United We Stand Under One Nishaan Sahib

Gurbani Calligraphy – a Lost Sikh Tradition

2011-10-16T13:50:00.000+08:00

Gurbani Calligraphy – a Lost Sikh Tradition

Gurbani calligraphy, or the art of Gurbani handwriting, once was revered as something of high value by members of the Sikh faith. Sikhs living across Punjab and elsewhere took it upon themselves to write their own pothis and gutkas, instead of depending on others to publish Gurbani. This helped to ensure that publishing Gurbani does not become a business and at the same time, it helped keep respect for Gurbani pothis.

Centuries ago when there were no printing presses, individuals would spend good time to master the skill of calligraphy and produce pothis for their own use. In turn, this practice also helped individuals memorize Gurbani, another skill which is diminishing day by day. The toil involved in producing a simple pothi definitely helped instill one with love and reverence for Gurbani.

Historical Reference of Gurbani Calligraphy

Today, many firms are engaged in printing Guru Granth Sahib Ji’s saroops and other Gurbani pothis. This is a clear indication that the art of calligraphy has diminished completely from Sikh households. It should be remembered that this art was started and prescribed by none other than our great Gurus. Guru Arjun Dev Ji had Bhai Gurdas Ji write the first Adi Granth, while many Gursikhs present in the attendance of Guru Gobind Singh Ji also penned Gurbani. These Gursikhs included Baba Deep Singh Ji and Bhai Mani Singh Ji. Reference to Baba Hardas Singh, father of S. Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, is also found in historical texts. Baba Hardas Singh was the courtly scribe of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and penned many pothis. Before the 1984 attack on the Harmandir Sahib, a handwritten saroop by Baba Hardas Singh was enshrined at the Sikh Reference Library.

Beautifully handwritten Saroop of Guru Granth Sahib Ji by courtly scribe Baba Hardas Singh Ji

Importance of Gurbani Calligraphy in Sikh Literature

Reference to how utmost importance was given to Gurbani calligraphy is found in the book “Satwant Kaur” penned by Dr. Bhai Veer Singh. In the novel, it is mentioned that some Sikhs who did not know Gurmukhi offered to pay Bibi Satwant Kaur enormous amounts of money to write them a pothi, but Bibi Satwant Kaur did the seva without taking any money.

Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh (Narangwal) narrates a very beautiful incident in the book “Jot Vigaas” that took place between him and another very high avastha (spiritual state) Gursikh from Nabha. After a discussion takes place between the two, Bhai Randhir Singh unintentionally touches the feet of this Gursikh (whose name is not mentioned in the book). Doing so immediately puts Bhai Randhir Singh in samadhi (full concentration of naam). When asked by Bhai Randhir Singh on how he attained such high avastha, the Gursikh answers that it is through the blessing of writing Gurbani.

In the same book, Bhai Randhir Singh writes the following words to condemn the printing “business” of Gurbani, stating that the Sikhs of today have forsaken the tradition of writing Gurbani and have adopted the printing press:

ਰਚਨਾ ਛਡਿ ਦਿਤੀ ਲਿਖਤ ਬਾਣੀਆਂ ਦੀ, ਨਵਾਂ ਰਾਹੁ ਫੜਿਆ ਫੈਸ਼ਨੋਲਿਆਂ ਦਾ।
ਛਾਪੇ-ਖ਼ਾਨਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਭੈੜੀ ਰੀਤ ਚੱਲੀ, ਭੈੜਾ ਚਾਲੜਾ ਦੰਮ ਖਟੋਲਿਆਂ ਦਾ।

Composition of hand written Banis has been forsaken, a new worldly way has instead been adopted.
This has brought forth the wicked use of printing presses, the evil path of seeking profit.

Issues with the mass-printing business of Gurbani

A hukamnama from Sri Akal Takhat Sahib was issued in 1998 by Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh giving only the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee the rights to publish saroops of Guru Granth Sahib. This mandate is badly abused by many organizations across India. Organizations such as the Singh Brothers, Chattar Singh Jeevan Singh & Sons, Delhi Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee, Lachhman Chela Ram Printing Press and others have been reported to Sri Akal Takhat Sahib just in the past few years for defying the mandate.

The recent Akal Takhat Sahib management too has not taken this issue seriously despite there being huge sacrilege of printed saroops. In August 2010, over two thousand saroops were recovered from the printing press warehouse of Lachhman (Lakshman) Chela Ram in Delhi. The majority of these saroops were damaged by sewage water.

In 2007, just 3 years before the 2010 sacrilege, a large container carrying a hundred saroops of Guru Granth Sahib was found waiting to be shipped at a sea port in Mumbai. According to press reports, the container, stacked with saroops of Guru Granth Sahib remained at the shipment port for over one month before the news was leaked by the customs department about their illegal departure from Mumbai.

Lessons Learned from Past Incidents

The following verse from Guru Granth Sahib narrates truly how blessed is one who not only sings and listens, but also scribes Gurbani.

Those who chant are sanctified. All those who listen are blessed, and those who write save their ancestors.

Just recently, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee acquired land in the United States to start its own printing press. This was done to ensure there was no shortage of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib in North America. Although this move by the SGPC is commendable, it is still debatable if such a printing press is really necessary. The Akal Takhat Sahib has already passed a mandate requesting Sikhs living worldwide to abstain from constructing new Gurdwaras without prior approval from the apex Sikh body. What is more necessary is that Sikh organizations are able to hold camps for Sikh Sangat where they not only learn how to read and understand Gurbani, but also gain the skills to scribe Gurbani. If students who undergo religious training are taught how to fully comprehend the grammar of Gurbani and be able to scribe it, it will greatly help give rise to truly educated Granthis and Parchariks.

As we learn from the teachings in the novel Satwant Kaur, if all Sikhs devoted time to writing their own pothis which lived with them for the rest of their lives, Gurbani would become their life companion.

Lately, a few Sikhs have come up to save the art of Gurbani calligraphy from dying. A few names are being mentioned here for the benefit of our readers:

Pictured left, Master Niranjan Singh from Gurdaspur/California, an active member of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and on right, Bhai Jaswant Singh Khosa from Malaysia scribing Gurbani.

Pictured left is a beautiful work in progress by Hardeep Singh and right is a shabad scribed by Kamaljeet Kaur.

Possibles Issues with Gurbani Calligraphy

Although it has been stressed that the skill of Gurbani calligraphy must not be lost amidst the mass printing businesses available today, this art must only be taken over with great care. Writing of Gurbani requires great attention to the words, and any misspelling would also lead to ‘beadbi’ or sacrilege. Just as there are numerous differences in the printed saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, variances are also found in hand written saroops. For example, the verse “ਸੁ ਕਹੁ ਟਲ ਗੁਰੁ ਸੇਵੀਐ ਅਹਿਨਿਸਿ ਸਹਜਿ ਸੁਭਾਇ” appears as “ਸੁ ਕਹੁ ਕਲ…” in the saroop scribed by Baba Hardas Singh Ji mentioned above.

When starting to scribe Gurbani, one should start with small banis or shabads instead of writing their own gutka. As one starts to understand the diacritics of the Gurmukhi script, only then should they consider scribing a gutka or pothi. Seva of hand-written saroops should only be done by a skilled calligrapher after first performing ardas and taking hukamnama to initiate the task. Furthermore, as one writes any Gurbani, a cross check must be done carefully with existing saroops possibly by the scribe and another person versed with Gurmukhi script and Gurbani knowledge.

Understanding the Importance of Larrivar Format

As one takes over the art of scribing bani, the importance of writing Gurbani in larrivar format should not be overlooked. Just as our Gurus ordered various scribes to pen Gurbani, they prescribed the larrivar format to be followed at all times. In the larrivar format, all words remain joined to one another and are only separated at the end of sentences with a full stop “||”.

Historically all saroops of Guru Granth Sahib were penned in larrivar format only. It was only with the adoption of printing presses that words in Guru Granth Sahib were “pad-ched” or separated. Sant Kartar Singh Bhindrawale (former Jathedar Damdami Taksal) described this as a great blunder and a horrid mistake which should not be allowed.

Vichaar by Sant Kartar Singh Khalsa Bhindrawale

There are still hukamnamas in place by Sri Akal Takhat Sahib condemning the practice of pad-ched printing (printing with spaces) as it changes Gurbani from the way it was originally written. Gurbani tells us that the Guru is the shabad. The shabad itself is the creator. Sikhs will not be able to progress if we as a Panth mistreat and even reject Gurbani in its most natural and essential forms. Jews still ensure that their holy scriptures are always handwritten and highly regarded–they do not even consider them their Guru!

We must protect our tradition and most sacred scriptures and uphold the respect of our Guru. Sikhs should bring about change by learning Gurbani and recognizing the importance of handwritten Gurbani calligraphy.

taken from http://www.sikh24.com/2011/10/gurbani-calligraphy-%E2%80%93-a-lost-sikh-tradition/

ਸ੍ਰੀਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂਜੀਕੀਫਤਹ: The ungrateful stare is the most polluted

2011-05-22T14:38:00.001+08:00

ਸ੍ਰੀਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂਜੀਕੀਫਤਹ: The ungrateful stare is the most polluted

ਵਾਰਾਂ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ : ਵਾਰ ੩੫ ਪਉੜੀ ੯

ਮਦ ਵਿਚਿ ਰਿਧਾ ਪਾਇਕੈ ਕੁਤੇ ਦਾ ਮਾਸੁ।
Mad Vichi Ridhaa Paai Kai Koutay Daa Maasu.
The meat of dog cooked in the wine was, along with its foul smell, kept in a human skull.

ਧਰਿਆ ਮਾਣਸ ਖੋਪਰੀ ਤਿਸੁ ਮੰਦੀ ਵਾਸੁ।
Dhariaa Maanas Khoparee Tisu Mandee Vaasu.
It was covered with a blood stained cloth.

ਰਤੂ ਭਰਿਆ ਕਪੜਾ ਕਰਿ ਕਜਣੁ ਤਾਸੁ।
Ratoo Bhariaa Kaparhaa Kari Kajanu Taasu.
Covering thus, the scavenger woman after appeasing her lust was carrying that bowl.

ਢਕਿ ਲੈ ਚਲੀ ਚੂਹੜੀ ਕਰਿ ਭੋਗ ਬਿਲਾਸੁ।
Ddhaki Lai Chalee Chooharhee Kari Bhog Bilaasu.
On being asked about why she had covered it in a blood stained rag.(An abominable covered material)

ਆਖਿ ਸੁਣਾਏ ਪੁਛਿਆ ਲਾਹੇ ਵਿਸਵਾਸੁ।
Aakhi Sounaaay Pouchhiaa Laahay Visavaasu.
She cleared the matter by saying that she had covered the meat to hide

ਨਦਰੀ ਪਵੈ ਅਕਿਰਤਘਣੁ ਮਤੁ ਹੋਇ ਵਿਣਾਸੁ ॥੯॥
Nadaree Pavai Akirataghanu Matu Hoi Vinaasu ॥9॥
It from the sight of an ungrateful person to avoid its pollution.

Top 5 reasons the Google Nexus S kicks ass

2011-05-19T21:14:00.000+08:00

Top 5 reasons the Google Nexus S kicks ass

Build Quality
The Nexus S is manufactured by Samsung, a company that has a concrete reputation for the highest of manufacturing standards. The device just oozes quality, from the lush, vibrant display to the gentle, organic curve of the 4-inch screen, everything just feels perfectly balanced. If we were to nitpick we'd have liked the device to be a bit heavier, but that's certainly not going to seem like a problem when you tuck it into your jacket or handbag!

Display
As we previously mentioned, the Nexus S comes equipped with a stunning 4-inch Super AMOLED display which makes watching video or surfing the web a delightful experience. The screen itself is gently curved, lending the phone a slightly unusual façade but the feature makes perfect sense when you're making calls, as the screen fits more ergonomically into your hand and against your face. If you're worried about the display being scratched or damaged, don't. It's made of Gorilla Glass, meaning it will stand up to all manner of abuse , so you won't have to handle your device with kid gloves.

Internals
As you'd expect from a pure Google device, the drive train of the Nexus S is something special. The 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, 512MB RAM and dedicated graphics processor allow the device to fly. There's no lag, no stutter just prompt, sharp response with every touch of the screen.

When it comes to storage the Nexus S has things similarly covered, via 16GB of on-board space for all your movies, music and apps – not to mention all the great pictures you're likely to snap with the 5-megapixel camera. You'll also find native support for DivX and WMV files, which is something you won't find in virtually any of its competitors. There's also the much talked about NFC (Near Field Communication) which opens the device up to a host of possibilities, not least of which being that you could one day use the phone to pay for goods and services as you would a credit card!

Gaming
The Nexus S has been set-up to be the future of gaming on the Android operating system. It comes packed with a three-axis gyroscope and accelerometer which affords the user precision control over games and apps, and thanks to the aforementioned on-board GPU you'll be treated to a visual experience that's right up there with the best mobile systems around.

Gingerbread
No, the Nexus S doesn't come with free sweets. It does, however, come with the latest and greatest version of Google's all singing, all-dancing mobile OS. There are no custom user interfaces in sight on this device, it's pure Google all the way, meaning that the OS is unencumbered by pointless widgets, transitions and other graphical flotsam - it's clean, good looking but above all else, blisteringly fast.

Thanks to the boffins at Google you'll also get a host of speed enhancements, patches and security fixes to go along with the re-designed eye-candy too. Simply put, you're getting the very best that Android has to offer, with no compromises.

The Nexus S is a staggering achievement. The hardware is exemplary, the OS sublime. If you're looking for the best smartphone experience money can buy, at the time of writing, the Nexus S is what you're after, and for all its virtues it still comes in a good deal cheaper than a certain other super smartphone which shall remain nameless!

If you're still reading this, why? Get out there and grab yourself a slice of pure, unadulterated Google goodness, you won't regret it.

taken from :http://phonedeals.knowyourmobile.com/pages/top5reasonsthegooglenexusskicksass

what a day

2011-04-29T23:14:00.000+08:00

my day went well infact very very well. To make it even better i thought lets play some football. And yeah I did go for futsal and yeah it went well but the bad thing was I lost RM50. I didnt know until I pulled up at a petrol station to fuel up and yeah at the counter I was embarassed to tell the cashier to cancel my order as I didnt have money. That guy was puzzled and pist at me because he had to call his supervisor to cancel the order as he cant do himself. So yeah who took that RM50 may god bless you man. You probably having some problem. I wont curse or anything I just hope you use that money wisely. Good night folks!!

Swimming

2011-04-29T19:29:00.001+08:00

I always wanted to learn swimming since i was young. I never attended proper swimming classes. There was a time when i used to swim in the rivers during my school days. My family has fear of water as one of my Mama jee( maternal Uncle) was drowned when i was only 1month old. So i had to go swimming without informing them. At that time i picked up swimming, but now its been like 12 years since i last went for a swim. Someday(i wonder when will it come) I hope I can take out time to pick up swimming once again. As someone said you never know when you will need it. Search Amazon.com for swimming

WORKOUT!!!!

2011-04-28T23:58:00.001+08:00

PHEW!!!!!! What a work out it was. After almost 4 months today I played badminton with my colleagues.
It was great 2 hour work out.
hopefully i can get up for work tomorrow....hahahaa all the best to me with all the aches....Good night folks!

Female Ice Cream Truck Driver Shot In Bay Area | The Langar Hall

2011-04-24T00:08:00.000+08:00

Female Ice Cream Truck Driver Shot In Bay Area | The Langar Hall

Posted by Phulkari in General, News, USA, Women on 02 5th, 2010 | 11 responses

Amarjit Kaur, 39, was critically shot on Wednesday afternoon in Vallejo, California as she sold ice cream out of an ice cream truck near a school. The Bay Area television news reported last night that police believe the reason for the shooting was two fold. First it was a robbery by a 15-year male. Secondly, Kaur’s inability to understand that the English-speaking 15-year old was asking for money caused him to shoot her out of frustration and anger.

As a widowed mother of three and a recent immigrant to the United States, Kaur’s case highlights the struggle that immigrant woman go through to support their families. Her strength to sell ice cream out of a truck while not completely understanding English shows perseverance during adversity but also highlights the risk new immigrants take to build lives for themselves and their families in the United States.

You would imagine that selling ice cream to primarily children would not be high risk. However, Harish Joshi reported that he was held-up twice while operating an ice cream truck in Richmond (California Bay Area).

Kuldeep Malhan, Kaur’s brother-in-law said a fund has been set-up to help support the family at Bank of America, account No. 488019845001. Please donate to help with Kaur’s medical bills and other living expenses while she is unable to work because of her injuries.

taken from http://thelangarhall.com/general/female-ice-cream-truck-driver-shot-in-bay-area/

i'm back!!

2011-04-22T19:26:00.001+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

gonna start blogging again. let see how it goes

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

NIKE-BRIGADE collaboration with UNITEN PUNJABIZ

2007-09-19T15:57:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

NIKE-BRIGADE is a portfolio launched under the banner of Sant Attar Singh Ji Brahm Vidya Niketan Foundation. 2 Representatives of NIKE-BRIGADE came to our university few weeks ago to let us know what is it all about and what aims and targets.The unitenpunjabiz were happy to meet them and most of us agree that nowadays there is no sewa bhavnaa left amongst the teenagers and therefore this movement was formed under NIKETAN Foundation banner in order to get punjabi youths into sewa. Hence, came the very first project with unitenpunjabiz and it was painting the boys dorm in Gurpuri Foundation. There were around 10 of us on that day and it was awesome. We were at Gurpuri at 10am in the morning and started painting at around 11am. Had lunch break, tea break and some penggey break. It was fantastic, we did sewa, mingled around with the kids and the same time, I met some of the juniors for the first time and it was kinda like ice-breaking session for us. We finished painting the boys dorm and study room at around 9pm then had our dinner and had shammu to dance for us and then head home. Before leaving Giani Sukhdev Singh Ji presented to each of us a Gurpuri Foundation keychain as a token of appreciation.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Sant Sipahi Camp (Module 2A)

2007-07-17T16:06:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

well last weekend with Guru Sahib's kirpa we've had succesfully completed Module 2A of the Sant Sipahi Camp. I've been really busy lately preparing for the camp n also with my classes.

Those who wanna read up on camp pls do visit http://havocsingh.blogspot.com

Akhand Paath Sahib

2007-06-12T13:03:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

there'll be an akhand paath sahib this weekend at Niketan House in conjunction with the Attack on Sri Akaal Takth Sahib in June 1984. This is a tribute program to the shaheeds.

see attached poster for further details

Tribute to Shaheeds

2007-06-05T01:11:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

This program is in conjunction with the shaheedi of Operation BlueStar which took place in june 1984. This is a tribute program to the martyrs of this ghalughara.

Pls do attend this program as there'll be a slide show presentation as well

Hope to see u guys there

see attached poster for further details

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

ICE & Mobile Phones

2007-05-30T23:29:00.000+08:00

Isn't it true that we all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names/numbers stored in its memory but yet nobody, other than ourselves,know which of these numbers belong to our near and dear ones? Let us for a moment create a scenario wherein we are involved in an accident or had a heart attack and the people attending us get hold of our mobile phone but don't know which number to call to inform our family members. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? For this reason, we must have one or more telephone numbers stored under the name ICE (In case of Emergency) in our mobile phones. Recently, the concept of "ICE" is catching up quickly. It is simple, an important method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or person who should be contacted at during emergency as "ICE" (meaning In Case of Emergency). The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients,but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. Following a disaster in London , the East Anglican ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" campaign. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialing the number stored as "ICE". For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference! Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile phones today!

Akhand Paath Sahib & Slide Show

2007-04-20T07:00:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

Starting from today(friday, 20th April 2007) there'll be an akhand paath sahib at Niketan HQ till sunday the 22nd. This akhand paath sahib is in conjunction with Vasakhi & 1978 massacare that took place on 13th April 1978 in which 13 singhs got shaheed and numerous other singhs got injured.

see poster attached

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

For so many incarnations, I have been separated from You, Lord; I dedicate this life to You.

2007-03-28T11:25:00.000+08:00

ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਭਗਤ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਜੀ ਕੀ

Dhanaasree Bhagat Ravidaas Jee Kee Dhanaasaree,

Bhagat Ravi Daas Jee:

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad. One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਹਮ ਸਰਿ ਦੀਨੁ ਦਇਆਲੁ ਨ ਤੁਮ ਸਰਿ ਅਬ ਪਤੀਆਰੁ ਕਿਆ ਕੀਜੈ ॥

ham sar deen da-i-aal na tum sar ab patee-aar ki-aa keejai.

There is none as forlorn as I am, and none as Compassionate as You; what need is there to test us now?

ਬਚਨੀ ਤੋਰ ਮੋਰ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨੈ ਜਨ ਕਉ ਪੂਰਨੁ ਦੀਜੈ ॥੧॥

bachnee tor mor man maanai jan ka-o pooran deejai. 1

May my mind surrender to Your Word; please, bless Your humble servant with this perfection. 1

ਹਉ ਬਲਿ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ ਰਮਈਆ ਕਾਰਨੇ ॥

ha-o bal bal jaa-o rama-ee-aa kaarnay.

I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to the Lord.

ਕਾਰਨ ਕਵਨ ਅਬੋਲ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

kaaran kavan abol. rahaa-o.

O Lord, why are You silent? Pause

ਬਹੁਤ ਜਨਮ ਬਿਛੁਰੇ ਥੇ ਮਾਧਉ ਇਹੁ ਜਨਮੁ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੇ ਲੇਖੇ ॥

bahut janam bichhuray thay maaDha-o ih janam tumHaaray laykhay.

For so many incarnations, I have been separated from You, Lord; I dedicate this life to You.

ਕਹਿ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਆਸ ਲਗਿ ਜੀਵਉ ਚਿਰ ਭਇਓ ਦਰਸਨੁ ਦੇਖੇ ॥੨॥੧॥

kahi ravidaas aas lag jeeva-o chir bha-i-o darsan daykhay. 21

Says Ravi Daas: placing my hopes in You, I live; it is so long since I have gazed upon the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. 21

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee -Ang 694

Stupid Questions

2007-03-15T12:06:00.000+08:00

i received this in email earlier today...enjoy!

1. At the movies: When you meet acquaintances/friends... Stupid Question: Hey, what are you doing here? Answer: Don't u know, I sell tickets in black over here.

2. In the bus: A heavy lady wearing pointed high-heeled shoes steps on your feet... Stupid Question: Sorry, did that hurt? Answer: No, not at all, I'm on local anesthesia. Why don't you try again?

3. At a funeral: One of the teary eyed people ask... Stupid Question: Why, why him, of all people. Answer: Why? Would it rather have been you?

4. At a restaurant: When you ask the waiter Stupid Question: Is the "Paneer Butter Masala" dish good? Answer: No, it’s terrible and made of adulterated cement. We occasionally also spit on it.

5. At a family get-together: When some distant aunt meets you after years. Stupid Question: Munna, Chickoo, you've become so big. Answer: Well you haven't particularly shrunk yourself.

6. When a friend announces her wedding, and you ask... Stupid Question: Is the guy you're marrying well? Answer: No, he's a miserable wife beating, insensitive lout...it's just the money.

7. When you get woken up at midnight by a phone call... Stupid Question: Sorry. Were you sleeping? Answer: No. I was doing research on whether the Zulu tribes in Africa marry or not. And you thought I was sleeping.... You dumb witted moron.

8. When you see a friend/colleague with evidently shorter hair... Stupid Question: Hey have you had a haircut? Answer: No, its autumn and I'm shedding.

9. At the dentist when he's sticking pointed objects in your mouth... Stupid Question: Tell me if it hurts? Answer: No it won’t. It will just bleed.

10. You are smoking a cigarette and a cute woman asks... Stupid Question: Oh, so you smoke. Answer: Gosh, it's a miracle ...it was a piece of chalk and now it's in flames

Awesome Weekend

2007-03-14T19:27:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

my weekend at the camp was awesome, had lots of fun n the camp was wikid thought i was dead tired :D haha

well some pics from the camp are up at

album 1

album 2

more pics will be uploaded here

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

Sant Sipahi Camp (Module 1B)

2007-03-06T18:51:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

venue: Gurdwara Sahib Brinchang, Cameron Highlands
dates: 9th,10th &11th march 2007
fees: your sharda & pyaar for guru sahib

for further info, contact:
veer jasdave singh @ 012-2627040
veer sandeep singh @ 016-2757819
harwinder singh @ 016-9048175

well i juz wanted to announce that there'll be a camp organized by Sant Attar Singh Ji Brahm Vidya Niketan Foundation Malaysia called the Sant Sipahi Camp. This camp will cover module 1b which sewa & simran.

there'll lots of topics n activities in this camp. so dun miss this camp, maybe a golden oppurtunity to learn things. there'll be a session during camp fire & food is gonna be wikid! :D

so dun miss out

speakers at this camp will Baba Darshan Singh Ji & Bhai Nachater Singh Ji

seeya guys at the camp!

too see pics from the previous sant sipahi camp visit

album 1

album 2

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

Akhand Paath Sahib

2007-03-02T08:53:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

today an akhand paath will be arambh at 9am at Sant Attar Singh Ji Brahm Vidya Niketan HQ, No. 1, Jalan 14/35 , Section 14, 46100, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. This akhand paath sahib is sponsored by the organising committee of the Gurmat Parchaar Samelan 2007 to thank Guru Sahib for blessing us with the sewa of the samelan. Everyone, from far and near, please drop by. If anyone is interested in taking part in Akhand Paath sahib roalh pls contact Charanbir Singh @ 016-2789964. If anyone is interested in taking part in Japji Sahib roalh pls do contact me @ 016-9048175

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

Shaheed Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Manochahal (Bhindrawale Tigers Force of Khalistan)

2007-03-01T09:37:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

exactly 14 years ago on the 28th february 1993, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Manochahal became shaheed. Babaji was the last Sikh Resistance leader to fall. According to sources online Babaji was poisoned to death but after checking with a few people who have known Babaji personally i was told Babaji was killed in an encounter. I am thankful that i was in Jatha 4(at the last gurmat camp) and had the chance to learn about Baba Ji's jeevani. No words can describe his bravery, sevaa and love for this panth of Guru Gobind Singh Maharaaj.

There's a video of Babaji which can be downloaded from SaintSoldiers

Rules of Dharam Yudh as prescribed by Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj.

1. War to be waged should be without aggression or feeling of emnity and revenge.

2. Before war is begun, all peaceful means of dialiogue, arbitration and negotiation should have been tried but without any success.

3. The soldiers should be volunteers devoted to the cause.

4. The defeated enemy should be treated with consideration and compassion. No women or children be captured or maltreated.

5. That minimum force be used for subduing the enemy and as a last resort.

6. No territory is to be annexed, no looting or wilful bloodshed is permitted.

The army for Dharam-Yudh must observe these conditions, for they have to set an example as Saint-Soldiers.

14 years ago today our elder brother Dhan Dhan Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Manochahal commander of the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan fulfilled his promise to water the fields of Punjab with his blood. Please take a moment to remember this beloved son of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj.

My friends will be waiting,

For my new year greetings wishing them happiness.

Oh my friend! How can I wish happy New Year to you,

As yet I still have to guard my heritage under constant threat of humiliation.

The turban of my Father is rolling somewhere in the dust,

It might be waste in the dark corner of some police station.

After the murders of our mothers and sisters, tears have been unceasing.

Our innocent boys who are soft as flowers lie beneath the bridges, below the trees murdered in

false encounters.

Our sister's honour remains unavenged since the Delhi massacre.

I am in great and constant grief like the tender butterfly that flutters and turns white with fear,

Whose wings have turned grey with the passing of time.

In this struggle I may not be recognised and may get lost,

And in this dreadful situation in what way can I then convey my New year greetings to you?

We will wait for better times,

Then shall I send such greetings,

When Spring visits our garden.

Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

taken from waheguruji

Arsenal Rulez!!!

2007-03-01T09:29:00.000+08:00

well i was goin thru the samelan pics n found this pic...its wikid man...thanks to mender for snapping this pic :D

i know this wont be a fav for the man u & liverpool fans out there :D....they forgot to include chelsea...lolz

Jatha 4

2007-02-24T00:33:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

these r pics of my jatha members, Jatha 4 rulezz!! BTF!!

Gurmat Samelan 2007

2007-02-23T12:54:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

Well im really sorry I could not post directly after the samelan as I was very tired. The journey back home was juz too long, it took us 7 hours to reach KL from BG. Im sure u guys know malaysians cant sit at home during festive seasons, they love travelling upnorth and backforth so for these reasons we got stuck in the VERY VERY VERY BAD JAMM!!! The jamm lasted till 3am can u believe that?...LOL

anyways samelan was juz superb, there's no word to describe how good it was neither there's any bench set. As said by Giani Mahinder Singh Ji Khalsa (also known as Khalsa Ji) and Baba Darshan Singh Ji it was SachKhand. The IPS(Inspirational Sessions) we simply amazing, wonderful and melodious kirtan took place and also at the same time gurmat message was passed down perfectly by the parcharaks.

As for the classroom sessions, it was perfect as well. Babaji spoke on all the 5 personalities in the samelan(Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji, Bhai Bota Singh & Bhai Garja Singh Ji, Bhai Lakhsman Singh Ji, Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal and Bibi Sharan kaur). Since the theme of the samelan was " Mil Satsangat Sang Guraahaa, Poonjee Naam Gurmukh Vaysahaa" Babaji spoke how all these 5 personalities came into sangat and obtained naam.

As for the second day, we had touring sessions whereby there were 5 stations and participants were to move with their jathas. This session lasted for 2 1/2 hours but nobody felt it as they only spent 25- 30 minutes at each station before moving on to next station. First station was handled Baba Darshan Singh Ji & the topic was Satsangat & Guru Ji Da Sambandh. Second checkpoint was handled by Bhai Sarabjeet Singh Ji and his topic was Satsangat, Naam Ras & Bir Rass Da Sambandh. Third station was handled by Mata Ji from Pusing Gurdwara. Mata Ji spoke on Satsangat & Langgar Da Sambandh. Station 4 was handled by myself, veer Ravinder Singh & Bhenji Jasvinder Kaur. Our topic was Satsangat & Sewa da Sambandh. We spoke on 3 different sewa(jorey di sewa, chaur di sewa & shashtar di sewa). At our station was less talking and more practical, in other words we got the participants to do jorey di sewa, then few other participants were selected to wash the chaur sahib and few other participants were chosen to do shahstar sewa. As for station 5, it was conducted by Bhai Mahabeer Singh. Bhai sahib spoke on the relationship of satsangat & kirtan katha.
This session was very much preferred by the participants. Most of them liked it and suggested for the coming samelans more time can be allocated for touring sessions. After lunch it was supposed to be a session by Bhai Sarabjeet Singh Ji on the power of ardaas. Bhai sahib called upon Veer Charanbir Singh to speak on his experience of ardas, he was earlier speaking on power of ardas, how an ardas has changed an alcoholic within a day. Whereby if that person doesnt get alcohol by 9am his whole body starts to shiver, and the same person left alcohol within a day or two after the ardas. But i really dunno wat happen, from there it took a turn and suddenly veer Charanbir Singh started talking about how came into sikhi and obtained amrit. From there on, all the Niketan sewadars shared stories which have never been released before to anyone. This session has left a deep impact on the participants as most of them thought we were born angels :p This session has left a very very deep effect on one of the participants who has been a regular at our samelans. He was juz crying out throughout the samelan till we noticed him on the last night. Earlier we thought maybe some of the sewadars may have abehaved wrongly with him or something like that but after approaching him we realised he was in bairaag. He couldnt just stop crying. He was telling us veerji please help me. I need help. We were all in tears. Few singhs got together, we did a chaupai sahib da paath and did ardaas for him & on the last day during the closing ceremony 5 singh ardaas was done for him. Guru Sahib kirpa karan. After the samelan ended some of us were at Gurpuri Foundation to return their van and also few other things that we have borrowed from them to be used in the samelan. We were heading back when one guy said, veerji I'm gonna be like you guys. I wanna be a strong guru ka sikh. He left all of us in tears. We knew we are nothing, it HIM that is doing this. We told him not to worry HE knows wat is best for you.

The night IPS for that night was the best IPS in the samelan. It was done by Khalsa Ji and jatha. It was a wonderful moment, everyone in the darbar sahib was so much engrossed in the darbar sahib and Khalsa Ji was speaking on the importance of Amrit as Amrit da Baataa was being prepared the following day at amritwela.

Following this we had 51 amrit ablakhis taking amrit. Amrit Sanchaar went on well and all the ablakhis together with 5 pyare arrived at the darbar sahib( as amrit sanchaar was held at nearby gurdwara) towards the end of the morning IPS.

After the IPS the other partcipants headed for drama competition as all jathas had to perform a drama on different topics assigned to them. Jatha 1 presented a drama on Thoraa Khana(eat less), Jatha 2 on Thoraa Saunaa(sleep less), Jatha 3 on Thoraa Bolnaa(talk less), Jatha 4 thats my jatha :D we presented a drama on Bhanaa Vich Chalnaa & Jatha 5 on Nimarta Vich Rehnaa.

After drama was lunch and then it was the most happening event of the samelan, Samelan Amazing Explore Race- The Race to Explore Your Identity. This event lasted for 2 1/2 hours. This was the event where we saw everyone running up & down in the samelan grounds. There were 5 checkpoints and there were tasks to be completed on each checkpoint. First checkpoint was Wheel of Fortune, checkpoint 2 was Khazanay Di Chaabi, checkpoint 3 was Kaun Banega Giani, checkpoint was on samelan organisers(meaning there were information sticked around in the samelan ground about the samelan organisers) and checkpoint 5 was Know whats happening around you(if you are Jatha 4 members question forwarded to you will not be about jatha 4 it could be jatha 1,2,3 or 5)

In the end they had to complete a puzzle given to them and also were given a party pack for the male facilitator. All thought it was some junk food in it but they were all wrong. Inside that it was a few ribbons,some sugar papers and a dupatta and the task was dress your male facilitator, hahaha. My jatha had 3 male facilitators and it was Lakhi who got dressed. :D it was fun seeing how they got dressed in the end.

They akhara launch was postponed to 9pm as it was raining during the Samelan Amazing Explorace and there was no time to do the launch. The plan was to do an ardas in Guru sahib's hazoori for blessing all the akhara members to oficially launch the gatka akhara and to get it registered and also to recruit new members in the akhara. As soon as the ardas ended it started pouring heavily, we were totally caught in shock, we basically thought thats it, there may not be a demo now. Some were suggesting to do it the next day, all the akhara members got together and we decided, we dont know how guru sahib is testing us, we gotta be strong and face this test. As soon as we came out after Semaapti it was already drizzling. As soon as we started the akhara maharaaj kirpa the rain stopped and gatka demo went on well as it planned.

Coming to the last day. it was the day awaited by everyone. It was the day all the jathas present what they have been learning in the samelan for the last few days. They were given 25 minutes to do a presentation about their jatha. As for my jatha, we were jatha 4 so we presented on the jeevani of Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal( Bhindranwale Tigers Force of Khalistan). Our jatha didnt do well because most of the time was spent on kirtan and our time was finished and we were asked to stop. Jatha 2 won the presentation as they did a wonderful job in the presentation. They also did a small sketch on Bhai Bota Singh & Garja Singh. 2nd place was Jatha 5 and jatha 3. The judges were Baba Darshan Singh Ji, Bhai Mahabeer Singh Ji & Bhai Sarabjeet Singh Ji. Babaji gave comments at the end of the presentation and said he was really happy with the concept of presentation and announced the winners of the presentation.

After that there were 15 minutes given to all participants to come up and give their views on the samelan so that we can improve in the future. Well believe or not all of them said the food was wonderful, hahaha. Well i have to agree with that. It was juz so tasty thanks to Bhai Sukhdev Singh Ji who was the chief cook. He really gave us good food. I still remember some of them saying that they really learned a lot from this samelan. I cant forget 1 thing, there was this guy he said the idea of Ice-cream 7 chocolate day was fantastic, the participants were given tons of ice-creams and chocolates and believe me it was so much till they said, veerji its enough i cant take it anymore.....hahahaha. One very good point was brought by amritpal singh aka anil from malacca, he said ppl from the same hometown should be in different jathas otherwise they wouldnt get to know new people in the samelan. Actually we tried to do that but due to limited resources we could not do it, but we have already started looking for a software which can divide people equally into different jatha according to their location, age and sex.

Then it was the Grand Finale, before it started Bhai Harjindar Singh Ji who was the overlooking the whole samelan announced the overall winners of the samelan. 2 jathas were tied at 2nd place which was Jatha 2 & 4(my jatha :) ) and the overall winners were jatha 5. Soon after that the Final IPS started, kirtan led by Veer Charanbir Singh & parchaar was done by Bhai Sarabjeet Singh Ji.

It was so hard for Bhai Sarabjeet Singh to speak as everyone knew the samelan has come to an end and after that IPS every1 is gonna head home and back to their normal life(work n work n work). Everybody was in tears the moment was so beautiful. This session was just filled simran, there was lots n lots simran done to lift everyones spirit. There was this small bhenji from Gurpuri, she was just 11 years old. She was just crying non-stop and she is a very special kid. We dont know what she was seeing but looking at her brought us into tears. The last IPS was juz wonderful.

Closing speech was given by Baba Darshan Singh Ji, Baba Ji said the last IPS resembled SachKhand whereby sangat was in so much Bairaag that they were literally crying. After Babaji's speech all particiapants head to their dorms packed their bags and had their lunch. Then it was "gotong-royong" cleaning the gurdwara compound before the samelean grounds. My jatha members gave me something some signatures on my t-shirt. All the coaches to KL left gurdwara by 4pm. Some sewadars stayed back to do final touch ups, we were done by 5pm but we juz didnt feel like leaving the grounds. It was a wonderful time we had there but life has to go on.
We left ipoh at 8pm after dinner because we thought we would be able to skip the jamm and reach KL within 2 hours but we were wrong. Journey back was very tough and very much prolonged due to the jamm and we were so tired n there were only 3 drivers and there were 2 vans and a lorry to be driven. We reached Niketan House at 3.30am but it was fun man. Wish we never left the samelan.

But never mind there's another camp coming in less than 2 weeks,

Sant Sipahi Camp 07

Venue: Gurdwara Sahib Brinchang
Dates: 9th- 11th march 2007
Fees: Your Love For Guru Sahib

soo seeya guys there

bhullan chukkan di maafi

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

pics of samelan will be uploaded to

http://mendergill.multiply.com
http://singh84.multiply.com
http://khalsapanth.blogspot.com

Amrit Sanchaar

2007-02-06T17:02:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

Sant Attar Singh Ji Brahm Vidya Niketan Foundation will be organising an Amrit Sanchaar @ Gurdwara Sahib Pusing on the 19th Feb 2007

for further details see the attached poster

waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh

Gurmat Parchaar Samelan 2007

2007-01-27T01:06:00.000+08:00

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh

Sant Attar Singh Ji Brahm Vidya Niketan Foundation, Malaysia will be organising a Gurmat Parchaar Samelan at Gurdwara Sahib Changkat, Batu Gajah. This samelan is jointly organised by Sant Attar Singh Ji BVNM & also Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji KhalsaGarh Malaysia.

This samelan will be held from 16th Feb till the 20th Feb 2007(during the long chinese new year break). At this samelan, Baba Buddha Ji Gatka Akhara will be officially launched & will be recruiting new students. At the moment the Akhara has 25 committed students.

To give a glimpse of the samelan here are the activities lined up for the upcoming samelan

participants will be divided into 5 different jathas

1. Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji

2. Bhai Bota Singh Ji & Bhai Garja Singh Ji

3. Bhai Lakhsman Singh Ji (Saka Nankana Sahib)

4. Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal (Bhindranwale Tigers Force of Khalistan)

5. Shaheed Bibi Harsharan Kaur Ji (Battle of Chamkaur Sahib)

activities lined up are

-amritwela sadhana

-shastar vidya

-history classes

-gurbani santhiaa

-jatha presentations

-drama on 5 different topics each jatha will present on 1 topic

n lots more

so see u guys there

waheguru ji ka khalsa

waheguru ji ki fateh