During third Udassi Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji sat under dead and dried Pipal tree. With divine touch of Guru Sahib Pipal tree came to life again. When Sidh’s saw this, they felt jealous. They used their powers and tried to lift the Pipal tree under which Guru Sahib was sitting on the ground. When the tree had risen by a few feet, Guru Sahib simply placed his hand on it and it stopped rising. The same tree can be seen in the Gurudwara Sahib Premises.

The weather being cold, Bhai Mardana asked the Sidhs for some fire. However, they refused to help him. The yogis, instead, taunted him and told him that he should go and ask his Guru Sahib who was with him. At this, Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji looked at a pile of firewood nearby and it instantly ignited. Bhai Mardana was thus able to keep warm and enjoy the fire. Suddenly, the weather changed for the worse and it began to rain. As a result, the fires lit by the yogis were extinguished but the one lit by Guru Sahib was not affected at all.

Then the yogis dig a little place and made a child to sit in there and covered it. They asked the child that whenever they will ask whose land is this, he should reply, “Sidhan di” ( Of the Yogis). The next morning, they all gathered together and called Guru Sahib for a religious discussion. Then in the front of Guru Sahib when they asked twice whose land is this, the child replied “Sidhan di”. But when Guru Sahib asked whose land is this, there was a reply Nanak Mata, Nanak Mata, Nanak Mata, and the yogis then realized their mistake and fell at the feet of Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib explained to the yogis the path of true meditation and salvation.

Later Baba Almast Ji was taking care of this place. But again the Gorakh Matts harassed Baba Almast Ji, had thrown him out and captured this place. They renamed it as Gorakhmat. Sidhs also set fire to Pipal Tree. Baba Almast Ji sent message to Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji at Darolli Bhai. On request of Baba Almast Ji, Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji came to this place and sprinkled some water on the pipal tree and made it live again. The pipal tree at some parts can be felt as burnt.

Gurudwara Sahib is 45 km from Rudarpur, 11 km from Sitarganj. 500 km from Chandigarh and is situated in the Distt, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttrakhand.

~ Source – http://www.historicalgurudwaras.com/

AMRITSAR: To understand the essence of ‘langar’ (community kitchen), which brings people of all walks together by erasing differences, a group of 13 undergraduates from the University of Michigan, US, has come to the Golden Temple to participate in this revolutionary concept started by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev. Convinced with the centuries old tradition of cooking and serving food to people together, which helped sustain the community, these students from the US are getting involved in all aspects of ‘langar’, including cooking and cleaning utensils and visiting farmer markets and dairies that provide supplies to Golden Temple for preparing food for around 60,000 people every day.

The young Americans are difficult to spot as they mingle with other devotees to perform ‘sewa’ (voluntary service) in the ‘langar’ building as they chop vegetables, peel onions and make ‘chapattis’, squatting on the floor with their heads covered. But a closer look shows the inquisitiveness on their faces and strong conviction to know the sacred tradition that holds secrets of sustainable living.

A young undergrad Nick Rinahart from the Michigan varsity told TOI on Thursday that he had never seen so many people cooking together and serving food. “It’s so remarkable that people from different backgrounds gather at a single place and cook food. It’s just outstanding,” he remarked.

Jasprit Singh, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, University of Michigan, who had proposed to take a group of undergraduate students to Amritsar to see what lessons could be learnt from the concept of ‘langar’, said, “The students in our group will be future leaders of the world, and they will develop ideas and policies to address some of the great challenges faced by humanity. The aim of the programme is to expose them to different ways of building communities and sharing resources.”

Another US student Tina Alkherson said she had visited a gurdwara in Michigan earlier, but the scale of ‘langar’ in the Golden Temple was beyond her imagination. She said she couldn’t communicate with other persons preparing ‘langar’, but she could see in them the dedication to serve. “The people here are more generous in nature,” she said.

Prof Jasprit said the students would research on how volunteers work together to prepare meals for 60,000 people everyday, the power that draws participants who serve and were served, the role played by merchants and farmers in the ‘langar’ and ‘daswandh’ (donating 10% of earnings). “The students will also look at how do devotees gear up mentally and physically to prepare a meal without any urgency like in case of a natural disaster,” he said.

Indian-origin Radha Patel, among the 13 students from Michigan varsity, said it was surprising to see how people took out time to cook for others, which was unseen in the US. It is nice to see haves and have-nots sitting together and doing the same job. It is an amazing cultural tradition so I would love to visit again,” said Radha.

Sarah Maishall said people in Amritsar treated them like family members. “Women would come and touch me. It’s like a family but in US people are more individualistic,” Sarah said, adding that she was hopeful that the group would learn a lot from the tradition of ‘langar’.

~ By Yudhvir Rana
~ Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

He was a master! A true genius! I was inspired from his work immensely and had been studying him for few years now, along with Rembrandt. He (and Rembrandt) had that ability to capture sad, tragic, meditative and contemplative moments really well. In his paintings there is death, there is depth and there is that no-thing element, the ability to send the viewer into the nirgun reality that very few painters are blessed with.

Even though I have been studying the writings of Guru Arjun Dev ji for years, I was particularly inspired by two shabads:

Sajanra mera sajanra and nain aloeiaa ghatt ghatt soeiaa.

I really like the renditions sung by Bhai Harjinder Singh ji Srinagarwale. One day while I was listening to the shabads and contemplating Guru Sahib’s martyrdom, I saw Guru Sahib and the scene of his torture. My eyes teared up and I began crying. I saw a glimpse of Guru Sahib and how he saw his beloved Sajanra right next to him, and everywhere, and how he remained by His side until his departure. It was a very moving moment and I knew I had to paint it.

ਹਉ ਨਾ ਛੋਡਉ ਕੰਤ ਪਾਸਰਾ ॥
I shall never leave my Husband Lord’s side.

ਸਦਾ ਰੰਗੀਲਾ ਲਾਲੁ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਏਹੁ ਮਹਿੰਜਾ ਆਸਰਾ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
My Beloved Lover is always and forever beautiful. He is my hope and inspiration. ||1||Pause||
— Guru Arjan Dev Ji Raag Soohee Ang 761

ਨੈਣ ਅਲੋਇਆ ਘਟਿ ਘਟਿ ਸੋਇਆ ਅਤਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਪ੍ਰਿਅ ਗੂੜਾ ॥
With my eyes I have seen Him, sleeping upon the bed within each and every heart; my Beloved is the sweetest ambrosial nectar.
— Guru Arjan Dev Ji Raag Raamkalee Ang 924

So I just meditated on those shabads a lot while working on the painting. It kept me inspired and kept the vision of Guru Arjun Dev ji alive in my heart.

~ Bhagat Bedi, the painter
 www.sikhiart.com

“Tu pita sabh barik tare||
You are our father; we are all Your children.
Jio khaelaaveh tio khaelanaarae||
We play as you cause us to play.”

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the founder of the religion of Sikhism and the first of the Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated world-wide on Kartik Puranmashi, the full-moon day which falls on different dates each year in the month of Katak, October–November.

Guru Nanak traveled far and wide teaching people the message of one God who dwells in every one of God’s creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. He set up a unique spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness, and virtue.

It is part of Sikh religious belief that the spirit of Guru Nanak’s sanctity, divinity and religious authority descended upon each of the nine subsequent Gurus when the Guruship was devolved on to them.

Family and early life –

Gurdwara Janam Asthan – Guru Nanak was born on 15 April 1469, now celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, at Rāi Bhoi Kī Talvaṇḍī, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, in present day Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. His parents were Kalyan Chand Das Bedi, popularly shortened to Mehta Kalu, and Mata Tripta. His father was a patwari (accountant) for crop revenue in the village of Talwandi, employed by a Muslim landlord of that area, Rai Bular Bhatti.

He had one sister, Bibi Nanaki, who was five years older than him and became a spiritual figure in her own right. In 1475 she married Jai Ram and went to his town of Sultanpur, where he was the steward (modi) to Daulat Khan Lodi, the eventual governor of Lahore during the Afghan Lodhi dynasty. Nanak was attached to his older sister, and, in traditional Indian fashion, he followed her to Sultanpur to live with her and her husband. Nanak also found work with Daulat Khan, when he was around 16 years old. This was a formative time for Nanak, as the Puratan (traditional) Janam Sakhi suggests, and in his numerous allusions to governmental structure in his hymns, most likely gained at this time.

Commentaries on his life give details of his blossoming awareness from a young age. At the age of five, Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects. At age seven, his father enrolled him at the village school as was the custom. Notable lore recounts that as a child Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, which is an almost straight stroke in Persian or Arabic, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of God. Other childhood accounts refer to strange and miraculous events about Nanak, such as one witnessed by Rai Bular, in which the sleeping child’s head was shaded from the harsh sunlight, in one account, by the stationary shadow of a tree or, in another, by a poisonous cobra.

On 24 September 1487 Nanak married Mata Sulakkhani, daughter of Mūl Chand and Chando Rāṇī, in the town of Batala. The couple had two sons, Sri Chand (8 September 1494 – 13 January 1629) and Lakhmi Chand (12 February 1497 – 9 April 1555).

Sikhism – Rai Bular, the local landlord and Nanak’s sister Bibi Nanaki were the first people who recognized divine qualities in the boy. They encouraged and supported him to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at around 1499, at the age of 30, he had a vision. After he failed to return from his ablutions, his clothes were found on the bank of a local stream called the Kali Bein. The townspeople assumed he had drowned in the river; Daulat Khan had the river dragged, but no body was found. Three days after disappearing, Nanak reappeared, staying silent. The next day, he spoke to pronounce:

“There is neither Hindu nor Mussulman (Muslim) so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow God’s path. God is neither Hindu nor Mussulman and the path which I follow is God’s.”

Nanak said that he had been taken to God’s court. There, he was offered a cup filled with Amrita (nectar) and given the command,

“This is the cup of the adoration of God’s name. Drink it. I am with you. I bless you and raise you up. Whoever remembers you will enjoy my favour. Go, rejoice of my name and teach others to do so. I have bestowed the gift of my name upon you. Let this be your calling.”

From this point onwards, Nanak is described in accounts as a Guru, and Sikhism was born.

Teachings – Fresco of Guru Nanak!

Guru Nanak’s teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib, as a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi.

From these some common principles seem discernible. Firstly a supreme Godhead who although incomprehensible, manifests in all major religions, the Singular “Doer” and formless. It is described as the indestructible (undying) form.

Nanak describes the dangers of egotism (haumai- “I am”) and calls upon devotees to engage in worship through the word of God. Naam, implies God, the Reality, mystical word or formula to recite or meditate upon (Shabad in Gurbani), divine order (Hukam) and at places divine teacher (Guru) and guru’s instructions) and singing of God’s qualities, discarding doubt in the process. However, such worship must be selfless (Sewa). The word of God, cleanses the individual to make such worship possible. This is related to the revelation that God is the Doer and without God there is no other. Nanak warned against hypocrisy and falsehood saying that these are pervasive in humanity and that religious actions can also be in vain. It may also be said that ascetic practices are disfavoured by Nanak, who suggests remaining inwardly detached whilst living as a householder.

Through popular tradition, Nanak’s teaching is understood to be practiced in three ways:

Vaṇḍ Chakkō: Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need

Kirat Karō: Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud

Naam Japna: Meditating on God’s name to control your 5 evils to eliminate suffering and live a happy life.
Nanak put the greatest emphasis on the worship of the Word of God (Naam Japna). One should follow the direction of awakened individuals (Gurmukh or God willed) rather than the mind (state of Manmukh- being led by self will)- the latter being perilous and leading only to frustration.

Reforms that occurred in the institution and both Godhead and Devotion, are seen as transcending any religious consideration or divide, as God is not separate from any individual.

Guru Nanak’s Divine Journeys –

The 5 Udasis and other locations visited by Guru Nanak
Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, he is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of kilometers, the first tour being east towards Bengal and Assam, the second south towards Sri Lanka, the third north towards Kashmir, Ladakh, and Tibet, and the final tour west towards Baghdad, Mecca and Medina on the Arabian Peninsula.

Nanak crossed into Arunachal Pradesh and visited most of the part. First while going to Lhasa (Tibet) he passed through Tawang after crossing from Bhutan and entered Tibet from Samdurang Chu. He returned from Lhasa and went to the famous monastery Samye and entered Pemoshubu Menchukha in Arunachal Pradesh. He meditated for some time at this location. From Menchukha he went back to Tibet, brought the residents of Southern Tibet and got them settled in Menchukha. Thereafter through Gelling and Tuiting he proceeded to Saidya and Braham-Kund, before entering the state of Assam again.

Nanak was moved by the plight of the people of world and wanted to tell them about the “real message of God”. The people of the world were confused by the conflicting message given by priests, pundits, qazis, mullahs, etc. He was determined to bring his message to the masses; so in 1499, he decided to set out on his sacred mission to spread the holy message of peace and compassion to all of mankind.

Most of his journeys were made on foot with his companion Bhai Mardana. He traveled in all four directions – North, East, West and South. The founder Sikh Guru is believed to have traveled more than 28,000 km in five major tours of the world during the period from 1500 to 1524.

Nanak saw the world suffering out of hatred, fanaticism, falsehood and hypocrisy. The world had sunk in wickedness and sin. So he decided that he had to travel and educate and press home the message of Almighty Lord. So he set out in 1499 on his mission for the regeneration of humanity on this earth. He carried the torch of truth, heavenly love, peace and joy for mankind. For 1 year he spread his message of peace, compassion, righteousness and truth to the people in and around his home.

In 1499 Nanak embarked on his Divine Mission and went towards east, west, north and south and visited various centers of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jainis, Sufis, Yogis and Sidhas. He met people of different religions, tribes, cultures and races. He traveled on foot with his Muslim companion named Bhai Mardana, a minstrel. His travels are called Udasis. In his first Udasi (travel), Nanak covered east of India and returned home after spending about 6 years. He started from Sultanpur in 1499 and went to his village Talwandi to meet and inform his parents about his long journey. His parents wanted their young son to provide comfort and protection for them in their old age and so they told him they would prefer it if he did not go. But he told them that the world was burning in the fire of Kalyug and that thousands and thousands were waiting for the Divine message of the Almighty for comfort, love and salvation. The Guru, therefore, told his parents, “There is a call from Heaven, I must go whither He directs me to go.” Upon hearing these words, his parents agreed and gave their blessings. So Nanak started his mission and the roots of Sikhism were laid down first towards the east of India.

According to the Puratan Janamsakhi, which is one of the oldest accounts of the life history of Guru Nanak, the Guru undertook five missionary journeys (udasiya) to the far away places of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Mecca, Baghdad, Kamroop (Assam), Tashkand and many more. Guru ji traveled far and wide to spread the word of Gurbani and covered most of India, present day Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, South West China, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The five journeys –

Below is a brief summary of the confirmed places visited by Nanak:

First Udasi: (1499-1506 AD) – Lasted about 7 years and covered the following towns and regions: Sultanpur, Tulamba (modern Makhdumpur, zila Multan), Panipat, Delhi, Banaras (Varanasi), Nanakmata (zila Nainital, Uttranchal), Tanda Vanjara (zila Rampur), Kamrup (Assam), Asa Desh (Assam), Saidpur (modern Eminabad, Pakistan), Pasrur (Pakistan), Sialkot (Pakistan).

Second Udasi: (1506-1513 AD) Lasted about 7 years and covered the following towns and regions: Dhanasri Valley, Sangladip (Ceylon).

Third Udasi: (1514-1518 AD) Lasted about 5 years and covered the following towns and regions: Kashmir, Sumer Parbat, Nepal, Tashkand, Sikkim, Tibet.

Fourth Udasi: (1519-1521 AD) Lasted about 3 years and covered the following towns and regions: Mecca and the Arab countries.

Fifth Udasi: (1523-1524 AD) Lasted about 2 years and covered the following towns and regions: Places within the Punjab.

To spread his knowledge, Nanak traveled widely throughout Asia. To this end he undertook four Udasis (Tours). The first udasi (1499–1505) was to the central and eastern parts of India. Second udasi (1506–1509) took him to important towns and religious centers of south India, including Sri Lanka. During the third Udasi (1514–1516) Nanak traveled to the Gangetic plains, Bihar, Nepal, Lhasa, Leh, as far as Tashkand and then back to Punjab via the Kashmir valley. The fourth Udasi (1518–1521) took him to various Arab countries.

Succession –
Nanak appointed Bhai Lehna as the successor Guru, renaming him as Guru Angad, meaning “one’s very own” or “part of you”. Shortly after proclaiming Bhai Lehna as his successor, Guru Nanak died on 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur, at the age of 70!

Hail the efforts! Dhan Sikhi!

It preaches help for the poor and loving thy neighbour but now a new study has provided evidence that religion can make people more generous in their everyday lives.

Research commissioned by the BBC found that people who profess a religious belief are significantly more likely to give to charity than non-believers.

Sikhs and Jews emerged as the most likely to share their worldly goods with a good cause, just ahead of Christians, Hindus and Muslims.

The study, carried out for the BBC’s network of local radio stations, included polling by ComRes of a sample of more than 3,000 people of all faiths and none.

It found that levels of generosity across the British public are strikingly high, but highest among those with a religious faith.

Overall as many as seven in 10 people in England said they had given money to a charity in the past month. But while just over two thirds of those who professed no religious faith claimed to have done so, among believers the figure rose to almost eight out of 10.

Among those polled, all of the Sikhs and 82 per cent of practising Jews had given money in the past month. Among practising Christians the figure was 78 per cent.

The Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, general Secretary of the Methodist Church, said: “Religious faith should motivate people to acts of generosity and it’s good to see this reflected in these figures.

“Of course, financial giving is only part of the picture.

“For some people a simple act of kindness, or the very fact that someone has made time for them, can mean more than any financial gift.

“But every act of generosity, however small, bears witness to a generous and loving God and helps to change the world for good.”

~ Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The surname Singh is so prevalent around the world that Canada used to ban immigrants from keeping it, claiming the name was too common to process quickly.

Today, it’s a loaded identifier: violence against those who bear the name Singh — adherents of the religion known as Sikhism — has escalated since the attacks of September 11, so much so that the FBI has devoted a branch to investigating such crimes.

Given the visual nature of the Sikh identity, the photo above is a long time coming. It’s part of The Singh Project, a new undertaking by British photographers Naroop Singh Jhooti and Amit Amin. The series features tight-cropped portraits of Sikh men, intended to “highlight the subjects,” according to a video on the project’s Kickstarter page.

The subjects are both diverse and narrowly chosen. Some are young, in leather and jeans. Others look like jolly grandfathers in a Tinkle cartoon. Several, young and old, brandish the traditional Sikh knife, or kirpan.

All though, follow the Sikh tenet forbidding the cutting of hair out of reverence for the body. Accordingly, many Sikh men — and some brave women — tend to sport luxurious facial hair. Their uncut head hair is hidden by a turban. The regal look, often confused by the uninformed for an Islamic one, befits the faith’s commonest name: Singh comes from the Sanskrit word simha, which means lion (think Disney’s “Simba”).

In the Kickstarter video, creators Jhooti and Amin discuss how embarking on the project has changed their view of Sikhism. Both are Sikhs, but neither devout enough to look the part:

“But we felt a sense of pride,” Jhooti says. “It was great to see these men come into our studio. Their pride in their identity was so strong that it reinforced our belief in our religion.”

The project also calls to mind the work of Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh man-about-town who’s recently stirred up press. Known to his admirers simply as Waris, the designer/model/gadfly made national headlines last year, when a Gap ad he was featured in across the U.S. drew anti-Muslim vandalism.

The Singh Project is poised to pick up where Ahluwalia left off, broadcasting the unique look of Sikh men to the general public, with an exhibit of oversized prints.

“And of course,” Amin adds in the video, “plenty of tea and samosas at the launch party.”

~ Source: The Huffington Post  | By Mallika Rao

Harsangat Kaur Khalsa’s personal journey in Sikhi led her to become the 1st woman to ride a horse in Holla Mahalla since perhaps the time of Mai Bhago. She is now in Austin Texas pursuing her dream on the international Tent Pegging team.

Harsangat ji, how did you come across Tent Pegging?

It really is amazing. I moved back to Texas and I wasn’t sure why I came back. I definitely wanted to spend more time with my family, but I felt out of place because before this I was living in sangat. Here, I’m back with my old friends and this is what I had left to become a Sikh. Then, I got a call a few months ago from a friend of mine, Jamie. She is married to a Sikh and she is on the Tent Pegging team. She said, “There is a Tent Pegging team and it’s only thirty days old and it’s in Houston.”

That’s only a couple hours away from Austin. I was blown away. That’s what I wanted to do when I was in India. When I rode a horse at Holla Mahalla, I did race, but I didn’t have a lance and peg like most of the people there. I wasn’t taken seriously. I had to prove my ability. They gave me an unruly stallion and I rode it with the best of them. Now hopefully, especially with being on the Tent Pegging team, they will let me fully participate in Holla Mahalla next time.

This is the first Tent Pegging team in the history of the U.S. I interviewed to be on the team and they wanted me on. Now I’m part of U.S. history and I’m really excited about it.

International team? Is Tent Pegging in the Olympics?

Tent Pegging isn’t officially in the Olympics. It may be at the Summer Olympics in Brazil IF it is accepted. It can take a long time for a new sport to get accepted in the Olympics. I believe there are sports that have taken 20 years to get in. But this equestrian sport is actually one of the first ever sports with horses. It goes back to ancient times. It also plays a big role in Sikh history.

What exactly is Tent Pegging?

Basically, it’s a non-violent act of war. In Sikh history, if I’m correct, there was a time when everyone was starving in Anandpur Sahib and the situation was terrible. The Singhs would go out before dawn while the other army was sleeping and ride through their camp. They’d use their spears to pull up the pegs from the tents. The tent falls down on top of the people sleeping. They would do this before dawn. They would bombard the whole camp this way.

So the spear is used to hit the tent pegs down?

Actually the pegs are picked up. So the game is that you pick up the peg from the ground with the spear. We use a bamboo bundle tied together. The bundle is sticking vertically out of the ground. We are timed and we have to pick up the peg while riding straight at full speed. That’s one part of the sport. Also, we take swords and we hit oranges or limes.

The army Calvary actually practices this. U.S.A., Canada, U.K. and other countries have Calvary that use Tent Pegging in their regiment. Actually, a few members of our team are from the Calvary from the U.S. army.

And this was so interesting. About two years ago I really wanted to be in the calvary but I realized I didn’t want to be in the army. I was actually looking into Canada. I was just considering it. Then this came up.

Right now, my focus is pretraining. I’m working with this amazing trainer at the moment to build up my back strength because I have an injury.

So my next game is going to be in Dehli. That’s in November. If I’m ready by then, it will be my first game.

There are Tent Pegging teams all over the world?

All over the world! Isn’t it crazy! There one coming up in Oman, there’s going to be some in Australia. It’s totally international. What’s interesting about the sport is that about 70% of the players are Sikh.

Jamie Huger Sabharwal & Harsangat Raj Kaur Khalsa

So I’m working a lot. I’m making it happen. I’m kind of doing this on my own. I would like to find a sponsor because it is quite expensive. I have a lot of people doubting it, saying that it’s really dangerous, especially people who are close to me. I really feel like this is something beyond me. Kind of like how we have sevas. Our soul has seva for the Panth. You, as an individual, have a gift. Using your gift is your seva for the Panth. I know that whatever I’m doing right now with this team is a seva. I’m doing it and following it.

As a child, I always envisioned myself being a professional horse rider. But because of my injury I never believed that it could happen.

What was your injury?

I was in England and I was riding a race horse. I was 15. The horse had just came off the track so it was still in that mode, in the mind set of racing. My friend’s horse got spooked and started running. Mine thought it was a race so it just took off, too. I wasn’t really paying attention at that moment. So I lost my stirrup and I got dragged by one foot by a galloping horse. I hurt my lower lumbar and shoulder so bad that my parents decided that they didn’t want to support me riding. The doctors said I shouldn’t ride ever again. That was the end of it. So growing up in my teens that dream was just gone.

Picture yourself thinking your whole life that that’s what you’re going to do and then finding out it’s not going to happen. I had a lot of family and home issues anyways so I fell into depression a lot. I think my depression started then. That was my love.

To think that it’s happening at my age now. You’d think that I’m ready to have a family, kids, like everyone else, but there’s something else that is just calling me. I’ve never been lucky in love and maybe this is the reason. Maybe I need to follow this love first and see what happens with me. If I had a family I don’t think I could put all this attention and energy to something like this.
It’s a gift, it’s a blessing and I’m going to do the best that I can. I’m going to train really hard and give it all my heart!

Also, I got the number 10. I requested to get it.

Why did you request number 10?

Hahaha, I wonder why…

Actually, I missed Holla Mahalla this year. That was sad. I could feel it. But I knew that this was Hukam. I accepted that I wasn’t going to Hola Mahalla. Shortly after that, I got on the team. I’m focusing on this which is going to give me skills to complete and actually tent peg at Holla Mahalla next year.

I also feel very honored to represent the U.S. and wish to compete and give it all I’ve got. I never knew this opportunity would happen in my life. It’s so surreal.

Stay tuned for part two of this interview where Harsangat Kaur shares her experience that riding is a meditation and inspirations for the youth.

If you want to be a sponsor or donate please contact her at: www.theheartwarriors.com

~ by Harsangat Kaur Khalsa
~ Source: http://www.sikhnet.com/

~ Reason going back to your roots is the best for your Health

In many Indian households you will find that people sit on the floor and eat their meals. While most of us have embraced the table and chair as a place to eat, there are those of us who prefer to sit in front of the TV and, or sit on the bed and eat. While this might be very comfortable, it might not necessarily be the best thing for your health.

Our ancestors definitely had a plan when they made sure we sit on the floor, cross legged and ate our food. Here are 10 reasons going back to your roots is the best for your health.

1) Helps improve your digestion:

When you sit on the floor, you usually sit cross legged – an aasan known as sukhaasan, or a half padmasna which are poses that help in digestion (since it is believed that when one sits in this pose in front of food it automatically signals your brain to prepare for digestion). Apart from that when you eat from a plate placed on the floor, you will have to naturally bend forward slightly and go back to your starting position to swallow. This constant back and forth movement causes the muscles of your abdomen to be activated, and also leads to increased secretion of stomach acids – making it much easier for you to digest food.

2) Helps you lose weight:

Sitting on the floor and eating has significant weight loss benefits too. When you sit in this position, your brain automatically calms down and is better equipped to focusing on the food you eat. Moreover this position helps you cognate the amount of food you have eaten and helps you feel full faster. How does that work? Well, the main reason people overeat is because they do not know when they are full. This happens because the vagus nerve (the main nerve that transmits signals from the stomach to the brain) sends signals to the brain as you eat, telling it if you are satiated, or not. When you sit on the floor this nerve is able to perform better and transmit signals more efficiently. Also, since this position makes you eat slower than you would while sitting on a table, it gives your stomach and brain time to cognate the signals of feeling full{2}, thereby preventing overeating and binging.

3) Makes you more flexible:

When you squat, or sit in padmasana, the muscles in your lower back, pelvis, around your stomach and those of the upper and lower abdomen stretch – reducing pain and discomfort. This, in turn helps your digestive system relax and stay in a normal position. Moreover, this position does not compress your stomach in anyway helping you eat and digest better. Moreover, the regular stretching of these essential muscles also helps make you more flexible and healthy.

4) Aids in mindful eating:

When you sit on the floor and eat as a family, it aids in mindful eating. Not only does it help you focus on your food, but it also helps you make better choices when you eat. Since your mind is calm and your body is ready to accept nutrition, sitting on the floor is the best way to eat the right amount and kinds of food. According to leading nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar, eating food while concentrating on every aspect of the food – its smell, taste, texture and how much you are eating is the key to losing weight – which is what sitting on the floor and eating gives you.

5) Helps you bond with your family:

Usually the practice of sitting on the floor and eating is a family activity. This time is great for you to bond. One of the reasons sitting on the floor is better at helping you bond is because it leads to a calm and happy mind – helping you listen more intently and peacefully.

6) Improves your posture:

Posture is very important when it comes to staying healthy. Good posture not only helps prevent injuries but it also reduces the chances of excessive strain on certain muscles and joints, which can lead to fatigue and quicker than normal wear and tear. When you sit on the floor your posture is automatically corrected, making your back straight, lengthening your spine, and pushes back your shoulders – beating all the common aches and pains that come with bad posture.

7) Can make you live longer:

Sounds a bit unbelievable right? Well, it’s true, sitting on the floor and eating can actually help you live longer. A study published in the Journal European Journal of Preventive Cardiology{2} found that people who sat on the floor in padmasana and were able to get up without any support were more likely to live longer. This is because being able to get up from that position takes a considerable amount of flexibility and lower body strength. The study found that those who were not able to get up without support were at the risk of being 6.5 times more likely to die in the next six years.

8) Lubricates and keeps your knees and hip joint healthy:

According to PS Venkateshwara, author of the book Yoga for Healing {3}, padmasana and sukhasana is one pose that has health benefits for your entire body. Not only does it help your digestive system function better, but it also helps keep your joints supple, flexible and less prone to injuries and degenerative diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis. That is because the constant bending of the knees, ankles and hip joint helps keep them flexible and free of diseases. And with flexibility comes better lubrication between the joints making it much easier to sit on the floor.

9) Relaxes the mind and calms the nerves:

Sukhaasan and padmasana, or the cross legged way one sits on the floor while eating has a number of benefits, and one of its most significant ones is that it calms the mind and relaxes frazzled nerves. A very handy tool, it is believed in Ayurveda that eating with a calm mind helps better digestion and in some cases has even helped people relish food better.

10) Strengthens the heart by improving circulation:

Have you ever noticed that when you eat, you tend to feel warmer and in some cases even sweat? Well, that is because when we eat our stomach needs all the energy it can use to digest food. One of digestion’s most important element is a sound blood circulation. To keep up with this process, your heart tends to work overtime to help out your digestive system. Here is where sitting on the floor and eating can help you out. When you sit on the floor your heart gets the benefits of circulation as the blood is easily pumped through the heart to all the organs needed for digestion. This is in contrast to the pattern of circulation when you sit on a dining table and chair, wherein the blood flows to the legs as they are lower than the heart. Therefore, sitting on the floor and eating, affords you a healthy heart with strong muscles to help it cope with the pressures of daily life.

~ By Pavitra Sampath
~ Source: http://www.sikh24.com/

Chandigarh: The young drug addicts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have been trying all bizarre and cheap addiction substitutes to get that high. These could be anything ranging from solvent-based glue to a house lizard’s tail or even a sweat-laden frog.

“You won’t detect any house lizard (‘chippkali’) in any professional institute or hostels these days. If you do find one, it will be without its tail. It is a rich source of poor man’s kick,” says a 34-year-old school dropout of Mustafa Jattan village in Gurdaspur.

The tail is detached from the lizard with the help of a steel glass. To make it less poisonous, the tail is half-boiled and kept on a lamp for drying up. Once dried, addicts crush it and fill it in a cigarette.

“Just a puff or two work like an anaesthetic doze for the brain for the next few hours, and that too without any cost,” says Masih, who admitted he too had tried the substance.

“Sniffing of a particular brand of glue available in small tubes and bottles, which is based on solvents, is the latest to catch the fancy of addicts. Many youngsters have even died due to over-sniffing these poisonous solvents,” says Kaustabh Sharma, the Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau.

A white eraser fluid, which is easily available at stationery shops, is also in vogue. A boy from Dinanagar recently died due to its over-doze. De-addiction centres across the state have been receiving a large number of such addicts. The eraser fluid, it is learnt, has been selling on a premium at stationery and other shops in Punjab.

If this was not enough, another popular method among hostellers is to wear their socks for seven to eight days to make these acutely stinking. Afterwards, addicts boil it and drink the stinking concoction for an instant high.

Addicts also make a frog run for some time and lick its sweat, which provides an instant kick.

But the weirdest of all is a controlled snakebite. Addicts from Punjab reportedly visit Chandni Chowk in Delhi to get themselves bitten by a particular species of snake. Each bite costs around Rs 8,000.

“The snake charmers take your blood samples first. If they find you are an old addict and fit to bear the bite impact, only then they administer it to you. With one bite, you can remain high for at least a week. All you have to do after the bite is have excess tea and a bottle of beer daily for the next week or so,” said Masih.

Asked how an unknown addict would find the snake charmer (or ‘charger’, as called by addicts) carrying that particular snake in Chandni Chowk, Masih said their trademark was a red and green shoulder bag with snake images.

Other strange substances popular among the youth are eating pain balm after spreading it on bread, inhaling petrol or sitting in the sun after applying shoe polish on the head.

Weird, wild ways

Controlled snakebite: The practice is prevalent in Chandni Chowk. Each bite of a particular snake costs Rs 8,000. Charmers take blood samples and they administer the snakebite only after finding an addict fit to bear its impact. The impact of one bite remains for a week.

Lizard tail puff: Its tail is detached with the help of a steel glass. To make it less poisonous, the tail is half-boiled and then kept on a lamp. Once dried, addicts crush it and fill it in a cigarette.

Frog sweat: A frog is made to run for some time. Addicts then lick its sweat, which provides an instant kick.

Sniffing glue: Based on solvents, this is the latest product to catch the fancy of youngsters. Many youngsters have even died due to over-sniffing these poisonous solvents.

White eraser fluid: Easily available at stationery shops, it is sniffed for a high. A boy from Dinanagar recently died due to an over-doze.

~ Source: Varinder Singh, The Tribune 6th June ’14

Dear Judge Susan E. Green of the Superior Court of Sutter County,

I am a Sikh. My faith – which stems from India – is acknowledged as one of the world’s major religions (there are 23.8 million Sikhs and only 13.4 million Jews). We stand out because baptized, male Sikhs wear turbans, beards and uncut hair as a sign of their faith. If you see a man on the street with a turban and beard anywhere in the USA, it’s almost certain that he is a Sikh.

The tragic events of September 2001, plus the torrent of publicity about Osama Bin Laden, led to enormous difficulties for Sikhs in the USA. On September 15, 2001, one Sikh was shot dead in Phoenix. On Sunday, August 5, 2012, a lone gunman walked into a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and began deliberately shooting at the congregation, killing six and wounding two. These incidents were caused by mistaken identity: mistaking Sikhs for Muslims.

Sikhs are not Muslims and have no relationship with Islam. In fact, as Sikhs, we are enjoined to be tolerant and accepting of all other religions. It is a vital part of who we are.

In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, gave us a unique form. As part of my identity as a Sikh I am required to keep five symbols of my faith. I keep my hair and beard uncut, I wear a special undergarment, I wear a small wooden comb in my hair and a steel bracelet on my wrist. And I carry a small ceremonial knife, called a kirpan.

The five articles of faith signify my commitment to my faith and to the highest ideals of love and service to humanity. These symbols unify and bind myself and other Sikhs to the beliefs of our religion. They are a daily reminder that we must live an honest, moral, kind, brave and loving life.

It is understandable that most people would characterize the kirpan as a knife or sword. Yet for me, the kirpan is a mandatory article of faith that obligates me to the ideals of generosity, compassion and service to humanity. It acts as a constant reminder to me of my solemn duty to protect the weak and promote justice for all. Like most other Sikhs, I keep my kirpan – which has a blade length of four inches and is dull – in a tight sheath suspended at my waist.

Recently I was called for jury duty at Sutter County Superior Court in Yuba City, California. I contacted the court and asked them about my kirpan. They made it very clear that I would not be allowed to enter the courthouse unless I removed it. I explained that it was a duty of faith for me to wear it and that I should be given an exemption on religious grounds.

Because the kirpan is a religious article of faith, Sikhs’ right to freely wear their kirpans is consistently protected in the United States. Courts and prosecutors around the country have without exception respected the right of Sikhs to practice their religion by wearing the kirpan. There have been over thirty separate cases where Sikhs were arrested and criminally charged by police officers for carrying a kirpan. Every case has led to a voluntary dismissal of the charges by a prosecutor or, in two instances, dismissal by a court.

Consistent with these cases, multiple U.S. federal entities have granted Sikhs accommodations to wear kirpans in federal buildings. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) has gone to great lengths to educate law enforcement officials throughout the country about Sikhs and the religious significance of the kirpan.

When I arrived for jury duty, I was not allowed to enter the Sutter County courtroom; thus I did not serve. This was disappointing to me as I value my responsibilities as an American citizen, as much as my rights and privileges.

While the Sikh community in the USA needs to do more to educate the public about who we are, as well as our qualities of loyalty and respect for the countries in which we live, I call upon local authorities everywhere to educate themselves about who the Sikhs are. (You only have to ask – we are always ready to help you understand.) Sikhs in the United States deserve to be free to observe their religious beliefs just as much as anyone else.

Gursant Singh is a practicing Sikh and the author of “Confessions of an American Sikh.”

Photo courtesy Gursant Singh.