Our little Is going to be so big for someone and also for future generations. These children will go on to pass sikhi to their children.
The schools take in children at a very young age. The children are taught English language as well as punjabi. They are also taught how to perform high quality kirtan. basically Babaji is doing our job - which we as parents should have given to our children. Waking up at amrit vela and performing our punj bhaniya dha path, rehras in the evening and kirtan sohila at night time.
The girls who were amongst the first batch have now married and settled in the UK, some in India. Our families basically would go for girls from Baru Sahib as their daughter in laws and wives as their education and moral standing is of a high standard.
The main situation in India since Independence has been that Punjab was a very well off state. However the government has slowly by slowly - been taking away facilities and manpower from the state to reduce it to the sorry state it exists in today. If they would not have done that, then we as Sikhs would be having a totally different place in History today. We would not have been receiving news of drug addicts and the depressing songs which have now begun to emerge. It is a big last cry for help - many of which have been emerging from the sacred land since centuries gone.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji himself had responded to one of these cries when the mughals and others were invading Punjab. Sikhs were placed on the forefront to fight for the Independence of the whole Indian country. Hindu families after having faced atrocities from the ruling class swore to give their first sons to the Sikhs. That was our origin - and our panth grew in those days. the enemies who wanted to invade india including the British were always met with great resistance which they could not overcome. Sikhs have contributed to India being where it is today.
Sikhs are responsible for the creation of the Great British Empire too. The number of Sikhs in the British Army who fought in the forefront - for the victory and the Empire which the British now enjoy - was brought about by our own ancestors sacrificing their lives. The number of Sikhs who have been sacrificed in these world Wars goes into their tens of thousands but history has never taught us that. It has been a fact which has been hidden away while the victors claim their false victory.
Whilst the least powerful were left behind, slowly by slowly - any excuse has been made to finish them off in great numbers. Today we have no place to call our own. Guru Nanak Dev Jis birth place falls in Pakistan and we need a visa, which is not very easily got, to go visit our own sacred places.
We have been left to fend for ourselves and our lands which have been robbed out from our people who have been cruelly destroyed and robbed of their basic human rights of speech, education, jobs and mental wellness.
We may be thankful to Guru Ji that we were lucky to be born out of India - where at least our families had a chance of remaining together and we got the basic education with which we can at least communicate with the world and earn a decent living. However we have forgotten our past.
My 7 year old son was asking me - as we were talking about people and countries of their origin, which our country is. I had to tell him - sorry we are from India - but neither is our language the national language of our country and neither is it being taught now in our state of Punjab. This is what our identity in the world has now been reduced to. Today if we decide to go back to our country - there is almost nothing but empty fields to go back to. No industry, no means of survival, no relatives and we live in hotels. How did we not see that coming? We have been asleep for so long now.
Are we supposed to forget our history and move forward into the future? What future are we moving into as a panth. Our Guradwaras are empty as the youth are busy with their studies to earn better money. We have all the money now - but nothing else. Loneliness, disease, depression and neglect in our old age is all we have reaped.
Therefore we need to wake up and look after our heritage - whether it is in the Punjab or in other countries. We need to start to go regularly to the Guradwara, learn our path, educate our children, share our lost history and educate ourselves too. Every little effort by everyone will make that great difference which will make Sikhi bloom and blossom once again.
Babaji is making requests for financial help in Guradwaras where the youth are simply not present to listen to his pleas. So let us wake up while we still have our youth as it is only then we can be able to achieve anything substantial.
This is what the bani which we read at the bhog of a sehaj path tells us
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