We must become the light

Snatam Kaur Khalsa and Party – 28th May 2006 – Park Avenue, Southall - We must become the light

On Sunday 28th May my phone diary chimed out my reminder that later today would be the time for me to head out to Park Avenue, Southall, West London (UK) to hear Snatam Kaur and GuruGanesha Singh Khalsa, currently on a world peace tour.

The race was on at home to get a few household chores complete, get ready and then get to Southall in West London.

The traffic was relatively clear but the picture was different in the Gurdwara car park. After zipping around the car park a few times we managed to jostle and find a place to park.

At 3.15pm the Dabar Hall (Darbar Sahib refers to the main hall within a Sikh Gurdwara. This hall is where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed in a prominent central position in the hall) was packed.

Then Snatam Kaur and party arrived and took their places just behind the Guru Granth Sahib.
The party consisted of Snatam Kaur Khalsa, GuruGanesha Singh Khalsa and a wonderful tabla player, Jagjit Singh.

After a quick introduction and in parallel audio set-up, the party started the one hour programme. There are a some words that came to my mind whilst listening to the Peace party:

Humbleness, Calm, Unity and Joy.

Humbleness and Calm came to mind as there was a sense of ‘grace’ in the air. The sound was unique, soothing and provided a meditative atmosphere. In parallel the Sikhi-to-the-Max power-point presentation provided one with a view to meanings of Gurbani. There was passion in the singing by all and an energy level that confirmed commitment to the belief in God and the Spirit of the Guru.

Unity came to mind as the Sangat sang in unison. It appeared to me that with every breath the harmony of Waheguru (wonderful Lord) simran was felt.

Joy came to mind as it was suggested that (paraphrased) that in order to become enlightened we must first become a light. I really loved this line as it was inspiring and captured an essence of being a Sikh.

The latter message is something that I have been thinking about since Sunday. We come to this Earth, perform our daily chores, try to keep fit in body but how much do we devote to our spiritual being? How much do we work with each other to help others?

It is up to us to develop peace but also we have the potential to sustain its atmosphere once created. We should not simply ‘treat’ our soul but bring our soul closer to the Guru everyday. We can do this by believing in God and treating everyone as equal.

In the Sangat hall we prayed and sang together as one world – a world that needs peace today and for always. Thank you Snatam Kaur and Party for an inspiring time.

For more information on Snatam Kaur’s Peace tour please visit:
http://www.spiritvoyage.com