When I was at college, I was just one of the guys. I drank, smoked, did drugs, played with the girls and I used to love it! I was trying to get the best looking girls and thinking I was the man. I would shave my head every Sunday with a razor and kept my goatee trim for Monday! I would also show off my tattoos to the girls and thought I was Tupac’s brother!
One day, when I was bunking off my lessons as usual at college, one of my mates had kept his Kes (hair) and wore a Dastar (turban). I went up to him, and said “Bruv, what are you doing? You ain’t gonna get the girls like that. Why have you kept your hair and beard?” You see I never had a clue about Sikhi. He said to me “Do you know your Guru?” I just looked at him with a blank face! He then asked me “Do you know your 10 Gurus in order” You know what I said? I shamefully said, “I know the first one! What’s his name again?”
My friend then said to me “Just find out about your Gurus and you will see.” That thought had kept going through my head, I didn’t know why, but it kept ringing in my ears, “Find out about your Gurus and you will see!” So I thought, why not? I know more about Islam and Christianity than my own faith. I went home and picked up a book about the 10 Gurus and couldn’t stop from reading it. I felt so at peace with Guru jee’s teachings I felt like crying with joy.
What I found in Guru jee’s teachings I could find nowhere else, in no other religion. Guru jee was pulling me closer and closer. Guru jee had taught his Sikhs to meditate on God’s Name “Waheguru”, so I thought “Why not and try it?". I went to a Simran (meditation) program, where people of my age engaged in reciting Waheguru’s name and I felt so at peace that I joined in and was touched with love. I could feel Guru jee’s pyar (love). No other buzz I had felt was as good as this neither alcohol, drugs, nothing else!Nothing had beaten this buzz of, Waheguru’s name.
After that I just wanted to get closer to Guru jee, Guru Granth Sahib jee. I took that step and it was the best thing I had ever done. I wanted to know more and more. I was so in love. I read the inspiring stories of the Singhs and Singhnees. I read about the equality between man and woman in Sikhi. Believe! It’s just beautiful!
We just need to take that step towards Guru jee. My step was my friend who kept his Kes and reading simple stories of the Gurus. I took that one step and Guru jee took a thousand steps towards me, with open arms, that I might feel the love of Guru jee.
All I have to say to my brothers and sisters is just take one step towards your Guru; whether it be a book, a simran CD, or just reciting Waheguru with pure love, and you will see! You will see Guru jee taking a thousand steps towards you! Just take ten minutes of your busy schedule to learn about Sikhi. You are the future. You are the future Sikhs. We have to know about our roots. If we stop learning and caring about Sikhi then where will we be in twenty years time?
Guru jee loves you. He is our father. Lets show our father appreciation, do Seva, do Simran, help your brothers and sisters, join in the Sikh society at college or uni, bring your mates along to Sikhi Week events and talks, and help at the Gurdwara.
If I have made any mistakes, please forgive me and I offer my humble apologies.
Waheguru jee Ka Khalsa
Waheguru jee Kee Fateh
A Gursikh of the Panth
