Dear Rai ji
Sat sri akal.

I am used to visit your site quite frequently. Recently I have read a report about Sikh youth & community service celebrating the birthday of Sri Guru Ravidas ji.

First of all I could not understand that why the author has specially kept away from saying "Sri Guru Ravidas ji" and from where he has derived the word "Baba Ravidas". Any one, who has the disciples, the pupils, or the followers is a Guru. Sri Guru Ravidas ji had Rani Jhalan bai, Mira bai and Raja Naagar Mall etc. as his pupils or followers or let's say chelas. This lone fact is good enough to insist that one must write Sri Guru Ravidas ji instead of Baba Ravidas.

Secondly the most hurting was the portrait of Sri Guru Ravidas ji presented by Piara singh. No one can understand that from where he got the idea of a portrait of Guru Ravidas ji with a turban. By releasing a picture of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji with the turban, what he is trying to prove? Why he is not satisfied with the portraits of Sri Guru Ravidas ji, which are without the turban and are widely accepted by the followers of Sri Guru Ravidas ji. Today the portrait has been distorted, who knows, tomorrow some one may come out with the idea of changing the name also.These attempts to distort the historical facts and figures are very dangerous and might give birth to lot of complications within different communities.I strongly think that this type of actions will surely hurt the feelings of millions of followers of Sri Guru Ravidas ji. Just try to imagine that if some one would had published a portrait of our beloved gurus or heroes against the normal well accepted codes, how it would have hurt our hearts.

Not only this just go to the art gallery of Sobha Singh on your site and see the portrait of Sri Guru Ravidas ji, by having the first look on that portrait you will find it purposely distorted picture of the Guru ji. No politeness, spirituality, or sanity is there in that portrait. What Sobha Singh has tried to portrait? What type of personality he has tried to reflect. I think after looking at that portrait you will agree with me cent per cent that this portrait must be removed from all the web sites.

Respected Rai ji, you are doing a great job for the Punjabi community by providing such a valuable site but please make sure that nothing (no materials or whatsoever) of this sort should get uploaded on your site, which may spread the anguish between different Punjabi faiths and communities.

Religious issues are always very touchy and should always be taken care of. We hope that something special would be done from your side to prevent uploading of such articles by which religious feelings of any section of our society may get hurt. At last can we request you to remove these two portraits from 'Likhari' please. By doing so you may set up an examples for the other web masters to do so also.

We strongly believe that some thing done in respect will help us in keeping our lovely Punjabi community intact.

We hope that you will try to understand our feelings.

Kirpal Singh Virdi
UAE

Dear Virdi Ji!
Thanks for your e-mail. 'Likhari' respects your feelings. Three pictures which came with the news are removed.

With regards: Gurdial S. Rai (Likhari)

'Cheer up Mr. P.S.Grewal..........' C.P. Singh from Cardif writes

 

Liked the poem very much- but it is very sad; could you ask the author about
the reason? He appears to be watching the things from a window of an alien
land where every sensitive person is quite likely to falls in such moods.
Cheer up Mr. P.S.Grewal you have accomplished soooooo much in your life -
your poem shows it.

Respectfully,
CP Singh
Cardiff (U.K) 15.2.04

'sfihq aqy pMjfbI bolI vlF quhfzI suihrd pRiqbwDqf leI quhfnUM mubfrkF'[[[[[[[[sfDU ibinMg

 

ipafry guridafl isMG rfey jI,

inwGI Xfd!
AumId hY swB TIk Tfk hovygf.
iewk awD vfr hr rojL 'ilKfrI' nUM KolH ky dyKxf hux afdq hI bx geI hY. hr rojL hI kuJ nf kuJ nvF huMdf hY.

qusIN sfzy vloN ByjIaF rIportF aqy lyK afid hr vfrI bVy ZukvyN qrIky nfl lfAuNdy ho. hr vfr quhfzf sLLukrIaf krn nUM jIa krdf hY pr bhuqI vfrI cuwp rhIdf. sfnUM quhfzy smyN df vI aihsfs hY. asIN loV qoN vwD quhfnUM msrUP nhIN krnf cfhuMdy. pr ieh gwl jLrUr iDafn ivc rwiKE ik asIN eyny nf-sLuukry nhIN. sfihq aqy pMjfbI bolI vlF quhfzI suihrd pRiqbwDqf leI quhfnUM mubfrkF aqy quhfzf bhuq bhuq DMnvfd.

bhuq hI snyh nfl
sfDU ibinMg
Dept. of Asian Studies, Asian Centre, UBC
1871 West Mall, Vancouver, B.C. Canada. V6T 1Z2
604-437-9014

'....there are people who are writng for their personal gains.....Janmeja Johl

Just read a letter by hon. S. Swarn Singh ji,

I have never and will never write anything that is personal enimity and unfourtunatly I have with none. The 2 persons are not on my hate list as one of them is my favourite writer too. It was just a reference. In fact there are many many more of these kind.

My purpose is just to point out that , out there, there are people who are writng for their personal gains in the grab of literature and I mean to just make others aware of it too. I am an elected secretary of Punjabi Sahit academy and I have asked for votes frome none. If I donot do my duty of weeding out bad practices (there are many) I will be failing in my commitments to all those who selected/elected me even without my asking them. The politics of votes should be shun from literary organisations, only then we can produce writers of emminance. In Punjab only there are more than 4000 persons who claim to be a writer. And there are plenty more in other parts of the world. But what are we getting out of these, is a big question.

Any way if you still feel offended, I am sorry for it.

Janmeja Johl

‘The Poet' -----a beautiful and meaningful poem, indeed.......Pritam Singh Grewal

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed reading Renu Singh’s poem ‘The Poet’. More so, because I see a wonderful coincidence that juxtaposed my contribution ‘The living poem’ with it. I am amazed to find much similarity of the phenomenon of time affecting nature and life as pictured in both the poems.

For example, ‘the leaves of fall’, ‘the pinnate of springs’, ‘summer’s knife’ and ‘A life so big so small’ in The Poet; and ‘verdant summer scene’, ‘mellowness of fall’, ‘sway of time over big or small’, and ‘a silent song to see and hear through winter long’ in A living poem.

To my mind, the frequent use of ‘When’ by Renu Singh signifies the influence of time on life of which the poet is intensely aware. Nevertheless, I do not claim to reach the depth of expression of her thought in the same way as she does.

A beautiful and meaningful poem, indeed.

Pritam Singh Grewal

'A Living Poem' by Prof. Pritam Singh Grewal, reminisces of Wordsworth & Shelley----Inderpal Singh Hans, Windsor, ON.

Dear Editor Sir,

Thank you very much for bringing us contemporary writings esp. poems like 'A Living Poem' by Prof. Pritam Singh Grewal.

The poem reminisces of Wordsworth & Shelley. It picturizes the passing phases of nature with easy grace & depicts that even sad can be beautiful- a tree denuded of leaves can still hold a ray of hope. Without saying it in words, the poet seems to leave a message that 'if Winter comes can Spring be far behind.' It hints at the end of Winter & sprouting of fresh leaves. He makes the reader conscious of quiet beauty of winter & does not ever talk of whistlig, wintry winds.

The Poet successfully makes use of poetic machinery. Alliteration & Consonance have been employed with effect. The phrases like 'penning poems', 'pages of passing breeze', 'ink from pink', 'on aging page of --', & 'to orange ranged' etc. add to internal rhythem.

Hoping to see more of such reading,

Sicerely,
Inderpal Singh Hans,
Windsor, ON.

ikDry 'ilKfrI', pfrsipRk ikV kwZx df aKfVf (qF nhIN bxdf jf irhf?)[[[[[[[[[[[[svrn isMG - amrIkf

sMpfdk jI,

keI hÌiqaF qoN jnmyjf jOhl horF df iek lyK pVHn ivc af irhf hY: 'pMjfbI sfihq dy mrfsI'

Aus ivc gwl BfvyN mrfsI kOm dy guxF qoN ÈurU kIqI hY, aYpr Gumf iPrf ky, koeI do ivakqIaF dy pfj KolHx df mMqv nËr afAuNdYY. pqf lwgf hY, ik jOhl sfihb Kud vI pMjfbI dI iksy sfihqk sMsQf nfl sMbMiDq hn. ho skdY iehnF dI AuhnF nfl iksy kfrn (Difference of opinion) hovy.

ÈFied myrI smJ hI sImq hovy. pr ijMnf vI ies lyK df mhwqv smJx dI koiÈÈ kro, nf qF ies nUM pVHn nfl koeI sfihqk rucI pYdf huMdI hY. nf hI koeI duinafvI jfxkfrI 'c vfDf huMdf hY, svfey iksy nNUM nIvF ivKfAux dy. cMgf huMdf ieh swjn AuhnF do ivakqIaF dy nfm hI ilK idMdy. ikENik afm afdmI leI qF BMbl BUsy vflI gwl hI jfpdI hY.

ies dy nfloN qF iehnF ijhy Auc kotI dy klfkfr vwloN koeI klf ikRqI vyKx ivc afAuNdI qF Xfdgfr bxI rihMdI.

ikDry 'ilKfrI', pfrsipRk ikV kwZx df aKfVf nf bxdf hovy.

iek svfl!

svrn isMG - amrIkf

'Kandhaan'...........is the best reflection of the writer in her.---Renu Singh

Rai Saheb,

Just finished reading Balbir Kaur Jee's di Kahani, 'Kandhaan'. I have to say that of all the other stories she has written, this one is the best reflection of the writer in her. Even though the subject has been chosen by many writers and has been explored in many different ways, her detailed expression of emotions stands out on its own. It is as if she has dived deep into the characters and absorbed it all. The words make the characters come alive in the story. The best part of the story is its continuity. At no time, the reader feels the characters jumping from one part of the story to another. The flow is there and it makes the story a very successful attempt that proves the writer's ablity to be able to say it all without marking it in black and white.

Renu Singh (29.01.2004)

puryvfl jI ny bVI iÈwdq nfl supinaF qy supnysfËF dI dunIaf dy nkÈ AuBfry hn--pRo: pRIqm isMG gryvfl

awj ilKfrI rfhIN BUipMdr puryvfl jI dI ÈfhmuKI puÈfk ivc sjI pMjfbI nËm supny pVHn df mOkf imilaf. iek Éfs iksm dI KuÈI dy aihsfs dy nfl nfl XfdF dy KËfny ivcoN Aus mOlvI jI dy nkÈ vI Ëfhr ho pey ijhVy loar-imzl jmfqF nUM AurdU qy ÌfrsI pVHfieaf krdy sn. Aus buinafdI qflIm dI bdOlq hI AurdU jF ÈfhmuKI awKrF rfhIN nËm jF nsr df Ëiekf vI kdI cwK skIdf hY.

puryvfl jI ny bVI iÈwdq nfl supinaF qy supnysfËF dI dunIaf dy nkÈ AuBfry hn.vMn suvMnqf Bry supny pRymIaF dy, ienklfbIaF dy, rfj-gwdI leI qVPidaF dy, srhwd dI qrP jFdy, DfhF mfrdy supny vgYrf. ÉuafbF dy axgOly qy nfËuk aflm – ‘supny df kI hY, jy kql huMdy hn qF kI; supny qF ryqy dy GrF ivc vsdy hn’ – nUM Èfier ny drd BrI hsqI idqI hY.

kwcy GVy qy qrdI suhxI aqy bflU ryq Auqy sVdy pYrIN BjdI swsI df pMjfbI acyq mn ivcoN ÉUbsUrq qrIky nfl sfkfr kIqf ibMb ÉuafbF dI hoxI ieMj icqRdf hY:

‘ikhVy GVy qy jfn zoldI
ikhVy ryq ivc pYr Bujdy
jl Ql sB iek hoey’

aihsfsF vFg supny vI muÈklF nUM jnm idMdy hn:

‘Eh ijnHF nUM supny nhIN afAuNNdy… Eh sdf sOKy rihMdy hn.‘

Èfied PONt/tfeIp dI AukfeI kfrn, keI spYilMg suDfeI loVdy hn ijvyN-

sqr 4 ivc mYN dI QF ‘mYc’ ho igaf qy qoN dI QF ‘qoc’; sqr 5 ivc roNdy dI jgHf ‘rocdy’

puryvfl jI dI ieh invyklI pyÈkÈ kfbly qfrIÌ hY.

pRo: pRIqm isMG gryvfl (27 jnvrI 2004)

Surinderpal Virk writes: I tried ( real hard) to understand your definition of MAUN but....