The Sikh community worldwide recently celebrated the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji, their first Guru. Gurpurab (literally, the Day of the Guru) marks the birthday celebration for each of the Ten Sikh Gurus, with Guru Nanak’s Gurpurab being celebrated with particular fervor and special prayers. Guru Nanak is considered the Founder of …
Poppycock!
Recent news headlines have reminded me of this expression, hardly ever heard these days. It means “nonsense, rubbish, meaningless” etc., and is possibly a legacy from the days of the British army officers in India. A storm in a teacup, is how I view Mr. Cherry's recent diatribe respecting the Remembrance Day Red Poppy. A …
Pandora’s Box?
In Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) we have a word, “Walla”, which usually serves as a suffix to define a person’s ownership of something, his/her standing in society, profession or even as a label to mark their generic identity. For instance, the seller of “chai” (tea) at a stall is known as a “chai walla”; the dispenser of …
Diwali celebrations
Diwali or, more appropriately, Deepawali (from Sanskrit, literally meaning a row of lighted “diyas” – clay lamps) is also popularly referred to as the “Festival of Lights”. It is an important and popular Hindu festival and, thanks to the ever-increasing Indian diaspora, is now celebrated internationally with a lot of pomp and show (and noise, …
