Columnists

Ravinder currently lives in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. and has an abiding interest in expressing Gurbani in the English idiom. He is the Founder and Convenor of our weekly Talking Stick Colloquium.

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

Self-examination requires courage. Many of us avoid looking at ourselves because of fear - fear of what might be revealed. It is much more comfortable to live in the cocoon of an inherited belief system.

Conquer The Mind ... And You Have Conquered The World
The Talking Stick Colloquium # 71 Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

The passage this week is from Guru Nanak and describes the munn as having a dual nature.

Reincarnation ... or Serpents Of The Mind:
The Talking Stick Colloquium # 70 Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

Could it be that what reincarnates (or moves on) are our accumulated habits and unfulfilled desires - looking to play out in another form?

The Dark Night of Separation:
The Talking Stick Colloquium # 69 Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

Losing one's appetite or even a diminished interest in food is viewed as a symptom of a deeper physical illness ... And so it is in matters of the spirit ... How then do we restore our spiritual health?

The Sikhs In Britain A Book Review by RAVINDER SINGH

Sikhs have never “adopted a strategy of lying low, even in the face of negative reactions from their peers. Rather, they have built on this and turned it into one of their strengths ..."

Still On The Unbeaten Path:
The Talking Stick Colloquium # 68 Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

Guru Nanak’s stress on dharam is very consequential. It is a caution against sectarianism and its consequences that he witnessed (and we continue to, to this day).

The Counterfeit Coin by JASWANT SINGH NEKI
Translated from Punjabi by RAVINDER SINGH

One day, as I was returning home from school, with my school bag tucked under my arm, I was approached by a Muslim faqir. “Son, feed an old man, won’t you?” he said, looking at me.

Off The Beaten Path:
The Talking Stick Colloquium # 67 Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

Religious traditions, like different paths, have clear, identified boundaries, a familiar landscape and a known destination. But they are separated from each other by ritual, dogma and belief.

The Real Deal
The Sacha Sauda Bookstore by RAVINDER SINGH

The entrance to Sacha Sauda is like entering a gurdwara - no footwear is allowed, and heads need to be covered inside, out of deference to the Guru Granth Sahib within and other Sikhi/ gurbani related artifacts.

Remembering Nanak, The Guru
The Talking Stick Colloquium # 66 by RAVINDER SINGH

He invested the conventions, language, concepts, terms, and poetic forms from the tradition of his birth, with new meaning by providing a new context, thus transcending his inheritance.