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Visakhi 2020

by Pushpinder Kaur Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 0 Read this packet. Do the activities Do more art activities just like the ones in this book. Share your talents with others. Send me your creations. I would love to see what you do with the idea that I send you.

Visakhi is 2020 is different. Corona virus has put everyone is lockdown in our own homes. There will be no programs for real Sangat in Gurdwaras. We will have to listen to them online. There will be no Nagar Kirtans/parades for Khalsa Day this Visakhi. There will be no Amrit Sanchaar this Visakhi.

But that does not mean that we cannot learn and we cannot have fun. This packet will help you learn about Visakhi and have some fun while doing it. For additional ideas please visit my YouTube channel: Pushpinder Kaur. It is for kids so there are no ads. It should be a safe site to be on- that’s what YouTube claims.

Let me know if you have any question or if you need answers to the activities in this packet. You can email me at [email protected]

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 0 Visakhi Learning Project and Art Ideas for 9 year old children and older 1. Read and learn about Visakhi. Do the complete packet. Choose one topics to

write about. Write an essay or make a poster. Choose from the following topics

. What is the history of Visakhi?

. Why do we celebrate Visakhi?

. What is the message of Visakhi?

. What is the best way to celebrate Visakhi?

. The Panj Kakaars

. Life and teachings of Guru Gobind Singh Ji

. Important teachings of the Sikh Gurus

. How to live a good life according to the Three Golden Rules

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 1 History of Visakhi

What is Visakhi? Visakh is the second month on Indian calendar. Visakh is the month of harvesting wheat crops. It is the month of happiness for the farmers. However, Visakhi is a very special day for the Sikhs. This is the day when Guru Gobind Singh Ji created Khalsa in 1699. Visakhi is celebrated on the first day of the month Visakh on April 13th.

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 2 How did it start? You know there are many countries in this world. Most of the countries have their own government or kings and queens. Most of the countries live in peace on their own lands. But long time ago, it wasn’t so. There were many rulers who wanted to own more land. They wanted to rule over other countries. They wanted to change people’s religions.

That was the situation in India too. Mughal rulers from Persia, Afghanistan and other areas in the middle-east ruled India. They came to India to become rich, but they also wanted to make more people believe in their own religion- the Islam.

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 3 In the 17th Century, Augangzeb was one such ruler. He wanted to convert all people of India to become Muslims. But Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs believed that all people should have freedom to pray anyway they like. They should have freedom of religion. Aurangzeb did not like it. He thought that Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was coming in his way of making everybody a Muslim. And he did not want that.

On November 24, 1675, Aurungzeb had Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, the father of Gobind Rai Ji, martyred. Guru Ji was beheaded in Chandni Chowk in Delhi. The emperor also ordered that if anybody takes the body of the Guru, he too shall be executed. Hundreds of Sikhs were there. But all were scared. No one dared to claim the body or the head of Guru Ji. Suddenly, there was a dark storm. Dark clouds covered the sky. Terrible winds blew and it rained really hard. Everyone started running away for safety. . There was no one left. Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 4 Except, one Sikh Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara was watching all this with a hurting heart. He took the opportunity and picked up the body of Guru Tegh Bahadur for cremation. He took the body to his own house. He burned his own home to cremate the body so that no one would know about it. There is Gurdwara Rakab Ganj now.

Another Sikh, Bhai Jetta Ji, picked up Guru Ji’s head. He hid it under his shawl and took it to Gobind Rai Ji in Anandpur Sahib.

Gobind Rai Ji was only 9 years old at the time. Bhai Jetta Ji told him what had happened in Delhi. When Gobind Rai Ji heard that Sikhs were scared of the emperor, he was saddened. He promised that he will fill the Sikhs with courage and they will stand tall. After the death of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, Gobind Rai Ji became the next Guru of the Sikhs.

Many years passed. Guru Gobind Singh Ji grew up. He learned to read in many languages and he learned to be a great warrior. Then, he decided, it was time to transform the Sikhs into a great martial race, the saint soldiers. He called thousands of Sikhs to Anandpur Sahib. That special day was March 30, 1699.

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 5 What happened at Keshgarh Sahib? The city of Anandpur Sahib was founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Guru Gobind Singh Ji had spent most of his life here. Keshgarh Sahib is a historical place in the center of Anandpur Sahib. On March 30, 1699, a huge tent was installed. Thousands of people came for Guru’s blessing.

Guru Gobind Rai Ji was creating history today. He came out of the tent carrying a naked sword. He was very serious. His booming voice asked someone to give his head to him. People sitting in the audience were stunned. They had never seen Guru Ji speak like that. They wondered why Guru Ji was behaving like that. Guru Ji repeated his demand of a head again. Still no one dared step forward. On Guru Ji’s third call, a young man stood up, folded his hands, bowed his head and said that his head was Guru’s to take. Guru Ji took him inside a smaller tent. After a few minutes, Guru Ji came out alone, his sword dripping with blood. People were frightened. They imagined that Guru Ji had killed Dharam Das. Some people were so scared they ran away. Guru Ji asked for another head. One more man got up and offered his head to Guru Ji. Guru Ji took him to the tent too. After a few minutes he returned

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 6 again. He asked for yet another person to sacrifice himself. Guru Ji kept on doing until he had called for five heads.

What Guru Ji was doing was in fact asking his Sikhs to come to him with an open mind, with a clean mind and in complete faith so that they can be transformed into saint soldiers. This is the same concept when Guru Nanak Dev Ji had said:

jy qau pRym imln kw cwau ] isr Dir qlI glI myrI Awau]

It means that if you love your Guru and desire to see him, then surrender your own wisdom, clear your mind before you come to the Guru so that you may learn what Guru Ji wants to teach you.

Guru Ji stayed inside the tent with the five men for a long time. People outside were impatient and eager to know what was going on. They wanted to know what Guru Ji will do next. They were feeling pity for the five men that they thought Guru Ji had killed.

Finally, Guru Ji came out and what people saw was astonishing. All five of them were dressed up just like Guru Ji. They all had cholas and keskies. The people gasped at this sight. Many wished they had given their heads to the Guru.

Guru Ji called these five men his Panj Piaray or ‘Five Beloved Ones'. These are the same Panj Piaray, we remember in our Ardas every day. Their names were: Bhai Daya Singh Ji, Bhai Dharam Singh Ji, Bhai Himmat Singh Ji, Bhai Mohkam Singh Ji and

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 7 Bhai Sahib Singh Ji. Guru Ji prepared Amrit- the sacred water of immortality himself. It was first given to the Panj Piaray. Then Guru Ji did something that had never been done before anywhere in the world. He bent on his knees in front of the Panj Piaray. He begged them to give him the Amrit too, so that he may be blessed like them. This was an amazing act of humility. No guru had ever begged from

his followers. vwhu vwhu goibMd isMG Awpy guru cylw]

Guru Gobind Rai Ji changed his name to Guru Gobind Singh Ji after taking Amrit. When people saw this ceremony, they felt very happy. They regretted being left out. They all wanted Guru Ji to bless them with Amrit. It is said that Amrit was then distributed to all those who wanted it and who made a commitment to be the Khalsa. Perhaps thousands of people took Amrit that day. Guru Gobind Singh Ji had wanted to create a brave people. He had wanted people to live and work together. He gave them an identity that day which would make sure that all Khalsas would be united and that they would understand each other and support each other. And when the world would look at the Khalsa, they too would know their amazing qualities. That was the beginning of the Khalsa Panth.

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 8

Takhat Keshgarh Sahib is one of the five Takhats What is the Khalsa Identity?

To give a unique identity to the Khalsas, Guru Gobind Singh Ji required the Khalsas to follow these rules.

First of all Guru Gobind Singh Ji said that all boys and men would add the word ‘Singh’ to their names and all girls and women would add Singh ‘Kaur’ to their names. ‘Singh’ means a lion and ‘Kaur’ means a princess.

When people added these names, they started believing that they were brave as lions and Kaur important as princesses. They started believing that they all belonged together. They started treating each other with respect. All Sikhs were now united as one group. They did not think about different castes or religions that they came from.

Why the Long Hair? Then Guru Ji told all those who took Amrit that they may NEVER ever cut their hair- boys, girls, men or women. He said that all men and boys should wear a turban or a dastar on their heads. A turban is a sign of royalty.

Guru Ji wanted the women to respect their hair too and wanted them to keep their hair covered. In those times, only rich and important people could wear turbans. Guru

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 9 Ji believed that his Sikhs were very important people. He may have thought that when you wear a turban, you cannot hide. Remember when no one picked up Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s body because they were too scared? He may have thought that Sikhs should stand up for what they believe in. And only those who were brave would want to stand out. Only the brave ones became the Khalsas.

What are the Symbols of the Khalsa? In addition to unique last names and the Turban, Guru Ji also gave several other gifts to all his Sikhs. He told them to wear the five K’s. The five K’s were the things whose names begin with the letter K.

What do the Panj Kakaars tell us? What do they mean? Many scholars have made educated guesses as to what could have been the reasons for each of these articles of faith. We do not know why Guru Ji gave Sikhs Panj Kakaars but it was his Hukam, that we must follow.

1. Kais: He told we must wear our hair or kais the way they are. We must never cut them. He did not give us a reason, but perhaps they are a gift to us from God. You see we have long hair only on our heads, not

on our eyebrows, eyelashes, arms or legs or feet or hands. So there must be a good reason for the hair. Do you know that saints of all religions, have had long hair? Look at picture of any holy person- Jesus, Moses, Lord Ram, Lord Krishan. It must be God’s will to make us look like saints, and it is Guru Ji’s hukam. Frankly, Sikhs are the most handsome people. Don’t you think so?

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 10 Look in the mirror and you will believe me. You look beautiful with your joorha and braids (guttaan).

2. Kangah: In order for the Sikhs to keep their hair neat and organized, Guru Ji ordered them to wear a Kangah in their hair. We feel happy when we are clean. We can also think better. The Kangah is usually made of wood.

3. Kada: Guru Gobind Singh Ji wanted his Sikhs to think about their actions all the time. He ordered that a kada must be worn on the right wrist by all Sikhs. Again, he did not give any reason, but this is what many people understand as the reason for wearing a kada. Whenever we do anything with our hands, we look at our kada and decide if our action will make our Guru Ji happy. If the answer is ‘yes’ then we should do that action. If we think it is not a good action, then we must not do that. Do you think Guru Ji will be happy if we hit someone, or take someone’s things without asking? Do you think he will be happy if we help someone?

4. Kirpan: Guru Ji told all his Khalsas to wear a Kirpan. Why? We don’t know, but may be because Kirpan is powerful and when you have something with power, you feel strong. So when the Khalsas wore Kirpan, they felt brave, so brave that they were ready to save others from harm too. The word Kirpan is very special. It is made of two words, KIRPA + AAN. It means the one with mercy. A Kirpan is never used to hurt anyone. It is only used to protect someone. Just like Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 11 most of the soldiers keep weapons like swords, daggers and guns. And soldiers are definitely strong and brave people. But they never use their guns to hurt others. Khalsas are also like soldiers ready to protect others.

5. Kachhehra: Long time ago boys and men of India did not wear pants. They just wrapped a long loin cloth around their waist to cover their private body parts. Can you imagine a boy or a man trying to run or ride a horse with a long cloth wrapped around the waist? What if it opened? Guru Ji might have decided that the Khalsas who will be fighting many battles, need practical clothes. So he showed them the specially designed boxer shorts that went down to the knees. All Khalsas are required to wear the Kachhehra under their pants and salwar’s now.

Finally Guru Gobind Singh Ji discontinued the tradition of human Gurus and asked all Sikhs to accept Granth Sahib as their for-ever Guru.

Now we all pray to Guru Granth Sahib Ji and ask for help or advice when we need one. If you pray with true heart, our prayers are heard and our wishes are fulfilled most of the times. Sometimes, if what we wish for is not good for us, Guru Ji doesn’t give us that. That may Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 12 make us sad, but we need to remember that Guru Ji loves us and knows what’s best for us.

How do we celebrate Visakhi now? Homes: Visakhi is celebrated in Punjab as a thanksgiving day. This is the season when the wheat crops are harvested. Farmers are very happy to get their crops, sell them and earn money for rest of the year.

The families wake up early and dress up in new clothes. They may do Kirtan together at home and make Parshaad to get Guru Ji’s blessings. They also eat special food such as sweet, yellow rice, jalaibies, and poori chholay.

Visakhi Mela: Many people organize Visakhi Melas where young people perform energetic bhangra and giddha dances. The melas have rides for kids. There may be horse riding, gatka and other performances by Nihang Singhs in the melas.

Visakhi in Gurdwaras: Many Sikh families visit Gurdwaras to express gratitude to God for the good harvest. Special celebrations happen on this day. Special Kirtan Darbars are organized. Most Gurdwaras rewrap the Nishan Sahib, the Khalsa Flag in front of all Gurdwaras in kesari fabric.

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 13 A sewadaar climbs up the pole to fly the new flag as well as wrap the Nishan Sahib pole in new fabric. Jaikaras are said in the loudest voices by the Sangat. “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!” fills the sky.

Amrit Sanchaar ceremonies encourage many Sikhs to take Amrit and become Khalsas. Panj Piaray prepare the Amrit. Many Sikhs sign up to take Amrit. They get the Panj Kakaars so that they come ready to Gurdwara to take Amrit. Special Langar sewas are performed in all Gurdwaras.

Many Gurdwaras also organize processions to celebrate that day. People dress ups in Khalsa colors of white, blue and orange. They hold Khalsa Nishan Sahib in their hands. Many young people perform gatka in front of the procession. Guru Granth Sahib sits on a decorated paalki inside a decorated float. Raagies sing shabad Kirtan of special Shabads for Visakhi. (This year there is no Amrit Sanchar in Gurdwaras because of Corona virus. Hopefully those who wish to take Amrit will be able to take is when we are all safe once again. )

Visakhi indeed is a fun festival for all Sikhs and for most of the Punjabis in India and everywhere else in the world.

Visakhi Acitivites 2020 © by Pushpinder Kaur 2020 (pictures may have copyrights by the artists) 14 Visakhi Art Ideas On the following pages there are a number of fun and learning activities. Do as many as you can. You can do many variations of the same activity- for example, you can use the dolls with frame to copy/write poems, messages, Khalsa Kids Pledge etc. You can also color the dolls in many ways. You can add a dastar or a turban on these dolls. Have fun while you get smart about Visakhi. Sikh Dolls with Khalsa Pledge Nihang Singh Coloring Sheets Find the differences in two pictures 5 Ks Pyramid Visakhi Pyramid Blank Pyramid Template Panj Kakaar Book Greeting Card Khalsa Kids Pledge Palki Sahib

 by Pushpinder Kaur

1. Why did Guru Gobind Singh Ji create Khalsa? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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2. What are the Five K’s of the Khalsa? What does each one mean to you? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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3. Why do Sikhs not cut their hair? Why is hair so important?

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4. Many Sikh children are teased in schools because of their long hair. What do you think Sikhs can tell the children in the classes to help their classmates understand about the importance of long hair and the Sikh identity? Please send your ideas to- [email protected]. We can make a short book to send to all schools.

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