Then the other night I watched a recording of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games 2008. Apart from my continued disbelieve that China ‘got the games’ in the first place, it emerged that apparently the Chinese have spent £20B, constructing venues that extends over 74 Hectares. Interestingly, currently the 2012 hosts, London, have revised their budget from £2B to £9B. The London site is expected to cost £10B use 20+ Hectares.

The Olympics are also interesting from a perspective of bringing the world together. In one way they suggest that humanity can come together and celebrate ‘the importance of taking part’. Yet, it is this very notion that is exposed, for example, with rich nations having big teams and country commentators obsessing over nationalism. Its always annoying when sports commentators never mention the achievement of other nations in enough detail. In a way the latter is an example of what we all adhere to day in and day out. We look at our own achievements and do not consider the opportunity to help or encourage others.

In recent days Billions of Dollars (the rescue deal will cost US tax payers $12 Billion) has been allocated by the US government to prop up The Federal National Mortgage Association and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, commonly known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Between these two organizations they hold $5.3 trillion Dollars worth of mortgages.

In summary, there is a lot of money at stake and one could argue that that securing one economy safe guards the global economy (just look at the ripple effect of the credit crunch). However, we seem to be missing an opportunity to change the way the economy could work for the betterment of all.

Harmonization is a word that is not used enough. For example, looking at development opportunities not based on short-term returns or to sell Western based product. For example, if in the West manufacturing is decline together with a rise in service sectors, could there not be a commercial equivalent of the Peace Corps? Do we not owe it to our current and future generations to eradicate Poverty? Can we not get a stronger set of United Nations forces to implement anti-genocide regimes.

Can’t Bankers and Accountants be more creative? Can we not twin company’s the same way that towns twin each other?
As consumers can we not demand greater ethics in food and clothing production? Corporate responsibility is being ignored. Can we not remove distance between the very rich and poor? Can we not think before we spend our money on lavish events.- or – simply link the Olympics to an opportunity to drive change.

If this could happen I’m confident that future Olympic team sizes will change.

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http://www.sikhnet.com/reviews/singh-kinngh-film-review

Last year I presented at a Sikh camp in the UK and suggested we need to create our own media. This is one answer and this film says that such desperate times need desperate efforts. We needed to assemble good media right now and more than ever!

I skimmed through the film Singh is Kinngh - I wanted to see if my fears about the film were warranted. The skimming was the result of my cringing and the fact that it was hard to concentrate. My fears about this film are warranted. The film contains swear words and variable views of Sikhs and that is putting it lightly.

In addition, questionable themes are revealed as the so called romantic comedy unfolds.

Let us consider the film in the context of whether we should laugh at ourselves.
Sorry, I can’t as it is too offensive. There is simply too much misinformation and humour that does not travel. Bollywood is known for slapstick comedy, sick jokes about speech impediments and the disabled. In this film slapstick is the focus. The various characters are shown as clumsy. Clowning around humour simply does not last.

Does the film show that Sikhs are cool just because they can capture villains from an aerial feat or rap with Snoop Dogg?
Hey! Sikhs know that they are already cool and they certainly do not need this kind of film to exhibit.

If you want to read an article I wrote as early as 2004 on how Bollywood always betrays Sikhs please checkout:

http://www.saviarora.com/bollywood-always-betrays/

The sad reality is that nothing much has changed.

It is certainly strange that in a world where Sikhs are leaders in a variety of world arenas, for example: Medicine, bravery and self-less service not enough information is available about the reality of who we are.

A light on the horizon is to see how Sikhnet inspires by the way they are encouraging the annual Sikhnet Film festival.
It shows that we can be creative without being crude and cool without being cunning like the likes of Bollywood moguls.

Keep the Faith!

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It was suggested that,

‘Barack Obama stands out like a welcome beacon of zen. This week in an overheard aside to David Cameron he confided that “the most important thing you need to do is have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking”. Without that, he said, “you lose the big picture”.

and

In his essay Is Google Making us Stupid?, Nicholas Carr observes that he now seems less able to engage himself deeply in long, complicated narratives or arguments. “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski,” he says. It’s so obviously true. Anyone who doubts that our attention spans are dwindling is seriously…oh, who cares? I sometimes find myself talking to two-year-olds and having to stop myself saying: “Yes, yes, but what’s your point?”

The general gist of the article is the suggestion that the world has become to fast.
I too suffer from the syndrome as I often declare to my staff, ‘hurry-up. What is taking so long!?’
Therefore, I’m not setting a good example.

What I found helped and again ironically I do not make time for it is Yoga.
On what I like to call my Spanish episode (August 2006) I had lost patience. I also blame the fact that it was also a very hot day that day.

Anyway, upon returning to London I attended a couple of Kundalini Yoga sessions. I found that it was almost as if someone had pressed my ‘reset’ button.

The Times article is interesting in that it exposes what we suffer from. However, does it suggests few solutions.
Here are some that I have managed to research. I call it strategies for focus…

1. Dedicate time to think
2. Establish set times to perform particular activities
3. Consider Yoga
4. If you do a lot of report writing, then try a creative writing exercise - It helps to become more creative
5. Before you sleep think of 3 good things that happened or made you happy
6. Don’t use a computer/laptop or watch TV for up to 2-3 hours before retiring to bed (easier said than done!)

The latter tip I picked up from Snatam Kaur’s blog site.

The article is definitely worth a read to help us realise that to obtain quality of life, we all have to try harder.

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If you took part last year, you will remember, the friends, fellowship and fun that we all had raising money for Children with Leukemia (CWL). Together we successfully raised £25,000.

This year we have chosen the same charity again. This year the ride takes place from 19th-20th July 2008. As a reminder, the ride is organised by SACA (Sikh Arts and Culture Association).

This is a community ride that also shows that collectively we can perform good in society and be humble about it too! The other good thing about this ride is that is demonstrates what I tend to hark on about - People from different backgrounds coming together for a common cause - focusing on self-less service - together with an opportunity to train and  test their stamina (NB Health disclaimers are given).

This year we managed to configure the site with a link to www.justgiving.com – (NB My sponsorship page is at: http://www.justgiving.com/saviarora - your kind donations/sponsorship would be greatly appreciated). This is a brilliant way to collect online sponsorship for any charity. Once the charity is registered it takes just a few moments for individuals to create their own pages, set targets and gain encouragement / momentum!

Moving away from I to We.

It is also interesting that National Rail is using the following marketing strap line: ‘you take the journey with you’. Orange has just unveiled ‘I am’ as their new strap line which will replace ‘the future is bright, the future is orange’. The latter line was introduced by ad agency WCRS for Orange in 1994 to launch the mobile phone brand into the UK market. The ’I Am Everyman’ television commercial suggests a number of messages. Some online marketing publications have suggested that this brand change has cost Orange a few million to complete. Someone suggested £10M?

I wonder if the 21st century has increasingly become - A world for the ‘I’ generation, for example: I pod and MySpace. Yet, the irony is, that for each of these components to operate one has to interact with others?

Mohammad Ali, the famous boxer once gave one of the most powerful and shortest lectures in Oxford. He simply announced, ‘Me, We’.

When I looked through some of the other events featured on Justgiving it gave me a reassurance that there are so many good causes and people prepared to help.

In a world where the word ‘I’ is increasingly becoming prevalent it is good to know that there are people who want to share and harmonise. I only wish that some commercial /giant multi-nationals companies and governments could do more.

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Both of these have a common thread: Youth and working for a common cause. In the case of IFYT, the aim is interesting - Encouraging greater understanding for each other’s religion. For SACA - Sikh Arts and Cultural Association, it is to encourage greater community cohesion through working for a selected children’s charity.

Essentially, the the term Service can be applied but it is important to consider it from a humble perspective. NB The reason why I’m talking about it is not to publicise my activities but to highlight others who give up their time to work in a self-less manner. I’ve often said that the true celebrities are those unsung heroes who work tirelessly, for example, in villages where children are amazed at the sight of shoes.

On Friday night I attended a cultural evening organised by AFP - The Asian Foundation for Philanthropy. This UK-based charity was established in November 2004 to support British Asians (a term that they use - I prefer British Brown!) Diaspora who want to make a difference to social and economic development in India. They use their extensive networks in both the UK and India to provide means for both individuals and businesses who wish to contribute towards social change in India.  They aim to ‘identify projects and organisations which seek to empower local people and encourage them to see creative solutions which will be sustainable and contribute to development over the long term.’ I noticed that the charities they work with are ‘local’ in nature, often finding it difficult to attract the international support that they need.

I’ve written in the past about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of multi-nationals missing a great opportunity to develop people, for example through involvement with charitable initiatives. AFP provides a great opportunity for an increasingly affluent community to get involved. This is not to imply that the rich club do not today. I’m just talking from my personal experience with involvement with SACA over the years. For example, gaining sponsors for the annual bike ride is always a challenge. Often questions on budget allocation, payback and market worth of being associated with a cause are raised. Not as a barrier but as a discussion point. Many of the sponsors for the ride are consistent and reliable and the organisation is certainly grateful for their continued support.

Maybe part of the problem is that apart from Gift Aid there is little incentive for commercial organisations to give-up their talent. Instead, people who care enough will do it anyway.

Yet, the irony is that many of today’s issues are based on commercial decisions and international trade rules.

Today, the G8 commence another exciting summit. With talk of rising oil prices and rising food prices will there be a consideration for being creative. For those who already live on the border line of life, recession will impact them harder. Greater tax breaks for organisations, both developing, mature and willing to invest in development projects could be a way to encourage greater world unity and harmonisation. Else the predicted downturn could escalate into a spiral of depression where corporate leaders may become protective of their funds rather than innovative to deliver real change.

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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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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.

BREAK FOR MUSIC

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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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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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Apart from the fact that it rained all day it was good to see the crowds line the streets to support the parade.

My DJ spot was for an hour and on departing I managed to get a glimpse of the very long parade that ran in parallel to the main park where both a fairground and music stages had been set-up.

The parade consisted of varied floats: Romans, Salsa, Hari-Rama Hari-Krishna chanters and stilts walkers. Despite the cold and rain both revelers and participants of the parade smiled and danced away. This I thought was a good example of a multi-cultural celebration. A time when people can be unite forgetting their differences from an ego perspective and instead recognizing that music and dance crosses boundaries.

I also wondered about the inspiration for the carnival. I was surprised to learn about its religious connection. Interestingly it is suggested that its origins link to the fact that during Lent, traditionally no parties may be held and many foods are forbidden. Lent serves to commemorate the ‘Passion of Jesus’. Maybe people want to have a celebration before their fasting.
Parts of the carnival traditions, however, likely reach back to pre-Christian times. The ancient Roman festival of the Saturnalia a probable origin of the Italian Carnival. The Saturnalia, in turn, may be based on the Greek and Oriental festivals. Many local carnival customs are also based on local pre-Christian rituals.

The origin of the name “carnival” is disputed. According to one theory, it comes from the Latin carrus navalis (”ship cart”), referring to a cart in a religious parade

Most of the islands in the Caribbean celebrate Carnival.

Until attending the one in Luton my only experience of knowing rather than attending a carnival was the famous Notting Hill one. Years ago the latter had been infamous for confrontation with the police. However, now it is a time for celebration for all communities and relations with the police are good – Every year without fail the media shows police officers joining in with the partying.

Although some of the original religious elements may now not be visible and for many it is a year long mission to practice and prepare their floats.

Carnivals aim is certainly interesting, probably morphing into a celebration of life.

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