Karah Prashad - Sacred Pudding !

Karah Prashad is a sacred pudding made from equal parts of butter, sugar and flour which is prepared in the langar facility, and served during Gurdwara programs. A person preparing prashad is obligated to continually recite Sikh scripture such as: Gurmanter - Waheguru, the Sikh name for God. Mool manter - the opening verse of Guru Granth Sahib. Japji Sahib - the morning prayer of the Sikh. Two freshly washed steel, or iron, cooking pots and a stirring spoon are needed for the preparation of prashad. Set aside a steel or iron bowl (batta) to receive cooked prashad. Makes about 16 servings. View illustrated recipe. Cook Time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup ghee or 1/2 lb unsalted butter (2 cubes) 1 cup whole grain flour (atta) 1 cup sugar 3 cups water Continual recitation of Japji Sahib, Moolmanter or Gurmanter Preparation: Measure all ingredients. Waheguru. Add sugar to water and set in pot to boil. Ik Onkar. Melt ghee or unsalted butter in a pan. To clarify unsalted butter heat and skim off foamy curds and spoon out solids from bottom of pan. Sat Naam. Add whole grain flour (atta) to melted butter. Karta Purkh. Stir mixture continuously to lightly toast flour. Nirbhao. Continue stirring flour and butter mixture while sugar boils to make light syrup. Butter separates from toasted flour turning a deep golden color with a nutty aroma. Nirvair. Pour boiling sugar syrup into toasted flour and butter mixture. Mixture will sputter. Take care not to be scalded. Stir rapidly until all water is absorbed. Akal Moorit. Keep stirring prashad as it thickens into a firm pudding. Ajoonee. Completely cooked prashad slides easily from pan into a steel bowl or iron batta. Saibhang. Bless the prashad with ardaas.Touch cooled prashad with kirpan at the appropriate time during ardaasRemove five portions to commemorate five beloved panj payara and serve to five Sikhs. Distribute remaining prashad to sangat, members of the congregation. Gur Prashad.

//http://sikhism.about.com

Chakk De Phatte !

Chak De Phatte -though loosely translated as pick up the floorboards

is more of a war cry than a housekeeping call. The origins of the

phrase lie in the times when the Khalsa i.e. the original warrior

Sikhs were formed, they would cross canals and attack Mughal camps in

a blitzkrieg attack and then just as they came would retreat leaving

the enemy helpless. The sport of tent pegging also evolved from this

camp raiding where the riders would remove the pegs of the tents

trapping the occupants under, what then used to b a very heavy fabric.

While escaping back to their base the Khalsa warriors would dismantle

any temporary bridges constructed by them (made out of "Phatte") to

prevent the Mughals from chasing them and sometimes to prevent the

enemy from escaping, hence the cry "Chak De Phatte". The phrase then

acquired the meaning: to complete the route. And is now used as in the

figure of "Bring the house down!".

P.S : The information above is not verified but is the best explanation ever encountered

My Father {Happy Father's Day :)}

Dad, you're like the sun to me, a sure thing, always there, beaming light and warmth on my life. Whatever is good in me today, I owe to your wisdom, your patience, your strength, your love. How can I forget those miraculous and caring eyes, Always looking at me with that everlasting affection Your untiring trust on me led me to do wonderful things in life You always there for me even when you were in deep grief You never left any stone unturned to give us the support I needed at any step Your silent courage and dedication towards us is and will be kept in my heart…….. You taught me by example, as a role model, how to be my own person, how to believe in myself, instructing me without controlling me. Even when we disagreed, you held us together, so our bond was never broken. I understand what you did for the family, and I am so fortunate that I have you as my solid foundation, my rock. My childhood has been showered with your everlasting love It's illogical to live without those golden memories of you I always found comfort and peace within your embrace You always there, to show me the path beyond each agony and grief. I am just fortunate enough to be born as your part in this materialistic world….. I respect you, I admire you, I love you, my guiding light, my father………..

My Guide !

I still remember the days when I started Following you

Amused Bewildered and Excited,

I Fell for evrything that related you !

Some Closeone's were Surprised and some impressed,

The Interest In you never got less

I had heard a lot about the relation with you,

Beautiful was evry Moment which I cherished with you

Never Did I Imagine it could be so blessed,

I got better in each and evry respect

The more I learnt about you the Better I got

It was the best experience I could have ever got

Slowly and Steadily Life progressed,

The Belief in you never got less

There were time when I used to Shake

your presence use to make me start again

I walked the path that you layed for me

Never in my thought I could resist it.

The Light which you enlightened in past

Is still making my Present Bright,

I can't Imagine My Future without this Light !

O Lord,Whatever I learnt from you was Is and Allways remain the Truth !

Aad Sach Jugaad Sach Hai Bhi Sach, nanak Hosi bhi Such !

OutSourcing Akhand Path !

Many years ago, I happened to be in Nanded (Maharashtra) and went to Hazur Sahib gurdwara to pay homage to the Tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, who was assassinated there in 1708.

It is one of the most sacred of gurdwaras.

I came across something which baffled me.

There was a row of cabins separated by thin walls of plywood in which a dozen akhand paths (non-stop reading of the Guru Granth by a relay of paathees - readers) were being performed with no one listening to them.

I sought explanation from the head granthi (caretaker). He told me people from India and abroad sent money for akhand paths to be followed by Guru-ka-langar as thanksgiving or for wish fulfilment.

I could not comprehend how prayers recited by someone else could benefit a devotee who paid for them.

However, I found such practices more prevalent in other communities as well.

Hindus have havans (fire ceremonies) performed at distant places.

Muslims pay expenses to people going for Haj, hoping that benefits will accrue to them.

Even Mirza Ghalib pleaded with Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to take him along on Haj and he would give his tswaab(benefit) to his majesty. However, the British did not allow the Mughal king to leave Delhi.

What came as a big surprise to me was to find that Europeans, Canadians and Indian Christians are also into outsourcing prayers. Well-to-do English, Canadians and Americans, who can't be bothered to go to church, paid for holy masses in euros or dollars, outsourcing religious rituals to Kerala Christian priests.

I read about it in the latest Private Eye of May 15. To wit: "The outsourcing of American and European jobs to low-wage countries like India has been happening for years", Archbishop Jacob Thoomkuzhy told reporters in Kerala, "and religious outsourcing is no different. Because of shortage of priests in the industrialised world, prayers for the dead and holy masses are being paid for by the westerners, then offshored to India".

"It is a lucrative business for churches in Kerala. Mass intentions that are paid for in dollars or euros are carried out here by local priests. The prayers are recited, and the fees paid by westerners help cash-starved parishes here. So what's the problem? " asked the Archbishop.

For example, when British newspapers whipped up a storm about David Beckham's affairs, a Beckham fan from London paid `A350 for a mass to save the soul of his hero.

The holy mass, however, was not held in a London parish.

It was outsourced by the church authorities to a Bishop in India, who passed it to a remote church at Anthikad in Thrissur diocese, where the mass took place.

"We do not want to look at this commercially, but it is a huge boost to the local religious economy here,'' said the Archbishop.

http://sikhchic.com

Sikhni !!

There are Sikhni's from Bhatinda which are Portrayed by Bollywood and played by Karishma Kapoor's which are totally Fake. On the other side there are real Kaur's like Rashpal Kaur which our bollywood fails to recognise :(

Salutes to her !

Sikhs in Global Fashion !