Originally aired on 22nd June 2008 - Here is part 2…

I understand you’re in training at the minute

• • Yes it’s an annual charity bike ride organised by the Sikh Arts and Culture Association. It’s been running now for 19 years and it’s from Birmingham to London. The great things about it is that nowadays people from all communities take part not just Sikhs.

You mention the Sikh Arts and Culture Association there… what constitutes Sikh Culture…

• • Personally having been born in the UK my ‘culture’ is fusion of Eastern based food, Western music and relating to what I’ve grown-up with say, TV, books and relationships.
    
    
  • Some of the Asian side of my culture is Sikh and some of it is Punjabi. So something like Gatka, which is a complete martial system which uses spiritual, mental and physical skills and it’s Sikh in nature. So that’s could be Sikh. But take Bangra Bangra music which a lot of Sikh people like… well that’s more regional than religious. And it’s developed as a fusion in terms of mixing R&B beats with traditional drums such as the Dhol. However, this is strictly Punjabi culture not Sikh.

• • Interestingly, when migrants reside in the same country for many generations you can notice for example, turban styles being different? Not sure why but there are now Singapore, Kenyan and Indian Style turbans. If you want a bit a fun, head for ratemyturban.com !!
    
    
  • I was recently asked to attend an Interfaith Youth trust meeting at The House of Lords. It was wonderful to see Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and Christians all coming together to see if there were specific activities that could be done to promote greater understanding between the kids of today. I found it fascinating that the a shared view was that instead of people being defensive about their beliefs, when the kids worked together they learned more about their own religion and brought out common themes, for example finding common threads in each religion about respecting the environment or performing a service for charity. One group of kids collaborated on developing a leaflet with extracts with religious references.

Here is that week’s Moment of Reflection

A few years back my family went on a Spanish discovery tour. Lead by a great tour guide called Bonzo we visited some spectacular sites including a Synagogue, the AlhambraPalace (which was built by the Moors) and the tomb of Columbus in Saint Mary of the See which is the fourth largest Christian church in the world.

These historic places of worship, no matter the religion that built them, always made me think of the effort and commitment needed to create a space where communities can come together to worship, meditate and also to celebrate.

The essence of the term worship in Sikhism is to dedicate ones life to the path set in the Guru Granth Sahib. ‘Worship’ here is living with the ‘True Lord’ in one’s own mind and ’serving the Guru by listening, Singing, Believing, Serving and Obeying.

These are the common threads that can help you to merge with God… whether you perform them at home, at a place of worship or in acts of self-less service.

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It was good to be asked to appear on Aled Jones’s show last Sunday.

Here is part 1 of 2, re: the Interview …

And I’m pleased to say that our regular Sikh contributor Dr savi Arora is with us today… morning Savi… good to see you again.

Now we’ve been talking about places of worship on the show this morning what can you tell us about Sikh places of worship?

• Sikh temples are called Gurdwaras… which literally means Guru’s House or Door. So it’s the place to goto to learn from the Gurus. Each Gurdwara houses the Guru Granth Sahib… which is the holy book and of course religious ceremonies take place there including events like weddings.

But the gurdwara is for more than just worship isn’t it?

• As well as being a place for religious services, the Gurdwara also serves as a community centre, a school, a guest house for pilgrims and travellers – and not just Sikhs , occasionally a clinic, and a base for local charitable activities.
  
  

Now the famous Golden Temple in Amritsar is recognised as one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the world… what are Gurdwaras like in the UK?

• • Well most of the Sikh community in this country was established after the second world war so for a long time Gurdwaras were in people’s houses or commercial spaces. And then communities would buy a school or industrial complex that were no longer being used… but now we have some large and spectacular ones… for example, both Southall and West London based Gurdwara’s have been visited by Prince Charles and the Queen over the last few years. In fact one that my father went to was originally in a an old dairy that the community purchased (this is true? Yes?)
  • One of the oldest Gurdwara is Britain, in all of Europe in fact, which is in Shepherds Busch in London and it is celebrating it’s 100^th anniversary this year.

It’s interesting that churches are often used by other religious communities when they are no longer required for Christian worship… what does that say

• • My understanding is that there have been church halls that have been made available for groups to run Yoga classes and community events. I believe that this shows there is not a sense of possessiveness or a demand for exclusiveness related building ownership
  • If we all respect each other in terms of the cliché that there are many paths and they all lead to the same goal, then as a message for greater interfaith understanding this has to be viewed as a positive. I personally am a big fan of bringing people together to raise funds for a common cause. Amazingly people then forget their differences and focus on the common cause a common love for doing something for humanity under a house that happens to be where some go to pray.

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In the High street near my office a new Tatto parlour has opened up. I must first say that I am anti this form of self decorative activity from both a moral and health perspective.

What was surprising was that not only have a noticed an increase in this type of shop but I was also astounded by the seated queue inside the shop.

The expression, ‘BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP’ came to mind The proverb has been traced back to ‘A Wife’ (c.1613) by Thomas Overbury (1581-1613).” From the “Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings” by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).- “What you don’t see is hidden under the skin and it may be more important than physical beauty.

Another related expression is, BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - This proverb appear to have come from the English dramatist John Lyly, who wrote in ‘Euphues in England’ (1580).

We may spend time on our physical being but how much do we dedicate to our inner beauty or spiritual existence?

Interestingly, after researching this area I discovered that some Health coaches suggest that fitness training alone is not enough, people need to also de-stress. I’m not suggesting that becoming spiritual is just another tick box. One fitness piece of advice suggested that everyone has 4 basic health needs: Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual.

Emotional development is an interesting area, especially in the context of respecting each other and ensuring that we do not degrade others. Bad mouthing never helped anyone.

Statistics have shown that people who have strong religious beliefs and convictions are less likely to have health problems in the other 3 facets of their health. In addition, it has been suggested that commitment to prayer is helpful and can fight off potential illness and depression.

As I said before, becoming spiritual should not be seen as an add-on or a simple health supplement. We cannot and should not perform any tests on our religious beliefs – It does not work like that. I remember a few years ago a BBC documentary divided a group of patients and families up into two groups. One group prayed for the wellbeing of their patients and the other did not. You cannot test God !

Commitment to prayer and meditation has the potential to make us a better physical person but also remembering God. Our existence in this world is really only temporary, therefore we should aim to be fair to each other.
Hey! We leave it all behind anyway, only our soul is what we need to value and enrich.

The aim should be to merge with God. Achieving Mukti:

Mukti has two aspects—a negative and a positive one. On the negative side, it stands for having got ‘loose from’ or ‘rid of’. That essentially implies a bonded state from which a human must be freed—be it ignorance (ajnan), nescience (maya), mortality (kal), suffering (dukkha), passion (kama), desire (trishna), attachment (moha), superstition (bhrama), physical body (sharira) or the wheel of life and death (avagavan). All these spell only a perilous existence for a human.

Mukti, however, is not to be construed as escapism. It is not that a human is removed to a safe quarter in existence where no perils overtake him/her. He/She, rather, discovers within himself an unexpected power to withstand and not be shaken by any threat or danger. The security and integrity experienced are spiritual and ultimate; neither ephemeral nor circumstantial.

On the positive side, mukti signifies the fullest and truest realization of the self. The saved life is a fully human self, open and unhindered. It embodies the realization that there is no other than the self. Separation and ego-consciousness stand decimated. Everlasting peace of the eternal and infinite self transcend the make-believe world of wealth and woe, good and evil, gaiety and sorrow, wisdom and folly. See http://www.sikhiwiki.org for more on this.

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In 1984 the world viewed the media blackout and violence against the Sikhs in India. In June 1984 the Bluestar operation was brutal - killing thousands of innocent lives.

A few months later for 3 immediate days after Indira Gandhi assignation thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed. The total number of Sikhs and non-Sikhs killed has never been officially recorded but it is in the thousands. What is known in many cases, is the names of the instigators of the violence that occurred. After 24 years and major national enquiries no one has been brought to justice over human right abuses and targeted slaughter of a community.

Today India offers a manufacturing base that competes with the Far East. In terms of India�s strength in computer software development and support, again there is no doubt that India can offer immediate financial returns and committed employees. In recent years I have visited Bangalore and was impressed by the scale of development. India now has digital telecommunications, high speed voice and data networks. Investments have also taken place in Hotels.

Investment also means investing in equality for all parts of the population and also assuring justice and honesty. Although Dr Manmohan Singh has acknowledged the wrong that was done at the time, we still need those that committed the crimes of communal violence to be brought to trial.

For humankind there is a need for a concerted effort to ensure that justice does prevail. After 24 years victims of the 1984 Bluestar operation and Delhi genocide families are still suffering.

At a Facebook group inviting people to attend a rally in London (Hyde Park) on 8th June I read the following - It sent shivers down my spine!

See : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=15741218422&ref=ts

Amritsar resident’s account

One resident of Amritsar gave an eyewitness account to the editor of the Sikh Messenger, a British publication. “The army pounding of the Golden Temple area continued over the next few days confirming our fears of deliberate and vindictive destruction. On the night of the 5th, the aged and chronically ill father of the couple next door finally expired and on the morning of the 6th the army gave our neighbours special permission to take him to the crematorium. Even before reaching this site, they could smell the stench of putrid and burning flesh. On entering the crematorium grounds they saw a sight that literally made them sick with horror. Grotesque piles of dozens of bodies were being burnt in the open without dignity or religious rites like so many carcasses. The bodies had all been brought there by dust carts and from the number ofcarts; the attendant estimated some 3,300 had so far been cremated

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