Friday, April 28, 2006

an answer

Ram Tzu knows this...
Every time
You find an answer
The question
No longer seems important

Monday, April 24, 2006

dilemma

Some major towns (cities) in Flandres have their own homepoet. This poet has to write several poems on this town during his temporary appointment. Now what seems to be the problem?
Until now all this poets were male! While there are some fine ladiepoets! But they seem to be ignored. The " Vrouwen Overleg Komitee" ( Women Consultation Committee) is convinced of all this female talent and want to appoint a female poet on 11 November ( Women's day).
So there is a competion, one has to be female (which i am) and write 3 poems on the multicultural society and women (my theme).

So first i was tempted to enter. But one way or another it does not feel right. As a woman i do not belong to a minority (half of the world is not a minority!). And it feels like degrading one way or another. And this is not only the matter for women, but as well for migrants, or handicapped people, or people from other religions etc....
People are people and choosing someone to represent should be on honest matter and not a matter of gender, race, religion...

But still i am a little bit tempted, because a lot of my friends keep encouraging me to take this chance. And actually i do not like competions, it means one has to be better than the other... and that is not my standard.

It feels a lot safer writing on this blog (which has absolutely no literary ambition) and of course poluting dear solarider's blog. When he challenges to spin a story, it is just fun and it does not feel as a competion at all.

What a dilemma on a Monday morning!
Waheguru!

dilemma

Some major towns (cities) in Flandres have their own homepoet. This poet has to write several poems on this town during his temporary appointment. Now what seems to be the problem?
Until now all this poets were male! While there are some fine ladiepoets! But they seem to be ignored. The " Vrouwen Overleg Komitee" ( Women Consultation Committee) is convinced of all this female talent and want to appoint a female poet on 11 November ( Women's day).
So there is a competion, one has to be female (which i am) and write 3 poems on the multicultural society and women (my theme).

So first i was tempted to enter. But one way or another it does not feel right. As a woman i do not belong to a minority (half of the world is not a minority!). And it feels like degrading one way or another. And this is not only the matter for women, but as well for migrants, or handicapped people, or people from other religions etc....
People are people and choosing someone to represent should be on honest matter and not a matter of gender, race, religion...

But still i am a little bit tempted, because a lot of my friends keep encouraging me to take this chance. And actually i do not like competions, it means one has to be better than the other... and that is not my standard.

It feels a lot safer writing on this blog (which has absolutely no literary ambition) and of course poluting dear solarider's blog. When he challenges to spin a story, it is just fun and it does not feel as a competion at all.

What a dilemma on a Monday morning!
Waheguru!

Sunday, April 23, 2006

right to worship

I posted before on this blog that my sangat split up. It saddened me very much, but i accepted it. It was better then a fight or all this tension. After all we come to pray in gurdwara, to be close to our Guru.
So there was one group of sikhs "wandering" in the area, trying to find a place where they could start their new gurdwara. They seemed to have found this place lately and a new sangat started blooming there.
But today, on this beautiful spring Sunday, the police found nothing else to do then check up the full gurdwara and every single person inside. Several people (illegal people) were taken in custody. There were about 50 policemen (so i was told) blocking all entries of gurdwara and every person had to come out to be checked. After a while many sikhs were outside, calling familymembers in other places. Soon about 300 sikhs were protesting against the police. After the inspection the police withdrew, but told that the gurdwara might be closed.

EVERYBODY HAS A RIGHT TO WORSHIP!!! People have a right to pray together without being disturbed by the police or anybody else.

I was wondering who ordered this? I will find out, but i fear it is a reaction on our protest on Friday. Then illegals and their representatives demonstrated in our capital, Brussels, to make politicians aware of the situation of illegal people. It was an important day to make this protest, as on Friday the new law for asylum and regularisation was voted.
(Yes, they did vote meanwhile and the law will be more strick as we feared!)

Or is the police looking for the killer of J.S.? Or maybe both reasons, one covering the other?
People have a right to worship!
There must be other ways....

Of course it was on TVnews , making big sensation of it again. Like usual.
This year is election year (city council) and i am quite sure some secret agenda's are working already!

Thursday, April 20, 2006

garden

Today i had a day off, so i worked in the garden. Spring is so overpowering.
And i remembered a poem of one of my
favorite poets of all times: Rabindarnath Tagore (1861-1941). He is a beautiful link between east and west. I want to share this with you, please remind that garden is a metaphor for spiritual awareness.

On many an idle day have i grieved over lost time
from "Gitanjili"
On many an idle day have i grieved over lost time.
But it is never lost, my Lord.
Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts,
buds into blossoms and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined all work had
ceased. In the morning i woke up and found my garden full
with wonders of flowers.
Waheguru, hidden in the heart of things...

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

why, WHY????????

Last night a man was shot in my hometown. This is a small rural town, killing happens very rare.
I knew the victim, i saw him last sunday in gurdwara with his wife and young children.
He ran a nightshop and he was murdered there at 10pm.
There are no clues who the killler can be.
I do not understand... why? WHY?????
May he be united with his Creator.
Let's pray for his young family for strength and support from the community.

I do not understand.....feel so sad.....

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Anandpur Sahib

While i was waiting for the trafficlight to change to green, all traffic stood still for one brief moment. It was so silent, only the birds were singing. The sun started to shine, but it was still rather chilly. And then next to me 3 Punjabi guys on their bikes were talking loud ( stupid one, i understand these sexist remarks, even i pretented to be deaf!), they were on their way to the orchards and fields.
And for one brief moment i was back in Anandpur Sahib. Full day i felt homesick...
I long for this thin, healthy air, the beautiful scenery, the prayers from the gurdwara's.
Last year i said (for many reasons) that i would be probably my last trip to Punjab, but now i am dreaming of going again...
Anandpur Sahib....
And after my early morning visit to gurdwara i made a little walk. By the time i came "home" Bebe made some delicious parantha's. Oh, sweet sister... when will i see you again?

Anandpur Sahib

While i was waiting for the trafficlight to change to green, all traffic stood still for one brief moment. It was so silent, only the birds were singing. The sun started to shine, but it was still rather chilly. And then next to me 3 Punjabi guys on their bikes were talking loud ( stupid one, i understand these sexist remarks, even i pretented to be deaf!), they were on their way to the orchards and fields.
And for one brief moment i was back in Anandpur Sahib. Full day i felt homesick...
I long for this thin, healthy air, the beautiful scenery, the prayers from the gurdwara's.
Last year i said (for many reasons) that i would be probably my last trip to Punjab, but now i am dreaming of going again...
Anandpur Sahib....
And after my early morning visit to gurdwara i made a little walk. By the time i came "home" Bebe made some delicious parantha's. Oh, sweet sister... when will i see you again?

Anandpur Sahib

While i was waiting for the trafficlight to change to green, all traffic stood still for one brief moment. It was so silent, only the birds were singing. The sun started to shine, but it was still rather chilly. And then next to me 3 Punjabi guys on their bikes were talking loud ( stupid one, i understand these sexist remarks, even i pretented to be deaf!), they were on their way to the orchards and fields.
And for one brief moment i was back in Anandpur Sahib. Full day i felt homesick...
I long for this thin, healthy air, the beautiful scenery, the prayers from the gurdwara's.
Last year i said (for many reasons) that i would be probably my last trip to Punjab, but now i am dreaming of going again...
Anandpur Sahib....
And after my early morning visit to gurdwara i made a little walk. By the time i came "home" Bebe made some delicious parantha's. Oh, sweet sister... when will i see you again?

Thursday, April 13, 2006

companion

Every day i get a sacred poem from Poetry Chaikana ( wonderful mr. Ivan Granger).
Today's poem fits so well in my life, so i will "borrow" it.
The writer of this mystic poem is a Jewish (or Christian) sufi saint in India. He lived in an Armenian community in Iran, but he was put to death in India (by the Moghul emperor).
Now this crossover of religions and places makes him very interesting to me. But when you read his poetry, you hear a universal message which does not sound unfamiliar at all to sikhs.



Companion
by SARMAD (?- 1659)
english version by Azarm Ghareman
Along the road, you were my companion
seeking the path, you were my guide
No matter to whom I spoke, it was you who answered
when sun called moon to sky, it was you who shined
In the night of aloneness, you
were my comforter
When i laughed, you were the smile on my lips
when i cried, you were the tears on my face
When i wrote, you were the verse
when i sang, you were the song
Rarely did my heart desire another lover
then when it did, you came to me in the other.


Beautiful, isn't it? Wonder if he had heard about Guru Nanak?

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

love

From sonnets from the Portugese (1850) by Elisabeth Barrett Browning



If thou must love me
If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only. Do not say
"I love her for her smile... her look... her way
of speaking gently.... for a trick of thought
that falls in well with mine, and certes brought
a sense of pleasant ease on such a day"
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
be changed, or change for thee,- and love, so wrought,
may be unwrought so. Neither love me for
thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry,
a creature might forget to weep, who bore
thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.

Monday, April 10, 2006

who and where?

Landed in a dip!
Lately several of my friends ended up in a crisises, i supported them to the best of my abilities.
People seem to think i am a rock, but sometimes i am a very soft rock, not really knowing who i am. Not really knowing where i belong.
I know only Waheguru can give me stability, but one way of another people want to identify.
For the people i live with my full life, i am a kind of traitor leaving my original religion. For the sikhs i am a rarity, a newcomer that is playing being a sikh.
There is no one i can share with, really share.
Waheguru please give me strength in this lonely hour!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

name

There is this very beautiful Dutch poem by Neeltje Maria Min:" Voor wie ik liefheb, wil ik heten" (By whom i am loved, i want to be named") People have got so many names. in this bloggingworld almost everybody operates under a "nom de plume".
Most of the time i am adressed to by my Christian name or at least a nickname based on my Christian name. That is fine, it is the name given by my loving parents and grandmother.
Very rare people call me by my sikh name, some do, people close to me, who know how important sikhism is for me.
And then of course you are addressed mother, sister, friend...and sweet private names.
But today in the library i was titled with some new names. And very extra ordinary!
It is holidays and a lot of youngsters are spending their time there.
Today one Nepalese or Bhutanese kid came up to me and said: "Miss sikhtemple?" He was so happy he recognised someone in his new strange world and he made me laugh with the new title he gave to me.
When i went to the other desk there were some African boys hanging around; suddenly one of them said: "Hey, madame sikh!" It was hilarious!
So i am a woman with many names and every name is an aspect of my life.
But all these names are overpowered by Manpreet, cause that is who i am.
Love from the bottom of my heart!

Monday, April 03, 2006

extension

In my youth i owned only very few books, cherished birthday presents of my beloved father. But we were eager readers so we went to the library most of the time. I took the maximum of books every week. And happily returned them on Sunday (libraries were still open on Sundays!) to take again a new load. Oh what sweet memories.
When i grew older and slowly moved to the teenage books, we were always very happy when we could trick the librarian and take a book a little "over age". By the age of 18 i read almost everything, even the "hidden, secret" adultbooks.
(Oh, and yes i kissed my first boyfriend in the library. Actually he kissed me, i was far too shy)
Once i started to earn my own money, i started to built my own collection of books. I consider my little library my extented memory. Nice to have, terrible to dust, but still growing.
So when the computer age started (yes i am that old) i hoped that this would reduce the amount of books and paper. But in vain, because now i started to print everything that catched my attention on the net.
So next to the books, the piles of paper were growing, drawers were filled to the brim, new cupboards were bought, new rooms were built etc...
I was drawing into paper!
And now i am working in the library, so maybe i will calm down a bit and stop the urge to fill my extended memory.. But...
When my boss showed me around in the library, we ended up in the cellar, where stocks are kept.
... (sharp intake of breath)
There is one cellar with the written-off books, the redundant books ( i don't know the exact word in English). One could make an offer or otherwise they were given to charity or just destroyed. I went completlu crazy!!!! All these books????
Imagine all these writers struggling to finish these books for weeks, months, years. Sending the manuscript to editors, again waiting so long. And then finally printed. In the bookshelves. In the hands of a reader... And now these books had been remaindered!
What about one more extension to the house? I want to adopt those books!
I will have to make a few strong arguments on this, because i know what the answer will be of my family! Maybe i can find a book on DIY building another extension!

Anyway on the first floor of the library is this nice glass display where some old manuscripts are shown. My boss said it is up to some change and he was hoping someone could bring an interesting subject to show in the future. So i was thinking, maybe, maybe... i can put up a little exposition with my books on sikhism?
This would mean an extension of my introductionseva. I will work this out very carefully, i don't want to stumble. It has to be an eyecatcher or nothing!
Problem is that most books are in English or Punjabi. Only a few in Dutch. OK, who is going to translate this. Don't look at me, i barely keep my blog in proper English.

On Saturday i worked already on the new media departement. At some moments the users of the computers were all non Belgians. All refugees and migrants. So i did not leave my path dedicated to refugees at all! And there were quite some sikh youngsters. Which made me realise that the library is certainly a big competion for the indian teleshops.
"Sat shri akla, did i see you in the gurdwara?"
Yes you did.
"Did i see you in the library?"
So this is an extension to meeting my sangat.
Everything is just going to be fine. Waheguru!

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Va, vis et deviens

Live& become (English title)

Is a beautiful film of Radu Mihaileanu (2005).

Theme is a theme of all ages: refugees.
In one Sudanese camp a Jewish black mother ( a fallasha) buries her 9 year old son, after she lost her husband and other children.
Together with USA Israel organised an airlift with codename "Operation Moses" to get the black Jews to the Promised Land. The mother will be rescued this way too.
A Christian mother, who lost her full family except her young son, urges her son to go with the Jewish mother and pretend to be her son.
" Go, live and become" she says.
The boy leaves his mother, heartbroken and start his journey. Living in a life, based on a lie. He survives but never forget his mother in the camp.
So he discovers love, western culture, Judaism, but also rascism, war.
And he lives and becomes...

I will not tell the full story, please try to see this film.
The film seems to have a happy ending, but is actually the start of a new cluster of problems.
This movie got the public award of the filmfestival in Berlin.

Really beautiful!
Good story, perfect music, well filmed and darn good actors!!!

But it does not leave you untouched... it cuts right through your heart.