Freed

Here is a fascinating website for all you Heritage/History Buffs : http://www.britishpathe.com/ If you do a search for 'Sikh' you will get loads of interesting images ranging from 'Celebrations for Guru Nanak's 500 prakash utsav 1969' to 'Churchill inspecting Sikh troops with Stalin at Tehran' There's 'Master Tara Singh's "Fast to Death"' - A sikh policeman in Eastham 1970- 'Partition' - a gurpurb at mukhtsar 1943 - and soldiers from the 1920's plus lots more - It will give you hours of amusement -- well if you're a sad git history buff like me it will !! No matter what area you are interested in - be it Soldiers,Nihangs,Diaspora Sikhs, History,Changing Costumes/fashions its all here - Plus almost every Major Historic world event of the modern era -- The web stats say The Titanic and the Rise of Hitler are the favourites -- and of course 'BeatleMania' !! High res versions can be bought --- Now there's a project for Gurdwaras/kar sewaks or those with deep pockets ! -- Make a Sikh Archive - We are always being told that Sikhs dont read books - what better for the 30 second attention span 'Youth of Today' than moving pictures !! -- better use of money than plastering the gurdwara walls in ceramic tiles ! -- Sewa for the future generations ! **Spread the word to your local Gurdwara Committee - you never know !! I'll get off my soap box now ! -- Have a look at the images -- I think the lottery funding runs out soon - so have a free look while you can !!

Here is a definition from Guru Sahib: ******************* *Rehatnama Bhai Nand Lal (Prashan-uttar Attributed to Nand Lal) Nand Lal speaks: Doha 'You say that we should behold your presence, O Master. Tell me where we are to find you.' (5) the Guru speaks: Doha 'Listen attentively, Nand (Lal). I am manifested in Three ways : the formless or invisible (nirgun), the material or visible (sargun), and the divine Word (gur-shabad). This I shall explain to you. (6) Chaupai 'The first of these transcends all that is material . It is the neti neti of the Vedas, the spirit which dwells in every heart as light permeates the water held in a vessel.' (7) 'The second is the sacred scripture. This you must accept as part of me , treating its letters as the hairs of my body , This truly is so,' 8 'Sikhs who wish to see the Guru will do so when they come to the Granth. He who is wise will bathe at dawn and then will walk thrice around (the sacred Granth). (9) Dohara Come with reverence and sit in my presence. Humbly bow and hear the words of the Guru Granth. Chaupai Hear the Word with devout affection for the Guru. Hear the Guru's Word of wisdom and read it that others may also hear. The person who wishes to converse with me should read the granth and reflect on what it says. (10) The person who wishes to hear my words should devoutly hear and reflect on the Granth. Acknowledge the Granth as my visible presence , rejecting the notion that it is other than me. (11) The third form is my Sikh, that Sikh who day and night is immersed in the words of sacred scripture (gurabani). The Sikh who loves and trusts the Word of the Guru is an ever-present manifestation of the Guru, (12) Such a Sikh is the one who hears the Guru's words of wisdom and reads them so that others may hear. Attentively he reads both Japuji and Jap, visiting places sanctified by the Gurus (guradavaran) and strictly avoiding adulterous liaisons. (13) The Gursikh who is faithful in service will find himself cleansed from all sense of self-dependence. He who is scrupulous in performing these obligations is the Sikh in whom I am made manifest. (14) Dohara Worthy is the Sikh who serves with devotion, expressing his obedience to me in the generous offerings, which he makes. (15) Such is the service which I receive from a Gursikh. Hear me , Nand (Lal). Giving himself he finds the deliverance which carries him to Paradise (baikunthe) (16) Nand Lal speaks : You have told me of three forms, Master: the invisible, the visble, and the Guru's Word . The invisible form we cannot see, and the visble is the obedient Sikh. (17) Chaupai How can we comprehend the infinity of your invisible form? The universe is your form, you whom we call Master , and your presence mystically pervades every heart . (How then can we perceive you ?) 18 The Guru Speaks : You are a devout Sikh , Nand Lal . Hear this divine message which I impart to you. See the Guru as visible presence in his Sikhs and first you must serve me by diligently serving them (19) Next you must serve me by singing the divine Word , accepting it as truly a sign . He who accepts the scriture as the (Guru's) Word shall come to an understanding of (his) infinite being . (20) And so I conclude this homily , Brother. He who reads or hears it and pays careful heed to it will find himself the object of much admiration, his spirit mystically blended in Mine . This message of comfort and joy was delivered on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Maghar, S. 1752 (4 December 1695 CE ) . Let the Guru's praises be eveywhere sung declares Nand Lal . (22) *Taken from Sikhs of The Khalsa , A history of the Khalsa Rahit . W H McLeod . OUP 2003 . page 265-8 *** Note this not the complete rehatnama - first chaupai is missing - Version in Gurmukhi lipi can be found in 'Bhai Nand Lal Granthavali ' Ganda Singh . P U Patiala 2000 pg186 or 'Rehatname' Piara Singh Padam Singh Bros. 2000 pg 55

"Tanazzulat" - Nirguna / Saguna ~ According to Bulhe Shah * from 'Bulhe Shah' Surindar Singh Kohli. Sahit Akademi. New Delhi.1987 page35-7 Concept of God The main theme of the works of Sufis has been the love of God. Bulhe Shah believes in both aspects of God : His Transcendence and His Immanence. He says: Ahd Ahmad vich farak na Bulhia, ik ratta bhet marori da. (There is no difference between Ahd and Ahmad, the only secret is that of the twist of "M".) Ahd is the unmanifested Brahman (Nirguna) and Ahmad is the manifested Brahman (Saguna). The twist of "M" is the Maya. The Lord devoid of all attributes (ahd) appears as the world of Name and Form . This idea has also been expressed by Bulhe Shah in another way: Ain Ghain di hikka surat, Vich nukte shor machaya hai (the letter of the persian alphabet 'Ain' and 'Ghain' have the same shape. Only a dot above the latter has created the tumult) In this case Ain is the unmanifested Brahman and Ghain , the manifested Brahman. In Sufi teaching, this doctrine is known as Tanazzulat or the descent of the Absolute. Bulhe Shah belongs to the monistic school of Muslim thought, which holds that there is only One Essence. Everything is God and of the essence of God. This school is known as Wujudiyya. Bulha says: 1. Tusi sabhani bhekhi thhide ho Har ja tusi diside ho (You are there in all guises. You are seen at every place.) 2. Kahu bair para kahu beli hai Kahu Majnu hai kahu leli hai Kahu ap Guru Kahu cheli hai (Somewhere He is an enemy, somewhere a friend; somewhere He is Majnu and somewhere Laila; somewhere He is the preceptor and somewhere a disciple.) 3.Kahu Turk musalma parhte ho Kahu Bhagat Hindu jap karte ho Kahu ghor ghungat main parte ho Kahu ghar ghar ladladai hai (Somewhere you are a Turk reciting Kalimah; somewhere you are a devoted Hindu absorbed in meditation; somewhere you hide yourselves in a thick veil and somewhere you indulge in love in every home.) 4. Kadi ho asmani behnde ho Kadi is jag te dukh sehnde ho (Sometimes you take a seat in the heavens and sometimes you bear the sufferings in this world.) Such examples can be multiplied. Just as many kinds of ornaments are made of gold, as depicted in the Vedanta, Bulhe Shah gives the example of the earth from which numerous kinds of 'jivas' and other articles are produced. He says: Vah Vah mati Gulzar Mati ghora mati jara mati da asvar Mati mati nu dorave mati da kharkar (Wonderful is the garden of earth. The horse, the suit of clothes and the rider are all made of earth. The earth makes the earth run and the noise thus created is of earth.) According to Bulhe Shah, whereas the Lord is Omnipresent and all pervading, He appears as Light (jot) and is Most Beautiful(jamal). He is both Az-Zahir (the evident) and is Al-Batin (the hidden). He is both Al-Awwal (the First) and al-Akhir (the Last). He is Al-Wahid (the one). He is al-Khaliq(the creator).He is Ar-Rahman (the Merciful), and ar-Rahim(the compassionate). But above all He is Al-Wadud (the Loving). He is the Beloved, who responds our love. He is also Al-Gaffar (the Forgiver) and Al-Karim (the generous). He, the Al-Haqq (the Truth) is Al-Basir (the seer) and the al-adl (the just). Bulhe Shah had full faith in the Grace of God. Though God is Just , He is also Graceful. Bulha says: Adl Kare ta jaa na kai Fazlon bakhrapave ( O, God, if you do justice , I cannot stand anywhere, but you can give me some share because of your bounty). About the Grace of the Lord, Bulha says: Vah jis par karam aveha hai Tehqiq uh bhi tai jeha hai Sach sahi ravait eha hai Teri nazar mehar tar jai da (It is wonderful that whosoever comes under your Grace, he undoubtedly becomes one with you. Truly, this is the tradition that one ferries accross (the world ocean) with your Grace). God plays hide and seek with the lovers, who want not only to have a sight of Him, but also to be with Him eternally. Bulha says: Tusi chhipade si asi pakare ho Asi vich jigar de jakare ho Tusi aje chhipan nu takare ho (you are hiding yourself , but I have caught you. I have imprisoned you in the heart, but still you are powerful to hide yourself.)

Hope this doesn't sound flippant - its a favourite 'joke' of mine and an instant debate winner-but if bloodline is important doesn't it mean that Amitabh Bacchan has a claim to be 'Jathedar' of Akal Takht as his mother is the grand daughter of Khem Singh Bedi -14th descendent of Guru Nanak's second son ? Didn't the Bedi's appoint Ranjit Singh as Maharaja ? Then again Amitabh couldn't do a worse job than Vedanti - plus Amitabh's got a better voice !! Advance apologies for the poor humour !! or if I've offended anyone !

The Sufi saint Sham of Tabriz wrote: He she you we in the garden of mystical lovers He she you we These are not true distinctions.

The Turban'd Man A Turban'd Man ! The owner of the skies ! I hear his footfalls in the garden of my heart, my life throbs in his lotus feet ! Eternal are his Turban Folds of Love ! The planets wait as birds in nests as at close of night, for the Dawn that breaks above them. He is the king of Creation's heart; he wears the crown of love-grown cotton and love-spun thread and love-woven cloth. His crown is made of the rolling Waves of the Sea of Light ! Has not the Sun dropped from those Turban Folds ? The stars were scattered abroad at night in the sky, Above them I saw the Edge of his Crown of Mists ! The beaming Faces said, "Tis Mid-night Moon," But I, of lower rank than they, at night, while digging earth, murmured slowly to myself within, lest someone heard my word: It is the light from his Turbanned Brow . * from "The Sisters of the Spinning Wheel and other Sikh poems" Puran Singh. J M Dent & Sons London 1921 - page 29

“The early breeze before dawn is the keeper of secrets. Don’t go back to sleep! It is time for prayer, it is time to ask for what you really need. Don’t go back to sleep! The door of the One who created the world is always open. Don’t go back to sleep.†Rumi

* From Bhai Nand Lal's GanjNama - in praise of Guru Nanak Sahib Haq chu Khudd vasifash chigoim man Dar rahe vasafe oo che paim man l13l When the Almighty Himself sings his (Guru Nanak's) praises, what praises can I sing? How can I travel on such an exalted path of praise ?

Hope this goes some way to answer your question Rupz. *from the dedication / Mangalacharan of "The Pilgrim's Way - Diwan of Bhai Nand Lal Goya,Poet Laureate at the August Court of Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj" - B P L Bedi 1999. "Guru Gobind and God were one to Bhai Nand Lal Goya. As a poet Bhai Nand Lal sang of the Almighty but for naming his qualities he drew inspiration from Guru-Darshan."

My personal favourite - just gorgeous - sublime ! DASVEN PATSHAH SAHIB SIRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI MAHARAAJ - PANTH KE VAALI SHAMSHER PITA - SAB THAEE HOEH SAHAI !!! *********** Deeno duniya, dar kamande aan pari rukhsaar ma Har do aalam, keemat yak taar mooeh yaar ma Maa name aarem taab gamzaae miygaan oo Yak nigaah jan fazaaish, bas bavad darkaar ma Gaah Soofi, Gaah zaahad, Gah kalandar me shavad Ranghaae mukhtalif, daard but ayaar ma kadar laal oo, bajuz aashaq, n danad hech kas Keemat yakoot dand,chashm gohar baar ma har nafas 'Goya' b-yaad, nargis makhmoor oo Bada-haae shauk me naushad dil hushiaar ma. My Faith and Action, are both prisoners of the fairy-faced. The present and the here-after weigh less than a single hair of my Beloved. I cannot bear the dart of an eye drunk with love. One life-giving glance is enough for ecstasy. Sometimes a mystic. sometimes a hermit, and sometimes an epicure. My Beloved, like a changling, roams in many forms. The price of the jewel none but the lover knows. The value of the tear-born pearl only my tear shedding eye knows. Every breath is dedicated , Goya , to the thought of the intoxicated narcissus, The cup of those eyes from which my heart drinks the wine of awareness . ( page 5 of B P L Bedi 1999)

Deede akhar taalb maula, Rahe Maula griffu . Hasil umar graamee ra, aazi dunia griffu. Hech kas beroong n bashad, az svaad zlaf to een dill dewana-am, aakhar hami sauda griffu. gair, aan sarv ravan, hargiz n yabd, dar nazar tan kad raanaae o, dar deeda-e ma, ja griffu az nadaae naka-e leila dile shoreeda-am hamchun majnu mast gashto, rah sooe sahra griffu khush name aaid mara, harfe bagair az yaad haq ta hadees shauk o, andar dilm maava griffu ta bayai yak nafas, bahar nyaaz kidamatt chasham gohar baar ma, khush loolooe laalaa griffu me baraaid jaan man, imrauz, az raah do chashan naubat deedar oo, ta vaadaa-e faarda griffu gair hamad haq, nayaaid, bar zabaanam hechgaah haamal een umar ra aakhar dil 'goya' griffu. YOU SAW HIM !! At last the Seeker found the way to Him. What was the end of existence, you achieved it, in this life itself. No body escapes the noose of your ravishing locks. My heart once caught by it has been twirled into mad subjection. Except the sight of the beloved, nothing fascinates me. Ever since the one, slim like the cypress, has begun to dwell in my eyes. The call of Leila's camel made the heart tumultuous, Like Majnoon, it too lost itself and ran to the desert. Nothing but the thought of the beloved finds way into my heart. The song of love echoes through every fibre of it. To be, in your presence, for a single breath, my eye happily sheds pearls, tinted poppy red. My life is leaving me, through the two eyes, To be on the way to tommorrow, my date with the beloved. Nothing but the praise of the True one, comes to my tongue. Your heart, O Goya, has achieved the ultimate of life. *from The Pilgrim's Way - Diwan of Bhai Nand Lal Goya B P L Bedi - P U Patiala 1999 - page 26-7 (apologies for any errors in transliteration - that was done by me)

Sant Attar Singh Reru Sahib Wale - Gurdev of Sant Isher Singh Ji Rara Sahib wale

Amrita Sher-Gil - Feminist icon -Daughter of a Sikh Aristocrat and European mother -- perhaps too much is made of her private life deemed "risque" in some Indian circles but her work is remarkable - way ahead of other indian artists of the time (1930 40s ) particularly her rural female studies.

Amrita painting the musicians, 1940 *taken from exhibition catalogue "Amrita Sher-Gil : Icon - works and memorabilia from her last years - 6th - 20th April, 2004"

Thanks for the extra info Amandeep !! Do you know if Indarjeet Singh has written about his experiences growing up a Sikh in pre / post war Britain ? - it must of been very different to the 1960s 70s Any info greatly appreciated !

"Arpana Caur .......in front of her work depicting the 1984 anti-Sikh violence" * from The Sikhs - Khushwant Singh, Raghu Rai . Lustre Press 2001 pg 81

'Immersion, Emergence' - Arpana Caur - 2001 "This diptych is a contemporary artist's interpretation of the incident in Guru Nanak's early life. when he is said to have remained under the waters for three days, emerging with mystic insight" from Marg , Vol. 54, No. 4, June 2003. pg.20.

Sorry for Typo - should have been " shot O'Dwyer 3 years later "

Close up on Udham Singh. The English couple standing in front - were the caretakers of the Gurdwara Udham Singh is the one (without beard) at the top of the picture

Here is a fascinating photograph It was taken at the original Shepherd's Bush Gurdwara(Sinclair Rd London) - on the Guru Nanak Janam Diwas Gurpurb - 18 November 1937. On display are a myriad of turban styles , smart suits, waist-coats and watch chains. There are little boys in turbans and short trousers, ladies in sarees and fur coats. However what makes this image fascinating is Udham Singh Shaheed standing right at the back. Udham Singh shot O'Dwyer a year later on 13 march 1940. The image includes leading lights,students, workers- all 'classes' though the majority are described in the photo's caption as 'Singhs from the Bhatra Biradari' ( the central two rows standing). *photo taken from "Pirtan - Cultural kosh Bhag 1" C S Chan (around 1985 -not really a book just a collection of copied images )

This post has no "Hate Filled agenda" -- just a mark of respect to the victims. Please do not turn this thread into a platform of hate - I just wanted to share some disturbing images from the time - that deeply affected me. As a 14yr old in England at the time - I couldn't and still cannot imagine what horrors were committed. Many Thanks

Refugees in their own City. This image has always deeply affected me - the boy in the foreground bearing the scars of having his kesh hacked off -with his hands outstretched- especially.

Trilokpuri Widows

destruction

fires