History of Baisakhi

Baisakhi or Vaisakhi Festival is celebrated as the Sikh New Year and the founding of the Khalsa Panth. History of Baisakhi traces its origin from the Baisakhi Day celebrations of 1699 organized by the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh to form Khalsa - Brotherhood of Saint Soldiers to fight against tyranny and oppression.

Story of Baisakhi

The story of Baisakhi Festival began with the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru who was publicly beheaded by the Aurungzeb, the Mughal ruler. Aurungzeb wanted to spread Islam in India and Guru Tegh Bahadur stood up for the rights of Hindus and Sikhs and the Mughals therefore saw him as a threat.

After the death of Guru Teg Bahadur, his son, Guru Gobind Singh became the next Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh wished to instill courage and strength to sacrifice among his fellow men. To fulfil his dream, Guru Gobind Singh called on the historic Baisakhi Day congregation of Sikhs at Keshgarh Sahib near Anandpur on March 30, 1699.

When thousands of people assembled for Guru’s blessing, Guru Gobind Singh came out of the tent carrying an unsheathed sword. He gave a powerful speech to infuse courage amongst fellowmen. At the end of the speech he said that every great deed was preceded by equally great sacrifice and demanded that anyone prepared to give his life come forward. On the Guru’s third call, a young man offered himself. The Guru took the man inside a tent and reappeared alone with a bloodied sword. Guru Gobind Singh asked for another volunteer. This was repeated another four times until a total of five Sikhs had gone into the tent with the Guru. Everyone present was worried and though that Guru Gobind Singh has killed five Sikhs. At this point Guru presented all the five men before the people. Every one present was surprised to see all five men alive and wearing turbans and saffron-coloured garments.

These five men were called Panj Piara or 'Beloved Five' by the Guru. The Guru blessed them with a Pahul ceremony. In an iron vessel, the Guru stirred with a sword called Khanda Sahib, the batasha that his wife, Mata Sundari Ji had put into water. The congregation recited verses from scriptures as the Guru performed the sacred ceremony. The water was now considered the sacred nectar of immortality called amrit. It was first given to the five volunteers, then drunk by the guru and later distributed amongst the crowd. With this ceremony, all those present, irrespective of caste or creed, became members of the Khalsa Pantha (the Order of the Pure ones). 

The Guru regarded the Panch Piaras as the first members of the Khalsa and the embodiment of the Guru himself. With the constitution of the Panj Pyare the high and low castes were amalgamated into one as among the original Panj Pyare, there was one Khatri, shopkeeper; one Jat, farmer; one Chhimba, calico printer; one Ghumar, water-carrier; and one Nai, a barber. The Guru gave the surname of Singh (Lion) to every Sikh and also took the name for himself. From Guru Gobind Rai he became Guru Gobind Singh. This was seen as a great step in national integration because society at that time was divided on the basis of religion, caste and social status. 

Guru Gobind Singh also bestowed on Khalsa, the unique Sikh identity. He directed Sikhs to wear five K's: Kesh or long hair, Kangha or comb, Kripan or dagger, Kachha or shorts and a Kara or bracelet. Guru Gobind Singh also discontinued the tradition of Gurus and asked all Sikhs to accept the Grantha Sahib as their eternal guide. He urged them to come to him with their hair and beard unshorn to get baptized by the sword. 

Source: www.baisakhifestival.com

A FINAL TOSS-UP BETWEEN FAMILIER FOES

A FINAL TOSS-UP BETWEEN FAMILIAR FOES

FINAL: INDIA vs. SRI LANKA

Having played so often in the recent past, these two teams know each other at the back of their hands. But this time, glory is at stake and the World T-20 title is waiting to be crowned to its rightful owners. On one hand, there is a team which fared better against Sri Lanka, when it came to the finals of 50-over format in 2011, but it does not guarantee success and by no means can Indian team be complacent about historical facts. To brief up about the much dreaded opposition, SL possess the most lethal players, packaged into one unit, having a mix of stalwarts and the rookies, who are gearing up to pounce onto any opportunity available.  The team would want to bid a pleasant farewell to their legends, M. Jayawardene and K. Sangakkara, for both of whom this would be the last match before retirement in the shortest format of the game at the international stage. A tense battle is on the cards, holding onto the high-riding emotions at this juncture of the tournament is the need of the hour.

Here are certain dynamics that would help you choose your pick for the much awaited finale:-

INDIA

Strengths:

The biggest positive coming out of this World Cup T20 has been the form of the spinners in R. Ashwin and A. Mishra, while the former rattles the top order of the opposition during the powerplay overs, the latter does the clean-up job in middle-overs. Two man-of-the-match awards to each of them have been indicative of their success. Also, one can never undermine the contribution of the Mr. consistent V. Kohli, who has solely carried the weight of the top order on his trust-worthy shoulders. Needless to say, India has the advantage of winning the big finals in the last decade or so.

Weaknesses:

The openers have proved to be a real concern for MS. Dhoni’s team thus far, where the set opening order has been obstructed in the form of S. Dhawan, who has been excluded on account of poor form, and the replacement from the two matches being A. Rahane. Although, none of the two have stamped their authority on this crucial position, the way R. Sharma has done.

SRI LANKA

Strengths:

L. Thirimanne has grabbed the opportunity with both hands, which was presented to him on the absence of the squad captain (earlier), D.Chandimal. He has provided the much need stability in the middle-order, in a position which may have been uneasy for him, as his preferred slot is the opening one. The bowlers as always hold the spine of the team and come to the rescue whenever their batsmen’s shortcomings are on display.

Weaknesses:

The team has a resounding record of reaching the finals of the ICC events, which is a phenomenal feat on its own. But unfortunately, the happy go lucky journey stops on the final hurdle for them. This fact is not capable of being termed as a mere coincidence, rather there’s more to it. The root of it is the pressure that gets to them and they let go of their nerves, even from the winning positions. On record, they’ve made it to 4 finals in the last 7 years, without any fortune. So, the jinx of the final remains their primary rival. Plus, the classy left-hander, K. Sangakarra’s form or one could say lack of it with the bat, weakens the foundation of SL’s batting.

Anmol Juneja

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A CLOSE EYE ON THE WT20 SEMI-FINALISTS

SEMI-FINAL 1: WEST INDIES vs. SRI LANKA

The road to the semifinals, for both these teams has been a really Topsy turvy one. They managed to uproot and eliminate the top sides in their respective groups and thereby, reaping the benefits by entering the semifinals. The stage is all set at Dhaka for a gripping battle between the finalists of World T20 2012, where West Indies managed to rob Sri Lanka of the much coveted title. Memories of that match would still be fresh in the minds of both the teams, though, Sri Lanka would most definitely want the result to go in their favor this time around by starting afresh and proving a point to their critics. Predicting the winner of this contest is not a layman’s piece of cake, so here are some dynamics of the two teams, to help you decide for yourself:-

West Indies

Strengths:

 Starting from the top, if a team has C. Gayle and DR. Smith at its disposal in the opening slot, be rest assured the morale of the opposition teams bowlers is automatically deflated. If that is not enough, WI possesses two of the cleanest hitters of the bowl in DJ. Bravo and D. Sammy. On the bowling front, S. Badree and S. Narine dominate the bowling attack with Santokie making a difference with his penetrative approach.

Weaknesses:

 Consistency in the opening order has been a source of concern for the team, with M. Samuels not holding on to the dependable position of No.3, thus, putting a lot of pressure on the lower middle-order. On the bowling front, WI lack the pace bowling sting in their armory, which is more often than not is the most exploited area by the opposition batsmen, inclusion of R. Rampaul in place of A. Russell might be an option.

Sri Lanka

Strengths:

The team has been in Bangladesh since January, giving them an added advantage in relation to coping up with the nature of the pitches and the all-important dew factor, which is playing havoc on the results in the tournament so far. Also, the form of R. Herath and L. Malinga are an opposition’s nightmare. Defending a mere 119 against the Kiwis would have been the optimum amount of boost needed by them when they compete on the big stage.

Weaknesses: 

Captaincy choices have been a real concern for the team as D. Chandimal hasn't proved his worth by any stretch of imagination- low on form plus suspension for a match due to low over-rate, have not helped his cause. Another low point being the inconsistency of stalwarts like K. Sangakkara and T. Dilshan has let them down on many instances.

Anmol Juneja

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*For more news and previews on T20 World Cup stay tuned to  Campus Hub Blog *

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