Loughborough University

Last Thursday Daas was invited to Loughborough University to do a talk at the Sikh Society. It took around one and a half hours to get there. There was a lot of traffic and road works on the way. Following the Sat Nav I got to Loughborough safe and sound. I followed the instructions and came to a road leading to the university but there was a barrier! I couldn't enter the campus! So, not knowing what to do I asked a passer by who said that I have to drive to the main entrance to get inside the campus.

When I got to the main entrance it felt more like a military base than a university campus! There were people in army uniforms jogging around the campus and there was no way to enter the campus other than going through this checking point. I had to put down the window and tell the guard where I was going and received a "Visitor Pass". The university reminded me of a military colony like Jalandhar Cant. in Panjab.

With Guru Sahib's Kirpaa I parked up (I was in the wrong car park but with some help from passers by got to the right building). I entered the "James France Building" where the talk was advertised to take place with my hands full holding a pile of books, big paper, a bag of pens, and a banana! Entering the building there were no posters, no directions and no people! I looked around like a headless chicken and saw a few people walking into a lecture hall. I peered through the door and saw a lecture hall full of students but there were a panel of lecturers delivering a talk. So I guessed that I was in the wrong place. Walking through some more doors it didn't look like I would be able to find the room when I bumped into Sandeep Singh and other Singhs.

The talk was in another building. So we walked there. Entering the room where the talk was to take place I was pleasantly surprised at the large number of people that had turned up and at the amount of diversity. There were gore, kaale, and non-Sikhs (looked like Hindus and Muslims) as well as Sikhs. The talk was similar to the Westminster University talk on the topic of Simran (meditation and remembrance of God).

It was interesting to have Christians and non-Sikhs take part and also share their thoughts and opinions as well as provide them with an opportunity to learn what Guru Sahib tells us about Naam, Naam Simran and Naam Japnaa. The Christian students and Sikh society members were all nice people. I met some really great souls, in particular a boy from India who had cut-hair and from a Hindu background but does daily simran in morning and before eating and doesn't drink and with Guru's Kirpaa he said he is walking on the path and wishes to give up eating meat and aspires to become Keshdhari.

On the way home I got to the car ready to go home after a long day. I plugged in the Sat Nav and started to drive. Following the Sat Nav I got on to a small road which arrives on to the main road but there was a big barrier with a lock and chain, which meant I couldn't get out! Waheguru! I thought to mind, "He mannaa, O mind! Why is there this much security in a university! I can't even find a way out without barriers and blocks!" I had to ask a passer-by about how I could get out of the campus. They said I had to drive to the main entrance. Waheguru! I probably wasted half an hour driving around the campus lost! With Guru Sahib's Kirpaa got home safely!