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An Epitome of Inter-Faith – an apt message for the modern generation!

In a landmark development; toiling over the past 2 years, despite his back-breaking tours and tightly packed schedules, Baba Iqbal Singh, President, The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib has written a book ‘ Sikh Faith- An Epitome of Inter faith’. To call it only a book would be undermining the effort and wisdom that has gone […]

In a landmark development; toiling over the past 2 years, despite his back-breaking tours and tightly packed schedules, Baba Iqbal Singh, President, The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib has written a book ‘ Sikh Faith- An Epitome of Inter faith’. To call it only a book would be undermining the effort and wisdom that has gone into its publication. Baba Iqbal Singh has funnelled all the knowledge and wisdom that he accumulated in his 90 years of service to Humanity and under the able guidance and mentorship of Sant Teja Singh, AM Harvard who was further inspired and initiated by Sant Attar Singh, the visionary Saint of 20th century. Such was the grand vision of the Founding Fathers that today The Kalgidhar Trust is a 129 chain of rural Schools, 2 Universities, 42 Courses benefitting 60,000 rural students, thereby saving them from the menace of Drugs and creating Ambassadors of Peace and Universal Brotherhood.

This compilation, in easily comprehensible uncomplicated English, by Baba Iqbal Singh elaborately explains the true essence of teachings of Divine Masters of Sikh faith. The author has given complete insight of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, which are equally applicable in the worldly and spiritual realm, in a most modern perspective. The Universal approach of the Gurus, for the whole of humanity, without any distinction of caste, creed or religion; has been amply clarified, in a simple and straight language.

The book further mentions that:

Guru Granth Sahib has only one Divine message for the whole of the humanity, i.e. how to become Divine? The Divine has created whole universe and pervades everywhere in it. The religions are the different ways to reach one destination to merge with the Divine within. Guru Granth Sahib teaches the humanity i.e. how to become God conscious and create spiritual brotherhood in the universe? If somebody studies Guru Granth Sahib in depth, it would be most apparent that this is the spiritual guide for the whole of the mankind.

When a Sikh devotee bows his/her head in reverence before Guru Granth Sahib, he doesn’t bow before the Divine Hymns of only Six Sikh Gurus, but also to the Divine Hymns belonging to those Saints who initially followed their own spiritual path whether of Hindu, Muslim or other faiths. The Sikh devotee, in fact, is paying respect to the Holy Scripture, which in fact is Inter-Faith and thus has a Universal Message for the whole of the humanity.

Guru Granth Sahib has amply clarified that the whole humanity that belongs to different castes, creeds, and religions has been created by the All Pervading One, i.e. the Divine, which is the only source of creation of the whole universe. The blessed ones, who follow the divine instructions in letter and spirit would merge with Him and would get salvation in this very life. Those who follow the instincts of their mind, under the influence of five vices, i.e. lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride (arrogance) would wander hither and thither miserably in the cycle of birth and rebirth. God, therefore, can be realized only through love, faith and devotion as explained in this book. An earnest ‘seeker after truth’ would be benefited after reading this book.

This compilation of Faith, Spiritual Knowledge, Divine Wisdom, is most recommended to the ‘seekers after truth’, who in the end would gain a lot of spiritual insight and develop an urge to tread on the divine path while performing their worldly duties.

It is being released today, 9 Feb 2014 on the occasion of the Sant Samagam, held in sweet memory of its Founding Father, Sant Attar Singh, at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib, New Delhi by Giani Pinderpal Singh Ji, Padam Bhushan Dr Khem Singh Gill and Padam Shri Nirmal Singh Khalsa!

To order your copy, please write to:

sikhfaith@barusahib.org

or

The Kalgidhar Trust
F-3, Rajouri Garden
New Delhi – 110027

Teachers’ Kindergarten Workshop at village Uddat Saidewala Akal Academy

As per the orders of Honorable Advisor, Health & Education Dr. Neelam Kaur, Baru Sahib, Akal Academy located at village Uddat Saidewala observed a Kindergarten Workshop recently on 1-February 2014. Resource person, Ms. Gurjeet Kaur, Headmistress of the Academy, informed us about the key agendas of the workshop – the workshop observed discussions on  various […]

As per the orders of Honorable Advisor, Health & Education Dr. Neelam Kaur, Baru Sahib, Akal Academy located at village Uddat Saidewala observed a Kindergarten Workshop recently on 1-February 2014.

Resource person, Ms. Gurjeet Kaur, Headmistress of the Academy, informed us about the key agendas of the workshop – the workshop observed discussions on  various strategies :

– To create maximum activities for the kindergarten children;
– How  to make children able to understand general commands in English & able to converse in English;
– Emphasis on Moral Values & General Behavior changes to attract parents attention so that their child may go n explicate good manners through habit of recitation of path, divinity poems, Rhymes at home .
– Also, a system to receive feedback from the parents was discussed.

“Several teachers attended the workshop with great enthusiasm & learnt new techniques with immense focus & dedication”, quoted the Headmistress, Mrs. Gurjeet Kaur whilst sharing her report on the workshop which was observed in light of keeping the teachers up to date with the latest & innovative techniques of providing an effective value based education to the little young students.

~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 7th Feb ’14

New way to Search Gurbani!

Khoj Gurbani (www.khojgurbani.org) is a platform to study the Guru Granth Sahib. Each week this platform will present a section of the Guru Granth Sahib for worldwide study and discussion. Video, audio and written responses to the Shabad or the section would be solicited and crowdsourced. This exercise would allow eminent intellectuals and laypersons alike […]

Khoj Gurbani (www.khojgurbani.org) is a platform to study the Guru Granth Sahib. Each week this platform will present a section of the Guru Granth Sahib for worldwide study and discussion. Video, audio and written responses to the Shabad or the section would be solicited and crowdsourced. This exercise would allow eminent intellectuals and laypersons alike to engage with one another across different mediums and languages, all enabled on an online platform. A rotating Editorial Board of Sewadars would highlight the best responses, while allowing all voices to be heard. This discussion would culminate into the writing of commentaries followed by translations of the same Shabad into modern idiomatic English.

KHOJ GURBANI ​has a Vision –

“To Foster a culture in which Sikhs engage with a serious study of the Guru Granth Sahib using the latest online tools and pedagogy.”​

The need to create the same kind of excitement for the study of the Guru Granth Sahib and engage all Sikhs to participate this online platform will make it possible to study the Guru Granth Sahib, discover its deeper meanings through discussion, and finally arrive at a new translation and a commentary for the new millennium.

Online Platform and Its Features –

Successful mastery of the deeper understanding of Gurbani requires access to correct pronunciation, meaning and reflection on the Guru’s word.  The platform will take this pedagogical requirement and furnish proper tools to achieve new insights into Gurbani.

  • Pronunciation: The online platform will facilitate reading from the original text of the Guru Granth Sahib with phonetic pronunciation (Santhia) established by the long-standing Sikh tradition.
  • Dictionary: In addition, it would provide the multi-layered meaning of every word using existing and new dictionaries that will be developed.  Hovering over a word would provide its meaning in English, along with grammatical forms of the word established by Gurbani grammar.
  • Discussion Section: A discussion forum in which the nuances of each word, sentence and the entire Shabad will be discussed before a commentary is attempted.
  • Commentary Section: Insights from the discussion—both online and offline—would culminate into the joint writing of a commentary on the Shabad.  The commentary will be added to the commentary section corresponding to the Shabad.
  • Translation Section: Once the finer meanings of a Shabad have been discussed and a detailed commentary is in place (much like a Wikipedia article), one or more translations for each line of the Shabad will be added with the aim to create a fresh translation.
  • Teeka Sections: Sections featuring existing exegesis in Panjabi and English translations will be made available to enhance the aforementioned processes.

Get a hands on firsthand experience here –  http://goo.gl/A36WgT. Let us know of your reviews right here in the comment box below!

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 7th Jan ’14

Inter-Academy Sant Attar Singh ji Knowledge-Quest Competition observed

An Inter School, ‘Sant Attar Singh Ji’ Knowledge- Quest was organized recently during the ongoing series of Seminars on Re-Kinetising Education that will are to continue till 10 Feb 2014 across various Akal Academies and other institutions; students from class 6th to 12th of various Akal Academies participated in the quiz event. During the event, […]

An Inter School, ‘Sant Attar Singh Ji’ Knowledge- Quest was organized recently during the ongoing series of Seminars on Re-Kinetising Education that will are to continue till 10 Feb 2014 across various Akal Academies and other institutions; students from class 6th to 12th of various Akal Academies participated in the quiz event.

During the event, the students competed in Debates on: Slogan Writing Competition, Women Empowerment and Media – a blessing or a Curse? The students also presented colorful Artistic representation encouraging Anti-Alcohol/Drug De-addition in the Art Competition event.

During the program, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Training & Placement Officer, Eternal University, Baru Sahib; Dr. Maghar Singh, Retired Chief Education Officer; Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain, Head Training & Placement, SLIET Longwal and Geeta Goswami, School Inspector were present. Mr. Sanjay Kumar provided information about various courses being offered at Eternal University to the students whilst Dr. P.K. Jain, shared his views about value-based education being provided to Rural children by Baru Sahib.

Towards Conclusion, the special guests presented the winners of the competition with prizes & certificates. Akal Academy Principal S.Baljeet Kaur and Beant Kaur thanked the invited special guests.

The seminars & the Knowledge quest, organized by Eternal University, Baru Sahib, with support of Akal Academies under the organization of the Kalgidhar Trust are focused on subject of providing values based education alongside spiritual & scientific education to the under-privileged & Rural children in North India.

~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 5th Feb ’14

‘Shabad Gayan Samagam’ held at Village Dhanal Kalan Akal Academy

With the grace of Almighty and the generous support of Sadh Sangat, a ‘Shabad Gayan Samagam’ was observed by Akal Academy Dhanal Kalan. The event saw an overwhelming response from Sangat which comprised of staff members, parents and students from all Dhanal Kalan cluster academies alongside their Headmistresses. The Samagam was held in an assembled […]

With the grace of Almighty and the generous support of Sadh Sangat, a ‘Shabad Gayan Samagam’ was observed by Akal Academy Dhanal Kalan. The event saw an overwhelming response from Sangat which comprised of staff members, parents and students from all Dhanal Kalan cluster academies alongside their Headmistresses.

The Samagam was held in an assembled Pandal in the ground of Akal Academy, Dhanal Kalan in remembrance of the ‘Parkash Utsav of Shri Guru Har Rai Ji’. Amongst participating academies were Akal Academy Boparai Kalan , Akal Academy Mander Dona , Akal Academy Kakran Kalan , Akal Academy Ghugg.

62 students from all Academies, of Grade I to IV performed on stage. Open invitation was sent to parents of all the children. In all, more than 300 parents attended the function..

The ‘Samagam’ started with the Shabad Recitation by students of AA Dhanal Kalan ‘Deh Shiva Bar Mohyie Hai’ in which our tenth Guru , Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji urges the Almighty to give strength of work; Ms Kamalpreet Kaur handled the stage responsibility alongwith Grade IV students viz. Taranpreet Kaur , Arvinder Kaur and Harleen Kaur.

Ms. Kamalpreet Kaur threw light on the life of Shri Guru Har Rai Ji and the four goodnesses – Education, Health , Peace and Happiness which are promoted by The Kalgidhar Trust . “Shabad Gayan” the first section of Samagam was by students of AA Boparai Kalan by the shabad ‘Charan Kamal Ki Aas Piyare’.

Kawishris were presented in front of the audience, which made the spectators feel proud of being a family member of The Kalgidhar Trust Baru Sahib and Sikh Religion.

Two choreographies were also presented – delivered by Grade IV students of A A Dhanal Kalan and AA Mander Dona .

The enthusiasm which was shown through the expressions and action by the students sensitized the audience. Towards conclusion Ardas was recited by a Grade II student and Hukamnama was delivered by Grade IV students of AA Dhanal Kalan. Parents were amazed & extremely happy to see their wards presenting beyond their expectations.

Ms Harpreet Kaur – Principal, AA Dhanal Kalan thanked the parents for attending the ‘Samagam’ and encouraging the students with their presence. She told the parents that they were blessed to have such wonderful kids and asked them to pray for all Teachers & staff members to have the strength to fulfill their duties / responsibilities given by Hon’ble Baba Ji and help these students bloom & spread their fragrance where ever they go. All participants were honored with mementoes.

~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 5th Jan ’14

Vasant Panchmi – The Historic Story Behind

PANCHAMI, the fifth day of either phase {vadior sudi) of the moon. In the three Sikh hymns entitled Thitin/ Thiti devoted to the lunar days of the month, the point commonly made in verses on Panchami is that the people are too engrossed in the worldy pursuits to take to remembrance of the Divine which […]

PANCHAMI, the fifth day of either phase {vadior sudi) of the moon. In the three Sikh hymns entitled Thitin/ Thiti devoted to the lunar days of the month, the point commonly made in verses on Panchami is that the people are too engrossed in the worldy pursuits to take to remembrance of the Divine which alone can bring real joy and bliss. Guru Nanak says that people are mad about the world and the creation made up of the five elements, and fail to understand the Incomprehensible Unattached Being.

Guru Arjan has affirmed that those saints are really great who understand the reality of the five elements and, thus, get rid of the five lusts. Men are exhorted in all the three compositions to observe Panchami not by performing any rituals but by living unattached in the material world and by being devoted to the Name. By custom, however, Panchami, particularly of the bright phase, is observed in some of the gurudwaras when special divans take place. Devotees forgather from distant places to offer homage and make ablutions in the holy tanks.

The Basant Panchami (fifth day of the bright phase of the moon in the month of Magh) falling in late January or early February is marked by special celebrations, especially at the historical Gurdwara at Chheharta, about three miles from Amritsar, and at Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib, in Patiala.

For Sikhs, in the Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, on the day of Vasant Panchmi, musicians start the music by singing Basant Raga. This practice continues up until the first day of Vaisakh when Basant Rag is no longer used.

Academic, Non-Academic & Spiritual Upgrades’ Workshop for Teacher at Akal Academies through Zonal Directors

Teachers of several academies recently received a bouquet of Academic & Non-Academic upgrades through a series of workshops. Few of the key inclusions were Spoken English amongst students & children, Emphasis on more effective & interesting/child centric classroom teaching, Identification of learners with specials needs; also special focus & attention was given on value based […]

Teachers of several academies recently received a bouquet of Academic & Non-Academic upgrades through a series of workshops. Few of the key inclusions were Spoken English amongst students & children, Emphasis on more effective & interesting/child centric classroom teaching, Identification of learners with specials needs; also special focus & attention was given on value based education strategies.

The strategies were discussed for imbibing values amongst students for  – Reverence of ‘Dastaar’ on head after leaving the school, both for boys & girls; Better discipline/manners/etiquettes in van; Courteous & Respectful  behavior at home; Observation of SLC(Students Lead Conference) in addition to PTM(Parent Teachers’ Meeting) so children can showcase the knowledge gained.

On spiritual front, specific strategies were discussed around observance of NITNEM :-

– Deep reverence while Nitnem is in progress by all staff members (teaching & non-teaching)
– Availability of Gutka Sahib for all children and children to be made aware of the respect to be given to holy scripture
-No other parallel activity during Nitnem
-Emphasis on accurate Recitation and pronunciation of Nitnem should.
-Principal / Headmistress to oversee the proceeding of Nitnem Sahib (No delegation).
-Sikh students to get sensitized to Five Kakaars.

“It was a wonderful meeting as I shared many things regarding Academic, value based education, Nitnem & academic Managements and learnt a lot from our zonal directors, Inspection team and from Principals of the other academies. I felt energetic, motivated and felt with courage to do better in my academy so we decided to improve and I conducted the same workshop in my academy for two days and motivated my staff to implement the same by heart in our academy”, quoted Headmistress Gurjeet Kaur of Akal Academy Uddat Saidewala whilst sharing details of her report to the concerned department.

Appreciate the little efforts put in by the teachers and Principals to keep up the good work, Donate Here

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 3rd Jan ’14

District Education Team inspects Akal Academy Uddat Saidewal: Appreciates Students’ performance

Mansa’s District Education Officer, S. Swaran Singh Sandhu recently visited Akal Academy located at village Uddat Saidewala for inspection & doing NOC alongside his team members – Superintendent Mr. Hukam Chand Ji (Maths Expert), Mr. Singla & other team members. On this occasion, Chairman Dr. Khem Singh Gill was also present in support of Principal […]

Mansa’s District Education Officer, S. Swaran Singh Sandhu recently visited Akal Academy located at village Uddat Saidewala for inspection & doing NOC alongside his team members – Superintendent Mr. Hukam Chand Ji (Maths Expert), Mr. Singla & other team members. On this occasion, Chairman Dr. Khem Singh Gill was also present in support of Principal Gurjeet Kaur at the Academy.

The students welcomed the visiting guests with a welcome song & presented members with bouquets during the assembly where Mr. Sandhu & his team members observed all the activities & proceedings. Whilst addressing everyone, Principal Gurjeet Kaur welcomed the delegation and Dr.Khem Singh spoke about the Kalgidhar Trust Baru Sahib and extended his heartfelt greetings to the visiting team members.

Post assembly, after having refreshments, the team duly visited all the labs & classrooms during their inspection; besides checking all the records the students & also tested students with spontaneous questions on different subjects upon which the students gave satisfactory replies; Mr. Sandhu & his team appreciated the students’ performance.

~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 29th Jan ’14

Reach for the stars – “A Dream trip to NASA could be right around the corner!

VIT University and The Times of India presents IGNITE, an inter school science and mathematics challenge, to bring out the competitive streak in every smart kid across the country. Top three winners will win a free trip to NASA. All expenses incurred during the trip will be sponsored by VIT University. REGISTRATION The last date to […]

VIT University and The Times of India presents IGNITE, an inter school science and mathematics challenge, to bring out the competitive streak in every smart kid across the country.

Top three winners will win a free trip to NASA. All expenses incurred during the trip will be sponsored by VIT University.

REGISTRATION

The last date to register is January 30. It is mandatory for all participants to fill in his/ her complete details here – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/win.html

ELIGIBILITY

The quiz is open to school students of class X and XI across all boards

This initiative will be held in two phases. In the first phase, students will appear for a 90 min examination. The exam will be conducted in these 11 cities on the same date. In the second phase of the initiative, the topper from each city will be invited to the VIT University Campus, Vellore, where they will appear for a national quiz. Read for more details and exam centres – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/schedule.html

Read about the challenge here – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/index.html

Here’s the Contest Agenda – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/rules.html

The Test Schedule – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/schedule.html

Grand Prizes – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/prizes.html

Register yourselves here – http://educationtimes.com/ads/vit/win.html

This is an opportunity not to be missed!

Hail the Efforts… Waheguru!

~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 29th Jan ’14

An American Channel, Spike TV ranks Baba Deep Singh ji as #1 Deadliest and Formidable Warrior in History

Another website promoted Baba Deep Singh as its Warrior of the Week: Baba Deep Singh ji Shahid (26 January 1682 -13 November 1757), is one of the most honoured martyrs in Sikh history. He was the founder of the Shahid Misl (group), the first head of Damdami Taksal (Damdama School of Learning) – a 300 […]

Another website promoted Baba Deep Singh as its Warrior of the Week:

Baba Deep Singh ji Shahid (26 January 1682 -13 November 1757), is one of the most honoured martyrs in Sikh history. He was the founder of the Shahid Misl (group), the first head of Damdami Taksal (Damdama School of Learning) – a 300 years old religious school of the Sikhs which was founded by last Sikh prophet Guru Gobind Singh. Tall and strong he was an exceptionally brave Sikh.

A bold and fearless saint-soldier he was ever ready to risk his life for the Panth. Baba ji was born on January 26, 1682 (some records register this as January 20) and died fighting at Amritsar on November 11, 1757 when he was about 75 years old. From about 12 years of age, he grew up around the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

He spent most of his life as a custodian of the Panth (Sikh community). He and Banda Singh Bahadur are recognised as the most honoured martyrs of the Panth who, together set a unique and amazing example for the community to follow for many generations. Not only was Baba ji a brave and fearless soldier but a very intelligent scholar who had mastered several languages.

From the time when Guru Gobind Singh came to Damdama Sahib, Baba ji was responsible for the distribution of the Guru Granth Sahib to other parts of the world and was the “head granthi” (head priest) of Damdama Sahib in Bathinda.

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 29th Jan ’14