April should be set aside by all Sikhs, (not just because my birthday falls on Vesakhi!), as the month to celebrate Sikhi (Sikhism) becoming a distinct identity, physically, and as a universal 'way of life'.

I have been in Punjab (Ludhiana) during Vesakhi and also Divali and it is amazing how fellow Sikhs look for excuses like 'Bandi Shod devas' etc. to celebrate Divali and yet on Vesakhi Day almost all Sikh shops, let alone non-Sikh shops, were open for business as usual! {Question for those who are protesting - How come we do not celebrate the release of Guru Nanak from Babur's prison but we make such a fuss of Sri Guru Hargobind Ji's release from Gwalior? AND why all the candles to be lit in gurdwaras and in Sikh houses?}

I was at a gurdwara in Birmingham UK, a few years ago just before Divali where the stage secretary made an announcement that families are requested to light only one candle per family rather than a candle by each family member! I did not even know that we lit candles, just like Hindus during Divali - our excuse being that we are lighting the path for Guru Hargobind so that he can see his way to Darbar Sahib, after release from Gwalior - what a load of crock! The reason for only one candle per family being that there was a danger of the 'chola' (saffron cloth) around the flag-pole of the Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag) catching fire!!

Why do we look for such excuses to celebrate a Hindu celebration? Why don't we just do it openly as a token of friendship for our Hindu brothers and sisters rather than make it into a pseudo-Sikh celebration? After all, in western countries, we now celebrate Christmas by bringing Christmas trees into our homes and buying presents for children and Christmas cards for our friends. (I might not agree with it, but it happens.) In Malaysia we used to celebrate all special days of all our friends like the Muslim breaking of fast celebration called Hari Raya Puasa, Chinese New Year, Divali (we called it Deepavali), Christmas, Vesakh Day (Buddhists) and our own special days. Hey, any excuse for a celebration!! We didn't need a 'Sikh' excuse for the celebration, we just did and had a good time! Those of our 'freeloader' Sikh brothers who drank alcohol used to get 'fashnikkered' by the end of the day as they travelled from one friend's 'open' house to the next from about ten in the morning till midnight and getting plied with alcohol by those celebrating! (I am sure my fellow Malaysian Sikhs will reminisce with fondness!)

....In the midst of all that merriment let us remember that Vesakhi - Khalsa Day is our own, very special day - to send cards to each other; to buy presents for our loved ones; to dress up in our best clothes and most importantly to understand and obey the 'message' of 'aadh' Sri Guru Nanak and 'aanth' Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and celebrating at home and in gurdwaras...

No better place to kick off 'Khalsa Day month' than Malaysia with the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Vesakhi Mela. This is held, since 1999, either on the first weekend of April or the last weekend of March, at the Cheras Youth Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Coachloads of Sikhs come from all over the country for this grand occasion. I am in Malaysia presently...

This year, the ever popular Ragi Sarabjit Singh Rangila and Jatha were present besides other great jathays like Bhai (formerly Sant) Nirmal Singh of Jevedhi Kelan; Harjinder Singh Sri Nagar wale, percharak Bhai Jaswant Singh Perwana, and other jathays from India. Almost four days of Akhand Path, kirten, ketha, Sikh exhibitions, stalls selling all sorts of wares and of course free flowing langgar.

This year the Sabha also launched a fully illustrated mega book of the 'GURDWARAYS OF MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE'. A monumental reference book for posterity. A tremendous service by Sardar Saran Singh Ji (I knew him as Sukhrajan thirty years ago) and the Sabha deserves credit for printing it. Every Sikh, at least in Malaysia should get a copy. I got mine! At Malaysian $120 it is a steal!!

Also on Saturday April 3, the Dashmesh (English medium) School officially moved into their new premises in Pantai (suburb of KL) with an opening ceremony graced by Tan'Sri Ajit Singh and Dato' G.S. Gill, two of the trustees. The Dashmesh School, which was housed in the Tatt Khalsa Building since its inception (about) four years ago has grown from strength to strength and is now considered one of the best English medium schools in Malaysia, especially, of course, for Sikh children!! It is sought after by Sikhs and non-Sikhs to send their children to. Well done BIBI JASVINDER KAUR KHALSA and SARDAR SUKHDEV SINGH - you have done the Sikh community proud! My small part in the official opening was that our new 'Nitnam' kit of two cd's of morning and evening Nitnam with a sunder gutka (booklet), were distributed to all students. The kit was sponsored almost fully by my good friend and also patron of the school, Patminderjit Singh who also further contributed RM35,000 to help build a nursery and a canteen for the school!

Saturday April 9. The top 'raagi' jathas in the country including Bhai Sarabjit Singh Rangila performed kirtan at the Kampong Pandan gurdwara in the evening from 7pm to 11pm. It was a pleasure to attend service and listen to all this wonderful kirtan. Pity more sangat did not take advantage of a kirtan packed five hours!

April 10: I joined some youths at the Parliament Gurdwara Sahib for Sunday amritvalay (early morning) Asa-Dhi-Var. This was my final 'haajri' for this trip to Malaysia before I head back to Adelaide on April 12. I will be on board Malaysian Airlines when I pass into my 54th. birthday...

Yes, safely into my 54th. year of life and back in Australia on April 13th. which will always be Vesakhi for me.

John Mellows, an Australian Vietnam War veteran, turned up at home, sent by friends in Woolgoolga to enquire about becoming a Sikh. Had a long chat with him - he is serious! Told him to turn up for Khalsa Day service the following night at the Adelaide gurdwara, after giving him a turban and teaching him how to tie it.

I explained to him that unlike other faiths and religions (except perhaps Judaism), Sikhs do not prosletyze nor make tempting promises of salvation or pretty women in heaven to entice non-Sikhs to become Sikhs and also to expect two Sikhs to have deferring views about matters like eating of meat; amrit; rehat; keeping of 'kekars'; what time to do Nitnam and what Nitnam consists of; Naam Simran; etc. etc. To take all advice but be discerning - find out facts for oneself and lead the life of a Gurmukh. Not to expect only love and accolades from fellow Sikhs but expect brickbats too!! He still seemed keen - stubborn man!! I told him to come for the Vesakhi service the next night at our Adelaide Gurdwara Sahib and that we shall talk more ...

Wednesday 14th.April 2004. Gurdwara Sahib Adelaide planned an Open Evening to celebrate Vesakhi/Khalsa Day. Our group Dya Singh, (Adelaide based members) did one and half hours of kirtan. My daughters arrived back from the (Easter long weekend) Sikh Games in Brisbane in time, to attend. About 250 Sikhs, a good number of non-Sikhs and some Press people turned up. (Article came out in South Australia's Advertiser newspaper on Monday 19th about Sikhs and Vesakhi). First time our group has been in Adelaide for almost six years!! Keith, Harsel, Parvyn, Quentin and I attended from present group and former faithful tabla player, Charan Singh was on hand to stand in for Dheeraj!

Thursday - John's special day. We performed a 'Janam Sanskar' ceremony for him and from the Hukmnama, we suggested that he be named Angadh Singh, as the Hukm Nama started with the letter 'A' (Airda) and because we were also commemorating the 500th. Gurpurb of Sri Guru Angadh Dev Ji. He has duly gone and changed all his papers to Angadh Singh and intends to spend one year in India studying Sikhi further. Good luck, Angadh!

Friday 16th. left for Western Australia for two week tour. Flew to Perth and arrived at Fairbridge Folk Festival - about 100km. south of Perth by nightfall. The festival goes over the weekend.

FAIRBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL - WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Saturday 17th. 1pm - 'Sikh Rhythms Workshop' led by Dheeraj. He talked of different tabla playing styles of the Benares Qarana (school), the Bengali and South Indian way of playing tabla, the Punjabi style. The 'complimentary' accompanying style of playing as opposed to the 'exhibitionist' style of playing. (Dheeraj is also a Tabla Soloist). We then performed various shabads in various rhythms as Naam Simran.

We have become popular for our various workshops of spiritual/meditational music of the Sikhs and also 'bhangra' workshops by my daughters.

8pm - Main Marquee - concert "Passion of the Sikhs". I think this concert made us festival favourites, with its blend of uplifting and meditative music and shabads, qawalis, bhajans and other spiritual renditions that we produced to about 2500 audience. Final five 'jekarays' were joined in by a non-Sikh audience with didgeridoo and Irish war drum, the bohdran, almost bringing the marquee down!

Sunday 1pm. concert 'Spiritual music of Dya Singh'. A Sunday morning service style concert again in the Main Marquee. Organisers were surprised at the number of people (2000) who turned up for this concert just after Noon!

5pm. Sikh Music Meditation workshop. My favourite workshop - about 300 turned up at the festival chapel for one and a half hours of 'kirtan as a form of meditation' workshop.

We were the highest cd selling group at the festival and organisers hope that we can come again next year! Waheguru Ji is truly gracious.

Monday 19th. Goodbye to Fairbridge - we arrived at the Beacon (Hatha) Yoga Ashram, Fremantle, by noon. We will be staying here till Monday week, when we leave. The Sikhs in Western Australia were unable to put us up adequately and we had an invitation from the Ashram members from the festival, to come and stay with them, for the price of one concert -which we readily agreed to!

One of the most serene and peaceful Ashrams I have stayed in. (151 South Street, Fremantle... if anyone who is spiritually inclined - no alcohol or meat, needs to stay in Fremantle - mention my name!) The staff were absolutely wonderful - with eternal smiles on their faces and ever helpful. Plenty of room to do simran, yoga or do 'riaz' and a well stocked kitchen!

On Tuesday we did our tourist 'thing' visiting various places in Perth and Fremantle. Fremantle is a beautiful historic port for Perth and Western Australia. I know plenty of Sikhs have landed here with their camels from the early nineteenth century. One day someone will do research and come up with 'numbers' from shipping records and throw light on early 'Sikh' presence in the opening of the hinterland of Australia - a credit given mainly to 'Afghans' at present!

In the evening, what we thought would be a quiet dinner at our friend Amarjit Singh Ji's abode turned out to be a dialogue evening with almost 100 Sikhs till almost midnight!

There was keen interest in our music, our kirtan, the controversies surrounding our 'style' of 'kirtan' and presentation to mainstream audiences etc. These people read emails and are on Sikh cyber-sangat chat lines!! All in all, a very invigorating evening with questions fired at Keith and I by the young, the old, the 'traditionalists', the 'radicals' etc. I think it set the scene for us as to what to expect over the next few days in programs at both the Perth gurdwaras!

Wednesday 21st. Sikhs/Sikhism not listed in Perth street directory and a self-proclaimed 'jat' Sikh who runs a 'halaal' food outlet in the name of Mrs Singh's Halaal Kitchen.

WE VISITED PERTH TODAY... and the above two matters I report with sadness. My daughters were flicking through the Perth street directory - all other faiths had their places of worship well listed in a special section of places of worship including the Hare Ramas Hare Krishna's, the Bahaii's, the Sai Baba's, and all 'major faiths EXCEPT SIKHS. Two gurdwaras in Perth and both not listed in this special section. Once again, I believe, every Sikh gurdwara committee should have a public relations/media officer whose job should be to ensure that the Sikh profile in the mainstream is progressively being raised.

Secondly, I was horrified when I came across "Mrs. Singh's Halaal Kitchen" in one of the main malls in Perth. I back tracked and a cleanshaven 'Sikh' smiled from behind the counter and asked us to come in. All I could do was point at the word 'Halaal' with a pained expression on my face and he waved me away saying 'business is business!' He said he was a 'jat' from Malaysia and this was one way to ensure 'even Muslims' come in. Here we have monumental debates as to whether Sikhs should be vegetarians or not and this brazen 'Sikh' gentleman brushes any objection away with 'business is business'. Do Perth Sikhs want to throw in letters of objections to the local council about this man or shall we leave it at .. 'business is business'?

6.30pm - Canningvale Gurdwara programme with a good turnout for a weekday, with many youngsters and non-Sikhs. We announced 'Sikh spiritual concerts' at the Yoga Centre and at the Kulcha Arts Club, both on Saturday. Good interest.

Thursday : Lecture to Broadcasting and Music class at EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY. This was organised at the Fairbridge Festival by their lecturers. A tremendous reception from a very enthusiastic class. Keith talked of identification of Sikh music within the fold of 'folk and world music' and direction of folk/verandah music in general in Australia. I went on to give a crash course in Sikhi in relation to music, Sikh spiritual music, Sikh roots in the Punjab and changes in Sikh traditional music over the last 100 years. This was followed by some kirtan meditation and display of raags as a vehicle for shabad rendition. I was ably assisted by my lovely daughters Harsel and Parvyn.

Friday turned out to be an exhausting day with a formal dinner and tea followed by a programme at the Bayswater gurdwara but all very fulfilling.

Saturday : 1.30pm - 'Sikh meditation Concert' at the Beacon Ashram - 150 audience with about 20 Sikhs enjoyed a truly divine concert in a very spiritually charged setting. The Yoga centre staff and attendees felt fully justified in looking after us!

8pm - 10.30 pm. A two hour full scale concert at the Kulcha Arts Centre in Fremantle. In an audience close to 300 about thirty Sikhs turned up. I think they all enjoyed a lovely evening.

Sardar Balwant Singh Uppal, a pioneer of the SGGS on disks, summed it up when he said "I think I saw my guru, Nanak, liberated today! He used to attract people with the divine sound of Mardhana's rebaab to sing the word of God and Dya Singh is following in his guru's footsteps except that he sings in concerts, in Malls, in open air festivals and wherever he is asked to sing and people come listening to the didgeridoo, the bouzouki, the tabla, the guitar, his daughters, and even the 'vaja' and then listen to the universal truths as espoused by Nanak and the word of God as received through Nanak!"

Sunday 10am. Gurdwara Canningvale. Committee members say that such large sangat only turns out at gurpurabs or very special occasions. We were blessed with 'seropas' by Bhai Sahib during the kirtan and ... we sold out all the cd's we had brought! Thank you, Perth sangat for your love and affection!

8pm. A special concert at an Arts Auditorium on Murdoch Road for Sikh youth. Concert was sold out before we came and it had the best sound system and engineer that we could get in Western Australia! We received a standing ovation especially from the youth at the close. Thank you BIBI KULJIT KAUR JASSAL and her team for all arrangements. We received a substantial sum as 'seropa' from the Bayswater Gurdwara Sahib. Some 'traditionalist middle-aged to old Sikhs appeared somewhat stunned at what they had witnessed. We shall probably hear from them into the future or through the cybersangat!

We returned to Adelaide on Monday 26th. Now to spend some time with my grandchildren in Melbourne for a few days ...

EMAIL NEWS ...
GURBANI MIXED WITH 'OTHER' RENDITIONS AND AT A NON-SIKH EVENT !
This issue raised its ugly head again during the month with a Sikh committee which wants to host a Multifaith Event and inviting our group. The issues, if they do not take on such farcical proportions would actually be pretty funny! I shall not mention the committee because committees are normally controlled by the loudest and most narrow minded - not by the rational...and I have a few good friends in the committee! Someone once said that the result of a committee trying to construct a horse was a camel!

This community wants to hold a Multifaith Event inviting peoples/heads of religions/spiritual performers etc. so that peoples of different faiths can come together in a spirit of 'sharing' and getting to know each other better, yet also everyone having a good time. So, basically a 'concert' with food and drinks thrown in - entertainment basically of a spiritual nature, coming to know a little more about other faiths and generally, again, having a 'good' evening.

First issue was 'alcohol'! A lot of Sikhs have this perception - that to have a good time there has to be alcohol. A number of them will not come if there is no alcohol! But the issue was settled quickly, (thank God!), as almost all 'faiths' with the exception of Christianity perhaps, do not subscribe to alcohol. Sanity prevailed and it was agreed that alcohol would not be served.

Second point of contention was 'meat'. Some committee members who advocate the prohibition of meat amongst Sikhs felt that meat should not be served. Others felt that this being a spiritual entertainment evening rather than a 'gurdwara' program, meat should be served. After all what more can you do with 'alu, gobi and sabzi' which would attract people to pay to come! The debate/arguement took on a new twist when someone suggested that where there is 'gurbani' there cannot be meat!!

This then led to even more amusing arguements about 'gurbani' being mixed with non-gurbani items and 'the mother of all sacrileges' amongst some Sikhs - dancing where gurbani was going to be sung! A definite NO NO, where some are concerned! My daughters normally do a dance number at folk festivals etc. - to, of course, a non-gurbani rendition. To traditionalists Sikhs this is sacrilege - anywhere where there is gurbani, there cannot be dancing - you know 'dirty dancing'!! My daughters are proficient dancers, they love to dance, especially 'bhangra', just like any 'normal' Punjabi kids. So in their wisdom, the committee feel that my daughters cannot do a dance number.

But, wait for it... this led to the next issue.

What about the Hindu 'bharatnatyam' dancers and the Red Indian sacred dances? This put the committee into their next quandary.

SURELY THE STAGE WHERE GURBANI IS GOING TO BE SUNG CANNOT BE USED FOR A DANCE ITEM, some said!!

That was not all - in fact it was only the beginning...

1.You mean to say that people are going to be sitting on chairs while gurbani is going to be sung?? 2. You mean to say that people are going to be sitting with bare heads and with footwear on, where gurbani was going to be sung?? 3. You mean to say that meat was going to be served where gurbani was going to be sung?? 4. You mean to say 'nongurbani' renditions are going to be sung where gurbani is going to be sung - and Dya Singh does that???? etc .etc. OH DEAR!!

....So much for a 'multifaith' event organised by Sikhs! Let the Sai Baba's or the Bahaii's or the Christians do it - perhaps they do not have so many hang-ups!!

Then to top it all up - It was also stipulated that no shabad with the word 'Allah' should be sung because the 'red-neck' types might mistake us for Muslims! A committee member wrote that they had an 'open day' at their gurdwara inviting non-Sikhs and as one non-Sikh was leaving - asked one final question - "So which sect of Islam do you folks belong to - Shiite, Sunni, Sufi, Sikh?" That was the reason given to me not to sing any shabad with the word 'Allah' in it. I thought this smacked of Baba Ram Rai and the changing of 'Musselman' to 'Bay-yimaan' leading to Ram Rai's banishment by Sri Guru Har Rai Ji. Maybe this enlightened committee of educated Sikhs might like to see all 'Allah' in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib changed to Waheguru perhaps so that we are not mistaken for Muslims. After all, it means the same - God is still the same God whether you call Him 'Allah' or Waheguru!

Perhaps we should not sing any shabad with the words Ram, Raaven, Bhagwan, Krishan etc. too or we might be mistaken for being Hindus - or perhaps that does not matter!!

So, here we go again... to avoid being mistaken for someone else, we should not truly present ourselves in our true spirit of 'Manes ki jaat sebhai aikai pehchanebo'. When are we going to present ourselves for truly what we represent? The 'saint-soldier', the 'Miri-Piri' principle, the 'wholistic' way of life that we lead - why do we want to disassociate our 'miri' from our 'piri'? Why do we want to disassociate our 'sant' from our 'sipahi'? Why do we try to separate our religiousity from every day living - an intrinsic 'mainstay' of our faith? The fact that makes our faith distinct from all others!

I also added my two cents worth that strange, that my daughters who dance various contemporary, Indian, Punjabi and Aboriginal dances cannot dance because she is a Sikh and worse still, the fact that she is MY daughter! I, a singer of gurbani cannot have my daughters dancing, and sacrilege - if ever I am seen to indulge in bhangra myself!!

For a faith that professes liberalism and equality for all faiths, all peoples and, for a faith that professes - 'Jagat jelendha rakh lai, apni kirpa dhaar, JIT DWARAY UBERAI THITHAI LEO UBAAR' (The world is burning O Waheguru, SHOW US THE DOOR THROUGH WHICH WE CAN FIND PEACE) - our narrow-mindedness, blinkered outlook to life, and the 'Indian' cultural baggage we carry, lets us down very badly.

I teach my kids that 'Nanak Satgur bhetiyai, puri hovai jugt - hesendeyan, khaylendeyan, painendeyan, khevendheyan, vichai hovai mukt'. My intepretation - There is emancipation, liberation in EVERY ACTIVITY we do. Recite His Naam twenty four hours, within every activity that you are performing - then you attain 'mukti' (emancipation or as the Christians say - salvation!) Don't restrict gurbani to being a 'spiritual' exercise to be indulged in, in special occasions and places. I would prefer that youngsters would be singing gurbani 'ALL THE TIME' - WITHIN EVERY ACTIVITY THAT THEY ARE CARRYING OUT. WITH EVERY BREATH. IN SCHOOL. AT HOME. AT PLAY. FOR ENTERTAINMENT. FOR FUN. Don't you? Is that not what singing of 'gurbani' is for??

I have even had so called 'learned' Sikhs telling me that our form of gurbani singing is 'entertainment' - 'kan ras' (delight for the ears). That they say is 'mena' (sacrilegious). I wonder what 'they' listen to gurbani with, other than their ears!! Do they have some other organ or organs on their person that they listen to gurbani with?

The hearing and doing of kirtan should lead one towards 'Naam Simran' - the true vehicle which brings us closer to Waheguru, our Maker, our Master. I like to believe that the various aspects of our 'gursangeet' keeps this in mind. I also believe very strongly that, that is what Baba Nanak had in mind - using 'sangeet' (which includes raags and folk music) as a vehicle for gurbani singing. This 'package' to draw one towards a greater awareness of ones own 'being' which in turn leads one towards Naam Simran - to get closer to WAHEGURU and ultimate enlightenment.

'DYA SINGH' PERFORMING AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON & SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE, WASHINGTON D.C. THIS YEAR'

Finally, just at the close of this eventful month for us, we have news that we have been invited to do kirtan at the celebrations of the 400th. Anniversary of the compilation of the Aadh Granth. The organisers are the Network of Sikh Organisations in UK, and the main celebrations are to be at the famous Royal Albert Hall, London (26th.September). Two momentous international Sikh celebrations (the other being the opening of Dr. Kapany's Exhibition of the art of the Sikh kingdoms at the Smithsonian Institute on 24th.July) in the same year - we are truly blessed!

We leave for a four weekends tour of California and Texas on May 6th. More next month... but before I conclude a sad, and thought-provoking incident for all my Sikh friends, brothers and sisters to ponder upon...

TO A FRIEND ...

My friend Abtar (Tari) Malhi is a childhood friend from Kuala Lumpur. He studied Punjabi from my venerable father in the old Cochrane Road gurdwara in the late 50's and very early 60's. I remember Tari to be very, VERY naughty. I met him briefly, after about almost forty years last month at my Mama Ji's Bhog. We met again, by chance, at the Batu Caves, where I go to for 'dhosa and tea' and exercise (when I am in Malaysia), around the 10 of April. I met his two sons and younger brother too. He and his sons had come to do prayers at Batu Caves (there is a huge Hindu complex within Batu Caves). He explained that his wife was a Brahmin and he had promised the family a visit to this Hindu sacred site. So they had all come to Batu Caves with offerings and had done their prayers. He also told me that he now lived happily in Trinidad, and, to my surprise, played a part in the building of the Sikh gurdwara in Trinidad. Surprise because Tari never gave the impression when young that he would show any interest towards spiritual matters - let alone Sikh spiritual matters. In fact, he also did the parkash and kirtan etc. at the Sikh gurdwara in Trinidad. He asked me how he could help the Sikh youth in Trinidad. I told him that we would help with 'youth camp' material, syllabus, instruction etc. and also with our cd's. That hopefully, I could bring my group to Trinidad one day.

The conversation around hot dhasas and tea, turned around towards my favourite topic - Sikhism, of course! As Sikhs we should profess to one faith and not to have divided loyalties. We discussed that all faiths are the same but one needs to have 'committment' to make spiritual progress otherwise one is only paying lip service to spiritual pursuits, with no intentions of making progress, because we are just trying to please God through ritualism rather than making a committment to God and pursuing a consistent methodology of attaining spiritual imancipation on a twenty four hour basis. On the one hand one does every form of sewa in a gurdwara, yet, do all the prayers in a Hindu temple? I quoted to him two lines from a famous qawali "Jis jega na jhukay sar, usay dhar neheen kehtay. Har jega pe jo jhuk jaye, use sar neheen kehtay". (At a shrine where ones mind does not dwell on God, that is not an abode of God. But, a head which pays lip service to almost every faith, does not have serious intentions of spiritual progress.

Tari promised to write to me further as he was not happy with my aspersions that he might not be serious.

Three very very long emails between us transpired where I asked him quite point-blank as to why, if he was doing all this 'Panthic' sewa in Trinidad, he was cleanshaven. If he was a 'Guru-dha-sewak Sikh' and represented Sikhi' in his locality, then surely he should also be dressed in the prescribed uniform of a Sikh. How did he answer questions on the way of life of a Sikh. Was he going to remain silent on the question of the prescribed outward appearance of a Sikh or try to explain that even though he professed to be a Sikh, he did not believe in the outward uniform, if and when questioned?

Tari's last email to me from Trinidad was that he would transform into a keshadhari Sikh and in a short time, take Amrit... He WAS a 'Gur-dha-sewak Sikh'.

On 30 April I received news that my good friend Tari passed away after a heart-attack in Trinidad two days earlier. He would have been 50 years old this year.

Cheerio! More next month...


Dya Singh CD’s available for sale now at www.ethnicisland.com