ਹੋਇ ਇਕਤ੍ਰ ਮਿਲਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਭਾਈ ਦੁਬਿਧਾ ਦੂਰਿ ਕਰਹੁ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਇ ॥Hoė ikaṯar milhu mėrė bẖāī ḏubiḏẖā ḏūr karahu liv lāė.
Come and join together, my brethren; dispel your sense of duality and let yourselves be lovingly absorbed in the Lord.ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੈ ਕੇ ਹੋਵਹੁ ਜੋੜੀ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਬੈਸਹੁ ਸਫਾ ਵਿਛਾਇ ॥੧॥Har nāmai kė hovhu joṛī gurmukẖ baishu safā vicẖẖāė. ||1||
Associate yourselves with the God's Name; become Gurmukh, spread out your mat, and sit down. ||1||
(Ang 1185)
Last Saturday the annual Saanjha Akhand Keertan Rainasbaaee (keertan throughout the night) took place for Panthic Ekta commemorating the 300th Anniversary of Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee's Gurgaddi Divas falling in oct 2008. This year the Smaagam took place at Nishkam Educational & Cultural Centre (NECC) in Hockley.
Waheguru. I drove down to Birmingham. From Soho Road Gurdwara Sahib I switched on the Sat Nav to take me to the Great King Street. Waheguru! I put in the post "B19 3AS" and then the Sat Nav calculated the journey. I was driving along and the Sat Nav came off its bracket so I had to place it in my lap and try to listen to the Sat Nav lady give directions.
As I was driving I realised that I was going towards the City Centre and then I went past a sign that said "Edgbaston"! I thought "Hai? I thought the Centre was near Soho Road but this is taking me to the other side." I kept my faith in the Sat Nav and then it said "You have arrived at your destination." I looked around I was in a dark gloomy side street in Edgbaston next to the "Children's Day Care Centre". Sat Naam, Waheguru. I couldn't believe it. So I decided to ring a Singh and confirm the post code. He gave me the same post code that I used but I re-typed it into the Sat Nav. Then the Sat Nav Bibi gives new directions and I am apparently 13 minutes away. Waheguru.I had to go through the City Centre and then I got near the Jewellary Quarter, where the Indian Embassy is. I got to a road which was "Great King Street" but it was a dead end and factories. By this point I had an headache and did Ardaas that please get me out of here! I decided to randomly drive around hoping to see an Apnaa person on the road and ask directions. As I was driving around I got to "Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Gurdwara" I parked up and thought, "Ermm, this doesn't look like a Rainabai Keertan turnout." So I had ring another Bhaajee who gave me "live" direction. hehehe. Thanks to Bhaajee he kept on the phone and guided me back to near Soho Road Gurdwara from where it was less than 5 minutes drive up the road. Waheguru! A journey that should have taken 5 minutes from Soho Road took me ONE HOUR!
The NECC is a new building purchased by the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (GNNSJ). It is a huge complex! I was surprised to see so much parking and space! It would be great if such a building could become a Khalsa School! Maharaaj Kirpaa Karan.
The Rainasbaaee Keertan was Chardi Kalaa. The Keertan was so angelic and beautiful! Below are photos from the Smaagam that were kindly posted by Bhajee Satpal Singh on a forum:
Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee's Saroop going from Soho Road Gurdwara.
Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee's Saroop arriving to the complex.
GurSikhs doing Keertan awaiting Guru Sahib's arrival.
Accapella Jatha.
3HO Jatha
Bhai Harjinder Singh Lallie with Jatha
GurSikhs from Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (mind blowing Raag Keertan!)
Bhai Manjeet Singh jee from Glasgow (AKJ UK) and Bhai Gurcharan Singh jee (Damdami Taksal). Waheguru! Breath taking Keertan!
Guru Darbaar.
Giani Gurbachan Singh jee, Head Granthi of Sri Darbaar Sahib (Amritsar), with Bhai Mohinder Singh jee.
Bebe Nanaki Jatha
Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha
Bhai Mohinder Singh jee with Jatha
Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee going back to the Gurdwara Sahib.
Dhan Guru, Dhan Guru Ke Pyaare!
15 comments:
it was a nice evening with great kirtan.
i think the sewadars giving out pershad should have stood at the back rather walking in and around the sangat listening to kirtan. it was a bit distracting.
well done to the organisers for organizing such an event.
does anyone no were the kirtan will be uploaded to? like wot site?? i didnt get to go :(
is the kirtan going to go online on any website?
Indeed Manvir Singh you are correct, the hope is that one day (hopefully soon) that the NECC (Nishkam Education Cultural Centre)will turn into a school from nursery all the way to a level education. Reason being the midlands has no Sikh school like this; other parts of the UK do (e.g. London has 3? i think?). Furthermore the school will be open to all, as opposed to a Sikh school just for Sikhs. Yes the complex is massive over 8 archers i believe. As a way of understanding how big the site is, there are about 8 Halls each being able to house 3,000 people comfortably.
In regards as to why the prshad was served in the sangat, this is a result of GNNSJ maryada. The reason here is that just as when a guest comes in to our homes we ask them to sit down with us and the home owners "serve" (do the sewa of the guest, as this is seen as doing Waheguru's sewa "Bhai Gurdas Di Varaan description of Gursikh") we have various snacks and have a conversation. In the same way we go to Gurdwara and Guru ji shows their love via the Sewadars and serving us prshad as we sit down listening the bani/message which Guru ji has for his children (e.g. us).
It will probably become apparent who has left this comment but I felt the questions raised were valid and required an answer.
I hope have cleared any confusion and i ask for forgiveness if have made any mistakes.
Looks like an amazing event!
BTW to anonymous ji above... I think you meant acres (as in area of land) as opposed to achers as in people who ache? hehe...)
sorry... just couldn't resist! :oP
ooh "archers" even... sorry I'm on a roll. I'll stop now. Apologies.
Did the sangat come together to buy this complex looks like it costs millions. Manvir jee will you and the sweetsikhi team still be coming to edinburgh this weekend?
Anonymous jee, Daas will be coming to Edinburgh this weekend, I can't say for the other team members.
Guru Raakhaa.
Just a note, I'm sure the people labelled as '3HO Jetha' probably would not accept that association. I get that a lot, and I tell people that 3HO is not a Sikh organization or Jetha, it's an organization to promote yoga. The Sikhs associated with 3HO don't consider themselves to belong to any jetha.
How else wud Bhai Manvir know they were from 3HO, unless he was told so by them. I'm sure that Manvir didnot judge them or didnot take a wild guess.
Bhajee Prabhu Singh - I haven't labelled them 3H0 from myself. It was written in the list of Kirtani Jathas by the organisers.
Guru Raakhaa.
i don't see there is any issue if a group of ppl who are sikhs who associate themselves with 3H0 do kirtan at an event that is meant to unite different respected groups of sikhs through doing kirtan!!! the bhenji doing kirtan is a chardikala singhni who teaches yoga and is 3H0, but again people love to stir negativity without knowing facts!!!
gosh man! ppl shud live and let live! why make such an issue out things which are NOT issues!
sorry Manvir Singh ji if i sound negative.
A few more photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15752729@N03/
this was a beautiful programme!
prabhu singh, jatha means "group". u can be a "group" of people and still not be sikhs! you can have a jatha of jews coming to visit a guruduara. i don't see what's wrong with saying "3ho jatha" doing keertan even if u think 3ho is not a sikh organisation.
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