Leicester - East Midlands Sikhi Week

Last Thursday Daas was invited to Leicester University to do a talk at the Sikh Society as part of the EAST MIDLANDS SIKHI WEEK. It took me just over TWO HOURS to get there! When it should have taken ONE HOUR and ten minutes according to RAC route planner. Vaheguru. I suppose some of it was down to the evening traffic. However, I also got slightly LOST when I got to Leicester.

I arrived teek taak to Leicester. On the instructions I printed off from RAC route planner it said, "Go on A426". But when I got near by I realised there were signs for A426 going left and right. It was a gamble so I thought, 'Chalo Rab Rakha lets go right!' But I was slightly too late to get into the lane and I ended up half in one lane and half in the other. It was so EMBARRASSING. Cars going straight could just SQUEEZE BY and each car HOOTED at me and some people stuck their fingers up and swore. Rab Bhalla Kare! Eventually I was given room to get in the lane turning right and had a sigh of relief.

I was going down and thinking I hope this is the right direction. It looked very countryside type so I thought "Is Leicester University in the countryside?" Then I entered a village called "BLABY" (what a weird name!). I thought "O mind! Where have gone!" I rang the Leicester Sikh Society to help me. They tried their best but it was difficult, as I didn't know where I was and they didn't know where I was. All I knew was that I was in a small village called "BLABLY".

I saw the police station and thought I would go inside and get some help. But guess what? The police station is CLOSED. Can you believe that a police station closes at 2pm! Doesn't most crime happen in the evening? O deary me! It was crazy. Outside the police station there was a phone in a box and a huge sign saying, "Please ring this number for help and enquiries." I thought, "That's good!" But I read a little more down the sign where it said, "All calls well go to the Police Head Office". I thought hope I don't get arrested ringing the Police Head Office to get directions and get charged with wasting police time. Sat Naam, Vaheguru.

I then asked some Goray at the village bus stop who told me I had gone in the wrong direction of A426 and that the university was near the cinema etc. I eventually got there with the help of the Sikh Society and a Bhaji giving clear directions. Then I had to find a space to park! It was a struggle parking amongst tight spaces! I was so glad just to arrive and relax with Guru's Kirpaa. I definitely need a SAT NAV or something - that would save such a headache and time wasted in getting lost!

There was a nice crowd of people. About 60 more people attended the event. The talk title given to me was "THE TRAVELS OF SRI GURU NANAK DEV JI." However I rewrote the title of the presentation as "THE UNIVERSAL DHARAM OF GURU NANAK SAHIB JEE". The presentation was about Gurmat being a Universal religion looking at the countries Guru Nanak Sahib jee travelled. There are at least 16 countries, which Guru Nanak Sahib jee is known to have travelled, and the evidence to the support these findings are being strengthened by research undertaken by Sikh academics.


Jesus remained within Palestine. Buddha remained within India. Muhammad remained Arabia (Mecca and Madina). However, Satguru Guru Nanak Sahib jee travelled the MAJORITY of the KNOWN WORLD through countries like Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Burma, Russia, Arabia, Iraq, and Turkey etc. What does this teach us? It tells us that Guru Nanak Sahib jee was JAGAT GURU (Guru of the World) and that Gurmat was not intended for Panjabis alone however for whole of HUMANITY.

ਸੋ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਧਨੁ ਧੰਨੁ ਹੈ ਜਿਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਉਪਦੇਸੁ ਦੇ ਸਭ ਸ੍ਰਿਸ੍ਟਿ ਸਵਾਰੀ ॥

so satgur pooraa Dhan Dhan hai, jin har updes de sabh sristt savaaree.
Blessed, blessed is the Perfect True Guru, who has given the Lord's Teachings to reform the whole world.
(Ang 586)

This followed on to the complete, perfect and spiritually balanced lifestyle and religion that Guru Nanak Sahib jee has shown us which will get us to have union with the Divine. The presentation ended with despite Guru Nanak Sahib jee being Jagat Guru and that we are blessed as Sikhs to have the true, complete and perfect lifestyle. however as Sikhs have we realised this? If not, then why.