SURYADEV

Well explained Das. @Guess. Take things slowly. Read, study and really understand before you start doing things. Dont look for the simplistic meanings of ideas and concepts in Sikhi. Its a lot deeper. You will not undertsand it overnight.

My understtanding is that Kesh is only a neccesity for Khalsa amritdhari sikhs. Not for the rest of the wider sikhi conglomerate. whether other keep kesh or not is entirely a personal choice - unless their hukam is to remove hair eg certain sects of sadhus who must shave their head upon being ordained. For a Khalsa the hukam is to keep Kesh.

I always thought BAOLI was just a well of sorts, used to get water from deeper wells. ie Goindwal gurd baoli. Here is an article that describes what it really is and its purpose: an ancient form of air conditioning! Also touches on the practical pupose of elements of Indian architecture. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/28/world/asia/ancient-air-conditioning-architecture/index.html?iref=obinsite Jaipur, India (CNN) -- How did buildings keep cool before the invention of air conditioning? As architects consider how to reduce the energy demands of new builds, some are turning to the past for simple, low-tech solutions. At the height of summer, in the sweltering industrial suburbs of Jaipur, Rajasthan in north-west India, the Pearl Academy of Fashion remains 20 degrees cooler inside than out -- by drawing on Rajasthan's ancient architecture. While the exterior appears very much in keeping with the trends of contemporary design, at the base of the building is a vast pool of water -- a cooling concept taken directly from the stepwell structures developed locally over 1,500 years ago to provide refuge from the desert heat. Award-winning architect Manit Rastogi, who designed the academy, explains that baoli -- the Hindi word for stepwell -- are bodies of water encased by a descending set of steps. Green lessons from Mughal architecture "When water evaporates in heat, it immediately brings down the temperature of the space around it," he says. While traditional stepwells often go many stories below ground level, Rastogi's go down just four meters. However, the effect is the same and -- like the ancient Mughal palaces before it -- the academy enjoys its own microclimate. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012/02/world/interactive.mumbai.slums.sustainability/index.html" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 66, 118); outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Read more from Road to Rio: The slums of Mumbai: A model of urban sustainability? Rastogi wonders: "How did they think up something so elaborate and yet so simple in its basic philosophy? "How do you begin to think that you can dig into the ground and use the earth as a heat sink, have access to water, put a pavilion into it so that its comfortable through the year? It takes a lot of technology for us to think up something that simple now." But it's not just the stepwells that are involved in this process of "passive cooling" -- the general term applied to technologies or design features that cool buildings without power consumption. How did they think up something so elaborate and yet so simple in its basic philosophy? Manit Rastogi, Architect The whole building is raised above the ground on pillars, creating an airy and shaded pavilion that is used as a recreation and exhibition space. Here, according to Rastogi, the walls are made from a heat-absorbing material that creates a "thermal bank" -- so the warmth is slowly released at night when the temperature drops. Centuries ago, latticed screens or "jaali" filtered direct sunlight into the palaces. The effect was decorative and helped reduce the heat. Likewise at The Pearl Academy, a latticed concrete screen runs the length of the building and provides a cooling outer skin. "We've been able to demonstrate that good green building is not only cheaper to run; it's not only more comfortable to live in -- it's also cheaper to build," says Rastogi. The success of the academy's eco-design has had an impact. Regulations -- based on these passive cooling techniques -- were introduced last year for all new Indian government buildings.

The term 'Indian' is fairly new, so I dont think the ancient greeks or jews would have used that term. Indian is derived from 'Indus' (Forget about the 'slave' origin that Indo-bashers say). The original name for Indus is 'Sindh' as in 'Sapt-Sindh'. I presume the ancients would have used 'Sapt-Sindu' and not Indian or Hindu.

You mean to say that we aren't dirty, slave mongering controlfreaks ourselves?? There is a thread already open about it: the homeless problem. If they aren't victims of slave traders and owners then i dont know what is. The only difference is that we as are sooo inept and disorganised and disunited that we cannot manage it on the grand scale that the Europeans did hundreds of years ago. Though the false self image is also a big factor too

I remember a singh who used to frequent Bebe Nanaki Gurd in handsworth about 4-5 years ago. He used to do a fair bit of seva there several days a week. He would tell me of how the old ladies there would moan about these 'indians' who would come over illegally and take the jobs from the 'native british indians' and come to temples for free langar! (Bear in mind that this is in a temple that is famous for its charity work. What irony.) I 'm sure that type of attitude infects the committee walas too. It seems to me that whatever the gurdwaras do/have done is too little, too late. The fact that the mainstream british media and population know about this attests to that fact. Whatever the babas at the gurdwaras are doing is just playing 'catchup' and to save face. I like that clip you showed. he mentioned what always happens in our community regarding change. Its always the small teams of individuals to 'pick up the baton' and do something

You must mean the 'British stiff upper lip' that we have

My max was 15 pull ups ......after a 4 mile fartlek run. Also could manage 6 pull ups carrying 12kgs weights. That was a few years ago. Now I can do 3 pull ups........or 5 if I push myself!!!!!

What I think is that by putting on such labels we create thoughts/emotions of blame and responsibility for the other side. I fear by going down such path we will create such hate within ourselves against muslims/pakistan. We just have to look at the palestinian children who, from a young age, are indoctrinated with intense hate for the jew/israel. I don't believe its a good example to use palestinian methodology for anything as a guide.

Satya-naas? But that may mean complete destruction beyond repair.

But why cant they/we be a bit feminine? Can you be butch and alpha all the time.? I see a many more things that I consider gay in Indian/sikh culture. Guys holding hands for a start or embracing each other in photo poses.

For many 'elders' of a society, what they find foreign, what they cannot understand, what they find threatening to their circle of influence is classed as wrong and should be avoided. There may be/are valid reasons for not doing this kind stuff, but seldom do they explain why. Rather a blanket ban is put in place.

i'd say: "Rock On Singha!!" Nothing wrong with it.....unless you want to find fault with it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109488/2030-The-year-Britain-cease-Chrsitian-nation-march-secularism.html "In the last six years, the number of Muslims has surged by 37 per cent to 2.6million; Hindus by 43 per cent and Buddhists by 74 per cent. But the number of Sikhs and Jewish believers fell slightly." Ok so this growth in numbers can be explained partly by immigration. But why not the same for Sikhs and Jews (ie East Euro jews moving to UK)? 2030: The year Britain will cease to be a Christian nation with the march of secularism By <a class="author" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Daniel+Martin,+Whitehall+Correspondent" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102); ">Daniel Martin, Whitehall Correspondent Last updated at 1:56 AM on 3rd March 2012 The march of secularism means Britain may no longer be a Christian country in just 20 years, a report said yesterday. If trends continue, the number of non-believers is set to overtake the number of Christians by 2030. Christianity is losing more than half a million believers every year, while the count of atheists and agnostics is going up by almost 750,000 annually. Christianity is losing more than half a million believers every year, while the count of atheists and agnostics is going up by almost 750,000 annually. Research by the House of Commons Library found that while Christianity has declined, other religions have seen sharp increases. In the last six years, the number of Muslims has surged by 37 per cent to 2.6million; Hindus by 43 per cent and Buddhists by 74 per cent. But the number of Sikhs and Jewish believers fell slightly. The researchers said the number of Christians had only held up to the extent it has because of high levels of immigration over the last decade. Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England - researchers said the number of Christians had only held up to the extent it has because of high levels of immigration over the last decade The findings help explain the increasingly forceful warnings from people of faith about the state of religion in Britain. Last week a group of MPs and peers – Christians in Parliament – claimed public policy was promoting ‘unacceptable’ discrimination against Christians. Christians in Parliament chairman, former Tory justice minister Gary Streeter, warned that believers were having their faith 'steamrollered' by a 'secular and hostile state' Yesterday the group’s chairman, former Tory justice minister Gary Streeter, warned that believers were having their faith ‘steamrollered’ by a ‘secular and hostile state’. He said many were facing restrictions on their ability to practise their religion in public. Cabinet minister Baroness Warsi also recently attacked ‘militant secularism’ and said the Church should continue to have influence over government policy. Earlier this week campaigners said Christianity was being sidelined after it emerged that a council-run crematorium in Bath was to remove a glass window engraved with a four-foot cross to make it more suitable for other religions. Secularists argue that Christians should no longer have privileged access in Parliament when the number who believe in God is declining so sharply. Researchers came to their conclusion after studying the Labour Force Survey, which is carried out every year by the Office for National Statistics. It is the most authoritative survey because of its regularity and its large sample size of 50,000. It found that in 2010 there were around 41.1million Christians in Britain – down 7.6 per cent over the past six years. There were around 13.4million non-believers, up 49 per cent over the same period. Rising: In the last six years, the number of Muslims has surged by 37 per cent to 2.6million; Hindus by 43 per cent and Buddhists by 74 per cent The study, Religion in Great Britain, concludes: ‘Between the fourth quarter of 2004 and the fourth quarter of 2010, the Christian population fell from 78.0 per cent of the population to 69.4 per cent, while the group of people with no religion grew from 15.7 per cent to 22.4 per cent. ‘If these populations continue to shrink and grow by the same number of people each year, the number of people with no religion will overtake the number of Christians in Great Britain in 20 years, on this measure of religious affiliation.’ The Labour Force Survey asks people what religion they belong to, ‘even if you are not currently practising’ – a form of question which tends actually to underestimate the number who say they are non-believers. The survey also shows people are more likely to define themselves as Christian the older they are. Almost 90 per cent over 70 say they are Christian, compared with just over 50 per cent of those aged 30 to 34. The researchers say this could be because ‘as children grow into young adults and form a religious identity independent of their parents, an increasing proportion are coming to regard themselves as having no religion’. They point out that the decline of Christianity would have been far deeper had there not been such high levels of migration. While the number of Christians born in the UK declined by 4.1million, the number born abroad increased by around 730,000. The study also looked at the British Social Attitudes survey, which routinely finds greater numbers of non-believers. In 2011, it found that 50 per cent of respondents did not regard themselves as being of any religion, compared with just 44 per cent who said they belonged to some form of Christianity. However, the Library said this was a much smaller sample size, making it less reliable as a guide. Despite the rising numbers following Islam, there are still 16 times as many Christians as Muslims. MOST READ NEWS

Dalsingh If you are swinging to get yourself up then do two things: 1. slow down on the both up and down phases. I mean reeaally slow down. Take several seconds to do a rep. 2. Do some core stability work ie hold the plank position for 1min and repeat that a few times a day.

Thats an idea - if I had a spare house in my property portfolio. But for someone who doesn't have a spare house or splashing in cash. But has the desire to help. ANything else we can do? Looking at gurdwaras and sikh institutions I'm quite disillusioned with them. Is this problem only London specific or does it affect the Midlands/north?

I'vve nver seen Mallakhamb being done in north India/Panjab. Must be too hard for them. i've never evven seen it in the west - apart from Spearmint Rhino!!!

Any thoughts anyone??

The multitude of uses of desi ghee, eh? Did you get the IRONGYM? A simple pullup device that you hook over the door frame and can take off, variety of holds on it and no damage or altering of the frame. Best piece of excercise kit ever. To work the abs/core when doing pulls I lift my legs up infront of me so that they are an L-shape. keep it in that position when going up and coming down. It takes practice though. Just mix all the variations and do them: wide ,narrow, underhand,overhand, commando pullups, towel grip, inwards facing hands, round-the-worlds etc etc. Hits all the major upper body muscles at different angles. If you are starting off and cant do one then do 'reverse pullups'. Place a chair directly under the bar. Climb up and hold the bar so that you are in the up position. Take the weight onto your arms and off your legs. Lower yourself down. Initially you may just fall straight down, but with practice slow the downward phase as much as possible so that it takes you several seconds to get down to the straight arm position. Leave the bar up on the frame, everytime you pass through the door bang one out! If you can do one relatively easily then get back up and do a second or even third one. Do only this for the next two weeks on a daily basis. Rest for a couple of days after that then try to do a standard pull up. Repeat the whole process for that single standard pull up for the next 1-2 weeks.

Source? The profecies are quite vague. They could be applied to any society/rulers/people. For a sikh the most apt would be to apply these to the Mughals.

here is an American article espousing the benefits of cooking in cast iron pot (sarbloh) http://paleodietlifestyle.com/cooking-with-cast-iron/ Cooking With Cast Iron Share This Subscribe for Updates Do you ever really consider how important your cookware is? I am sure you have heard all about the nightmares of cooking with Teflon and have since been swayed to the Stainless Steel or Copper options, but is it any surprise for you to learn that what our grand-parents used is better than anything produced since? It may seem difficult to believe, but then again, we know that, more often than not, the old fashioned way is much better when it comes to diet and lifestyle. The diet of only a few generations ago, before the industrial revolution, was much better than today’s even if not perfect, so it’s no wonder that the kind of cookware used is also better for us. The secret was plain and simple: cast iron. It’s how it’s stated: a piece of iron is heated and cast into a piece of cookware. So what makes it so good? First and foremost, the metal retains heat and evenly distributes it in a way that modern cookware cannot. This is a chef’s dream! You may not realize how important this is, but let me ask you this: Are you still trying to master cooking the perfect steak? You can’t seem to get an even consistency throughout, as some parts are far more chewy than others? This is because portions of the pan are hotter than others. Stainless steel is probably the closest thing to cast iron, as it does distribute the heat very well, but it does not retain it for a long time. What this means is that any sudden changes in temperature will be felt immediately when cooking with steel. This is not the case with cast iron, as it takes much longer for the metal to heat up or cool down. The benefits of cooking with cast iron Perhaps the greatest benefit to cooking with cast iron could be the health impacts. I have to admit that this is really what initially intrigued me. A friend of mine is pregnant with her second child. She ran into some problems with her first pregnancy, as her iron levels were drastically low. Nowadays there is always some form of “help,” but for any of you who have low iron stores, you may already know how horrible the supplements can be. Aside from her needing more iron, everything else went well. She is due in the coming months with baby number two and her iron levels have never been better! So what changed between the first pregnancy and the second? She was given a set of cast iron pots and pans and has solely cooked with them since. What happens is, when you cook with this metal, the food in the pan absorbs iron directly from the metal. Therefore, the iron levels in the food are higher after it has been cooked than before. To put it plain and simple, your food actually becomes richer in iron for you after it has been cooked! Of course, this is by no means a reason not to focus on healthy foods that are good sources of iron like red meat and liver. These foods are not only good sources of easily absorbable iron, they are also loaded with much needed nutrients for optimal health. All of this doesn’t apply if you have to actually consume less iron, as excess iron can be problematic as well. A lot of women though are in a situation where they need more iron from their diet, especially since they lose a lot of iron once a month with their periods. There is yet another healthy benefit to cooking with cast iron. Unlike stainless steel, iron is naturally non-stick. This is important, because there is no other healthy alternatives out there for the dreaded, yet extremely practical Teflon treated pans. I would never cook with such pans, but I will be the first to admit that cooking eggs and crepes in stainless steel is no easy task. In case you are not so familiar, cooking with Teflon and aluminum pans can be quite toxic to your health. When heated, toxic fumes are produced as a result of what this cookware is built with. The health benefits to cooking with cast iron were enough to have me hooked, but the list does go on. Cast iron is actually much less expensive than most modern day cookware. I just picked myself up a medium sized skillet and it only cost me around $20. The added bonus to this is that it also lasts much longer than anything else. In fact, I continue to enjoy cooking with several of my grandmother’s cast iron pieces, all of which are in the same shape as the skillet I just purchased. Using and taking care of cast iron cookware One of the downsides to using cast iron though is that it requires a little maintenance. There is a process that you should follow that will prevent the iron from developing any rust and will also help to maintain its non-stick surface. You essentially have to “season” the iron, which means you have to lather the metal in animal fat and cook it at very high temperatures so that the fat gets absorbed by the material. The whole seasoning process should be repeated at least once a year, if not more depending on how often the cookware is being used. If any rust forms on the surface of a cast iron pan, it needs to be re-seasoned. It’s because of this process that most would advise you against washing any cast iron pan with soap. Give it a good rinse with hot water and all should be good for its next use. Try to clean it this way when it’s still warm and pat it dry right away. Also, store it without a lid as moisture could form and create rust on the surface of the pan. A lot of people enjoy the fact that they can oftentimes still taste some of the food that was previously cooked with their pan because it’s never really cleaned entirely. Another point to keep in mind is not to store any food in the pan after it has been cooked, especially if the food is acidic because the acidity can damage the protecting surface produced by the seasoning. Seasoning a cast iron pan Here’s a simple recipe to season a cast iron pan. Don’t forget that the handle on a cast iron is also made of pure iron so never touch that handle with your bare hand when taking the pan out of a hot oven. Rub a good amount of healthy cooking fat like coconut oil, lard, tallow or clarified butter all over the surface of the pan. Preheat your oven to a very high temperature. Between 400 F and 500 F is a good temperature. Place the pan inside the oven for a first 15 minutes before taking it out and pouring off any extra cooking fat. Be careful, this fat will be extremely hot. Place the pan back in the oven for about another 2 hours. This whole process can be repeated another time for even better results. Conclusion It’s rare that we ever hear of the cheaper option being the best, but in this case, it certainly is. This article has provided you with a handful of solid points that should in no way leave you questioning the benefits to cooking with cast iron. To recap, it’s what was used a few generations ago, before the industrial revolution, and there are a number of health benefits, such as increased iron intake and avoiding the consumption of harmful toxins produced during the cooking process. Other than that, it’s usually very cheap and very durable. So durable in fact that your kids will later probably be able to get a good use out of the ones you currently own if you take care of them. You have done no wrong in not cooking with cast iron, but you could certainly do a lot better if you do cook with it, unless you’ve already been cooking with stainless steel of course, which is the other healthy alternative. P.S. Be sure to check out the Paleo Recipe Book. It’s a cookbook I’ve created to help you cook the best food for your health. It contains over 370 recipes and covers absolutely everything you need. Register for my free newsletter and I’ll send you a free preview of the cookbook right away. Simply enter your email:

But on a serious note. We have seen the half-hearted efforts by the TV channels and gurdwaras to 'help' these guys. The situation is dire. Now what is there that we as individuals can do to help these guys??????? Only two years ago when thousands of 'students' came from India there was quite a lot done by Sikh establishment here when there were problems wiht girls forced into prostitution, homelessness, colleges commiting fraud etc. Is it because those students had money that they were worthy of help but these faujis are penniless addicts, so they dont deserve the same attention?!

Oh no I wouldn't say I'm a brit. I'll just say that i'm from India. As per procedure they'll contact the Indian High Comm to check/prove my background. this in itself can take years. During that time I'll get 'leave to stay' and get a job here and start afresh.