AKJ
Below are some videos and pictures that I took at the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.. I reached there at around 2230.. the SukhAasan happens as 2300. The AKJ Rehn Sabhai took place at the sarovar of the Gurudwara Sahib.. It was ANAND all the way... singing kirtan with the sangat in AKJ style!!!...eyes were moist... and now my throat is all hoarse :)
Sukh Aasan clip...
SEWA SEWA EVERYWHERE!!
This clip isnt very clear unfortunately.. it was 11 PM so very dark. Every Saturday night, there is sewa of cleaning the Gurudwara Sahib premises.. so buckets and mops everywhere you see :)
I forgot all about taking pictures while doing kirtan. Here are some pictures taken near the Sarovar after kirtan and ardaas...the time was 0230 hrs... and Hukum was about to be read:
Sat Naam.
--
Humbly,
Abhi
Entering the Gurudwara Sahib
GuruJee... after the prakash.
GuruJee
Guru Jee 2
GuruJee1
Hallway on the upper floor... SGGS bir swaroops on both sides.
A shot from the upper floor.. usin night shot
Sachkhand
Usin the Night Shot option
Gurudwara Sahib
Gurudwara Sahib Entrance
Sarovar 5
Sarovar 4
Sarovar 3
Sarovar2
Sarovar1
Sewa dey Punj, Satguru Guru Amar Dass jee dee prakash purab deeya lakh lakh vaadiyaa houn jee!
Sri Guru Amar Das Ji was born at Basarke, a small village in Amritsar district of Punjab, in 1479.
He happened to hear the recitation of Holy Japji Sahib from Bibi Amro, a daughter of Sri Guru Angad Sahib, and married to his own nephew. He was so much overwhelmed and enchanted by the Nectar of Immortality oozing out of the Holy Japji that He instantly rushed to the Holy Feet of Guru Nanak the Second, Sri Guru Angad Sahib. This happened in 1540.
For twelve years, the aged but truly love-intoxicated Guru Amar Das Ji served His Beloved Satguru with unparalleled selfless devotion, adoration, and worship. His unique and selfless Guru-Sewa, Guru-Bhavna, Guru-Prem, and Guru-Puja shines like a Divine Sun on the Spiritual Horizon.
He was nominated Guru Nanak the Third in 1552 by Sri Guru Angad Sahib. 907 Hymns of Sri Guru Amar Das Ji stand enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
http://allaboutsikhs.com/gurus/guruamar.htm
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Guru_Amar_Das
http://www.sikhs.org/guru3.htm
Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Jee Ke Fateh...
--
Humbly, Abhijit
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Man Jeetay, Jag Jeet !
Conquer your own mind, and you shall conquer the world.
---------------------------------------------- SGGS 6:17(Japjee Sahib),
_____________________________________________________________________
Read All the emails sent to this alias at the below mentioned Web Log
http://akaalpurakhdifauj.blogspot.com/
_____________________________________________________________________
Fateh Jee!!
Interesting read this.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Abhijit Singh Anand
Date: Oct 11, 2005 4:54 AM
Subject: [Fwd: Thought for the Week-end]
To:
-------- Original Message --------
=======================================================
Imagine you are in Heathrow Airport.
While you're waiting for your flight, you notice a kiosk selling cookies.
You buy a box, put them in your traveling bag.
You patiently search for an available seat so you can sit down and enjoy your cookies.
Finally you find a seat next to a gentleman.
You reach down into your traveling bag and pull out your box of cookies.
As you do so, you notice that the gentleman starts watching you intensely.
He stares as you open the box and his eyes follow your hand as you pick up the cookie
and bring it to your mouth.
Just then he reaches over and takes one of your cookies from the box, and eats it!
You're more than a little surprised at this.
Actually, you are at a loss for words.
Not only does he take one cookie, but he alternates with you.
For every cookie you take, he takes one.
Now, what's your immediate impression of this guy?
Crazy?
Greedy?
He's got some nerve?!
Meanwhile you both continue eating the cookies until there is just one left.
To your surprise, the man reaches over and takes it.
But then he does something unexpected.
He breaks it in half, and gives half to you.
After he's finished with his half he gets up, and without a word, he leaves.
You think to yourself, "Did this really happen?"
You're left sitting there dumbfounded and still hungry.
So you go back to the kiosk and buy another box of cookies.
You then return to your seat and begin opening your new box of cookies
at that time you glance down into your traveling bag.
Sitting there in your bag is your original box of cookies - still unopened.
Only then do you realize that when you reached down earlier,
you had reached into the other man's bag,
and grabbed his box of cookies by mistake.
Now what do you think of the man?
Generous?
Tolerant?
You've just experienced a profound paradigm shift.
You're seeing things from a new point of view.
Now, think of this story as it relates to your life.
Seeing things from a new point of view can be very enlightening.
Is it time to change your point of view?
Think outside the box.
Don't settle for the status quo.
Be open to suggestions.
Things may not always be what they appear to be.
======================================
What do you think ?
Have a nice week-end.
To me this also suggests that possibly we without realizing eating cookies from someone else s box all the time. So&.. we must share our cookies with others.
--
______________________________________________________________________________
|Abhijit Anand
| | |Support Engineer-Switching and Wireless Technologies
:|: :|: |Cisco Systems Inc.
:||||: :|||: |E-mail:
..:|||||||:..:|||||||:.. |Phone: (801) 703-2288 Ext.-57323
Cisco Systems Inc. |Mon - Fri:9.00 AM to 3.00 PM (MST)
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ACCELERATING YOUR SUCCESS. now.
I needed to get my US Visa renewed for an upcoming official trip to San Jose, CA and had an interview lined up at the American Embassy for 12:30 noon yesterday (Monday).
Since morning I was trying to practice this new style of turban that I really want to change to..Had downloaded the turban tying videos from the sikhnet.com website earlier. So,.. after say, about 7-8 attempts, I almost got the shape right... It wasn't tidy though.. But still, I liked it!.. so decided to wear the new style for the whole day,.. for the visa interview too.
On reachin the embassy, I had a hard time trying to convince the interviewer that the picture on the application form (in which i have my beard tied up) "is less than 6 months old".. as per instructions mentioned on their website!..lol
But all ended well.. they believed me :)..after 3 hours of standing in the queue and completing formalities, and being interviewed, I was told that the visa has been approved and would be couriered to be!! (10 years multiple entry - Yippiee :o) !!!)
Before my going for the interview, mom took a photograph of me in the gol style turban... and here's what the camera caught :)...
--
While returnin from the embassy & walking back to the parking lot... saw this nice little quote on the "thought for the day board" of a convent..so thought will share it:
--
Abhi
Lord, help me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayers shall be for others.
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true,
And know that all I do for You
Must need be done for others.
And when my work on earth is done
And my new work in Heaven's begun,
May I forget the crown I've won
While thinking still of others.
Others, Lord, yes, others!
--Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others,
That I may live for Thee.
--Elizabeth A. Fenley
--
Humbly, Abhijit
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Man Jeetay, Jag Jeet !
Conquer your own mind, and you shall conquer the world.
---------------------------------------------- SGGS 6:17(Japjee Sahib),
_____________________________________________________________________
Read All the emails sent to this alias at the below mentioned Web Log
http://akaalpurakhdifauj.blogspot.com/
_____________________________________________________________________
A Gursikh friend asked to see if I could help prepare a small multimedia presentation on Guru Arjan Dev G which he and others could show at a Gurmat camp they planning to organise in a town called Sohana, Punjab.
Unfortunately, I really am not very good at reading/writing the Gurmukhi akhar; and my multimedia skills aren't anything to write home about either...but I've still made an attempt and tried to help him prepare this "rough draft" of the video which he is modifying (and translating into punjabi) for the final prez.
I realise it isn't all that well made... we spent the after-hours in office making it, with our only tools being the Windows Movie Maker and MS Paint... add to that my limited, insignificant knowledge of Gurbaani..I'm sure it must be full of errors. But I am sure the finalised one will have everything fixed... will try and upload that too, once I get it.
A better quality/size/resolution version of the above file can be viewed here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3655838987285039803&pr=goog-sl
http://allaboutsikhs.com/gurus/guruarjun.htm
--
Humbly Yours,
Abhi
(It is said that Sain Mia Mir possessed supernatural powers at that time)
The Guru smiled and asked Mian Mir to look towards the skies. It is said that Mian Mir saw Angels begging the Guru's permission to destroy the wicked and the proud.
The Guru addressed Mian Mir,"Mian Mir, you are perturbed too soon. This is the Will of my Master (God), and I cheerfully submit and surrender to His Sweet Will." The Guru repeated and exemplified in action the meaning of this verse:
"Tera kia meetha lagei
Har Nam padarath Nanak mangei."
(Asa Mohalla 5, p-394)
'Sweet be Thy Will, my Lord
Nanak beseecheth the gift of Nam.'
(Translation of the above)
The Guru bore all this torture with equanimity and never uttered a sigh or a groan.
The Guru was unruffled!
The Guru remained calm and unperturbed like a sea!
The Guru was in Absolute Bliss!
This was the wonder of the Lord- an unparallel example
in the history of mankind.
......
...
On the 30th day of May, 1606 CE, on the banks of the River Ravi, crowds watched the Master standing in water and having a dip. Lo! The light blended with Light and the body was found nowhere. Hail to the Master! Thou art Wonderful- Martyr, the greatest. Thou art the Greatest!
While sippin coffee at the cafe on the ground floor, was reading one of the books they've kept on their shelves... found this nice little couplet:
For health and children, home and friends;
For comfort in the time of need,
For every kindly word and deed;
For happy thoughts and holy talk,
For guidance in our daily walk-
--
Best Regards,
Abhi
I found some beautiful turban tying styles on the www.ratemyturban.com website. I'm a little shy uploading my picture on this site :-(.. But have promised myself that I will, once I master the Gol style.. similar to the one you see the AKJ bhai sahibG wearing in the 3rd picture from the top.
There are some really nice turban tying videos on the www.sikhnet.com website. Check them out at this URL: http://www.sikhnet.com/s/tyingturbans .
Here are some pictures of sikhs from the RMT site which truly WOWed me!!
and..my personal favorite ;-)
--
Best Regards,
Abhijit Singh Anand
http://www.employees.org/~iabhijit/Mothers.pps
Please try and find time to download and view the small "power point show" file from the link above. I got this in a memo on Mothers Day.. had a chance to read it today evening. It is a tear jerker.
P.S. I think you'd need the MS Office suite installed to view this file. If you don't have it, the MS Powerpoint Viewer can also be used... Here's the link to download it from the Microsoft website:
--
Daas,
Abhijit Singh
Jahaa lobh tah kaal, jahaa khima tah aap
Where there is greed, there is death. Where there is forgiveness, there is God Himself.
--
Humbly,
Abhi
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Love your neighbor as much as yourself.
Author Unknown
--
Best Regards,
Abhi
Okay, it's official!.. the technology dept has finally blocked the blogger.com site. So, if you try to visit any blog, expect the WebSense bot to give you the "Access Denied" message. Well, the stealth sites still work... you make use sites like www.the-cloak.com to open blogs.
Here's a little article I liked reading..brilliant thought!!!
found it on Angad Singh G's blog: singhangad.blogspot.com :-
Respectfully,
Abhi
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On numerous occasions I have been asked by Sikhs and Non Sikhs if I am a Modern Sikh. When they are asked what do they Mean by modern. Yes! you guessed right. Do you have a turban or not?
Sada Sat Simran Singh is what I call a modern Sikh. A person who is modern in the true sense of the word. He is dressed in the full roop given to us by Shree Guru Gobind Singh Jee and he is enjoying a chilled coke.
Yes I wear a truban and I maintain my roop but I am modern because my thoughts are modern. These thoughts are such due to the teaching of my religion- Sikhism. Thus I believe the roop and the teachings of Sikhism make one a Modern Person.
-------------------------------
Blessed Be !!
--
Best Regards,
Abhijit Singh
From: Bhupender Pal singh
Date: May 15, 2006 2:02 PM
Subject: FW: Echo_66@What would you do?
To:
What would you do?
There he told them the following story about his son Shay who was physically and mentally handicapped.
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"
Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son was allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and a few boys nodded approval, why not? So he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay struggled over to the team's bench, put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base.
By the time Shay started towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions, and he too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward second base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay."
As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, shouting, "Run to third! Shay, run to third."
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet, screaming, "Shay, run home!"
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
"That day," said the father softly, with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."
Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
Contributed by: Amrita Singh Chauhan
Learn hard this lesson;
Thus thou wilt become a mighty river; not a petty channel.
--
Humbly, Abhijit
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Man Jeetay, Jag Jeet !
Conquer your own mind, and you shall conquer the world.
---------------------------------------------- SGGS 6:17(Japjee Sahib),
_____________________________________________________________________
Read All the emails sent to this alias at the below mentioned Web Log
http://akaalpurakhdifauj.blogspot.com/
_____________________________________________________________________
Father, lead me day by day,
Ever in Thine own sweet way;
Teach me to be pure and true;
Show me what I ought to do.
When in danger, make me brave,
Make me know that Thou canst save;
Keep me safe by Thy dear side;
Let me in Thy love abide.
When I'm tempted to do wrong,
Make me steadfast, wise and strong;
And when all alone I stand,
Shield me with Thy mighty hand.
When my heart is full of glee,
Help me to remember Thee,
Happy most of all to know
That my Father loves me so.
Be Thy loving child below,
Then at last go home to Thee.
Ever more Thy child to be.
James Gilchrist Lawson(Ed)
Best Loved Religious Poems
--
Best Regards,
Abhijit
The Gurudwara Bangla Sahib had a lot of Sangat yesterday.. It was a sunday and was the day of Sangrand.
Below are some of the pictures I took of the Gurudwara Sahib premises and the sangat. There is also a picture of Ismeet and Harsh posing very reluntantly after doing sewa in the scorching afternoon heat of the Delhi sun (the temperatures touched 44 degree celcius).
Sincerely,
Abhi
p.s. This is the first time that i'm posting to the blog using the 'create post' button.
Gurudwara Sahib
Sarovar3
Sarovar2
Sarovar1
Gurudwara Sahib
Gurudwara Sahib
Sangat1
IsmeetG and Harshdeep
And A Meadow Lark Sang
"The child whispered, 'God, speak to me'
And a meadow lark sang.
The child did not hear.
So the child yelled, 'God, speak to me!'
And the thunder rolled across the sky
But the child did not listen.
The child looked around and said,
'God let me see you' and a star shone brightly
But the child did not notice.
And the child shouted,
'God show me a miracle!'
And a life was born but the child did not know.
So the child cried out in despair,
'Touch me God, and let me know you are here!'
Whereupon God reached down
And touched the child.
But the child brushed the butterfly away
And walked away unknowingly."
Ravindra Kumar Karnani
(Old Hindu poem)
