A great pleasure in life is doing

  what people say you cannot do.

                       byWalter Bagehot

MY FATHER

The day when I took birth,
The reason for my existence on this earth.
It wasn't to break all past records,
It even wasn't to break to win awards.
It wast to be the best daughter,
That's what to me god must have ordered.
But before I could prove myself the best,
In my childhood, my arms and legs were at rest.
My father's fingers I held,
That feeling was like of pure Gold.
I didn't know how to talk,
I even didn't know how to walk.
My father was the one who said ''come along''.
I committed mistakes, but he never rebuked them as wrong.
He is my father, He is my friend;
He is the one I won't forget
He is the best person, I've ever met.

Some famous Gurudwaras in Delhi

Gurudwara, the Sikh place of worship, literally means the doorway of the guru. Delhi is home to hundreds of gurudwaras ,but only a few are considered historical – they are linked to some of the ten Sikh gurus, the holy men who pioneered the religion in its early days.

GURUDWARA SHRI BALA SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI DAMDAMA SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI SHAHIDI ASTHAAN BABA BANDA 
SINGH JI BAHADUR SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI BANGLA SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI MATA SUNDRI JI, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI NANAK PIAO SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI MOTI BAGH SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI RAKAB GANJ SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI SISGANJ SAHIB, DELHI

GURUDWARA SHRI MAJNU KA TILLA SAHIB, DELHI

Gurudwara and its History

A gurdwara (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, gurduārā or , gurdwārā), meaning the gateway to the guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs however, people of all faiths are welcomed in the Sikh Gurdwara. The gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is seen and a Langar where people can eat free food served by the Sikh community. A gurdwara may also have a library, nursery, and classroom. A gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag.

The first gurdwara was built in Kartarpur, on the banks of Ravi River in the Punjab region by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the year 1521. It now lies in the Narowal District of west Punjab (Pakistan). The worship centres were built as a place where Sikhs could gather to hear the guru give spiritual discourse and sing religious hymns in the praise of Waheguru. As the Sikh population continued to grow, Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, introduced the word 'gurdwara'.

The etymology of the term 'Gurdwara' is from the words 'gur (ਗੁਰ)' (a reference to theSikh Gurus) and 'dwara (ਦੁਆਰਾ)' (gateway in Gurmukhi), together meaning 'the gateway through which the guru could be reached'. Thereafter, all Sikh places of worship came to be known as gurdwaras.

Some of the prominent Sikh shrines established by the Sikh Gurus are:

• Nankana Sahib, established in 1490s by first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji, Punjab, Pakistan.
• Sultanpur Lodhi, established in 1499 became the Sikh centre during Guru Nanak Devji time Kapurthala District, Punjab (India).
• Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1521 by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji, near River Ravi, Narowal, Punjab, Pakistan.
• Khadur Sahib, established in 1539 by the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev ji, near River Beas, Amritsar District, Punjab, India.
• Goindwal Sahib, established in 1552 by the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Dasji, near River Beas, Amritsar District Punjab, India.
• Sri Amritsar, established in 1577 By the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das ji, District Amritsar, Punjab (India).
• Tarn Taran Sahib, established in 1590 by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev ji, District Tarn Taran Sahib, Punjab (India).
• Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1594 by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Devji, near river Beas, Jalandhar District, Punjab (India).
• Sri Hargobindpur, established by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, near river Beas, Gurdaspur District, Punjab (India).
• Kiratpur Sahib, established in 1627 by the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobindji, near river Sutlej, Ropar District, Punjab, India.
• Anandpur Sahib, established in 1665 by the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, near river Sutlej, Punjab, India.
• Paonta Sahib, established in 1685 by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, near river Yamuna, Himachal Pradesh India.

By the early 20th century, a number of Sikh gurdwaras in British India were under the control of the Udasi mahants (clergymen).The Gurdwara Reform Movement of the 1920s resulted in Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee taking control of these gurdwaras.

The Spirit of Sikhism

Every human being is the Light of the Divine contained in a human form. The human body was given to us so we can have a chance to experience that Divine Light in ourselves and in everything around us. Experiencing the Divine while in our human body generates bliss, fearlessness, and love, and a way to honestly face life with courage and grace. A society of people who are conscious of the Divine within themselves and in all around them is the foundation of a world filled with peace, prosperity, and integrity. This is the vision and promise of the Sikh way of life. Not beholden to rituals and to the past, but simply meditating and serving as a way to be awake to the Divine Reality, to the Deathless Spirit of Love that is already here, inside of us, right now.

Sikh simply means "seeker of truth." Sikh Dharma is a spiritual path for those who are looking to answer the eternal question: "Who am I, and what am I here for?" Like all spiritual traditions, Sikhs have a lineage and legacy, guidelines and philosophies, masters, saints and its history. But primarily, the Sikh way of life offers a down-to-earth spiritual path for every-day people. It doesn't matter what your spiritual orientation is. Or what culture or background you belong to. Any person can use this technology to experience his or her own Divinity and Infinity.

By name, the Sikh path is only a little over five hundred years old. Its founder, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469.GURU NANAK spread a simple message of "Ek ONKAR" :We are all one with the One Creator of all Creation. This was at a time when India was being torn apart by castes, sectarianism, religious factions, and fanaticism. He aligned with no religion, and respected all religions. He expressed the reality that there is one God and many paths, and that our true identity is infinite: "Sat Nam".

Guru Nanak's students were called Sikhs (students of truth.) He taught them to bow only before God, never to any man or woman, and to link themselves to the Shabd Guru, the Light of Truth, which is embodied in the "Siri Guru Granth Sahib."

The Shabd Guru is not just a collection of uplifting, inspiring words written by enlightened saints, but a vessel of the sound current - the living wisdom within all of us. By listening and experiencing this sound current we understand that those who wrote these words transcended individual identity and ego. Their words came from their unlimited exalted state of consciousness. Whenever we read, sing, chant, or listen to these songs, we connect with our own excellence and our own infinity. There is no need to deal with any external human personality in this process. It enables us to live in direct consciousness of oneness with God, experiencing no separation. Guru Nanak was a humble bearer of this Light of Truth. He opposed superstition, injustice, and hypocrisy and inspired seekers by singing divine songs which touched the hearts of the most callous listeners.

 

The Aims of a Sikh are:

• To train the mind and all the senses to recognize the Divine Light within oneself and within all of creation.
• To be of service to others.

The lifestyle of a Sikh includes:

• Rising before the sun each morning in what is called the Amrit Vela or Ambrosial Hours. In the two and half hours before the sun rises, the mind has the best chance to quietly surrender and hear the voice of the Spirit.
• Taking a cold shower, balancing the body, mind and breath and then meditating on the One within everyone.
• Meditating on and chanting the Shabad Guru, the Sacred Sound Current as Divine Teacher which brings us to the experience of our own Divinity.
• Meditating and chanting at sunset and before going to sleep.

During the day, a Sikh lives a normal life. Single or married; with children or without. In work life and in social life, Sikhs strive to:

• Be aware of the Divine in our hearts and the whole creation with every breath we take.
• Earn our living honestly and share whatever we have with others.

• Be constantly awake for opportunities to serve and elevate others.