My youngest daughter Parvyn and I landed in Delhi on Feb 2 after arriving from performing in a Tsunami charity concert in UK (Reading) on 30 Jan. I had promised my little girl a quick stop in India enroute to home(Australia). Our host was S. Harinder Singh and his lovely family - wife Kiren, son Manmeet (about 6) and baby daughter, Pranpat. They live in Defence Colony where their parents - both sides of grandparents, live too.They had just moved into their new premises and were happy to have a smallhousewarming kirtan program with a few close friends and relatives. So on 3rd., after we had seen a little of Delhi and 'escaped' from the shopkeepers in Janpath we did one hour of kirtan with some great musicians they hadinvited. So, Harinder is responsible for us doing our first ever kirtan in Delhi ! Hopefully, more programs to come into the future...

Harinder then organised for a driver and car to take us to Punjab - our home in Ludhiana and a quick trip to village Bassian (Raikot), SultanpurLodhi, Goindval Sahib and Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. I think Parvyn enjoyed thetrip very much plus the history lesson by her Thaya Ji - Principal GurmukhSingh who happened to be in Punjab too.

Two observations in Harinder Singh's household are mention-worthy. First, it was heartwarming to see both sets of grandparents dropping in and spending quality time with their grandchildren. The love and warmth that this home radiates is a blessing from beyond ...

Secondly - the insistance of 'all' family members to speak Panjabi amongst themselves and ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN. Too often I see Indian Sikh parents speaking perfectly good Panjabi with each other revert to Hindi when it comes to speaking with the children! WHY!!!!!!! Harinder even goes to the point of speaking Punjabi to 'EVERYONE' - he is quite a revolutionary and I wish more of us could use him as an example! Punjabi is our language and our Gurmukhi - our Guru Ji's language. We should make every effort to speak it amongst ourselves and especially amongst the younger generation. I tell myself off too as I too am guilty of speaking English with my off springs and know I should really have been speaking Panjabi with them so that they could get closer to the Guru.

A REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF ECO-SEWA AT SULTANPUR LODHI!

A group of sewadhars including a saffron-clad 'baba' are cleaning up the Bein river in which Baba Nanak disappeared and came up three days later to announce - 'Na Koyi Hindu, Na koyi Muselman'. Firstly, I must admit that in my ignorance, I always thought that that place (and with a name like Sultanpur Lodhi) existed in Pakistan.

NO! IT IS IN INDIAN PUNJAB, NEGOINDWAL AND KHADUR SAHIB!

These wonderful group of sewadhars and 'baba' have mapped and surveyed this river, with its two tributaries, the Kali Bien and the Chitti Bien to its source and have started the long and arduous process of cleaning it up with the help of the villagers along their banks to ensure it is kept clean.

I think we all know my feelings about 'babas', especially 'sangmalmal babas' and pseudo-sants, but this baba is at least different in the sense that he personally gets his hands and body dirty by wading in sometimes chest-deep smelly sludge and muck to help clean this, for us, a very sacred river.

Punjab (indeed India itself) needs such eco-conscious projects and I urge those who really like to contribute towards projects in India, help such sewadhars and their work. We were taken there by a Sardar Bahadur Singh, who is a local headmaster, and has put in a great deal of committment into this project. The project is also being recognised nationally and has sparked great interest in the national government and President.

Make sure that on your next 'yatra' to India you visit this site and see how you can contribute towards its success. You have to see this project to believe it!

So, for those who are critical of my views on Babas, see !!! - I can say nice things about 'babas' too! In fact there is one other who is growing trees and ensuring that they grow up big and strong by ensuring that they are watered regularly. He also helps build roads in and around Khadur Sahib.I still cannot agree about their allowing others to come and touch their feet - I do have an aversion to that.

So, one day, maybe, my children and their children might even be able to swim the two kilometres from the point that Baba Nanak went into the Bein to the point where he was found three days later. Maybe!

We were back in Delhi with Harinder and family by 6th. and in time to take the flight to Kuala Lumpur after some shopping. It was exhilerating - four days in Delhi and Punjab! Parvyn was five when last she saw India in 1992! We also found out that we were featured on the front cover of the largest circulation Punjabi newspaper - the Ajit - on Sunday 30 January. Perhaps our time to do our kind of programs in India has finally come!

It was most enjoyable discussing some issues of Sikhism and Sikhs with some learned Sikhs in Delhi - especially the necessary changing face of Sikhism. For example - should we treat Sikh historical shrines as objects of pilgrimage and worship or places of historical interest to remind us of our glorious past, and thereby strengthening our faith?

My point was that I know of Sikhs who have been going to Darbar Sahib year in year out to take 'ishnan','metha tek'; do a circamambulation of Darbar Sahib; pay for ready-done Akhand Paths and Sehaj Paths, celebrate 'Lodi's'and other such pious activities, yet not knowing its basic history, OR should we take our youngsters there to give them a visual history lesson of its significance to increase their faith in our faith? For example, do you know that Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur was refused entry to the Darbar Sahib by its then custodians or the fact that Guru Gobind Singh Ji NEVER visited Darbar Sahib, or that a Muslim 'pir' reputedly laid its foundation stone, or that the gold on the Darbar Sahib was not put there by Guru Arjan its constructor, but Maharajah Ranjit Singh about 150 years later ... or even the fact that the present building was reconstructed by Jassa Singh after the original had been razed to the ground by Shah Abdali etc. etc? (If any of the above facts are incorrect, please correct me!)

Ideally, you will say - we should do both. The point came up because my daughter and I had very little time to do all that at Darbar Sahib - so I sat with her on the steps leading into the Darbar Sahib precinct, and as we listened to the strains of 'Nanak tina Basant hai' in Raag Basant coming towards us over the tranquil waters of the 'serovar' and took in the breathtaking sight of the Darbar Sahib like a ship ('Waheguru Naam jahaj hai, cheday so utray paar' comes to mind!), I explained to Parvyn its historical significance. We took all that in, including the long line of pilgrims paying homage and lining up to buy degh in pipal cups and then lining up to metha tek. We savoured this sight for ten minutes and took our leave.

There were some who could not understand how I could go all the way to Darbar Sahib and not metha-tek! I find the 'ritualistic carry-ons' of the 'granthis' (pujaris?) within the sanctum-sanctorum of the 'darbar', like constant changing of rumalas; taking and dishing out of degh; giving out of seropas etc. rather off-putting. I much rather savour the beautiful sight of the 'ship' in the serovar, which no picture or photograph can really do justice to, and hopefully listen to some soulful kirtan ...and take my leave.

The second time this happened was when we went to a gurdwara in Delhi which was built next to a fortress which I believe also houses the tomb of Humayun. I believe this is the site where Guru Gobind Singh Ji met emperor Bahadur Shah. Gurdwara Tilla Sahib, I think, it is called. I was more keen to walk amidst the ruins rather than spend half an hour in the 'marble' gurdwara to metha-tek. I explained that I preferred to touch the old wall which might have had 'darshan' of my beloved Guru. The gurdwara was, of course, built way after that and if an original gurdwara was built, it would by now have been brought down to make way for this marble building.

The second issue that came up was my explanation of the shabad 'Poota, Mata ki asees'. I happened to mention that Sikhism is a faith of the female of our specie. Sikhi flourishes on the shoulders of our womenfolk - so much so, Guru Ji, asks for blessings for our children through Mata, not Pita nor Guru Ji Himself! WHY?? Well, simply put - the day a mother says it is too hard for her to do her son's 'jurdha', the 'head-knot' of uncut hair - from that day the father has lost the battle.He can do very little, and the son will have his hair cut, and Sikhi will die a little. Only motherhood can help Sikhi flourish or kill it. The sangat is also referred to as the female representation of the Father - the Akal Purakh. So power to the womenfolk, I say! So did/does the Guru. Please mummies, let us keep our sons' and daughters' hair!

By the way, at last I have found some decently made kirpans - in Delhi.There is a gentleman in Delhi who makes them and they are good. His firstproductions - which had leather casings, were criticised by some zealots and so he now produces them in non-leather gatras. I have managed to get two of his 'leather' ones. Well designed and capable of slicing tomatoes!! True kirpans, not the rust filled ones you get at the stalls. Anyone interested, I can forward you a contact email?

Back to Kuala Lumpur on 6th. for more 'teh tarik' and 'dhosas' before taking our flight home on the morning of the 9th.

I came home to the news that Parklea Gurdwara in Sydney is spending more money in putting up a few more domes on its gurdwara! Perhaps the ones that are there are not enough! Why can't the gurdwara concentrate its efforts in building a Resource Centre for its youth with computers, internet etc? Why can't the committee build a child creche with full time attendants so that mothers can leave their babies behind to go to work and their babies are being taught some elements of Sikhi? Why can't the committee set up a Medical Centre ? etc. etc. NO, they see it fit to add a few more domes to the gurdwara building!

BRIDE & PREJUDICE

My daughters dragged me off to see Gurinder Chaddha's latest movie - Bride & Prejudice. She has done more to promote Darbar Sahib then the whole Panth put together, in one movie. I was curious to know why she had chosen a Gujerati (I think) family in Amritsar !!! Rumour has it that she faced some strong criticism from certain quarters in UK for putting Sikhi in bad light in her first hit 'Bend it like Beckham' and decided at the last minute to 'switch' to a Gujerati family. Sikhs might have been up in arms about mixed marriages in a Sikh family - IT DOES NOT HAPPEN IN SIKH FAMILIES!!! But due credit to her, she still did a great justice towards showing some great shots of Darbar Sahib. Well done Ms. Chadha. Yes, I enjoyed the movie especially the send-up of Bollywood movies of everyone around breaking into song at the drop of a hat. Two life guards running down a ramp going 'OOOOOOOOOOO', and a African American gospel choir on the beach, were hilarious! Mr. Kohli was actor of the movie for me.

I hear that a full fledged Sikh youngster is appearing in a Hollywood movie called Aquatic Life. I look forward to it.

Friday 18th. Sad News - passing away of Sikh luminary 'Panth Rattan' Giani Sant Singh Meskeen. Giani Ji made a tremendous impact on me personally pre-1984 when his (and Prof. Darshan Singh Ji's) speeches about the dastardly deeds of the government - mainly the attack on the Darbar Sahib precinct, inspired me to do something worthwhile with my life than just merely 'existing'. I decided to pursue my music to inspire others towards the gift of Sikhi bestowed upon us. I would have been driving from Adelaide to Melbourne on Friday for our weekend programs in Melbourne, when Giani Ji passed away.

Saturday 19th - Museum, Melbourne. Sunday 20th. - Torquay

Two great concerts over the weekend very well received by non-Sikh audiences in Melbourne and the small picturesque coastal town of Torquay, Victoria, 100 kms. westwards of Melbourne. The theme was the Tsunami and the fragility of this life gifted to us by Waheguru. Again, with the grace of Waheguru, we had good sales of our gurbani cd's amongst non-Sikhs.

HE DOES KIRTAN IN DISCOS!! HIS GROUP MEMBERS SMOKE!! EVEN HE MIGHT SMOKE!!

For a while there I thought controversy was deserting me. Received news that committee members of San Jose Gurdwara in California are 'not quite sure' whether they want us to do kirtan in their new gurdwara there as I have been either (they are not sure) reported doing kirtan in a disco or have produced a disco-kirtan album. I assured them that that has not happened 'YET' but it is a good suggestion (!!) because it is in discos and karaoke lounges and drug dens that gurbani, the word of God is MOST NEEDED'!!

LA region has a 'rumour' that after we performed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington in July last year, cigarette butts were found near the podium we sang on. The assumption, of course, that our group members smoke and also possible the Dya Singh himself smokes! So the rumour-mongers are alive and well and doing their job!

For the record - once again, no member of my group smokes or takes drugs and no, we have not performed in discoes or produced a disco album ... YET! I think discos, drug dens and alcohol drinking places need 'gurbani' and spirituality, the most - what do you think?

Friday 25th. - Sunday 27th. : Cobargo Folk Festival

Parvyn and I drove on the coastal road, the Princes Highway from Melbourne northeastwards towards Sydney to the small town of Cobargo for their annual folk festival. Dheeraj (tabla) and Keith (bouzouki & santoor) came from Sydney. We performed three one hour concerts to very appreciative audiences while Parvyn's bhangra workshop was a resounding success followed by an impromptu performance by those who learned how to do bhangra on the final morning - Sunday.

Back in Melbourne on Monday 28th.

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