msingh shackled - Still Around

Desi Style

2011-05-15T16:04:00.007Z

More pictures from Punjab, these two taken by my brother. The only thing is, I just wonder what's cooking?

Click on picture to view full size
6/15/06

The Blogging Question

2011-05-13T02:12:00.000Z

There are decisions and questions that by virtue their difficulty one might put aside to be dealt with on another day. Then there are those dilemma’s which one tends to put on the back burner, not because they are hard to unravel, but because of the fear of having to face up to the implications of any conclusions arrived at from analyses of the dilemma.

Most bloggers will have suffered from mild symptoms of blogyndrome, when they begin to question the value, usefulness and indeed validity of their blogging activity. The usual remedy at the early stage of the syndrome is to push the questions to the ‘back of the head.’ Those who pay a little more attention to the emerging malaise soon find that the syndrome is not such an easy one to deal with and cure.

There is, however a limit as to how long one can go on putting off facing up to the inevitable question of one’s blogging activity and dealing with the fallout from such an encounter. So how does one face up to and deal with the question that will not go away - to blog or not blog? To answer this question the starting point I think has to be understanding the reasons why we started, and have been blogging up to now. This introspection naturally has to include a look at what benefits we have gained through our blogging activity, be it social, monetary, emotional, or therapeutic.

To succeed in this self-examination exercise it is necessary to be honest with oneself and to not be afraid to lay bare the true motives for embarking on the blogging path. Although most unlikely, it is entirely possible that it may transpire that one has been foolishly wasting hour upon hour of one’s time with little or no benefit to oneself or others.

It is only fair having pontificated on the blogging question, I come clean whether I have faced up to this question. Clearly not, as the few infrequent visitors to my blog will have observed. Not a squeal, though mind you, I have on occasions in my comments, referred to the nagging question (“…the question of whether to blog or not blog will simply not go away. So I may abstain for a while....”). So the best I can claim is that I have let the question around blogging simmer on the burner, with my fingers getting singed because I haven’t paid attention.

So what was the decision, after all the simmering and bubbling? To put it simply, there was no decision. In retrospect, this clever ruse by me to abstain for a while slowly, but surely extricated me from the blogosphere. Though it is not a course I would necessarily recommend to other bloggers, for it leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth. And let’s face it, who am I to pontificate?

It would be remiss of me if I failed to mention the other side of the coin, namely that one’s motive for blogging may be altogether noble and commendable, such as sharing useful information, and promoting something one believes in. I guess the bottom line is the blog is here to stay, a tool that is still evolving in the way it is used and in the function it performs. Maybe one should not become too wedged in the groove of the blogging question while the birds still soar freely in the open blue skies.

1/8/07

Nemo - Punjabi Style

2011-01-03T11:50:00.000Z

It occurred to me that translating some contemporary English text into Punjabi might give me some practice in my written Punjabi. When I came across this post on Nemo by SK on her blog, this was just what was needed to spur me into action. I really do think there is an immense shortage of Punjabi literature which children can relate to and really enjoy, and translations of popular novels might be a good start. Here's the result of my little effort:

12/7/05

The Jums are Coming

2010-04-11T02:24:00.000Z

msingh, torn clothes, ragged look and haunted face,
exposed his sins, he runs in fear to escape, just in case,
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!

wilful, self-conceited, lost in maya, that was you,
no time for sewa, self-serving through and through,
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!

losing your head, in wanton lust and greed did you revel,
the sins cannot be erased, face this now on the level,
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!

face drawn, no tears left to flow, trembling with fear so,
imminent dharamraj's verdict, sinful body, now where to go?
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!

too late, lashes reign aplenty, streaks of blood, sharp pain
should have heeded earlier, now whipped again and again,
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!

more, more, red hot poker, hair pulled and ripping skin,
now screaming with pain, lacerated body full of sin,
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!

justice served and balance restored, returned what he stole,
pray dear cybersangat for this poor soul, for an early parole,
the jums are coming, the jums are coming, fear of pain,
oh, how you wish past unholy demons could all be slain!8/1/06

4/11/07

Beauty & the Beast

2009-10-05T18:23:00.000Z

In today's world there is no shortage of aids, artifacts, chemicals,, etc. to bring about a show of external beauty. Waxing, perming, liposuction, bleaching,...the list goes on. Surely there is something to be said for the simple and natural approach - for one thing at least less time is wasted on the daily chore of grooming. There's also the question of for what purpose, or for who are we going to all this trouble for?

Perhaps it's the inner beauty that really matters, the one that exudes warmth, humility, sincerity, joy de vivre,...

But hey, who am I to judge - it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Click to enlarge

10/19/05

Shocking Story About Handsworth!!

2009-03-24T02:13:00.000Z

Read this true story... and let everybody you know in and around Birmingham, especially Handsworth know this.......

My friend lives in Wolverhampton... One day he went to Handsworth to visit his uncle for some days. One evening he and some other of my college friends went to Priya's for a movie. He had so much fun that he forgot that it was very late. He reached Handsworth around midnight......

He had to walk about a mile from where his friend dropped him.... As he was walking alone, he could sense that the night felt very creepy as it was so dark. While walking, he was astonished to see an old creepy looking guy selling some books. It was a very unusual thing to see a thing like that..... It got the shivers on him when he noticed that his old guy is unusually pale and staring at him...

The old guy said "Son why don't you get a book...it would keep you company". Then he did something which he would regret for the rest of his life .........

My friend started to act brave & thought why not & had a look at his collection.. he noticed that all the books were related to supernatural activities...but he found one that was very interesting. So he asked the old man "how much is it?"....

The old guy replied, "Well son...this is an interesting book...it's only for £45" My friend was shocked and said "but...but...it's expensive"

This time the old man stared which freaked my friend. My friend quickly checked all his pockets, found £40 and said "This is all I have." The old guy replied "It's OK son ...you can have the book for that price"

As my friend was just about to run for home...the old man called back & said "Son ... whatever happen, you don't ever flip the book to it's last page... remember these words or you would regret it...!!!!!"

My friend nodded and never looked back ... Reaching home...he quickly asked his uncle whether there was any new old book seller nearby? The Uncle replied "not that I know of but ...we've heard that there's an old man comes once in a while but I've heard that there is something creepy about it...why son?"

My friend freaked out... he told his uncle "nothing uncle...just asking". He started reading the book with the old man's words on his mind. At night, 2 o'clock, as he went to bed, a gush of wind blew which chilled him up to his bones. At that glimpse, he noticed the wind had blown the pages to its last page. He remembered what the old man has said! But we humans tend to have the tendency to know. Out of curiosity, he flipped to the last page & fainted..

Click here to see what he saw at the last page, but don't click if you have a weak heart, I warn you. 3/10/06

Original price: - £1.99

Promotion price: - £0.99

Ha Ha, sorry if I wasted your time, but you've got to admit it waw a good one!

A Damsel in Distress

2009-03-24T01:04:00.000Z

(This is supposed to be a 'Manvir Singh' style post)

On tuesday of this week my brother and his family came to visit and see how dad was getting on. Having been to the hospital to see dad we managed to demolish a fair amount of food, including raj mah di dal, rice, mattar paneer, raita, not to mention the sweets, chocolotaes and ice cream afterwards. This was naturally followed by a nice cup of cha (not yogi tea). We then had a short 'kirtan jamming' session, a pretty amateurish affair.

I and my brother (or should it be my brother and I?) decided to pay another visit to the hospital at about 7 o'clock in the evening to see dad. So we drove there, parked in the hospital car park and began walking towards the main hospital entrance.

As we were about to come out of the car park an asian 'girl' (looked like she was in her late 20's) came up to us, obviously in distress (lips quivering, a shake in her voice) and said to us that she had just heard about her husband being involved in an accident in Milton Keynes, and that she was short of £12 for the train fare to get there. She seemed to be in a panic, had her mobile on her, and said we could have her number. Our first impressions were she was in distress and our hearts were saying we should give her the money.

"Another predicament you have put me into, Rab Ji", I thought to myself. Because the ligting in th car park wasn't so good my brother suggested we walk up to entrance and we would see what we could do (I think both our minds were trying to think rapidly wether this was a genuine request, or we were about to be conned). This gave us time to analyse the situation and to ask her some questions as we walked. We learnt that she lived about 15 minutes walk away from the hospital. This made me wonder why she didn't walk home to get the money, especially as it was on the way to the train station.

By the time we'd reached the entrance I felt 95% sure that this was just a ruse to get us to part with our money (a number of times when I had been duped in similar circumstances came to mind). I suggested that we were willing to take her home to enable her to get the money she needed. "Oh no" she replied, "I never keep money in the house, I've been burgled several times." I was even more convinced by now that she wasn't genuine (I could see my brother was still considering giving the money), so I said to my brother (in front of her) that I'd had some bad experiences in similar circumstances, and that I wasn't sure. At this point she very quickly got the point and realised the bait hadn't been taken and left, saying she would never have asked if she wasn't in real need.

"Chalo" I thought, "Rab da Hukam", feeling a little guilty because there was still the tiniest possibility that she might have been genuine.

This could well have been the end of this post, but guess what, Rab Ji had another similar experience in store for me! A few days later I and my sister were leaving the hospital after visiting my dad and this time we were 'accosted' by a middle aged muslim man (I could tell from his Punjabi). "Waheguru", I thought, "am I a magnet for these type of people?". The man displayed a handful coins to us, apolgised profusely for what he was going say, told us about how he often went to the gurudwara and sometimes even had langar, then got to the heart of the matter. Basically he was £1.50 short for something (I can't remember what) and asked if we could spare him the money. His whole performance was well rehearsed and not too unpleasant. My view is that the money was probably to finance his next bottle of alcohol. Having learnt from my recent experience I politely but firmly said I couldn't help him.

I hope I don't become such a hard liner that I fail to recognise and help a genuine person in need. 1/6/06

Damsel in Distress - Follow Up

2009-03-23T23:25:00.000Z

I recently wrote about the episode when I and my brother were faced with the dilemma of whether or not we should give money to a damsel (apparently) in distress. Like all good “Manvir Singh” stories, there is more to this curious story.

A couple of days after the incident I had gone to the hospital to see my father, with just a tiny bit of remorse lingering in the back of my mind for not having given any money to this lady. At the hospital I saw that several other family members had also come to visit my father, including my sister-in-law. Imagine my surprise when I heard my sister-in-law start talking about a lady asking for money outside the hospital! “Kamal hai” I thought to myself, wondering if it might be the same person we had met. I was soon able to ascertain that this was indeed the same woman who had accosted us, but unlike our encounter, she did manage to get money this time. My sister-in-law facing the same request for £12 ended up giving £20 because she had no change.

There’s no doubt now that this lady was operating a scam, possibly netting a handsome amount on a good day. As to why she was doing this - my guess is that it may be connected with the need to buy drugs. Chalo, Rab bhali karey. 2/2/06

Incredible India

2008-03-08T01:47:00.007Z

Around Delhi

2008-02-20T18:55:00.004Z

Red Arrows at Bournemouth

2008-02-06T23:46:00.000Z

Bournemouth, 17July 2007

Colours of The Bangle

2008-02-03T13:16:00.001Z

Karol Bagh, Dec 2006

The Opening

2007-04-25T23:51:00.000Z

Photo taken on 23/3/2006

Nanak Singh

2007-01-04T22:47:00.000Z

There is something to be said for the firm approach when it comes to parenting. I remember the days when I was around 8 or 9 years old, being ‘forced’ to go to Punjabi class. All these years later, looking back now not only do I understand why it was important then that I learnt Punjabi, but I also am thankful that my parents for taking this firm approach.

The biggest obstacle I’ve found to the progress of my reading of Punjabi has been the lack of good stories that one can relate to (specially if you are young). The standard stock seems to consist of stories of the clever lumbri (fox) and of the crow.

Enter Nanak Singh into my life (better late than never). Very soon, I started reading his short stories not just to practice my Punjabi reading, but because I enjoyed them. What a good read! Thoroughly recommended. Pehaps you can get your local library to stock his books.

Born 4th July 1897, Nanak Singh was one of the best selling novelist in India for thirty to forty years. He wrote over 50 books including novels and collection of short stories. He is considered the pioneer novelist in Punjabi.

Recognized with many awards, including Punjab's highest literary award in 1960. his great historical novel Ik Mian Do Talwaran (One Sheath and Two Swords, 1959) won him India’s highest literary honour, the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1962.

His novel Pavitar Paapi (Saintly Sinner) written in 1942 became immensely popular and won him literary acclaim. It was translated into Hindi and several other Indian languages and was adapted into a smash hit movie in 1968.

Natasha Tolstoy, granddaughter of the World Renowned Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, translated Nanak Singh's novel "Chitta Lahu" (White Blood) into Russian. She visited Nanak Singh in Amritsar to present the first copy of the translated novel to him.

Nanak Singh passed away in 1971.

Nanak Singh with Sobha Singh

Read more at 10/10/05

http://www.tribuneindia.com
http://en.wikipedia.org//
http://www.saintlysinner.com

Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh

2006-09-15T15:04:00.000Z

Images from Dubai

2006-09-02T01:30:00.000Z

Khat Ke Lyanda G-naa

2006-08-11T02:31:00.000Z

khat khat ke lyanda g-naa,
munda pivai lassi da sh-naa,

khushi manavo te bhangra paavo,
dahi(n) missi roti te maalpurai khaavo,

kuria(n) bolan shava bhai shavaa,
mundai ji kainde wahva ji whavaa,

nahi bhuldi dharti rangle Punjab dee,
dekho hogeya mast msingh sardarjee.

khat ke lyanda ...

Faith and Deeds

2006-08-03T12:10:00.000Z

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

James 1:19

Before it's too Late

2006-07-19T23:19:00.000Z

ਨੈਨਹੁ ਨੀਰੁ ਬਹੈ ਤਨੁ ਖੀਨਾ ਭਏ ਕੇਸ ਦੁਧ ਵਾਨੀ ॥
ਰੂਧਾ ਕੰਠੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਨਹੀ ਉਚਰੈ ਅਬ ਕਿਆ ਕਰਹਿ ਪਰਾਨੀ ॥1॥

Tears are in my eyes, my body is weak, and my hair has become milky-white
My throat is tight, and I cannot utter even one word; what am I to do now? ||1||

This Shabad is by Bhagat Bheekhan Ji in Raag Sorath on Pannaa 659

Thatha Wars

2006-07-16T16:25:00.000Z

Somebody who doesn't know about Sikhs might be forgiven for thinking that this guy had a dislocated jaw. Incidentally, although I don't think you will believe me, I have often seen a gentleman who travels wearing his thatha just like this on the Thames line train to London during the rush hour.

Photo taken during a bus journey from Jallandhar to Amritsar.

Beyond Description

2006-07-08T16:10:00.000Z

Although we profess to describe how great God is, it's only really possible to have any inkling of His greatness if were to catch a glimpse of Him. Verily, God is beyond value or description, and even if we try to do so we would become lost in His infinite expanse. No one can describe the extent of His virtue or the vastness of His expanse.

Even if all the intellectuals and all the spiritual teachers and their teachers got together to discover God, we would still not be able to start describing how great the wonderful qualities of God are.

Qualities of truth, austere discipline, moral excellence, and those associated with seekers of truth are solely in God's domain. But if God through his grace wishes to bestow these qualities on us then no one can stand in the way.

So we are helpless in describing God's greatness, try as we might to praise Him. He provides everything for us, yet we are unable to comprehend or describe Him. By realising this truth our life will surely take a turn for the better.

If you can't access the audio at the top here's a link

Mistaken Identity

2006-06-28T23:49:00.000Z

ਭੇਖ ਦਿਖਾਵੈ ਸਚੁ ਨ ਕਮਾਵੈ ॥
ਕਹਤੋ ਮਹਲੀ ਨਿਕਟਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ॥2॥

He wears religious robes, but he does not practice Truth
He says that he has found the Mansion of the Lord's Presence, but he cannot even get near it. ||2||
Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Soohee on Pannaa 738

Click here for larger version

The Veil Of Maya

2006-06-25T01:41:00.000Z

The ice is nearly melted, yet it still seeks to gratify its ego by basking in the sun. msingh

Golden Milk

2006-06-22T11:21:00.000Z

Being the sort of person that I am, I can't help letting you in on a secret (if you didn't already know, that is).

Haldi (turmeric), the yellow stuff used in everyday Indian cooking is supposed to have beneficial effects. A rather pleasant way to consume some on a regular basis is in the form of 'golden milk'. Simply put some haldi, honey and almond oil (you could use ghee instead) in a glass and add boiling milk. Stir and enjoy.

Some links on turmeric:

Turmeric - traditional medicine
Curry 'may slow Alzheimer's'
Turmeric 'may cut leukaemia risk'

TitkitTikTakTitkit Dha!

2006-06-19T16:58:00.000Z

ਜੈਸਾ ਭੇਖੁ ਕਰਾਵੈ ਬਾਜੀਗਰੁ ਓਹੁ ਤੈਸੋ ਹੀ ਸਾਜੁ ਆਨੈ ॥3॥
As the Puppeteer dresses the puppet, so is the role the puppet plays. ||3||
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Raag Gauree, Ang 206

Anyone for Refreshers?

2006-06-12T23:51:00.000Z

The other day I came across a a roll of Refreshers sweets that I had bought several months ago. Having a sweet tooth, it wasn't long before I was contentedly eating them. Here's a shot of two of the culprits before they got consumed:

On a serious note, many sweets cotain egg, so it's worth checking the ingredients before indulging. Anyway, "sweets aren't good for you!", I hear you say. And whatever happened to shakar and ghee on roti?

Evidence of '84 Preserved

2006-06-09T14:10:00.000Z

I took this photo from the top of one of the buildings next to the Akal Takht (the golden dome is that of the Akal Takht)- I think some sections were left unrepaired as a reminder.

Taken April 2006

Whose Side Are You On?

2006-06-06T16:31:00.000Z

Have a listen to this for some light relief - recorded off the radio, can't remember who the artists are.

Can You Decipher?

2006-06-06T09:49:00.000Z

Footage taken on route from Jallandhar to Delhi.

Remember

2006-06-05T23:46:00.000Z

Ram Narayan Kumar, a human rights activist with considerable experience of working in Punjab, writes

“Operation Blue Star was not only envisioned and rehearsed in advance, meticulously and in total secrecy, it also aimed at obtaining the maximum number of Sikh victims, largely devout pilgrims unconnected with the political agitation.”

http://www.sikhgenocide.org/background.htm

http://m-singh.blogspot.com/2005/10/1984.html

http://m-singh.blogspot.com/2005/10/sikhs-in-square.html

Paapi's Visit to Bangla Sahib

2006-06-04T19:05:00.000Z

Here's a short video I took at Bangla Sahib on a recent visit this April.

You'll notice there were quite a few European tourists visiting at this time, and I thought it might be interesting to make a video of them making videos! Later that evening I met this cool Nihang Baba ji outside near the sarover. It was real nice and peaceful being at Bangla Sahib after a tiring day of sightseeing in Delhi. I think we Sikhs (if I may put it that way) are pretty lucky in having access to such a wonderful sanctuary like the gurudwara anywhere in the world.

By the way, the melodious kirtan is from the original soundtrack, being performed by the Ragis.

In Pursuit of Being

2006-06-01T12:37:00.000Z

* finding a place in society

* fit for purpose

* going with the inner flow

* listening to one's roots

* seeing through the dust/fog

* recognising it's / one's mission

* playing one's role

Merely some initial musings as to the secret of achieving ultimate equipoise and freedom, where there are no more doors left to open.

Up Up and Away !

2006-06-01T00:43:00.000Z

Just thought I'd bore you with a short video of the take off from Almaty.

Almaty - the Peaks Beckon

2006-05-30T23:46:00.000Z

Pictures taken from the plane during a stopover at Almaty on the way to Delhi. You just wish you were out there trekking on that rugged terrain!

DSingh's Shoe

2006-05-28T08:46:00.000Z

Drawn by DSingh himself, age 12 years.

Undiscovered Messiah

2006-05-25T22:15:00.000Z

… my instincts do not allow me to sign off in the conventional hollow and hypocritical manner. Thus I say goodbye as absentmindedly as unaffectedly as the capitalist, who despite their affected good manners and charm only cherish in their hearts the dream of material greed. I do not claim to be free of such dreams (indeed I do have a desire to make money) but at least I state plainly my convictions. I stand out amongst the corrupt and misled rabble as a rose stands out amongst the thorns and weeds.

But do not be deceived, for I too have far to go yet. Horizons, as yet mysterious, undefined and far have to be explored and conquered. It is only a brave soul such as I who can desire to soar to such heights and have such real and penetrating vision. Peaks, as yet undiscovered (let alone conquered) in the history of mankind, will be surmounted by me, heralding a new age for mankind, when the capitalist, the religious freak and the social worker will be exposed for what they are. They will be seen as mere animals in comparison to the new man which my conquests will herald.

Not being total free from the chains society has put on me, I ask you, as a mere acquaintance, to drink from the cup of victory, and for a moment soar to heights unimaginable. But beware, you are a mere mortal. You may never survive the ecstasy reserved for those who treat danger as they would pleasure.

In Search of God

2006-05-19T23:28:00.000Z

Blessed Gursikh

2006-05-12T13:12:00.000Z

ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ 5 ॥
ਮਿਟੀ ਤਿਆਸ ਅਗਿਆਨ ਅੰਧੇਰੇ ॥
ਸਾਧ ਸੇਵਾ ਅਘ ਕਟੇ ਘਨੇਰੇ ॥1॥
ਸੂਖ ਸਹਜ ਆਨੰਦੁ ਘਨਾ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਸੇਵਾ ਤੇ ਭਏ ਮਨ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਸੁਨਾ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਬਿਨਸਿਓ ਮਨ ਕਾ ਮੂਰਖੁ ਢੀਠਾ ॥
ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕਾ ਭਾਣਾ ਲਾਗਾ ਮੀਠਾ ॥2॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੂਰੇ ਕੇ ਚਰਣ ਗਹੇ ॥
ਕੋਟਿ ਜਨਮ ਕੇ ਪਾਪ ਲਹੇ ॥3॥
ਰਤਨ ਜਨਮੁ ਇਹੁ ਸਫਲ ਭਇਆ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕਰੀ ਮਇਆ ॥4॥15॥66॥
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
My thirst, and the darkness of ignorance have been removed.
Serving the Holy Saints, countless sins are obliterated. ||1||
I have obtained celestial peace and immense joy.
Serving the Guru, my mind has become immaculately pure, and I have heard the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, Har, Har. ||1||Pause||
The stubborn foolishness of my mind is gone;
God's Will has become sweet to me. ||2||
I have grasped the Feet of the Perfect Guru,
and the sins of countless incarnations have been washed away. ||3||
The jewel of this life has become fruitful.
Says Nanak, God has shown mercy to me. ||4||15||66||

Sewa

2006-05-05T22:33:00.000Z

On Vaisakhi the Gurudwara was so busy that makeshift facilities had been made to store people’s shoes. Groups of shoes belonging family members were tied together securely with a string prior to being handed in for safekeeping. This gentleman was doing the sewa of tying the shoes together. A fine example of somebody being focused on sewa, calm and unruffled by all the crowds pushing and shoving around him (you can't tell in this picture but there were long queues and lots of people around where he was sitting).

At Majnu Ka Tilla Gurudwara, Delhi on Vaisakhi

Vaisakhi in Delhi

2006-05-02T23:22:00.000Z

We went to the Majnu Ka Tilla Gurudwara in Delhi on Vaisakhi day. It was very crowded, with a stalls and funfairs outside. A bit too congested and 'rough' for our first visit.

Anyway, here are some photos and videos:

Encounter in Delhi

2006-05-02T00:27:00.000Z

Outside Sees Ganj Gurudwara, Delhi

Transient Beauty

2006-04-30T13:10:00.000Z

"msingh ji, kuch lamma safar ho gya lagda?"

I actually came back last saturday evening, but it's indeed true what veer says, the safar has indeed become lamma. The world seems different, the baseline no longer where it used to be, what was once seemed a constant routine and everyday feature now rests on shaky ground. The shift in perspective may be temporary, or possibly more deep rooted and permanent.

The outlook appears more bleak and barren, the ultimate reality more perceptible, and the energy to post not as before. So apologies for not posting, perhaps I'll make a start with the easy one's by simply posting some photo's.

Bangla Sahib, Delhi

Harmandar Sahib

2006-04-15T08:52:00.000Z

Taken around 5th april during a day trip to Amritsar from Jalandar.

Trafalgar Square

2006-03-26T03:32:00.000Z

I uploaded some of the photos from my recent foray into london on the London photoblog.

Forbidden Fruit

2006-03-24T16:13:00.000Z

Larger size.
I was number D59 at the Indian High Commission in London this Thursday morning. While waiting for the visas for my imminent trip to India I decided to have a wander around London and take a few photos. I will post these into my photo album soon.

Punjabi-English keyboard

2006-03-16T17:31:00.000Z

First-ever complete Punjabi-English keyboard, no excuses now! I found it here.

New Kid On The Towel

2006-03-14T19:49:00.000Z

Found this great picture on the internet, unfortunately don't have access to a larger size.

Addictive, Desirable

2006-03-10T17:02:00.000Z

I recently put up this post entitled "Something Moorish" - little did I realise that the Blog Police would be onto me for misuse of the English language. But I'm not going to be that easily muzzled (or even nuzzled for that matter) by the self-proclaimed malicia who roam the highways of the blogosphere.

Okay, I raise my hand, not an admission to being guilty, but to acknowledge that the spelling of the word 'Moorish' may have been slightly off-colour. Readers tend to think of the word 'moor' in connection with the Moors of Spain (see one of the comments here). My use of this word in relation to food has made the Blog police somewhat edgy.

Spelt 'moreish' or 'morish' the word describes food that is addictive, as in "They make chocolate chip cookies that are really moreish."

But if you look here or here you find the word 'moorish' used in the context of food. In this recent article in the Guardian entitled 'The Great British Crisp' they write "...They were probably made with new or Charlotte potatoes. These are pretty much up there, I'd say, and very moorish."

Surely the inhabitants of the Blogosphere will be supporting me in their droves in this matter!

Now I must stop eating this chevda, it's simply so moreish!

And here are some more words for you to ponder over:

chock-a-block
codswallop
doddle
whoops-a-daisy
whip round
wonky
shambolic
gobsmacked
Bob's your uncle

Terraced in Southall

2006-03-08T15:55:00.000Z

Larger version

Rainbow

2006-03-07T00:51:00.000Z

Autumn Sunshine

2006-03-07T00:49:00.000Z

Photo courtesy of sikhi seeker

Something Moorish

2006-03-03T12:52:00.000Z

Leave some for me, or you ain't having any of this lovely masala chaa I'm making. Mmmm... I can almost taste the lovely aroma of the spices as the chaa comes to the boil...

Sikh Blogorama

2006-02-27T23:45:00.000Z

I'm not sure if the title of the post has much relevance to this post, but it sounded good. With my own blog stagnating and the brain in a fuzzy impasse, I spent a fair amount of time meandering my way through other Sikh blogger sites. It struck me that since the blogging phenomena started, in a short space of time the quality of output has really advanced considerably. And there are more new Sikh bloggers coming into the frame all the time.

It’s only natural that I give some examples to illustrate what I mean. Take for instance this post by Angad Singh, I think it speaks for itself. Or this post by Satvinder where she discusses her internal struggle around the issue of the relationship between spirituality and politics. Although a lot of bloggers seem to focus on Sikhi, there are also those like Dr Savi who seem to have a wider remit, this being such an example.

Then there are the seasoned bloggers like the prodigious Solarider (see a particularly appetising photo of jalebis on his blog here) and Sukhmani Kaur, and of course the man himself, Mr Sikhnet. And the blog names can be great as well, like ‘Enlighten Me’, or ‘Wannabe Naam Abhiyaasee’

Not to mention the great discussion and debate that goes on if you read the comments posted. Have a look at this post entitled ‘meet the meat’ by Gurumustuk Singh and you’ll see what I mean when you read the comments.

There are hundreds of interesting Sikh blogs out there, the ones mentioned are just by way of illustration, please free to mention others in your comments.

Global Sewa

2006-02-18T01:32:00.000Z

Some years ago when I heard about a Sikh aid organisation called Khalsa Aid being formed I was both hopeful and sceptical. Hopeful that I could channel my donations through an organisation I felt an affinity with, and sceptical because I wasn't sure if they would get enough support from the community.

Well, here's an excerpt from a recent article by Ravinder Singh:

"Since Khalsa Aid was launched in 1999 a lot of similar Sikh organisations have suddenly mushroomed overnight. Most of them, purely for individual or monetary gain. Humanitarian disasters have become a massive money-making and political business. I have been involved in many relief operations since 1999 and have also seen many groups who have state-of-the-art photographic equipment but do very little actual relief work. Their well-presented Web sites give a very different picture."

The full article is worth a read. I must admit I haven't done much to get involved or support Khalsa Aid, but I really feel that ideally there should be just one Sikh aid organisation in the UK through which we can channel our aid and be proud of.

Mr Sikhnet in England

2006-02-16T23:09:00.000Z

Gurumustuk Singh at the Northolt samagam in the UK last year. You can also see Ashwinder Singh in the background.

Dhan Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

2006-02-14T17:18:00.000Z

Letter from Jallandhar

2006-02-01T00:32:00.000Z

Aug 1982

Does it matter weather God exists or not? Let us be bold and realistic. No man known to me will miss the opportunity to learn from my feedback. Perhaps your already know….

Discard stubbornness, false pride to leave room for principles of a superior nature. Armed with the necessary knowledge and desire, you are a man capable of stupendous achievements.. The talk of running a business and minting money does not have to be a joke…….

Do not be alarmed by the tone of my letter, but consider it a privilege to receive feedback from such a wise and steadfast source. Once again, rise above the rabble and realise the significance of this letter. The greatest of men have the ability to learn even from their enemies. As for me, I choose even my enemies with care. Only the best face my challenge so that my victory may be that much the greater. True glory is reserved only for those who have scaled great heights, the supermen. Two lines written in the Guru Granth Sahib describe aptly the general malaise that afflicts our society today:

(outside is seen brilliant light, inside the heart is as dark as a moonless night)

This disease is so widespread that one sees little hope of progress. Hypocrisy and double standards are the paths to success today. But beware, we do not seek such success. We aspire after a far greater and nobler aim, the superman. The journey begins with the re-affirmation of self respect, for there are far too many ignorant, misguided and ignoramus pundits who preach the sermon of subservience. With self respect follows the rebellion against established social values and the breakdown of religious dogmas. The chains that imprison man to the animal level begin to break and the flight the brilliance that is humanity begins. Rise, my dear man, rise! So that you may know what it is to live, to feel the infinite joy that comes only to the superman.

There is much to write about on this subject, but it is perhaps wise that I stop here….

Tribute

2006-01-28T23:31:00.000Z

ਰਾਣਾ ਰਾਉ ਨ ਕੋ ਰਹੈ ਰੰਗੁ ਨ ਤੁੰਗੁ ਫਕੀਰੁ ॥

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Raag Raamkalee, Ang 936

My father passed away in the early hours of Tues morning, 17th January 2006 at the age of 101 years. He was well known by all the grandchildren as "Baba Ji". The frequent cries (he was hard of hearing) "Sat Siri Akal Babaji!" by the grandchildren are no more. The void he leaves behind cannot be bridged, nor can we forget all that he has done for the family and community.

Born in Salempur, Jallandhar, he worked with the railways until he migrated to Tanzania (East Africa) in the early fifties. He was a prominent member of a thriving Sikh community there, especially active in promoting sikhism, gurbani and Punjabi. His discipline and dedication to reciting gurbani was immense. His daily nitnem (from memory, without gutka) included Asa Di Aaar, Sukhmani Sahib and Full Anand Sahib.

Our father was a pillar of strength, well known for his physical strength and fearless character. I remember clearly an incident about 5 years ago which illustrates his "tyar bar tyar" character. At that time he wasn't able to walk very well because of his knees, but on this sunny afternoon he insisted on going out. Knowing there was no stopping him once he had made up his mind, I decided to follow him at a discreet distance just in case he needed help. I had been following him for about five minutes when he suddenly swung his walking stick over his head backwards (must be a gakta move) and nearly knocked me down.

Afterwords I realised my shadow must have given me away, and he decided to deal with things in his own way. And this is when he was in his mid-nineties, hardly able to walk, with extremely poor eyesight!

Very few relatives of my fathers generation are still alive - with his passing away it feels like the end of an era. The most fitting tribute would be if I were to learn from his life, try and take on board some of the amazing qualities he had and become a better human being as a result.

Lottery Winner?

2006-01-04T02:13:00.000Z

It seems that at long last my luck has taken a turn for the better - I recently receieved the following email:

INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY PROGRAM, MADRID SPAIN
FILE REFERENCE NO: PP2005-001-MLI
BATCH: 1505/004NL

TO WINNERS IN OUR PROGRAM

We wish to congratulate you over your success in our computer balloting sweepstake held recently.

This is a millennium scientific computer game in which email addresses were used. It is a promotional program aimed at encouraging internet users; therefore you do not need to buy ticket to enter for it.

However, your email address was attached to ticket number 10CBG3471913; with serial number 19034 draw the lucky numbers 1-9-74-31, which eventually won the lottery in the first category of the draws. This entitled to a cash award of €500,000.00 ( FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND EUROS). This is from total prize money of €15,000,000.00 distributed to winners from 1st to 3rd categories.

Note that this program was largely promoted and sponsored by a group of philanthropist, industrialists from the internet ware industry and some other big multinational firms who wish to be anonymous.

To begin your claim, please contact the claims coordinator
Mr. Mack George
TEL: +34676020575
Email address: cristinadie1@netscape.net

Yours Faithfully,
MRS. CRISTINA ROS

Before I collect my winnings I would like to like to solicit your advice on what to do with the money.

Easy Question

2005-12-28T19:04:00.000Z

Mary's father has five daughters:

1 Nana
2 Nene
3 Nini
4 Nono
5 ?

What is the name of the fifth daughter?

Clue: (a, e, i, o, u)

Here is the answer

Answer:

Nunu? NO! Of course not. Her name is Mary. Read the question again

How to make a difference

2005-12-13T21:36:00.000Z

Scott Berkun has written a good article on the subject of making a difference, and here are two thought-provoking extracts from the article:

"I know now what a fool I’ve been, for it takes a better man to acknowledge goodness in others than it does to merely be good oneself. Anyone can criticize or accept praise, but initiating a positive exchange is a hallmark of a difference maker."

"Money can come and go, but my time on this planet is finite. How I spend my time, or who I spend it with means more than anything else in my universe. From at least the selfish view, giving my time is the most valuable gift I can give."

Certainly worth a read.

btw, my blog activity has been (and will be for some time) much less as I'm a bit 'tied down' with my dad at the moment.

Merely Pew-Fillers

2005-12-12T15:13:00.000Z

I happened to be watching the inauguration of Dr John Sentamu as the 97th Archbishop of York, and was quite struck by the incisiveness of his inaugural sermon. Here’s a snippet:

The late Canon David Watson, … said twenty-four years ago, “Christians in the West, have largely neglected what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The vast majority of Western Christians are church-members, pew-fillers, hymn-singers, sermon-tasters, Bible-readers, even born-again believers or Spirit-filled Charismatics – but aren’t true disciples of Jesus Christ.

If we were willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering.

He further went on to say

The scandal of the church is that the Christ-event is no longer life-changing, it has become life-enhancing. We’ve lost the joy and power that makes real disciples, and we’ve become consumers of religion and not disciples of Jesus Christ.

And it’s interesting what he had to say about how Christians should interact with other faiths:

Christians, go and find friends among Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, agnostics, atheists - not for the purpose of converting them to your beliefs, but for friendship, understanding, listening, hearing.

And here's a small clip from his speech:

Your Order Please

2005-12-06T15:43:00.000Z

As any traveller will tell you, there's an abundance of dhaba's to satisfy your hunger when travelling in Punjab. The good news for the comfort-concious traveller is that more and more 'upmarket' western style service stations are opening up, complete with fuel, a shop and clean toilets (not just one toilet).

I remember stopping at one such place on the way from delhi to Jullandher at about 9 o'clock in the evening. Overall, it was a good experience, and if you wish to order, here's the menu (you should be able to read it if you click on it):

And just in case you're interested in having a look at the menu at the hotel we stayed at, here it is (I like the description 'golden fry' under snacks).

Home Office in Charge

2005-12-01T15:20:00.000Z

This is a rather subversive post as it has not been cleared by the 'home office', so please keep it to yourself.

Here is a list of words used by Punjabi men to refer to their wife (or 'second half'):

munde/kuri di maa(n), ghar wali, sighani, baotee, dharampatni, heer, sathi, and of course home office.

This list is by no means exhaustive, so please free to add to the list.

Click here to see the updated list (updated 2/12/05, 14:16).

hath kaRRee
soti danda
maharani
lambaRRdarni
jago
Panchait
subai Darni
Panday Wanjan Wali
Roti Pakon Wali
Maa(n) di Ladli
Basanti (tera naam kya hai?!)
Lajo
Laila (as in laila majnu)
Sahiban (NOT the one in mirza sahiban)
KITCHEN PASS
moam bathee
mao(n) billee
Gandasi

ਲੇਖਾ - day of reckoning

2005-11-30T00:42:00.000Z

Just as I was writing my last post, this very pertinent shabad came on the radio:

ਕਬੀਰੁ ॥ ਮਾਰੂ ॥
ਰਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰੁ ਪਛੁਤਾਹਿਗਾ ਮਨ ॥
ਪਾਪੀ ਜੀਅਰਾ ਲੋਭੁ ਕਰਤੁ ਹੈ ਆਜੁ ਕਾਲਿ ਉਠਿ ਜਾਹਿਗਾ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਲਾਲਚ ਲਾਗੇ ਜਨਮੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ ਮਾਇਆ ਭਰਮ ਭੁਲਾਹਿਗਾ ॥
ਧਨ ਜੋਬਨ ਕਾ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ਕਾਗਦ ਜਿਉ ਗਲਿ ਜਾਹਿਗਾ ॥1॥
ਜਉ ਜਮੁ ਆਇ ਕੇਸ ਗਹਿ ਪਟਕੈ ਤਾ ਦਿਨ ਕਿਛੁ ਨ ਬਸਾਹਿਗਾ ॥
ਸਿਮਰਨੁ ਭਜਨੁ ਦਇਆ ਨਹੀ ਕੀਨੀ ਤਉ ਮੁਖਿ ਚੋਟਾ ਖਾਹਿਗਾ ॥2॥
ਧਰਮ ਰਾਇ ਜਬ ਲੇਖਾ ਮਾਗੈ ਕਿਆ ਮੁਖੁ ਲੈ ਕੈ ਜਾਹਿਗਾ ॥
ਕਹਤੁ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਰੇ ਸੰਤਹੁ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਤਰਿ ਜਾਂਹਿਗਾ ॥3॥1॥

Bhagat Kabeer Ji, Raag Maaroo, Ang 1106

Click here to listen to the shabad, and click here to read the English translation.

Kabeer, Maaroo
Meditate in remembrance on the Lord, or else you will regret it in the end, O mind.
O sinful soul, you act in greed, but today or tomorrow, you will have to get up and leave. ||1||Pause||
Clinging to greed, you have wasted your life, deluded in the doubt of Maya.
Do not take pride in your wealth and youth; you shall crumble apart like dry paper. ||1||
When the Messenger of Death comes and grabs you by the hair, and knocks you down, on that day, you shall be powerless.
You do not remember the Lord, or vibrate upon Him in meditation, and you do not practice compassion; you shall be beaten on your face. ||2||
When the Righteous Judge of Dharma calls for your account, what face will you show Him then?
Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints: in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, you shall be saved. ||3||1||

Preventing Disaster

2005-11-29T14:13:00.000Z

The LG DVD re-writer I ordered recently arrived last week and it didn't take me long to get it up and running. Installation on the Dell machine was a doddle, and the drive performs very nice and quiet. So far I've backed up a lot of my photos, all onto one dvd. Hoorah!

Now there must be a disaster prevention strategy which could help me avoid popping off without having achieved much in life, still bound by the shakles of maya, with the jamdoots waiting for me ready to escort me to receive my just reward....

GUPT

2005-11-25T20:15:00.000Z

In conception fresh you were, pristine and unadulterated,
A spark from the great force, magnificent yet sublime,
Through his will, some enlightned and others ill-fated,
All facing the trap of maya, stealthily biding it’s time,
Of praise, blowing your own trumpet you are so fond,
Not listening, ignoring, hurting others, you puny thing,
Before it’s too late, free yourself from maya’s bond,
Your days are numbered, on this you must reflect msingh

This photo is of one of the plaques inside the Singh Sabha gurudwara in Southall. I posted a couple of pictures the gurudwara last month, you can now view the rest of the pictures here. 25.11.05

It's a Neat Little Gadget

2005-11-22T16:32:00.000Z

Received the USB digital tv tuner I ordered recently. It didn't take long to install. Although the aerial that comes with it is not very good, I did manage to get it working and picked up quite a lot of tv and radio channels, including BBC1, BBC2, CBBC, Sky Sports News, Sky News and BBC Asian Network. And you can record at the click of the mouse - here's a small clip I recorded from CBeebies:

Early impressions are that this device seems to do the job well, and for the price I can't complan, although I'm going to have to buy a better aerial.

Ustad Gurmit Singh Ji

2005-11-22T00:30:00.000Z

I got to know Bhai Gurmit Singh Ji when he arrived to the UK in the mid seventies. He did so much to promote tabla in the UK, teaching hundreds of students and can justifiably be regarded as one of the leading Sikh tabla players in recent decades.

But he was more than a tabla player, spirituality and music played a significant role in his life. His tabla accompaniment with the late Gyani Amolak Singh Ji doing kirtan is unforgettable. Gyaini ji and Gurmeet Singh ji, what an electric combination!.

Sadly he passed away in April this year. You can read more about him here

Listen to the shabad ਮਿਲੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮਾ ਜੀਉ ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਖਰੀ ਨਿਮਾਣੀ ॥, sung by Gyani Amolak Singh Ji with Gurmit Singh Ji on tabla (hosted by ektaone)

Here's the Proof

2005-11-21T01:59:00.000Z

Further to my post about ‘Monty Hall problem’ where you're given a choice of three doors, and having chosen one door the host opens one of the other doors without the car. The question now was, do you now switch to the other unopened door to improve your chances of winning?

Assuming the car is behind door B, here's a probability diagram I drew of all possible outcomes:

We can see that when the contestant switches the chances of winning are two thirds, whereas when he doesn't switch the chances of winning are only one third.

USB Digital TV Tuner

2005-11-17T01:29:00.000Z

While still awaiting delivery of the LG DVD rewriter which I ordered recently, I came across the freecom DVB-T USB Stick.

This is a tiny USB digital TV card, which looks much like a USB Flash memory drive. The device is a useful solution if you want a second TV in a study or home office, or on the move on your laptop. Having had a quick look at a review or two, I went ahead and added this item to the LD DVD rewriter order.

Well let see how it performs when it arrives.

2nd

2005-11-16T15:40:00.000Z

"It might be the early bird that gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese"
Unknown

The 10 Steps to Happiness

2005-11-15T14:27:00.000Z

15th November sees the start of a four-part documentary on BBC 2 following an experiment designed to increase the happiness level of 50 volunteers from Slough, based on this 10-point plan:

Plant something and nurture it
Count your blessings at the end of each day
Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
Phone a friend you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
Have a good laugh at least once a day
Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
Cut your TV viewing by half
Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

Blogger On The Beach

2005-11-14T17:43:00.000Z

When I was in Bournemouth a few weeks ago I took the opportunity to make use of the digital camera, hence the title of this post. And in case you’re wondering, I didn't bother to watch 'Bhaji on the Beach' directed by Gurinder Chadha - from what I've heard of the film, my activities at Bournemouth were positively lacklustre in comparison to what the characters got up to. Here’s a shot of the beach huts that line the promenade.

And if you are keen to hire one of these huts for your summer retreat at Bournemouth, this photo might help.

Click here to view the rest of the pictures

Prevention Better than Cure

2005-11-13T15:44:00.000Z

Finally got round to ordering the LG GSA-4167BRL 16X Dual Layer Dual Format DVD RW Writer from ebuyer, cost £28.24

Also ordered Infiniti Samurai 16x DVD-R Azure Blue 25pk (£5.99) and Imation Dvd-rw 4.7gb 4 Speed Jewel Case 10 Pack (£5.23)

The plan is to backup all the data onto DVD's. All I need to do now is decide on what program to use for backing up.

Fading Sun

2005-11-10T18:03:00.000Z

the glow and warmth of the sun's kirpa slowly fading
gradual but sure, the mantle of winter upon the land
of former sun’s glory brief glimpses, but now jading
memory of the summer months, beaches and golden sand
now wet days getting shorter, cold nights getting longer
adrift in the sea of maya, the boat surely going under
day by day weaker the body and mind, not stronger
cybersangat ji pray that this soul may no longer wander

click photo to enlarge
Picture taken in back garden a few weeks ago. Another rather nice close up photo of these flowers can be seen here

The Gleam of Maya

2005-11-10T10:18:00.000Z

Hard, crisp, in silence does the beauty gleam
Night’s cold hand has done it’s work, it would seem
Go it must, the grandeur in face of the rising sun
Trappings of former glory, truly now on the run
Meditate, who knows what tomorrow may bring
Brief the charm of maya, remember this msingh

Time has come to start wearing gloves and getting the ice scraper out to clean the car windscreen. This shot taken in the garden this morning - more photos can be viewed here

Seeking Justice

2005-11-10T01:14:00.000Z

While many (like those who took part in the "Sikhs in the Square" vigil) are doing their bit to raise awareness of the plight of the sikhs who suffered in the killings of November 1984, there also some who argue that it is time to move on.

This article in the Panthic Weekly by Gurmukh Singh puts forward some compelling reasons for not simply forgetting the horrific events of 1984. Two snippets:

How do we move on, when not a single person has been prosecuted for the rape, murder or carnage in Delhi November 1984?

Let us all recognise our humanity, and realise that we cannot accept governments and the police anywhere in the world getting away with torture, persecution and genocide in the twenty-first century.

Do give it a read.

A Nice Way to View Pictures

2005-11-09T11:32:00.000Z

Rather than post lots of photos on my blog, I have been experimenting with some other ideas. The way I've done it just now involves a lot of work, but have a look here to view photos of the recent nagar kirtan in this 'new' style.

What you think?

Anti-riot fatwa

2005-11-08T11:30:00.000Z

I was taken aback by the statistics on the rioting in Paris. BBC news gives the following:

One man killed
5,873 cars torched
1,500 people arrested
17 people sentenced
120 police and fire-fighters injured

That's a massive number of cars, not to mention the death and injuries.

The Union of French Islamic Organisations issued a religious edict on Sunday condemning the destruction and unrest caused by the rioting in France.

"It is formally forbidden to any Muslim seeking divine grace and satisfaction to participate in any action that blindly hits private or public property or could constitute an attack on someone's life," the UOIF fatwa said.

"Contributing to such exactions is an illicit act," declared the edict, which said it was applicable to "any Muslim living in France, whether a citizen or a guest of France."

But the head of France's Muslim Council denounced the move on Monday as equating Islam with vandalism and blaming all Muslims for the rioting whether they were involved or not.

If it is the case that a sizeable proportion of Muslims in Paris have taken part in, or support the rioting, then it could be argued that the issuing of this fatwa is in effect an admission by the religious leaders that they have failed in their duty to inculcate the true spirit of Islam into the Muslim masses. Islam, or for that matter any religion does not condone mindless violence and destruction of property, so why the need for a fatwa to bring this to the attention of the followers of Islam?

On the other hand the unspoken discrimination of the poor white, Arabs or African origin, of racism and unemployment cannot be justified. Perhaps this is the real battle the religious leaders should have been, and should be fighting. But let me not tempt you into the controversy surrounding religious leaders.

Nagar Kirtan Today

2005-11-06T15:16:00.000Z

The weather was a bit damp and drizzly today, but the nagar kirtan proceeded in chardhi kala as usual. Here are some pictures from the event. I've also uploaded a movie at the end of the pictures. Click on the photos to view larger size.

Don't forget to view the rest of the photos of the Nagar Kirtan here.

Heathrow

2005-11-05T22:24:00.000Z

Went to see off somebody today, took this photo on the way out through the car's windscreen.

click on photo to enlarge

Click here official site for Heathrow airport

Love is in the Air

2005-11-04T11:55:00.000Z

I reckon after this post by Gurmustuk Singh, Prabhu Singh has already been 'fixed' up. And what a great couple gurpreet.kaur and Jaskamal make. I thought it might be nice to put up a poem by Bhai Vir Singh dedicated to all the lovebirds.

click photo to enlarge

Panj

2005-11-03T17:59:00.000Z

PANJ PYARE

Bhai Daya Singh

Bhai Dharam Singh

Bhai Himmat Singh

Bhai Muhkam Singh

Bhai Sahib Singh

On 30th March 1699 these five offered their lives to Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Anandpur Sahib.

Inside view of stained glass window at Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Southall

Thinking outside the Box

2005-11-03T00:37:00.000Z

- to see beyond the norm
- to be a visionary
- moving out of your comfort zone

Two barriers to overcome:

1. Remove perceptual and cognitive limitations imposed by your own knowledge structures

2. Be willing to discard the "old" paradigms that have served you long and well, with which you are both familiar and comfortable. This is the "box" in which you must not be trapped if you are to make progress.

Place your pencil on one of the dots. Using only four lines, and without lifting your pencil off the drawing, join up all the dots.

If you want to see the solution click here.

This post was prompted by solarider's recent 'Khalsa Wood' post

Blog Display

2005-10-27T11:20:00.000Z

Just noticed on my friends pc that my blog wasn't displaying properly, have reset to the default template. Seems ok now.

ਵਾਹਗੁਰੂ

Reflections

2005-10-25T16:21:00.000Z

What you see is not there
It comes from one that is real, that exists
Without the real one it cannot be
This life, is but a dream
Looking at the mirror, does the mind see
Or is the reflection mocking it's creator?

Did you notice the rainwater drain in the centre bottom? Click on pictures to enlarge.

1984

2005-10-24T13:14:00.000Z

sikhgenocide.org

solarider.org/blog

neverforget84.com

bbc.co.uk

1984 - sequence of events

sikhsundesh.net

Photo courtesy of the BBC

Homecoming

2005-10-18T13:54:00.000Z

ਬਿਨ ਗੁਰ ਮੈਲੁ ਨ ਉਤਰੈ ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਕਿਉ ਘਰ ਵਾਸੁ ॥
Without the Guru, this pollution is not removed. Without the Lord, how can there be any homecoming?
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Siree Raag, Ang 18

ਸਚੁ ਕਰਣੀ ਦੇ ਪਾਈਐ ਦਰੁ ਘਰੁ ਮਹਲੁ ਪਿਆਰਿ ॥
By true actions, this human body is obtained, and the door within ourselves which leads to the Mansion of the Beloved, is found.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Siree Raag, Ang 18

Sikhs in the Square

2005-10-16T01:07:00.000Z

A rally to remember events of November 1984 on Sunday, 6th November at Trafalger Square. Be there! Thanks to solarider for bringing this to my attention (see his post here).

"The carnage was mind boggling. Half burnt bodies were still lying scattered. Some had been mutilated by gorging their eyes. Some had smoldering tyres around their necks. The houses had been completely destroyed and burnt."

"... thousands of documents that conclusively implicate police, local administrators, and even Parliament members in the deaths of tens of thousands of Sikhs in the 1980s and early 1990s.”
From the Harvard Human Rights Journal / Vol. 18, Spring 2005

Singh Sabha, Southall

2005-10-14T15:54:00.000Z

Tony Blair was here some days ago. I give you two shots from my recent visit.

Garden

2005-10-10T00:50:00.000Z

It's been a while since I used my camera, so this sunday afternoon I made the strenuous journey from upstairs to the back garden and took a number of photos in macro mode. I've picked out some of the good one's to share with you.

In case you're wondering, I've tidied up some of the pictures by cropping them to centralise the subject, but otherwise they are 'raw'. Apart from the one of the stinging nettle leaves, I'm afraid I don't know what any of them are called.

You can click on the picture to view them in larger size

I think this one in particular looks good bigger size

Displaying ਪੰਜਾਬੀ in web pages

2005-10-07T22:34:00.000Z

I had been thinking it would be a good idea to share my experience of displaying gurmukhi on web pages . After Gurpreet.kaur's recent enquiry in a comment in my last post I decided to do this sooner than I might have otherwise done.

Well, it took some searching and rummaging through the internet, but the keyword would appear to be something called UNICODE. In a nutshell, take any text written using a gurmukhi font, convert it to unicode, and you're ready to publish.

So how do you convert to unicode? The Punjabi Computing Resource Centre web site has developed a Gurmukhi Unicode Conversion Application which you can download. If you're in a hurry and want to straight to the download page then click here.

I'm no expert on this subject, I'm using windows XP professional and am not sure wether this will work for other platforms. One other word of caution, if you get an error message when trying to install/run the unicode conversion programme then you will have to install something called Microsoft .NET Framework, which can be downloaded from here.

Once you've got the unicode conversion programme working the it's simply a matter of pasting your gurmukhi text and clicking on the convert button. The second window will now display the text in 'unicode gurmukhi' which you can copy and paste into your web page.

Perhaps other more experienced 'techie' bloggers would like to comment and offer further help and advice.

Divine Painter

2005-10-06T10:25:00.000Z

In the early eighties I travelled around India, Nepal and Pakistan over a period of around 9 months. I was fortunate to meet Sobha Singh the great artist at his residence in Andretta. This is a picture of him I took using the Pentax SLR camera I had with me then.

In my naivety I even asked whether he would teach me to paint! To my surprise he agreed, suggesting that I make arrangements to stay in a cottage nearby. But alas it was not to be, because for one I do not have the gift to be a painter and secondly, time and money were tight.

Born on 29 November 1901 Sobha Singh learnt and mastered painting by self practice. Later he joined the British India army as a draughtsman and was posted at various places in Iraq. He studied European Paintings and got inspiration from the works of English painters.

In 1923 he left army and worked from his studios at Amritsar, Lahore (1926) and Delhi (1931). At Delhi, Sobha Singh got the opportunity to participate in art exhibitions and won several award and medals. Portrait painting was his forte.

In 1946 Sobha Singh went back to Lahore but was forced to leave due to events (partition of India). He settled in Andretta, a picturesque village in the lap of Himalayas and stayed here till his last.

During his 38 year stay at Andretta, Sobha Singh painted hundreds of paintings, his main focus being the Sikh Gurus, their life and work. He also painted impressive portraits of national heroes and leaders like Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Sobha Singh's painting of Sohni Mahiwal, one of the most popular love legends of Punjab gave him enormous fame. He got several awards and was felicitated by several organizations. He was honoured with Padamshree, one of the National awards by President of India.

The great painter passed away on 22 August 1986.

Pictures courtesy of http://www.sobhasinghartist.com/

The perfect Gurudwara setting - almost

2005-10-05T00:04:00.000Z

A few days ago I was looking at pictures posted by solarider on his flicker account. One picture which caught my attention was that of a new gurudwara being constructed with a superb lawn in front. Wow, I thought, why can't all gurudwaras be like this.

But the dream was short-lived, as when I asked solarider about the gurdwara, this was his response:

The Gurdwara is the new one in Gravesend, and I'm afraid that the lawn in front is destined to be a public football ground - something that I am totally opposed to - but the decision has been made. So I expect to see all sorts of drinking and smoking there .... *sigh*

The Gurdwara will take quite a few more years to complete yet as well. It's an ambitious project!

Update: Click here to read a recent BBC article on this

picture courtesy of solarider

Free Will P II

2005-10-03T23:49:00.000Z

After my last post on free will, I was hoping somebody might have given a perspective based on gurbani on this question. Well here are a few quotes from gurbani which could be seen as having a bearing on the question of free will:

ਹੁਕਮੀ ਸਭੇ ਊਪਜਹਿ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਹਿ ॥
By the Hukam of His Command, all are created. By His Command, actions are performed.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Siree Raag, Ang55

ਨਾਨਕ ਆਪਿ ਕਰਾਏ ਕਰੇ ਆਪਿ ਹੁਕਮਿ ਸਵਾਰਣਹਾਰਾ ॥7॥
O Nanak, the Lord Himself acts, and causes others to act; by the Hukam of His Command, we are embellished and exalted. ||7||
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Raag Maajh, Ang 141

ਜੋ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਰੇ ਸੋ ਭਲਾ ਕਰਿ ਮਾਨੀਐ ਹਿਕਮਤਿ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਚੁਕਾਈਐ ॥
Whatever the Lord does, accept that as good; do away with your own cleverness and self-will.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Raag Tilang, Ang 755

ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ ॥1॥
O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will. ||1||
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Jap, Ang 1

ਹੁਕਮੁ ਮੰਨਹਿ ਤਾ ਹਰਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਤਾ ਵਿਚਹੁ ਹਉਮੈ ਜਾਇ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
If you submit to the Hukam of the Lord's Command, then you shall meet with the Lord; only then will your ego depart from within. ||Pause||
Guru Amar Daas Ji, Raag Vadhans, Ang 560

I accept that it's probably not good practice to quote single lines from a shabad, one must look at the whole stanza to appreciate fully the meaning. I haven't given these lines of gurbani a lot of thought, and my initial reaction is that they are at odds with us having the freedom to act independently - everything is ordained, and it's best for us to submit to God's will. Well, it'll be interesting to hear what others have to say.

ਵਾਹਗੁਰੂ

Free Will? P1

2005-10-02T11:35:00.000Z

Do we really choose our actions? What if you have been hypnotised, or you are a brain in a jar (e.g., The Matrix), or if your biology has been influenced to such a degree by evolution that you only act in concordance with your inherited traits; is it all just brain-chemistry, governed by physical laws; what when you discover, in retrospect, that the actions you thought were free at the time you enacted them, were really controlled by your upbringing, your life-situation and so on. ...... Can the human sciences explain our actions, and hence show that they were not free? (Can human behaviour be free and still predictable, somewhat in the same way that some mathematical functions are deterministic, yet unpredictable?) Is the brain a special kind of computer, in which mentality and intentionality are implemented?

All these questions pose serious threats to the notion of free will. But there is one more question, one that is far more serious, and which presumably has graver consequences than many of them: that of determinism.

"Determinism is the view that, for everything that happens, there is a condition or set of conditions which are causally sufficient for that thing happening." - Oakley (2001).

Determinism applies even if there is a "mind-substance", different from the physical stuff of our brain (and everything else). It seems to imply that there is no freedom for human beings (or for anything else, for that matter). The consequences of determinism seem grave. If no one chooses freely, how can we blame, praise, or punish? How would you look upon another, who acted friendly towards you, if you knew that the person had no choice in the matter? And wouldn't you yourself feel trapped, knowing you could not control your actions (even though you had the feeling you could control your actions)?

(source: http://web.isp.cz/jcrane/IB/Free_will_determism.pdf

To switch or not to switch

2005-09-30T11:15:00.000Z

If you’ve not heard of the ‘Monty Hall problem’ read on. In a game show you're given a choice of three doors (say A, B and C). Behind one door is a car and behind the others are goats. Let’s assume you pick door A.

The host, who knows what's behind the doors, opens one of the other doors which has a goat, let’s say door B. You now have the option of switching to the other un-opened door (door C in this case).

The question is will switching doors improve your chances of winning?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes, you should switch. I can see many of you shaking your heads thinking surely there are are two doors left, only one with a car, so the odds of winning are 50-50 no matter which door you pick. Even PhD mathematicians got it wrong when this puzzle was mentioned by Marilyn vos Savant in the US some years ago, she received over 10,000 letters mostly telling her she was wrong.

"May I suggest you obtain and refer to a standard textbook on probability before you try to answer a question of this type again?" (University of Florida)

Young People With Old Ears

2005-09-28T09:48:00.000Z

I've never been a fan of using headphones or earphones; it just seems common sense that unless you are careful with the volume setting and how often you use headphones, the long term effect is not going to be good. Why not try watching the tv by sitting right up close to it for a few weeks?

If you are inclined to use headphone often, then this article in Wired news should prompt you to re-think.

"Hearing specialists say they're also seeing more people in their 30s and 40s - many of them among the first Walkman users - who suffer from more pronounced tinnitus, an internal ringing or even the sound of whooshing or buzzing in the ears"

Images of Harmandar Sahib

2005-09-25T18:15:00.000Z

Some things stick in your mind when you come back from a trip abroad. Last year I was fortunate to visit Hazur sahib and Harmandar sahib during the month of august. This is of course when it's really hot, and some people just don't like going then. I reall enjoy being there and soaking up the heat. All that profuse perspiring and drinking loads of fluids (mmm... lovely freash pomegranate juice, badam milk, ...) can only be helping to cleanse the body.

Visiting Harmandar sahib is something that one remembers, so here's a few pictures I took with a borrwed camera that I took with me:

Maybe I'll post some more picture from this trip another time.