Lauding the Past, Learning from the Present, Luring the Future #AtoZChallenge

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Happy Baisakhi everyone! This Punjabi harvest festival heralds a change of season and change of mood. It is also the start of the Hindu New Year– a time to celebrate the Spring Harvest and all that is new. For us Sikhs, it has particular significance as the date when our Khalsa panth was founded in 1699.

THE ORIGINS OF THE KHALSA PANTH:

Here’s a little lesson in history, for those unaware of the origins of Sikhism. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th guru of the Sikhs, organised this hitherto peaceful religious group into a militaristic sect, to fight the gross religious atrocities and injustice meted out by the Mughal rulers. The Guru called on five men whom he christened the ‘Panj Piaras’, to act as symbols of this transition from a peaceful religious order to one that fights injustice at all cost. He also advocated the adoption of five tangible symbols that would help physically identify Sikhs, so one could turn to them for protection if needed. These symbols are known as the 5 K’s-

Kes– long hair as a marker of identity

Kanga– Comb for grooming

Kirpan– a small sword to be used as a weapon

Kaccha– a pair of shorts that would allow free movement during horse-riding

Kara– steel bangle to be worn on the right wrist, which can be used as weapon if needed

Though we have come a long way from the exigencies of those times, the Sikh religion continues to uphold its basic principles of fighting social injustice of all kind. Equality between classes, castes and genders is the bedrock of Sikhism.

JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE:

Unfortunately, this festival is marked by tragedy as well. The horrid Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 took place on this fateful day, when a large crowd of people collected to celebrate Baisakhi in a public ground, in the city of Amritsar in Punjab.

The British government ruling India at the time, feared that large congregations posed a threat to the peaceful working of their regime. Hence, they outlawed gatherings of this nature. Local people weren’t aware of these draconian laws to public freedom and met a horrific fate, when General Dyer ruthlessly gunned down hundreds of innocents. The only means of escape from the public park were jumping down a well, running through a crowded narrow entry lane, or climbing a wall to the other side. It was one of the largest unprovoked human tragedies of the last century.

The coronavirus national lockdown imposed in India, is supposed to end tomorrow i.e. April 14, and in an ideal world, Baisakhi would have been the best way to celebrate this news. However, it seems likely that lockdown will continue till the end of the month but with slight variations.

Hence, even if we can’t celebrate this festival as a community, I feel we should celebrate its spirit in true form. I believe a positive change in the coronavirus situation is around the corner, and I’m hoping this belief will manifest to reality. So, in the spirit of Baisakhi, will you join virtual hands with me to send this message out to the universe? Let’s bring our collective positive conscience together to fight this pandemic and all the chaos it has caused on various levels.

This is also my tip to beat lockdown blues today- let’s collectively put forth positive intent into the universe, to beat the virus!

I had intended to write a different post today, but I’m enjoying selecting my topics on the basis of what the day presents me. As I was inundated with Baisakhi Whatsapp messages, it seemed the right subject to write on for the day. I hope you found this post interesting and instructional.

As for my regular recommendations, here’s a book that I have loved with the letter L:

“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel is another Booker Prize winning novel, that I absolutely loved reading. This philosophical tale of survival in the most trying situations, can teach us lessons to survive the current ordeal we are all going through. I highly recommend this book and also the movie adaptation of it.

A TV show that I highly recommend:

“Lost” is a science fiction TV show that took the world by storm when it released in the mid-2000s. The show is about a group of people stranded on an island after their plane crashes. They learn to survive while navigating the strange place they are stranded in, devoid of any means of communication with the outside world. Its great production value, fabulous cast and thought-provoking storyline make it a must-watch.

That’s it for today folks!

Do check out my daily update videos on Instagram Stories for #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer and follow me there to stay better connected. Also tell me your favourite TV Shows/ movies/ books/ bloggers with the letter L?

Laa Gon till tomorrow!

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This post has been written for the #AtoZChallenge 2020. My theme this year is #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer, where I’m journaling my thoughts during the coronavirus lockdown, and sharing numerous recommendations that will help keep your spirits up.

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*This is not a sponsored post.

**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action. 

62 comments

  1. Happy Baisakhi Noor to you and your family. and such an amazing post with lots of positive vibes..loved your tip for beating the lockdown blue..yes, this is least we all can do..our prayers and positive thoughts may change the whole situations and we will get back to our normal lives and routine. loved your blog recommendations for today. i also loved both blogs. both ladies are amazing and they share great posts through their blogs.

  2. Such an all encompassiNg and wonderful post Noor. I graduated from PU and History of Punjab was a compulsory subject for all three years. Reading your post reminded me of all the lessons we had. Happy Baisakhi. Hoping all the prayers are answered.

  3. Happy Baisakhi Noor, to you and your family! Love the positive vibes your post emanates. 😊

  4. Happy Baisakhi to you too. Being a Punjabi , I always relate this festival to the childhood memories. Home -made jalebis can never replace the flavor of those bought from the neighborhood halwai. Though we try to celebrate all the festivals here in the US, but somehow, we always miss that original feeling…..

  5. Happy Baisakhi to you! We Keralites celebrate the festival of Vishu on this day too. Save for the fire crackers, we’re celebrating it with all the rituals indoors from our homes. It’s a lovely day. Hope things get better by the end of the month. 🙂

  6. You know when I was a young boy I was fascinated by some of my sikh friends in Delhi wearing the Kara. So I asked my extremely orthodox father to buy me one and to my great surprise not only did he buy me one and put it around my wrist, but he also explained the religious significance of the kara to me. I never expected that off my father, because I always thought he was a religious fundamentalist. But as I grew up I realized that though he practiced Hinduism so vigorously he actually held very liberal values. And it is perhaps this quality that has rubbed off on me and my sister and we simply cannot stand the supporters of the current regime who are constantly blaming Muslims for everything. I have found that many of my friends in Facebook post such rabid posts of hatred and bigotry that it really makes me mad and I have gotten into some very heated arguments with a few people. And worst part of it is this bigotry comes from educated people.

    1. Thank you for saying that. You have echoed my thoughts and sentiments. Yes often times our educated friends and even bloggers, have the most narrow-minded outlook when it comes to religious diversity. But if we keep our voices strong, perhaps we can stand up to them together and collectively.

  7. Wow Noor, today I came to know a lots of things from your post. Enchanting!! Happy Baisakhi to you, and Shubho Poila Boishakh too. Thanks for adding my blog in the recommendation list, friend. 🙂

  8. Happy Baisakhi dear, I was too hope to hear a good news from our PM but lock down is extended and hope to be opened by 3 May. atleast we have a hope of opening partially lock down

  9. Dear Noor, I join you in your efforts to send this out to the news to the universe that we shall soon get over this corona threat forever, as always some worthy recommendations.

  10. I believe that the collective power of our prayers can achieve the impossible and can have a cascading positive effect! I have watched Life of Pi, though the ebook is lying unread in my Kindle. I have watched a few episodes of Lost. Have you watched Leila on Netflix? It is an Indian dystopian drama. Very powerful and very scary!!

  11. That’s a beautiful piece of history to know and Happy Baisakhi …. Thanks for this informative post.✨😉 Happy writing ✨💐🤗✍️

  12. It truly is a festival of positivity this time. Not just in Punjab but all over our country everyone is trying to bring optimism and hope in any which way they can. I am in Kolkata due to lockdown. The naboborsho festivities continues in full swing but with social distancing. Everyone is together in spirits and the fight.

  13. Happy Baisakhi dear yes it marks the beginning of Hindu new year with new harvest. Today only came to know the sad truth that farms are ready with harvest this year but lack of workers and labors are delaying the process of collecting the harvest.
    Being from Delhi had many friends who had told me about the importance of these 5 K of Sikh religion.
    I’m today missing the kadha prashad a lot, will make it tomorrow for a change.

    Have loved the direction of Life of pi a lot. Loving your recommendations.

  14. Happy Baisakhi Noor , full of positivity post you have come with today, thanks for sharing the brief about Sikhism and Khalsa Panth. I like your unique style of saying Goodbye everyday. Also I have watched the movie Life Of Pie, one of my favorites, and yes I am loving Swarnali’s all blogposts.

  15. I learn with every blog posting from you; today was a history I’ve never even heard about. And that is sad unto itself. Happy New Year, a safe and healthy one, to you and your loved ones.

    L recommendations:
    Books: Little Fuzzy, by H. Beam Piper. A small furry hominoid race is discovered as the Earth is scouring the universe. Are the Fuzzy’s sentient is the major question, or just another race to bulldoze over. Sweet series, even with the menacing overtones.

    Movie: Leon (known in the USA as The Professional). Natalie Portman’s first lead screen role; Jean Reno as Leon; and Gary Oldman is a murderous drug addled cop. Great film that tackles a lot.

    TV: Life on Mars. I enjoyed both the original British version and the American riff on the theme. I felt it was intriguing while I watched it, and now I want to watch both series again. Cop is warped back to the bad side of the 1970’s from his time period. What’s real? What’s not? I like having to think instead of everything handed to you.

  16. Lost is one TV show to which I was glued the most, many of its scenes are spine chilling but if thought deeply, it teaches you so much about Life. Life of Pie, I need to read! Thanks for the reco

  17. I really do hope the lockdown teaches us to be kinder and rethink our priorities. Loved the idea of putting out positive intent into the universe 🙂

  18. We, Malayalis celebrated Vishu today. It wasn’t really a celebration. But I made kheer, so it was somewhat special. Let’s pump positive vibes into the universe. Hopefully, then the universe will conspire to put an end to this ordeal.

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