Ross election

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

The counting has begun for the hotly contested KDS election. Let's see what happens...

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Giani Amolak Singh Jee

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

igAwnI Amolk isMG
jI ivSv is`K sMmyln 1995 iv`c sMgqW dy TwTW mwrdy iek`T ƒ mMjI swihb dIvwn hwl
ivKy sMboDn krdy hoey

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Singh Sahib Jee

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Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Bhai Giani Gurbachan Singh Jee has been at Gurdwara Sahib Singh Sabha for a while now. I remember seeing him here before sometime back too. I always wanted to talk to him but never got the chance to discuss anything with him. Gurmukh payara veer Bhai Jagjeet Singh told me over five weeks ago about this guy that they call “Singh Sahib Jee.”

I wanted to meet this singh and so that Friday we went to the gurdwara at around 6:45. Bhai Balbir Singh and the Bhardhaan were sitting by the donations chonkii in front of the small hall. We said fateh and went inside and an older singh was doing sooraj parkash katha. We sat down and Jagjeet Singh told me that this was Singh Sahib. I listened to katha with great interest and found that he was indeed worthy of being called what he was. I had never heard anyone do katha as he was doing.

He had a great thunderous commanding voice and it reminded me of the GREAT Giani Amolak Singh Jee. His movements are similar to him and the way he walks is unique as well. His dastaar was a true gurmukhi dastaar(Without the ‘Lar’), like Pooran(THUG)’s but folded(I think; I have to ask him next time I go see him).

Singh Sahib is super friendly. And he has a lot of nimarta and payaar. You can feel the presence of a gurmukh when he is around, much like Bhai Jeevan Singh Jee of Giani Jee. But when I am with Bhai Sahib, I feel sort of restricted, not able to say what I want to, but having to carefully search for words to say, and they great fear of not following the sort of ‘gurmukhi code’- like saying something out of place or anti-gurmat. I guess it is the spiritual level of Bhai Sahib that makes me choose my words carefully when around him.

With Giani Jee it was different, up until November 2000, at the LA smagam, I always thought that saying something out of place- and out of nowhere <<>> a slap would land in my gicchi. But it was then that I realized that Giani Jee was no freak, he was human just like the rest of us. Singh Sahib on the other hand does not have that in him. He is very approachable and easy to talk to. He doesn’t have that egotistical side to him.

Singh Sahib has vast knowledge about every aspect of sikhi, not only that he has great knowledge about other worldly things too. He has a humorous side to him as well. He has a very sweet voice, if someone didn’t have the slightest clue of what the Punjabi language is, they would sit there in awe listening to him. When he does katha, each word actually sinks in and is accounted for, no matter where the persons attention is, actually, when he does katha, his attention seldom shifts elsewhere…

Today me and Jagjeet Singh went to listen to his katha but were unsure of his timeslot. Unfortunately, his time was up at 7:00pm and when he was about to leave, in a full darbaar he said something that I will not easily forget, he said,

"qusIN ikDr bymu`K ho
gey isMGo???"

We were like WOW where did this come from. Everyone started to look at him, he just walked off...

For about three weeks straight we would go there and do kirtan and discourses in gurmat for hours and hours, but for the past week we didn’t get the chance to go there because of school. But as he said that he had a huge welcoming smile on his face so we knew that was a joke.

Oh and did I forget to tell you that HE WILL BE THE NEXT HEAD GRANTHI OF DARBAAR SAHIB. So then me and Jagjeet Singh will brag about being buddies with him endlessly (<<:-D Please do ardass for Singh Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh Jee that he reaches the topmost seat of sikhi- the akal takhat sahib Jathedarri; trust me... he will do a lot of good then the thugs poorna and vedanti up there now..

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Past Month

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I have been just way too busy with school in the last month. I was going to donate blood in the memory of the ‘84 Shaheeds, BUT forgot all about it, the deadline has past I think. I need to get my time management situation sorted out now. The first thing I am going to do is make a timetable and have a set time for everything. Now everything is a complete mess. I frequently stay up all night trying to cram in a few chapters for an exam coming up the next day, or trying to get an essay done that’s due at 10:00am the next day. Life hasn’t been all to great the past 3-4 weeks. Time just seems to zoom right by, even when I am not engaged in something fun.

On top of all the sleepless nights I got this stomach problem now. It has been really bothering me for the past week. Out of nowhere there is a shrill pain and it feels like I am going to die. So yesterday I went to the doctor and he gave me some medication and told me to fast for 24 hours. And drink GATORADE , JUST GATORADE, YES! GATORADE. I asked him a couple of times if that was the right remedy, he said it was the best fluid to drink, better than anything else, water, coke, apple juice-everything.

So for the past 26 hours I have been on nothing but Gatorade. So far I have drank 8 600ml bottles. Its been over the 24 hours of fasting, so now I have decided to keep away from solid food as long as I can now. Lets see how long I can go for without any solid food...

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vwihgurU jI kI &qih]

REMEMBER the Nov. 84 Genocide

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November 1st marks the beginning of the sikh massacre that happened 20 years ago in 1984. More then 10 thousand were hunted down, humiliated, tortured and killed in the most horrific ways all over India. The reason: because they Sikhs and wore a dastaar. Many were burnt alive, with tires around their necks and doused with gasoline and diesel. Some were burnt alive in cars. Others were stoned to death, some beaten with lathis(hard bamboo sticks). Sikh women suffered the worse fate. Sikh businesses and properties worth billions of dollars were looted and destroyed.
I don’t think these events should be called the 84 “riots,” they should be called the 84 genocide, or massacre. The events that took place were coordinated and planned to every detail. Some people even say that Indira Ghandhi was killed specifically for this very purpose by the state and beant singh and satwant singh were just blamed for it to incite hatred against Sikhs. Anyhow, everyone agrees that the massacre was planned and executed how the terrorist hindus wanted.

The police made no attempt to stop this carnage. There are instances where the police took away guns and other weapons from Sikhs who tried to defend themselves from the mobs. Once the mobs were sure that the Sikhs were defenseless, they moved in and committed great atrocities. The police helped the mobs where Singhs threatened to fight back.

The ones that knew gatka and had a 3-foot kirpan, or even a good stick fought it out and protected not only themselves, but their whole blocks. So you never know when gatka comes in handy.

We can’t forget the good hindus that helped give shelter to Sikhs during the worst of the massacre. They took great risk to protect Singhs.

There is always talk of compensating the survivors and bringing the perpetrators to justice. But nothing gets done in the largest “democracy” in the world. It’s a clear sign that the Sikhs and others are living in “Gulammi” in India.

Worse, THUGS from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee give soroppai to the ones that carried out the massacre. Sikhs in Delhi have no shame whatsoever, they continue to elect these people to the gurdwara board.

I think every human being should remember what happened and should observe a moment of silence on November 1st at 6:00pm for one minute.

All across Canada and the US Sikhnation has organized blood donations in remembering the ones that fell victim to the genocide committed by the fascist hindu government of India. Lets remember the Shaheeds and give blood to save lives...

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh[

Kwantlen Sightings & politics

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I have been going to Kwantlen since September 7th and I usually see one or two people that I know from high school, or just "know". But today I was amazed to see 14 people there in a span of an hour. I couldn't believe it! Somehow it felt really good meeting all those guys from Tamanawis again after 4-5 years. I can't explain it, it just felt good. I think its interesting to follow people after high school. Some of the smartest people end up in college. Some not so bright people end up working hard and going to a good university.

Today I was walking to class when a singh told me to vote for the RAF party, i don't know what it stands for, but I voted for theie candidates nonetheless. I think these guys are trying to win a punjabi majority in the KSA board. I am all for that :) Punjabis and politics never go hand in hand but we will see...

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh[

Reflections on the Surrey Gurdwara Incident Part 3

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Note: I don’t want to diss the ISYF too much because I have agreed with and supported them over the years even though I disagree with 99% of their policies. So I am going to try to make this as short as I can...

What went on in surrey in 1997 had a huge impact on the lives of many, including mine. For years I used to go to the Surrey Gurdwara Sunday morning Asa Dee Vaar kirtans until the Federation and Koamnshut factions decided to clash and make a complete fool of the community. Because of the sheer stupidity and the lack of basic intellect the leaders of both sides chose to go through with their plans of total domination of the Surrey-Delta Gurdwara. That has been explained in detail in the previous post. So now I am going to comment on the Federation “Singhs.”

The History:

The federation was made in the 70’s in India and was called the “All India Sikh Students Federation.” Their intentions were good and what they did was not bad. I have great respect for Bhai Amrik Singh Shaheed, who gave his life in the 1984 attack. But the people who are in char In the early 80’s the WSO was made, and soon after some people split off and created the ISYF (International Sikh Youth Federation).

The ISYF collected who knows how much money in the US and Canada as well as England that was supposed to support the movement back in Punjab. The amount of western money that actually funded the movement is anyone’s guess. By the end of the 90’s they had control of the majority of Gurdwarrai in North America.

The Reality:

People allege that the federation leaders became overnight millionaires because of the peoples generosity. I have seen huge mega-houses that these guys built myself. This is what people say. All this may not be true. They might have worked hard to get where they are right now, then again all the people that talk about this stuff can’t all be wrong.

It doesn’t matter what these guys made from panthic funds(no it does), the concrete reality is that they divided the community right down the middle and it made the community look bad and an eventual loss of respect. People make jokes about Sikhs because of these people. Its clear that the ISYF had no true respect for the langar maryada, but only a failed political agenda. I know of a singh that came from Toronto in 1996 and asked the Surrey Gurdwara Management why they had chairs and tables in the langar, when the maryada was to sit on the floor. The management told the singh, “keep the maryada to yourself.”

And after a few months the ISYF management took this maryada and made it into an issue to try to hold control of the gurdwara. I think it was pathetic. They totally used the wrong approach. Rushing the maryada enforcement made them lose the elections. After losing the elections they thought that they could use Akal Takhat Sahib, the supreme sikh authority to further their agenda. That obviously backfired and because of a great number of Koamnshut minded people in BC, many gurdwarrai were taken over by anti-panthic elements.

The ISYF and their alliance tired to show that they were following akal takhat maryada. This was far from the truth. There were many violations of the maryada published by the Akal Takhat. For example, none of these gurdwarrai allowed for bhog at the end of modavaneee, pathic mool manter, panthic rahraas, panthic chopee, and far worse fake sadhs(sants) were running rampant making fortunes by telling hindu stories and kacchi-bani. I hate to say this but, the sangat was made fools by the ISYF propaganda machinery.

And still the ISYF strongholds in Surrey and Abbotsford, Dashmesh Darbaar and Kalgidhar Darbaar follow a weird form of maryada that dumbfounds me. Its no recognizable kind of a maryada, but I do know that it is a maryada that challenges the maryada of Shri Akal Takhat Sahib. And that is the biggest hypocrisy ever! After all the community went through in the past 7 years, and the ISYF still not following what their original mandate was?!?!?! How could this be? I think the “sangat” is to partly blame. People just can’t put two and two together and see what’s going on. And until they do, things won’t change.

Just one final comment on maryada: The only place that you will see proper Akal Takhat Maryada being followed outside of Punjab is Khalsa School and Gurdwara Tapoban Sahib. I heard that these ISYF had tables and chairs at Dashmesh Darbaar before the hukamnamaa came. So who are they to say that they follow maryada. Khalsa school has maintained the proper langar maryada since its inception in 1986. And most of the ISYF people are anti-Khalsa school.

I don’t feel like talking about this because its making me feel bad and angry. So I will stop right here...

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vwihgurU jI kI &iqh[

Reflections on the Surrey Gurdwara Incident Part 2

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The first post was just a sort of an introduction to the whole power struggle between the so called "singhs" and the "Koamnshuts" also known as moderates. They say that it takes two to tangle, and one hand never claps. That was especially true in this case. I will never forget those days when you never knew what was going to happen next. There was so much animosity and tension for no reason. So now after like 7 years after it all happened, I am now going to attempt to analyze it as best as I could.

The "Koamnshuts"

I am first going to start with the pro-tables & chairs faction of sikhs. Actually the term sikh is the last thing I would use to describe these bunch of koamnshuts. I am writing about these guys first because most of the people that read this will agree with me to a certain extent. The vast majority of the koamnshuts are staunch communists who in a way do not believe in any supreme being (Waheguru). Well that is the general consensus that people have about them. But I know some people that side with them are very spiritual but have had bad experiences dealing with the “singhs.” Although most of them have no fear of whaeguru, they sill are not “bad” people. I know this because in high school I have had some friends that were much better than the “singhs” both personality and character wise.

The main thing that bothers me about them is that they want to mend and bend sikhi to meet their tastes and perceptions, which are sometimes innocent and no evil is intended. These people were the ones that made divisions in sikhi here in BC. Now the media had a major role to play in this but, the koamnshuts wanted to be labeled as politically correct and accepted by the society at large.

They chose to be called moderates. According to them this lifestyle that they lead was a scaled down version of the sikhi that all the other Sikhs follow. An example of this is that at their main centers in the lower mainland, there had not been even one Amrit Sanchaar done in the past 7 years. Isn’t that amazing? This is how low they have gone. Balwant gill is perhaps the most influential and powerful leader of the Koamnshuts. He was quoted as saying that, “If we have an amrit sanchaar at our gurdwara, that will mean that the Singhs will become greater in number, and we don’t want that happening.”

And when I say that these guys are Koamnshuts(communists) I am not joking. At one nagar kirtan a few years ago they had Harkrishan Surjit, the top leader of the Indian Communist Party as the chief guest. That was sick. The message that they send to all the youth is very negative. How could a bunch of communist promote religion? It’s absurd.

Alcohol in sikhi is considered a major sin. Shri Guru Granth Sahib Jee is against it. But the likes of Balwant Gill are the presidents of the No. 1 gurdwara in Western Canada, and openly drink and drive. He was caught a few years ago but Uajjal Dosanjh came to his rescue and had all the charges dropped. But that did not have any affect on these communists, there are people that say that the committee of Guru nanak Sikh Temple Surrey, Delta drink in the office. I don’t know is this is true or not, but allegations like these should not surface in the first place.

Now to the reason why they became so opposed to the “singhs.” Most of these people were involved with the nexalite movement of the late 70’s and early 80’s.(Nexlites were basically communists that wanted to take over gurdwarrai, they had contol of the Ross Street Gurdwara once) But they were committed to doing sewa and service to the community. Many of them gave money and committed labor to construct the Surrey gurdwara. When everything was finished, they ISYF took over, but the people(Balwant Gill guys) that built the gurdwara did not confront them, which was a good thing.
Everything went smoothly until Rangella came and said to the sangat the there should be no tables and chairs in the langar hall. The “singhs” used bad judgment and in the heat of the moment took action too quickly and caused a division in sangat.

Now, I could see how the communist must have felt. Basically this had been the maryada at every BC gurdwara, EXCEPT Khalsa School Surrey, where the langar maryada has been to sit on the ground since day 1. The Koamnshuts thought that the serving of langer was alright and accepted for the past 100 years and who is this one guy that’s saying that we should sit on the floor. I bet most of the “singhs” didn’t want to sit on the floor either, they just had to because they had to stick to their ISYF klan.

Some of the koamnshuts are totally anti-sikh. During this power struggle, I had started to go to a public school. I heard one guy, Garry Grewal say that his dad said,“these giani’s should have their kasharrai tied on their head and beaten up with thappai.” This is how much people among the koamnshuts hated singhs.
The koamnshuts have also done a great deal of coercion with singhs that used to go to that gurdwara and were neutral. They don’t want to see anyone with a kirpan going to that gurdwara. I needed to go there once to make a phone call and I was refused by one of the “sewadars” because I was wearing a kirpan. They have been known to harass anyone that goes in the building with a kirpan on top.

Who are responsible for putting these guys in charge of these historical gurdwarrai? The ISYF “singhs” of whom I will be discussing about in a later post. This is enough for today...

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vwihgurU jI kI &qih]

Why no new posts?

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My schedule has become way too hectic as of late to take out time to make posts here. I now barely have enough time to eat and sleep. I think that it’s my fault that it has come to this. The reason for that is that since day one I have been very disorganized in all respects and let work pile up until the last minute. And having a full load of 5 courses doesn't help either. But now I am going change all of that and get everything in order and take out time to do the things I just wish I could do. So now I am going to stop being lazy and start a new round of posts on this site.

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Reflections on the Surrey Gurdwara Incident Part 1

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To view the Gurmukhi text you need to download the font-pack.

For those of you that are not familiar with the notorious tables and chairs saga of a few years past in the greater Vancouver area, I would like to shed some light on this because it has been bothering me for quite some time. I can no longer stand the great disrespect that has been shown to the authority of Shri Akhal Takhat Sahib. I just had to vent my anger. These "moderates" are pissing me off more and more every time I drive by the gurdwara building. Because of the mistakes of a handful, the whole community is paying for it. They have sown eternal thorns that will remain scattered on the path to one community. Deep divisions have been created and who knows when the community will get back to being ONE again.

Today I just wanted to take a look at what the media reported in those days of violence. Both sides were guilty of bad judgment and putting self interests before sikhi. That one incident gave a bad name to the entire community. Years of building up respect went the way of the ISYF in an instant. I remember well how our neighbors wife was dead scared because her son was caught in the rumble and the police had barricaded the building. I remember listening to the radio and wondering if the things that took place in the gurdwara were really that serious. It came as a total shock to me that anything like this would ever happen.

Immediately after the incident there were "breaking news" reports on TV. They with great selection showed people screaming and yelling. They showed blood in the floor and police dogs jumping around. They showed people all cut up and bleeding. Anyone that saw that would have become a total sikh hater.

The outcomes of this were devastating and painful. It divided families and friends. It posed major problems for kids going to school. I think that the "moderate/fundamentalist" divide is the worse thing to hit BC sikhs ever. I think I will stop here and post the rest of my thoughts later.

I leave you with this which I found today and you can judge what kind of impressions the ISYF and Koamnshuts made of sikhi:

"Sword Swinging Melee Erupts as Factions Clash in Surrey Sikh Temple"

Perhaps, control freak Justice Minister Allan Rock should consider registering swords. In Surrey, B.C., they're more dangerous than guns. "Police charged three men with assault and weapons offences [January 13] after a wild sword-swinging melee at a Sikh temple on Saturday [January 11] left four people injured -- one man with slash wounds to his head and neck. A fourth man wanted for attempted murder turned himself in to police in Surrey. A Canada-wide arrest warrant had been issued for Piara Singh Panasar, 48, who also faces one charge of aggravated assault and a weapons charge.
RCMP said the risk of new violence looms over the Guru Nanak temple in suburban Surrey despite efforts to engineer talks between warring moderates and fundamentalists. 'In the long run, we don't know how we're going to be able to work to resolve this,' Constable Grant Learned said." (Globe and Mail, January 14, 1997) The temple is used by about 17,000 of B.C.'s 110,000 Sikhs. The violence was expected by authorities. "Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and police warned [December 27, 1996] that the dispute between religious moderates and fundamentalists at Guru Nanak Sikh Temple will escalate into violence unless the two groups can reconcile their differences. ... Guru Nanak vice-president Balwant Gill ... described the fundamentalists as 'militant terrorists', adding that it would be inappropriate to enter mediation when the temple is pursuing assault charges against some of them. The moderate group won a narrow majority of seats on the executive of the 17,000-member Surrey temple a year ago, ending 10 years of political control by the fundamentalists. [On December 21], RCMP responded to a call at the Surrey temple after about 100 people, three allegedly brandishing swords, hurled tables and chairs out of the temple's dining hall.
Although it is traditional for Sikhs to sit on the floor for temple meals, some observers say that control of the temple -- not a break with tradition -- is behind the dispute. Moderates who now control the temple allege that the fundamentalist faction was using much of the temple's income -- about $100,000 a month -- to support Sikh militants in India, instead of concentrating on needs of the local Sikh community. The fundamentalists, many of whom are members of the International Sikh Youth Federation, advocate violence in the pursuit of an independent Sikh homeland in India known as Khalistan." (Vancouver Sun, December 28, 1996)

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vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

A REAL Gurmukh

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To view the Gurmukhi text you need to download the font-pack.

I used to go to the sikhsangat messageboard every now and then and I used to read posts by Rochak Malang. I always wanted to know who that person was. So this August me Manjot Singh and two other singhs were going to Manjot Singh's house after the Friday morning kirtan. I was sitting in the front passenger seat. The two singhs were sitting in the back. And I was impressed at how much knowledge those two singhs had. After about 10 minutes I turned around and asked them what their names were. The skinny singh told me that he was Mehtab Singh. I asked him is he was the same Mehtab Singh that posts on sikhsangat. I had finally met Rochak Malang. He has made a slideshow of himself turning into a gurmukh from a manmukh. I ask guru sahib to bless him with chardi kala.
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RSS: DEADLY

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To view the Gurmukhi text you need to download the font-pack.

Here is an interesting article about the RSS:

Slowly and steadily the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is growing across Punjab. JAGTAR SINGH reports on the Sangh's attempt to co-opt the Sikhs.

IT is the khaki invasion of Punjab. The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh did not go the Akali way once it joined the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa in April last. The Akalis virtually forgot all about it and continued to be busy with their infighting. It was the RSS which took upon itself the responsibility of propagating the ideas and ideals of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru who founded the Khalsa, in the interiors of Punjab countryside.

It is a different matter that the radical Akalis have demanded a ban on this organization.

Till date, the RSS has covered 4,000 of about 12,000 villages and by the time the state-level function is organised at Amritsar as part of the tercentenary celebrations on April 2, the target is to establish contacts in about 8,000 villages. According to the RSS leaders, out of the 500 shakhas being organised in this border state, about 250 are in villages.

Not only that, huge quantity of publicity material has been brought out, including one lakh calenders. They have been distributed all over the country. For the people in Punjab, the literature is in Punjabi in Devnagari script. "For us, Guru Gobind SIngh is a national hero. He integrates the Punjabi society. What we are doing is also for the integration of that society," explained an RSS leader.

Radical Sikh leaders interpret the RSS designs as an attack on the exclusive Sikh identity. "In this integration, there is negation of a seperate Sikh identity," said an Akali leader. These leaders go back to earlier similar attempts when Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, a Sikh scholar, brought out a pamplhet, "Hum Hindu Nahin."

At one stage in Punjab, the Punjabi Hindus disowned their mother tongue to confront the Akali demand for a Punjabi suba. The RSS move is now being seen as an attempt to decommunalise that sectino of Hindu society also.

The members of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an organisation affiliated to the RSS, recently approached the Damdami Taksal, the Sikh seminary once headed by Sant Jarnail SIngh Bhinderanwale, to get their men trained in Sikh religion and philosophy.

"We told them we admit only Amritdhari Sikhs. They did not approach us again," said Taksal spokeseman Mohkam Singh.

"We will become Amritdhari also," says the RSS leader. The RSS treats the Khalsa as a sect of the Hindus created by Guru Gobind Singh to confront Islam, as apparent from the literature. Hence the objection by the radical Sikhs to the designs of the RSS in this border state who assert their exclusive identity.

The agend of RSS in Punjab is: "The RSS is actively pursuing the philosophy and the path shown by Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. The RSS has the same perception of a healthy society and an ideal nation as that of the Guru Khalsa. Both these streams are flowing to get assimilated in the same ocean. The need is to integrate both these streams for speedier flow of the national mainstream."

The RSS extensively quotes Guru Gobind Singh to hammer the point that the Khalsa was created to strengthen the Hindu society. The Sikhs are described as yet another Hindu shakti kendra. Even the setting up of the RSS is claimed to be in accordance with the ideals of Guru Gobind Singh.

RSS leaders say the Panj Piaras (five beloved ones) who were the first to partake amrit were rom all over the country on the analogy of the Hindu maths set up by the Shankaracharaya earlier. The RSS writings also refer to Bachittar Natak, considered to be an autobiography of the 10th Guru to point out that the Sikh Gurus were Suryavanshi and descendants of Lav and Kush, the sons of Bhagwan Ram.

Giani Puran Singh, the Jathedar of Akal TAkhat, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, received a lot of flak from Sikh scholars when he dwelt on the theme of the Sikh gurus being descendants of Lav and Kush.

Then there is the questionnaire prepared by RSS for the school-level competitions which has generated a lot of controversy. Now some of the questions:

-To which caste Bhai Mardana belonged?
-Which of the Sikh Gurus were Sodhis?
-What was the name of the Pathan who stabbed Guru Gobind Singh?
-Which Mughal emperor detained Guru nanak?
-Name the Guru who deputed forces to liberate Ram Janambhumi.
-Name India's first bachelor Prime Minister.
-In which war with Pakistan not an inch of land was allowed to be occupied?

CPI veteran Satya Pal Dang has expressed strong reservation about the questionnaire and has brought under the notice of Cheif Minister Parkash Badal. Meanwhile, the attempt of "assimilation" continues.
vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Bhai Balbir Singh Jee Coming Home!!!!!

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the Gurmukhi text you need to download the font-pack.

This press release is from the www.Tapoban.org website about Bhai Balbir Singh Jee.

I first heard about this singh's detention at the New Delhi airport over 5 years ago. In 2002 I was at the Bibeaksar Raensbyee at Amritsar Sahib and I immediately recognized him and said fateh. He asked me if I was from Canada. I told him that I was from Surrey. We talked for about 10 minutes. Then his brother was there too, he had gone from England to Punjab. I got to know him too. I saw him in India two more times. He is one of the most gentle and friendly people that you will ever meet. He has done enormous sewa in India since his release a couple of years ago. He was severely tortured while he was in prison. It makes me feel a lot better knowing that he will finally be back home in the UK. So here is the official press release:

BRING HOME BALBIR SINGH BAINS
Return this INNOCENT man home to his family
www.bsbcampaign.org

FREEDOM AT LAST FOR BALBIR SINGH!

MK GILL SOLICITORS IN GRAVESEND KENT SECURE THE JOURNEY HOME BACK TO THE UK AFTER 5 YEARS IN EXILE FOR A DEVOTED FATHER OF 5 CHILDREN!!!!

Balbir Singh Bains, who was falsely arrested in Delhi, India in June 1999, will finally place his feet on British soil after a long-running campaign and legal battle.

His story is one of victimisation, false imprisonment, frustrating delays and most of all; it is a story of determination in the face of draconian and heartless treatment at the hands of both the Indian authorities and the British Home Office.

It all began when Balbir arrived at Delhi International airport only to be confronted by Indian police officers who arrested him as he left the main lobby without any explanation whatsoever. This began a chain of events which culminated with Balbir being imprisoned in the notorious Tihar jail as he awaited trial. The court case took place 3 years later! The Judge then proceeded to expose the complete fabrications inherent within the CBI's case against him.

The Judge's actual words in his summation were that the case was "A balloon of falsehoods". His treatment was declared a miscarriage of justice. It was later revealed that the explosives allegedly 'found' on Balbir were in fact from the Indian Secret Service's own supply. They had in fact been planted on him!

Having been completely vindicated, Balbir was finally a free man, only to be told that the UK Home Office was handling his Visa application. Imprisoned in the country that held him captive, he was now told that he would not be immediately reunited with his family.

After his acquittal in May 2002, and having been totally exonerated, Balbir naturally expected to be immediately reunited with his long-suffering family here in the UK, where he has been a model citizen for over 25 years. However, to his absolute shock and horror he discovered that he was yet to face another two years of heart-wrenching separation from his wife and five children. Amazingly, the UK Home Office considered him a threat to national security despite the glaring fact that the Indian authorities had openly declared him a completely innocent individual.

Mrs Manjit Kaur Gill (From Gravesend-based MK Gill Solicitors), who represent Balbir Singh Bains, appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission ( SIAC) on the 18th August 2003 against the decision to exclude Mr Bains from the UK for reasons of National Security. Mr. Bains Solicitors presented such a strong case to SIAC in that substantive evidence in response to the Secretary of States evidence was filed in June 2004 as a result of which the Home Office had no other option but to completely withdraw the case against him and immediately issue him a returning resident visa to stay here at home in the UK.

Finally his five-year ordeal is over, and he will now be reunited with his family back in Southall, UK. The 'Bring Home Balbir Singh Bains Campaign Group', which is acting upon his behalf, will organise a press conference in the imminent future, details of which will be made available in the coming weeks. There will be serious questions asked of those who have contributed to this tragic travesty of justice.

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Insane like Bush

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the Gurmukhi text you need to download the font-pack.

Caption: International Truck and Engine Corp. is producing what it calls the world's biggest production pickup, a 14,500-pound monster capable of towing 20 tons. The 5- passenger 5-passenger CXT is nine feet tall, eight feet wide, 21 1/2 feet long and gets about seven miles on a gallon of diesel. The truck is manfactured in Garland, Texas. (AP Photo/Ketchum Communications, File)
________________________

Growing up I was never the guy who liked to look at cars in the road and track magazine at the school library. But a few years ago the new Hummer H2 came out. And I wanted that no matter what. I was crazy about it for a few weeks. But then I realized that there are better things than monster vehicles. I just wanted a car that gave good gas mileage and looked decent, not to extravagant or grand.

Early this year I finally got a car after soo many years of waiting. I got a 4-door 2003 Honda Civic I am happy with it for the most part except when I have to pay for the gas. Gas prices have shot right up in the past few years. I remember the good old days when gas used to be under 25 cents a liter. When you tell someone that gas was really that cheap, they don't believe you.

This new Yankee craze with full size SUV's is taking its toll on the gas market and the environment. An SUV guzzles upto 3 times more gas than a car. I know a lot of people that have sold their SUV's. I think the government is right to put a SUV tax for non-farm use. Majority of the people never use an SUV for the purpose it was designed for. They never take it off-road or tow a boat. It's all for show. People really have become way too materialistic nowadays.

I went for a jog today and decided to go on 72 Ave, which is one of the most used roads in surrey and I could feel the thick smoke traveling through my nose. It was horrible! And that smoke in lesser concentrations goes into the cars that people drive. This could have severe implications. No wonder so many kids now have asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

The point I wanted to make is that these Yankees don't think. Why should they, they are from Bush's state, Texas. The gas prices are outrageous, there are crammed parking stalls, the roads are narrow, will this truck really be practical? I don't think so. I don't understand the appeal to have huge trucks.

I think they are still at my age 4-5 years ago and haven't grown up...
vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Meeting Bhai Sahib

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ

To view the fateh and Gurmukhi text you need to download the font-pack.

I came from the kirtan in the morning and went straight to bed. In my sleep I had a very powerful dream. I want to mention something here. Ever since I could remember I have had the most amazing and wonderful dreams that anyone could have. Everything from lions to the battle of bhangani. Sometimes when I am in a really deep sleep I have great "epic" dreams. I have learned many things from dreams. When I was living in Abbotsford I had visions of two people whom I really met when moving to Surrey.

Recently I was having a conversation with Bhai Balpreet Singh Jee about a few dreams that I had been having for a few days. I had a feeling that the dreams that I had will eventually become reality one day. But then what Bhai Balpreet Singh Jee said made me rethink my belief. He said,"Are you dreaming these dreams because of your kamaayee, or based on thoughts and perceptions?" Then I told him that I don't any kamaayee nor any spiritual experiences, but just an overactive imagination. If I had consistent amritvela I could easily become the next Bhai Rama Singh Jee. I have so many of my dreams remembered that I could write blogs about them for the next two years.

Back to today's dream: Ok so in my sleep I was going on a yatra(pilgrimage) in some beautiful mountains. The landscape was serene and the air was refreshing. When I got to the top there was a beautiful gurdwara there. It wasn't too big or elaborate, but was just a good looking gurdwara. I reached at the door steps and washed my feet in the foot wash. When I entered the gurdwara complex, I read "Vah Pargatao mardh agamara viryam ekilaa, Vah Vah gobind Singh appay gur chela" I still remember the golden lettering of the pangti.

I walked in and there was a beautiful palkee and chandooaa, and on the far wall there was sign saying "gurdwara patshai dasvee." there was a large window behind the palkee. I did parkarma and bowed down to shri guru granth sahib jee. Then I decided to take hukamnamma, so i went out and did panj ishnaanaa. When I sat down and picked up the choar. Singhs started to walk into the darbaar hall. They matha taked and started to stand behind me. I didn't pay any attention to them and started the manglacharan. When I said gurparsaad, i paused to catch my breath. then one guy pocked me with his fist and told me to read the rest of the mool manter. I started from ik onkar again and they started to cause some commotion behind me

A singh with a teer then walked in and started to beat up the other singhs with the teer. I kept on doing mool manter and finally the elder singh made them sit down and motioned for me to take a hukam. This was the hukam:

 ਸੋਰਠਿਮਹਲਾ੩ਦੁਤੁਕੀ॥
ਨਿਗੁਣਿਆਨੋਆਪੇਬਖਸਿਲਏਭਾਈਸਤਿਗੁਰਕੀਸੇਵਾਲਾਇ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਕੀਸੇਵਾਊਤਮਹੈਭਾਈਰਾਮਨਾਮਿਚਿਤੁਲਾਇ॥੧॥
ਹਰਿਜੀਉਆਪੇਬਖਸਿਮਿਲਾਇ॥
ਗੁਣਹੀਣਹਮਅਪਰਾਧੀਭਾਈਪੂਰੈਸਤਿਗੁਰਿਲਏਰਲਾਇ॥ਰਹਾਉ॥
ਕਉਣਕਉਣਅਪਰਾਧੀਬਖਸਿਅਨੁਪਿਆਰੇਸਾਚੈਸਬਦਿਵੀਚਾਰਿ॥
ਭਉਜਲੁਪਾਰਿਉਤਾਰਿਅਨੁਭਾਈਸਤਿਗੁਰਬੇੜੈਚਾੜਿ॥੨॥
ਮਨੂਰੈਤੇਕੰਚਨਭਏਭਾਈਗੁਰੁਪਾਰਸੁਮੇਲਿਮਿਲਾਇ॥
ਆਪੁਛੋਡਿਨਾਉਮਨਿਵਸਿਆਭਾਈਜੋਤੀਜੋਤਿਮਿਲਾਇ॥੩॥
ਹਉਵਾਰੀਹਉਵਾਰਣੈਭਾਈਸਤਿਗੁਰਕਉਸਦਬਲਿਹਾਰੈਜਾਉ॥
ਨਾਮੁਨਿਧਾਨੁਜਿਨਿਦਿਤਾਭਾਈਗੁਰਮਤਿਸਹਜਿਸਮਾਉ॥੪॥
ਗੁਰਬਿਨੁਸਹਜੁਨਊਪਜੈਭਾਈਪੂਛਹੁਗਿਆਨੀਆਜਾਇ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਕੀਸੇਵਾਸਦਾਕਰਿਭਾਈਵਿਚਹੁਆਪੁਗਵਾਇ॥੫॥
ਗੁਰਮਤੀਭਉਊਪਜੈਭਾਈਭਉਕਰਣੀਸਚੁਸਾਰੁ॥
ਪ੍ਰੇਮਪਦਾਰਥੁਪਾਈਐਭਾਈਸਚੁਨਾਮੁਆਧਾਰੁ॥੬॥
ਜੋਸਤਿਗੁਰੁਸੇਵਹਿਆਪਣਾਭਾਈਤਿਨਕੈਹਉਲਾਗਉਪਾਇ॥
ਜਨਮੁਸਵਾਰੀਆਪਣਾਭਾਈਕੁਲੁਭੀਲਈਬਖਸਾਇ॥੭॥
ਸਚੁਬਾਣੀਸਚੁਸਬਦੁਹੈਭਾਈਗੁਰਕਿਰਪਾਤੇਹੋਇ॥
ਨਾਨਕਨਾਮੁਹਰਿਮਨਿਵਸੈਭਾਈਤਿਸੁਬਿਘਨੁਨਲਾਗੈਕੋਇ॥੮॥੨॥

Then When I got up to leave I noticed some familiar faces. It turned out that the singh who was punching me from the back was none other than Gurpreet Singh Panesar. I couldn't control my laughter. The singh behind me patted my shoulder and i turned around and i was SHOCKED. It was none other than Bhai Jarnail Singh Jee Bhindranwale in a Blue choala and a damala. I got very excited. But then as I was about to ask him questions, someone called my cellular and i woke up.

I have been thinking about this all day. Could this be a sign that Bhai Sahib jee is about to make a return to mainstream sikhi? Who knows.

I did learn one thing, my dream and the beating of jasbir singh rode by Bhai Sahib jee after he read Raagmala at Akhal Takhat Sahib was strikingly similar. Waheguru works in mysterious ways.

FYI: The taksaal, Which Bhai Sahib jee headed, believes that the mool manter is up to hosi bhee saach. While the rest of the panth reads it up to gurparsaad, as written in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Jee many times.

ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਮੂਲ ਮੰਤਰ ਇਹ ਹੈ:
ੴਸਤਿਨਾਮੁਕਰਤਾਪੁਰਖੁਨਿਰਭਉਨਿਰਵੈਰੁਅਕਾਲਮੂਰਤਿਅਜੂਨੀਸੈਭੰਗੁਰਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ

Just Like Punjab!

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

Today I got a feeling that I was really in India. Another singh and I got a motorbike and rode it in the streets after dark. It felt really great. The wind was blowing across my face and the lights were going past like crazy. Although it lasted only about 15 minutes it was one of the most amazing experiences I ever had. In fact is was even better than India. That's because in India the roads have bumps and potholes on them, and it makes for a very bumpy ride and you can't go too fast. The ride today was excellent.

Now I definitely have my mind set on getting a motorcycle license before winter sets in. I only know how to ride a scooter, I have never rode a bike before. I think that a scooter is much more fun than a bike, because of the posture of a person sitting on a scooter is much better than on a motorcycle. The position of the hands/arms is more comfortable as well. I have only seen this, never rode a bike before to actually see how it compares to a scooter.

Oh and by the way, not those 23cc scooters that you see people riding in Newton. I am talking about the real deal one of the big Vespa's, and chetaks.

About two months ago I saw a scooter auction by accident and was completely obsessed with buying a scooter. I looked at a scooter that was a good buy and inexpensive too. But then I went to Toronto for the smagam and forget all about it when I came back.

So yeah, I am going to get my motorbike license after all. :D

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

The Most Important Terrorism Is 'Ours'

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

I don't have time to write up a post today, so I'm giving an article by John Pilger which I found interesting:

The world is dividing into two hostile camps: Islam and "us". That is the unerring message from western governments, press, radio and television. For Islam, read terrorists. It is reminiscent of the cold war, when the world was divided between "Reds" and us, and even a strategy of annihilation was permissible in our defence. We now know, or we ought to know, that so much of that was a charade; released official files make clear the Soviet threat was for public consumption only.

Every day now, as during the cold war, a one-way moral mirror is held up to us as a true reflection of events. The new threat is given impetus with every terrorist outrage, be it at Beslan or Jakarta. Seen in the one-way mirror, our leaders make grievous mistakes, but their good intentions are not in question. Tony Blair's "idealism" and "decency" are promoted by his accredited mainstream detractors, as the concocted Greek tragedy of his political demise opens on the media stage. Having taken part in the killing of as many as 37,000 Iraqi civilians, Blair's distractions, not his victims, are news: from his arcane rivalry with treasurer Gordon Brown, his Tweedledee, to his damascene conversion to the perils of global warming. On the atrocity at Beslan, Blair is allowed to say, without irony or challenge, that "this international terrorism will not prevail". These are the same words spoken by Mussolini soon after he had bombed civilians in Abyssinia.

Heretics who look behind the one-way mirror and see the utter dishonesty of all this, who identify Blair and his collaborators as war criminals in the literal and legal sense and present evidence of his cynicism and immorality, are few; but they have wide support among the public, whose awareness has never been higher, in my experience. It is the British public's passionate indifference, if not contempt for the political games of Blair/Brown and their courts and its accelerating interest in the way the world really is, that unnerves those with power.

Let's look at a few examples of the way the world is presented and the way it really is. The occupation of Iraq is presented as "a mess": a blundering, incompetent American military up against Islamic fanatics. In truth, the occupation is a systematic, murderous assault on a civilian population by a corrupt American officer class, given licence by its superiors in Washington. Last May, the US Marines used battle tanks and helicopter gunships to attack the slums of Fallujah. They admitted killing 600 people, a figure far greater than the total number of civilians killed by the "insurgents" during the past year. The generals were candid; this futile slaughter was an act of revenge for the killing of three American mercenaries. Sixty years earlier, the SS Das Reich division killed 600 French civilians at Oradour-sur-Glane as revenge for the kidnapping of a German officer by the resistance. Is there a difference?

These days, the Americans routinely fire missiles into Falluja and other dense urban areas; they murder whole families. If the word terrorism has any modern application, it is this industrial state terrorism. The British have a different style. There are more than 40 known cases of Iraqis having died at the hands of British soldiers; just one soldier has been charged. In the current issue of the magagazine The Journalist, Lee Gordon, a freelance reporter, wrote, "Working as a Brit in Iraq is hazardous, particularly in the south where our troops have a reputation (unreported at home) for brutality." Neither is the growing disaffection among British troops reported at home. This is so worrying the Ministry of Defence that it has moved to placate the family of 17-year-old soldier David McBride by taking him off the AWL list after he refused to fight in Iraq. Almost all the families of soldiers killed in Iraq have denounced the occupation and Blair, all of which is unprecedented.

Only by recognising the terrorism of states is it possible to understand, and deal with, acts of terrorism by groups and individuals which, however horrific, are tiny by comparison. Moreover, their source is inevitably the official terrorism for which there is no media language. Thus, the State of Israel has been able to convince many outsiders that it is merely a victim of terrorism when, in fact, its own unrelenting, planned terrorism is the cause of the infamous retaliation by Palestinian suicide bombers. For all of Israel's perverse rage against the BBC - a successful form of intimidation - BBC reporters never report Israelis as terrorists: that term belongs exclusively to Palestinians imprisoned in their own land. It is not surprising, as the recent Glasgow University study concluded, that many television viewers in Britain believe that the Palestinians are the invaders and occupiers.

On 7 September, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 16 Israelis in the town of Beersheba. Every television news report allowed the Israeli government spokesman to use this tragedy to justify the building of an apartheid wall - when the wall is pivotal to the causes of Palestinian violence. Almost every news report marked the end of a five-month period of "relative peace and calm" and "a lull in the violence". During those five months of relative peace and calm, almost 400 Palestinians were killed, 71 of them in assassinations. During the lull in the violence, more than 73 Palestinian children were killed. A 13 year old was murdered with a bullet through the heart, a five year old was shot in her face as she walked arm in arm with her two-year-old sister. The body of Mazen Majid, aged 14, was riddled with 18 Israeli bullets as he and his family fled their bulldozed home.

None of this was reported in Britain as terrorism. Most of it was not reported at all. After all, this was a period of peace and calm, a lull in the violence. On 19 May, Israeli tanks and helicopters fired on peaceful demonstrators, killing eight of them. This atrocity had a certain significance; the demonstration was part of a growing non-violent Palestinian movement, which has seen peaceful protest gatherings, often with prayers, along the apartheid wall. The rise of this Gandhian movement is barely noted in the outside world.

The truth about Chechyna is similarly suppressed. On 4 February 2000, Russian aircraft attacked the Chechen village of Katyr Yurt. They used "vacuum bombs", which release petrol vapour and suck people's lungs out, and are banned under the Geneva Convention. The Russians bombed a convoy of survivors under a white flag. They murdered 363 men, women and children. It was one of countless, little known acts of terrorism in Chechnya perpetrated by the Russian state, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, has the "complete solidarity" of Tony Blair.

"Few of us", wrote the playwright Arthur Miller, "can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. The thought that the state has lost its mind and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable. And so the evidence has to be internally denied."

It is time we stopped denying it.

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

The Power of Nature

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

In the past few days I have come to realize some things about nature that I never noticed before. We know that the natives of North America and other parts of the world have a very tight relationship with nature. They depend on nature for the three basic necessities: food, clothing, and shelter. I have just come to realize how dis-associated we really are from nature and how it works.

First this past weekend I was going for a walk and I saw a medium sized tree planted in the sidewalk through a little hole in the concrete. The tree was growing bigger and the small hole and the concrete had many cracks in it and the pavement was all uneven. This was the first time that I put into perspective how powerful nature really is. I never realized this before. Even though I saw the same thing about a 100 times. That really made me wonder if nature could be ever contained. Water could erode away huge rocks by chipping at it drop after drop.

Another thing that I found interesting was something similar to this. There was a kind of a moss that was growing between someone's driveway and the sidewalk. And that growth of moss had made the sidewalk all deformed and out of place. That was amazing how a little plant could dislodge a concrete structure that man(women) had made thinking that it would withstand the test of time.

It also made me realize that this body of ours is many times less secure than that concrete sidewalk. That it takes less than the wink of an eye when the human body is no more. It was through these lines that came to realize that the hukam is all powerful and dictates everything. And waheguru above all is the single thing that make the universe "tick."

Powerful still are the forces of weather. Volcano's, earth quakes, typhoons, tsunami's, storms, lightening, floods, droughts, hurricanes.... When anyone tries to mess with any of these the results can be devastating. Man/woman has not created any kind of a technology that would stop or start any of these events. No one can claim to cause rain, or stop it when it is raining. It just doesn't happen. Why? Because its the will of nature/Waheguru. But I never thought about this before. I think its cool that I realized this.

In class today I recalled something from Feb. 1996. That month there was a science fair at Khalsa School Surrey. When the awards day for it came Dr. Hardyal Singh gave a lecture that I still remember. He talked about how the mind is all powerful. And powerful still is the brain. And powerful still is Waheguru that has made all that. So anyway I was in my computer science class. And the teacher was talking to us about the Japanese program to make humanlike AI(artificial intelligence) from computers. He told us about how it miserably failed. Right then I remembered that speech by Dr. Sahib.

In PSYC 1100 I am learning about the brain. I have already learnt of the amazing memory capabilities that the human brain has. There is more that will be revealed to me in the near future. I never thought that college would be such fun. I am actually enjoying studying now.

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Great Personalities

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

Starting in the next few days I will make posts about the people that have influenced me, my thinking, my personality, and the way I think. That should be quite interesting. Today I don't have the time or the energy to write up a long entry. I have a lot of stuff to catch up on. I need to post the answers to some questions online for my "partially online" History class.

All I can say is that today's lecture on memory by my PSYC 1100 professor was WIKKID!

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Kulwant College

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

Today I went to three classes for the first time this year. They were Political Science, History and English. Despite having three classes in one day I was really motivated, interested and most of all not tired. The History class was at Kwantlen Langley, and the other two were at the Surrey campus.

For those that don't know I am attending Kwantlen University College and go to school at all three locations: Surrey, Richmond, and Langley. If you are wondering about the title of this blog(Kulwant College) let me explain... In 2001 I was in grade 12 and going to PM. At the beginning of the year someone called Kwantlen "Kulwant" college. It soon caught on and by the end of the year everyone said it.

Ok so I had the history class in the morning. I drove to Langley and got there in about 20 minutes, and got to class about 10 minutes late. I did not miss too much. The instructor made the course look quite interesting. I was excited to know that there are going to be quite a few group things. I was not a "group" sort of a person to begin with, but today I was really looking forward to that. I can't figure out why. Maybe it's my strong communication skills that make me want to do things in groups. I don't know... Class was surprisingly not boring, as I expected it to be. I thought that the professor really knew his stuff and seemed like a very helpful guy. I turns out that this guy also co-authored a book, which is out textbook for the class. So he is one of the very best.

I then went to the Surrey Kwantlen library to study with a friend. I read a little handbook on how to write essays on history and how to cite items used in history. That was alright. I did start to yawn near the end.

At about 3:45 I proceeded to the lecture hall in the E building. I was about the fifth person to enter the room. Everyone else was sitting down, and I took a seat too. When it struck 4:00, I was wondering why the teacher had not shown up. Still more people were coming in and sitting down on the desks. When it was 4:30 one girl got up and read the note posted on the door. It told us to go to room # G2535. The whole class felt so stupid for not taking a look at the sign beforehand. So we proceeded up to the classroom. It was empty, there was no one there, and we found a note on the chalkboard telling us to go to the library. By this time everyone was a little annoyed. So we went down to the library and the teacher was waiting for us. We had a little 45 minute class after which we were dismissed. In this class I did learn of very good researching tools that are available to Kwantlen students.

After that I went to my fuffor's(uncle's) house for about an hour.

After that I had my English class at 7:00pm. I do not have any comments about that class except that it will be a very easy year....

Its been a week since school started and still I feel really into it with a great deal of enthusiasm and optimism. I think that it will continue throughout the semester. Most of my teachers are really good and have shown signs that they will really help me if I ever get lost in any of the classes. The only thing that I worry about is the computer class. I am good at everything that has to do with computers but one. That is programming. There is a Visual Basic unit in the computer class and that will be hard, I know it. I got 12% in IT 12 at PM, and that was all VB. Yeah that is how bad I really am.

Overall I think that my two years at "Kulwant College" will be a breeze...

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Sept. 11: MAJOR THUGGI

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

September 11th 2001 has been etched into the minds of millions worldwide. Etched because it was a defining moment in modern history. This was totally unexpected and un-provoked. It was a day that saw 4 planes come crashing down to a fiery doom. It will be remembered as a day when the US was attacked. A horrible, despicable, cowardly act by Islamic terrorists headed by the mastermind, Osama Bin Ladan himself.

But the law of nature/karma states that what goes around comes around. If you do something to someone, it's likely that they will do something back to you. And that could be said about what happened on that Tuesday morning in September... Actions do cause reactions. The truth is that the US for far too long did both encourage and do terrorist acts that for years that the Western World was oblivious to. For far too long the US caused pain and suffering in the middle east and third world countries. The events of September the 11th 2001, was a direct result of that.

Osama Bin Ladan and his supporters are no angels, but their ideology holds sufficient weight. And to pull off something like that they needed to have a great deal of support and loyalty among many different people. The US claims that Osama Bin Ladan is a Madman who wants to destroy humanity as we know it. If that really is the case he would not have a strong network that he has now. If you ask a kid from any Arab country what he wants to be. He is going to tell you that he wants to be like Osama. He is today the George Washington of the oppressed.

I really feel for the Muslims that have been oppressed for decades because of the US. I think that the USA has become too powerful and too blind that they put their own interests before riotousness. They want to have influence everywhere. And that has already cost them. They know that they should not put military bases in areas that are holy to Muslims. But they still choose to do this. This is the main reason why the Arab world hates the US. This and other stupid US foreign policies has turned the majority in the Middle East into US hatters. Whatever the US does they want to do the opposite.

I have been reading about Osama Bin Ladan for about 8 years now. In 1998 I read in a Readers Digest magazine that was the most wanted man by the CIA and had a $10 million bounty on his head. After that his name was mention quite often after that. But he became gupt after that for some time. Until the September 11 attacks... He was the first person to be blamed for the attacks. It was as if the US state department was just waiting for something to happen, and when something did happened they would blame this guy and send troops after him.

So on September the 11th, I had an English test. The night before I forgot to study for it. I found out in the morning that I was supposed to study for it. So I decided to skip that class. I had cable interned then, and I thought that I would download some kirtan from the internet. I ate some fruits with milk and nuts. Then I went to my brother's room and stated to download some kirtan. Then I thought that I should watch the news. I had a full version of realplayer and started to watch the msnbc network. There was a story about Bush doing a rally or something. I turned up the volume and came to get a drink of water. When I came back real player crashed. I turned it back on and there was a little window showing a huge building being hit by a plane.

It had happened. This was the first plane that hit. It was 9:**am PST when that happened. I was in total shock. Totally in disbelief. I could not believe when was being shown. I thought that this was a prank. I turned on the TV in the family room. And there too there was the same horrifying image. And all channels had stopped regular broadcast and were covering this event.

From the time between the first plane crash to the second one in new York. The impression the reporters gave to the viewer was that this was an accident. That the plane had accidentally crashed into the WTC. But then as the second one and the one that hit the pentagon came to knowledge, it was certain that this was no accident-it was a terrorist act.

That reality would not sink in. I could not believe what had just happened. It took time for me to realize what had just happened. Finally I know that this was planned by someone. Within a few hours reports came to surface that this was an Al-Quida operation led by Osama Bin Ladan. Initially I did not believe that. A man sitting in a cave with no power, no resources, no logistics, few men, a man with no connections, a man cut off from the world could even attempt to do something like this. I was quite skeptical about this whole blame Osama thing. I did not buy this for some reason.

Then the way that the third place crashed in a field looked fishy too. I thought that it was shot down by F-14's. They knew that it was headed towards another target and they wanted to shoot it down before it ever got there. I think some people reported that too, but then they made up a lie that "Oh some guy called his family on his cell phone and told them that he is getting ready to 'roll'..."

First of all when the plane is at cruising altitude cell phones do not work! Where did they get this from? This just proves that the American public takes everything at face value and never bother to critique the "facts".

The next day I went to class and I had a lot to talk about. There was a big discussion about what happened. Israel was discussed. It was me on one side and the teacher and the rest of the class on the other. I took the stand that it was a Jewish conspiracy that they caused it and planted evidence against Osama. The rest of the class said that it was done by no other than the Islamic Terrorists. There were no Muslims in the class, so I decided to defend them. It was really fun. In the end I came out victorious. It was because I had gone to this one site and read all the material there. I think it was this. By the end of the day I had convinced many people in the class that it was indeed a Jewish conspiracy to give Muslims a bad name.

The fallout from this event was bitter. Some Sikhs also felt the heat in the US. A few were killed in cold-blood. The brunt of this was faced by amritdhari singhs.

This one event has changed the 21st century as pearl harbor changed the 20th starting with Afghanistan and Iraq. More is sure yet to come...

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Trip to the US

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

Today I went to get my brother's computer parts from my Uncle's house in Lynden(WA). I went with my parents and I really enjoyed the drive there. While driving today I felt like how I felt when I first got my license. Driving was actually interesting and exciting. 16th ave is very scenic and has a lot of rolling hills, which I just love. It is all farmlad from White Rock until 264th Ave.

Today is September the 11th and every single house in that little city had a US flag lowered. I was thinking that the people in the US are way more patriotic than Canadians. We would never do that, especially Punjabis.

I have finally got my computer back from my brother after about a year. I am so excited!

I don't want to write too much because I need to back up my ikirtan site. There is a hurricane headed towards Florida, and the host doesn't have a backup :S I will try to write the Sept. 11 2001 special tomorrow... So that is all for today....
vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Eating and Sleeping Less

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

Today I went to the Gurdwara Sahib Singh Sabha Surrey. I reached there at about 7:00pm. As I climbed the front steps I could see Bhai Balbir Singh sitting there at the receipts "chonkee." I said fateh to him from a distance and went to take off my shoes in the rack area.

I came out and sat next to Bhai Balbir Singh. We talked about a few things and then the President of the Gurdwara, Joginder Singh came and sat down next to us. He told Balbir Singh that why doesn't this singh do a raul(two hour paath shift). I explained that my legs fall asleep and start to hurt really badly. He asked me if I had become a buda, and old man, already. I told him yes. Jokingly he asked me if I had turned 70 yet. I told him that I only turned 22 a few weeks ago. He asked me to get married. I told him that I don't want to get married. I got a little offended by that and left to sit in the main hall.

In the main hall there were dhadis doing the katha of Mata Ganga Jee and Baba Bhudha Jee. And out of nowhere He said a pangati from Bhai GurDaas Jee's Vars. Hun tis ghool kamayea thoora sovee thoora he khavvaae. That just hit right home and I was submerged into deep thoughts about this. After a few minutes I finished thinking and I made a commitment to not sleep or eat in excess. After that I started to listen to the dhadi vaars and katha and enjoyed it quite a bit. Only until a few years ago I started to understand what the dhadhi's sing. Before that I had no clue what the loud singing with dhad-sarangi was about. So yeah I liked that quite a bit.

Then when they dhadhis were about to finish off their session, a "sant" that was going to do a kacchi bani session next came and as soon as the dhadi guy saw him he said: now sant jee has entered the building and they will enlighten the sangat with priceless "bachans." I didn't like that very much and decided that I should walk out and head home.

Then I made myself sit for another 20-25 minutes. This baba had a huge white instrument that was something like a beefed up version of an electronic keyboard. One of his chele took like 10 minutes to set everything up. So that was a huge distraction. Finally the baba sat on the stage and I was surprised that he looked nothing like a "sant." He looked very "desi."

One thing bugged me, they weren't wearing any Huzooryae, no one except for one chela, who I thought we the "sant", he looked like one. He had good things to say. And he didn't look like a thug to me. He seemed alright. He did some kacchi bani, which by the way was expected of him. It wasn't that bad. I picked up some things about him as well. He was talking about how the human body/soul is like a dirty pot, in which you want to carry milk/gurmanter, and in order to do that you need to really clean that body-roopi pot. He told one or two good sakhis.

My legs went to sleep and they went to hurt and when I was not able to bear the pain I left. On the way out I met an old friend, asked him how he had been, said fateh, got my shoes and walked out the door.

On the way home I kept thinking about how I should eat and sleep less. By the time I reached home, I was certain that I will follow this new eat+sleep less theory.

So day one of this(tonight), coming home from the gurdwara, I did not eat anything but 2 apples. I have made it for day one. And I hope to sleep about 6 hours today. We'll see how it goes....
vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

An Act of Pure Hate

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.

Just about half an hour ago I found out something that I knew I would have to come to know sooner or later. My friend from California was kicked out of the website team for a leading panthic organization. I really felt hurt when I heard about this. Not because they kicked him out, but by what the reason behind it was.

The person in question is Manjot Singh a truly panthic sewadaar, who has been doing a lot of good for sikhi for the past five years. He is the man behind W!N, a youth organization. He has put in literally 100's of hours on panthic projects.

About a year ago one very popular site(I won't name it) at the time made him an administrator. Everything went well until mid July when they asked him to disassociate himself from Tapoban Sahib for reasons unknown.

And today his account was disabled by these "panthic" sewadars. Actually I don't feel too angry, because Manjot singh is a person who is above all this and doesn't care about this. He didn't need to be there in the first place. I now understand what kind of people these guys are. They have a deadly, venomous agenda that they are pushing for. Their intentions are evil. This is all I have to say...
vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Dastaar Ban in France

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.
I was just reading the below on the CBC website:

France's hijab ban
CBC News Online | September 7, 2004

France's ban on religious symbols and apparel in public schools took effect Sept. 2, 2004. The ban includes all overtly religious dress and signs (including Muslim headscarves, Sikh turbans, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses). However, the furor over the ban has focused mainly on the banning of Muslim headscarves or hijabs.

There are about five million Muslims in France – five to 10 per cent of the population – the largest Muslim population in Europe.

Some have boiled the debate over the law down to a battle of individual freedom of religious expression against unity and political neutrality.

Support for the ban

France has placed an emphasis on laïcité, or secularism, in modern society. As part of this desire to separate religion and government, religion is given no special status though it is respected and can be freely practised. This system was initially established to prevent religion from interfering in government affairs.

Today, the same concept is being applied in support of the ban on religious symbols in France's public schools.

Some also believe that this ban will help prevent the division of society into ethnic communities, and promote integration into French society.

"Secularism is one of the great successes of the Republic," said President Jacques Chirac in an address to the nation in December 2003. "It is a crucial element of social peace and national cohesion. We cannot let it weaken."

Arguments against the ban

In December 2003, shortly after the French government announced its intention to ban religious attire, about 3,000 demonstrators marched in the streets of Paris. A global protest followed in January 2004, with demonstrations occurring in cities across Europe and North America.

"We live in a country which is supposed to defend human rights, and to practise one's religion is a human right," said Betayeba Hayet, one of the French protesters.

Opponents of the ban say that it violates international laws on the rights to freedom of religion and expression, and that religious practices should only be limited when there is a public safety concern or the practices affect the rights of others.

In addition, some say that this law disproportionately affects those for whom the wearing of religious symbols is considered an obligation, not a choice, such as the wearing of the hijab for women of the Muslim faith. There is also concern that this could discourage school attendance by Muslim women.

Finally, there is also some debate over the fact that the law does not ban all religious symbols, only "obvious" religious symbols. However, whether the fact that this law is selective means that it is also discriminatory has not yet been decided.
-----------------------------
I feel really sorry for the sikh students that have to put up with this nonsense in France. The French government is clearly racist towards minorities like sikhs and Muslims. This is going to infuriate the likes of Bin Ladan and will result in more attacks against the French and Germans.

I'm surprised why they need to get this bill passed in the first place. What was the need to ban religious symbols? Oh they are saying that they want to separate church and state. That's alright. But how could someone wearing a turban interfere with a free society. And these people making policies like these are supposed to be the brains of the country?!?!?!? The way I see it the future of the French people looks very grim. They need a new governmnet that represents all people equally. I am surprised why the UN is not doing anything. I think that the UN is becoming a lost cause day by day....

I wear a Dastaar(turban) and wear the traditional Punjabi cloths, with a Kirpan on top. Now tell me how I would be a problem for someone that goes to the same school as mine... Everyone at school accepts me for who I am, no one gives me a weird look. The majority thinks that my attire is pretty cool even. Even though I don't like every law in Canada, the ones concerning personal rights are perhaps the best in the world. Only in Canada you can be proud of who you are. Canada is the best place for a sikh to live. You can smell the freedom.

Another related point... Say if the French government wants to take a look at legalizing the dastaar in French schools, one obvious question they will have about sikhs is, why don't all sikhs, male and female wear the turban. They will say that if a sikh woman doesn't need to wear a dastaar, why do the men need one. And sikhs will have no answer. In sikhi there is no distinction between what a man and a woman's code of conduct.

This is all happening because some British backed Jatehdar in the 1920's laxed in the dastaar being a mandatory kakaar for sikh women. We are paying the price for that today. If the Khalsa kept this rahit and all other rahits from the beginning situations like this would never rise. There is still time, Akal Takhat Sahib should issue a hukamnaama ordering all women to wear a dastaar all the time.

I can't believe the hypocrisy of some "sikhs." I was at the Abbotsford nagar kirtan and in the very front after the nagara there were about 20 women who all had saffron Dastaars and were holding little nishaan sahibs. And that got me thinking, why couldn't they have just normal women without dastaar. It made me realize that the gurdwara management actually felt that the dastaar indeed does have significant value and importance. But I knew that there were not 20 dastaardhari bibbian in Abbotsford and that they had just tied them for the nagar kirtan. As a costume. But if they had any love for sikhi they would wear them everyday. So that was a little hypocritical. Wearing a dastaar just for show, not as a rahit...

If there is a sikh bibi without a dastaar, she feels out of place and that something is missing for some reason. I dont get why sikhs take the sexist approach towards women. And on the other hand they claim how Shri Guru Nanak Dev Jee gave such great status to women. Oh yeah he gave it, but there are only some who have adopted that unique and godly staus by tying a dastaar.

If anyone is more interested in reading the book on the Dastaar by Bhai Uday Singh Jee let me know antipanchain@hotmail.com...

LONG LIVE THE DASTAAR!!!!!

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

Chechnya: The Next Punjab?

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh

To view the fateh you need to download the font-pack.
First of all what happened in this state is truly sad, secondly this seems to have many similarities to what went on in Punjab, BUT Sikhs did not ever kill any innocents. This was way out of line.

A few hundred children were blown up by the hostage takers inside of a school. The majority of them were children.

geographically Chechnya is quite similar to Punjab, but a bit colder. Apparently there is oil in the region, but Punjab is known for its farming and hydro power.

There has always been a spertist movement going on in Chechnya since the 1900's. In 1994 Boris Yeltsin ordered in 40,000 troops there so that it could remain a part of Russia. The Russian Army underestimated the power of the Chechens who fought back but were defeated. But it took 13 months for the Russians to take complete control. Over 100000 people were killed in the campaign.

Bloodshed has been going on there ever since. Before this incident I used to consider the sepritists as heros who were fighting a just cause. But this was an act of pure stupidity.

But this latest thing that they did was just stupid, They should not have taken innocent children hostage like that. This has given the Chechnya rebels a very bad name and they will never be forgiven for what they have done to little kids. Little kids are considered a form of god. And that was an act of total evil. I don't think that these guys have any brains at all. They will surely lose the fight to get an independent state.
vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw
vwihgurU jI kI Piqh