by SS Guru Simran Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, New Mexico 2024 (Second Quarter) New Mexico is #2 in child hunger in the nation. Food4KidsNM began as a volunteer program to serve the elementary school children of Northern New Mexico who do not get enough (or any) food to eat at home on the weekends. In 2009 it became a part of our Children’s program here at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das in Espanola. The Guru is definitely running the show, so to speak. During COVID many changes happened with our program. People from the various offices used to gather once a
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Archives for Seva
Food 4 Kids NM: The Guru’s Way
Good Friday Pilgrims Walk
by SS Jivan Joti Kaur Khalsa, PhD, Santa Cruz, New Mexico 2024 (Second Quarter) Sikhs have a long tradition of serving food. One of the earliest accounts of this practice dates from 1481, when the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, was 12 years old. He took money that his father gave him to invest in business and instead bought food to serve the saints and the poor. Ever since, Sikhs have been serving food in countless situations and to any population that is in need. Whether there is a natural disaster, refugees displaced from war, or food shortages from a
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SANGAT and PANGAT. . . Simple Joys
by SS Siri Chand Singh Khalsa, Santa Cruz, New Mexico 2024 (Second Quarter) When I was asked to share my experiences with the evening chanting and langar program that we hold at the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das ashram in Espanola, it got me thinking about what I could include that isn’t already obvious. As ministers, we all know how deep an impact meditating together and gathering as a sangat can have on us, on our community, and—as studies suggest—even on the world. In addition, we have all experienced the benefits of seva, or the benefits a seva program can
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Nurturing the Radiant Spirit: A Reflection on the Young Saints at MPA
by SS Sukhdev Kaur Khalsa, Raasiku, Estonia 2024 (First Quarter) I’m sitting by the window at our MPA campus. The winter fog has draped the whole of Punjab, bringing a deep calm into the surroundings. Nevertheless, as we celebrate Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday, the air is charged with the vibrant energy of students doing Pantra—the rhythmic recitation of Jaap Sahib—and the captivating tales of the Guru’s extraordinary life. It’s a testament to the enduring spirit of Miri Piri that, despite only a few months since the school’s reopening, the flame of enthusiasm burns brighter than ever. In this moment of
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Ministering in Chile in This Time and Space
by SS Sat Sansar Singh Khalsa, Santiago, Chile 2024 (First Quarter) What does the word ‘Minister’ mean to you? Being a Minister is for me an identity that is shared with a lineage of women and men who through the ages have been an inspiration, through the testimony of their lives. To live the life of a Sikh includes actively supporting one’s community in this way of life. That identity manifests in many ways for me—in deep internal aspects and in actions in the sphere in which I participate. Externally it means for me to stand as a lighthouse, ever
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Minister in the Spotlight: SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa
by SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, New Mexico 2024 (First Quarter) Where There is Courage, There is Happiness Soon after I became a Kundalini Yoga teacher in December 1971, I had the sensation that there was an unseen sangat—a not yet identified community—that I am to serve. When I became a Sikh Dharma Minister a year and a half later, the same sensation filled me. I called upon the Guru to bring me to this unseen sangat, so that we would be known to each another. Over the decades, the Guru has brought me into several communities: in
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Overcoming Isolation through Seva and Sangat Engagement During COVID
by SS Guru Darshan Kaur Khalsa, Puebla, Mexico 2022 (Third Quarter) Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! Sat Nam Dear Sangat, I’m happy to share with you my inspiration and love of the Guru and the teachings that have given me strength in these changing and challenging times. I enjoy sharing with you a little bit of my earthly human life. My motto is: Those who learn and work as a team multiply the benefits of what they teach individually and more easily fulfill their mission, understanding the power that we are ONE. How have I,
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Drawing Inspiration from Bhai Khanayia Ji
by SS Harsimrren Kaur Khalsa, Birmingham, United Kingdom 2022 (Second Quarter) Bhai Khanayia Ji was one of those gentle souls who exist ‘behind the scenes’; but his actions would cause tidal waves in our collective psyche for generations to come. He was part of the sangat during Guru Tegh Bahadur’s time through Guru Gobind Singh’s time on earth. Bhai Khanayia Ji had something profound to share with us. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was fighting to protect Anandpur Sahib. The supply chain into Punjab had been disrupted by the Moghuls in order to try and stifle the Sikhs. Food and water
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Simran and Seva for Unity
by SS Dharma Kaur Khalsa, Millis MA 2022 (First Quarter) With the inspiration of the Sikh Gurus and my own family heritage, I am moved to serve the sangat in many ways—as a wife and mother, and in particular with the service of healthy food for the community near and far. In the summer of 2020, we started a food relief program called Guru Nanak’s Community Kitchen here in Millis, Massachusetts. Our core values of sharing and giving with love and kindness to all mean a great deal to me and to all those who have supported our food program.
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Understanding Through Compassion
by SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2020 Sometime in the mid-1970s, the Siri Singh Sahib defined “understanding” as “standing under.” Now, perhaps more than ever, we are called to go within, to become still, to resonate and to calibrate with what this means. How does “standing under those we serve” affect our words, actions, and relationships in daily life? Like many of you, since the beginning of 2020 I have been hearing from individuals looking for an assurance that I think as they do. It can be about whether to wear a mask or not, or
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