News & Update

Atambeer Singh has been a Black & White Cabs driver for nearly nine years. He was the proud recipient of ‘Best Business Class Driver’ in 2014.

According to Black & White Cabs, on Thursday the 8th of June 2017, Singh noticed that the driver of a black Range Rover he was following had left a bag on top of his car.

“The driver and his wife had been smoking next to the car. When they had finished their cigarettes they both entered the car, forgetting they had placed the bag on the roof,” said Mr Singh.

Singh retrieved the lost bag as it slid off the roof on a busy intersection.

He also tried to follow the Range Rover but lost it amongst the busy city traffic.

As Singh arrived at Chermside to drop off his passenger he began the process of trying to track down the owner of the bag.

The bank documents and statements all had the same name on them, “Daniel”.

Singh used this name, phone numbers and email addresses on the bank documents to try and track down Daniel, but all his correspondence received no response.

He even went to the address on the documents, only to find that Daniel had recently moved out.

Facebook was his last resort, and after a few messages and voice mails left on Daniel’s Facebook, finally Singh received a call from Daniel.

Source- Sbs.com

The site of martyrdom of Bhai Taru Sing Ji is located in the Naulakha Bazaar.

This Bazaar starts from the end of Landa Bazaar and runs upto Lahore Railway Station. Once you enter Naulakha Bazaar from Landa Bazaar ~ there is a small door on the left hand side in between shops.

The door carries this inscription: “Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Bhai Taro Ji.”Bhai Taru Ji belonged to Polah, a village of District Kasur, he worked with his own hand to bring up his family and to serve the Singhs of the Guru and looked after the Sikhs.

Mahant Narayan lodged a compliant against him that he was harbouring dacoits. He was arrested and put to torture in thousands of ways.

The rulers of the time always disliked these compassionate deeds of his. Falsely charged he was imprisoned and first offered temptations and reward if he would denounce Sikhism and become a Muslim. He was tortured next, but even then he did not budge, remaining steadfast in his beliefs.

At last orders were issued to behead him. Bhai Sahib faced the death heroically and kept reciting the Jap)’i Sahib. He was beheaded on 23rd Assu, Samvat 1802 (1745 AD).The devotees built his Shaheed Ganj at this site (place of martyrdom). There are many shops in the name of Gurdwara and an estate worth Rs 100 per annum is granted to it since the Sikh period.It was maintained by the Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee from 1927 to -1947. Its maintenance was entrusted to Bhai Achchar Singh who later became Jathedar of Akal Taklt Sahib. Evacuee Trust Board has taken over the charge now.

ਰਾਜ ਕਰੇਗਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਗਤਕਾ ਅਖਾੜਾ ਟਾਂਡਾ ਦੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਨੋਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਸਰੀਰਕ ਤੰਦਰੁਸਤੀ ਅਤੇ ਸੰਜਮਤਾ ਨਾਲ ਭਰਪੂਰ ਜਲਵਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਸਫਲ ਪੇਸ਼ਕਾਰੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ ਉੱਥੇ ਉਹ ਆਪਣੇ ਵਿਰਸੇ, ਸਭਿਆਚਾਰ ਅਤੇ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਸਰੂਪ ਦੀ ਮਹਾਨਤਾ ਦਾ ਵੀ ਬਾਖੂਬੀ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਵਾ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਨੋਜਵਾਨ ਪੀੜ੍ਹੀ ਨੂੰ ਧਰਮ ਅਤੇ ਸਭਿਆਚਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਜੋੜਨ ਦਾ ਇਹ ਚੰਗਾ ਉੱਦਮ ਹੈ ਅਜਿਹੇ ਉਪਰਾਲਿਆ ਦਾ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਸਾਥ ਦੇਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਹਨਾਂ ਸਿੱਖ ਨੋਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਹੌਂਸਲਾ ਅਫ਼ਜਾਈ ਵੀ ਹਰ ਸੰਭਵ ਮਦਦ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਯਤਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਰਹਿਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।

In a remarkable display of diversity in the Australian Defence Force, Lt Amrinder Ghuman of the Royal Australian Engineers, is responsible for training new recruits at the School of Military Engineering (SME).

Lieutenant Ghuman is responsible for training and preparing soldiers to be combat engineers within the Australian Army.

On completion of their training, 2 IET Troop conducted their march-out parade at the School of Military Engineering on 5th Jul 2017. Family and friends of the new sappers were present on the day, and witnessed the ceremonial parade led by the Troop Commander, Lt Ghuman.

We’re sharing some photos from the day, courtesy School of Military Engineering, and the Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Markus Ludwig.

The Australian Defence Force has been involved in many initiatives to recruit more and more members of diverse backgrounds, so that the ADF is more reflective of the cultures, religions, genders and races that make up the nation’s demography.

In May this year, the ADF held community sessions in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide where officers from various multicultural backgrounds answered questions posed by members of the general community. Squadron Leader Vickram Grewal was one of those ADF members present at these sessions

“People could have misconceptions about whether or not ADF provides a welcoming environment to officers of multicultural backgrounds. Perhaps a Sikh may wonder if he can wear a turban or a kirpan [the ceremonial dagger carried by baptised Sikhs, and one of the five articles of faith]. We want to clear those misconceptions and answer any other questions that people may have,” said Sqn Ldr Grewal to SBS Punjabi.

“ADF wants to be the employer of choice for people from all walks of life. It is not about your background, culture or religion, but more about what capability and professionalism you can bring to the forces.”

In December 2016 SBS Punjabi reported on the army reservist, Officer Cadet Satbir Singh Kahlon, who has been hailed “as the poster boy of diversity in the Australian Army”, after he has been featured in couple of videos showcasing multiculturalism in the organisation. Click on the links below to views these and related videos.

The northern Indian state of Punjab votes on Saturday for a new government. But the biggest issue confronting voters is not jobs or corruption, but a drugs epidemic that is sweeping the state.
The BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder travelled there to find out why one of India’s most prosperous states is in danger of losing an entire generation to drug abuse.

“This is him when he was in his first grade. He had just won a school competition.”
Mukhtiar Singh smiles wistfully as he shows me a faded picture of his son Manjit, from a family album.
“In my wildest dreams I could not imagine what was to happen to him.”

Manjit, 28, died in June last year because of a drug overdose. His father, a worker in the government’s power department, marched through the streets of his village carrying his son’s body, and then addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I told the prime minister he needed to step in to save Punjab’s youth from drugs. Our children are dying and nothing is being done.”
Seven months later, Mr Singh is battling to highlight Punjab’s alarming drugs problem.
A recent government study suggests that more than 860,000 young men in the state, between the ages of 15-35, take some form of drugs.

Heroin is the most preferred, used by 53% of all addicts. But opium and synthetic drugs such as crystal methamphetamine are also common.

“My mission is to save Punjab’s youth,” Mr Singh tells me as we sit on the roof of his modest two-room home. “I have carried my son’s body on my shoulders. It’s something I don’t want any other parent to experience.”
‘Easily available’

It is astonishing how widespread the problem is. One estimate says that more than two-thirds of Punjab’s households have at least one addict in the family.

Across the state, from villages in the lush green countryside to bustling towns and cities, young men huddle together in cemeteries, abandoned buildings or plain fields, smoking, snorting or shooting up.
Tarn Taran, a district located along the border with Pakistan is one of the worst affected.

In the main town’s civil hospital, which also serves as a centre to fight addiction, young men with glazed eyes hang around.
In the space of 20 minutes, I see a number of transactions unfold in full public view. They are approached by peddlers, money swiftly exchanges hands before a little packet is handed over.
The men then slink away behind a wall.

Beyond it is a derelict building, surrounded by rubbish and reeking of urine. Strewn all around are used syringes and broken bottles of prescription medicines.

“It’s ridiculously easily available,” Jasprit Singh tells me.
Jasprit, who is from Tarn Taran, used to be an addict, but says that he has been clean for the past four years.

“Heroin, synthetic drugs – you name it, I’ve done it all. When I scored for the first time, I felt as if I was experiencing something wonderful,” he says.

“I felt like something had been missing from my life until then.”

He now works at the same rehab centre where he underwent his recovery programme, counselling drug addicts.
“I tell them that if I can give up drugs, anyone can.”

The Hermitage rehab centre is housed in an impressive two-storey building set amid lush green lawns. Inmates, called students not patients, receive counselling, psychiatric and medical treatment here.

It’s one of hundreds of rehab centres that have sprung up across the state in the past few years.

The inmates come from a variety of backgrounds. They include judges, police officials, pop musicians, students and quite a few women.

“The women are the most difficult to treat,” the institute’s director, JPS Bhatia, says.
“Many of them are abandoned by their families. Most have been sexually molested when they try and seek help, by unscrupulous counsellors and doctors, even the police.”

Punjab’s proximity to Afghanistan and Pakistan, with which it shares a border, has meant that it’s a major transit route in the lucrative drug smuggling trade. That’s one reason why heroin is so readily available.

But why are its youth so susceptible? Drug consumption in Punjab is three times the national average.
Agriculture, which brought the state its wealth, is stagnating and with little industrialisation there is high unemployment.

And in the 1980s, Punjab was in the grip of a violent separatist militancy which has now ebbed but has left its scars.

“We got rid of terrorism only for it to be replaced with narcotics-terrorism,” says Dr Bhatia.
“And we just have not been prepared to deal with it or even come to terms with the problems faced by our youth.”

Source-BBC.com

“Nitnem” is combination of two words NIT means every day and NEM means regularly.

Simply it just says: “that everyday habit,” “that daily practise.” This word is most commonly heard in Sikh preaching. Everyone can be heard discussing about it. There are different meanings and teachings related to this strong word in the Sikh religion.

According to our religion, this habit consists of daily banis (verses,) that are each to be recited at different times of day by Sikhs every morning, evening and before going to sleep. Morning nitnem banis are Japji sahib, Jaap sahib, Amrit savaiye, Chaupai sahib and Anand sahib. In the evening Rehras Sahib, and at night (before going to bed) Kirtan Sohila.

Each of the banis carries the energy of a particular tattva (element.)

Ether – Japji Sahib and Shabd Hazaaray (Amrit Vela) Balances your natural earth energy with the etheric energy
Air – Jaap Sahib and Tav Prasaad Swayaas (Morning) Tunes your mind to the Power of the Infinite
Fire – Anand Sahib (Morning) Energizes and empowers you
Water – Rehiras Sahib with Bentee Chaupaee (Sundown) Moves you gracefully from the male sun energy of the day into the female moon energy of the night
Earth – Kirtan Sohilaa (bedtime) Prepares you to leave the earthIn this regard we may look at the five Nitnem Banis thus:
Japji Sahib

This is in the form of Updesh or instruction to the mind from the soul. It is meant to be recited to the self and is not primarily meant for others to hear, but it can certainly be done in a group as well. If this is kept in mind it should be possible to identify ego or any other distraction. Japji Sahib conditions the mind to be receptive.

Jaap Sahib

This Bani of the tenth Guru is entirely in praise of Akal Purakh either in second or third person. In the former portions, it should be possible to detect whether the speaker is talking to the Master or not. Sometimes negative ideas tend to come to mind during Paath. These pertain to something that has happened or is to be done. If such a thing happens one may tell the self, “so this is how you talk to the Lord?” The course may then be corrected. Of course this is applicable in respect of all Banis.

Swayyay

These ten Swayyas are the last composition before we take on the mundane activities for the day. They tell us not to get too engrossed in making money, unjust exercise of authority and the like. The ninth Swayya tells us to avoid pretense and act in love (Jin prem keeo tin hi Prabh paaio). Understanding them as such makes them relevant and helps in concentration.

Rehras Sahib

Rehras is recited at sunset after the day’s work is over. One may be tired, elated or not so happy because of what happened during the day. The compositions forming the parts of Rehras are meant to thank the Lord for enabling us to do our duties that day. It is mostly in second person addressed to God. The day’s distraction and fatigue may make concentration difficult but it helps if the mind is motivated that it is going to talk to the Master. Its beginning lends itself well for the purpose. It starts with “Sodar tayra kihaa –“. Later “Vaday mayaray Saahiba –“, Tu ghat ghat antar –“Tu karta sachiaar maidaa saaee”, “Na hau jatti satti nahi –” all in second person. These are only representative examples. Similarly in the Chaupaee the tenth Guru enables us to talk to Akal Purakh in large part e.g. “Hamri karahu haath day rachhaa”, “Tumhay chaad koee na dhiaaoo”, “Raakh lahu mohay raakhanhaaray” and so on.

Sohila

Sohila which is normally recited at bed time is a short Bani reminding us about the end of life and preparing us to leave the earth. Every time one goes to sleep, it is a “little death,” and so this bani is a “rehearsal” so to speak for the final leaving. If recited in that spirit, it brings humility and concentration followed by good sleep.

Guru ji named them under one heading as nitnem banis and asked each sikh to read them every day, with proper attention and concentration. This requires experiencing the sound of each bani.

Gurbani cleans one inside. When one does paath of Gurbani and listens attentively to the

sound of Gurbani, it has an enchanting and life-changing effect on the seeker. Just by listening to Gurbani one’s sorrows and pains are removed.

“Dukh daaroo sukh rog bhaiaa jaa sukh taam na hoee||

In this way, the mind becomes trained to feel close to, and remember, Vaheguru. The strength of the Nitnem Banis is unlimited. It energises you, and you will feel the powerful effect as you keep on doing day by day. Your inner soul will find peace, harmony, clarity and decisiveness. Fear will be gone. Your powerful ego, anger, restlessness and mental madness will become silent and contentment will start residing in you. You will feel motivated and inspired all the time. You will develop inner sight to every aspect of life. You will want to do more work for the upliftment of the society. You will develop an attitude of expressing gratitude for every little thing in your life.

As you keep up with this spiritual routine, your intuition will deepen and you will always feel guided. Your hurdles and problems are not yours anymore, they are taken care of by the One.

Each person’s experience will be different and special. The living example of creating this spiritual habit to me is my father in law, who does Nitnem every day without being affected by any situation in his life. The tasks he has been able to accomplish cannot be achieved without divine blessings. Even I feel that he gets all his strength, energy, calmness and vision from God. He always tells me that doing Nitnem not only gives you power, but also restrains you from doing wrong deeds by keeping you alert in your day to day activities.

But there are people who will question this. “What’s the need of this? I don’t understand it. So first we will be learning the deep meaning and then follow it?”

To me these are just excuses. Because it’s not easy to follow this, you need full determination and God’s grace to recite these banis. Without doing Naam Simran, the meaning and depth of Gurbani becomes much harder. Our minds are pitch black due to the deeds of many lifetimes. Naam Simran helps remove this blackness, and when the blackness is removed, the mind more easily soaks in the meaning of Gurbani which is pure light. Each time you do Nitnem, you will feel that you are enlightened in a different way. Every time you will see anew the meaning of your life.

Guru Har Rai ji was once asked whether there was any benefit gained by reading the Guru’s Bani without understanding it. “Yes,” he replied, “Just as grease sticks to the pot even when it is emptied, so does the Guru’s Word stick to the heart. Whether you understand it or not, the Word bears the Seed of Salvation. Perfume persists in the broken pieces even after the vase that contained it has been shattered.”

In today’s world, when our homes are controlled by all sort of other entertainment gadgets, which are in full power to divert us from our main path of life. It’s very important, as parents, that we should inspire our children to do Nitnem daily. I know they can’t do all the banis, but if you start them at early age, then they create the habit for their whole life. I still don’t remember when my mom made me learn Japji Sahib by heart. She used to make us learn even while bathing and still now, whenever I take a bath, the path starts automatically because it became my habit.

It’s important to inculcate these habits in ours kids because our habits form our character. Take care of your character because it will lead you to your destiny, and your destiny will be your life.

I feel that reading Gurbani is our spiritual habit, just as brushing our teeth is our health habit and eating breakfast is our daily routine. We all follow our other routines without questioning them, similarly we should implement this one.

Just do your duty first and leave the rest in God’s hands. “SARAB DHARAm meh srshth dharam, har ko naam jap Nirmal karam.” READING Gurbani is the 1st STEP, UNDERSTANDING Gurbani is the 2nd STEP, and IMPLEMENTING Gurbani is the 3rd STEP. One cannot get to step 2 or 3 without achieving step 1.

Only those can do Nitnem, who have Guru Ji’s blessings. “Jis nu kirpa kareh tin naam rattan payia.” We should always do ardaas that Guru Ji gives us that power that we are able to recite banis with more dedication, engrossment, faith and conviction. Reciting Nitnem banis imparts a sense of sublime bliss that instils the spirit with a lasting kind of calm confidence that ever increases, with regular practice, to inspire and uplift the soul.

There is no harm in learning from any individual or a different faith as every entity in its entirety comprises salient attributes that must be acknowledged and learnt from

Being the most sacred place of worship in Islam, the Grand Mosque of Makkah, more commonly known as Masjid-ul-Haram, is visited my millions of Muslims all year round. But here is a quick reality check – there have been such incidents reported where some non-Muslims also furtively sneaked into the holy city of Makkah. This is not something that I am claiming (please don’t kill me!), but is, in fact, present all over the internet. Even the Saudis punish the non-Muslims who are caught red-handed from Makkah or Madinah by inflicting nothing more than penalties and/or deportations. However, the stationing of religious police beyond the turnoff on the main roads to prevent non-Muslims from proceeding into Makkah highlights two main aspects: Muslim custodians of the sacred sites are efficient in ensuring that no violation of the law takes place; and some non-Muslims are inquisitive enough to know more about true Islamic values and culture whose practical manifestation can be seen only at its religious centres.

The purpose behind setting the grounds for this article is again based on two reasons: not only Muslims but the followers of all religions are equally efficient in guarding their respective places of worship; and there are certain Muslims that burn with curiosity to visit churches, temples and Gurdwaras. One such Muslim was me (I still am a Muslim!) whose spirit of interest made her look towards the northern side of the Hazuri Bagh Baradari.

The Holy Kaaba is venerated as the most sacred site in Islam and is claimed by Muslim ideology to have been the House of God since forever. This is our ideology and no one among Muslims can deny this. But the fact is, as historians narrate, that this building at the centre of Islam’s most sacred mosque was once a house to approximately 360 idols until the Conquest of Makkah and was converted into a mosque. Although Muslims eye this as restoration of the mosque originally established by Prophet Ibrahim, this single incident has been recorded in pages of history from different angles. It is all about perspective (I hope to have not committed blasphemy by saying this!).

Similarly, for how long will we all blame Ranjit Singh for constructing a Gurdwara adjacent to the Badshahi Mosque? Let us all get over it and acknowledge the fact that if these two religious sites can stand side by side, so can their ardent followers.

As mentioned earlier, the administration of Gurdwara Sri Dera Sahib in Lahore is as strict and vigilant as the Muslim religious police in Saudi Arabia; both of them efficiently identify the non-believers and ask them about their purpose of entering the premises of the religious sites. In my case, however, special mention of Mr Ahtisham Jan Butt and Mr Aroon Kumar is an obligation on me as they facilitated and organised a memorable tour to the Gurdwara.

We were welcomed into the Gurdwara by Rana Shahid, a Muslim member of the staff who was willingly serving as an acolyte. By the amount of knowledge he had treasured in his heart and the level of respect and deference he was giving to the Sikh ideology, one could have never guessed that he was not a Sikh had our fellow Aroon Kumar not told us. It touched my heart, if not others’, as it was actually the first time I saw a non-believer of a religion serving it with such devotion and passion. Following his footsteps, all of us wore handkerchiefs on our heads to show our respect for the sanctuary.

We were guided to the hall where specially prepared Langar was to be served, a tradition known as Pangat. Rana Shahid taught us some basic etiquette of the institution of Guru ka Langar, some beautiful pearls of wisdom which might have been prescribed in almost every religion but whose practical manifestation could be seen during these community meals. Food is prepared in ample quantity so as to suffice to everyone’s need, but it is an individual’s moral duty to put only as much food on a plate as he needs; wastage of food is strictly admonished. It is for this reason and to eliminate the possibility of transmission of communicable diseases that sharing of food is also highly discouraged.

The Langar is served to all the visitors, and so were we, without distinction of faith or background, and for free. It is pertinent to mention here that it was one delicious meal – and, of course, without meat. This clarified one facet on me that vegetarian food can be toothsome. We were served mixed vegetable and palak paneer along with rice and roti (Parshada). If one had to refuse from getting more food, one would do it by gesturing Pranamasana, i.e. hands pressed together with palms touching, fingers pointing upwards and thumbs close to the chest; saying a direct “no” to food is considered insult to the rizq being provided by God.

Another interesting custom is to wash your own dish and glass. This act serves to promote the idea of equality of all human beings. Believe me when I say that all these little yet significant acts practically taught me those moralities which have been enjoined by my own religion. Yet we are unable to see their applications in our madrasahs and mosques. We then thanked Rana sahib for the flawless arrangement by doing Pranamasana. We should learn from everywhere, why just from our own religious sanctuaries?

Rana sahib then led us to the Shaheed Asthan of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the place where the fifth Sikh Guru had embraced martyrdom. As per tradition, the Mughal emperor Jahangir had subjected Guru ArjunDev in late May of 1606 by making him sit on a burning hot plate and pouring red-hot sand over his head and body. Mian Mir, a renowned Muslim Sufi saint who laid the foundation stone of the Golden Temple in Amritsar and taught us the lesson of cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different faiths, tried to intervene but was stopped by Guru Dev Ji, saying that it is the “Will of the Almighty”. On the fifth day of inhumane torture, Guru Ji was permitted to take a bath in the River Ravi on presumption that his blisters will burn even more intensely on coming in contact with cold water. However, as legend has it, Guru Ji dipped in the river but never returned, thus sowing the seeds of martyrdom in context of which his Shaheed Asthan, a memorial rostrum, was erected at the site.

Later, we were guided to the entrance of the Gurdwara adjacent to which was standing the Roshnai gate in its original form.At the top of the entrance were embossed the figures of three Hindu deities, namely Brahma, Ganpati and Krishna. Rana sahib, despite anything to the contrary, clarified that these figures have nothing to do with Sikh ideology and were added later by the Hindu-turned-Sikh Kashmiri rajas Gulab Singh Dogra and Dhiyan Singh Dogra. It was quite amusing for me to know that Sikhism, in its essence, is a monotheist religion.

Rana sahib apprised us that the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of Sikhism, is treated as a living entity and the eleventh and the last Guru of Sikhs owing to which the place (dwara) where it (Guru) is kept and recited, along with the effectuation of all measures of deference, is known as Gurdwara. Hence all the visiting devotees and listeners revere the premises with utmost respect, sit on the carpeted floor, and never show back while leaving the place where the holy scripture is placed on an elevated throne in a prominent central position under the shadow of a crown made of pure gold. Guru Granth Sahib has 1,430 Ang (parts) and yet another flabbergasting piece of information was the congruency of the first Ang with Surah Ikhlas (chapter 112) of the Holy Qur’an.

Adjacent to the Gurudwara is Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Samadhi, the building housing his funerary urns. Also, next to the Guru Granth sahib’s resting place are the Samadhis of Kharak Singh and Nau Nihal Singh, Ranjit Singh’s son and grandson, respectively.

Along with amusing my eyes with the features of architecture associated to a totally different religion, this tour to Gurudwara Sri Dera sahib was enlightening in a way that it taught how to respect humanity as equally as the creed. While the Holy Scripture and Gurus are venerated with extreme honour, human beings are also served with equal respect in the forms of Seva during distribution of Langar, washing of dishes, valuing the food being offered, and Serais(accommodation) in the premises of every Gurdwara.

There is no harm in learning from any individual or a different faith as every entity in its entirety comprises salient attributes that must be acknowledged and learnt from. After all, it is all about perspective!

PakistanToday.com