Concept of sharing at family level

Sharing is an important concept in Sikhism.But how does that work at the joint family level.
Method 1----I came across a Gursikh family where there were 3 brothers and all are married and have children.They said when the business is common all the basic expenditure of food,clothing,education can be done from the common fund.Each family can be given Rs 1500(that was 4 years ago)extra money to be spent in what ever way he wishes.He may take his out wife for dinner,movie or whatever.In that family the the wife of the eldest brother and the wife of the middle brother cooked lunch and dinner on alternate days.That means they got rest from the kitchen every second day.The wife of the youngest brother cooked breakfast on daily basis.
Method 2--Having got inspired from the above method I have invented another method.In this method a family ought to have a box where each earning member would put equal amount on weekly,fortnightly,monthly (or when the need arises)basis.All the common house hold expenditure could be done from this box. It ought to be replenished when required.If any member having hard time is finding it difficult he can drop a slip mentioning the amount he owes to the box.A few days later he can replace the slip with the money.The rest of the money that an individual earns ought to be saved or spent according to his or her sweet will.This method can be better applied in families where people do jobs instead of business.
There might be other methods of sharing in joint families as well which the readers can suggest.
Satnam Waheguru

Made the store incharge of the local Gurudwara

The Gurudwara mentioned here is Gurudwara Kalgidhar opposite Mandi road.A member of the committee was telling me ''People around this area are quite well off.They have less time.Ours is not a big Gurudwara but the trend of getting the langar prepared by the proffessional cooks has already picked up in the bigger Gurudwaras.See we have all the equipment to prepare the food.But then the Bibian(Women Sangat)do not get any time to listen to the Gurbani.They say they havn't got relief from the kitchen work on even a Gurpurab.Ideally the langar should be made by the Sangat.But--------''It needs to be mentioned that the proffessional cooks usually makes a point not to be visible even while smoking somewhere outside.They try to be as respectful as they can(according to their standards).However the feeling of a being a member of a large family and lovingly taking part in the preparation of the langar is a very speacial experience.This being the local Gurudwara, a part of the blame could boomrang towards me aswell.The above mentioned committe member and another senior member cajoled me to take charge of the Gurudwara store.In the evening they handed over the charge to me and thereby in a way including me as well in the committee.A part of the talk of above mentioned member was something like this ''Our Gurudwara thalees(steel plates integrated with space for placing various dishes used at langar)are taken by the people for their family functions.They often get replaced by substandard plates.Many of the Daegga,praants( huuuge cooking vessels)are already missing.Nobody comes forward to take the duty.People around are well off.They say---time heeee hai nee ji(there is not an time at all).It is just like having forgotten God.''The point here is that we cannot shun the sangat if the things are not going about the best way.We can always strive to improve.In the evening I along with my wife,younger son and a student took the charge of the store.The desi ghee (refined butter ,sugar etc are also in lock and key now.My wife and the younger son have taken the duty of visiting the Gurudwara daily and providing the daily quota of the material for Kraha Parshad to the Bhaee ji.Let us hope to bring about positive changes by the grace of Guruji.

An advice to the children

Today one of my students told that in the reality show 'Kaun Banega crorppati'a person had won one crore(ten million) rupees.He was given an option either to play for 5 crores or be reduced to two lakh something.He opted for playing further and lost.During dinner time my younger son was also telling the same story.I gave my student and my sons the following advice----------''No body ever wins in a gamble.If atall he wins he keeps playing untill he loses back everything.Look even if had won the money he would have been a loser.Not only he but also his future generations also could have got addicted to this vice.They would not have stopped before losing everything.The Pandvas in the famous legend of Mahabharat lost even their common wife while gambling.The elder brother must have got the urge that by putting at stake their wife he might win back the brothers that he had already lost.Therefore be cautious !!!''

Just click at the heart and vote

The other day I asked a friend or two to watch and rate the movies at http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/ They said they did not know how to do that.
I wish to tell my friends that they only need to click the heart icon given under the frame if they liked a movie.
The movies submitted by me and my family members are as follows
1-'ooper sach achar'submitted by me
2-'should I blame my mother'submitted by my wife
3-'The internal battle of Dr. Lego Singh'submitted by my elder son
4-'The little gambler'submitted by my younger son

Sikhnet film festival

As you all know I along with my wife and children had taken part in the Sikhnet youth festival,the movies have been released.There is an error in the name of the director of the movie 'ooper Sach Achar, has been written wrongly.I have requested them to rectify the error.
You are requested to see the movies.Kindly click on 'I like this video'in case you like it.Kindly do not forget to leave a comment also.The prizes can be influenced by the popularity of the video.
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/oopar-sach-achar/
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/the-internal-battle-of-dr-lego-singh/
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/should-i-blame-my-mother/
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/the-little-gambler/

Plot of the movie planned on 26th September

Dear participants,
The movie that we are planning to make would be titled 'Karmi aapo aapni'.The story would be based on murder and suspense.Some comedy would automatically creep in while we make the movie.I have planned that the story would begin 500 years ago.A Sadhu would beg for some food from a farmer who would be eating lunch at the noon time in his farms.The farmer would refuse saying a lie that he has to give share to his brother.The Sadhu would curse him that 21 of his next generations would commit a grave sin in their life and would themself die as a fruit of their 'Karam'.The farmer realises his mistake and begs pardon.Taking pity on him the saint suggests a way out.He tells that his and his descendents death would not occur if they would not open a box which would be gifted to them on their thirtieth birthday.
All of his 21 descendents commit murder and all are gifted such a box and none is able to escape the frui of 'karma'as all open open that box and die.The twentyfirst descendent commits a murder and tries his level best not to open that box but is taken over by curiosity and opens the box.What is there in the box would remain a mystery till the end.
Kindly suggest me any changes.My email address is kamal310i@gmail.com
Thanks

The gambling instinct

The Pandavas had it(gambling instinct).They had put even their wife at stake and lost her.We too have it in one form or the other.For example selling every thing in the ancestral village and searching a fortune abroad is also a sort of gamble.I personally feel that nobody ever wins through lottery or gamble.Even if a person wins he is a loser as he and his future generations would keep on wasting their money in the pursuit of wining again till they lose what they had won and even more.I was a student of primary school.Once I bought a ticket of instant lottery for 10 Paisae from a grocery kiosk.I won Rs.1.After that I kept on buying the tickets that afternoon till I lost all the money and also the 10 Paisae that I had originally.I learnt a lesson.There are lottery addicts in Punjab.I don't know the scene in the west where they have casinos as well.Gurbani says'Sakat baaji haari jeeo'(A selfwilled Manmukh loses his life in a gamble.

A natural indicator

A Sikh has a natural indicator in his beard.Our body has currents similar to the electric currents.Sexual current is one of them.It is very important to sustain life.It is an important driving force in our life.Once my students(college boys)asked me why the beard turns grey.I replied that it is an indication to tell how much battery one has exhausted.I often tell friends that if they exhaust their battery here and there with temporory lose connections there would be arcing leading to more wear and tear and more grey beard.In that case they themselves are the losers.Once the whole beard is grey or say the whole battery is gone the driving force would be missing and would lead to lack of will to live.This can reduce the life span.College boys often boast of having scored by counting the number of partners they had but they ought to realise that they are wasting their valuable energy in a wrong way.By being responsible the health and the character of the society can improve.Life span may increase.Having permanent and secure connection with ones life partner causes less wear and tear and the energy spent is productive as one happens to raise a family.Therefore a sound character means chances of living a longer and healthier life.Let us not ignore this natural indicator.

The forgotton singer

Jaspal Singh was a gifted singer of Bollywood.This Sikh playback
singer sang a very famous rain song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxziCYx1iqM&feature=youtube_gdata
Another memorable song sung by him with the theme 'keep singing in your life'was
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0z73WDPb20&feature=youtube_gdata
He sang a bhajan(devotional song) in a film which had almost became a
national bhajan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLNUCg2M0LA&feature=youtube_gdata

Unfortunately he did not get his due from the Bollywood.I searched for
him in google and wikipedia but without any success.

Only if a person thinks

1-The owners of the institute where I teach are Sikhs but they burn a holy flame before the pictures of Gods and Gurus.The girls who work there fill the katori with Desi ghee(refined butter) early morning.The amount of ghee they burn in half an hour is almost equal to our consumption in 2 days.What a wastage of food resources?
2-While traveling to Shivpuri in Madhaya Pradesh(year around 1990), I met a Sikh who had farm in that area.I discussed with him the tradition of burning a holy flame in the Sisganj Gurudwara and else where.I asked him how cruel it would be if some superior species could snatch away the milk of the female humans and burn it to please Gods.Is that non vegiterian flame not at the cost of depriving the calf of the milk.The Sikh said that the matter was not at all a serious one.
3-Why do the Sikhs not worship the graves of the dead?It is because they are taught the Hukam(Gods will).This is what makes them dynamic.Following Hukam(Gurbani) is Sikhi but putting it in a glass frame and burning a holy flame before it is something different.According to Gurbani Naam is the deeva(lamp for burning the holy flame).The desi ghee burnt in a single day can satisfy many hungry stomachs.Burning a holy flame in a Gurudwara is not the best use of the funds to say the least.

Environment concerns

Beauty of nature and the environment always occupied my mind.I wish to share the following episodes of my life.
1-While watching paddy transplantation in grade 2 at the age of eight I asked my father if the water would not finish from under the Earth one day.
2-After seeing huge piles of cut trees in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh,I got the feeling as if those were dead bodies.This happened when I was travelling from Delhi to Haldwani on an official assignment in the year 1988.
3-I asked the Sewadars of DGPC why a flame of Desi ghee is being burnt at Gurudwara Sisganj when it is not in accordance with the principles of Sikhi and not an environment friendly activity.It was in 1989.
4-I asked a fellow Sikh not to offer flowers at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib as there is God in the plants and it is a cruelty towards plants.I was inspired by a shabad of SGGSji.This was in the year 1990.
5-A number of times a thought crossed my mind forcing me to think about the loss of fuel at Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate and the flame at Jallianwalla bagh in the memory of the martyrs.If often think about how much it would be causing the environment.Can these flames not be symbolic and made by some electronic device or a small lamp etc.
6-A few months ago I went to a Gurudwara Gurusar near Jagraon.My wife asked for a polythene from the Sewadars to carry the Karha Parshad home.I objected as it was not an environmental friendly activity.She did not listen to me though.
7-I love to use a bicycle because it is environment friendly.
8-I often feel for the nature when crackers are burnt during Diwali.My children do not burn crackers.My wife lights a few candles at the doorsteps.Can't Diwali at Gurudwaras be environment friendly?
9-I often think about the damage caused to the environment by the wooden furniture. Can't we sit on the mats as we sit in the Gurudwaras?
10-Several times I went with my wife and children to a Gurudwar five kilometers away as a visit to a Gurudwara on motor vehicles is not an environment friendly darshan.
11-In 1995 I wrote to the Golf club Delhi to sponsor my trip from NOIDA to Chandigarh on a pedal car that could be designed especially for that purpose in order to create awareness regarding environment.

A lesson in Kirat(honest living)

About fifteen years ago I was travelling by train from Delhi to Dhuri.I met an old lady.She told me that she believed kirat(honest work)preached by Guru Nanak Devji.She believed in doing work and remaining financially independent till her body allowed.For that she provided private tuitions.I was not much impressed as I thought it to be quite a normal thing.But she was quite old.She said that around 15 children from the neighbourhood came to her to learn and play.I was impressed but only slightly as she was owning a small bussiness set up involving education.I asked her how much fees she charged.The old lady in her seventies said Rs 2 cash down to be paid daily.The children came runninng to play and to do homework and pay the grand ant her fees!Now I was left smiling and thoroughly impressed.
Guru Nanak said Naam japo,kirat karo and wand chako(share food).An honest earning has a lot of benifits.A few among them are-
1-It makes a person forget sorrows.
2-provides good exercise and sound sleep.
3-makes a person earn good reputation and make him self dependent.

Unique among the unique

I am an intellectual(earning by using the mental skills).I teach in an institute that provides training to the IELTS students.I am paid according to the batches I teach.I go to the houses of students in villages and provide private tuitions if they are in a group.I teach mathmatics(and almost all subjects)upto 10th grade.To the higher class students I teach only English as Mathematics consume more mental power.
Though everyone around this world is unique,I am unique among unique.May be God wants it that way.People ask me many questions which I find difficult to answer.Eg.
1-''What are you(talented person)doing in Punjab?
2-''Why could you not get any government Job?''
Ha Ha!

When an unworthy man finds himself in the middle of the Sadh Sangat

1--It was 13th April 1984 when I was blessed with Amrit.It was 26
years ago.My elder sister told me that I was just wearing a mask to
shield my self from my annoyed parents as I was not doing well in my
studies.She said that my true colours would appear soon.She must have
been 75% correct.But what actually happened---At page 1117 there is a
Shabad 'Nirgun raakh liya santan ka Sadka......'which says' I am
unworthy, but God has rescued me in order to keep the honour of the
Saints.
The True Guru has applied a curtain over my sins;Our lord hides our
shortcomings give us soul, life and
peace'.I did not score well in +2.Nevertheless I got admission in a
good Polytechnic as the rules changed that very year which gave more
weightage to the 10th grade score and worked in my favour(my honour
was saved)
2----About 2 years later I heard the above Shabad when I was rescued
in my final year of Electrical Eng. Course.A new rule came just then
that a person can join the next class although he might not have
cleared his previous papers.I joined my class fellows happily in the
final year(although I hadnot cleared 2 papers of second year) thus
barely escaping from dishonour.
3--In the past 26 years I have lost count how many times and in how
many ways my honour was saved and a curtain put over my shame,
Thank you Waheguruji and thank you SadhSangatji.
Satnam Waheguru.

--
Sent from my mobile device

A movie with a social message that was made in 5 dollars..

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chhevaan&aq=f
We collected Rs 50 each.We were six people.Myself and five students.Rs
300 is about 5 or 6 dollars.I purchased the tape of the handicam for
Rs 90.The rest of the amount was spent in the refreshment.I have a
handicam.I narrated the theme.One of my students directed the movie by
consulting others.Lunch came from the house of two students.All the
shooting was done at a farm that belonged to one of my students.My
elder son held the camera.The younger son also took part by playing
Tabla in the opening scene.
Title-Chhevan Driaa(the sixth river of Punjab that is of drugs and a
craze to reach the foreign shores)
Theme-A farmer is not happy with his two sons as they are idlers.He
tells all this to a young player.The boys never listen to the father
and want to go abroad for playing Kabbadi and hence settling
there.They are taken in by the sweet talks of the village Numberdar
and a travel agent.The boys flatter their father and cajole him to
sell all his meagre land holding which is only two and a half
acres.The travel agent gives some injections to the boys to boost
their performance.The player who is father's friend warns that drugs
are harmful.The boys do not listen to him.Later they realise their
mistake.With the help of the well wisher they are some how able to get
their money back.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chhevaan&aq=f

 

A little bit of truth on 1st April

I got up at 4.05 am.After bathing,combing hair etc I did the Parth of
Japji Sahib but without a still mind.I had some soup which is curd +
any cooked vegetable available in the fridge.I add some water to it in
a bowl,stir and keep in the microwave oven for a minute or two.I had a
darshan of the Hukamnama on my mobile from where I operate the
internet.I read the English translaton of the Hukamnama through my
email account which is posted by Sikhnet on daily basis.After
finishing the soup I sat on the bed chanting Satnam Waheguru.I was not
required to go to Sherpura village for providing private tuition
classes as the final examinations are over for most of the
classes.Unable to still my mind I went to the bedroom and started
reading the shorter version of Shakepeare's Comedy of errors which my
elder son won in his school for standing first in some competition.I
got up and had beakfast.I served breakfast to my son in his room and
that we have decided that one of us would do for the next two or three
years as he is in a senior class from today onwards and would be
competing for seeking addmission in some medical college to become a
doctor.Once again I lay on the bed half asleep.I sent an email to my
son who was in his room.I wrote in the email that he shouid remain
aware of April fool pranks as it is first of April.I lay on the bed
half asleep for two hours.I was disturbed twice by my wife and younger
son for some small things.I finished reading the small book in the bed
it self.I checked through internet from my mobile that a Bollywood
movie Angoor was made based on this story.While on bed itself I
followed the tweets.In the bed I resolved that If I could not
concentrate on Gurbani I shouldnot allow any vulgar thoughts to cross
my mind either.But I feel that is almost a challenge for any man lying
half asleep on the bed.I got up from the bed ending the shallow sleep
at around 8.10 am.My wife and the two boys had left for their
respective schools.My wife went to her school for teaching.For the the
younger son it was first day in grade six and the elder son went to
his new school for taking admission in grade 11 in the science
stream.I ate another chappati with Karhi pakora.To wash it down I
drank some hot water with some milk mixed in it.That gives a feeling
of fulfillment.I read a few pages of another small book that my son
got as a prize from his school.I got ready and went to the private
institute where I teach on contractual basis.I came home at 1.30 pm.I
chatted with my elder son who had come home after paying fees in the
new school where he would be going from seventh onwards.He served me
lunch.I went to the bed for the afternoon nap with the small book that
I had started reading in the morning.It was written by a captain of a
ship who encountered mutiny on board in the late eighteenth century.I
got up from bed combed my hair,said Satnam Wahheguru.I am sitting on
the Varandha at the first floor and waiting for the two odd
students.Perhaps they would not come as they are having some easy exam
ahead.In the coming days the teaching ours at tuition would be very
less as the session is over.The working hours at the private institute
where I get paid on hourly basis would increase.It is the peak season
for the students who learn English for clearing IELTS examination.
It is 6 pm now and I would follow the tweets at Twitter. At around
6.30 pm I would be chanting Satnam Waheguru.At 7pm we would be serving
dinner to the senior boy.By 7.30 I would finish the dinner and go to
bed after saying Satnam Waheguru.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Something about my self

I studied in the Kendriya Vidyala Navy Nagar Bombay upto seventh
grade.After that we shifted to Delhi.After doing +2 in science stream
I did three year diploma course from Govt.polytechnic in the electric
engineering.I did Jobs in office automation division(repairing
photocopiers and Fax machines)in the companies like BPL SANYO,Modi
xerox,Bharti Telecom and Salora International etc.After doing Job for
12 years in the private sector we shifted to Jagraon(Punjab) as my
wife got a government job of a teacher.Here I am teaching students who
prepare for Ielts in a private institute.Other than that I provide
private tutions to students from class 8th to BA.I think I enjoy my
work.I shoot movies with my students,have fun,parties and picnics.Many
students share their views with me considering me to be their friend.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Discovery of a recipe

While I failed to make a Pizza,I Discovered a very good dish that can
be made in a microwave oven.I would like to call it Dal Warry .Procedure is as
follows.
Dal Warry-
Wash the Dal with water.
Keep it soaked in water for one night.
Add wheat floor and water.Stir to form a paste.Mix salt and spices
according to taste.
Bake in the microwave for 20 minutes in a covered container.
Make round balls of the baked material.Bake the Warrys again for 5
minutes without covering to dry them.
Store these Dal Warrys in the fridge.
Expected life is ten days.
Put one or two Dal Warrys in Raita(curd based soup)
One can also put them in the potato vegetable or Karrhi(made by
cooking the paste of curd +flour of black gram).

Nature's call at a crucial time

The eldest son of Shahjahan and his
third son Aurangzeb were at war.I read in some history book that in
the middle of the battle Dara got down from the elephant back to
answer nature's call.This turned the tide against him as the moral of
his soldiers went down on not seeing their leader.It needs to be
mentioned here that Dara was a scholar and a friend of Guruji.A small
thing made a tremendous difference in the history(The call of nature
at a crucial time).But again nothing can happen without Waheguru's
hukam.He is the cause of causes.Waheguruji ka khalsa wahwguruji ki
fateh.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Jungle training

The other day I was outing somewhere in the open.My younger son who
would be in sixth grade now was feeling shy urinating in the fields.I
told him about the times when the Sikhs lived in the Jungles.I
pursuaded him to carry out the work without feeling shy as it is a
part of Jungle life training and he ought to learn to be a Jungle
man.Who knows what the need of time could be?He only laughed when I
told him that he ought to practise clearing his bowls in the
fields.Who knows when the boys would need to take up farming.However
the elder son did the task of clearing his bowls in the fields
cheerfully, once when we were cycling in the countryside.He used the
leaves of a tree as a tissue paper.Small things but important
nevertheless.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Small things that matter in a war

During Anglo Sikh war apart from the big things like the lack of
leadership etc that decided the outcome of war,there were some small
things that mattered.I read somewhere that there were Sikh soldiers
among others on both sides.The soldiers who were on the British side
had warm socks and good quality shoes.It is because the British had a
better experience of fighting in the winter season.
It is important to learn from the past as life is, perhaps, no less
than a battle.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Baking experience

Indians are,perhaps,quite poor at the art of baking.Today morning I
tried to make Pizza but ended up making something that cannot be
described.
A cake is something which can be quite controversial in India.It is
because of the egg and wine that are put in as ingredients.Egg is
often replaced by bananas and wine is replaced by baking powder or a
gas relieving powder called ENO.I wish to learn the art of baking.It
is important for us because there is often a short supply of LPG
cylinders in the winter season.What if we are required to pull on
without any gas for a few days?
Art of cooking can decide the outcome of a war.It is said that during
Kargil war the soldiers were given chapatis packed in such a way that
they could remain fresh for months.
While I do not know why Indian women are far too ahead of the world in
roasting fluffy chapatis and far behind the west in baking anything,I
seek the thumbrules of baking.I have got a feeling that it is a call
for survival as LPG gas supply may deceive me in the future.

--
Sent from my mobile device