Guru Hargobind and Kaulan
by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur KhalsaWahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.Lately, I have been leisurely perusing The Sikh Religion by Max Arthur Macaulifee. It was written nearly 100 years ago in what reads like very formal, Biblical English. For some, the language is too thick to penetrate, but my mind screens out the “Thees” and “Thous.” Longing to glimpse the remarkable history beneath.Call it my prejudice from all those hours studying feminist theory in college, but the stories in Macauliffe that capture my attention the most are those brief brief passages that describe interactions between the Gurus and the women of their time. There are the famous Sikh women that we all know – Bibi Bani, the wife of Guru Ram Das; Mata Sahib Dev Kaur, the mother of the Khalsa; Mata Gujari, the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur and mother of Guru Gobind Singh.But in the writing of Macauliffe, one can also find other women’s stories. Kaulan, the daughter of Qazi Rustam Khan who ran away from her father’s home to take residence in Amritsar.Click here to read full post
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An interesting road sign in Malaysia
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Playing the bagpipes is not as easy as it looks. I gave it a try and believe me it's not easy. I tried pretty hard and only managed a few squeaks. I ended up all dizzy and lightheaded from trying to play. I'll have to practice a bit more.
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Evening Simran "Jam session" at Anil's house. A bunch of the Malaysian youth brought their instruments (drums, guitars, didgeridoos, tablas, etc) and we all had a great time singing together.
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The Dasmesh Band (Hear the bagpipes)
Download FileThe Dasmesh band performs all over the world for special events. I missed their performance at the Cheras Vasakhi program so was happy when they agreed to come over to the house an play the bagpipes again. Something about the sound of the pipes that is soo cool. Thanks guys! Above is a short video clip from last night.
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With the Dasmesh Band
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Group picture of some of us after the Simran Session
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The Indiana Jones Bridge
Here is the bridge that we crossed hanging a few hundred feet above the ground. It was quite an adventure crossing it.
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Walking through the jungle in search of the river. We were going to go to a waterfall but the road was under construction so had to turn back after an hour long drive. We then tried to go down to the river, but the water current was too strong to swim in. We then headed to an "Eco park" which we saw along the way...but their pools were being cleaned out. Then we tried to go to a place that had hot spring water...and it was so hot that you could not even put your feet in the water without burning. So... I guess God didn't want us to swim or get in the water that day.
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Sri Dasmesh School
Yesterday I spent a few hours at Sri Dasmesh School with some of the kids from different classes. This is a private school in Malaysia that has a large percentage of Sikh students (90%?). This was a fun time with kids sharing some of my experiences as a Sikh and starting SikhNet. I also spent time teaching some meditations to help the kids relax and stay focused. I had fun talking with the kids and seeing their bright smiles. Something about being with kids feels great.
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Talking with the kids during lunch after the classes
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Doing a breath meditation to calm and focus their minds...
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The senior class listening to my talk about SikhNet and being a Sikh in America
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The kids listening during my class
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Some of the students, teachers and me after the classes
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All the kids wanting to get in the picture
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kids full of joy
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The kids playing during a break
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Delicious dinner at Mohan Singh and family's house.
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Prabhjivan Singh jamming on the tablas before going to sleep.
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Singapore "Saturday Night Live" (as dubbed by Rajvir Singh)
This Saturday night (April 8th) from 7pm to 8:30pm I'll be having a small meditation / discussion workshop here in Singapore (Silat Rd. Gurdrwara). If you are around the area please do come and join us!
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The Gurpuri Kids
Yesterday I had a chance to visit the
Gurpuri Foundation which is a foster home for children in Malaysia. It is a home for the underprivileged, orphaned and neglected Sikh children. This center was founded and run by Giani Sukhdaiv Singh. A big task to undertake...and a great seva by him.
It was very touching to be able to spend some time with them. One can only imagine the pain and challenges that these children have gone through. Behind the veil of some of the smiles I sensed a deep hurt and pain in many of the children. I went there to talk with the kids and teach a bit about meditation. I was surprised how good they were at doing the meditations. I taught one meditation which is mainly using the breath (breathing) and another chanting Mul Mantra. They seemed to get into the meditation. I didn't know what to expect before going to meet them, but after the fact I realized I should have done some "ice breaker" games to relax and open them up. They were extremely quiet and you really had to work with them to get smiles to break open and encourage them to talk.
I had another meeting with some Sikh youth right after Gurpuri meeting (in another city)...but I really felt the need to spend as much time with the Gurpuri kids as I could. When you are there with the children all other things don't seem to matter any more. I felt the need to give them as much attention and energy as possible. Most of us are lucky to have families and loved ones to give our lives joy and love. These kids only have each other, and need all the love and support from people around them.
To Learn more about Gurpuri or to support the kids visit: http://www.gurpuri.org
Here is a group picture of some of the kids from Gurpuri.
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Some of the children meditating and chanting mulmantra together.
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Kids meditating
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Some of the kids cutting vegetables for dinner
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Sounds of the Birds
Every morning as the sun rises and I am meditating out on the balcony there are these birds that make their sounds. It is so peaceful hearing them at this time. You can hear the fountain and the birds in the following audio clip.
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"Khalsa ji" (Giani Mohinder Singh) came for a visit yesterday and we had a chance to discuss all kinds of things related to Sikhi.
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Rajvir Singh and "Khalsa ji" (Giani Mohinder Singh)
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Here are some super cute kids I was hanging out with yesterday. They were so much fun to talk with and didn't give up in their efforts to get me to swim in the swimming pool....or play "twister".
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The beautiful garden at Anils house (where I am staying)
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Cheras, Malaysia - Vasakhi Grand Event
This past weekend was a whirwhind of activities. I attended the yearly 4 day celebration of Basakhi held by the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM). It was a nice event and got a chance to interact with so many Sikhs. Here are a few pictures from the event. I was so busy with all the happenings that I didn't have a chance to take very many pictures.
Kayla (My cousin) and Rajvir Singh from Singapore helping out at the SikhNet booth. They were a great help since so many people were coming and one person can only talk to so many people at the same time.
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During the weekend I did two workshops with some of the sangat. During the time we had a chance to talk about "Your mind and meditation."
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People meditating during the workshop
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Kayla (My cousin) was here all week. She came with my mother on a trip to India. This was her first big trip. I'm sure it was quite interesting for her, though she did look a bit bored at times since she is not a Sikh and didn't really get into the events.
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Some of the youth who did some cool music with Dhols and Bag pipes. I just barely missed it and only heard a few seconds of it. It sounded great though. I wish I had heard more of it.
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The Youth Center which is the location of the 4 day Vasakhi celebration every year in Cheras, Malaysia.
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As I finished langar I walked past the sevadhars cleaning the dishes and as soon as I raised my camera...the plates covered there faces. It was pretty funny. I tried to be sneaky...but they were too fast for me. Too humble sevadhars.
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A program for the kids
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It was so nice having my mother there at the Program this weekend. She did quite a bit of kirtan during the few days she was here. I really enjoyed sitting with the Jatha and singing along as a family. I guess I have to go all the way to Malaysia to see my mother :) She lives on one side of the USA...and I live on the other.
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Main Darbar Sahib
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Gurmeet Kaur and Company...
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A view from the back of the Gurdwara area during Kirtan.
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Some of the Guru Ram Das Ashram Crew...
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These two were some cute kids that I had a chance to talk with while sitting at the SikhNet table. They are great kids...and were full of joy.
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Sat Kirin Kaur (mataji) and Jatha doing kirtan
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Saturday night talking to the Sangat during the Gurdwara.
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Just finished the Cheras Vaisakhi Program (Malaysia)
Well I am here in Malaysia and finally over the jetlag. The first 3 days I was "floating" around and so spaced out because I was exhausted. Today was the last day of the 4 day Vasakhi celebrations that they have here in Cheras (KL), Malaysia. It has been really great....but non stop. So many people to talk /share with and so little time. I haven't had a chance to even get on the computer..but will try to post some pictures later on.
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Trying to get connected to the neighborhood "cybercafe". We don't have internet in the house...so I went on the balcony to see if there were wireless networks in the area...and to my joy there were a bunch of people in the area with wireless internet....so was able to piggyback on the network. I don't get reception inside so keep moving the laptop around the roof trying to keep the connection. All part of the fun!!
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Morning Sadhana out on the balcony. It's been so nice just waking up in the morning and walking out onto the balcony. I then do my daily sadhana outside as the sun rises. In the distance I hear some of the muslim prayers being broadcasted from nearby temples. Then as the sun rises some very unique sounding birds and the sounds of the fountain in the garden. It is quite peacefull.
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