Happy Basakhi

Punjabi New Year…

Today is magical as Punjabis all over the world celebrate Basākhī (also pronounced Visākhī). It’s a festival of great joy, fervor and reverence. Not only does it mark the start of the harvest season in Punjab but also celebrates the day Guru Gobind Singh created the ‘Khalsa panth’ that organized the Sikhs into a military/martial race to be reckoned with. This is a very significant festival that I look forward to celebrating all year.

For me this festival will be tomorrow, and about 12 hours behind LA time! I will be going to the LA convention center, where i will land in a sea of color (all punjabis know to wear their best and boldest colors); the gurudwara will be decorated beautifully and I will feel the divine in the Shabads; the ‘kara parshad’ and ‘langar’ will be warm and delicious, plus there will be warm jalebis coming right out of the pan; the bazaar will be buzzing with folks buying and bargaining; I will hear the energetic and mesmerizing ‘dhol’ (and maybe see some spontaneous ‘bhangra’ and ‘giddha’ dance performance, or singing of ‘boliyans’ or ‘tappas’); I will see ‘gatka’ for sure; and of course the ‘nagar kirtan’ (street procession) thru the streets of downtown LA where lots of free food and drinks will be offered to Angelenos!

I can’t wait for tomorrow & hopefully I will upload all the pictures. Now its time to iron my clothes and prep for tomorrow….

PS- Uncovered an interesting fact from my father. The Khalsa was formed on March 31st by the 10th Guru (based on the punjabi calendar) but now it’s celebrated each year on April 13th.

Mamaji Gursharan…

photo-2019-01-25-15-57-17 Last Sunday night came the news that Mamaji Gursharan passed away. Although this is a shocking and sad news, but knowing that he’s returned back to our maker (to a better place away from the pain and suffering of this physical plane) is comforting.

How do I pay homage to this larger than life Uncle? He was an extremely accomplished and dynamic human being. Born on 19th November 1930, at home in the ‘Kila’ in Gujjarwal, he was 3rd of seven sibling (with my mother being the youngest and 15 years his junior). He finished his FSc from Government College Ludhiana, and went to Punjab Engineering College Roorkee (which later relocated to Chandigarh), where he graduated as a ‘Civil Engineer’. I remember him sharing that this was a time when even the engineering students got assigned butlers’ (a legacy pf colonial India!).

His first job was the construction of the ‘Bhakra Dam’, where he worked under Harvey Slocum, a renowned American civil engineer and dam-building expert (famous for building the Grand Coulee Dam in Oregon). Bhakra Dam was called the “New Temple of Resurgent India” by the first Prime-minister of Independent India and freedom fighter, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru. His career also took him to Ghana and Iraq, where he helped these governments/companies with irrigation, dam and/or canal building/management expertise. He retired as the Chief Engineer of Punjab.

As I write this blog, an ‘Akhand Path (continuous prayers)’ have commenced. Although I can’t be there for his final ‘Antim Areas and Bhog’, I want to commemorate him, this amazing man, my beloved Mamaji. I love you Mamaji, and one day we will all meet again in the ethereal plane. Till then God Bless and ‘Shabba Khair‘. Continue reading “Mamaji Gursharan…” →

Lohri

Yesterday was ‘Lohri’, so we went to the local Gurudwara to celebrate. It was filled to capacity and it was lovely to see all the couples with newborns, plus all the newlyweds, being honored and celebrated. In addition to the ‘Divan’ (court/congregation of the Guru), with ‘Kirtan’ and ‘Shabads’ (holy hymns) and ‘Hukam’ (Guru’s lesson of the day) obtained from the Sacred Book, there also was the bonfire ceremony where we tossed (as well as ate) sesame seeds, peanuts, ‘rewaries’ & ‘gachak’ (peanut brittle) and popcorn into the fire. People sang traditional ‘boliyan’ (songs) and danced (performed ‘Bhangra’). It certainly was very joyous and I am glad that I went.

Apparently, the festival of ‘Lohri’ is always celebrated on January 13th each year (which is unique as it doesn’t follow the traditional lunar calendar). It celebrates and honors ‘Dullah Bhatti’ who was a dacoit who stole from the rich and gave tor the poor (aka the Robin Hood of Punjab), and most importantly saved young women from the invaders or cruel abductors, who used them to fill their harems or sold them as sex slaves. He then would get them married and for that reason the festival of Lohri always celebrates the newly weds and newborns. For these reasons, the most popular song sung during Lohri commemorates him and the lyrics goes as following –

Sunder Munderei. Ho!
Tera Kaun Bechara. Ho!
Dullah Bhatti Wala. Ho!
Dullah Dhi Viyahi, Ho!
Sher Shakar Pai. Ho!
Kuri de Mamme Aaye! Ho!
Unane Churi Kuti, Ho!

My friend also pointed out that this ritual also salutes the fire gods and when we toss the sesame seeds, we call out ‘Udham Aaye, Dalidar Jaye. Dalidar Di Jaad Chule Paye‘ (Energy come, laziness depart. Roots of laziness gets thrown/burnt in the fire’. This revelation was amazing as it reminded me of the fire jumping ritual that some of my Persian friends did during their festival for fire (Chaharshanbe Suri) where while jumping over the fire they said something like ‘take away my paleness (my troubles) and give me your redness’. In that part of the world, do we have common festivals? Regardless, Happy Lohri everyone!

God, does He/She really exist? (Part 1 of 3)

Discussion this week with my father was particularly very intriguing, stimulating and thought-provoking. We talked about God consciousness. Does God really exist? Why is Sikhism there are numerous names for the Divine despite the belief in one supreme God ‘EK Omkar’ (who prevails in everything)? Has anyone seen It/Him/Her (including Prophets, Gurus, Sages or even any mortal)? etc.

In the foundational Sikh prayer, the ‘Mool’ or ‘Mul’ ‘Mantar,’ the nucleus of Sikh beliefs, he shared that our first teacher Babaji Guru Nanak, simply and poetically rendered this prayer upon realizing the Divine (and that all Sikh scriptures including ‘Guru Granth Sahib Ji,’ ‘Japji Sahib’ have the ‘Mool/Mul Mantar’ as a foundational prayer so that Sikhs can first learn, understand, live and embody the ‘Mool/Mul Mantar’ and remain in reverence of the Almighty).

Mool/ Mul Mantar – Ek Omkar, Satnam, Karta-Purakh, Nirabhau, Nirvair, Akal-Moorath, Ajooni, Saibhang, Gurparsad, Jap! Aad Such, Jugaad Such, Hai Bhee Such, Nanak Hosee Bhee Such.

(by Shivpreet Singh)

Translation– All pervading infinite spirit, Truth is Its name, Creator of everything, Fearless, Inimical to none, Immortal/Timeless, Unborn, Self-illuminated, he can obtained thru courtesy of the Guru, Meditate/ remember him! True in the beginning, True thru all the ages, True even now, Oh Nanak, It is forever True.

We further discussed that although we Sikhs believe in One Supreme God (Ek Omkar), who prevails in everything, however, there are numerous and multitude of names to call the divine (Just in Babaji Guru Gobind Singh’s Jaap Sahib there are approximately 900 names for God. We don’t how many exist in ‘Guru Granth Sahib,’ in ‘Japji Sahib,’ ‘Gutka,’ ‘Pothian,’ ‘Nitmen,’ etc.

Next – Part 2 : Has Anyone Really Seen God?

PS – A noteworthy post that I found very interesting was by Mr. Brijdeep Singh, titled ‘Mool Matra, Fountain, Spiritual, Temporal Wisdom’, available at: https://sikhsailor.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/mool-mantra-fountain-spiritual-temporal-wisdom/. This is a very wonderful and intensive spiritual, metaphysical, scientific and temporal interpretations of the Mool/Mul Mantar did with lot of love and ‘Bhakti’. Thank you Veerji Brijdeep Singh Ji.