Mata Gujri Ji Mata Gujri ji, wife of the 9thSikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadurji, and mother of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji, is an inspirational figure in the Sikh history who faced many challenging circumstances. Mata Gujri was the daughter of Bhailal Chand Subulikka and BishanKaur, a pious couple of Kartarpur.She married (Guru) Tegh Bahadur on February 4th1633.After Tegh BahadurJi was installed as Guru in 1664, he went with his mother Nanaki, and his wife Gujri to Patna. Mata Gujri gave birth to a son on December 22nd 1666 in Patna. The child was named GobindRai, the illustrious Guru Gobind Singh. Guru TeghBahadur returned to Patna in 1670 for a brief stay before he left for Delhi, instructing the family to proceed to Lakhnaur, now in Haryana. July 11th, 1675 was a momentous day in Sikh history when Guru Tegh Bahadur left for Delhi prepared to make the supreme sacrifice. Mata Gujri showed courage at the time of parting and bore the ultimate trial with fortitude. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi on November 11th1675. Guru Gobind Singh was young. The responsibility of managing the affairs at Chakk Nanaki, initially, fell on Mata Gujri. When in face of a prolonged siege by hostile hill rajas and Mughal troops,Guru Gobind Singh had to evacuate Chakk Nanaki (Anandpur) on the night of December 5-6th,1705.Mata Gujri with her grandsons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, aged nine and seven years respectively, were separated from the main group while crossing the rivulet Sarsa. Mata Gujri and her grandsons were arrested on December 8th, and confined in Sirhind Fort in what is referred to in Sikh chronicles as ThandaBurj, the cold tower. As the children were summoned to appear in court from day to day, the grandmother kept urging them to remain steadfast in their faith. On December 11th, they were ordered to be bricked up alive in a wall, but, since the masonry crumbled before it covered their heads, they were executed the following day. Mata Gujri jiwas imprisoned on top of a tower which was opened from all sides without any warm clothes in the month of December. She continued the tradition of Sikhism and without complaints gave her life singing Guru kiBani. 1 Mata Gujri jiattained martyrdom the same day as her grandsons, and became the first woman martyr in Sikh history. She is also distinguished by being the wife of a martyr (Guru Tegh Bahadur), mother of a martyr (Guru Gobind Singh), grandmother of four martyr Sahibzadas (Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh, and Fateh Singh), sister of a martyr Kirpal Chand and aunt of five martyr sons of BibiViro, sister of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The word “Stree” originates from Sanskrit and means “expansion.” In a physical sense women expand by being mothers. In a spiritual sense, women give their children the ideals and values to live by; they nurture a sense of security; and they have the power to construct or destroy their families and their generations to come. So, it is only pertinent to say that Mata Gujri was a “PuranStree” in both the physical and spiritual realms. Of Mothers in the world, Many sparkle but one shines Your glory unmatched, your legacy divine. Mata Gujri Jeeo… You served him in meditation, Loved him in despair Your husband: the Saint of martyrs. Mata Gujri Jeeo … You birthed King of kings, Raised him extraordinaire Without his father since he was nine. Mata Gujri Jeeo … Walking the path of death, You gave us new life Courage undying, Conviction unwavering Direction to motherhood,Womanhood and sainthood Your path I shall ever trace, O Mother Sublime. Mata Gujri Jeeo … *** `Little girls with dreams become women with vision.’ 2 From The Warden’s Desk……. Dear student, With great pleasure, I welcome you to Mata Gujri Hostel.With years of experience of handling the responsibility at the Mata Gujri hostel, I realisea few interesting things during the admission time. Among the new comers, there are some students who walk in with reluctance.Well, it is but natural. The new comers miss their families and friends at home. Gradually, they develop affection for their hostelfriends, rooms, and the college campus. As you are about to start a new phase of your life, you are going to learn to be responsible and independent which will build up confidence,team spirit and discipline in facing challenges and pressures of the world.MGH is a well-knit family where you will create memories you will cherish forever. I am sure that you are going to discover yourself in every step of your new journey with the support and guidance from the hostel staff. Welcome to MGH Family. I wish you a pleasant stay! With warm wishes and greetings! Capt. Nalini Mehrishi 3 INTRODUCTION Learning spaces are nurturing spaces Mata Gujri Girl’s hostel provides comfortable A/C & Non- AC accommodation for 600 girls with separate provisions for both under graduate and post graduate students. It is managed by qualified and competent staff, whose endeavor is to make students lead a simple life with high moral values. The homespun environment in the hostel helps in inculcating the spirit of great achievements among the students. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS In general, the climate in Dehradun is moderate. The period from about middle ofNovember to February is the cold season. The hot season, which follows, continues till about the end of June. The monsoon season is from July to 3rd week of September. In summers the temperature goes upto 36°C and minimum 16°C and whereas in winters maximum is 23°C and minimum is 5°C. The winds are mostly from directions between southwest and northwest throughout the year except in October and November. The neighboring view of Himalayan ranges, the abundances of trees, the florid blossom and chatter of myriad birds enhance the joy of living in the natural beauty.The environment designed at Mata Gujri Hostel has a major influence in building smarter brains! FACILITIES General: Good care of the hostellers is taken in every sphere, laying emphasis on the all roundpersonality development. The residents of the hostel live together as a family and all the festivals are celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm. Every hosteller is provided with a cot, table, chair and an inbuilt cupboard.To ensure constructive productivity and to promote team work,cultural and academic events are organized in the hostel quadrangle along with music, theater and fine arts, where a hosteller can actively participate as per her interest. The chapter of SPICMACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth) is a part of the college cultural regime. To ensure healthy interaction, the Fresher’s and Farewell party is organized each year by the hostellers, and is enjoyed by all. 4 Common rooms: The hostel has well maintained, air conditioned common rooms where all the basic amenities for entertainment including LCD TV, music systems etc. are provided. The students have a number of options to unwind and relax when they take a break from studies. Mess: The hostel is equipped with hygienic mess facilities & a well furnished seating accommodation for 250 students at a time. The students are provided with three meals a day & tea time refreshment in the evening. Along with fresh and nutritious healthy food we provide fresh milk and all dairy products from hostel’ dairy to the residents of the hostel. Study Room: There is a well-furnished study room in the hostel premises. Sports: Qualified coaches from National Institutes of Sports impart coaching in volley ball, table tennis, badminton, basketball athletics and yoga. Residents choose the game of their own interest. There is a gymnasium at the hostel premises. Students can avail the gym facility at a fee of Rs 500 per month. Extra-curricular activities: The student is exposed to a plethora of extra curricular activities such as: NCC, floriculture, music, dance, dramatics, elocution and debate competitions to compliment their personality to the fullest. Bank: For the convenience of students, the Institute has set up a service counter of Oriental Bank of Commerce and has an OBC ATM counter that serves transactions from other banks coming under VISA, NFS and MITR as well. Web connectivity The whole institute is completely wi-fienabled, and web connectivity service is available everywhere. The students can avail it for free on their personal laptops. 5 ADMISSION PROCEDURE Hostel is compulsory for all girl students except for the permanent residents of Dehradun. The students should fill the form carefully, in their own handwriting and parents should sign the form after checking all the entries. Presence of parents is a must at the time of admission. ALLOTMENT OF ROOMS The rooms in the hostel are allotted course-wise and in alphabetical order of the name. For instance, student of course 'X' with her name starting with alphabet A will share her room with the girl whose name comes next in the alphabetical order and is of the same course. LEAVE Only the warden has the authority to grant leave from the hostel. The warden may also cancel the leave sanctioned earlier and/or the outings if the concerned student's behavior entails so. If the hosteller has to go home under any special circumstances, she should get permission in written in advance. It has been noticed that some hostellers try to leave the hostel before the actual holidays and return many days after the exact date of reopening of the Institute, thus spoiling the perpetual discipline of the Institute. Therefore, under such circumstances hostellers shall be fined Rs 200/- per day of their absence.