I've just watched Hollywood's adaptation of the battle of Thermopylae - "300". If you go to watch it for just the battle scenes then you will not be disappointed. The battle scenes are awesome, and mind blowing. If you can drown out the Scottish accents that the Spartans have somehow managed to pick up, then its a bonus.
I'm a little disappointed in the portrayal of the Persian empire, who are shown to be something out of a freak show gone terribly wrong. There's no doubt the the Spartans fought against great odds to hold up the inevitable Persian invasion, but this movie does exaggerate some details of the battle (in typical Hollywood style). I even caught some interview of cast and crew on tv the other day, and they were saying how the Spartans saved western civilisation and democracy etc., which again is over the top. They made the Persian empire out to be some backward, mystical, black magic practicing, savages. King Xerxes is made out to be an absolute freak show himself. The Greeks are shown defeating and outmaneuvering the Persian army, even though the Persians bring beasts that never existed to the fight.
Now compare this act of bravery to that of those 21 Sikhs from the 36th Sikh Regiment in Saragarhi.Unesco has described the Battle of Saragarhi as one of eight stories of collective bravery. Over the past few days i have been trawling the net to find some information on the battle from a source which is not Indian or Sikh. Unfortunately i have not been able to do so as yet. It does seem that this act has been forgotten by the colonial masters, even though at the time of the battle apparently there was a standing ovation in the house of commons for these soldiers.
It would be great if this battle could be re enacted on the big screen, produced by a big production house, so that the whole world could also get a chance to see the bravery of those 21 men who chose to die fighting rather than surrender.
I've been listening to this particular shabad for some time. The shabad i heard was a version sung by Bhai Anoop Singh Ji. I've mentioned it before here. Below is the full Shabad and it's English translation courtesy of Sikhi to the Max:
This Shabad is by Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Raag Vadhans on Pannaa 557
vaddeha(n)s mehalaa 1 ghar 2 || Wadahans, First Mehla, Second House: moree run jhun laaeiaa bhainae saavan aaeiaa || The peacocks are singing so sweetly, O sister; the rainy season of Saawan has come.
thaerae mu(n)dhh kattaarae jaevaddaa thin lobhee lobh lubhaaeiaa || Your beauteous eyes are like a string of charms, fascinating and enticing the soul-bride.
thaerae dharasan vittahu kha(n)neeai va(n)n(j)aa thaerae naam vittahu kurabaano || I would cut myself into pieces for the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan; I am a sacrifice to Your Name.
jaa thoo thaa mai maan keeaa hai thudhh bin kaehaa maeraa maano || I take pride in You; without You, what could I be proud of?
choorraa bha(n)n pala(n)gh sio mu(n)dhhae san baahee san baahaa || So smash your bracelets along with your bed, O soul-bride, and break your arms, along with the arms of your couch.
eaethae vaes karaedheeeae mu(n)dhhae sahu raatho avaraahaa || In spite of all the decorations which you have made, O soul-bride, your Husband Lord is enjoying someone else.
naa maneeaar n choorreeaa naa sae va(n)gurreeaahaa || You don't have the bracelets of gold, nor the good crystal jewelry; you haven't dealt with the true jeweller.
jo seh ka(n)t(h) n lageeaa jalan s baaharreeaahaa || Those arms, which do not embrace the neck of the Husband Lord, burn in anguish.
sabh seheeaa sahu raavan geeaa ho dhaadhhee kai dhar jaavaa || All my companions have gone to enjoy their Husband Lord; which door should I, the wretched one, go to?
a(n)maalee ho kharee suchajee thai seh eaek n bhaavaa || O friend, I may look very attractive, but I am not pleasing to my Husband Lord at all.
maat(h) gu(n)dhaaea(n)aee patteeaa bhareeai maag sa(n)dhhoorae || I have woven my hair into lovely braids, and saturated their partings with vermillion;
agai gee n ma(n)neeaa maro visoor visoorae || but when I go before Him, I am not accepted, and I die, suffering in anguish.
mai rova(n)dhee sabh jag runaa ru(n)narrae vanahu pa(n)khaeroo || I weep; the whole world weeps; even the birds of the forest weep with me.
eik n runaa maerae than kaa birehaa jin ho pirahu vishhorree || The only thing which doesn't weep is my body's sense of separateness, which has separated me from my Lord.
supanaiaaeiaa bhee gaeiaa mai jal bhariaa roe || In a dream, He came, and went away again; I cried so many tears. aae n sakaa thujh kan piaarae bhaej n sakaa koe || I can't come to You, O my Beloved, and I can't send anyone to You.
aao sabhaagee needharreeeae math sahu dhaekhaa soe || Come to me, O blessed sleep - perhaps I will see my Husband Lord again.
thai saahib kee baath j aakhai kahu naanak kiaa dheejai || One who brings me a message from my Lord and Master - says Nanak, what shall I give to Him?
sees vadtae kar baisan dheejai vin sir saev kareejai || Cutting off my head, I give it to Him to sit upon; without my head, I shall still serve Him.
kio n mareejai jeearraa n dheejai jaa sahu bhaeiaa viddaanaa ||1||3|| Why haven't I died? Why hasn't my life just ended? My Husband Lord has become a stranger to me. ||1||3||
Feel free to listen to this Shabad so beautifully recited...
I went to see the Bollywood Movie "Namastey London". It's an ok movie, with some funny bits and some valid points about the next generation of Brit Asians.
The Story revolves around Jazz (short for Jasmeet Malhotra, played by Katrina Kaif) who is brought up in London, and is very modern. She is in love with her english boyfriend Charlie Brown (yeah, i know, what a great name). Charlie is rich, spoilt, and also has an eye for the ladies (he's been married 3 times already). Charlie proposes to Jazz, but before she can respond her father Mannu(Rishi Kapoor) plans to take her to India and get her married to some panjabi bloke.
They arrive in India, and Jazz is shown all the touristy places before being taken to her fathers village in Panjab. There she meets Arjun Singh (Akshay Kumar), who just happens to be the son of Mannu's childhood friend. Mannu arranges Arjun and Jazz's wedding. Jazz is not happy, she tries to run away and contacts her mate Imran (Upen Patel). Imran himself is in love with a 'gori' - Jenny, and is living with her, a move which has angered his taxi driver father Parvez (Javed Shaikh). So obviously he's not the best person to ask advice in these matters!!! Anyhow he tells Jazz not to run away, but to do a bit of acting and go along with proceedings. He tells her to put down a condition to the marriage - that she will only have her nupital night in London, and also they will leave India straight after the wedding. Arjun agrees to this condition and the wedding takes place.
Once they arrive in London, Mannu is busy looking for a venue for the wedding reception. At this point Jazz reveals that it was all an act, and neither she nor the UK law recognised the wedding that took place in inia as there was no registration. Bechara Arjun, came to London for his nupital night... and this happens.
Anyway what ensues is his attempt to win back his wife from Charlie Brown. He is aided by his father in law. He even beats the brits at a game of rugby, aswell as telling them that india is not just a nation of snake charmers, chicken tandoori, and call centres, which is what Charlie knows.
Imran is contemplating changing his religion on the aksing of Jenny's parents. Arjun also manages to persuade Imran into rejecting this notion. Imran eventually moves back home to his parents with Jenny.
Jazz is still adamant on marrying Charlie, but Arjun has left a mark on her, and she begins to fall for him. On the wedding day Arjun escorts Jazz to the church, then he shocks everyone by speaking perfect English and wishing them the best, and walks away. Jazz then rejects the marriage vows with Charlie and runs after Arjun.
And they live happily ever after back in India...
I'll be honest i expected it to be a xerox copy of Purab aur Pachim. It wasn't, although you could say that it was inspired by Manoj Kumar's movie. Akshay plays the role of a Panjabi well, and katrina is suited to the role of a brit asian.I think Upen Patel is useless as an actor, is ersiously do not know who would ant to sign him for a film. The film does try to portray a message to the youth - 'don't forget your roots' kind of thing. The soundtrack is typical of Himesh Reshammiya - full of energy, but lacks any depth really. All his tunes sound the same. I've no doubt that overseas the audiences will be able to relate to this story.
Update 31/03/07 - adding a video from Purab Aur Paschim (Manoj Kumar) for Sony, as i can't post a video in a reply post for some reason!!!
Thaeraa keethaa jaatho naahee maino jog keethoee || I have not appreciated what You have done for me, Lord; only You can make me worthy.
Mai niraguniaarae ko gun naahee aapae tharas paeiouee || I am unworthy - I have no worth or virtues at all. You have taken pity on me.
Tharas paeiaa miharaamath hoee sathigur sajan miliaa || You took pity on me, and blessed me with Your Mercy, and I have met the True Guru, my Friend.
Naanak naam milai thaa(n) jeevaa(n) than man thheevai hariaa ||1|| O Nanak, if I am blessed with the Naam, I live, and my body and mind blossom forth. ||1||
The following excerpt is from a book titled 'Divine Mystic Reflections on Gurmat - Talks and Dialogues Book1'.The Book is by the late Saint Scholar Niranjan Singh Ji (Shiromani Kathakar), and is available for free from Sikh nation. Definatley worth a read. Its one of those books that you won't want to put down once you start it.
'This is an incident from the Suraj Perkash Granth. A Gurmukh used to serveholy people; inviting them to his house, serving them food and giving them clothing etc. On their departure from his house, he had only one question to ask of them; a question he never failed to ask any visitor who was about to depart. The question was: What is the fruit or benefit which one gets on meeting and serving the saint?
Their answers would invariably be that God will bless you with property and riches, healthy children, long life, good wife etc. He was never satisfied with any of their answers although they used many different ways to explain to him.
One day, Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji came to this gurmukh's house and was invited to stay the night in his humble home. The following day, when the Guru Ji was about to depart, he put forward the same question to Guru Ji. He told Guru Ji that he had put the same question to many sadhus who he had called at his house but he had not been satisfied with the answers he received from them.
Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji replied "I will answer your question and then explain to you the fruit of serving holy persons(sadhus), if you would listen carefully and do what i request you to do. Early in the morning, leave your house and keep walking until you come to a deep jungle. Don't stop until you come across a tall and beautiful tree in the midst of the deep jungle. Sit down under the shade of the big tree and say Waheguru."
Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji was Akal Roop and could have explained to him everything in his house itself, but he wanted to show the Sikh the practicality of the answer.
Kabir ja ghar sadh na seviyai Har ki sewa nahi te ghar marhat saarkhe bhoot basseh tin meh
Kabir, the houses in which the saints are not served and houses where God is not contemplated. Those houses are like the cremation ground and demons dwell in them. (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 1374)
The Gurmukh did as he was told to do and sat under the tree and said "Waheguru". His sight fell on a branch of the tree where two black crows perched. Within seconds, he observed the pair of black crows changing into white cranes. He sat under the tree for sometime and then made his way home.
He bowed before Guru Ji and told him that he received no answer despite following Guru Ji's instructions. Actually, he had already received the answer but could not comprehend its meaning. He had anticipated an oral answer to his question.
Guru Ji told him to rest for the night and then to go back again in the morning when he would surely get his answer. Off he went and sat under the same tree, not forgetting to repeat the Gurmantar "Waheguru". His eyes again focused on the tree branch and again within a fleeting moment, he saw he pair of cranes transforming into a pair of swans which appeared to be very beautiful. The food of the cranes is fish, frogs etc. but the swans pick up pearls and rubies.
He went back to Guru Ji and said that he still did not get his answer. Guru Ji again asked him to go back the following morning and said that he would definitely obtain an answer this time.
Obediently he went back into the jungle and sat under the same tree saying, "Waheguru". The pair of swans, upon seeing him transformed into human beings and sat under the same tree. The Gurmukh approached and bowed down before them, as was the maryada then, and asked them the same question ie. what is the fruit or benefit a person gets for meeting and serving a sadhu?
The couple(who were husband and wife) told him that they would explain to him - that which he had not understood so far.
They said that they were born a pair of crows because of their karma, and on meeting him (the Gurmukh), they became a couple of cranes. The next day, when they saw him, they became a pair of swans and now they have been transformed into human beings. They have been blessed. Otherwise, it would have taken them millions of births to become human beings from their lives as crows. But, on meeting a sadhu (the Gurmukh), it took them just a few days to be transformed into human beings. That was the fruit of meeting a Sadhu.
Fallen men and persons of evil tendencies have been saved from the wheel of birth and death on meeting a sadhu. The couple then requested the Gurmukh to take them to meet his Guru.
They all came to Guru Ji and in a few moments were blessed by him. Guru Ji then asked the Sikh whether there was still any doubt left in his mind. The Sikh clasped his hands together in prayer and received the light. Akal Purakh, himself had come, in the form of Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, to his house.
Guru Ji then told the Sikh and the two human beings that they were now free from the cycle of birth and death which had ben severed through their meeting and serving the saint.
Santat hee satsangat sang surang ratey jass gaavat hai
In the company of saintly people, the persons fall in love with the Name of God and realize the truth (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 1404)
I'd like to share more stories from this book, as i learned so much from this book, that i did not know previously. I would humbly request that anyone interested in Sikhi should order this book and the follow ups.
The other day whilst walking to my car from work, a desi stopped me and asked if a spoke panjabi, i laughed and said "of course". He then wanted to know where the nearest Gurudwara was. I initially just thought he was from outside and merely wanted directions. I asked him which Gurudwara, as Bradford has 6 of them. He said that any of them, as he was in difficulty and needed to go to the Gurudwara. Naturally i asked him the cause of his distress. He then told me that he was an illegal, and had travelled from Bristol, after someone had promised him a job in Bradford, however when he tried contacting them, they had their phone switched off. He wanted to go back to Bristol after he spoke to his "agent", as he had organised a job for him over there now. In order to do this he needed money for his ticket back, which is why he wanted to go to the Gurudwara. I had enough money for his ticket and some extra for him to get something to eat, so i handed him over the money. At this point he was in tears and could not thank me enough. I told him not to worry about it, and that i was simply helping someone in need.
I do sometimes wonder why young lads from Panjab are always wanting to run over to the west. They really think its easy to make money over here. They aren't really used to heavy manual work back home, but yet they'll have to do that once they come over here.
Sewa desh di barhi aukhi, gallan karneeya terh sukhaliya ne. Jinha desh sewa vich per paya, ounha lakh museebata chaliyan ne.
Serving your country is very difficult, it is far easier to talk about it. Those who have stepped into this service, have come across many difficulties.
This Friday (23rd March) sees the anniversary of the hanging of the famous indian freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh. He was charged with the murder of Mr Sanders - a junior officer. Bhagat Singh's initial target was Mr Scott, who had earlier severley beaten Lala Lajpat Rai during a silent protest march.
Instead of finding the root cause for discontent of Indians, the British government took to more repressive measures. Under Defense of India Act, it gave more powers to police, to arrest persons to stop processions with suspicious movements and actions. The act brought in the council was defeated by one vote. Even then it was to be passed in the form of an ordinance in the interest of the public. No doubt the British were keen to arrest all leaders who opposed its arbitrary actions and Bhagat Singh who was in hiding all this while, volunteered to throw a bomb in the central assembly where the meeting to pass ordinance was being held. It was a carefully laid out plot, not to cause death or injury but to draw the attention of the government, that the modes of its suppression could no more be tolerated. It was agreed that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt would court arrest after throwing the bomb.
It was a forgone conclusion in 1929 April 8th at Delhi Central Assembly. Singh and Dutt threw handouts, and bombed in the corridor not to cause injury and courted arrest after shouting slogans Inquilab Zindabad (Long Live, Revolution!)
Bhagat Singh became a legendary hero with the masses. Innumerable songs were composed about him and the youth throughout the country made him their ideal. He became a symbol of bravery and a martyr for free India..
There have been vrious sources which claim he was an aethiest. However Bhai Randhir Singh in his book "chitthiyan Jail Diyan" claimed that Bhaghat re took amrit whilst in prison awaitng his hanging. The picture above also shows him with long hair.
There have been many movies retelling the story of Bhaghat Singh, but none seem to confirm Randhir Singh's account.
Below are a couple of clips from Manoj Kumars classic "Shaheed":
I attended the match yesterday at Old trafford. I was really shocked to see so many asians (Indians, Pakistanis etc), as usually on a match day there are not many. We were sitting pretty close to the half way line in the North Stand, so we had a decent view. The atmosphere was probably lacking, as there were not many hardcore United fans present.
The game itself was very good in the first half, as Rooney and Ronaldo ran riot against a very ordianary looking european select side. I was dissapointed in the side put out by the euorpean XI. Some of United's attacking play was simply breathtaking with Rooney, Ronaldo, Giggs, and Scholes tormenting their counterparts with apparent ease. At the break United were 4 -1 up thanks to goals from Rooney(2), Brown, and a pearl of a free kick from Ronaldo. Malouda provided a response for the opposition, and Ibrahamovic missed a penalty.
Bobby Charlton and David Beckham were interviewed on the pitch at half time, and as you can imagine the fans went crazy when Beckham arrived.
Both teams made wholesale changes at half time. Infact Scholes, Brown,Hienze, and Richardson were the only United players to play the full game. United welcomed Andy Cole back for the second half. United were subdued in the second half, and rarely threatened the oppositions goal. There was a large premiership contingent in the European team in the second half, including the likes of Gerrard, Diouf, Fowler, Carragher, Zenden, Stelios, and a couple of others. Diouf scored two goals, one of which was an audacious penalty. The game was petering out, and the fans started a mexican wave, which must have completed at least 5 laps.
All in all it was a great evening, and we even got to boo those Scousers.....
One of the sewadars at the Gurudwara made a brief comment about how young sikhs were being Forcibly converted at universities, and how we should encourage the youth to attend the Gurudwara, etc.. I must admit, i always heard about such things (the khilafa leaflet being the prime example) but never saw anything as such myself whilst at Uni (many years ago). My thoughts on this particular subject are that, those that convert are most definatley not amritdhari sikhs. If they prefer to chose another religion, rather than try to find the answers within sikhi, then it is their loss. Quite frankly we should be more concerned with the quality of adherents, rather then numbers. If people are naive and stupid enough for falling into these traps (always hearing how girls are misled by boys from other religions posing as sikhs), then i'm sorry but i have little sympathy for them. They can't use the excuse that their parents did not spend time with them explaining our religion etc, as in this day and age the internet has all the information you require. And as for those folk that go out there forcibly converting people into their faith, they must live on cloud cukoo land if they think that this behaviour will please the Lord and grant them a seat in heaven. I am far from a perfect sikh, and i will be the first to admit that. I've heard recently that a recent sikh who converted to islam, went around universties slandering the Gurus etc..Now for me thats crossing the line. Fair enough you may find that you want to change religion, but surely you would want to highlight the positive aspects of your new faith, rather than slandering your past faith.
Enough ranting about that topic......
The resident Granthi Ji recited a shabd from Baba Fareed Ji's bani, and went on to do vichaar on the shabd and its meaning. The Granthi Ji explained that on many occasions when he has asked members of the sangat to become Gursikhs, some have replied that they have a saaf mann (clear/pure heart) and do x amount of sewa etc.. and therefore don't need to take amrit. The Granthi Ji then responded with an answer which really put all us that are not baptised to shame. He said "is there anyone in this hall who has a cleaner/purer heart than Guru Gobind Singh Ji, if there is please stand up. If there is such a person, i will myself bow before the SGGS and say there is no need for amrit. Guru Gobind Singh Ji took amrit himself, to show that it is imperative for us all to do so." You can't argue with that, he got it spot on, hit the nail on the head.
And yet us unfortunate fools do not realise this, we are always delaying taking amrit, saying we'll do it when we are older etc.. but nobody knows what the future holds.
I must say the Gurudwara Management are clued up, as they have sikhi inspiration classes for the youth, sikh camps, good panjabi classes. They are investing in the youth, which is a really good sign, and bodes well for the future.
I've been a regular viewer of this particular programme on Channel Punjab. I'm always wanting to know more about the historical Gurudware in India. The programme is presented in Panjabi, and in a nutshell shows the historical Gurudware of Punjab, and also explains the history behind each of these. I couldn't help thinking that if it were presented in English, how many more youth it would attract.
Then i cast my mind back to a programme a few years back on the BBC - "in the footsteps of Alexander the Great", and thought how great it would be to produce something like this on fore Example Guru Nanak Dev Ji, or Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Alexander programme was really interesting as the presenter took the exact route that Alexander took during his reign. Just imagine trying to re create this for our Gurus and where they travelled. Obviously it would require immense funding, and great amounts of research and co operation with other countries (look how many countries Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited). The awarenes that this would raise if done on a proper scale would be immense.
Back in October 2006 a group of students from various London based Universities got together to formulate a play for charity (The NSPCC and Pinglewara). The play is about the self-discovery, self-realisation and the importance of Sikhism. It is called, ‘The 1984 diary’.
Tina, the central character - a identity confused medical student born and bred in London. During her elective year she has an opportunity to visit her cousin and relatives based in Delhi Slowly she realises the importance of family, Sikhi and unity .. little does she know the year 1984 will change her life forever.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Please check out the website where you can get more information.
Well if these guys ever brought this production up north, i would definitely go to watch it. Londons a fair trek to travel from up here.
Holla Mohalla (which literally translates to 'Mock Fight') will be celebrated on the 4th March this year i believe. It follows the hindu festival of Holi. But unlike Holi, when people playfully sprinkle color, dry or mixed in water, on each other, the Guru made Hola Mohalla an occasion for the Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles. Guru Gobind Singh held the first such mock fight event at Anandpur in February 1701.
The foothills of the Shivaliks in Ropar district of Punjab's north-eastern region, especially around the historic townships of Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib, have, since 1701 been playing host to Hola Mohalla. Recently, the Indian government accorded it the status of a national festival. The military exercise, which was personally supervised by the guru, was carried out on the bed of the River Charan Ganga with the famous Hindu temple of Mata Naina Devi in the Shivaliks as the backdrop.
Last week saw the debut release of Huddersfield's very own Juggy Kang. "Straight Up" is a 8 track album released on thexplosive soundz label.
Here are my views on the album:
1. Addi Maarey (Ravi Duggal) - This is the stand out track on the album. It's definitely one for the dance floor. Comparisons to "tera dil chahida" by Gupsy Aujla (album Aftershock), are inevitable.
2. Teriya (Ravi Duggal) - After a dance floor hit, Juggy delivers a ballad, still using the same vocalist. It's an ok track, nothing to uproot trees or anything.
3. Boliyan (Goga Thakkar) - The boliyan are pretty good, and the vocals are good too. This will also be popular at weddings as track 1.
4. Ki Lagdi (Ravinder Malri) - I'm not too sure about this track, i think the vocals are slightly out of place.
5. PSD (Ravi Duggal) - A more traditional track, "Putt Sardaran De" has plenty of "hoye hoye's" and plenty of dhol. The thing is theres so many "Putt Sardaran De" tracks out there, and therefore to stand out from the rest, your track has to be totally different or simply amazing. I'm afraid this is neither.
6. Akhan (Bhagwant Pawar) - Again its rather mediocre. The vocals are good on this track.
7. Chanjar - (Sharon Gidda) - A female vocalist for this track, its a nice easy tempo. However again it just doesn't stand out. Its another "listen once" track.
8. Pyar - (Jaswinder Patti) - Not a bad track with a more upbeat tempo than the previous track.
Overall thoughts:
Xplosive sounds are a new label and have talent such as Gupsy Aujla on board. Their latest offering is ok, but as the rest of the industry seems to be plagued with album fillers, this album is no different. It gets off to a flying start with "addi maare", but then goes downhill pretty much after that.
In its defence for a debut album it is ok, and the fact that Juggy Kang does not use the much over used Lembher Hussainpuri is somewhat refreshing. I think Juggy Kang has the potential, as can be seen from "addi Maarey", to become a decent producer. Whether he fulfills that potential is another thing.
The bhangra industry has recently been slightly maligned with allegations of "ghost production" on almost every new album. How much "ghost production" has been done on this album is any ones guess. You do sense an eerie resemblance to Gupsy Aujla's album, maybe the fact that both Juggy and Gupsy are Huddersfield lads would explain this.
Overall Rating: 6/10 - A lot of folks would argue its simply a one track album.
