please drop her a mail with your order and send your pre-order cheque made to Gurmeet Kaur at the following address.
Gurmeet Kaur
245 Portsmouth Ct.
Roswell GA 30076
www.folktalesofpunjab.com

PS: If you don’t think that ordering is for you and you want to support the project nonetheless, you can make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at https://www.dvnetwork.org/projects/fascinating-folktales-of-punjab

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NEW DELHI: On October 28, 1914, a wounded sergeant of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers recuperating in Dublin, Ireland, told the British press about Indian bravery on the Western Front.

He said: “We were close to them when they received their baptism by fire. They were halted in an exposed position and it was only by occasional flash of fire from their dark eyes that you would have seen that anything unusual was on. Many of them were hit, but few of them dropped out. They got the order to advance and you never saw men more pleased. They went forward with a rush like a football team charging their opponents. They got to grips with the Germans in double quick time, and the howl of joy that went up as they felt their bayonets gripping something solid told us that those chaps felt that they were paying the Germans back in full for the peppering they had got while waiting for orders. When they came back from that charge, they looked very well pleased with themselves, and they had every right to be.”

The men described above were among the 1.3 million men of the Indian Army who fought across the globe in the First World War. A century later, their sacrifices are now being honoured by world leaders and country heads, the latest being UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon on Thursday. But leading this tribute march is Great Britain under whose flag the Indian Army served in both world wars.

“Britain feels an enormous amount of gratitude to India and her Army for their decisive intervention in the First World War. Without the Indian Army, we couldn’t have won. The Indian Army was the only Commonwealth army that fought in all theatres of the war. So the commemoration of the Indian soldiers’ role is of utmost importance to us,” says Brigadier Brian McCall of the British Army, now the defence attach at the British high commission in Delhi.

While many Indian commemoration programmes are already under way in the UK, Britain has some elaborate plans for India. “We have digitized the war diaries of the various regiments that participated in the conflict through the National Archives of UK. These treasure troves of information, hitherto unavailable to the people of India, are also being hardbound in print. We shall officially hand over these to the government of India at a grand ceremony on October 30 at the high commissioner’s residence in Delhi. These records will then be placed in the National Archives of India,” McCall tells TOI in an exclusive briefing at his south Delhi residence.

But the commemoration doesn’t stop there. Britain has also prepared six sandstone memorials for each of the Victoria Cross winners in the war (the Indian Army won 11 VCs, but Britain has placed three of them in Pakistan and two in Nepal) apart from a memorial tablet that will be placed on a war memorial, either existing or the one that finance minister Arun Jaitley promised to set up in his 2014-15 budget speech.

The high commission has been liaising with the United Service Institution of India’s Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research in the latter’s India and the Great War commemoration project — a four-year initiative sponsored by the ministry of external affairs that aims to re-establish the lost Indian voice in the predominantly white narrative of the First World War.

Squadron Leader Rana TS Chhina (Retd), who has been piloting this initiative, elaborates on the six proposed memorials, “The sandstone memorial will be placed in a chhatri, the traditional Indian memorial to the dead. These chhatris will be funded by the state governments and established in the villages from where these soldiers came. The Amar Veer Smarak, as these memorials will be known, will be a matter of pride for those villages, states as well as the country. Villagers in Haryana and UP have already set aside plots to set up these memorials.”

To be part of this grand ceremony, McCall says, the commanding officers of all those regiments whose war diaries are being digitized have been invited. However, “not one has acknowledged the invite”. It would certainly be embarrassing for both Britain and India, more for India, if the government and the military don’t support this initiative. A senior Indian Army officer says on condition of anonymity, “We want to commemorate the WWI centenary, but the MoD hasn’t given us a go-ahead. They haven’t said ‘no’ either. They aren’t saying anything at all. And that is so depressing.”

But McCall isn’t disheartened yet. “We plan to fly in a Royal Air Force band for joint performance with an Indian Air Force band at the ceremony. I can tell you this that every Indian who attends that ceremony will come out of it with his chest swelling with pride,” he says.

~ Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

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Dear Friends,
Sat Sri Akal

The world knows me as a Master Off-Spinner and the Turban has been my identity. I have represented India from 1966 to 1979, finding a place in Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack and while playing across the world, I always sported a colourful Patka and never have I been asked to remove my turban.

Exactly opposite happened last month to two young basketball players from India – Amarpal and Amjyot Singh. They were representing India at the Asia Cup Championship in China.

Just before the game, both of them were asked to remove their turbans if they wanted to play. They were told that wearing turbans violated the rules of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

This is a shame! How can our country’s top sportsmen be humiliated like that? Sign this petition and ask FIBA to change its policies. Sikhs should be able to play with their turban on if they want to.

My faith and religion have played a big part in my successful career. FIBA’s policies should be more sensitive to people’s faith. Sign this petition and tell them so.

If atleast 25,000 people sign this petition, FIBA will know that this is an issue of great importance and change its policies to be more sensitive.

After you sign this petition, forward my mail to your friends and family. Let us support our country’s sportsmen in every way that we can.

Thanks in Advance

The Master Spinner

Sign the Petition Here: http://www.change.org/petitions/mr-yvan-mainini-president-fiba-international-basketball-federation-stop-racial-discrimination-against-sikh-turban-in-fiba-letsikhsplay

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As said Faith Moves Mountains, strong determination and Faith instilled in oneself opens all avenues as for Guribadat Singh!

Guribabat Singh, one of the members of the youngest team of six young mountaineers who scaled the Mount Everest recently. A young lad hailing from an army family was selected for HMI Darjeeling when he was in 11th standard and then took seven month’s advance mountaineer training under the guidance of Col. Neeraj Rana.

During his venture, Guribadat Singh and team met Nepal’s Army Chief General Gaurav SJB Rana, when he shared with them important aspects of mountaineering and his experiences. He provided them with chocolates, meat and rendered them with all possible help required. He supported them by providing choppers which provided food and other essentials items to the students.

The venture was not a cake walk for Guribadat. During his venture to the peak he saw a dead body wrapped in a blue jacket. It was a very shocking experience for him but it could not deter him from his goal. At one point he had to sit for about one and a half hour for shortage of oxygen. All these hurdles could not down his morale since his faith in God was and still is unshakable. He continued his journey after taking the help of an official and conquered the Mount Everest.

While coming back from the Everest at the height of 28000 ft, his hair froze due to heavy snowfall. Doctors advised him to cut his hair to survive. They cautioned him with chances of paralysis but he did not listen to them. Being a Sikh his faith in his religion is dear to him than his life. At last he achieved the feat with a smiling face. He preferred to visit Golden Temple to thank for His grace than to meet media after coming back from the challenging experience.

In a telephonic interview with us Guribadat Singh said, “It is only with the grace of God that I managed to clear the aim and I am proud of my faith that I could win my fight against death!

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 15th Aug ’14

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Its not how and what all happened, It’s about how and what all is happening now in the present.

Sikhs in India fought for Indian Freedom Struggle and over 85% of those who were sent to the gallows or imprisoned during the freedom struggle were Punjabis!

Sikhs have been a backbone in the growth of India and winning over all odds. During Partition, 14.5 million people had to migrate out of which 7.2 million were Muslims and 7.2 million were Sikhs and Hindus. About one million Sikhs were lost their lives in the hassle during Partition. India at the time lost a lot on Identity, Culture, Language and Civilization.

Punjabi’s stayed together for centuries and together fought for freedom!

Let’s celebrate this Day of Struggles, Deaths, Sacrifices and hardships that we faced during Independence by remembering the departed souls!

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 14th Aug ’14

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Melbourne: Victorian Premier Denis Napthine today paid his first-ever visit to a Gurdwara here and acknowledged the growing role and contributions made by the Punjabi community in the key Australian state.

Wearing a headgear as mark of respect in the Blackburn Gurdwara, Napthine walked across the premises along with his Multicultural Affairs minister Matthew Guy and Amita Gill, the first Sikh woman to stand for the state polls as a Liberal Party candidate.

“Sikh community is a strong and growing community like the Indian community,” Liberal leader Napthine said.

“We welcome the growth from Sikh and Indian community in Victoria. We have recently released our next generation of multicultural policies and it is very carefully named as ‘Victoria’s advantage’,” he told the group of Sikh community members.

“This report is to identify that we believe that our diverse and harmonious cultural and multi-faith community is not just wonderful only in terms of multiculturalism but also is an advantage for the state.

“We say it is Victoria’s greatest strengths and opportunity. It will help our economy and quality of life grow,” he said.

Napthine also expressed his delight on Gill’s inclusion as a Liberal candidate to fight the next state elections scheduled in November this year.
He was given a long tour of the temple by the Gurdwara committee members who explained to him about various sections of the temple, including the Prayer Hall where Napthine bowed his head.

Ahead of the Gurdwara visit, Napthine had visited an Islamic Mosque and was to also visit a Hare Krishna temple here.

~ Source: http://sikhsiyasat.net/

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