Guru ki Maseet or Guru’s Mosque is a mosque that was constructed at the request of the sixth Sikh Guru Guru Hargobind ji. It is situated in Sri Hargobindpur town on the banks of River Beas. It is also recognized as a historic site by UNESCO.

In December, 1634 Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji fought a fierce battle against Mughal forces near the River Beas. Although heavily outnumbered, the Guru was victorious. Guru Sahib decided to stay there for a while, and soon a settlement grew up at this location. The settlement expanded into a town which became known as Sri Hargobindpur.

As the conflict with the Mughals was intensifying the town’s defences were fortified. In fact, these fortifications were so solid that the original city walls and many buildings within are still visible today throughout Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur district, Punjab.

Residents of all faiths flocked to the Guru and perceived themselves as heirs to the sixth Guru’s desire to found a secure and secular home on the banks of the Beas. The Sikhs built themselves a Gurdwara but the local Muslims did not have the capacity to build themselves a place of worship due to their smaller numbers. They came to the Guru Sahib and asked him for help.

Guru Sahib was as respectful of Muslim faqirs as he was with Hindu sadhus and his Sikh followers; he viewed people of the differing religions of India with one benevolent gaze. Guru Sahib ordered his Sikhs to start construction of a “Masjid” (mosque).

The Masjid was duly completed and duly handed over to the Muslims.

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बाजपुर के होनहार युवक अजीतपाल शौकर ने सुदूर समुन्द्र में एक पांच वर्षीय बच्ची और उस के अमरीकन माता पिता सहित तीन मानवीय जाने बचा कर, अपने बाजपुर दा नाम कर दित्ता है रोशन।

वाक्या 30 मई देर रात्री का है जब ब्राजील की ओर जा रहे व्यवसायिक JACAMAR ARROW नामक जहाज के कप्तान और बाजपुर के होनहार युवक अजीतपाल शौकर ने कैरेबियन सागर में डोमिनिकन रिपब्लिक देश के समीप जहाज के संचार तंत्र पर एक आपातकालीन संदेश पकड़ा।

संदेश में तत्काल मदद की लगायी जा रही थी गुहार।

लोकेशन लेकर अजीतपाल ने मानवीय मूल्यों को बड़ा बनाते हुये तत्काल जहाज को मोड़ दिया घटनास्थल की ओर।

कैरेबिनयन समुद्र में तेज़ हवाओं और उठती भयानक समुंदरी लहरों के बीच लगभग 30 मील आगे जाने पर उन्हें दिखायी दी एक क्षतिग्रस्त नौका जो पलट चुकी थी और उस की रैलिंग पकड़ कर बमुशकिल से जान बचाये बैठे थे एक मासूम बच्ची और उस के माता पिता।

तेज समुद्री हवाओं की मौजूदगी में विकराल होती परिस्थितियों के बीच तत्काल अजीत ने अपने सहयोगी क्रू साथियों के साथ रेस्कयू आप्रेशन शुरु करते हुये बचा लिया पांच वर्षीय बालिका और उसे माता पिता को।

भारतीय सिख युवक की इस बहादुरी पर अमरीकन युवक और युवती ने अपनी जान बचा लिये जाने पर अश्रुपूर्ण नेत्रों से किया धन्यवाद।

अमरीका के इन तीनो नागरिकों को अपने जहाज पर बचा ले आने के बाद अजीत ने तत्काल यूएस कोस्ट गार्ड को किया सूचित।

अजीतपाल शोकर और उस के क्रू साथियों के इस शोर्य और मानवीय मूल्यों को प्राथमिकता से लेने पर यूएस कोस्ट गार्ड के वरिष्ठ नाविक अधिकारियों ने किया पूरी टीम को सलाम और अपने देश की ओर से अजीतपाल और क्रू को प्रशस्ती पत्र भेजने की दी जानकारी।

अजीतपाल शोकर और उस के क्रू साथियों की इस बहादुरी पर समूचे बाजपुर का सीना फख्र से हो गया है चौड़ा।

As the Punjab School of Education Board (PSEB) declared class 10 results Tuesday, Jasvir Singh (41) who runs a small tea-stall in Focal Point area of Ludhiana was the happiest man. A few days back, he took a loan of Rs 10,000 from his friends to get his daughter admitted in the medical stream in class 11. He felt a sense of accomplishment as her daughter Amanpreet Kaur (15), a student of BCM Senior Secondary School, Focal Point, Ludhiana bagged the third rank in the state in the sports category. She is a state level baseball player. She scored 97.38% marks and now wants to pursue medical studies.

 

Jasvir Singh was at his shop ‘Gyani Tea Stall’, serving tea to customers when his phone rang. “The call was from my daughter’s school. As soon as they said is it Aman’s father online, I knew she has bagged a position. I was elated.”

Jasvir who earns Rs 10,000-12,000 a month, “I am only a tenth pass. I never got and opportunity to study beyond class 10 due to financial constraints in the family. Running a tea-stall is not an achievement and I never felt like a winner in my entire life. But today I am feeling like one because of my daughter. I was a little worried also when she told me that she wants to pursue medical stream as I cannot afford it. It is not easy to get admission in medical colleges and nothing happens till you don’t have lakhs in your pocket. But then I never wanted to discourage her. I took a loan of Rs 10,000 to pay her class 11 fee. I don’t know how I will be able to arrange money for her higher studies but I will do everything possible to continue them. I will do everything to give wings to her dreams.”

“I will request school authorities and government to help her and give some scholarship. We will manage but her studies will never be discontinued,” he says.

Amanpreet Kaur, a resident of New Moti Nagar, who scored 633 marks out of 650 (including extra marks given for sports), says, “I am playing baseball since I was in 6th standard. I want to become a doctor but there are financial constraints. I have taken admission in the medical stream now at RS Model Senior Secondary School. I never went for any tuition but loved science since the beginning. But I know my father will never ask me to discontinue studies.”

 

-indianexpress.com

Delhi Fateh Diwas was done to mark the capture of the Red Fort by Khalsa forces in March 1783.

Bhai Baghel Singh along with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and a Khalsa force of forty thousand, captured the Upper Ganga Doab, Muzzafarnagar and Saharanpur in 1764. In the year 1775, Bhai Baghel Singh and his forces crossed the Yamuna and occupied Deoband and the neighboring towns. Later, the forces also occupied Tundla, Aligarh and Farrukhabad. They also had the Garhwal Hills, lesser Shivaliks including Dehradun under their command. Having occupied all neighboring regions of Delhi, the Khalsa forces marched towards Delhi.

A fifty thousand strong force reached Delhi. Bhai Baghel Singh and his thirty thousand soldiers laid seize on Sabzi Mandi and Mughalpura on March 9th 1783. On 11th March came the final attack. The Khalsa force stormed into the Red Fort and captured it, unfurling the saffron Nishaan Sahib. The Mughal flag was uprooted from its most glorious post and replaced with the Khalsa flag, which was to rule Delhi for the next nine months. The Mughal emperor Shah Alam II accepted the terms of peace with the Khalsa forces. For the next nine months, Bhai Baghel Singh maintained law and order in Delh

 

If you are thinking why you didn’t know about Delhi Fateh Diwas and the connecting events, let me enlighten you. The Sikhs themselves are unaware of Delhi Fateh Diwas. The generation which knows world history and the details of the French revolution, has been kept in complete darkness about Sikh history.

Whether it be Maharaja Ranjeet Singh’s empire which stretched from Kabul till the borders of Delhi, or the capture of the Red Fort, we simply aren’t taught about it. Sikhs have been at the forefront when it comes to protecting this land from the lust of foreign invaders and marauders. Yet, our history hangs in ignominious silence.

i. History stands testimony to the perfection of his rule, with the citizens happy and content with it. During the next one year, seven major Gurudwaras were constructed by him which include Sri Bangla Sahib, Sis Ganj Sahib, and Rakab Ganj Sahib among others.

 

We have over the years become a country which admires and celebrates invaders, while ignoring the ones because of whom we did not become another Islamic state. The ruthless man who ordered the beheading of Guru Teg Bahadur and committed countless atrocities on others had a road named after him in Delhi. It took a Pakistani to go and blacken the name of that road, and then eventually get it changed. Yes, Tarek Fatah was the one who made us realize how we are a spineless people who lack the ability to call a spade a spade.

The way a certain section of the media portrays Aurangzeb and his ilk saddens me. Tughlaq lane in Delhi has the office of an important political party on it. Books of Mohammad Bin Qasim were sold in Delhi depicting him as a hero. He in fact had invaded India to kill the family of Prophet Mohammad, which had sought refuge under Raja Dahir of Sindh. He kidnapped twenty thousand daughters of this land and sold them in the markets of Damascus and Baghdad. Only a disgraced people allow books of such rapist to be sold in the national capital. Is this why our ancestors laid down their lives for this country? Do we not owe them an ounce of respect, that we tolerate such activities of a motivated few to continuously present a distorted version of our history

 

The entire Sikh history is taught to students of Class 7 in two paragraphs of history textbooks. The rise of Islam, Christianity, the Mughal Empire, the Delhi Sultanate get individual chapters. Each Mughal ruler has one entire chapter credited to him. I cannot speak for all boards, but this certainly was the scenario in the history textbooks of ICSE. It is about time that we demand a reform in the history syllabus. It is about time that we study the saviors of our land instead of studying and eulogizing invaders.

 

Source- rightlog.in

World acclaimed The Kalgidhar Trust, a non-profit social development organisation based at Baru Sahib in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh picked up by Harvard Business Review for listing on its case collection. This case study also won the Philip Thomas Memorial Case Award for the Best Case in IIM Ahmedabad at its 53rd Annual Convocation on 23 March 2018. The writers, Dr AS Ghura, IIMA and Prof. Vijay Sherry Chand,Ravi J Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation (RJMCEI), IIMA, chose to do a case study titled “The Akal Academies” for the unique strategy of this social enterprise that stands out for innovation and entrepreneurship in education. This case study documents the real-life dilemma of Baba Iqbal Singh Kingra who is retired Director Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh popularly known as Babaji. He simply followed the divine vision of his masters Sant Attar Singh ji, who conceptualised the whole mission of synthesising scientific education with moral values and Sant Teja Singh who founded Baru Sahib.

The Kalgidhar Trust adopted a unique participation of the general public to accelerate the rural school development activities of the Trust to 500 Akal Academies, in the next decade, which shall cater to 250,000 students from a small unit of 19 schools in 2007.

The case study documents the unique model been adopted by Akal Academies, by merging spiritual and high quality scientific education, inspired by the Sikh Gurus and faith and how the Trust has been integral in sustaining the growth of Akal Academies from one school in 1986 to 129 schools catering to 70,000 students in 2018. More over the donation based low-cost financial model and loan-driven model for financing the capital cost of new schools is a unique mix to be taught to the future managers who wish to have their careers in education industry by developing skills in evaluating options using a set of criteria, and recommending a plan of action.

Sant Teja Singh was the first turbaned Sikh graduate to have completed his course in Harvard, way back in 1911. Finally, the case study now being available at Harvard Business Case Centre is in itself a pleasant divine blessing and a tribute to Sant Teja Singh Ji (1877 – 1965).

Bhai Amar Das ji had just performed a miracle which was not pleasing to the Guru, but he had apologized and the Guru forgave him. On their way back to Khadur, the Guru’s home, the Guru and his companions stayed with a devotee who had asked the Guru to bless his soul by visiting his house.

The Guru answered the man’s devotion and blessed him with happiness. While they were at his house, Bhai Amar Das ji also blessed him,=. He said: “The True Guru will give you a son, your son will be a saint.”

The people were surprised, and one said, “Amar Das has taken the role of the Guru but the Guru is standing right here!” Another remarked,  “Yes, he is predicting the future and granting children! The servant is acting like the master!”

Bhai Amar Das thought about it, and then said,“I have again made a mistake.” and again he apologized to the Guru saying, “Guru ji! I have again acted like a fool!”

This time the Guru comforted him, saying, “My light is in you. From now on just think about what you say first.”

When they had returned to Khadur, Bhai Amar Das continued to serve the Guru with all his heart.

Guru Angad had become the Guru because of his supreme devotion. Bhai Amar Das also showed great devotion that never decreased. Bhai Amar Das was now 73 years old and he vigorously performed all services, even hard labor. Guru ji publicly announced his love for his supreme devotee and said: “Amar Das will save uncountable people. The eyes which see the saint of the True Guru are blessed. The hands that serve the saint are blessed. The feet that walk the path are blessed. The ears that hear Divine praise are blessed. The mouth that avoids slander is blessed. Always speak the truth and sing the Guru’s Words.”

Twice a year the Guru would give shawls of honor to his Sikhs. He would tie them around Bhai Amar Das ji’s turban. Bhai Amar Das would never take them off. People thought he was crazy but really he was very devoted and only thought of service. One day Guru ji said,  “My life is coming to the end of it’s cycle. I will be leaving here soon.”

The Sikhs didn’t want him to leave, and said: “How will we live without your words?? Guru ji, please stay longer so we can hear your teachings and be happy.”

The Guru replied: “The saints of the True Guru are like clouds. They take a body to help the world and bless people. The body is a vessel which will always die. A rich man drops old torn clothes to put on new ones. A saint drops the aging body when it has done its service. Death is nothing but changing one’s clothes.”

The Sikhs were enchanted by the Guru’s speech and their worries ended. It was at this special time that the weather turned dark. One winter night, the clouds hid the moon, it rained all night, cold wind blew, lightening flashed and everyone stayed cozy in their homes. Just three hours before sunrise, Guru ji said to his two sons, “I want some water.” But the Guru’s son’s pretended not to hear him, “I want water.” No one answered. The Guru shook them awake. His sons checked in the kitchen and told him, “There is no water here.” “It’s too early, we’re going back to sleep.” Their father said: “Still, I want water, my throat is dry.” His older son said: “But we’d have to journey all the way to the river!” “It’s too early and there’s a huge storm out there!”

The sons went back to sleep. Bhai Amar Das saw this and said: “Oh great king, your slave will be happy to get water.”
Guru Angad: “Amar Das ji at your age, this is not work for you to do.” Amar Das replied: “Sir, your service has made me young!”

Bhai Amar Das immediately put the large water pot on his head and left for the river in the lightening storm and pouring rain. He walked for miles with the cold wind blowing and the rain stinging his skin. He trod through mud and deep puddles in the dark night singing softly to himself: “Ik ongkar satnam karta purkh…”

Many times he almost slipped but… as if the angels were helping him, he continued on his errand without falling. When he finally reached the river he found that if he filled the pot to the brim, it was too heavy to lift out of the river.

So he got in the river with the pot on his head and submerged himself completely i

 

 

Horwath said like his brother, Gurratan is “charming” and dedicated to fighting for people. “He’s a very thoughtful guy and he’s going to make a great MPP. I expect that the people of Brampton East will be happy with his running.” Another NDP MPP, France Gelinas, said she’s met Singh several times and that it’s excellent news that he wants to run for the party. “He’s a man who believes in the principles of the NDP,” she told Radio-Canada.

Gurratan Singh, the younger brother of federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, is trying to keep a seat at the Ontario legislature in the family. Singh announced  he is seeking the NDP nomination in Brampton East for the upcoming provincial election in June.

“I love this community, and I’m really, really connected to this community. I’ve been organizing actively in the community for the past 10 years,” Singh said in an interview Tuesday.

“When I hear the issues that they are facing … it motivates me to want to fight for this community, to be their voice so we can stand up for them and try and make their lives better,” he said.

Brampton East is one of the newly redrawn ridings for the 2018 election. It covers much of the same territory as Bramalea–Gore–Malton, the riding Jagmeet Singh represented at Queen’s Park from 2011 until this past fall when he won the federal leadership and he gave up his provincial seat.

Gurratan Singh posted a photo on Twitter a few days ago with a caption that said he had been door-knocking in the riding but he had not made it official that he was running for the nomination until Monday. The nomination meeting is scheduled for April 2. The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives already have nominated candidates — Parminder Singh and Simmer Sandhu, respectively.

Singh said he talked over his decision to run extensively with his brother and others in the community. He concluded the timing was right to try and make the jump into provincial politics, especially given the vacancy left by his brother’s departure. He said the community needs a strong advocate to fight for them, and he believes it can be him.

“I am very passionate about fighting for this community and making sure that they have what they need to ensure they can live their lives to their best,” said Singh. Hydro costs, auto insurance costs and unstable work are among the issues he says people are struggling with when he meets them.

Lawyer job on hold for politics
This is Singh’s first time running for election in provincial politics though he is no stranger to it or to campaigning. He ran for regional councillor for Brampton in 2014 but didn’t win. He has been by his brother’s side since the start of his political career, working on all of his campaigns.

Singh put his job as a lawyer on hold to work full-time on his brother’s successful federal leadership campaign last year and has continued to advise him since he won.

The federal leader has faced criticism recently for his handling of questions about his attendance at a rally in 2015 in San Francisco (he was deputy leader of the Ontario NDP at the time) with Sikh community activists and of the Air India bombing in 1985 and who was responsible for it.

Jagmeet Singh defends appearance at Sikh independence rally
In an interview last October on CBC’s Power & Politics, Singh did not denounce extremists within Canada’s Sikh community who glorify Talwinder Singh Parmar’s memory. An 18-month national inquiry identified Parmar as the mastermind of the bombing that killed 268 Canadians. In the interview Singh said he didn’t know who was responsible for the bombing but in an another interview with CBC News last month he said he now accepts the inquiry’s findings.

“Unequivocally, I accept the findings of the Air India bombing and I condemn all those involved,” he said.

NDP welcomes news
“In regards to violence, we’ve been clear in our condemnation of all sorts of violence and all sorts of terrorism or violence in any respect,” he said. Singh also emphasized that advocating for self-determination and extremism are different things that should not be conflated and he said there is no current evidence of advocating for violence in the Sikh community.

Singh’s announcement that he intends to run for the NDP was met with enthusiasm by his brother’s former colleagues, and boss, at Queen’s Park.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she’s excited about it. “Brampton East is turf that they’ve held before, the Singh family, so I’m looking forward to seeing Gurratan walk in his brother’s footsteps,” she said.

Horwath said like his brother, Gurratan is “charming” and dedicated to fighting for people. “He’s a very thoughtful guy and he’s going to make a great MPP. I expect that the people of Brampton East will be happy with his running.”

Another NDP MPP, France Gelinas, said she’s met Singh several times and that it’s excellent news that he wants to run for the party.

“He’s a man who believes in the principles of the NDP,” she told Radio-Canada.

-cbc.ca