REMEMBERING MY GRANDFATHER SARDAR BHAVKHANDAN SINGH JI ON HIS 15th DEATH ANNIVERSARY (Jan 19, 1930 - July 17, 1996)….

by HARGUNPREET SINGH
Today is the 15th Death Anniversary of my grandfather S. Bhavkhandan Singh ji. Though I spent only 8 early years of my life with him but the impact of his great personality will remain on me for my entire life. I learnt from him the earlier basic and important things of my life like walking, talking, reading, writing and dressing style. Now, I will try my best to put light on some of the great features of his personality according to my capability and guidance provided by my father:
• S. Bhavkhandan Singh ji completed his Matriculation from B.N. Khalsa High school, Patiala, and after that he passed out his Giani examination under the able guidance of Giani Buddh Singh ji of Qaumi College Patiala.
• He was firstly appointed as a Language teacher in Govt. High school Sanaur. He did his service mostly in schools of Sanaur, Samana and Bhunnerheri villages of Patiala District.
• In service of approximately 40 years, he was never late and always reached the school half an hour before the prescribed time.
• He was also so much devoted to his work spots that he very rarely availed the casual leaves, not to talk of enjoying other holidays. He had complete mastery over his subject, he focussed more on beautifying the handwriting of his students. To improve the handwriting of his students, he did not even hesitate to make them use the wooden slates (takhtis) even in higher classes. He had so much faith in his hardwork and his students’ talent that once during the time of yearly inspection of his school, he very confidently said to the District Education Officer, “You can put any question to my students from the entire syllabus.” When the officer gave the test, he was surprised to see the amazing preparation of his students.
• While teaching poetry, he sometimes used to sing hymns from Gurbani, shaloks of Baba Farid ji and many other poems so melodiously that it had a bewitching and everlasting impact on the students minds.
• Though he was a Punjabi teacher but he also had a great ability and efficiency to teach History and Geography. He used to draw maps on the blackboard without looking into the book and taught the students to fill the maps with great ease and perfection.
• Whenever there was a shortage of teachers of Social Studies subject in his school, he was given the responsibility of teaching this subject and his students always showed 100% results.
• Some of his colleagues were so impressed by his unique teaching style and skill that in their vacant periods, they used to sit in his class with other students to learn some tips to become a better teacher.
• He was always loved and respected by his fellow teachers and heads because he never said no to any work and did all his duties with great enthusiasm and joyfulness. Sometimes when P.T. teachers were on leave, he even did their job efficiently and conducted the morning assembly very successfully. Whether he was made an incharge of school examinations or an incharge of Admission with-drawal register, or a class incharge, he did his work with full devotion and dedication. Once, when in Sanaur, he was made the library incharge, he maintained the library so beautifully and aesthetically that it was praised not only by the staff of his institution but also by the teachers and Heads of neighbouring institutions as well.
• When several other teachers don’t care to maintain their Teachers Diary properly and think it a useless activity to maintain it, he truly understood its importance and kept on writing his daily diary with great interest during his entire service. His diary was so beautifully maintained that once his Principal S. Harnam Singh was so much impressed and overjoyed that he could not stop himself from writing ‘very good’ on his diary in the way the teachers use to write on students notebooks.
• While working under the headship of S. Basheshar Singh at Govt. High school Samana, he along with his colleagues S. Sukhbir Singh and S. Harbhajan Singh, took free extra classes of his students. Hardwork done by the students and devoted team work of sincere teachers resulted in a miracle and the poor village students studying under the shade of trees and in sheds excelled even the students of big city schools of Punjab by gaining higher ranks in the Merit list.
• He not only decorated and beautified his school with his beautiful writing by drawing charts, but also during the State and District level Sports competitions and Science exhibitions, he alone did the work of 10 persons in filling the merit certificates. Many of the high officials like Dr. S. S. Krishanpuri, Dr. Gurdev Singh Joshi and Sri Dharampal Sharma always admired and praised him for his dedication towards his profession.
• He considered his students as his own children and sometimes, when it required he didn’t hesitate to scold and rebuke them. But this was only done for the sake of their improvement and to make them realize their mistake. Students also considered him as their father and they never minded the punishment for their betterment.
• His kingly and majestic personality exercised its influence on his students and on the academicians and intellectuals with an artistic sense like Prof. Kulwant Singh Grewal, Prof. Kirpal Kazak and Prof. Narinder Singh Kapoor who always admired his Patiala-Shahi dress up, his long height and his royal living style.
• Famous Bollywood actor Sri Om Puri; Dr. Satish Kumar Verma, Director Youth Welfare and Professor Punjabi, Punjabi University; S. Lal Singh, former Rural Development Minister Punjab and Dr. Amarjit Singh Waraich, Station Director, AIR (All India Radio) are some of his internationally known students.
• He was very friendly, compassionate, honest and humble in nature. Though his friend circle was huge but some of his best friends were Prof. Joginder Kaushal, Ret. Director Correspondence, Punjabi University, Tehsildar S. Harbhajan Singh Grewal, Prof. Baldev Kaushal, Dr. Gurcharan Singh and Sri Raj Kumar of Nath Watch Company etc. The bond of their friendship was so strong, pure and selfless that it lasted till the end of his life and some people were seen taking oaths in the name of their friendship.

WHY SIKHS TODAY ARE LEAVING SIKHISM?

There are many reasons of this problem like increasing materialism, westernization, forgetting our Golden cultural heritage and sacrifices of lakhs of great Sikhs for the sake of community and country, selecting wrong role models like singers & actors, increasing drug addiction and many others immoralities etc…. But one significant problem according to me is that most of the Sikhs who are religious outwardly are not religious inwardly i.e. most of the Kathawachaks, Granthis, Sikh Saints, Raagis & Sikh intellectuals etc are not performing their roles in a positive sense and some of them have totally become fanatics and to some extent atheists as well …. Many kathawachaks & so called Sikh vidwans have themselves no particular or one view on any of an important issue related to our religion, whether it may be on bani, calendar or history, and they are busy in quarreling with each other uselessly & unnecessarily….. They are just dictating the sangat or listeners, don’t do this & don’t do that, don’t go here or there, don’t give respect to any other great individual belonging to different faith…. They have wasted whole their life just in critizing & disrespecting others, and have reached no where…. I feel that if some of them are given the power, they would immediately separate or delete the sacred bani of various Great Saints, Fakirs & Bhagats belonging to different religions & castes from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and edit it according to their limited & low thinking or interest….. Religion is based more on the Faith, than on Logic….. Though Logic is also important but not to such extent that we start disbelieving in Truth….. This is also one of the main reason I think, why Sikh sangat have started going to deras or any other places, as they are given better treatment there, whether it may be economic or mental support, than our Gurudwaras, where our spiritual leaders are busy in fighting & making money…. On any of the religious functions celebrated in Gurudwaras, most of the people visit Gurudwaras to have langar only or getting their demands fulfilled by God, but nobody thinks of transforming his/her mind by listening to Guru’s shabads and teachings….. From the beginning of a day in the morning, loudspeakers of Gurudwaras are creating such a noise pollution like if they are forcing people to listen them.... Thus, instead of attaching them, they are being detached and as a result, some people who really want to attain eternal peace through divine sermons, are agitated and finally leave their interest in it…. So, if we really want to bring our religion back in high spirits, we should have to think in a sensible way & do something positive and constructive, unles it will be too late….. At last, I will only say that these are my personal views and I don’t claim that I am totally correct….. However, I don’t have any interest to indulge in any kind of controversies or discussions on any religious matters, nor I say that I am a very great, firm or pure Sikh, but being a Gursikh I am writing what my conscience is suggesting me.... According to Gurubani, "SABH MAEH JOT JOT HAEY SOEY, TIS DAEY CHAANAN SABH MAEH CHAANAN HOEY"; "SABHE SAANJHEEVAL SDAAEN TU KISE NA DISEY BAAHRA JEEO" OR "AVAL ALLAH NOOR UPAAEA KUDRAT KE SABH BANDE, EK NOOR TE SABH JAG UPJEAA KAUN BHLE KAU MANDE" & many more, teach us that Religion is a subjective matter and all people have freedom of doing anything they want, all have different views & ideology according to their different intellect, different personal or spiritual experiences and different family background….. Many more things are in my mind which I will discuss later on some day….. Thanks a lot for reading…. "WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH"….. - HARGUNPREET SINGH.

REAL ROLE MODELS OF SOCIETY

Today, many Punjabi pop singers are using 'Jatt' word mostly in their music albums and are destroying & demolishing the real image of Jatts, which has a very deplorable & negative impact on youngsters…. In their albums, they are always shown having guns in their arms, drinking alcohol, fighting and murde...ring, romancing or just dancing…. These misleading singers have become role models of youth and youth is following & copying them blindly, leaving our great religious, cultural and moral values. In Sikh religion all castes are equal and no discrimination is there according to the teachings of our Gurus & Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji….. But, just to make our young generation aware about the fact and change their mentality that Jatts & Punjabis have been the food generators, great leaders & great martyrs of our country, I have designed this picture with images of great Sikhs so that young generation should get attach to its cultural roots and make them their role models instead of following these misguiding & immoral singers or actors…..

HOW TO BECOME HAPPY?

Who does not want to be happy? But mere wishing for it will not solve the purpose. These steps if taken in the right spirit, are sure to bring happiness in our life.
• Oneness with our work: The people who do not perform their duties well, can never be happy. Is it reasonable to think that a student who is careless at his studies or a teacher not dedicated to his profession is worthy of expecting happiness? Only those people who do their work, however small, with single-minded devotion, deserve true happiness. How true are the following words of an eminent educationist, Dr. D.R. Vij , “ Be one with your work, enjoy doing it and see what happens. I assure you, you will yourself tell me the secret of happiness and success.”
Shirdi Sai Baba has put the same truth in the following words, “ Duty is God; Work is Worship; Even the tiniest work is a flower placed at the feet of God.” Work, when done whole heartedly becomes a form of worship. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, “ Whatever you do, devote your whole mind, heart and soul to it. I once met a great Sanyasi, who cleansed his brass cooking utensils making them shine like gold, with as much care and attention as he bestowed on his worship and meditation.”
Work and happiness are inseparable. In the words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, “Happiness and work are really wedded together, for there can be no true happiness without the feeling that one is doing something worth while.”
• Helping the Needy: By working hard when we achieve something, we should not keep it to ourselves but should help others who are lagging behind in health, wealth, education and other necessities of life. This will be a true Service to Humanity. Only an egoless and selfless person can do such a pious job. Hard work alone can make a person a specialist and an expert who achieves stupendous success in his specific area of work. In the philosophical language he may be called ‘Good’ in his respective field, but if by shedding his ego he becomes humble and selflessly serves the mankind, he will virtually become an image of God.
The same truth is revealed in these words of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, “ There is no difference between Good and God. The selfish existence in the world is nothing, it is zero. If a good man gets above his egoism, one zero of good is dropped and he attains godhood.”
• Striving for Improvement: The glory of a person who takes the first two steps is sure to resound in the entire universe. This is a very delicate stage and he may fall into the grip of laziness. To come out of this, instead of considering himself perfect, he should strive for improvement because their always remains a room for it. These priceless words of Swami Yogananda provide a valuable piece of advice in this regard: “ When you are told you are good, you should not relax but should try to become even better. Your continuous improvement gives happiness to you, to those around you and to God.”
• Faith in God’s Grace: For all our achievements, we should give full credit to the Almighty Lord for nothing is possible without His eye of grace. We get abundant happiness when sense of doership leaves us. All our virtues are bestowed upon us by God as He is the sole repository of virtues. The following words of Swami Ram Tirtha if remembered well, will provide us a constant protection against ego, a great hazard in the path of happiness: “O Lord, it is not my Labour,
but your Favour that matters.” - HARGUNPREET SINGH.

MIRACLE OF LORD'S FAVOUR & MY LABOUR

As one of the toppers of Ninth class, when I stepped into Tenth class of Budha Dal Public School , Patiala, in April 2003; Medical reports brought the most agonizing fact to surface that I was in the tight grip of Leukaemia i.e. Blood Cancer. 22 weeks Intensive Treatment including Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy followed by a 3-year Maintenance Phase was given at PGIMER, Chandigarh. My treatment was completed in 2007 and I was declared fit and administration of drugs was stopped. As a precautionary measure I still visit P.G.I. for regular check-ups after every 6 months. Heavy intake of aggressive medicines render me too weak to appear in the Matriculation examination in March 2004. My father wanted me to take complete rest during the entire period of treatment but I did not want to lose one more precious academic year of my life. On my insistence he got me admitted in tenth class of Govt. Model Sr. Sec. School Pheel Khana, Patiala. Though my bad health did not allow me to attend the school regularly but whenever I went to school, I got my problems solved in vacant periods of my worthy teachers. With grace of Lord and blessings of all my teachers and elders, I scored 78.46% marks in tenth class. I also stood first in my school in +1 and +2 classes of Humanities group. After that in July 2007, I got admission in Bachelor’s degree of Multani Mal Modi College, Patiala where I made a Hattrick by standing 1st in my College in all the 3 years of my Graduation. In April 2010 Examination, I got 77.13% marks in B.A. Final year and total of 75.13% (First division with Distinction). Now I am doing M.A. Journalism and Mass Communication in Punjabi University, Patiala. Besides my stupendous and extraordinary achievements in academics, I also got First prizes in District, State and National Level Calligraphy, Drawing and Painting, Turban-Tying and Essay-writing competitions related to Gurubani and Bhagwad Gita. I had the honour of standing first among the candidates of Govt. Schools in ‘All India Essay Writing Competition’ organised by United Schools Organisation Of India in Aug, 2006. ‘Jeevan Shakti Award’ for the year 2008 was awarded to me by Sahayta Cancer Sahyog Society Chandigah in recognition of my miraculous achievements despite a horrible disease. Last year in Sep. 2009, I won the first prize in State Level Essay Writing Competition related to the life of Shaheed Bhagat Singh organized by ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh Vichar Munch, Ludhiana. Spiritual atmosphere at home and my firm faith in God helped me tremendously in fighting the most dreadful disease with a positive outlook towards life. During my ailment, I studied the lives of great men, listened to the spiritual discourses of the holy men belonging to different religions on various T.V. channels. I shared the knowledge thus gained by writing more than 200 inspirational articles which were published in the special issues of prominent Punjabi Newspapers. A compilation of 108 such articles was published in my first inspiring book ‘Museebtaan Ton Na Ghabrao’. I have experienced that a problem when faced in the right way proves a blessing in disguise. - HARGUNPREET SINGH.

PARTIALITY & INEQUALITY IN DISTRIBUTION OF HONOURS OR PRIZES IN OUR COUNTRY

"ਖੇਡੋਗੇ ਕੁੱਦੋਗੇ ਬਣੋਗੇ ਨਵਾਬ, ਪੜ੍ਹੋਗੇ ਲਿਖੋਗੇ ਹੋਵੋਗੇ ਖਰਾਬ।", These words are true in today's context as in our country, there is a great partiality & inequality in distribution of prizes. About 95% of honours and prizes worth lakhs & crores of rupees are given mostly to the players or sports persons and the people related to Art and Culture like writers, poets, painters and intellectuals etc. who play an essentiial role in inspiring, educating & awaring the masses, are always neglected. Every field whether it is Sports or Arts is great & respectable, where one field strengthens our physique and body; the other field, strengthens our psychology, character & behaviour. Government keeps on making the rich sports persons more richer by again & again honouring them with lakhs and crores of rupees, but people related to Literature & religion are never given much economic & moral support or encouragement by our State or Centre governments. Where in Sports, only the person who plays the game is benefitted from it; but a great writer or poet brings revolution & awareness in the whole society. If we see at the school, college or University level, various financial benefits and honours like Role of Honour & College Color are mostly provided to the Sports students, who are generally careless and poor in their studies and never attend classes regularly. This is one of the main reason why our young generation don't like to study Literature, Religion, Ethics and moral values, as they know very well that there are not much chances of getting economic benefits in these subjects. This inturn, reults in materialistic & individualistic approach among the students who only want to earn huge amount of money, whether by moral or immoral ways. Hence, this kind of approach hinders the human happiness, peace and self control, and increases anxiety, tensions, negative competition and finally various mental and physical problems. Therefore, these problems become a big barrier & obstruction in our country's progress, peace & social growth. So, we all should think seriously upon this issue.... - HARGUNPREET SINGH.

WE SHOULD INTROSPECT OURSELVES FOR A MINUTE.....

ਫਰੀਦਾ ਚਾਰਿ ਗਵਾਇਆ ਹੰਢਿ ਕੈ ਚਾਰਿ ਗਵਾਇਆ ਸੰਮਿ॥



ਲੇਖਾ ਰੱਬ ਮੰਗੇਸੀਆ ਤੂੰ ਆਂਹੋ ਕਿਹੜੇ ਕੰਮਿ॥ - ਬਾਬਾ ਸ਼ੇਖ ਫਰੀਦ ਜੀ।


{ FARIDA CHAAR GVAAYA HANDH KAEY CHAAR GVAAYA SAMM ; LEKHA RABB MANGESIAA TUN AAHON KEHDE KAMM - BABA SHIEKH FARID JI.} Here in this shabad or sermon, Baba Farid Ji says that 4 parts or half of the day is lost by man in wandering here and there in unending search of more & more money, in other materialistic things & individualistic pleasures of life; and other hours of the day are spent & lost in sleeping and resting..... After the end of this journey of life, God will call for your account, and ask you, Why u came into this world, Why you took birth as a human being? just for doing useless, inhumane, sinful & immoral acts, instead of doing some good & kind acts of Service & Welfare?...... So, we should all think and introspect for a minute whether we all are walking on the right path of honesty, goodness and truth or just wasting our valuable and precious time of this life....- HARGUNPREET SINGH.