Gurpreet Kaur

…Today I have started to feel the effects of tiredness from the past 5 days.

It didn’t hit me so much yesterday but today I feel really tired and knackered. (I’m not quite sure if it’s due to the past 5 days or if it is generally as it is only 6.30am !).

But this week is the first week of our proper lectures in Uni. Looking forward to them just hoping I wont collapse in them (Ha-Ha!) I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m quite excited to start Semester 1.

Today is the first lecture we have. I just hope it goes well.

I better go get ready - Don’t want to be late !

It’s been up to 4 and a half hours since we got back from the Gurdwara after 5 days of Seva (Selfless Service) and spending all those days under spirituality. The depression has start to kick in even more of leaving that particular atmosphere. It feels like something has been taken away from us.

The past few days if I were to summarise them in one word it would be OUTSTANDING ! I kind of miss being at the Gurdwara everyday. Felt so peaceful.

Today was the final day of the second Akhandpaht.

Gawsh..time flew. Well we woke up early morning, mum went to the Gurdwara by 3.30am to get everything ready along with dad.

I, meanwhile was trying to get the siblings ready in time to reach the Gurdwara by 8.00am at the latest. (Little siblings take forever to get up and get ready).

By 7.30am everyone was ready to go. I made sure that the house was clean and tidy as I knew today was going to be a tiring day once we got back.

So by 8.00am we reached the Gurdwara.

Everything was practically all done. (As mum and dad done evrything early morning). All we had to do was go and sit upstairs and wait for the final prayers to be read (Salok’s). By 9.00am everyone were upstairs listening to the final Saloks being read. Was a wonderful atmosphere. Extremely beautiful.

10.30am the full Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji were read. !

After the final prayers were all performed I decided to go downstairs and help with serving the “Langar” (selfless service) along with my friends who had come to help. It was a very busy day that kept us going. But it was briliant too.

Everything went so perfectly and enjoyed every minute of it.

As soon as the day came to an end and we went back home afer cleaning and tidying the Gurdwara up and make sure we had completed everything before we left, we start to feel the depression as if something was gone away from us. It was the after feeling we always get when we carry out an Akhandpaht. As we had an attachment with God for up to 5 days and all of a sudden we come home it was like a part of us was missing.

Everyone were tired but depressed at the same time too. , it doesn’t help either that my brother is about to leave in a few minutes back to his halls too.

Akhandpaht 2 - Day 2

Today was Day 2 of the second Akhandpaht.

Majority of the day was filled with laughs and jokes. The main highlights of today were filling up more boxes of Indian sweets and decorating them again. After that was done the main chore for us were to make Samose.

Since I hadn’t cut a birthday cake we all (family friends) decided that while cutting the “Samose” pastries in half with a knife they all start to sing “Happy Birthday” for me - Ha-ha! was quite embarrassing but also funny at the same time as the old “aunties” start to stare thinking what was going on… !

The day was filled with laughter again !

Akhandpaht 1 - Day 3 (Bhog/Closing) / Akhandpaht 2 - Day 1 (Arambh/Opening)

Today was the final day for the first Akhandpaht that was set for my cousin sister and my nephew in the morning at 9.00am. (Again I missed the morning because of University ). My cousin sister, brother in law and nephew were all at the Gurdwara by 9.00am to be blessed.

Since we are doing a double back to back Akhandpaht it was important to keep the second one (which was in the happiness for my 21st Birthday) to be opened straight away so the timings do not differ on Sunday for the final closure of the Akhandpaht. (Again since this was in the morning around 10.00/10.30am I missed it as I was at University during the time).

Gladly I finished University early around 2.00pm, which was a relief; I reached back into Southampon by 2.30pm. Where I got ready for Gurdwara again and reached the Gurdwara at 3.30pm.

In the evening my brother came via train from his apartment in Central London from his University. I was so happy to see him !

Another tiring but amazing day!!

Akhandpaht 1 - Day 2

Okay so it was day 2 of the first Akhandpaht today, as I explained yesterday majority of my day today was going to be spent at University again as I was working for the University as an SMA again, and had to attend a few introductory lectures too.

I reached roughly at the same time to the Gurdwara as yesterday, 5.15ish. As soon as I reached the Gurdwara my Bhua (dad’s eldest sister) wished me a happy birthday first along with my mum !! It took my dad up till 8.30pm to realise and wish me (Ha-ha!, Bless him).

Today mum made a lot of barfi, pehreh and besan (Indian sweets) to hand out on Sunday in the happiness of my 21st birthday Akhandpaht.

A few of my family friends also arrived to help out with Seva (selfless service), our job was to put all the Indian sweets into boxes then decorate the boxes with ribbon. We used pink and red ribbon. (It was fun!). We ended up with having a laugh and a joke as my siblings were there too !! & not forgetting the 21 birthday fever I was in (Ha-ha!).

Overall the day was yet again brilliant !

Akhandpaht 1 - Day 1

Well today was it. The first Akhandpaht has been opened and unfortunately I wasn’t there from the beginning, as University got in the way (I knew it would) but I was helpless and couldn’t do anything about it. Since I was working for the University too as a Student Marketing Assistant (SMA) with “ASK ME”, which is a couple of SMA’s wearing purple ASK ME T-shirts around the University campus to direct the new students (first years) in the right direction and avoid them from getting lost.

I finished at 3.30pm (which wasn’t so bad). I reached back into Southampton at 4.15ish. After I got back from University and jumped into the bath to get ready to go to the Gurdwara.

By 5.15pm I was at the Gurdwara (finally). It was really nice to see that there was a lot of Sangat (congregation) at the Gurdwara especially on a week day. This felt really good.

However I gathered that my cousin sister and my 4 and a half month old nephew (her son) (whom this first Akhandpaht is for) had come during the morning and afternoon and I just missed them by a few minutes.

…Majority of the work was done so I just helped on the minor work that needed to be addressed.

I can gladly say the first day went absolutely fantastic. I just got back a while ago and can’t wait until tomorrow. (Even though I’ll be at University half the day AGAIN ).

Yesterday I attended an amazing Kirtan Darbar that was set up in Southampton at Gurdwara Nanaksar to commemorate the 300 years of Guruship of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (the living, eternal Guru).

The darbar was enlightened by Kirtan performed by various Ragi’s including;
-> The Hajoori Jatha of the Gurdwara (local Ragi’s)
-> Bhai Balwinder Singh Rangeela & Jatha (Kirtani’s)
-> Bhai Jagtar Singh Komal & Jatha (Kirtani’s)

Two lecturers also attended and spoke about Sri Guru Granth Sahib. One lecture (which was mind blowing) explained on how some people nowadays don’t accept Sri Guru Granth Sahib fully as “Pargat Guran Ki Deh”, meaning they don’t treat Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the same respect of a Guru. They don’t keep in mind that Sri Guru Granth Sahib is an eternal living Guru.

After the Kirtan and the lectures, Makhdoom Syed Chan Pir Qadri

Read more…

…OK it’s been quite a while since I last went to India, can’t remember exact year but it was around 1999/1998. And my mum, dad, me and my brother went for a holiday in Panjab to see my family as well as Yatra (Pilgrimage) to Sri Hemkunt Sahib.

Sri Hemkunt Sahib is up in the Himalayas. And takes approximately a week to get there ( well when we went it did) now apparently you can be able to do the Yatra within just under 2 days but have to start really early in the morning in order to complete it fully. Sri Hemkunt Sahib was where the tenth master Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji meditated in Their previous life.

…Well it was the third week into our holiday in India. My Masi (mums sister), Massar (mums brother in law), Masi’s next door neighbour, Massars two nieces, 2 drivers of the van, mum, dad, me and my brother all went. It took us a few hours getting to Rishikesh where we parked up the van, and since it was night we decided to stay at Rishkesh, our first stop of the night for a rest. In the morning we headed off for the Yatra. The Yatra was done my walking, however for the younger generation an option of “Pihtoos” were available. These were Nepali men who had a basket type attached to their backs where children can sit (what my dad made me and my brother sit in) and they would carry them. For the middle aged generation horses were also avaiable (however expereince that they could be extremely dangerous too) and for the older generation who wont be able to walk were “Dohle” which were like small bed shaped where the older generation sit and four men lifting and walking with them. (Which I found really scary).

Read more…

For the past three days I spent majority of my day at the Gurdwara, as it was my Aunty’s (Dads Sisters) Akhandpaht. Akhandpaht lasts for 3 days (48 hours) as the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is recited continuously without any stops or breaks by a team of Granthi’s. Who take turns in reciting the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Akhandpaht’s can be kept for any occasions. In my Aunty’s case it was because my nephew (her grandson) turned thirteen and she wanted to thank God.

The final day, today, was a brilliant day, a real busy and lively atmosphere which was incredible.

Can’t wait untill October now for our double Akhandpaht to celebrate the birth of my nephew and for my 21st birthday !