MrSikhNet Video

I just finished converting the two videos (from PAL to NTSC) of Chardikala Jatha playing kirtan at Harmandir Sahib so I could watch it on my home DVD player. I was going to post the video later on...but after listening to the earlier video from April 2nd 2006 I have been in bliss listening and had to share it with you all. Here I am on my laptop in the living room listening/watching since I can't tear myself away. I like this video better than the one I posted earlier. They also played a bunch of shabads I haven't heard them play before which is nice. This video was done in the evening right before Rehiras (evening) and the one that I posted earlier was from the morning so they are in different raags too. It's a nice way to spend a friday evening after a busy week. I feel that sigh of relief and peace this evening. Part of it is the feeling of joy of spreading the mission of the Gurus and being thankful to be a part of it. It's awesome seeing so many friends of mine excelling and doing great things in the world (most of whom were classmates or I grew up with). It's also exciting "building bridges" with Sikh youth from other backgrounds and working together. Building bridges of understanding, friendship and commonality. I'm excited to meet up with the Sikh youth that are coming to Espanola this summer! Plus I have the exciting arrival of a new child in my family somewhere around the end of June beginning of July. We'll see how blogging goes after that since it will be a big change of pace for me. Oh yeah...This is the video where some of the management thought my friend Siri Amrit Singh was a Girl because he doesn't have much of a beard yet. You'll see him playing the Tampura on the right and they zoom in on his face a few times. Ok...I'm out. I hope you all are having a relaxing evening/weekend. I wasn't planning to post this video yet...so don't have the normal windows media format for the video download. I'll post that next week when I am back in the office.

Many of you asked for me to post audio/video of the Gurbani Kirtan which was done by Chardikala Jatha in the Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib (April 26th 2006). I had audio but was waiting to get some video footage before posting it. So, have a watch. The video is about 85 minutes long. I posted a larger video which will probably only work for those of you that have fast (broadband) internet access. You can also download the audio/video files. As always...you can take the audio/video on the road with you. I post all the audio and videos to the MrSikhNet Podcast. Download: Audio (80MB) / Video (198 MB)

Here is the latest film by the makers of "Sahibzadey" which tells the story of Banda Singh Bahadhur. "The movie takes you along Babaji's journey from his first meeting with Dasmesh Pita at Nanded to conquering of Sirhind. Guruji ordained Babaji to reach Punjab to reorganize the Khalsa forces and put an end to tyranny and injustice." You can watch a short video trailer above or visit their website for more information. The movie is in Punjabi with English sub-titles. I'll let you know how it is when I get a copy.

Tonight I would like to share with you an extended trailer of a nice documentary, Beautuful as Butterflies, which was just produced by Jai Jagdeesh Kaur from South Africa. This blog post is its debut on the internet, so you are some of the first few to see it outside of South Africa. I hope you all enjoy and appreciate the story (as much you can from the short trailer). The full documentary is about 56 minutes long.

The film chronicles the story of four brave women from poor communities in Cape Town South Africa, who have been abused in different ways during their lives. It explores their experiences and healing using Kundalini Yoga and the creative arts to overcome the pain from these past experiences.

Sexual and physical abuse towards woman and children is more common then you probably realize. Even within the Sikh community. It’s one of those "hush hush" topics that don’t get discussed often. It’s important that woman have a support system and way to deal with these issues. Otherwise they can hold this pain for the rest of their life. In this video one of the tools is Kundalini Yoga, which helped change their lives, and allow themselves to deal with the pain. "What Kundalini Yoga has done for me, a doctor would never have been able to do," says Rachma Attwood, now in her sixties. "It was as though my body was in knots," explains Rachma. "Yoga undid them." Attwood believes that Kundalini Yoga and her prayers have brought her to the restorative space in which she now resides. Desiree Mathinus, who has worked in the laundry facility at the Cape Town military base for 20 years, says that yoga has changed the course of her life forever. Radiant and full of enthusiasm for each day, she and Rachma are training to become yoga teachers so that they can convey their experiences with others in their community to whom yoga is not yet readily available. The film provided the vehicle through which Desiree Mathinus, who was abused since the age of 7 by a family member, courageously shared her suffering for the first time. Yoga gave her the means to repair her soul. Her husband is a priest and now she uses Kundalini Yoga in her counseling with his parishioners. Her own priest extols the virtues of the Yoga. Margaret Jones and Nomsa Ntlabati, a rape crisis counselor, both sing praises of Kundalini Yoga and the journey it has taken them on. As a result of the film, St. Joseph's Adult Education Program has been approached by psychiatrists from state mental hospitals, prisons, and centers for abused women, and we are teaching Kundalini Yoga in all these various communities. Kundalini Yoga became a life line of hope for all four women who took hold of this chance to voice their history and re-discover joy. They remembered the words to long forgotten songs and once more learned to sing. Beautiful as Butterflies will be screened at the European Yoga Festival in France on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at an evening study group at 5:30 p.m. in the chateau. For further information and to purchase a DVD, visit www.stjosephsaep.co.za. All proceeds from the film go to their non-profit organizations. Jai Jagdeesh Kaur/Julia Landau is the director of two nonprofit organizations, St. Joseph's Adult Education Program and Footprints Educational Trust, which both provide skills training. She is also a filmmaker, a journalist, a mother of three, and a Kundalini Yoga teacher. Journey to Myself, her latest book, contains creative writing from women in prison. She was given the Sunflower Award for her work with women from marginalized communities. Watch The Extended Trailer Video

Narayan and me riding bikes in the evening.

While we are on the topic of signs and highways, here is something related. Around the Gurdwara area we have some unique street names. Have a look! SikhNet's street is "1A Ram Das Guru Place". Watch the video and see some other the others :)