Where is the next Punjabi coming from?

This post doesn't concern any one of us , and in some fashion it is important for society. You may , ignore ,act upon it or merely read , press the cursory like ( so obligatory) these days ...
I run a school since the last two years ,and we went form strength to strength starting from three to above 100 and fluctuating every now and then with  jagraata, wedding, visits to grandparents and so forth.. Just the usual ! However, there has been a remarked change in their day to day dealings. the children  listen to discipline and how we try to instil the value of time, why it is important to sit still, to greet the teachers and why it is essential to be neat and clean.
The eureka moment is when they have stared grooming themselves. Clean hair, no crazy mohawk hairstyles, plaits for the girls, and clean smart bright faces. This did not happen overnight nor did it happen because we forced them . Its been going over it again and again. The children have also understood the importance of hygiene and cleanliness and why ears , teeth, and hair should be clean! Ok , we are a bit crazy here , but in fact treatment of the families in totality has led to no skin problems !
I am not reading a report here, nor am I wanting any accolades , my point here is that ; in spite of all this , the Punjab Education Policy sucks.
I dont know who made it , or what they were thinking of or what was in their mind. Ladies and Gentlemen , we don't stand an effing chance anywhere. Forget development, forget agriculture advancement, forget any industrial policy . Where is the next Punjabi coming from?
A Punjabi , is hardworking, always looking to seize the next opportunity .
 A system, which doesn't fail any child , however ridiculous his marks are , one which allows you to be absent for the whole year , no child is taught basic maths, where they are told , and clearly earmarked the questions that will come . They are ticked on the guide,  And told to buy JPH or MBD guide books.
Is there a nexus? Why cant they just buy the guide books straight away ? Why such a farce on the syllabus books?
Its annual examination time , but the scenario is depressing and dismal , in comparison to the private school children. Our school has a mixture of both .. the rich , the poor and the very poor.
They are the ones who are tomorrows Punjabis. You and I are neo- Punjabis , enjoying the world and its affluence but claiming to be Punjabis ! I wish we could help the system, I don't care about corruption or other ills , they are in plenty in the West but the education policy needs to be revamped.
It is sad when the child looks back at you , when he doesn't understand why english is a funny language  and why he still must learn the telegram format when I try to convince them that telegrams have been stopped officially.
Save these innocent souls, they deserve better , just because we can help them. And , before you say Akalis, or Congress, they are both equally to be blamed. We didn't do great in either one's regimes. Teachers have lost their conscious , it seems they have all been sucked into the knitting sweater, parallel
job syndrome.
All it takes is each one , teach one slogan and you don't need a fancy room, or equipment. They are not bothered, all they need is love understanding and patience , just like the rest of us..

Maharaja In Denims !

Maharaja In Denims , a title that grabs your attention , when one gets a copy along with the handsome stately sardar on the cover. The novel is a racy exploit of Hari Singh who typically personifies the affluent Punjabi youth ; typical of money , life in the fast lane and girls. Khushwant Singh, the author who is otherwise known for his much acclaimed biography of oldest marathon runner Fauja Singh, cleverly uses his local knowledge of the social, political and youth seen of Chandigarh, the twin capital of Punjab and Haryana ,to muster images of the city, which is termed as the most beautiful in India.

And when you are complacent thinking well its another soft erotic book , he deftly transports you to a different world, era , times and throws in past life flashbacks where the protagonist feels he is reincarnation of the only real Maharaja of Punjab, the mighty Ranjit Singh and starts comparing his Punjab with the present. The book swings to an even more crafty level when the author suddenly takes through past life regression and Hari recalls two other past lives. This part has to be handled with care because the author provokes you with real time events that have halted India's march which the faint hearted would find it hard to handle.

For history buffs ,this book has been researched extensively and the comparison of the old Punjab with the new day Punjab is what catches me . I like the simple back and forth to old and new along with a chapter thrown into the future telling us what Punjab will be if we do not take care of it .

Its a fresh approach to Punjab, with innuendos to the political system and how they manipulate us , the voters. The author, Khushwant also keeps the romance alive and makes everyone happy in the and ( climax scene just like the Bolly wood movies). Maybe there is a script somewhere ..who knows! The book is one of the most gripping reads published in recent times , and is a must read.

Path and some lessons

Yesterday was 8^th March and we were all commemorating International  Women day, but for us we had a religious function at home , with Simer finishing of her first Sehaj path and luckily and fortunately we had the august presence of Baba Iqbal Singhji of Baru Sahib who came to ‘ put the Bhog and we had kirtan at our place amongst our family and friends.

The highlight of the whole function were the shabad kirtan done by the Gurmat Sangeet students under Akal Academy . The gist of the shabads  were of the union of the soul with the creator. The yearning , the anguish and the longing comparable to the love of a woman who is parted from her husband . I  was moved by the young men , who sang in such a pure , raw form , unencumbered by materialistic strings that actually is so visible nowadays. It’s as if the purest form of devotion has also become a business, raking in money for its singers. The young boys sang of the human form which is akin to a husband that seeks fulfilment with his  wife, the longing is like that of a lover who searches for his fulfillment of his love.  After, the moving , pure recital that had us all enthralled , we had  katha by Babaji.

In fact , the explanation of the Hukam nama and the satsang done made me realize how futile our existence is. Babaji, said , that all have come and gone. No one is permanent , we all come with a limited existence . Death is the only permanence in this otherwise unpredictable life that is volatile at every turn.Man in his existence has become a creature , bogged down by materialism, stress, tensions forgetting the real purpose of his life. We take form in the human , mortal form after a cycle of birth death in other forms and then we can attain salvation or the release of the soul what do we do we run after materialistic pursuits , lust , we become gluttons, thievery , hoodwinking fraud are middle name, we all pursue a life that is governed by ' what will the other person say . Babaji's  talk was lucid hard-hitting and direct . I loved his direct humour , with no bones spared. His talk was peppered with anecdotes that brought the point home to us. When Alexander the Great died, his mother cried copiously, howling on the grave. A voice came from within the earth, stunning her," which Alexander do you weep for?'. We all are caught in the malstorm of pleasuring the human body , the gratification is superficial  and immediate nothing is done for the soul that dwells within. 

We are given this human form to improve this soul . Imagine going to heaven , and trying to rid the scars on the soul ! This , according to the scriptures and Him is only attainable , by reciting the Naam. We can wipe out the sufferings, lust and desires by Naam Jaap.

Baba Iqbal Singh ji had ample time to talk to us, and then further  illustrated his point by telling a short story highlighting how  on our death bed one gets attached to a materialistic thought that traps the soul. He told us , how Duni Chand called Guru Nanak Dev ji for a religious function  to remember his father who had died.Nanak sat in his room and everyone was outside . Duni Chand asked Babaji to partake langar . But Babaji stunned by telling him that your father is seven miles away , a shrunken starved wolf with his mouth watering and in the forest . Duni Chand was stunned, how can this be possible , my father was a generous person. He must have passed on to heaven.  Duni Chand went into the forest and when he saw the wolf roaming there where his father had been cremated; he rushed back to Babaji. Then , he told him , when your father was on his death bed , you were cooking meat and the whiff of the tadka went into his nostrils. 

The last minute yearning to eat meat , and to be caught in the temptation is why he took re-birth as a wolf. Man, on his death bed should remember God, jaap, and not to cry at the last breath. The soul gets lost  and caught between and in transition. 

I feel , as humans we are so swayed by the glitter, glamour and glitz that we are forever trying to appease ourselves. In fact , we all forget an essence of life that this too shall happen with us. Hoarding of wealth thinking , that one cannot take into Jannat . Where are the pockets, my dear?

I apologise for any mis-information written by me, all faults are mine. He is a brahmgyani , who is trying to improve us and also to guide us by showing the light . However, we remain mere mortals caught in the trappings of life.