HAPPY NEW YEAR - WAHEGURU JI's BLESSINGS, CHERDHI KALA.
MAY WAHEGURU JI GRANT HAPPINESS, FULFILLMENT AND HEALTH TO ALL READERS.

My brother-in-law Inderjit Singh held a Sukhmani Sahib 'path and kirtan' at his house in Shah Alam, Malaysia, giving me a chance to do kirtan on the FIRST DAY OF THE YEAR 2004. The whole family was there. My daughters and grandchildren proudly set with Grandpa during the kirtan!

My daughters Jamel (granddaughter Saahiel (3 to be) and grandson Saffal(1&1/2)) and Parvyn left for Australia on 2nd.

There was a flurry of activity from 2nd to 7th, as we tried to ensure that our new Nitnam kit would be ready for me to take at least 500 copies back with me to Australia for the Australia Youth Camp at Sydney (18th to 23rd Jan), and also to put in the final touches for our concert on 28th Jan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on our way to UK. I met two of the leading young professionals to put that into place - Malkeet Singh who runs a leading advertising company in Malaysia and Ranjit, a young upcoming accountant with international accountancy firm KPMG, also president of PPSM - the Sikh Professionals Association of Malaysia. Both great fans of our gursangeet.

The rest of the family left for Melbourne on 7th. After spending a restful day and night with my daughter Jamel and family in Melbourne we set out by road to Adelaide on 9th.

I am still not well - so spent four days in bed as soon as I reached home base. I went for a heart medical exam which had been arranged since November last year - it will appear that the 'ticker' and arteries are clear - though of course the medical profession only places a 23% reliability factor on these exams!

Flurry of repacking on Thursday ready for our next 'Yatra'. On Friday we set off by road for Sydney for the Sydney Youth Camp which starts on Sunday18th. till Friday 23rd.

SYCA - Annual Sikh Youth Camp, Australia held just north of Sydney at Lake Macquarie.

Five idylic days with 100 youngsters and about thirty parents, other sewadhars and the management team. This year the management had also invited Giani Sukhdaiv Singh from 'Gurpuri' in Malaysia and his associate, S. Jasbir Singh. Giani Sukhdaiv Singh was nominated 'Babay-dha-Vizir'. S. Ajmer Singh of the Waheguru Simran Society was Camp Commandant and I had been assigned the Head of the 'delivery team' and subject matter.

This was the most successful and rewarding camp so far. The participants were wonderful - full of enthusiasm, willing to expand their horizons on Sikhi; sewadhars were sincere and willing to work and the delivery team 'delivered' very well.

Programs start at 5am with Asa-Dhi-Var followed by Naam Simran and Nitnam (JapJi Sahib). Participants were expected to dribble in between ending of Asa-Dhi-Var and Naam Simran but by the fourth day, there were a large number which turned up before the Asa-Dhi-Var started!

Breakfast was followed by Nishan Sahib Selaami and a session on Jap Ji Sahib - correct pronunciation plus rudimentary 'understanding'. This was followed by two sessions of the topics, leading to Lunch. The afternoon was taken up with Extra-Curriculur activities like kayaking, raft-making, ropes assault course, archery and swimming with trained instructors. I think the participants and sewadhars enjoyed this very much.

There was a 'heart-to-heart' session from 4.30 to 5.30pm, where participants wound down from their rigorous physical activities discussing any matters of interest with their facilitators. This was followed by a bath and a 6pm dinner.

Rehraas started at 7pm leading into a two hour diwan in which every jatha presented one shabad for competition followed by an Inspirational Session by either Giani Sukhdaiv Singh or me. Semapti by 9pm led to another explosion of activities in the indoor hall with basketball or indoor soccer.

At 10.30 lights out after such a rigorous day ensured that everyone went to sleep! Medals were given to Champion Kirtan Jatha, Champion Quiz Jatha, a challenge tropy of basketball between youth vs. adults was won by the youth. This was a great youth camp. I highly recommend it. Contact Ajmer Singh Gill on asgill@lns.com.au if interested in camp material or information about next year's camp. The theme for next year being discussed is 'My Family' based on the 300th Anniversary of the Shahidhi of the sahib-zadhays, sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. On Sunday night 25th.January we flew to Kuala Lumpur. Wednesday 28th. Jan. Spirit Concert at Main Auditorium, Securities Commission Building, Damansara. This was organised by the Sikh Professionals of Malaysia Association (PPSM). About 350 audience turned up on a very very wet evening with torrential downpours and traffic jams in the city. It turned out to be a great evening and almost all couples bought our Nitnam pack. I was expecting the usual brickbats from amongst the 'religiously intolerant' but was surprised that there was none. Maybe the PP Singhs of the world only operate elsewhere!!

On Sunday was the mandatory 'Reception' which concentrated on 'bhangra' and plenty of food and drink! Why we hold a reception is beyond me - well, except for a lot of people to get a free feed and get some well needed exercise in bhangra and some to get free booze and get drunk! A great many who attended had not even bothered to come to the 'lavan' - that is quite normal, it seems, in Surrey!

It was a great evening with shabads, bhajans, qawalis and an instrumental demonstration of tabla skills by Dheeraj. Even the elders who came were full of compliments and grateful that gurbani was being taken to a larger audience especially to Sikh youth who do not come anywhere near gurdwaras. Full marks for the Malaysian Sikh professionals led by Ranjit Singh who shouldered the responsibility of organising the concert and hosting it. Malkeet Singh of Bloomingdale Advertising Company did a great deal of the groundwork for the event and MC'd the evening.

On Thursday the group left for UK from Malaysia

First programme started at Gurdwara Sahib Southfield, London followed by a great weekend of programmes in Huddersfield and Bradford organised mainly by sewadhars Jutinder Birdhi (Huddersfield) and Paramjit Singh(Bradford) and very well attended by youth from as far afield as Leicester, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Manchester. And these are only those I know because they came forward to say hello. One young man (and family) had travelled all the way from Nottingham and requested that we sing our 'Waheguru' simran which we duly did - he deserved it!

The tour of UK has started with a bang!!!