Harbhajan

Your mind is a garden, Your thoughts are the seeds, You can grow flowers or You can grow weeds.

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=6e2ecc42-9396-4421-9f81-e761436e9cf0 Jail terms follow murder of local woman in India Jonathan Fowlie Vancouver Sun Monday, October 24, 2005 An Indian court has given seven men life sentences in connection with the murder of a 25-year-old Maple Ridge woman five years ago, the Tribune News Service of India has reported. Jaswinder Kaur was killed in 2000 after she and her new husband were attacked while riding a scooter in India, allegedly because her family did not approve of the man she married. Kaur had married a poor Indian rickshaw driver from her mother's home village of Kaunkey in early 1999. On June 8, 2000, she and her husband were attacked by four men with sharpened field-hockey sticks and other weapons. Kaur's husband Sukhwinder Singh was left for dead, but survived the attack. Kaur was taken away in a car and her body was found the following day in a canal with her throat slit. Among those convicted in a Sangrur court on Friday was a head constable of the Punjab police, Tribune reported. The seven men were also ordered to pay a fine of 5,000 rupees, or about $132 Cdn. Four of the 11 men who had been charged in the case were acquitted. In addition to the seven convictions, police in India have begun extradition proceedings against Jaswinder's mother Malkiat Kaur and her uncle Surjit Singh. The B.C. residents are alleged to have contacted a man in India from Maple Ridge to hire contract killers, according to the Tribune report. On Sunday, Cpl. Tom Seaman of the RCMP said the Canadian arm of the investigation into Kaur and Singh is "ongoing" and that officers working on the case will meet today at headquarters to discuss the recent developments. jfowlie@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Sun 2005

Express your inner values Do your outer choices reflect your inner values? If not, then your life will move from one conflict to another. Yet when the choices you make do indeed come from the person you are, then you will travel steadily in the direction of your highest visions. When your actions are in agreement with your purpose, those actions will surely take you where you most want to go. Why would you ever act in opposition to who you truly are? Unfortunately, there are plenty of temptations to do so. It could be that you're worried about what others will think, so you go along with what they expect you to do, even though it hurts somewhere inside. Or it could be that you crave the false sense of security that material possessions and shallow pleasures seem to offer. Yet the real you, the beautiful, unique person inside, knows better. The more you allow your own deeply held values to guide your moment-to-moment thoughts and actions, the more fulfilling and joyful life will become. There is real and inexhaustible value in the authentic person you are. Let your life express it in everything you do. -- Ralph Marston source: greatday.com

http://www.sikhe.com/print.php?sid=248 Who Needs A Leader? Kamalla Rose Kaur Section: Love & LightThe thing I find so delightful and also frightening about the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Universal Teacher of the Sikhs and anyone else who embraces this sacred text as Guide, is that the Sri Guru Granth is shockingly direct and truthful. The Sri Guru Granth does not mince words. And, like it or not, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the voice of all Sikhs everywhere. The Sri Guru Granth is our only leader and speaks for us - we don't need to say a thing. Take, for instance, how a Christian leader and an Islamic leader are about to create World War III. It is the Crusades all over again but with "better" weapons this time. Look how the Hindus and the Moslems are threatening to bring back the horrors of Partition, only worse. They too have nukes. And what are the chances they will give a hoot about preserving Sikh history and Sikh Gurdwaras? Soon Koreans as well may succeed in exterminating other Koreans but the radioactive waste will attack all cultures and races, creatures and plants. Thankfully for Sikhs everywhere, there is no need to try and find some incarnate Sikh spokesperson to let the world know what the Sikh position is on all this crazy immature dominance dancing. Our leader, the Sri Guru Granth, is happy and well able to confront the corrupt leaders of this world. Truly, Guru Arjan will be happy to tell anyone interested his opinions on war and human oppression and terrorism - even the media. For instance, on page 810 of the Sikh scripture, Guru Arjan explains the Sikh position quite easily. He says: "Many in this world are constantly entangled in pride, conflict, greed and tasty flavors. Many are involved in deception, fraud, their household affairs, and corruption. I have seen this with my own eyes, by the Grace of the Perfect Universal Teacher. Power, property, wealth and youth are useless without the experience of the Naam - which means the experience of remembering the reality of the Beloved One at all times. (Pause and consider these teachings) Beauty, incense, scented oils, beautiful clothes and fancy foods - when they come into contact with the body of the egotist, they stink. Wandering, wandering around, your soul got reincarnated as a human, but this body lasts only for an instant. If you lose this opportunity to live a truthful life you must wander again through countless more incarnations. By God's Grace, you meet a Universal Teacher. Contemplating God, you become wonderstruck. You get blessed with peace, poise and bliss, O Nanak, through the Naam, through practicing constant awareness of the Divine. - Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 810. Now, in truth, every Sikh knows that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib actually has lots of far more confrontational and controversial things to say to the leaders of this planet right now. Isn't it great how Guru Arjan himself set it up so that after he was gone from the body, he and the other Nanaks could still confront the corruption of humanity? What a great leader the Sri Guru Granth is - eternal, honest and kind! ======================================================== Kamalla Rose Kaur is a USA born writer and theater director of Irish descent who embraced Sikhi in 1973 at the age of eighteen. She lives in the Pacific NW (North West) of the USA. To contact Kamalla Rose Kaur please email Love&Light@sikhe.com

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovinc...e3-d5aabcabc4ed At the Indian Society of International Law in New Delhi, academics were tasked in 2003 with studying the issue for India's Ministry of External Affairs. Their 71-page report on the problem of Non-Resident Indians bride-hunting in India recommended: * Legislation to stop foreign courts from granting divorces between NRIs and Indian women married in India. * Automatic recognition of Indian court orders by foreign courts. * Background checks for incoming NRI bride-hunters. * Enforced registration of all marriages between NRIs and Indian nationals. * A global instrument for the recovery of spousal support and child maintenance. * A separate government agency to deal with NRI matters. * A broader set of bilateral extradition protocols between Canada and India, including extradition for bigamy. "We want to limit the power of NRIs," says Prof. Lakshmi Jambholkar. "They cannot have two loyalties and they cannot take advantage of the women of India. "The family courts in Canada, in the U.S. and elsewhere must be made aware of these problems." Alas, says the law society's Prof. V.C. Govindraj, the Indian government has yet to act on the report. "It is sitting on the shelf collecting dust. More than a year and a half now and nothing has happened," he told The Province. Supreme Court Judge K. Sukumaran says: "We need legislation. Our legislators are in deep slumber. The years roll on; these women languish here."

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovinc...76-b8e16407e624 Curbing dowries key to halting bride scam Province series boosts efforts to halt practice Mike Roberts, with files from Kuljeet Kaila in Amritsar and Hardip Johal in Vancouver The Province Thursday, October 20, 2005 Sikh leaders are urging Sikhs to stop offering dowries for their daughters following a Province/Calgary Herald series on abandoned brides. And as the call went out from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sikh faith's holiest shrine, three young Indian women who were interviewed as part of the series reported they have been threatened at their homes in Punjab. "The mass-media attention outside of India, coupled with the alarming amounts of dowries being exchanged, has led to this outcry and appeal to the public to stop," said Jaswinder Singh Bedi of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which attends to the religious and political affairs of world Sikhism. Bedi said the committee believes the appeal to Sikhs to refrain from hosting lavish weddings and to stop providing dowries will prevent dishonest Non-Resident Indians from seeking to defraud their Indian brides. Bedi said the size of dowries in India has become "outrageous" and families are going bankrupt to pay them. "It is really out of control and there needs to be a stop put to it," he said. "Even those families who don't have the means of supplying large dowries will take loans of large sums, but when those debts can't be repaid, sometimes suicide has become the only solution. It's happening more and more." He noted the Sikh religion does not condone dowries, which have "nothing to do with religious beliefs in Sikhism." Balwant Sanghera, a representative of the Sikh Societies of the Lower Mainland, said the religious order is overdue. "I hope this has some impact," he said. "It's about time that something like this happened." Sanghera was disheartened to learn that women who came forward with their stories of betrayal and abandonment are now the victims of intimidation and violence. "This is very scary," he said. Indian police said yesterday they sent officers to the home of one of the women, Kiranpal Kaur, after her family compound was broken into by three armed men. "My men are down there," V. Neerja, Senior Superintendent of Police for Moga District, told The Province. "The investigation continues." Kaur, a 25-year-old teacher who was interviewed for the series at her village home, says she received a phone call Oct. 8, shortly after her husband's family in Delta was contacted for the series. "The caller said, 'You've made trouble in Canada and we want to talk to you about it,'" she said. "They asked to speak to me or my dad. They said, 'We want to see you,' but they didn't give us a contact number or address." Two days later, shortly after midnight, the men entered the compound in the village of Charak. "They jumped the gate and we yelled for help," Kaur said. "We were scared." Her father, Surjeet Singh Gill, fired warning shots and the men fled. "They ran to the road and fired back," said Kaur. "I didn't see their faces. They just ran away, didn't say anything. "We wonder what would have happened if we hadn't heard them coming, if we'd stayed asleep." Her husband, Gurjeet Singh Parmar, whom Kaur married in 2002, returned to Canada six weeks later, promising to send her sponsorship papers. Both sides say they are trying to work things out. Parmar says he is making arrangements to sponsor his wife. Kaur said she will not be deterred or intimidated: I deserve my rights. As long as I live, I will fight for my rights." Another woman in the series, Rupinder Kaur, says she has received angry calls from Canada for releasing her wedding pictures. Her husband, Beant Singh, has also called her to reiterate his willingness to bring her to Canada. Another alleged victim says she received a threatening call from her husband who vowed to "teach her a lesson" for sharing their story with the media. The Abandoned Brides series -- which looked at the plight of an estimated 30,000 young Indian women left to live in shame by their overseas husbands -- has provoked widespread reaction in the Indo-Canadian community, where it has dominated talk radio. "The community really congratulates The Province," said Radio India host Sukhminder Singh Cheema, adding the "hot topic" has jammed the Surrey station's phone lines. "Ninety-five per cent of callers really appreciate it and say it's a daring step and the people who are cheating and abusing the system should be exposed and punished," he said. mroberts@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Province 2005

Avoiding Negative Vibrations Taking On The Energy Of Others There are times when you may find that being around certain individuals or groups of people leaves you with feelings of discomfort. It may be that spending time with a particular friend feels draining or that dealing with a specific coworker exhausts you. Being around toxic or angry people is also draining. And you may even find that being surrounded by a crowd of people lowers your energy levels rather than perks you up. This is not that unusual. Each of us radiates energy and is capable of being influenced by the energy of other people. It is important to learn how to shield yourself, so you don't unknowingly take on someone else's energy. While some people know how to instinctively protect themselves from being adversely affected by energy, most of us need to discover and practice the technique that works best. There are a number of ways to avoid being affected by people's energy. Shielding is one preventative technique you can use. Center yourself and envision being enveloped in a cocoon of loving and protective light. This protective layer should allow you to consciously regulate the energy around you. The intent to shield oneself is all you need for this technique to work. You can even create a trigger word to assist you in quickly creating a shield. Say this word each time you create a new shield, until the word and the shield become automatically associated in your mind. If you run into a person whose energy you find draining, you may want to cleanse your own energy field after your encounter. Sage, cold showers, singing, mineral water baths, spending time in nature, and a simple break to recharge are all ways to accomplish this. While it is important to know how to shield yourself from energy, there are those energies that you may not want to shut out. The energy of laughter from a newborn baby, the feeling of joy radiating from someone in love, and the frequency of calm emanating from an enlightened teacher are just some of the energies coming from others that you may want to have around you For more information visit dailyom.com

This Shabad is by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Gauree on Pannaa 258 pourree || fafaa firath firath thoo aaeiaa || dhraalabh dhaeh kalijug mehi paaeiaa || fir eiaa aousar charai n haathhaa || naam japahu tho katteeahi faasaa || fir fir aavan jaan n hoee || eaekehi eaek japahu jap soee || karahu kirapaa prabh karanaihaarae || mael laehu naanak baechaarae ||38|| Pauree: FAFFA: After wandering and wandering for so long, you have come; in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, you have obtained this human body, so very difficult to obtain. This opportunity shall not come into your hands again. So chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and the noose of Death shall be cut away. You shall not have to come and go in reincarnation over and over again, if you chant and meditate on the One and Only Lord. Shower Your Mercy, O God, Creator Lord, and unite poor Nanak with Yourself. ||38||

Borrowed Vision Somebody Believes In You There are times in our lives when we may find ourselves facing challenges that can seem overwhelming. The situation or task we are struggling with seems hopeless, and it is easy to stop believing in ourselves, our goals, and our dreams. It is during these moments that it can be reassuring and reaffirming to turn to the people in our lives who do believe in us, especially when we are finding it hard to believe in ourselves. An encouraging word, a reassuring look, or hearing the words "I believe in you" from someone who matters can help us turn our situations around in an instant. Everybody has someone who believes in them, whether this person is a teacher, parent, friend, loved one, or an employer. Often their belief can wrap us in warmth, bolster us, and offer us a supportive hand to grab onto until we can regain our own support. Having that special person who believes in our abilities and our worth is a wonderful gift. But when we are feeling unworthy, it may be difficult to take in something so precious. We may even feel like we need to do it all on our own and that we shouldn't be asking for help. However, in letting their belief and support impact you, you are acknowledging the part of yourself that knows you are worthy of trust and esteem. By allowing them to believe in you, your own belief in yourself and your abilities will start to emerge again. Borrow their vision, and you can make it your own. If your special someone is not there to spur you on, you also can lift yourself up with the gift of a positive image. When you feel uncertain, you can create a vision of the future you desire that will serve as a beacon of light. To do so, simply imagine a future that is exactly as you'd like it to be. Imagine in detail how you feel, what you are doing, and how others are responding to you. Make your vision as real as possible, and allow your doubts to recede so you can focus solely on the goal you seek. The more intently you focus on the image of what you want, your belief in yourself will step to the forefront, making it easier for the universe to open up a path and guide you For more information visit dailyom.com

http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryheral...be-dc3bc057e2a7 Broken vows and shattered dreams Each year, thousands of men from Canada, the United States and Europe return to India in search of a bride, promising to whisk them away Valerie Fortney; With Files From Michael Roberts, the Province. Calgary Herald Sunday, October 16, 2005 Her name means "beautiful girl" in Punjabi. Yet for Rupinder Kaur Chahal, her life feels anything but. The shy 25-year-old resident of Deenashabib, a plain village in the Moga district of India's Punjab state, says her life is over before it's even begun. "I have nothing to hope for, nothing to do," the graceful young woman whispers as she lowers her head, tears dropping on to her baby blue salwar kameez, also known as a "Punjab suit." Sitting in the dusty courtyard outside her family's humble stone house, an emaciated cow grazing in a stall next to the room where she and four other relatives sleep, Rupinder explains the source of her misery. A newlywed, she hasn't seen her husband, a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) living in Calgary, for 19 months. "He promised he would come for me in three months," she says. "Now he is saying it will take seven years to get me into Canada." Rupinder's story is an all-too-common one in the Punjab, the northern Indian agricultural state bordering on Pakistan that is home to 24 million, two-thirds of them followers of the Sikh religion. Each year, thousands of men --some new immigrants, many of them sons of 1960s immigrants to Canada, the United States and Europe -- return to the land of their ancestors in search of a bride. Young Indian women are paired up with NRIs, the couples finding one another through village matchmakers, relatives and the full-page matrimonial ads found in every local newspaper. Once a suitable match is found, they typically marry in India, the weddings grand events with often several hundred guests. The majority of these young women are later brought to countries like Canada, the U.S. and Britain, where they start new lives and families of their own. But in recent years, far too many of these young women -- a good number of them from Punjab state -- have been left behind, waiting months, even years, for their husbands to send for them. Some never do, and these young brides, having given up their virginity and their dowries to a husband who then disappears, are treated as social pariahs. The children of these marriages also get their share of scorn, with many, especially in the smaller villages and rural areas, labelling them the progeny of an illegitimate union. Their parents are often left near-penniless after selling off their land and liquidating much of their net worth to get cash and jewelry. The long tradition of dowry in India, in which the bride's family is required to hand over a substantial amount of money and gifts as an offering to the groom -- often worth thousands of dollars, in a country where 47 per cent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day -- was outlawed in India in 1961. But the under-the-table practice, many observers say, is even more popular today than in earlier times. The family of Rupinder Kaur Chahal, the pretty 25-year-old who feels her life is over, now has no dowry to offer any other potential mate. Their daughter, living in a kind of marital limbo, has nowhere to turn. After a large wedding only months earlier, she's not supposed to still be here, in the home of her parents. Her continued presence in her village is a social stigma for both bride and her family. Rupinder takes little solace in knowing she is one of thousands of Indian women in such a predicament. The phenomenon of the abandoned bride, also referred to as the "runaway groom" or "holiday wife" syndrome, is becoming well known in India. The stories are eerily similar: men come to India, get their dowry and bride, then return overseas a few days or weeks later, promising to send for their wives when they can. But time passes with little or no word. Sometimes the men disappear without a trace; sometimes, they come back year after year, visiting their wives, fathering children, all the while promising one day they will bring them to the new country. Several women interviewed for this story say they only learned of their husbands' true intentions when, a year or more after their wedding day, they received a divorce decree in the mail. Daljit Kaur, a lawyer and feminist activist living in Punjab's largest city, Ludhiana, says a large proportion of the more than 200 cases filed with Punjab police have followed this pattern: "Typically, it takes about one year and then the NRI files for divorce on the grounds of a one-year separation." Indian sources say the problem has reached epidemic proportions. In the northern Indian state of Punjab alone, whose citizens often want to immigrate to wealthy countries like Canada, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia claims there are as many as 15,000 abandoned brides. Indian authorities place the total number of abandoned brides in India at up to 30,000. "We did random calculations of 100 villages in one district alone," says Ramoowalia, president of Lok Bhalai, a Punjab state political party formed to fight for the rights of the disenfranchised. "In every single village, there were three to four abandoned brides, " Ramoowalia says. Other agencies back Ramoowalia's assertion, from law enforcement officials and legal experts to non-governmental organizations that focus on women's welfare. At a conference held in 2003 in Chandigarh, the capital for both Punjab and Haryana states, H.G.S. Dhaliwal, police superintendent in charge of the city's Woman and Child Care Unit, said Chandigarh itself had witnessed a 40 per cent increase in NRI marital fraud over the past few years. The problem has also recently come to the attention of government officials, both at the state and national levels. Last year, India's federal External Affairs ministry commissioned and received a 71-page report on the issue from the Indian Society of International Law. "The abandonment of brides by NRI grooms isn't new," says Lakshmi Jambholkar, a senior member of the society and one of the report's authors. "But it has become an enormous problem in recent years, especially in states like Punjab." V.C. Govindaraj, the society's vice-president and the report's chief author, says the findings correspond to what people like Ramoowalia are seeing first-hand. "We did a field study, and had no trouble finding hundreds upon hundreds of cases." Varinder Kumar is the senior superintendent of police for Fateghar Sahib, a town in the heart of Punjab. He estimates that of the thousands of NRI marriages that take place each year in his state, 40 per cent involve marital fraud. "There are also cases of NRI girls defrauding boys," he says. (In India, the terms "girls" and "boys" are used frequently to describe single people and newlyweds, regardless of age.) But the difference, Kumar says, is that rarely is a dowry given by the boy's family, and "there is no social stigma for a boy who has been abandoned." Why, an outsider might ask, are Indian parents so eager to marry their daughters off to complete strangers from a distant land? Why do they put their trust and family fortune in the hands of these foreign men, many of whom have only a tenuous connection to India? The answer is complex. In a place as large, populous and diverse as India, it is said that for every sweeping statement made about the country, the opposite can also hold true. While millions of the country's more than one billion inhabitants live below the poverty line and nearly half the population is illiterate, there is also a thriving educated class, many of whom lead the world in fields such as information technology. It has 18 official languages, more than a thousand dialects and several religions (more than 80 per cent of India's population practises Hinduism). The concept of a western-style love match may have caught on with a small segment of society, but the tradition of arranged marriage is still followed by at least 90 per cent of the population. Young women and men are expected to rely on parents and other relatives to choose their life partners. While the passion of romantic love will fade, they reason, similar values and lifestyles are better indicators of longtime compatibility. Divorce, once unheard of, is still less than five per cent (exact figures are not available, as thousands of marriages each year in India go unregistered), while in the U.S. it is 50 per cent and Canada is 45 per cent. India's Punjab state has long provided Canada with a steady flow of immigrants: Of Canada's more than 500,000 Indo-Canadians, about 70 per cent are from the very cities and villages that people like Rupinder Kaur Chahal call home. Nearly every third person you meet here will tell you they have a relative living in Canada. Over the past few years, the desire to emigrate to countries like Canada has only grown more fervent thanks to economic pressures on the region. "The land here is getting less and less valuable," says Rajiv Ahir, senior supervisor of the Jagraon Police District in Punjab. "Less economic activity is a push factor. Families are looking for boys with a good job overseas, and the pressures make them resort to things a normal family wouldn't resort to." These factors have combined to make those living in the Punjab particularly vulnerable to the growing problem of marital fraud. In a June 13, 2004, article in the India Tribune, journalist Aruti Nayar noted the link between the state's migration history and the willingness to marry daughters off to NRIs. "In more conservative social set-ups like Uttar Pradesh," writes Nayar, referring to a nearby state without a strong history of Canadian immigration, "girls would not be married off to distant shores without a thought." Many of the young Canadian-based men returning today to marry Indian women are the sons of the first big wave in the 1960s of Indo-Canadian immigrants. In India, these men are held in the highest esteem because they hold a Canadian passport -- regardless of their station in life. Finding young women to dazzle with the promise of life in the First World is easy. Even Indian men who have only been in Canada a short time discover that their ability to sponsor a wife into their adopted homeland makes them a hot marriage prospect for young women in search of a better life. Rupinder Kaur Chahal is typical of such starry-eyed young women. Sitting outside her home on a recent sweltering afternoon, a large electrical fan dispersing the heady aroma of cow dung patties burned for cooking, Rupinder becomes momentarily excited when asked about Canada. She readily admits she knows little about the country she pines for, that has been her lifelong dream to see. "I heard you can work there, and can get better paid," she says with a rare flash of a bright, white smile. "That way, I can help my whole family." On Feb. 18, 2004, it looked as though she might get her wish. Before more than 500 people -- which included all the residents of Deenashabib, her village in the Moga district of Punjab -- she married Beant Singh Chahal, a Calgary-based NRI introduced to the family through a fellow worshipper at their local Sikh temple. The brother-in-law of Jagjit, Rupinder's mother, also knew the groom's family and vouched for him. There was a bright, red flag, however, the bride's family chose to ignore. Five days before the wedding, the groom's family suddenly demanded a dowry, according to her father Gurdev Singh. "They told us they got an offer of 9 lak rupees (approximately $26,000 Cdn) from another family to marry their daughter," he says as he shakes his head. "They said we would have to match it." Turning to the village panchayat (advisory council), they were told to find the money so the wedding could proceed. "We'd already distributed the marriage announcements. They told us if we cancelled, people would forever say there is something wrong with the girl," says Gurdev. The family, he says, borrowed money from a village lender, at a rate of 24 per cent interest, to pay the hefty dowry. The wedding cost the family an additional $3,000. After the wedding, Rupinder, who has a Grade 10 education, moved in with her husband and his relatives in a nearby village. Two months later, he headed back to Canada. "I was very happy with him. He was all the things you could want in a husband," she says with a faint smile. He was also a far sight older than 36, which the matchmaker claimed. In fact, at 52, he was one year older than her own father. "He dyed his hair and beard for the wedding," says Gurdev, holding up a wedding photo of a man clearly well into middle age. He told Rupinder that after his adult son died, he divorced his wife of more than 30 years so he could have another son. But more than a year after the marriage, he told Rupinder it would take seven years to bring her to Canada. According to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada department, the first review of a spousal visa application takes four months, on average, after receipt, with an interview usually scheduled within six months. Today, the young woman's family is under siege. Their daughter, her virginity lost and her husband half a world away, is treated like a pariah in the village where she has lived all her life. Their daughter, they say, is now seen as "damaged goods," which makes her chances of marrying again slim at best. The prospect of becoming a divorcee -- her greatest fear -- in a country where it's almost non-existent only adds to the stigma. Back in Calgary, her husband says he has a more than plausible explanation for what he feels is a simple misunderstanding. Only weeks after the wedding, he hurt his right arm in a car accident while still in India. Upon his return to Calgary, he found out his arm was infected. He required surgery to treat his injury and was out of work for nearly a year. "I was under the impression I needed an income to bring my wife here," Beant Singh Chahal says from his daughter's living room in Calgary's Martindale area, where he has been living for the past year. He received the advice, he says, from a friend. He never bothered to inquire with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to verify his friend's claim; he would have been told his inability to work would not have impeded his spousal sponsorship application. Beant has been back at work for several months, but only recently began the sponsorship process. "I have good intentions," he says, producing a filled-out spousal sponsorship application as evidence. A bank receipt attached to the application is dated Sept. 10, 2005 -- approximately two hours after the Herald first approached him to request an interview for this story. Beant, who arrived in Canada in 2001 after his daughter sponsored him and his wife, says Rupinder's despondency over wait times is another big misunderstanding. "I told her it took that long to bring me to Canada," he says. "I have not taken a single penny from them," says the maintenance worker at the Calgary International Airport. He claims he is estranged from his extended family in India, so it couldn't be possible that his relatives pressured them for more dowry just before the wedding. (Due to its illegality, there is rarely any paperwork involved in the exchange of dowry, so there is no documentation to back either party's claims.) He says he, too, was duped by the matchmaker. "He told me Rupinder was 35 years old," says Beant, who adds his ex-wife "was fine" with the fact he decided to divorce her in order to have another son after their own son, 21-year-old Yadwinder, died in 2000 after what he describes as a medication mixup in India. Beant says he has tried to call Rupinder to let her know the sponsorship is back on track, but cannot reach his wife. "Please write, had I known I could have filed earlier, I would have," he says. "I do not have any bad intentions." His wife's family -- still waiting to hear the good news about the processing of her sponsorship to Canada -- aren't quite ready to celebrate. The lenders, says Gurdev, are now pressing him for the return of the money; he has put up his 1.2 hectares of land, worth about $40,000 Cdn, for sale but can't find takers. "Now that people know we are in need, no one will offer a fair price," says Rupinder's mother Jagjit. "We are on the verge of bankruptcy." Despite their ordeal, they still hope their son-in-law will one day make good on his marriage vows. "Our first choice is for him to fulfil his promise and take her to Canada," says Jagjit. "But we don't have much hope." While it may be difficult for a westerner to fathom why a young woman would want to be reunited with a husband who takes nearly two years to send for her, Rupinder's fellow citizens understand only too well. "The saddest face of this, is that everyone wants to put the blame on the girls' side," says Punjab politician Ramoowalia. "Everyone asks, 'Why is her father marrying her to a foreigner?' From every side, the girl is finished." Rajiv Ahir agrees. "She is neither married nor unmarried," he says. "This situation is a very serious social stigma for the girl and her family. She has not the respect of her community as a married woman." The police superintendent has seen an explosion recently in complaints surrounding brides who have been abandoned. "I have been doing this job for 10 years, and I just started hearing about the problem about five years ago." He receives about 15 to 20 complaints a month now, a significant number when you take into account not only a tradition whereby many Indians regard going to the police as a last resort, but also the shame and secrecy that accompany such cases. "In our culture, you don't go to court and make (your problems) public," says the law society's Lakshmi Jambholkar. The problem is getting so big, says Ahir, it is on the verge of becoming a major social problem in his region. "I would compare it to the problem of drug abuse by young people," he says. "It is not just the girl being victimized, it is the whole family." Still, the weddings go on week after week in the marriage palaces that line the roadsides throughout Punjab. "It's not just the girls," says Ahir. "Everyone here has flowery, colourful images of Canada -- it's the proverbial El Dorado for them." Navjit Kaur Sandhu's story is another aspect of the abandoned bride problem. She believes she was abandoned, but her husband says it was simply a case of a marriage that didn't work out. Navjit, a 30-year-old high school teacher with a master's degree in information technology is not only much better educated than many of her peers, she's also quite a few years older -- the average age at marriage for Indian women is 19. "I was waiting for the right opportunity, the right match," says Navjit as she sits in the home of relatives in the town of Maradpur, 40 kilometres from her home in Aujla village. She thought she had found that match in Jaswinder Singh Sandhu of Surrey, B.C., whom she met after posting her profile on an Internet matchmaking site. Her family checked his credentials with his neighbours in his home village and the pair married on April 27, with Navjit's family paying nearly $12,000 for the wedding (no dowry was given, although Navjit says, "He wanted us to give him something for a dowry, but we didn't"). After spending 10 days with his wife, Jaswinder returned to Canada, promising he'd soon begin the sponsorship application. "Then there were no phone calls, nothing, no communication," she says. When Navjit reached her husband, she says he told her, "I'm not well. I have blisters in my mouth, I can't speak." A few months later, he did get in touch, but only to tell her he wanted a divorce. Navjit believes her husband, who was divorced in 2005 from Jagroop Sandhu, has returned to his ex-wife. When approached at his parent's home in Surrey, Jaswinder calls the allegations against him "garbage." "People make fake charges." He confirms no dowry was exchanged. "I didn't take nothing, no dowry -- it didn't work out. "Of course, I'm going to divorce her," he adds before slamming the door to the palatial home. "Who cares about it?" Today, Navjit is a broken woman, convinced her life is ruined. She still wears her wedding bangles on her arms, because "I am ashamed that people will see that my husband has left me." She has arranged to meet with the visiting journalists in a place other than her village, where she is treated as a scandalized woman. Her neighbours, she says, blame her for the desertion, "because I took time to get educated and delayed marriage, and didn't follow the norms of our society." The experience has also left her parents, Ramesh Kumar and Surjit Kaur, devastated. "We had a very good experience with our first daughter, who married an NRI from New York," says her father, Ramesh, who is being treated for depression. "We are unable to understand what we should do. . . . I love my daughter very much." Some abandoned brides are not willing to carry the role of victim. Some, like Kanwalpreet Kaur, are taking the bold step of trying to fight back. The 40-year-old high school principal married her NRI husband in 1993 in a double-ceremony with her sister, Varinder, who married his older brother. Her sister went to Edmonton with her husband after the wedding, but Kanwalpreet was left behind. For years, her Edmonton-based husband promised to send for her, and for years, she waited. Even after divorcing her, he came back twice, promising to reconcile and carry through with his commitment. It's a promise he's never kept. After a silence of more than a decade, she's determined not to keep quiet any longer. She's speaking out to the media, and is looking for ways to correct a wrong that has, she says, "ruined my life." It is a sentiment heard time and again from not only the young women left behind, but also their parents. "I wish my daughter had never been born," wails Rupinder Kaur Chahal's mother, 50-year-old Jagjit Kaur, as her daughter hangs her head in shame. "I hope someone comes and bombs our house and we all die -- that will relieve us of our misery." - Coming Monday: Kanwalpreet Kaur and other women fight back. But do they have any hope of justice? vfortney@theherald.canwest.com Commonly Asked Questions What is an NRI? A non-resident Indian (NRI) is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian. For tax and other official purposes, the government of India considers any Indian national away from India for more than 180 days in a year an NRI. In common usage, this often includes Indian-born individuals who have taken the citizenship of other countries. A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) is literally, simply a person of Indian origin who is not a citizen of India. For the purposes of issuing a PIO Card, the Indian government considers anyone of Indian origins, up to four generations removed, to be a PIO. There is a huge NRI and PIO population across the world, estimated at around 25 million. What is a dowry? A dowry is a gift of money or valuables given by the bride's family to that of the groom to permit their marriage. In societies where payment of dowry is common, unmarried women are seen to attract stigma and tarnish the household's reputation, so it is in the bride's family's interest to marry off their daughter as soon as she is eligible. In some areas where this is practised, the size of the dowry is directly proportional to the groom's social status, thus making it virtually impossible for lower-class women to marry into upper-class families. In some cases where a woman's family is too poor to afford any dowry whatsoever, she is either simply forbidden from ever marrying, or, at most, becomes a concubine to a richer man who can afford to support a large household. The tradition of giving dowries is today perhaps most well-known in Asian countries; in India, the practice is still very common, especially in rural areas, despite being prohibited by law in 1961. However, dowries have been part of civil law in almost all countries, Europe included. Dowries were important social components of Roman marriages. Medieval Germans had the tradition of dowry and of Morgengab, both working to give a start in life to the young couple, as well as to secure the bride's future. This tradition was followed by most people in medieval and modern Europe, and only in the few recent centuries, the dowry and the Morgengab have disappeared from law in Europe. Why are so many Sikh last names the same? Sikhs as a community have adopted Singh (meaning lion) as a suffix to their names and that is often used just as any other last name would be. Sikh women use Kaur (meaning princess or lioness) as their last names. (The surname "Singh" predates the Sikh faith and is still a common one for upper-caste Kshatriyas -- both as "Singh" or the suffix "-sinh." It is the same word that is in the name of Singapore, the country.) These definitions are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html. It uses material from the following Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/) links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Indian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_family_name Profile of Rupinder Kaur Chahal. Interview with Rupinder Kaur Chahal. This story features a factbox "Commonly Asked Questions". © The Calgary Herald 2005

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/news/story.html?id=a392f07a-6807-43be-83f1-b834f9568cf3 Abandoned Brides: A Province Special Investigation Canada's Shame India's Sorrow Fabian Dawson The Province October 16, 2005 In Punjab's Doaba region everyone knows someone who is married to an Indo-Canadian. It is also there that everyone knows someone whose marriage to an Indo-Canadian was a scam. For the past two months a team from The Province and the Calgary Herald has been investigating the scandal of India's abandoned brides -- a phenomenon that is being likened to organized crime. The numbers are staggering, the stories are tragic and the social stigma attached to the victims has led to thousands of women living in misery. Our team comprised writer Valerie Fortney and photographer Ted Rhodes of The Calgary Herald, writer Michael Roberts and me from The Province. We travelled to the heart of the problem in Punjab's rural villages to interview dozens of abandoned brides, some with children who have yet to see their Indo-Canadian fathers. In many cases, an obsession to go abroad had made the women easy targets for greedy, heartless men. In others, the daughters were essentially "sold" by parents hoping to follow them to Canada. In most, the families said they had been financially ruined by their daughters' dowries -- an ancestral custom officially abolished but one that prevails in practice and is a sacred duty. The extent of the social tragedy is reflected in official studies that say 30,000 women in India have been left behind by their overseas-based husbands, referred to as Non-Resident Indians. Our team also visited bustling police stations, the marbled hallways of India's officialdom and the fortified Canadian High Commission in New Delhi to find out what was being done about this scourge. We found no evidence of any co-ordinated crackdown. Exasperated police, faced with hundreds of such cases, were resorting to a mix of threats and family counselling sessions to reunite couples or at least get some of the dowries back. The Punjab state and Indian federal authorities, while acknowledging the problem, had commissioned study after study. All were gathering dust on bureaucratic shelves. Canadian diplomats, well aware of the scams, were powerless to act. Back in Canada, our team tracked down some of the alleged runaway grooms in B.C., Alberta and Ontario to hear their side. Some were furious, some hid and some talked. We met with members of the Indo-Canadian community, who provided valuable insight, lauded us for tackling the subject and reminded us that most weddings between Non-Resident Indians and Indian nationals are legitimate. Our series, called "Abandoned Brides: Canada's Shame, India's Sorrow," begins today and runs through Thursday. You will meet some of the victims and hear their stories. We will introduce you to people who are fighting on their behalf, community activists here who offer solutions and Sikh religious leaders who say the time has come to act. We hope that our series, and your feedback, will make a change. We would like to hear from you. Please e-mail mroberts@png.canwest.com or vfortney@theherald.canwest.com © The Vancouver Province 2005

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051016/punjab1.htm Bibi’s continuation as SGPC chief unlikely K.S. Chawla Ludhiana, October 15 The next election of the president and other office-bearers of the SGPC falls due before November 30. Bibi Jagir Kaur has remained president for two terms. For the first time she became the president when Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra fell out. She could not consolidate her position and Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi was made the president of the SGPC. The current term of Bibi Jagir Kaur has been plagued with controversies and Mr Badal had to face criticism from within the party. It was pointed out that Bibi Jagir Kaur was facing trial for the murder of her daughter. Secondly most of the traditional Akali leaders looked up to her as head of the dera. Incidentally the deras are against any modernisation or reforms in the gurdwara administration. It is worth noting that organisations of babas and sants have been vehemently opposing the introduction of Nanakshahi calendar which was launched by Mr Kirpal Singh Bandungar as president of the SGPC. The present tenure of Bibi Jagir Kaur has adversely affected the image of the SGPC because she initiated controversies herself. At the outset she took the initiative to withdraw the dossier which sought world heritage status for Harmander Sahib from UNESCO. The move was intended to malign Mr K.S. Badungar and Bibi Kiranjot Kaur because she thought both of them could be candidates for the post of president of the SGPC. Bibi Kiranjot Kaur is an intelligent woman who commands respect among a sizeable section of the Sikhs for being the grand daughter of Master Tara Singh. Mr K.S. Badungar claims the post for having served the Badals with loyalty. Further Bibi Jagir Kaur raised the issue of kirtan and sewa in Harmander Sahib by Sikh women. This was a clever move on the part of Bibi to become womenlib champion. The ramifications in both the cases were not imagined by her. In case of sewa and kirtan by Sikh women, she invited opposition from the Sant Samaj and the Sikh high priests. She is so bitter by the stand taken by the Sikh high priests that she even of easing out some of the jathedars. Apart from this she has also created difficulties for herself and position of the SGPC vis-a-vis the administration of the Sikh shrines in Pakistan. At no time she cared about the diplomatic intricacies to handle the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee or the Pakistan Government. It is well known that she never cared to seek the cooperation and help of the Government of India in this regard. Consequently the dynamic president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMG), Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, got cooperation from the Government of India and solicited its help for undertaking kar sewa of the gurdwaras in Pakistan. As a result he was able to get permission as president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Delhi, to undertake kar sewa of Janamashthan Patshahi Chauthi of Guru Ramdas at Lahore. He also got permission to construct an inn at Nankana Sahib. Now he is organising the march from Delhi to Nankana Sahib to offer a golden palki for Gurdwara Janamashthan at Nankana Sahib. The march was to start on October 23 which has been postponed due to the earthquake in Pakistan. Mr Sarna has got a special bus which will carry Guru Granth Sahib in the golden palki in a procession to Pakistan. The Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parvez Elahi, has agreed to receive the procession. In a way Mr Sarna has given a big jolt to Bibi Jagir Kaur who claims to be the sole representative of the Sikhs in and outside India. The gurdwara committees and Sikh devotees in India and abroad are giving wholehearted support to Mr Sarna in this mission.

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b7070289-3b62-4575-b1da-3971e8a0563b Does God punish us through disasters? Rachel Zoll Associated Press Saturday, October 15, 2005 They're sometimes called "acts of God" and, when disasters strike, it's not unusual for people to read a divine punishment into earthquakes, floods or other natural cataclysms. Now, with the unrelenting devastation of the last few months, a few religious thinkers have done the same in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, hurricanes Katrina and Rita, mudslides in Guatemala and the earthquake in Pakistan. They have proclaimed these events as heavenly retribution for sins ranging from legalized abortion to U.S. support for Israel and the war on Iraq. Conversely, one Israeli rabbi said the American storms came because the U.S. government pressured the Jewish state to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of theologians reject this thinking, however, and The Associated Press decided to examine why this is so. What follows in question and answer format is a summary of the prevailing thought on the question of God's place in disasters, based on interviews with some theologians and public statements of others: Q: Does God cause natural disasters? A: Theologians, citing the biblical Book of Job, say people can never understand how God uses nature. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes that God rebuked Job's friends who contended that he was being punished for misdeeds. Commenting on Katrina, Mohler said, "We have no right to claim that we know what this storm means." He's in agreement with Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice-president of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism, which represents conservative synagogues in North America. "I would hate to ever become so haughty as to think I know what God does or what God is thinking. That's beyond man or woman," he said. Q: Was God trying to express displeasure with sinful behaviour, for example in New Orleans, which has long had a reputation as a party town? A: Jamal Badawi, director of the Islamic Information Foundation, said there are examples in the Qur'an -- and the Bible -- of punishments inflicted on nations because of tyranny or rejection of God. But Badawi said these episodes are history and do not necessarily explain the meaning of disasters today. "The absence of that direct indication in the Qur'an means one cannot really say," he said. Q: Do the sins of humankind play any role in the disasters at all? A: Christians believe the root of evil in the world is humanity's fall into original sin. But Chap Clark, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, an evangelical school in Pasadena, Calif., says the explanation cannot stop there. He said people need to acknowledge their responsibility for environmental degradation, poverty and other problems that contribute to disasters. "We've been called to be stewards of what God has given us," Clark said. "We are responsible to do everything we possibly can to help one another, to relieve the pain." Q: The outpouring following the tragedies has brought together people of different races and faiths. Did God inflict the disasters to unite humanity? A: Terrence Tilley, a professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, a Roman Catholic Marianist school, said the overwhelming generosity shown to victims regardless of background was a bright spot in the devastation, but it would be wrong to say God caused widespread suffering in order to achieve this goal. © The Vancouver Sun 2005

http://www.sikhpoint.com/religion/philosop...ism/default.php Seva and Simran The word Seva is derived from root word sev which literally means to serve, wait or attend upon, honor, or worship. It is usually translated as 'service' or 'serving'. God in Sikhism is not apart from His creatures but pervades His Creation. Therefore, service rendered to humanity (i.e. God's light in man) is indeed considered a form of worship. In fact, in Sikhism, no worship is conceivable without seva (GGS, 1013). The Sikh is forbidden from serving anyone apart from God ('Serve you the Lord alone : none else must you serve' GGS, 490). However, this also means that whomsoever we serve, we really serve our Lord through him. Therefore, it becomes incumbent upon the Sikh to render seva with the highest sense of duty since thereby he or she is worshipping the Lord. Seva in Sikhism is imperative for spiritual life. It is the highest penance (GGS, 423). It is a means to acquiring the highest merit. The Sikh often prays to God for a chance to render seva. Says Guru Arjan, Nanak V, "I beg to serve those who serve you (GGS, 43)" and "I, Your servant, beg for seva of Your people, which is available through good fortune alone (GGS, 802)." According to Guru Amar Das, "He who is turned towards the Guru finds repose and joy in seva". Three varieties of seva are sanctioned in the Sikh lore : that rendered through the corporal instrument (tan), that through the mental apparatus (man) and that through the material means (dhan). The first of them is considered to be the highest of all and is imperatively prescribed for every Sikh : "Cursed are the hands and feet that engage not in seva" (Bhai Gurdas, Varan, 27.1). In traditional Indian society work involving corporal labour was considered low and relegated to the humblest castes. By sanctifying it as an honourable religious practice, the Sikh Gurus established the dignity of labour, a concept then unknown to the Indian Hindu society. Not only did the Gurus sanctify it, they also institutionalized it, e.g. in the service of Langar (the Guru's community kitchen) and in serving the sangat (holy assembly) in other ways such as by grinding corn for it, fanning it to soften the rigour of a hot day and drawing water for it. "I beg of you, O, Merciful One, make me the slave of Your Slaves... Let me have the pleasure of fanning them, drawing water for them, grinding corn for them and of washing their feet," prays Guru Arjan Dev (GGS, 518). Seva through the mental apparatus (man) lies in contributing one's talents - creative, communicative, managerial, etc. - to the corporate welfare of the community and mankind in general. It also lies in sharing the pain of others. Response to the pain of others is a sine qua non of the membership of the brotherhood of man. That is why the Sikh prayer said in unison ends with a supplication for the welfare of all. Seva of this kind is motivated not by the attitude of compassion alone, but primarily to discover practical avenues for serving God through man. Seva through material means (dhan) or philanthropy (daan) was particularly sought to be made non-personal. The offerings (kar bheta) made to the Gurus and the daswandh (tenth part of one's earnings) contributed by the Sikhs went straight into the common coffers of the community. Personal philanthropy can be debasing for the receiver and ego-entrenching for the giver, but self-effacing community service is ennobling. Seva must be so carried out as to dissolve the ego and lead to self-transcendence, which is the ability to acknowledge and respond to that which is other than oneself. Seva must serve to indicate the way in which such transcendence manifests in one's responsiveness to the needs of others in an impersonal way. The Sikh is particularly enjoined upon to render seva to the poor. "The poor man's mouth is the depository of the Guru". The poor and the needy are, thus, treated as legitimate recipients of dan (charity) and not the Brahman who had traditionally reserved for himself this privilege. Even in serving the poor, one serves not the person but God. This, thus, is the Sikh ideal of seva. In the Sikh way of life, seva is considered the prime duty of the householder (grihasthi). "That home in which men-of-God are not served, God is served not. Such mansions must be likened to graveyards where ghosts alone abide", says Kabir (GGS 1374). The Sikhs are all ordained to be householders, and do seva as their duty. In Sikh thought, the polarity of renunciation is not with attachment, but with seva. True seva according to Sikh scripture must be without desire of fruit (nishkam), in humility (nimarta), with purity of intention (hirda suddh), with sincerity (chit lae) and in utter selflessness (vichon ap gavae). Such seva for the Sikh is the doorway to dignity as well as to mukti (liberation). "If one earns merit here through seva, one will get the seat of honour in His Court hereafter (GGS 26). Simran or Nam Simran, literally means to remember, love, and meditate on God by reciting and repeating the name of God. God's names are myriad, but the one accepted among Sikhs is Waheguru. In practice nam simran takes two forms. One is participation in worship in the sangat, i.e. believers gathered together to express or seek unity with God through singing and hearing His praises. The other way is that of private meditation , with or without the help of a rosary. The two methods are not exclusive of each other; they are complementary and a Sikh is expected to use both. Attendance in sangat is as important as contemplation in solitude. "Repetition of God's name erases doubt and delusion," says Guru Arjan (GGS 814), and "expunging grief, pain and fear, it produces happiness everlasting" (GGS 456). But mechanical repetition of Name is not enough. One has to realize the Divine as a reality and be in harmony with Him. As Guru Amar Das, Nanak III, has pointed out: "Everyone repeats 'Ram ! Ram !', but merely uttering 'Ram' from one's lips does not suffice; it is only when by the Guru's grace Ram abides in the heart that one gathers fruit" (GGS 491). And again: "Everyone has 'Hari, Hari' on his lips, but very few have Him in the heart; they in whose heart the Lord abides, O Nanak, achieve mokh/mukti, liberation" (GGS 565). Nam simran, if it is to lead to union with God, depends on three things. The first is knowledge of the true nature of God as both nirguna (ineffable, abstract principle) and sarguna (manifest, with attributes, knowable). Bhagat Tirlochan, finding Bhagat Namdev busy in calico printing, is said to have asked him, “You seem to be more interested in money than in God’s Name. You remain busy printing sheets instead of meditating on God.†Bhagat Namdev responded, “While the body is busy doing work one can keep his mind turned in to the love of God.†(GGS 1375) In another hymn Bhagat Namdev refers to some daily experiences in life explaining how we keep our mind fixed in things with which we are deeply concerned and which we greatly love. "When the boys fly kites, they also enjoy their mutual conversation. While busy in their conversation, their minds always remain tuned to their kites. A mother, who has her child sleeping in the crib while busy in her daily house chores, keeps her mind all the time tuned to the baby. The same way a devotee should always keep himself tuned to the love of God while he is busy performing his routine worldly chores." (GGS 972) In a professional course, both theory and practice are necessary to learn the subject. Each has its own importance. In the same way, a Sikh must practice all the methods mentioned above depending upon his mood, time, situation, environment, and need. The utility and benefit of regular Nam Simran can be understood from the following simple example. To live a happy and peaceful life, we need both body and mind in a healthy condition. Proper food is needed to keep the body healthy and strong. Sewa and Simran are needed to keep the mind free from vices. This is the way to keep your mind strong and direct your activities on the right path.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051012/main6.htm US Congress to discuss ‘caste bias’ in India Resolution wants Bush to monitor RSS, VHP Satish Misra Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 11 A concurrent resolution asking the US Government to monitor the activities and funds of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS), and address the problems of “caste discrimination and untouchability†in India will be introduced in the two Houses of US Congress next month. The resolution, being tabled by US Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona, is the result of a US House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights hearing last week in Washington, National Chairman of the All-India Confederation of SC and ST Organisations Udit Raj told newspersons here today. Mr Franks is a member of the India Caucus and the Human Rights Caucus. Mr Raj, who returned from Washington after participating in the Congress hearing, said the coming resolution would not only take note of the VHP and the RSS, which had directly and indirectly financially supported the campaign of violence against religious minorities and had distributed weapons for use against religious minorities, but would also ask the American Government to address the problem of the treatment of groups outside the caste system. The US Congress hearing, that was titled “India’s Unfinished Agenda: Equality and Justice for 200 Million Victims of the Caste Systemâ€, will also ask the Bush administration to encourage World Bank to consider “caste discrimination†when funding development projects in India, Mr Raj said. “This is a very important development. Nothing like this has happened before,†Mr Raj said. The five-page resolution states that the “untouchablesâ€, now known as Dalits, and the forest tribes of India, called tribal, are outside the caste system and, therefore, considered to be less than human. The resolution wants the US to raise the issue of “caste discrimination and untouchability†through diplomatic channels, both directly with the Indian Government and within the context international parliament bodies. The resolution points out that “discrimination†against Dalits and tribesmen by the Indian Government has existed for more than 2,000 years and has included educational discrimination, economic disenfranchisement, physical abuse and discrimination in medical care. Though the Indian Constitution outlaws “untouchability†and the Indian Government consistently denies its existence, Dalits and tribesmen are still considered outcasts in the Indian society, it adds. Dalits and tribesmen are denied equal treatment under the law and Dalit women are often raped with impunity, Mr Franks’s resolution stresses. The resolution calls for inviting Dalit organisations to review rural development projects from the USAID and other US development funds, and oversee their implementation while prioritising funding for projects that directly impact Dalit and tribal communities.

http://www.panthic.org/print.php?a=1865 Appeal to Sikh Sangat to help the victims of the earthquake Sunday 9th October, 2005 Saffajang Singh - Panthic Weekly Staff Amritsar Sahib (KP) - Gyani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and Bibi Jagir Kaur, President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee have appealed to the Sikh Sangat worldwide to join in efforts to help the victims of the recent earthquake which shook many parts of India and Pakistan. In a statement issued at Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib, Gyani Joginder Singh appealed that humanitarian aid to the victims of this earthquake should be delivered by the Sikhs in masses. Bibi Jagir Kaur also announced that the SGPC would be sending essential commodities to the affected areas to help those in need very soon. She appealed the people to extend all possible help to the victims. The earthquake which measured around 7.6 took away thousands of lives away. Affected areas included Sri Amritsar Sahib, Jammu and Kashmir and its shocks were also felt as far as New Delhi. Saffajang Singh can be reached at saffajang.singh@panthic.org

“You hear a lot of strange things about tithing ( dasvandh in Sikhism ). Some say it is a church ( religious ) tax, and they expect me to pay it and that is the end of it. Others say that when I give God one-tenth of my income, He blesses the nine-tenths that is left to the extent that the nine-tenths now goes as far as the whole thing used to go. This isn’t really true, is it? Suppose a farmer had 100 bushels of corn in the barn and he decides to plant 10 bushel in the ground. What multiplies? Is it the 90 bushels that he has left in the barn? Oh, no. All of us ‘farmers’ know it is the 10 bushels you put in the ground that multiplies. Similarly, it is the 10 percent you give to God that multiplies.†— Stanley Tam (1915-), American businessman and philanthropist ==================================================================================== DASVANDH or Dasaundh, lit. a tenth part, refers to the practice among Sikhs of contributing in the name of the Guru onetenth of their earnings towards the common resources of the community. This is their religious obligation a form of seva or humble service so highly valued in the Sikh system. The concept of dasvandh was implicit in Guru Nanak's own line: "ghali khai kichhu hathhu dei, Nanak rahu pachhanahi sei He alone, 0 Nanak, knoweth the way who eats out of what he earneth by his honest labour and yet shareth part of it with others" (GG, 1245). The idea of sharing and giving was nourished by the institutions of sangat (holy assembly) and langar (community kitchen) the Guru had established. In the time of Guru Amar Das, Nanak III, a formal structure for channelizing Sikh religious giving was evolved. He set up 22 man/Is or districts in different parts of the country, each placed under the charge of a pious Sikh who, besides preaching Guru Nanak's word, looked after the sangats within his/her jurisdiction and transmitted the disciple's offerings to the Guru. As the digging of the sacred pool, amritsar, and erection in the middle of it of the shrine, Harimandar, began under Guru Ram Das entailing large amounts of expenditure, Sikhs were enjoined to set apart a minimum often per cent (dasvandh) of their income for the common pool, Guru ki Golak (q.v.). Masands, i.e. ministers and tithecollectors, were appointed to collect kar bhet (offerings) and dasvandh from Sikhs in the area they were assigned to, and pass these on to the Guru. Dasvandh has since become part of the Sikh way of life. The custom bears parallels to Christian tithes requiring members of the church to pay a tenth part of the annual produce of their land or its equivalent in money to support it and the clergy, and to Muslim zakat requiring assignment of 2.5 per cent of one's annual wealth for the welfare of the destitute and the needy. Classical Indian society had no set procedure for regulating donations or charities, though references are traceable such as those in Parasar Rishi's writings urging the householder to reserve 1/21 part of his income for Brahmans and 1/31 part for the gods. The Upanisads and the Bhagavadgita commend "true alms" given with a sense of duty in a Fit place and at a fit time to a deserving person from whom one expects nothing in return. DasvandA is, however, to be distinguished from dan or charity. It essentially attends to the needs of the community and contributions are made specifically for the maintenance of its religious institutions such as gurdwaras and guru ka langar and projects of social welfare and uplift. The custom of dasvandh was codified in documents called rahitnamas, manuals of Sikh conduct, written during the lifetime of Guru Gobind Singh or soon after. For example, Bhai Nand Lal's Tankhahnama records: "Hear ye, Nand Lal, says Gobind Singh, one who does not give dasvandh and, telling lies, misappropriates it, is not at all to be trusted." The tradition has been kept alive by chosen Sikhs who to this day scrupulously fulfil the injunction. The institution itself serves as a means for the individual to practice personal piety as well as to participate in the ongoing history of the community, the Guru Panth. References 1. Sher Singh, The Philosophy of Sikhism. Lahore, 1944 2. Gopal Singh, A History of the Sikh People. Delhi, 1979 3. Avtar Singh, Ethics of the Sikhs. Patiala, 1970 4. Nripinder Singh, The Sikh Moral Tradition. Delhi, 1990 5. Cole, W. Owen and Piara Singh Sambhi, The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Delhi, 1978 W.S. Source: http://thesikhencyclopedia.com

The Incredible Power of Prayer by Wendy Betterini http://www.wingsfortheheart.com During moments of helplessness, there is always one thing that can be done to make us feel more purposeful: pray. Contrary to traditional prayer poses, we don't have to spend hours on our knees with hands steepled before us. Prayer can actually be a wonderful, calming, energizing, yet comfortable activity. Sit or lie in any position you wish. Arrange yourself as if you were preparing for a long chat with a close friend. Though prayer can mean different things to different people, most of us would agree that prayer is simply talking to God. But many don't realize that prayer is actually a lot more pro-active than simply talking! When we pray, we are actually setting certain forces into motion. Prayers are thoughts. Thoughts are energy. Energy has power. When we pray, we are purposely setting energy into motion. Prayer is much more than just "asking for something." Prayer is affirming, visualizing, and having faith that certain circumstances are sure to follow. Remember that God also gave us the ability to create. We create every single day. We use our bodies and minds to generate money (a form of energy) to support our families. Men and women come together to create new life. Artists take a blank canvas and create a breathtaking vision of beauty. For human beings, creating is the simplest form of expression. The most difficult part is deciding what to create and then having the discipline to form our thoughts in that direction. How does this process of creation apply to victims of a disaster? Beyond the obvious physical necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter, what do these people need the most? They need comfort. They need peace. They need to know that everything is going to be okay again, even though their entire world has just been turned upside down. They are grieving for lost loved ones, homes, friends, jobs, neighbors and so much more. They weathered the storm, they are lucky to be alive, but now what? Now they begin the slow process of building another life for themselves, which is a frightening thing to do. We are creatures of habit. We like our comfortable, familiar routines. The unknown is scary. And the only thing I've found that can reduce fear is FAITH. But so many of these people are without faith right now. They've lost everything, including hope. We need to send our own faith to help them, huge chunks of faith, swaddled in love and borne on the wings of prayer. How exactly do we do this? Whether you are a spiritual practitioner or not, whether you are a religious person or not, remember that prayers are simply thoughts. Send positive thoughts. Visualize the victims, individually or as a collective group, and surround them with love, peace, comfort, strength and healing. Make it real, make it strong, make it a powerful vision. The more energy you put into it, the more energy that WILL go into it. Maybe you have doubts about how well this really works. Do it anyway. Put your doubt aside for a few moments, and pretend it will work. Or do an internet search on the Power of Prayer, and read about the many studies that have been done on this topic. I think you'll be surprised by some of the results. The strongest benefit of this type of purposeful prayer is that it reduces our feelings of powerlessness. It reminds us that we can co-create with God to make this world a better place, to help our fellow man, and ourselves. Though we may feel powerless much of the time, we are in control of a lot more than we might think. Will praying for people make all of their trials vanish instantly? Probably not. But what if we can give them something more than the basic necessities of life? What if we can somehow pass along the will to get through another day, the strength to face their grief, and the courage to start over? Isn't that worth the effort? I think so. © Copyright 2005 Wendy Betterini http://www.wingsfortheheart.com

This Shabad is by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Gauree on Pannaa 282 jio ma(n)dhar ko thhaamai thha(n)man || thio gur kaa sabadh manehi asathha(n)man || jio paakhaan naav charr tharai || praanee gur charan lagath nisatharai || jio a(n)dhhakaar dheepak paragaas || gur dharasan dhaekh man hoe bigaas || jio mehaa oudhiaan mehi maarag paavai || thio saadhhoo sa(n)g mil joth pragattaavai || thin sa(n)than kee baashho dhhoor || naanak kee har lochaa poor ||3|| As a palace is supported by its pillars, so does the Guru's Word support the mind. As a stone placed in a boat can cross over the river, so is the mortal saved, grasping hold of the Guru's Feet. As the darkness is illuminated by the lamp, so does the mind blossom forth, beholding the Blessed Vision of the Guru's Darshan. The path is found through the great wilderness by joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and one's light shines forth. I seek the dust of the feet of those Saints; O Lord, fulfill Nanak's longing! ||3||

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051008/ap_on_...zkxBHNlYwN0bQ-- Quake Kills More Than 3,000 in South Asia By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 7 minutes ago A huge earthquake triggered landslides, toppled an apartment building and flattened villages of mud-brick homes Saturday, killing more than 3,000 people across a mountainous swath touching Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The casualty toll from the 7.6-magnitude tremor was rising early Sunday as rescuers struggled to dig people from the wreckage, their work made more difficult as rain and hail turned dirt and debris into sticky muck. The worst damage was in Pakistan, where the dead included 250 girls crushed at a school and 200 soldiers on duty in the Himalayas. For hours, aftershocks rattled an area stretching from Afghanistan across northern Pakistan into India's portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Hospitals moved quake victims onto lawns, fearing tremors could cause more damage. The earthquake, which struck just before 9 a.m., caused buildings to sway for about a minute in the capitals of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, an area some 625 miles across. Panicked people ran from homes and offices, and communications were cut to many areas. Most of the devastation occurred in the mountains of northern Pakistan. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 60 miles northeast of the capital, Islamabad, in the forested mountains of Pakistani Kashmir. "It is a national tragedy," said Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, Pakistan's chief army spokesman. "This is the worst earthquake in recent times." In Mansehra, a shopowner named Haji Fazal Ilahi stood vigil over the body of his 14-year-old daughter, which lay under a sheet on a hospital mattress. He said his wife, another daughter and a brother also died when the family's house fell. "I could see rocks and homes tumbling down the mountains," said Ilahi, who was driving to his village of Garlat when the quake struck. "When I reached my village, there was nothing left of my home." India's government offered condolences and assistance to Pakistan, a longtime rival with which it has been pursuing peace efforts after fighting three wars since independence from British rule in 1947, two of them over Kashmir. "While parts of India have also suffered from this unexpected natural disaster, we are prepared to extend any assistance with rescue and relief which you may deem appropriate," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a message to Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. India reported at least 250 people killed and 800 injured when the quake collapsed 2,700 houses and other buildings in Jammu-Kashmir state. Most of the deaths occurred in the border towns of Uri, Tangdar and Punch and in the city of Srinagar, said B.B. Vyas, the state's divisional commissioner. Telephone lines were down. Some bridges developed cracks, but traffic was reported to be passing over them. A senior Pakistani army officer said 200 soldiers were killed by debris and landslides in Pakistan's portion of Kashmir. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists. About 1,000 civilians died in that region, said Sardar Mohammed Anwar, the top government official in the area. "This is my conservative guess, and the death toll could be much higher," Anwar told Pakistan's Aaj television station, adding that most homes in Muzaffarabad, the area's capital, were damaged, and schools and hospitals collapsed. The death toll was at least 1,600 in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, said Akram Durani, the province's top elected official. Ataullah Khan Wazir, police chief in the northwestern district of Mansehra, said authorities there pulled the bodies of 250 students from the wreckage of one girls' school in the village of Ghari Habibibullah. About 500 students were injured, he said. Dozens of children were feared killed in other schools. Mansehra, about 90 miles northwest of the capital, was believed to be a hotbed of Islamic militant activity during the time the Taliban religious militia ruled neighboring Afghanistan. Al-Qaida operatives trained suicide squads at a camp there, Afghan and Pakistani sources told The Associated Press in 2002. Afghanistan appeared to suffer the least damage. In its east, an 11-year-old girl was crushed to death when a wall in her home collapsed, police official Gafar Khan said. A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, said the quake was felt at Bagram, the main American base in Afghanistan, but he had no reports of damage at bases around the country. The United Nations said it was working with Pakistan, Afghanistan and India on an emergency response to the quake. President Bush offered condolences, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States was ready to help. "At this difficult time, the United States stands with its friends in Pakistan and India, just as they stood with us and offered assistance after Hurricane Katrina," Rice said in a statement. In Pakistan, Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered the military to extend "all-out help" to quake-hit areas and appealed to the nation to stay calm. Helicopters and C-130 transport planes took troops and supplies to damaged areas, but landslides and rain hindered rescue efforts. The only serious damage reported in Pakistan's capital was the collapse of a 10-story apartment building, where at least 10 people were killed and 126 were injured. Hospital doctors said the dead included an Egyptian diplomat, and the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said two Japanese were killed. A man named Rehmatullah who lived near the apartment building said dust enveloped the wreckage. "I rushed down, and for some time you could not see anything because of the dust. Then we began to look for people in the rubble," he said. "We pulled out one man by cutting off his legs." "It was like hell," added Nauman Ali, who lives in a nearby building. "I was tossed up in my bed and the ceiling fan struck against the roof." Aided by two large cranes, hundreds of police and soldiers helped remove chunks of concrete, one of which was splattered with blood. One rescue worker said he heard faint cries from people trapped in the rubble. In Abbotabad, north of Islamabad, dozens of injured quake victims and other patients lay on the lawn of the city hospital as staff with loudspeakers appealed to the public for food and other relief supplies. One of the injured was an 8-year-old boy, Qadeer, whose father, a farmer named Jehangir, said the only buildings left standing in their village were a mosque and a school. Qadeer lay unconscious, his right leg heavily bandaged. Authorities laid out dozens of bodies under sheets in a damaged sports stadium in Muzaffarabad. ___ Associated Press reporters Munir Ahmad, Sadaqat Jan, Riaz Khan and Asif Shahzad contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/10/0...stan/index.html Death toll in Asian quake tops 700 Official says number of dead could reach into the thousands (CNN) -- At least 746 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a magnitude 7.6 earthquake -- estimated to be the most intense in the region in the last century -- jolted residents of the south Asian subcontinent. But officials warned the death toll from Saturday's quake could be in the thousands in Pakistan, India, the Pakistani- and Indian-administered areas of Kashmir, and in Afghanistan. The effects of the quake -- with an epicenter 60 miles (about 97 kilometers) north-northeast of Islamabad near Pakistani-controlled Kashmir -- were felt as far as 400 miles away Saturday with aftershocks sweeping the region. At least 554 of those were in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, authorities said. They included a girl killed when her school was damaged in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad; 12 people in Islamabad; 80 people in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir; and 100 in Pakistan's North-West Frontier province. In Indian-controlled Kashmir, Vijay Bakaya, secretary to the chief minister, initially said at least 157 people were dead and 600 injured. Later, however, police in the area said the total was estimated at about 200. Bakaya said some 500 homes in the region had been destroyed. The quake also killed one person in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. Some houses in the region reportedly collapsed. Damage and casualties were also reported in remote northeast Afghanistan. "This was the strongest earthquake in the area during the last hundred years," Qamar Uz Zaman, director-general of the Pakistani Meteorological Department, told CNN. Although the final death toll will not be known until some of Pakistan's remote areas can be reached, "one can see from the widespread damage that it has caused, and the number of houses that have been damaged, that the number of dead or injured could be running into thousands," said Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, Pakistani army spokesman. In addition, several northern villages may be demolished, officials warned. "This is really a very serious and very grave situation," said Anisa Zaib Tahir Khali, Pakistan's minister of state for information. A series of aftershocks, including one of 6.3 magnitude and four more at 5.4 or above, rattled the region, creating new panic among residents. In Indian-controlled Kashmir, many people refused to return indoors out of fear of a new quake. Frantic efforts to rescue survivors were under way in Islamabad, where an apartment building collapsed. Elsewhere in Pakistan, preliminary reports indicate "widespread damage," particularly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and the country's northern area, Sultan told CNN. But communication disruptions in those areas meant information was sketchy, he said. A helicopter rescue operation was launched. Video footage from Pakistani television showed crowds of people climbing on the rubble of a collapsed apartment building and attempting to free those trapped under large concrete slabs. Some of the injured were carried away on stretchers. Between 150 to 200 people are trapped under the debris of the building, called the Margallah Towers, according to Pakistan's interior minister, Aftab Sherpao. Buildings nearby have been evacuated and other structures in the area were damaged. City officials are trying to obtain heavy earth and rubble moving machinery from the private sector to help rescue the trapped people. The temblor's epicenter was more than 6 miles below the Earth's surface, according to the Web site of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center. The quake, which struck about 8:50 a.m. local time (11:50 p.m. Friday EDT), was believed to be the strongest in Pakistan in nearly 20 years. Many citizens were still in their beds at the time of the quake. Witness Malik Abdul Manan said he and his family "woke up and ran out. The shocks went on for a long time." (Survivors describe shock awakening) The quake was "quite shallow," said David Applegate, senior science advisor for earthquake and geologic hazards for the U.S. Geological Survey. "That means the shaking is going to be very intense." The fact that Islamabad was near the epicenter "means a fairly large urban population has experienced some strong shaking," Applegate said. There have been some initial aftershocks, he said, "and we expect quite a number more" -- some in the 6-plus magnitude range. Those aftershocks could cause additional damage to structures already weakened by the first quake, he said. A string of about six aftershocks, some ranging between magnitude 5 and 6, were recorded, said Qamar. More were expected in the next 48 hours. The quake also triggered landslides, resulting in the closure of some highways, officials said. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz met in Rawalpindi on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the government, and "expressed their profound grief over the tragic loss of life and damage to property as a result of the quake." The two asked federal and provincial governments to mobilize all resources and speed recovery operations, and Aziz flew over Islamabad to assess the damage. "The president and prime minister have appealed to the nation to stay calm in the face of the earthquake and have directed the concerned authorities to carry out an immediate assessment of the extent of damage caused by it," the statement said. Applegate said Pakistan traditionally has been an active region for earthquakes. Saturday's quake was a "thrust" earthquake, caused by friction between the Indian subcontinent as it pushes against Asia. Although it is the same kind of mechanism that creates tsunamis, the quake was centered far enough inland that there was no danger of a tsunami, he said. Buildings swayed 400 miles away However, the Pakistani Meteorological Department's Zaman said the region of Pakistan where the quake was centered has been fairly inactive during the last century. The quake was also felt in India and Afghanistan. In New Delhi, some 406 miles from Islamabad, buildings swayed and furniture moved, causing widespread panic among residents, many of whom rushed into the streets. The Indian government activated its national disaster plan. The National Earthquake Information Center put the quake at 7.6 magnitude, which it considers "major." The Pakistani Meteorological Department put the magnitude at 7.5, and Japan's Meteorological Agency put it at 7.8. In February 2004, a pair of earthquakes registering 5.5 and 5.4 magnitude, respectively, killed at least 21 people and injured dozens more and destroyed hundreds of homes built of mud, stone and timber in a rugged, mountainous area about 90 miles northwest of Islamabad. In January 2001, some 30,000 people died in a magnitude 7.7 quake in western India. CNN Senior International Correspondent Satinder Bindra, CNN Producers Syed Mohsin Naqvi and John Raedler and Journalists Mukhtar Ahmed in Srinagar and Tom Coghlan in Kabul contributed to this rep

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2005/639.html Unplugging The Noise Taking A Media Break In this modern age, we seldom question the pervasive presence of the media. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, telephones, and websites are part of most people's everyday experiences. They enable us to stay informed while sometimes taking us on amazing journeys. But the content and experiences that these outlets offer also consume space in our minds that can have a profound effect on our emotional state. If you are someone who feels like your life is oversaturated with the "buzz" that comes from the media, you may want to consider taking a break. A media fast involves not watching television, reading any newspapers or magazines, checking or sending any e-mails, or even talking on the phone. On the simplest level, undertaking this fast will free up thinking space. When you are constantly being bombarded with signals coming from outside sources, it can be hard to disassociate yourself, particularly if what you are hearing or reading is negative or stressful. Avoiding the media, for a few weeks, or even just a few days, can help you center yourself. The fast may even introduce you to creative aspects of yourself that you didn't know existed, as you enjoy some quiet time and reconnect with other interests. We may feel like something is lacking from our lives during the first few days of a fast. But it is this emptiness that opens up the space for a more expansive and clutter-free life. Research has shown that both news and television programming can have an intense effect on mood, even causing sadness and anxiety. Without the "noise" of the media running through your head, you are freer to focus your attention inward. Ideas will present themselves to you more readily, and you will find yourself available to revel in the small joys of your own life. You also will be freer to live in the present moment, rather than focusing on what's going on in the news or your favorite soap opera. A media break can also help you develop a more conscious relationship with news and fictional entertainment. When you aren't continuously subjected to the media, you are able to look at what you are seeing or reading more objectively. Taking a break from the media may also give you a greater sense of calm, balance, well-being, and a new perspective on life For more information visit dailyom.com

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=9316 October 6, 2005 British Government Considers Banning Forced Marriages The British government is considering a proposal to ban forced marriages, making clerics, imams, and parents liable for prosecution. The proposal comes in response to the estimated hundreds of British Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu women forced into arranged marriages each year. Currently, British parents who force their children into marriage can be prosecuted on counts of kidnapping and assault. But the British police says that specific laws targeting forced marriage are needed to ease prosecution and send a clear message to young people about their rights, according to Garavi Gujarat, an Asian newsweekly. Supporters of such laws call forced marriages a human rights violation that often is accompanied by physical abuse. Sixty percent of women who seek refuge at Ashiana, a London service for Asian domestic violence victims, come fleeing forced marriages, according to the Christian Science Monitor. "We hear stories of rapes, abductions, beatings, forced abortions, and forced pregnancies," says Vinay Talwar, the head of the British Foreign Office's Forced Marriage Unit, according to BBC News. The Unit has dealt with 1,000 cases of forced marriage in its five years of existence, according to the Guardian. Media Resources: Christian Science Monitor 10/5/05; The Times (UK) 9/25/05; BBC News 9/5/05; Garavi Gujarat 9/6/05; The Guardian 9/6/05

This Shabad is by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Svaiyay Mehl 5 on Pannaa 1388 dyh n gyh n nyh n nIqw mwieAw mq khw lau gwrhu ] CqR n pqR n caur n cwvr bhqI jwq irdY n ibcwrhu ] rQ n Asà n gj isMGwsn iCn mih iqAwgq nWg isDwrhu ] sUr n bIr n mIr n Kwnm sMig n koaU idRsit inhwrhu ] kot n Et n kos n Cotw krq ibkwr doaU kr Jwrhu ] imqR n puqR klqR swjn sK aultq jwq ibrK kI CWrhu ] dIn dXwl purK pRB pUrn iCn iCn ismrhu Agm Apwrhu ] sRIpiq nwQ srix nwnk jn hy BgvMq ik®pw kir qwrhu ]5] dhaeh n gaeh n naeh n neethaa maaeiaa math kehaa lo gaarahu || shhathr n pathr n chour n chaavar behathee jaath ridhai n bichaarahu || rathh n asv n gaj si(n)ghaasan shhin mehi thiaagath naa(n)g sidhhaarahu || soor n beer n meer n khaanam sa(n)g n kooo dhrisatt nihaarahu || kott n outt n kos n shhottaa karath bikaar dhooo kar jhaarahu || mithr n puthr kalathr saajan sakh oulattath jaath birakh kee shhaa(n)rahu || dheen dhayaal purakh prabh pooran shhin shhin simarahu agam apaarahu || sreepath naathh saran naanak jan hae bhagava(n)th kirapaa kar thaarahu ||5|| Neither body, nor house, nor love last forever. You are intoxicated with Maya; how long will you be proud of them? Neither crown, nor canopy, nor servants last forever. You do not consider in your heart that your life is passing away. Neither chariots, nor horses, nor elephants or royal thrones shall last forever. In an instant, you will have to leave them, and depart naked. Neither warrior, nor hero, nor king or ruler last forever; see this with your eyes. Neither fortress, nor shelter, nor treasure will save you; doing evil deeds, you shall depart empty-handed. Friends, children, spouses and friends - none of them last forever; they change like the shade of a tree. God is the Perfect Primal Being, Merciful to the meek; each and every instant, meditate in remembrance on Him, the Inaccessible and Infinite. O Great Lord and Master, servant Nanak seeks Your Sanctuary; please shower him with Your Mercy, and carry him across. ||5||

Seeds of thought Thoughts of anger attract more anger. Thoughts of goodness attract more goodness. Thoughts of accomplishment enable you to see that accomplishment in every detail. And whatever you can see, you can find a way to be. Thoughts of peace truly make you more peaceful. And that can lead those around you to carry peaceful thoughts as well. Thoughts begin on the inside and quickly flow outward. The thoughts you hold in this moment will soon spread far beyond you. The thoughts you send forth will eventually find their way back to you, yet by that time they will be much more than just thoughts. Those thoughts will return as circumstances, objects, challenges, opportunities and achievements. Your thoughts attract more of whatever you think, because life has a dependable way of multiplying and manifesting them. So choose to always hold the most positive, enriching thoughts, and from those seeds a beautiful garden will grow. -- Ralph Marston source: greatday.com