GURU WON D ER

Nowadays one sometimes reads about incidents in India of mistreatment and disrespect of women, and that can never be condoned. However just like a few trees do not define a forest, an aberration does not define a civilisation. Contrary to common belief, in India, as in most agrarian societies the Goddess the provider of all things, as mother nature, has always been revered. In such societies the female has always been respected, loved and worshipped. Hindu and later Sikh trad

How feeble must be a God who needs the help of politicians, militants and priests? Yet we arrogant human fools persevere in our efforts to save God. Every one talks about rights, and it's true that within a democracy each individual is promised certain rights, by the State. However these rights are not absolute, for they are linked to upholding responsibilities and they are granted on the condition that they do not trample over the rights of other citizens, society at large a

My Anglo-Indian schooling conditioned me to be an Anglophile. Amongst the long list of Britishers I admired was Winston Churchill (1874 -1965). So when I learnt that a BBC 2002 poll on the 100 Greatest Britons of the last century, the British people chose Churchill as the greatest. I decided to learn more about Churchill. It is painful to see your hero fall. I was dismayed to discover not a hero but a witty, evil, inhuman creature. While Hitler and his Nazi cohorts took 12 ye

We often just imbibe aspects, of the dominant culture, its values, language and beliefs without even realising it. When we delve deeper,  we can be fascinated by what we learn about different cultures, languages, philosophies, religions etc. A recurring doubt, why when offering condolences on the loss of someone do they say  'May his soul Rest in Peace' ? Raised as a Sikh (the Guru's disciple in search of truth) the concept of 'Rest in Peace' (RIP) from the Latin 'Requiescat

The Chinese want to be an empire and that too in a hurry. In their desperation they have pushed the world to the brink. There is only one empire at the present time and that is United States of America and it is under assault by the People's Republic of China who have openly declared to replace America as the world's leading superpower at all cost. With cunning and ruthlessness China was well on track. It might have become a global empire within another 20 to 30 years. Howev

Coronavirus pandemic, has made many people realise that unnecessary physical contact will have adverse consequences. People have begun to greet one another with the world famous 'Namaste' or 'Sat Sri Akal'. The wise have learnt that in addition to physical, there are also psychological and spiritual consequences of unnecessary physical contact. People across the world, have reduced the shaking of hands, embracing and kissing when they meet, choosing instead to using the greet

Updated: 10 Apr 2020 Readers asked an important question, what were the chances of survival, were someone contracted COVID-19 Coronavirus. No one really knows, but here are some facts. Young or old the virus will infect anyone it gets a chance to whenever we let our guard down. The factors that lead to higher chances of fatality are, Age, pre-existing health issues with Cancer, Cardio vascular disease, diabetes, place of residence and work, government policies and their abil

Every society has some form of social stratification. In India this was originally done on the basis of one's knowledge, skills and merit, called 'Varna' Over the centuries it kept on degrading until it came to be based on birth rather than merit. Thus powerful non meritorious groups cornered most of the rights and wealth and oppressed the weaker. This lead to the easy conquest of India by foreign invaders initially Muslim and later European. The promise of Islam to the downt

"TRUTH is within ourselves; it takes no rise From outward things, whatever you may believe. There is an inmost centre in us all, Where truth abides in fullness; and around, Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in, This perfect, clear perception—which is truth. A baffling and perverting carnal mesh Binds it, and makes all error: and, to KNOW, Rather consists in opening out a way Whence the imprisoned splendour may escape, Than in effecting entry for a light Supposed to be w

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There are no enemies nor strangers Bhai Kanhaiya Lal (1648-1718), left his service as an officer in the Mughal army, and came to serve the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bhadur ji After the martyrdom of the Guru he longed to meet the noble Guru's successor, Guru Gobind Singh ji, the 10th Sikh Guru. Arriving at Anandpur (Panjab) in 704 C.E. Bhai Kanhaiya found that the Guru and his followers under attack by the combined forces of the Rajput Hill Chieftains and the Mughal army. The R

A mother accompanied by her young son came to meet the Indian Saint, Baba Farid ji. The woman pleaded, "Babaji, my son consumes an excessive amount of sweets, and I want him to stop. But he does not listen to me. Please I beg you, to scold him, or bless him with some common sense and get him to stop eating so much sugar." Babaji asked the woman to return in a months time. The woman could not understand why a person of Baba ji's fame and stature needed a month's time to simpl

The Queen who almost destroyed the Portuguese in India. Little known to many, is the fact that, the Portuguese were extremely brutal and the longest colonisers of India. They ruled large parts of India for almost 450 years. Assisted by a noble body of people and her two daughters the fearless queen of Ullal, Rani Abbakka Chowta (1525 -1570) contained the Portuguese expansion for more than 40 years. Had she not been betrayed by other greedy rulers and her estranged husband,

Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.* ~ Ancient Indian saying A recent UNESCO study on all of the 46 notable civilisations that ever existed since the dawn of known time, reveals that only one survives till this date. That is the Indian civilisation, old and yet thriving. The terms 'empire' and a 'civilisation' are often used used interchangeably even though there is a vast difference between them. Its necessary to distinguish the di

People all over the world are the same, unless forced, to be different. I started out with the intent to greet my Parsee and Iranian friends on Nowruz the Farsi New Year (21st March). a 3,000 year old Zoroastrian tradition. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is almost identical to Navreh a 5075 year old Kashmiri Hindu tradition. It signals the start of Spring and the new year. Preparation of the festivities begin with cleaning up their homes and buying new clothe

Open any of the Indian school books and you will discover, what we teach our children about Indian independence? That non violence got us our freedom. This is untrue. They blatantly disregard the blood, sweat and tears contributed by countless Indians and even many Britishers and Americans. Gandhi ji is revered by many, not only in India but across the world for propounding the philosophy of non violence. That is why he is is popularly known as a Mahatma (great soul). No doub

In the year 1666 on Diwali day, a great and revered Muslim holy man, a Sayyid, Pir Bhikam Shah, at Thaksa (Haryana, India) was offering Namaz facing west towards Mecca, when he suddenly turned east towards Patna (India), bowed with great humility and offered Namaz. He explained to the stunned crowds, "God's light has descended on earth, I must leave, to go there immediately." Guided by a divine light Pir Bhikam Shah set off for Patna about 1100 kms (700 miles) away. Travell

The disciples of Guru Gobind Singh ji Wherever one travels in the world, one is sure to encounter Sikhs, a people like no other. They are usually handsome, hard working, magnanimous, friendly and passionate. To understand and appreciate the Sikhs one has to look at the ten Gurus, whose teachings the Sikhs imbibe. To be industrious, seek oneness with the divine and live well while sharing with others. The Sikhs have always been a peace loving people. With the grace of the 10th