the man in blue
harjindersingh.amritsar@yahoo.co.uk
At the end of 2006 it looked like I was going to have a lot of time on my hands, as I was made redundant, and also had less voluntary work. This made me write two articles under the title ‘My Sikh intentions for 2007’, setting out my programme for the new year.
Amongst other things I was planning to organise a group walk in the high Himalayas and was considering making a start with a proper translation of the Guru Granth Sahib (not on my own). Whether God did not agree with me or whether She/He just had different ideas I do not know. Before the first month of 2007 was over I was offered a contract by the agency promoting multi-faith support for students in colleges, and Slough REC offered me more ‘casual’ work.
I now look back to a very busy and satisfactory 2007, in spite of the fact that none of my schemes came to fruition. I am not worried about not having organised our walk in the Himalayas, and although I know I can make a contribution to a new, more accurate and more poetic translation of the Guru Granth, I have no illusion that such a project depends on me.
There is one project that still is important to Satnam Kaur and I. We think that there is a great need for a training programme for people who plan to take amrit or who have just taken it. Obviously amritdhari Sikhs should be familiar with Guru’s teachings and the Rahit Maryada, but we also wanted to teach the beginnings of kirtan, gatka, how to recite gurbaní and how to do gurbaní víchár.
We also hoped to involve the candidates in social work, making sure that they understand that simran needs to be combined with seva and that seva is not just done in the Gurdwara. Sarbat dá bhallá, for the welfare of all !
We hoped to organise amrit sanchár with panj piaré who all work hard to practice Guru’s teachings, and who are not selected on the basis of their age, caste, ethnicity or gender.
When I took amrit I was given instructions on the colour of my turban, how not to cover my head with a towel after taking bath, how to change my kacchera, about the three kurehat, but nobody talked to me about the loving relationship with God, nobody told me to see God’s presence in all, and although we were told to do simran on mul-mantr and gur-mantr, what meditation was really about was not discussed. My panj piaré also told us not to take food from non-amritdharis, which I have never accepted, as I strongly believe that this is anti-gurmat.
If there are Sikhs out there who are willing to help us with this programme in 2008, we might still achieve it, in spite of being very busy !
