Netflix series ‘On My Block‘ presents a story of four young Black and Latinx teens battling high school and American life. It will hook you from the very beginning with its ability to mix tackling real issues and just the right amount, and perfectly timed, comedy.
The series, with the fourth and final season now in the making, is about the four bright and street-savvy friends navigating their way through the daily hurdles of life in high school right smack in a rough neighbourhood.
It’s hilarious. Every season gets better and I’m beyond excitement for the up-coming season. I just loved every part of this show: dialogue, music and the characters.
I leave with one of the characters. Ruby lives with his parents and pot-smoking grandmother. In the first season, one of their family friends were deported, forcing their daughter to live with Ruby’s family. Here, you get a glimpse into the heart breaking aftermath of a deportation.
It’s a tricky balancing act that is made all the more precarious as the teens go through more universally familiar experiences like the tragedy of first love, a loss of innocence, and simply trying to figure out what they want from life, according to a review at Polygon.
But although On My Block doesn’t shy away from serious subject matter, the series remains a bright spot in Netflix’s lineup as the teens and their friendships offer plenty of heart alongside lots of laughs. Polygon listed the series for ‘great binge-watches’.
I agree. It’s definitely one of the easiest show to binge-watch, next to Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Modern Family.
Rating: 95% Rotten Tomatoes; 8/10 IMDb; 10/10 Movie Walla
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
This brave boy took his life yesterday. Our little brother, known as Kaka all his life because he was the youngest of all of us. Loved by everyone, genuinely one of the warmest, loving, hilarious people I have ever met.
Faced tragedy after tragedy, coming out with a smile on his face and somehow putting a smile on ours. His brother died at the age of 20 and so did his Mom at the age of 56. Still he kept a zest for life…the epitome of Chardikala – everlasting, unending high spirits in the face of unimaginable horror.
Something was still tormenting him but he didn’t speak about it. Before taking his life, if he had sent a message there would have been countless people running through brick walls to get to him. Yet he quietly took his life yesterday morning.
Mental health is a massive issue in our community. It is often fueled by older generation expectations of how our lives should be led. Pressure is piled on in many ways and we then have a cultural habit of not talking. We are tough, we have no reason to complain, we don’t want to be a burden. So we don’t talk.
Our minds are really something, it can propel us to conquer the world and it can be fragile enough to make us want to leave it. If he had talked, instead of wrapping something around his neck, we would have wrapped our arms around him. He’s gone though and left a trail of devastation. There are many people who are a massive part of my life, this teddybear was part of my soul, that part died with him. He couldn’t bear to see me in intensive care via a videocall but was able to take his own life in the most harrowing way.
There is not much in this world that can’t be remedied, there is no black hole you can’t be pulled out from. Just bloody talk, even if it’s a stranger.
(This is taken from an online entry by Sarbjit Singh RajoanaTv. Sarbjit is responsible for the health and mental wellbeing of college students who have complex special educational needs and requirements)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Palvinder Singh – Photo: Kirklees College LinkedIn page
By Asia Samachar| BRITAIN |
Further education specialist Palvinder Singh is now the new principal and chief executive at Kirklees College, one of the biggest British colleges.
“With over 20 years’ experience in the sector, Palvinder is passionate about the role and value of further education and its power to transform lives and communities,” the college said in a social media update.
The college was founded in 2008 as part of a merger between Dewsbury College and Huddersfield Technical College. It is entrenched in the heart of West Yorkshire and boasts eight bespoke centres across the Kirklees region, from two main centres based in Dewsbury and Huddersfield, to specific learning centres in animal care, construction, engineering, equestrian studies, process manufacturing as well as the recently opened Pioneer Higher Skills Centre.
Prior to this, Palvinder was the group deputy principal at Kidderminster College, a division of Newcastle Upon Tyne (NCG), since 2017. Before that, he was a group vice principal at Leeds City College.
On the community front, he sits on the board of the Sikh Press Association (SikhPA), a UK-based international news agency connecting the Sikh community with media.
Palvinder has a bachelor’s business degree from University of Birmingham and a MSC in Marketing/Management from the University of Huddersfield. He is also a chartered marketer with the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Dr. Angad Singh (Photo: KUOW). Insert: Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington in Renton
By Eilis O’Neill | UNITED STATES |
In January, Dr. Angad Singh was worried. People in his community — the Punjabi community — were getting Covid, and more contagious variants were starting to spread.
“The initial testing suggested that folks of Punjabi descent were getting disproportionate rates of Covid-19 infections,” Singh said. “We were very, very scared.”
Singh later learned that Punjabis weren’t getting Covid at disproportionate rates. The problem was that the disease was out of control throughout south King County, where many Punjabis live.
But the fear planted a seed.
“We didn’t want someone else to come tell us what we need to do,” Singh said. “We wanted to understand for ourselves, and be able to work within our own community to address the issues.”
For Singh, addressing the issue meant making sure his community had access to the Covid vaccine. He said he’s met members of the Punjabi community who want a vaccine but may not feel comfortable — or be able to — go to a mass vaccination site to get one.
“Many of the members of my community may or may not speak English, or may or may not have been recent immigrants,” Singh said. “They really would want to be vaccinated in a place they find comfortable and convenient.”
So Singh worked with others in his community to set up a vaccine clinic at the Sikh temple, or gurdwara, in Renton. Over two Sundays, the clinic at the temple got more than 400 people their first and second doses.
For some, getting vaccinated at their place of worship was simply more convenient. One man here said that he had trouble getting an appointment earlier on, but no trouble getting his vaccine at the gurdwara.
For others, getting vaccinated here meant being able to communicate in their own language. Most of the volunteers — from the greeters to the people at the registration table to the vaccinators and the post-vaccination observers — were of South Asian descent. They were able to translate and interpret in 14 languages — not just Punjabi, but Nepali, Urdu, and other South Asian languages.
But, for many, the vaccine clinic’s location was about much more than convenience.
“People told us that the gurdwara is a sanctuary to them,” Singh said. “And so they wanted to be in a space that they considered a sanctuary.”
Read the full story, ‘This Sikh doctor helped bring vaccines to a Renton temple — and it worked’ (7 June 2021, KUOW radio station website), here.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Marketing dynamo Ramjeet Kaur Virik will be the new managing director of Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd (DLMI), effective 2 July 2021.
She takes over from Tarang Gupta who will be appointed as MD for Alaska Milk Corp in Philippines, a subsidiary of Dutch multinational dairy company Royal FrieslandCampina NV.
Ramjeet will also assume the role of executive director for DLMI and a member of DLMI board, reporting to Berndt Kodden, FrieslandCampina president for specialised nutrition (global).
Ramjeet who is currently DLMI’s marketing director for consumer dairy, joined the company in 2011 as marketing manager for dairy-based beverages, subsequently moving to Indonesia in the same capacity for PT Frisian Flag Indonesia sweetened condensed milk category and later as international marketing manager based in Singapore.
In January 2018, Ramjeet was promoted as marketing director for consumer dairy at DLMI where she led the portfolio and strengthen its market position in past three years.
Ramjeet 44, who is Malaysian, has more than 20 years of rich experience in the consumer marketing and business development, holding leadership positions in several multinational companies and is well suited to lead DLMI’s main purpose of nourishing the nation, the company said in a statement.
Incorporated in 1963, DLMI is a major dairy company in Malaysia. It is owned by one of the largest dairy cooperative companies in the world, Royal FrieslandCampina NV, a Dutch multinational dairy company.
DLMI was the first milk company to be listed on Bursa Malaysia in 1968 and the first to introduce formulated milk powder for children in Malaysia in 1988.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
PATH DA BHOG: Passed away peacefully on 11 June 2021. Antim Ardaas and Path Da Bhog to be held privately on 20 June 2021 among family members| Malaysia
SARDARNI MUKHTIAR KAUR SIDHU D/O LATE SADHU SINGH SIDHU
13.04.1930 – 11.06.2021
Village: Rode, District: Moga
WIFE OF LATE SADHU SINGH GILL (KALEKE – AMPANG)
Passed away peacefully on 11 June 2021
There are no words to express our gratitude for all the prayers and sacrifices you have made in always making us your top priority in life. We will miss and treasure your unconditional love, warmth, guidance and endless support ma, bheji, naniji and maaji ~ Maava Thandiya Chaava.
Death leaves heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. Dearly missed & fondly remembered by:
In light of the FMCO (and its SOP), the Antim Ardaas and Path Da Bhog will be held privately on 20 June 2021 among family members. The family truly appreciate and thank everyone for their kind thoughts, prayers and support during this time of grief.
| Entry: 16 June 2021 | Source: Family
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
We have been discussing the premise that Guru Nanak Redefined, in a Revolutionary way – all the spiritual concepts that existed for thousands of years before him.
Another way of saying that is that Guru Nanak’s Portrait of Sikhi was Painted Over an existing canvas – a canvas that was said to have existed for 4 thousand years prior to Guru Nanak.
The consequence of such REDEFINING was that although all the concepts of the old canvas are found MENTIONED in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, we will need to understand the NEW meanings or REDEFINED meanings, or Gurbani meanings of the concepts – to get to the true messages of Gurbani.
Previously we examined the concepts of DEATH, AFTER LIFE and 8.4 million. In particular, how Gurbani had REALIGNED and then REDEFINED these concepts.
In today’s video, we will look at the concept of REINCARNATION or Ava Gaun as it’s known in Punjabi.
Let’s begin with Reincarnation as advocated by the 4,000-year-old Canvas.
The primary claim is that after travelling for one baras, or one year, the departed soul arrives for judgement before an entity named dharam raj. Dhram raj listens to a full accounting of the soul’s deeds from Chitargupt – the reporter cum accountant who is said to sit on our shoulders and record all our deeds while we are alive.
The claim then is that Dhrm raj orders the soul to either go to heaven or hell or to take on a new physical form – meaning to REINCARNATE – in a specific life form as determined by the outcome of the judgement of Drhm raj.
And the soul thus begins the cycle of 8.4 million life forms. The best souls are reborn straightaway as human beings. Lesser souls go through a shorter cycle to be born again as humans and bad souls go through a longer cycle. The worst ones go through the full cycle of 8.4 million.
Come to think of it, as you read this essay or listen to this video, know that more than 100 billion people have lived and died before you and me. And not a single one of them has come back to file a report on any of these.
Yet, the chilling and scary details of this cycle are presented as a religious FACT, and religious TRUTH. Reincarnation is presented as a REALITY of life. And believed by millions. And accepted by millions more.
What is most chilling really is that this narrative of Reincarnation – drawn from the 4K year old canvas – is the one that is presented by our clergy – our granthis, ragis, kirtanias and our parcharaks in our gurdwaras. As Sikhi beliefs, as Gurbani concepts.
The outcome is that – the narrative that is held within the psyche of a vast majority of Sikhs is NOT the narrative of Gurbani, but that of the 4K year old canvas. And this vast majority of Sikhs mistakenly think AND accept AND believe that Reincarnation and Ava Gaun is the narrative of Gurbani.
Nothing can be further than the truth.
So what is the narrative of REINCARNATION or Ava Gaun within Gurbani? We can develop the basic principles by examining some verses that discourse the concept.
The first thing Gurbani does is to debunk the notion that Reincarnation of the soul is the OUTCOME of a judgement of deeds of the soul after death. This verse on page 748 of the SGGS shreds this concocted theory of reincarnation and throws it out of the spiritual window.
Suhee Mehla 5. Jub Kach Na Sio Tab Kya Karta Kavan Karm Kar Aya. Apna Kheyl Aap Kar Dekhaiy Thakur Rachun Rachaya.
Guru Arjun is asking: When the entirety of species was created for the FIRST TIME, created in its Original form FOR THE FIRST TIME – ਜਬ ਕਛੁ ਨ ਸੀਓ Jub Kach Na Sio what judgement or what criteria of deeds and actions was used to decide which soul takes what form? ਕਵਨ ਕਰਮ ਕਰਿ ਆਇਆ Kavan Karm Kar Aya.
When the entirety of species was created for the FIRST TIME, prior to which there WERE no species, ਜਬ ਕਛੁ ਨ ਸੀਓ Jub Kach Na Sio what cycle did anyone had to go through before being born a human?
When the entirety of species was created for the FIRST TIME, prior to which there were no species, ਜਬ ਕਛੁ ਨ ਸੀਓ, Jub Kach Na Sio there obviously was no one around to do any deeds ਤਬ ਕਿਆ ਕਰਤਾ Tab Kya Karta.
So since there were no deeds being performed What did this so called Chitrgupt record? What deeds did he have to report about?
Logic has a force of its own. And this is very powerful logic being presented by Guru Arjun.
If a Sikh of Gurbani thinks for himself or herself, this one couplet alone is sufficient to debunk the whole concocted theory of judgement, of 8.4 million, of Ava Gaun and of Reincarnation. That is how powerful Gurbani is. One verse is enough to debunk an entire theory.
Guru Nanak has this verse on page 1290 of the SGGS
Ava Gaun Bajariya Bajar Jini Rachiya. Ek Thir Scha Salahnna Jin Mun Scha Bhaya.
Guru Nanak is saying the notion of Reincarnation or Ava Gaun – as it exists – has been created or concocted ਰਚਾਇਆ Rachiya by those who have turned spirituality into a trade ਬਾਜਾਰੁ ਜਿਨੀ ਰਚਾਇਆ Bajar Jini Rachiya. Guru Nanak is extremely direct in his critique. ਆਵਾ ਗਉਣੁ ਬਜਾਰੀਆ Ava Gaun Bajariya means this notion is of those who made spirituality into a means of earning their living.
Again, this couplet alone is sufficient for the Gurbani believing Sikh to discard the concocted notion of the Ava Gaun, of 8.4 million or Reincarnation.
This is a good verse for those who parrot the claim that Guru Nanak believed in and accepted Ava Gaun or Reincarnation because he MENTIONS it in his Bani. Well, he mentions it in this verse we are looking at. ਆਵਾ ਗਉਣੁ ਬਜਾਰੀਆ ਬਾਜਾਰੁ ਜਿਨੀ ਰਚਾਇਆ ॥ ਇਕੁ ਥਿਰੁ ਸਚਾ ਸਾਲਾਹਣਾ ਜਿਨ ਮਨਿ ਸਚਾ ਭਾਇਆ ॥ ੨੫ ॥ Ava Gaun Bajariya Bajar Jini Rachiya. Ek Thir Scha Salahnna Jin Mun Scha Bhaya
But you see, Guru Nanak is mentioning it to critique it, to debunk it, to discard it, to tell us that this notion is of those who made spirituality into a means of earning their living.
The second thing that Gurbani does – is to make clear that the Life that we have in the Here and Now is the One and Only Life that we have and we will have.
Gurbani makes it absolutely clear that THIS LIFE is ALL we have. And All there is to it. Let’s look at this verse on page 1366 of the SGGS
Kabeer Manus Janum Dulambh Hai Hoey Na Bairay Baar. Jion Bun Ful Pakay Bhoe(n) Girey Bahur Na Laghey Daar.
Kabeer Human Life ਮਾਨਸ ਜਨਮੁ Manus Janum is priceless. It is precious ਦੁਲੰਭੁ ਹੈ Dulambh Hai.
Why is Human Life priceless? The answer is clear and Kabir provides it: ਹੋਇ ਨ ਬਾਰੈ ਬਾਰ Hoey Na Bairay Baar. The words ਬਾਰੈ ਬਾਰ Bairay Baar.mean – ਬਾਰ ਬਾਰ Baar Baar ਬਾਰੀ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਆਦ ਫਿਰ ਬਾਰੀ Baari To(n) baad Fir Baari, ਇਕ ਬਾਰੀ ਤੋ ਦੂਜੀ ਬਾਰੀ Ek Baari To(n) Dujee Baari, ਦੁਬਾਰਾ Dubara. Meaning: Second time, second opportunity, second chance.
So Human Life if priceless Because It does NOT occur a SECOND time. To make the point clear, Gurbani provides a definite example. ਜਿਉ ਬਨ ਫਲ ਪਾਕੇ ਭੁਇ ਗਿਰਹਿ Jion Bun Ful Pakay Bhoe(n) Girey Just like a fruit that drops to the ground when it ripens, it does not ever go back to the branch again. ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਲਾਗਹਿ ਡਾਰ ॥ ੩੦ ॥ Bahur Na Laghey Daar.
The meaning of the verse is “Kabeer Human Life is priceless and does NOT occur a SECOND time. Just like a fruit that drops to the ground when it ripens, it does not ever go back to the branch again.
This one single verse destroys completely, and destructs fully – the notion of REINCARNATION. There is NO second life ਹੋਇ ਨ ਬਾਰੈ ਬਾਰ Hoey Na Bairay Baar.
Yet again, this one single verse also destroys fully and destructs completely the notion of going through 8.4 mill life forms to come back in the human form again.
Let’s look at this verse on page 1159 of the SGGS.
The word ਇਹੀ Ehi means only this. This and only this. The words ਤੇਰਾ ਅਉਸਰੁ Tayra Ausar mean Your Opportunity. And the words ਤੇਰੀ ਬਾਰ Teri Baar mean Your Chance.
ਇਹੀ ਤੇਰਾ ਅਉਸਰੁ ਇਹ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਾਰ Ehi Tayra Ausar Ehi Teri Baar Means This is your ONE and ONLY opportunity. One and Only chance.
ਘਟ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਤੂ ਦੇਖੁ ਬਿਚਾਰਿ Ghat Bheetar Tu(n) Dekh Bichar. means Contemplate Within and You Will Realize. Contemplate within, listen to your conscience and you will know the truth. Listen to your conscience and it will tell you, you are not coming back again. Listen to your rationale conscience and it will tell you to stop feeding yourself with a delusion.
The message within this verse is clear. It is an un-equivocal call – a clarion call – is to discard the concocted narrative of Reincarnation and Ava Gaun, to abandon the tale of going through the 8.4 mil to come back in the human form again, to dispose the clergy created fabrication that we will come back a second time to finish our unfinished business.
Here just one word ਇਹੀ Ehi and just one phrase ਇਹੀ ਤੇਰਾ ਅਉਸਰੁ Ehi Tayra Ausar is sufficient to destroy fully and destruct completely the notion of going through 8.4 mill life forms to come back in the human form again.
The call of Gurbani is ਘਟ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਤੂ ਦੇਖੁ ਬਿਚਾਰਿ Ghat Bheetar Tu(n) Dekh Bichar – Contemplate deep Within Your Conscience and You Will Realize the Reality of your life. And what is that reality:
Gurbani says ਇਹੀ ਤੇਰਾ ਅਉਸਰੁ ਇਹ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਾਰ Ehi Tayra Ausar Ehi Teri Baar. Ghat Bheetar Tu(n) Dekh Bichar. This Human Life is your one and only opportunity. One and Only chance. There is no return, no re-run, no repeat, no second chance, no coming back.
The choice is ours – to Contemplate deep within our conscience – guided by Gurbani – and to realize the reality OR to believe the concocted tales that have been created by those who have turned spirituality into a trade and a market place and into a means of earning their living ਆਵਾ ਗਉਣੁ ਬਜਾਰੀਆ ਬਾਜਾਰੁ ਜਿਨੀ ਰਚਾਇਆ Ava Gaun Bajariya Bajar Jini Rachiya.
Here is yet another verse from page 1103 of the SGGS that establishes the notion that that there is simply no coming back in any form whatsoever.
Bahur Hum Kahe(n) Aveh(n)gay. Aavan Jaana Hukm Tisaiy Ka Hukmeiy Bujh Smaveh(n)gay.
What is this about coming back again? ਬਹੁਰਿ ਹਮ ਕਾਹੇ ਆਵਹਿਗੇ ॥ Bahur Hum Kahe(n) Aveh(n)gay. Bahur means again, a second time. ਬਹੁਰਿ ਹਮ ਕਾਹੇ ਆਵਹਿਗੇ Bahur Hum Kahe(n) Aveh(n)gay means “What’s this about coming again, or coming a second time?
Coming and going is within His Hukm ਆਵਨ ਜਾਨਾ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਤਿਸੈ ਕਾ Aavan Jaana Hukm Tisaiy Ka and having Realized the Hukm ਹੁਕਮੈ ਬੁਝਿ Hukmeiy Bujh l merge into my Creator ਹੁਕਮੈ ਬੁਝਿ ਸਮਾਵਹਿਗੇ Hukmeiy Bujh Smaveh(n)gay in the HERE and the NOW.
Merging is the anti-thesis of coming back. Merging is the antonym, the opposite of Reincarnation. When one MERGES ਹੁਕਮੈ ਬੁਝਿ ਸਮਾਵਹਿਗੇ Hukmeiy Bujh Smaveh(n)gay in the Here and Now – there is no coming back or going anywhere.
The point is clear. The Hukm of the Creator is that there is No Coming back. ਬਹੁਰਿ ਹਮ ਕਾਹੇ ਆਵਹਿਗੇ Bahur Hum Kahe(n) Aveh(n)gay. Living in the Hukm is therefore to discard the concocted narrative of Reincarnation and Ava Gaun, and to dispose the clergy created fabrication that we will come back a second time with or without going through the 8.4 million.
So how is REINCARNATION and Ava Gaun defined in Gurbani?
We will recall that physical death in Gurbani is defined as the return of elements to the source. It is the return of our life, our jyot, our spirit, our soul, our light, our atma – call it what you wish – to the source too.
When things return to their source, to their root, to their origins, they don’t come back.
We will further recall that Death in Gurbani is redefined as spiritual death. This is the death that is of concern to Gurbani and our spirituality because we can do something about it – avoid it, and not let it happen.
If Death is redefined, then AFTER LIFE and AFTER Death too is redefined as what happens after spiritual death.
Consequently, the Ava Gaun / Cycle of Life and Death is redefined as the cycle of Spiritual Life and Spiritual Death.
Spiritual Life is on account of our acquiring of Divine Virtues, and Spiritual Death is on account of indulging in Human Vices.
Our Spirituality is thus cyclic. It is now you see it, now you don’t. One moment I am spiritual; the next moment I have lapsed. This is the cycle of concern to Gurbani. It is the cycle that matters. This is the cycle we can do something about. This is the REDEFINED cycle.
The idea is to break free from this cycle to be permanently in spiritual Life.
The objective is to BECOME Ajooni – meaning free of the cycle of spiritual life and spiritual death.
This GURBANI DEFINITION of Ava Gaun, of REINCARNATION is clear from these verses on page 971 of the SGGS.
Gobind Hum Aisay Apradhi. Jin Prabh Jio Pind Tha Diya Tis Ki Bhao Bhagat Nahi(n) Sadhi. Rahao. Par Dhan Par Tan Par Ti Ninda Par Apbad Na Chutey. Ava Gavan Hot Hai Fun Fun Eh Parsang Na Tutey.
The final verse contains the concept of AVA GAUN and defines it in the Gurbani sense.
ਆਵਾ ਗਵਨੁ ਹੋਤੁ ਹੈ ਫੁਨਿ ਫੁਨਿ Ava Gavan Hot Hai Fun Fun Means: The cycle is taking place within me – in my life – at every split second. Fun Fun is the time taken to blink our eyes.
The 8.4 million cycle and REINCARNATION of the 4K old Canvas talks about something taking place OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. And out there, every life form has its own life span. None has a life span of the blink of an eye.
The REINCARNATION or AVA Gaun of Gurbani – in this shabd – is a cycle that takes place WITHIN me. Within my mind. Within my conscience. It takes place at the blink of an eye.
ਇਹੁ ਪਰਸੰਗੁ ਨ ਤੂਟੈ Eh Parsang Na Tutey Means this narrative, this cycle does not end, does not break, keeps happening. And that is the problem.
But what is the cycle? The cycle is clarified in the verse immediately preceeding. ਪਰ ਧਨ ਪਰ ਤਨ ਪਰ ਤੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਪਰ ਅਪਬਾਦੁ ਨ ਛੂਟੈ Par Dhan Par Tan Par Ti Ninda Par Apbad Na Chutey.
This is a list of human mindsets filled with human vices – desire for things that are not supposed to be mine. The word ਪਰ Par comes from ਪਰਾਇਆ Paraya meaning foreign.
ਪਰ ਤੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ Par Ti Ninda and ਪਰ ਅਪਬਾਦੁ Par Apbad too are mindsets filled with vices. These mindsets are supposed to be foreign to me. These vice filled mindsets are not supposed to be mine, not supposed to be within me. Yet they are.
Verse 1 makes this point: ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਹਮ ਐਸੇ ਅਪਰਾਧੀ. Gobind Hum Aisay Apradhi. Apradh is VICE. Meaning; O Creator Such is my Vice Filled Life.
So the Ava Gaun or Cycle is one that oscillates between mindsets of Divine Virtues and Human Vices. This oscillation happens in a ਫੁਨਿ ਫੁਨਿ Fun Fun manner – at the blink of an eye. Our mindsets change at the blink of an eye.
The REDEFINED Reincarnation of Gurbani is the process by which I keep being born again and again ਫੁਨਿ ਫੁਨਿ Fun Fun into the mindsets of Human Vices.
The Ava Gaun of Gurbani is a Cycle that swings like a pendulum between Spiritual Life on account of Virtues and Spiritual Death on account of Vices. And this cycle happens in a ਫੁਨਿ ਫੁਨਿ Fun Fun manner. Only this kind of Ava Gaun can happen in a ਫੁਨਿ ਫੁਨਿ Fun Fun manner.
Here is another verse from page 502 of the SGGS that reinforces this point.
Kam Krodh Lobh Moh Muthay Sda Ava Gavan. Prabh Preym Bhagat Gopal Simrann Mitet Joni Bhavann.
Guru Arjun is outlining – in the clearest of language – what Ava Gaun or Reincarnation of Gurbani is. It is the swinging of the pendulum between vices and virtues. Guru is saying human vices ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਲੋਭ ਮੋਹ ਮੂਠੇ Kam Krodh Lobh Moh Muthay ensure we are perpetually in the cycle – ਸਦਾ ਆਵਾ ਗਵਣ Sda Ava Gavan.
And Guru ji says in the next verse – this cycle of REINCARNATION in the HERE and NOW can be eliminated ਮਿਟਤ ਜੋਨੀ ਭਵਣ Mitet Joni Bhavann by acquiring divine virtues and realization of the Creator within ਪ੍ਰਭ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਭਗਤਿ ਗੁਪਾਲ ਸਿਮਰਣ Prabh Preym Bhagat Gopal Simrann.
Guru Nanak has this verse on page 1127 of the SGGS.
Bhrm Bheyd Bho Kbeh Na Chutes Aavat Jaat Na Jani. Bin Har Naam Ko Mukt Na Pavas Doob Muey Bin Paani.
The three words ਭਰਮੁ ਭੇਦੁ ਭਉ Bhrm Bheyd Bho refer to illusion, delusion and fear. All of these are negative mindsets that are experienced in the HERE and NOW. Then Guru Nanak says these illusions, delusions and fear do not leave me permanently ਕਬਹੁ ਨ ਛੂਟਸਿ Kbeh Na Chutes which means they come and go in a cyclic nature. Then Guru Nanak says ਆਵਤ ਜਾਤ ਨ ਜਾਨੀ Aavat Jaat Na Jani which means this is my Ava Gaun. This is my reincarnating again and again. This is my cycle. This is my reincarnation, ava gaun.
The next verse provides the panacea. ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਕੋ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਪਾਵਸਿ Bin Har Naam Ko Mukt Na Pavas. The word ਮੁਕਤਿ Mukt means to be emancipated, to be free. Guru Nanak is saying : the way to be free from this cycle, the way to end this cycle is through the becoming of Divine virtues. And that there is no other way. ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਕੋ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਪਾਵਸਿ Bin Har Naam Ko Mukt Na Pavas.
Guru Arjun ji consolidates this view of the Gurbani meaning of Avan Jaan, Ava Gaun on page 1002 of the SGGS.
Maru Mehla 5. Futo Aa(n)da Bhrm Ka Mneh Bhya Pargas. Katee Bayri Pgeh Teh Gur Kini Band Khlas. Aavan Jaan Raheyo.
Guru ji says ਆਵਣ ਜਾਣੁ ਰਹਿਓ Aavan Jaan Raheyo which means my cycle of ava gaun has been eliminated.
This claim is about the HERE and the NOW. Then pathshah mentions two things – One – WHAT was the cycle and two HOW has it been eliminated.
ਫੂਟੋ ਆਂਡਾ ਭਰਮ ਕਾ Futo Aa(n)da Bhrm Ka Means I broke out of the eggshell of illusion and delusion. ਮਨਹਿ ਭਇਓ ਪਰਗਾਸੁ Mneh Bhya Pargas Means I am now enlightened.
So the cycle was the oscillation between enlightenment and illusion. The termination of the cycle is in the words ਕਾਟੀ ਬੇਰੀ ਪਗਹ ਤੇ Katee Bayri Pgeh Teh – I cut the roots of the growing creeper of delusion and illusion. ਗੁਰਿ ਕੀਨੀ ਬੰਦਿ ਖਲਾਸੁ Gur Kini Band Khlas means the Guru helped me free myself, liberate myself from ਆਵਣ ਜਾਣੁ ਰਹਿਓ Aavan Jaan Raheyo from the cycle.
Vadbhagi Har Sant Milaya. Gur Puray Har Rus Mukh Paya. Bhagheen Satgur Nahi Paya Manmukh Garbh Juni Nit Pauda Jio.
The words ਮਨਮੁਖੁ ਗਰਭ ਜੂਨੀ ਨਿਤਿ ਪਉਦਾ ਜੀਉ Manmukh Garbh Juni Nit Pauda Jio are of significance. It means the Manmukh puts himself or herself in the cycle of Joons ਗਰਭ ਜੂਨੀ Garbh Juni on a daily basis, ਨਿਤਿ ਪਉਦਾ ਜੀਉ Nit Pauda Jio on an everyday basis on a ਫੁਨਿ ਫੁਨਿ Fun Fun basis as alluded to by Bhagat Kabir in his verse above.
This is a narrative of the HERE and the NOW. The reincarnation of Gurbani, the Ava Gaun of Guru Nanak happens to us in THIS life, not the after-life. And WE decide for ourselves – if we want to put ourselves into the CYCLE ਮਨਮੁਖੁ ਗਰਭ ਜੂਨੀ ਨਿਤਿ ਪਉਦਾ ਜੀਉ Manmukh Garbh Juni Nit Pauda Jio or remain out of it ਆਵਣ ਜਾਣੁ ਰਹਿਓ Aavan Jaan Raheyo.
The choice is ours. The choice is in the HERE and NOW, because the cycle is in the HERE and NOW.
In essence then, pyareo, what Gurbani within the SGGS has done is to REDEFINE Death and everything that follows Death – Joons, 8.4 mil, Life Forms, The cycle, and Reincarnation
And the reason has to do with the BASIC and FOUNDATIONAL principle of Guru Nanak’s Canvas of Sikhi.
And that principle is that the Spirituality of Sikhi is for the Here and Now.
So the reason for the REDEFINING is to ground the notion of 8.4 mil, the notion of joons, the notion of reincarnation, and of ava gaun etc into the HERE and NOW. To ground it into the ONE and ONLY life that we have.
This then is what is meant by revolutionary and innovative re-defining.
When You Stop Living the Spirituality of Coming Back a Second Time, You Start Living This One and Only Life to the Fullest. YOU START TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT. In the HERE and NOW.
The next video – part 6 of 12 – will examine the concepts of Heaven and Hell. It will attempt to provide the new, redefined, and Gurbani meanings as outlined within the 1429 pages of the SGGS. Please continue to join me in this discovery of Gurbani Concepts as contained within Guru Nanak’s canvas.
SIKHI CONCEPTS SERIES BY DR KARMINDER SINGH DHILLON: COMPLETE LINKS TO VIDEOS & LECTURE NOTES
Sikh thinker, writer and parcharak Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a retired Malaysian civil servant. He is the joint-editor of The Sikh Bulletin and author of The Hijacking of Sikhi. He can be contacted at dhillon99@gmail.com.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Harsimarbir Singh, one of the three founders of a fast-growing healthcare start-up already hitting a valuation of some US$550 million, is on the over of the Fortune India magazine.
The co-founder of Gurugram-based Pristyn Care appears in the magazine’s ’40 Under 40: India’s Brightest Young Business Minds’ listing.
The honour of being featured on the business magazine’s cover was a results of ‘3 startups failures and 10 yrs of journey to find my feet’, he says in an entry on his personal LinkedIn page.
Founded with Dr. Vaibhav Kapoor and Dr. Garima Sawhney, Pristyn Care (pristyncare.com) is a healthcare startup, specialising in surgeries with a stack of services under its patient-first approach
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Since its inception in August 2018, Pristyn Care has expanded its team to include more than 300 expert surgeons with experience of more than 300,000 surgeries between them. It specialises in laser treatment and surgeries like proctology, laparoscopy, urology, ENT, gynaecology and vascula.
The startup strives to provide advanced medical and surgical interventions that rely fundamentally on using laser technology and minimally-invasive technique. In a nutshell, Pristyn Care aims to disrupt the surgical industry in India.
Harsh, as he is known within the industry, described Pristyn Care as an asset light surgical ecosystem.
In April, Pristyn Care raised US$53 million in Series-D round of funding led by US investment fund Tiger Global Management. Post the funding, the healthcare valuation rose to $550 million, more than double its valuation just six months earlier.
“With this new capital, we plan to expand our surgery offerings in more cities and towns and attract international patients seeking treatment in India, treat new disease lines, and invest in brand building,” Harsimarbir said.
At the moment, it operates in more than 22 cities, including Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Ludhiana, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Kochi, Ahmadabad, Agra and Gwalior.
In a short span of two and half years, the company was reported to have raised $28 million with investments from its valuable investors such as Sequoia Capital, Hummingbird, GreenOaks, Epiq Capital and Angel List.
Pristyn Care ensures that the patient’s experience right from the discovery of the right doctor, to booking an appointment at the clinic, getting a detailed diagnosis done, booking tests at a diagnostic centre, getting insurance paperwork done, commute from home to the hospital & back on the day of the surgery, admission-discharge processes at the hospital, and follow-up consultation after the surgery – is hassle-free and care-filled, according to information at its website.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Once again, amidst a raging global pandemic and in the face of major changes happening in our country, Malaysians are rising up to the occasion in true Malaysia boleh (can-do) spirit to move forward. Even so, it would be a gross exaggeration that all is well with everyone going by the rising number of clients walking in for counselling to preserve their mental health and general wellbeing.
Allow me to share some of the more recent phenomena seen during this pandemic.
First, the positives. Thankfully we haven’t seen elevated levels of stress associated with racism or xenophobia related to virus-related misinformation like in some parts of the world. And Malaysians have displayed tremendous mental resilience aided by not least some very infectious (pun not intended) wit and humour.
Struggles and challenges faced by my clients are broad-based depending on age, developmental levels in life-span terms and their economic stability.
For instance, younger children seem to struggle with maintaining constant levels of focus and attention required to sustain online learning and as a result alarmed parents have been getting in touch on how to maintain accountability towards learning in their kids.
Teenagers have been showing a great deal of existential angst stemming from all sorts of future plans which are now in a state of flux and with very little sense of direction on how to proceed with their lives. Adults seem to suffer from increased levels of economic distress which have morphed into anxiety, depression, sleep & eating disorders and health conditions. Then, for the elderly there is an elevated sense of impending doom given that they are more susceptible to illnesses and this is compounded by actually seeing their friends dying. Across the board, responses to stress seem to have worsened especially amongst those who lack support.
Grief and loss are being experienced for different reasons – loss of freedom for young children as their movements and socialisation are curtailed, loss of dreams for young people on the cusp of further education and employment, loss of economic opportunities for adults and loss of safety, health & friends for the elderly.
And where there are individuals, regardless of age, who have experienced the deaths of loved ones during this very trying time, there is a struggle to maintain composure and positivity because normal rituals and routines related to passing on have to be suspended. Many countries, ours included, have restricted the number of people who can come together in bereavement and family & friends may be prohibited from paying their last respects. As a result, pandemic related restrictions mean that we have all had to learn how to grieve in other ways as we honour our dead and come to terms with their passing.
This article is not meant to perpetuate dread but rather is in response to queries that have made their way to me, either through people I have spoken with or my clients who have walked through my doors and in online sessions. It is meant to acknowledge struggles & to offer hope, to educate & to empower, to reach out & to support. Together we are stronger.
In the next article, we will address some frequently asked questions and other queries that have come my way recently. Stay tuned.
Heeran Kaur is a Malaysia-based counsellor and therapist. The lawyer-turned-mental health advocate had presented a paper on her research on Sikhs at the International Seminar of Counselling and Well-Being (ISCWB 2020), organised by Universiti Malaya, in November 2020.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Golf Magazine (Malaysia Edition) editor Malkeet Kaur (centre) with golfer Jeev Milkha Singh’s parents at their home in Chandigarh, Punjab. – PHOTO/MALKEET KAUR
By Prabhjot Singh| INDIA |
Gloom cast its spell in Indian sports circles again as coronavirus claimed yet another precious life.
This time, its latest victim was none other than Nirmal Kaur, former Indian spiker and Indian national volleyball team captain, and wife of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh.
She lost her battle due to complications related to Covid-19 infection in a tri-city hospital late on Sunday (13 June). She was 85.
A couple of weeks ago, two hockey Olympians – Maharaj Kaushik and Ravinderpal Singh – died of Covid-19.
“Nimmy” to her friends and family members, she was taken to a hospital on ay 26, two days after her husband tested positive for the dreaded virus. She, however, showed good signs of recovery and almost fought her way out of this battle against the virus. A relapse and depleting Oxygen levels this morning made doctors attending on her worried. Only yesterday’s medical bulletin described her and Flying Sikh Milkha Singh as “stable”.
“A backbone of the Milkha Family, she was 85 years old. It is tragic that the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh ji could not attend the cremation which was conducted this evening itself as he is still in the ICU (of PGIMER in Chandigarh) himself,” according to a statement from the family.
Nirmal Milkha Singh, like her husband, hawked newspaper headlines in late 60s and early 70s, first as an athlete and later as an outstanding volleyball player. She led Indian women’s volleyball team in international matches, including Sri Lanka.
It was during her posting as a Physical Education teacher at a Ropar College that she met Flying Sikh Milkha Singh and later they got married. She served the Punjab Sports Department as Deputy Director before joining the Chandigarh Administration on deputation as Joint Director as well as Secretary, Chandigarh Sports Council.
Nirmal had long association with women’s hockey and served it in various capacities, including its Secretary-General with Arnawaz Damania as President.
Her son, Chiranjeev Milkha Singh, is an outstanding golfer. Besides her husband, who is recovering from Covid-19, Nirmal leaves behind three daughters, a son and grand children.
(Source: Social media update by Prabhjot Singh, with additional information)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
