Shri Banda Singh Bahadur

 Banda Singh Bahadur was a warrior who fought alongside Dashame Paatshahi Guru Gobind Singh ji 

He was a brave warrior who gave up his life fighting the Mughals , that’s all I knew 

And then I was told that there was more so I  googled and  Wikipedia told me heartbreaking stories about Banda Ji 

I asked my mom - so why do you not hate Muslims , why do you not despise them .. they killed warriors , they murdered young children , tortured women and murdered the Sahebjaade 

Her answer was simple - cos the Gurus did not teach to hate .They taught only to protect ; our beliefs , faith and Sikhi . Their message was to fight for the right and never give up . They were not anti - Muslim , they were pro  Sikhi . 

So they led by example . Their lesson to us was to protect our faith at all cost . Be courageous and stand for what you believe in no matter what the price .

Guru Gobind Singhji asked for no one to build anything in His remembrance such was His greatness .

My idols continue to be 

Gandhi for his truthfulness 

Mother Teresa for her compassion 

Guru Gobind Singh ji for His courage 

Vashi uncle for His selflessness 

Bapa for His humility 

Road rage v life rage

 What happened to me yesterday for 90secs on the road happens to us everyday in life albeit over a longer duration of time . 

Let me go over this piece by piece ! 

While driving peacefully at 70+ in my lane I was tailgated then tried to be stopped on I-295 by the same car almost causing an accident , chased , overtaken and finger flipped , yelled at several times , not even mentioning the lane change race . I was in two minds flipping him , yelling , honking and lastly calling 911 though the phone was in my beach bag but I could call Siri . I did none of those .. I stayed calm .. took my focus off the man who was harassing me .. kept my eyes on the prize - safety , took the next exit and moved away from the scene / craziness . 

Ain’t that what life rages / situations are about ? They come like a whirlwind , not giving us much time to think . Our reaction is usually misplaced that leads to problem bigger than the situation itself . Wouldn’t it be better to deal with life rage same way as the road rage ? Take focus off the person causing the rage , keep eyes on the prize - peace of mind .. exit from the scene / craziness 

While that is easier said than done , it also has so many layers to it .. layers of ego , revenge , pride , throw in relationships , past struggles and there is your perfect recipe for disaster . 

Had I let my ego get the better of me in the road rage incident .. there is a possibility there would’ve been a car wreck or I would’ve been shot . None happened cos i took the exit . 

LET GO OF THE PRIDE , TAKE THE EXIT 

Truth

 People have a difficult relationship with truth . Truth is bitter , it’s hard and at times something we don’t agree with , don’t want or accept .

 It takes a lot of courage to face  , then accept and finally speak the truth . 

Truth bruises the ego .. seems to be self defeating and many times something that brings us to our knees .. But speaking and  sticking to the truth makes one fearless cos then  there is nothing to hide , nothing to run away from , then you are bare open  . 

Simply put being truthful is a liberating experience . 

I’m fearless cos I’ve always stuck to the truth , I’m saddened cos I see altered versions of the truth around me all the time . It is temporarily fulfilling - the altered version , but soul crushing in the big picture . 

May the truth Gods  give us strength