My Malice and Bias

Brahmin who became Sikhs Brahmins are Sikhs ? Really? The answer is YES, there are many practicing Sikhs whose ancestors belonged to the Brahmin caste. Its is very common to see typical Brahmin lastnames among the Sikhs, such as, Bhatt, Joshi, Kaul, Dutt, Chhibber, Vaid, Bali, Bhardwaj, and even Sharma.  Sikhism attracted people from different demography and caste system and over time these families are part of a melting pot where the caste has no meaning. I am quoting a line from Sri Guru Granth Sahib: ਰਾਜੁ ਮਾਲੁ ਰੂਪੁ ਜਾਤਿ ਜੋਬਨੁ ਪੰਜੇ ਠਗ ॥ The persuit of dominance, the desire for materials, the lust of beauty, pride of caste & joys of youth; are the deceivers. In the journey of a spiritual life one must rise beyond the deception of these deceivers. Who is a Brahmin? In Sikh philosophy, a Brahmin is a person who contemplates on Brahm - The Prime Soul. Following are few quotes which focus on the actual meaning of Brahmin in Gurmat philosophy: ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬੀਚਾਰੈ ॥ ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣੁ ਕਹ

Historic Wall of Sirhind - Thanda Burj The year of 1704 was a traumatic period for the Sikhs when the four beloved sons of 10th Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji were losr forever. The two older sons attained martyrdom in the battle of Chamkaur on 22 and 23 December 1704, along with 3 Panj Piaras and 40 Mukte Sikhs laid down their lives fighting a massive Mughal army. The Chhotte Sahibzade [younger two sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji] attained martyrdom on 26 December 1704 at a very young age of 9 & 7 years. This is known as Saka Sirhind . Imprisonment of Guru's Family Guru's mother Mata Gujari Ji with two younger grandsons, had taken refuge at the home of their family cook, Gangoo Pundit at his village, Saheri near Morinda. Gangoo betrayed the Guru's family by informing the Mughals about Guru's family. The three were arrested by the Morinda Kotwal and handed over to Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind. They were imprisoned, in the Thanda Burj (Open high Tower) in the icy

Lamp of Diwali  Diwali, the festival of lights is today. The time of the year when Indians dress up in fine clothes and light up their homes with diyas (traditiona clay lamps) or candles. But did you know that there is more than one reason why Indians celebrate Diwali? Here are some amazing facts that you might not have known before. 1. Festival of Prosperity Indian businesses worked around the lunar calendar and Diwali was the end of finanicial year. The businesses tallied thir fianances at the end of the fiscal year and they had a reason to ceebrate the gains of the past year amd look up to the coming year with hope. Ganesh and Laxmi Puja The "Bania" or the businessman of Indian society worship two deities during Diwali: Laxmi or the Goddess of Prosperity is worshipped for celebrating the financial gains made in the fiscal year. Ganesha is worshipped as the “Lord of Beginnings” to mark the start of the new fiscal year and for the removal of all obstacles. Diversity of Diwal

Afghans awoke on last week to a country with absent U.S. forces. The future of the country is uncertain with Taliban 's harsh ideology — one that restricts women from education and employment, and metes out swift justice to anyone who breaches the group's harsh interpretation of Islamic law. ISIS-Khorasan Rise of ISIS-K But trust me, Talibans look moderate compared to the new menace in this accursed land of anarchy, the ISIS-K . This menance has reared its ugly backside with a loud fart as the terrorist attack on Kabul airport that took lives for over a dozen US marines, tens of Taliban fighters, and dozens of innocent Afghan citizens.  Afghanistan has long been a base for radical Islamist movements from Mujaheideens to Taliban. Isis-K was formed by members of A l-Qaeda ’s Pakistan branch as well as defectors from the Taliban and the Haqqani network, an ultra radicalgroup. The K refers to Khorasan , an area encompassing NW Pakistan, Afghanistan, central Asia, Southern Iran an

Sardar Mihan Singh, Kumedan of Sikh Empire Last week, the SGPC authorized volunteers doing Kar Seva at Golden temple complex for a new building, excavated an archeologial site. Some Sikh organization stopped the excavation accusing the volunteers of digging a deep pit without taking care of the heritage structure beneath. Are these sites related to Sikh Gurus, Sikh Misl period, or Maharaja Ranjit Singh? Excavated Building in Amritsar Dr. Sukhpreet Singh Udhoke has done some research on these buldings and he mentions this building as part of networks of "Bunga" built by various Sikh Misl leaders and Sardars of the Sikh empire. One name he mentioned was the Bunga of Kumedan Mihan Singh . So who was Kumedan Mihan Singh? My Personal Connection Kumedan Mihan Singh was a commander of a Sikh infantry battallion of Maharaja Ranjit Singh . He joined the Sukarchakia Misl and rose to the rank of Commander ( Kumedan in Punjabi ) in the Sikh army. He established his jagir in Gujranwala a