Khalsa Credit Union Calendar: V2

Khalsa Credit Union, dubbed as 'ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦਾ ਸਰਵੋਤਮ ਫ਼ਾਇਨੈਂਨਸ਼ਲ ਅਦਾਰਾ'(leading Sikh financial institution) and a ‘Symbol of Economic Progress of Sikhs in BC’ has been celebrating 20 years of existence this year. It opened up in 1986 and has seen considerable growth since then.

Most of us have been used to seeing their famous line of calendars, the one for the upcoming year is due for release anytime now. For a while I’ve wanted to post on the September 2006 graphic they included in the current calendar:

This is a picture of a guy and his family on what looks like the rooftop of Darbar Sahib(Amritsar). There’s nothing out of place with the picture itself, seems just like your average devoted family…… that is until you look up at the line from Gurbani from the top right. The last 2 lines of a shabad from Ang 172 make it very hard not to make the connection with the text and the pilgrimaging family:
ਹਮਅਪਰਾਧਪਾਪਬਹੁਕੀਨੇਕਰਿਦੁਸਟੀਚੋਰਚੁਰਾਇਆ॥
ਅਬਨਾਨਕਸਰਣਾਗਤਿਆਏਹਰਿਰਾਖਹੁਲਾਜਹਰਿਭਾਇਆ॥੪॥

which translate into

“I am a sinner, I have committed so many sins; I am a villainous, thieving thief. Now, Nanak has come to the Lord's Sanctuary; preserve my honor as it pleases Your Will.”

I wonder what the guy will think if he ever comes across the calendar. Using lines from Gurbani out of context obviously isn’t new. But it’s beginning to make a huge presence felt on the roads of Surrey. Although it’s hard to spot a bus or truck windshield free of assuring-feel-good quotes from Gurbani in Punjab. You almost forgot it ever existed here. First the shiny CDs, then the chrome Khanda hanging from the rearview mirrors and more recently the ever increasing number of construction vans and trucks with ਤੂੰਮੇਰਾਰਾਖਾਸਭਨੀਥਾਈ॥, ਤੂਦਾਤਾਦਾਤਾਰੁਤੇਰਾਦਿਤਾਖਾਵਣਾ॥ etc. on the front windshields bring Surry that much closer to the GT road culture of Punjab.

Just as the October came to an end, the page turned and another surprise was in store for November:

Nice obesity Poll

Should Americans do more to prevent childhood obesity?

[1]Yes, there should be mandatory testing and counseling at school

[2]Yes, more optional education for children should be available

[3]It is a problem, but it will hurt kids’ feelings to dwell on their weight

[4]No, it is not a big deal

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(from a small US newspaper site)

Multiple choice questions on exams are most enjoyable for me, not necessarily because they’re easy to figure out or even because if you don’t have a clue you still have a 20-25% chance of getting your ‘educated guess’ beign declared correct.

No, not because there isn’t much writing involved. In fact this type of question would almost be a disaster for the marginally confused. Well with the host of choices provided it would make them confused a 100% and lead to panic. That’s why short answer type doesn’t prove to be such a huge bai-izzati inciting threat, leaving it blank doesn’t automatically mean that you didn’t know the answer (it could be that you meant to do it at the end of the exam, but you forgot, among other perfectly acceptable terms) This is not the case on multiple choice. There is a 75-80% chance that the laystudent will prove how big of a fool he/she is…

Anyway, it seems that more and more literacy based evaluations include multiple choice questions these days. A huge chunk of Government high school exams have for years been mostly this type. This is the exact reason why most wonder how they barely escaped the F when they got above 80% for the class mark.

And so it’s working well­, actually better than any educator might have expected it to. The invention of Scantron marking systems, and widespread application of the same have made the marking process that much more streamlined for the teacher and ‘piece of cake’ seeming for the ever confident student.

However it is not as simple as it seems. Usually in a question that gives you 4 possible choices, two are usually pretty closely related to the question; what separates the ‘correct’ answer from the one you ‘think’ is the right answer is almost non-existent. Barely recognizable at best to infinitely interchangeable time and time again in most cases.

The best thing about any multiple choice exam (assuming it’s done right): the remainder of the rest. This is what I enjoy the most! These are the remaining 2 or 3 questions that you make yourself believe are true. Most do get fooled into doing so and end up losing a mark. This is where the bei-izati points really start to add up.

Precisely because of this reason I really look forward to multiple choice exams. They are much fun to go over, especially if it’s done right. Some of these possible answers get trapped in your long term memory and linger there for many days and bring many a spontaneous smile…

Actually the latter 2(or more) are the really ‘way out there’ ones which make no sense whatsoever and yet they confuse the overwhelming majority. Why even have these as a selection in the first place? They simply work as intended!

And now you know exactly how they work!

So it brings us to the poll at hand, since it relates to this subject so well:

Using the information provided above, Can you classify the 4 choices above into first the 2 logical categories then chose the CORRECT answer?

Should Americans do more to prevent childhood obesity?

[1]Yes, there should be mandatory testing and counseling at school

[2]Yes, more optional education for children should be available

[3]It is a problem, but it will hurt kids’ feelings to dwell on their weight

[4]No, it is not a big deal

Lion's Roar

THis is another verse again from Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh's ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਝਲਕਾਂ anthology (poem# 15) about Guru Nanak Dev Jee's Parkash:

ਪ੍ਰਗਟੇ ਜੋਤੀਸ਼ ਗੁਰੁ ਚਾਨਣੁ ਜਗਤਿ ਭਇਆ,
ਮਿਟ ਗਈ ਧੁੰਦ ਅੰਧਕਾਰ ਬਿਨਸਾਏ ਹੈਂ।
ਜੈਸੇ ਦਿਨਕਾਰ ਉਦੇ ਹੋਤ ਉਡਗਨਿ ਛਪਹਿ,
ਧਰਤਿ ਅਕਾਸ਼ ਉਜਿਆਰ ਉਜਰਾਏ ਹੈਂ।
ਮ੍ਰਿਗ-ਰਾਜ ਬੁਕੇ ਮਿਰਗਾਵਲੀ ਪਲਾਇ ਜਾਤ,
ਇਕ ਛਿਨ ਪਲ ਭਰ ਧੀਰ ਨ ਧਰਾਏ ਹੈਂ।
ਧੀਰਨ ਧੀਰਾਨ ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰਨ ਪੀਰਾਨ ਗੁਰ,
ਕਲਜੁਗ ਮਹਿ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਧਾਰ ਆਏ ਹੈਂ।੧੫।

This stanza expands on Bhai Gurdass Jee’s famous Pauree:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਨਾਨਕਪ੍ਰਗਟਿਆਮਿਟੀਧੁੰਧਜਗਚਾਨਣਹੋਆ॥
ਜਿਉਂਕਰਸੂਰਜਨਿਕਲਿਆਤਾਰੇਛਪੇਅੰਧੇਰਪਲੋਆ॥
ਸਿੰਘਬੁਕੇਮਿਰਗਾਵਲੀਭੰਨੀਜਾਏਨਧੀਰਧਰੋਆ॥
ਜਿਥੈਬਾਬਾਪੈਰਧਰੈਪੂਜਾਆਸਣਥਾਪਣਸੋਆ॥
ਸਿਧਆਸਣਸਭਜਗਤਦੇਨਾਨਕਆਦਮਤੇਜੇਕੋਆ॥
ਘਰਘਰਅੰਦਰਧਰਮਸਾਲਹੋਵੈਕੀਰਤਨਸਦਾਵਿਸੋਆ॥
ਬਾਬੇਤਾਰੇਚਾਰਚਕਨੌਖੰਡਪ੍ਰਿਥਮੀਸਚਾਢੋਆ॥
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਕਲਿਵਿਚਪਰਗਟਹੋਆ॥੨੭॥

The Kabit meter and general flow of stresses is based on Bhai Gurdass' Kabit: '...ਸੁਪਨਚਰਿਤ੍ਰਚਿਤ੍ਰਬਾਨਕਬਨੇਬਚਿਤ੍ਰਪਾਵਨਪਵਿਤ੍ਰਮਿਤ੍ਰਆਜਮੇਰੈਆਏਹੈ॥..."
Lose translation:

Light fills the universe as Guru Sahib is revealed, the fogs of darkness vanish.
As the stars of the night sky disappear at dawn, earth and sky are illuminated.
The ‘Lion-King’ roars and herds of deer flee, in an instant.
Ever peaceful Guru- the greatest saint, has revealed himself in the dark age.

Ever-glowing Lamp

From ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਝਲਕਾਂ by Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh Jee
From: poem #15 'ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦਰਸ ਹੁਲਾਸੜੀਆਂ'

...ਪੂਰਨ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਪੂਰਾ ਪੁੰਨਿਓਂ ਅਕਾਸਿ ਚੰਦ, ਘਟਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਦੀਵਟੀ ਸਦੀਵ ਹੀ ਜਗਾਏ ਹੈਂ।
ਦੀਪਕ ਜਗਾਇ ਖਟਿ ਆਰਤੀ ਉਤਰਵਾਇ, ਆਪਣੀ ਹੀ ਆਪਿ ਗੁਰੂ ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਵਾਏ ਹੈਂ।
ਸਦ ਨੌ ਬਹਾਰ ਸਸਿ-ਭਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਰੁਤਿ, ਕਾਰਤਕ ਮਾਸ ਗੁਰ ਪੁੰਮਨ ਮਨਾਏ ਹੈਂ।
ਕਾਰਤਕ ਮਾਸ ਗੁਰ ਪੁੰਮਨ ਸਦੀਵ ਤਾ ਕੈ, ਜਾ ਕੈ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਜੋਤਸ਼ਿ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਏ ਹੈਂ।੧੪।...

Inseperable Form

The Bhai Randhir Singh whom most associate with is the great freedom fighter, a revolutionary, someone who sacrificed decades sitting behind bars engrossed in Naam and Bani. Some see him as the one who inspired Bhagat Singh and countless others, even today. He’s remembered as the premier scholar, the golden bird of the Panth, the athority on practical Gurmat through hsi own experiences explained through Gurbani. He was all this and a lot more.

But to truly understand Bhai Sahib, the best way is to rely on his two volumes of poetry- first hand, direct, untouched, unaltered just the way he witnessed everything. Only through his poetic works one realizes the full force of Bhai sahib’s experiences. There really isn’t anything else out there that can even remotely match up with Joyt Vigass. It’s unfortunate it has very limited mainstream exposure. I too didn't realize this until a few years ago until i read Joyt Vigass and actually understood parts of it.
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Bhai Randheer Singh Jee wrote this poem on November 2, 1933 for Guru Nanak Dev Jee’s Parkash celebratins. Each time there was a major Smagam coinciding with a historic day he would write a poem and send it out as an invitation. 24 such masterpieces are compiled in the anthology known as 'Darshan Jhalkaa(n){ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਝਲਕਾਂ}

Bhai Sahib uses a wide range of stylistic measures for the different poems. The image of Guru Sahibs and Akhal Purkh is depicted very vividly across all the works in this collection. His poetry is very deep compared to many other Punjabi poets, mostly because the lines embody deep spirituality within them, the way he felt it. Reading his poetry leads one to experiences a source of bliss that no other poem even comes close. Listening to this poetry has a stange calming effect, but if one understands what he wrote it suddenly becomes clear what Bhai Sahib was about.

The Gurmat-based approach to word choice is strikingly unique compared to any other modern poet becuase he embodies only words used in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Jee. There hasn’t been anyone else who’s been able to freely use Gurbani termnology in verse flawlessly with surprising frequency. It's with this recurrent use which shows his clear understanding of GUrbani resulting in the captivating effect it has on the reader.

Bhai Sahib employs the Kabit meter throughout this whole poem, similar in poetic measure to Bhai Gurdass Jee’s Kabit Swayeeai. These are the last 2 of 7 verses from poem 3 titled

'ਟਕਸਾਲ ਵਾਲੇ ਮੋਦੀਆ':

ਨਰਦ ਨਿਹਾਰ ਨਿਸਤਾਰਿਆ ਜਗਤ ਸਾਰਾ,
ਭਗਤਿ ਵਿਥਾਰ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਕਰਤਾਰ ਦੀ।
ਨਾਮ ਪਰਸਿੱਧ ਤੇਰਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੀ,
ਮੂਰਤ ਪ੍ਰਤਖ ਤੂੰ ਅਲੱਖ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਦੀ।
ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਕਾਲ ਨੂਰ ਤੇਜਸੀ ਜਲਾਲ ਕ੍ਰਾਂਤ,
ਸਾਂਤਕੀ ਕਮਾਲ ਕਣੀ ਜਲਵ ਜੋਤਾਰ ਦੀ।
ਜਲਵ ਜੋਤਾਰ ਝਲਕਾਰ ਦੀ ਅਮਿੱਤ ਗੱਤਿ,
ਮਹਿਮਾ ਅਪਾਰ ਤੇਰੇ ਦਿੱਬ ਦਰਸਾਰ ਦੀ।੬।

ਦਿਬ ਦਰਸਾਰੀ ਦਿਬ ਦ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟ ਨਿਗਾਰੀ ਜਨ,
ਲੱਖਨ ਪਿਖਨ ਤੇਰੀ ਤੱਤ ਜੋਤਿ ਮੂਰਤੀ।
ਮੂਰਤੀ ਅਨੂਪ ਰੂਪ ਬਿਸਮ ਸਰੂਪ ਇਕ,
ਜੋਤਿ ਆਭਾ ਅਨਿਕ ਉਦੋਤ ਤੇਰੀ ਮੂਰਤੀ।
ਅਨਿਕ ਉਦੋਤ ਆਭਾ ਅਛਿਤ ਅਛੋਤ, ਦਸ,
ਦ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਯ ਇਕ ਜੋਤਿ ਓਤ ਪੋਤ ਤੇਰੀ ਮੂਰਤੀ।
ਅਨੰਗ ਤੇ ਅਭੰਗ ਤੂੰ ਅਭੇਦ ਹਰਿ ਸੰਗ,
ੲਕ ਮਿੱਕ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਅਦੋਤ ਤੇਰੀ ਮੂਰਤੀ।੭।

Although it’s impossible to even attempt to accurately decipher this into English and nothing except the original can do justice to the verse, a rough translation of the two quatrains is given below anyway:

With one glance the Guru liberated humanity, through the Creator’s Name.
Your name is famous savior, your Godly image clearly visible, yet unseen.
The timeless image radiates bright with force, light of peaceful splendor.
The glittering flash sparkles abound, your image radiates with infinite greatness.(6)

Glimpses of your piercing eyes, I see and understand the true light.
Your unequaled image is astonishing, brings luminosity shining.
Immeasurable radiance blossoms forth-complete, 1 is in all 10 forms.
Gorgeous, indestructible, inseparable, one with God is Guru Nanak.(7)