An all Round Free Thinking and Acting Individual, who uses words and music to convey and portray his view of what he feels, see's and experiences in this journey/path we call 'Life'
By combining traditional poetry alongside lyricism, he creates pieces of art, which are both versatile and unique yet clearly differentiate themselves and escape the typical categorisation into any specific genre or style of music or sound.
Having two alias names, he concentrates on music with one name (Lion Rai) and traditional means of poetry and literature with the other name (Saffron Poet.) This helps him to clearly target his audience regarding the two similar but different art forms and allows likeminded individuals to make the choice of looking deeper into what Lion Rai or Saffron Poet has to offer the world of creativity.
He has just completed a Poetry Book available online and soon to be in print, which is funded by himself and is subjected on the Sikh festival of ‘Vaisakhi.’ Explaining what the festival is and can help western born youth and also members of all worldwide faiths, understand Sikhism a bit deeper, so we can all appreciate and interact with each others faiths and ways of life effectively.
Also a graduate Creative Designer, he combines all of his creativity to create works of art, which like-minded audiences can appreciate, and share a smile to.
On his journey of creativity, he has entered and been successful on many lyricist and literature based competitions, including ‘Westwords Asian Lyrics Live’ and just recently won a mentoring scheme competition called ‘Flight’ held by the well known London ‘Spread The Word’ literature development association.
He also partakes in various mix audience poetry and open mic events and has previously been guest invited to speak at The Main London Events of:
‘Love Poetry Hate Racism’ held at Whitechapel and
‘The London Anti-Gun Crime Event’ held at Kings Cross earlier this year.
Being an active member of the online community of ‘myspace.com’ he has made some great friends all over the world, and by reading the comments you can see clearly how people have reacted to his words, sound and whole feel/vibe.
www.myspace.com/lionrai
www.myspace.com/lionri
www.myspace.com/saffronpoet
Vaisakhi Poetry Book by Gurpreet Singh Rai aka Saffron Poet
Copyright © 2007 Gurpreet Singh Rai
All material in this blog has been fully protected and copyrighted.
All rights reserved with the author. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, in any form or by any means, electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
1. Gifts from Our Gurus
2. One Power
3. Way of Life
4. The Growing Fruit
5. Flowing
6. Month of Vaisakh
7. Witnessed
8. Birth of Khalsa
9. Empowerment
10. The Five Kakaars
11. Energy
12. The Turban
13. Lion and Princess
14. Elevation
15. Mata Sahib Kaur Ji
16. Hail Hail Guru Gobind Singh Ji
17. A Collective Nation
18. Everyday
1.Gifts from Our *Guru’s
The Gurus gave us Many Beautiful gifts:
Guru Nanak Dev Ji shared with us Humility and Hope,
Guru Angad Dev Ji gave us Obedience and Seva,
Guru Amar Das Ji made us understand Equality and Realisation,
Guru Ram Das Ji gave us Service and Unity,
Guru Arjan Dev Ji taught us about Self Sacrifice and Forgiveness,
Guru Hargobind Ji shared with us Justice and Balance in life,
Guru Har Rai Ji taught us about Mercy and Compassion,
Guru Har Krishan Ji showed us Purity and Love,
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji taught us about Tranquility and Sacrifice,
Guru Guru Gobind Singh Ji blessed us with Courage and Discipline,
**Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (eternal) shows us the direction and the path to this journey,
The ***Khalsa Panth (1699 - eternal) a new nation for now and the eternal future,
Accept these beautiful gifts with open arms and hearts and be happy forever…
* Gu-ru: A person that takes one from Darkness (Gu) into the light (Ru)
** Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji: The Sikh Holy Scriptures and Eternal Guru for the Sikhs
*** Khalsa Panth: The initiated way of living
2.One Power
One Supreme, One Dream,
Members of one universal team,
Find and understand your self-esteem,
Understand the reasons and causes for any regime,
Keep the balance in oneself, no need for any acts of extreme,
One mother, one father, many brothers, many sisters,
Keep your eye, mind and heart open,
For there are still many others,
Stay close to the ‘One Supreme’
We are all members of One Universal Team.
3.Way of Life
The Sikh ‘way of life’ began 500 years ago with Guru Nanak Dev Ji,
From his surrounding practices,
He felt he needed to break loose and become truly free,
He began a new ‘way of life’, it had no name,
Being true to one-self was its true aim,
On the cold evening, it was like the heat from the warm flame,
From an accountant working in a granary,
A wise man to the people Guru Nanak Dev Ji became,
Under the light of God ‘We are all the Same,’
We all have a voice, but still for some strange reason?
In spite of our own ability, we let a few control, dominate and plunder our lives,
When will we truly - mentally, physically and spiritually thrive?
Lets create and share the beautiful knowledge,
The knowledge does not want to hide.
4.The Growing Fruit
*A Khalsa is like a growing sweet fruit,
As time continues,
A Khalsa can grow and grow,
And have enough nutrients,
To release its own seed,
To cater for his or her own needs,
And for the offspring, be able to guide and fully feed,
To teach them not to fall into the bitter classifications of caste, creed or breed,
Instead to love all, and be present when a friend is in need,
Be the antiseptic resource, when a wound has no choice but to bleed,
To be the voice of those who can’t speak, and the eyes of those who can’t read,
To be the one, of truly great deeds, to listen carefully and hear those silent pleas,
To that lost connection, as a Khalsa, you have come to mend,
To a stranger, as a Khalsa, you are a true friend.
5.Flowing
Just like the river flows,
And life forms grow,
From a bulb into a beautiful bright scented rose,
Touch it with your hand, see it with your eye,
And smell the aroma with your nose,
Let’s continue the growing process,
Let’s continue all as friends, we have no foes,
We didn’t have to choose this journey, this journey already chose,
So lets smile from inside and discover where it leads,
Happiness, excitement, peace and tranquillity,
Who knows!
Lets continue the journey and see where this path goes…
6.The Month of *Vaisakh
A time of feast and celebration,
In the land of five rivers, the land of the amazing creations,
‘Mother Earth’s’ crop rotation,
To the human hand, from her, a beautiful dedication,
Of giving and taking, an amazing demonstration,
For the human eye and heart, a time of graceful appreciation,
A time where there is no meaning of man made discrimination,
But a time of determination, on the journey of motivation,
Between man and land, a true understanding,
And of respect, a blissful declaration,
On this beautiful moment, for these crops and these hands,
This is the current destination,
And of the grown seed and the grown human,
An understanding and a gesture of realisation,
Of how the beautiful Land of Five Rivers,
Provide such a beautiful inspiration,
For us to follow in these footsteps,
And take part in a seeds plantation,
Of a flourishing and blossoming future,
We shall begin the initial foundation.
* Vaisakh: The Sikh New Year
7.Witnessed
What the world had witnessed on Vaisakhi 1699,
Was a Nation: proclaiming itself,
And enhancing its health,
Guru Gobind Singh Ji was extremely charismatic,
As he was forming a Nation known as truly democratic,
A Nation, which had a true belonging, a true part in a civilisation,
Through the hearts and minds of the people, an amazing feeling of ‘ecstatic’
A Nation promoting true equality, the true example of ‘egalitarian’
A Nation so true, ask any historian,
A truly caring and sharing society,
The most highly remembered act of true propriety,
A Nation free from oppression, and from individual rulers,
A Nation full of Givers,
A true Nation from The Land of The Five Rivers.
8.Birth of Khalsa
1699 was the time,
When the 10th Guru Gobind Singh Ji,
Called upon five beloved ones,
One by one, five praisable men stepped up,
Offering their heads, they detached to re-attach, to re-create,
And made faith and commitment their wife.
To this day they we remember them as the 'Five Beloved Ones'
The ‘Five Beloved Ones’ that sacrificed themselves for their Guru,
The ‘Five Beloved Ones’ who were a representation of the people,
And by this, they showed a beautiful gesture of unity,
In the Land of Five Rivers, a beautiful community,
And by this brave act, they got blessed with forever immunity,
Close your eyes, and have a true moment of true contemplation,
As they still walk with courage, love and determination,
They still walk side by side with the Khalsa Panth, Collective and Nation,
The Khalsa will continue to persevere,
Through acts and deeds of great nature and culture,
The Khalsa openly give and volunteer,
The original memory of the great ‘republic’ is still so clear and sincere.
9.Empowerment
Guru Gobind Singh Ji with the sweet nectar empowered us,
He gave us the choice to think, act and implement on our own actions,
To conquer these worldly distractions,
And be prepared and ready for every reaction,
To abolish divisions and work together as a complete whole fraction,
To do such great deeds, that the future will continue in its satisfaction,
To focus and admit that you too have applied effort and tried,
Be who you really are, there’s no need to deny and hide,
Stay away from ego, vanity and pride,
Enjoy, relax and appreciate life and take it in your stride,
Be a ‘Sikh’ and also a member of the universal society known as ‘Worldwide’
Build bridges and successful communications for peace, harmony and unity
Who are we to hate and divide!
Find the truth from within and display it through your actions outside.
10.The Five *Kakkaar’s
My **Kara symbolises my connection to freedom and the truth,
From when I was a youth,
My ***Kangha is like the ‘gardener’ who turns my ‘forest’ into a beautiful ‘garden’
My Kangha allows me to look and feel like my ancestors and re-connect with my Guru’s,
My Kangha keeps my hair clean and in shape, and material exploitation escape,
My ****Kachera has been stitched and has a form and function,
It is a part of my uniform of activity,
My Kachera symbolises my commitment and purity,
And my sincerity to chastity,
My *****Kirpan is the restorer and protector of my dignity and way of life,
My Kirpan is the protector of my ‘garden’, my ‘habitat’ and my ‘community’
My Kirpan symbolises my commitment and responsibility to defend the Truth,
Being all of the creators children, from grown up men and women, to youth.
My ******Kes is a gift from the great creator and a reminder that I am also a part of nature,
Why should I turn down such a beautiful gift of nature?
My Kes is my reminder of my responsibility to the environment,
I’m not here to destroy, but instead here to peacefully enjoy and create,
Why should I turn down such a gift of nature, and violate and desecrate?
* Kakkaars: The five symbols/gifts given by the 10th Guru to the initiated Sikhs
** Kara: An iron bracelet
*** Kangha: A small wooden comb
**** Kachera: Loose undergarments
***** Kirpan: A small dagger
****** Kes: Naturally grown hair
11.Energy
My Kes allows me to focus my energy,
My Kes allows me to channel my positive strength and feel a connection,
Achieving an inner state of satisfaction,
Keeping me focused and away from means of distraction,
Bringing me closer to the truth, with a warm touch,
Whilst also protecting my neurological system and my electromagnetic field,
My daily tied Turban, is my Inner temples shield,
When I tie my Turban daily,
The truth is bit-by-bit revealed,
And my wounds and weaknesses are also bit by bit healed,
For under my Turban, my neatly presented ‘Garden’ is concealed.
12.The Turban
In the crowds of the world, I stand out,
I have respect, love and appreciation for the Khalsa,
And have been given this Turban,
To show I too am free, independent, noble and a sovereign,
And have been blessed with great name of ‘*Singh’
My hair concealed within my Turban, breaks free my chains and gives me the energy,
And gives me the power of a lion and the focused glide of the white falcons wing,
My Turban grants me my own capacity to further my understanding,
My thoughts and my deep knowledge are now expanding,
From learning to sit and crawl, I am now proudly standing,
Distinguishing a self quality and motivation,
Known as truly outstanding.
*Singh: The name given to all initiated males, which means: Lion
13. Lion and Princess
I am a Lion, I am a Singh,
My Guru has empowered me with such a symbol,
He has shown me my path and has revealed my aim,
He has taught me we are all one; we are all the same,
We show respect to all and never inflict shame,
We never get absorbed by greed, exploitation, domination, glory or fame,
We live a life without material attachment,
We live a life some would call plain,
Which is attaching, detaching and re-attaching,
I am Singh, you see me from a far with my open flowing mane.
I am a Princess, I am a *Kaur,
My Guru has empowered me with such a symbol,
Of the Divine, I am the Princess,
My Guru has given me the equal-ness,
In this beautiful name, we have all been blessed,
In all the bright colours, we shall all dress,
And do deeds so high, our own hearts we shall impress,
Teach the world about truth and reality,
And continue the road to progress,
Through your words, actions and thoughts,
Show the bright colours, and truly express.
* Kaur: The name given to all initiated females, which means: Princess
14.Elevation
When I meditate and am able to taste the sweet nectar,
I focus, concentrate and elevate my mind
And allow my deep inner thoughts to enter,
Working in collaboration with my thoughts,
Like a wise trusted personal mentor,
I tie my Turban daily and it covers the 26 parts of my brain,
Allowing me to understand and the truth attain,
Like a wise man once said ‘The answers to your thoughts, you already contain’
Through the practice of self realisation,
Everything can be truly obtained,
Many meanings can be explained,
And many lessons can be gained,
While many thoughts by many others are truly entertained.
15. Mata Sahib Kaur Ji
Guru Gobind Singh Ji is the father of the Khalsa,
Mata Sahib Kaur Ji of the Great Khalsa is the mother,
She’s the hand, which fits the Khalsa glove,
Giving the Khalsa, her unconditional love,
She’s the feeling, which takes over your heart,
Like when you see above a beautiful flying white dove,
With a soft touch of guidance and equality like no other,
Assisting the minds of the Khalsa to work as one,
She added the sweetness into the Nectar and Guru Gobind Singh Ji added spiritual power
The battle of pride and ego was defeated and victoriously won,
Her bright smile, visible like a ray from the great sun,
She was there adding the sweetness to the nectar when the Great Khalsa Movement had begun.
16. Hail Hail Guru Gobind Singh Ji
To the hearts of the masses, such a great Guru,
To the battle field, such a great victorious warrior,
On the journey, such a great guider,
To this world, such a great inspirational man,
To all his children, such a great father,
To the Khalsa, such a great leader,
16. Hail Hail Guru Gobind Singh Ji
The Rider Of The Blue Horse, ‘Neelay Ghoray Teh Swaar’
The Keeper Of The White Falcon, ‘Chittay Baaja Wala’
The True King, ‘Sachey Patshah’
The King Of All Kings, ‘Shah–Eh–Shehanshah’
The Wearer Of The True Crest, ‘Kalgiya Waleh Patshah’
The Tenth Great One, ‘Dasam Pitah’
The Father Of All Fathers, ‘Dashmesh Pittaa’
The Great Sacrificing Saint, ‘Badshaah Darvesh’
The True Creator Of The Khalsa, ‘Panth De Wali’
The True Family Giver and Sacrificer, ‘Sarbans Daanee’
The True Saint Soldier, ‘Sant Sipahee’
The True Father of The People, ‘Jagat Pittaa’
A Great Writer And Poet, Maha Kavee’
17. A Collective Nation
Vaisakhi 1699 was an important day in Sikh history,
To many, this important days meaning is still a mystery,
But through these fragrant words,
A rising of the mind will take place, like those colourful distant flying birds,
Guru Gobind Singh Ji on this day,
Called his followers to meet on the hilltops of *Anandpur Sahib,
They met on the hilltops, as this was the safest place,
From attacks from the foreign imperial **Mughal forces,
The great mountains provided a place for the Guru,
His warriors and his great horses,
The day of Vaisakhi 1699,
After a long lineage of personal Guruships,
Starting with Guru Nanak Dev Ji
And culminating in the tenth, Guru Gobind Singh Ji,
We witnessed the end of this lineage,
Through the transfer of spiritual power through the sweet nectar,
From the divine Guru to the great people,
This transfer represented and showed we are all a ‘collective nation’
We are all the ‘great creators creation,’
From Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s spiritual seed, we are the formation,
From Guru Nanak’s tiny Sangat flowered ‘The Mighty Khalsa’
‘The Sovereign Nation,’
We are the result of his original beautiful plantation,
As a collective nation, we shall continue the concepts of compassion,
As a collective nation, we are a congregation,
To the great creator, we show our dedication,
As the creator lives in you and also lives in the creation,
Think about your words and actions,
And meditate on the great creator to obtain a blissful beautiful levitation,
Living together with Mother Earth, we do not know the meaning isolation,
Through our own actions, we gain true realisation,
In this journey we call ‘life’,
Our soul’s transportation,
Working as a part of creation,
This is the true act of collaboration,
Deleting the meaning of discrimination,
In your own words state the truth,
And for the minds and hearts of this world,
Provide a beautiful interpretation.
* Anandpur Sahib: A place in Hariana, India
** Mughal forces: Muslim Army
18. Everyday
Everyday is a Celebration of Vaisakhi
Everyday the Guru’s are remembered,
Everyday the Khalsa shall dress in bright colours
Everyday the 5 Kakaars are worn!
Everyday the Khalsa recite the five bani’s, (sacred compositions)
Everyday Guru Ka Langar (Free community meal) is prepared,
Everyday Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is close to the heart of the Khalsa,
Everyday the heart, soul and mind take part in the procession,
Everyday the lips taste the sweetness of the nectar,
Everyday pride, ego and material attachments are sacrificed,
Everyday the Khalsa grows and flourishes,
Everyday is a Celebration of Vaisakhi
A special Thank You to YOU for reading my art and also a very special Thankyou to:
Umrao Singh and Baldish Kaur
Ajit Singh and Neal Singh (Desi Radio)
Swornpreet Singh, Amritpal Singh, Rattan Singh, Chamandeep Singh, Jaspal Singh, Jatinder Singh
Harpreet Kaur, Kamaljit Kaur, Helen Kaur and Palvi Kaur, Harkiret Kaur
When I see those like-minded focused eyes,
We share big hugs,
To my soul, it’s like a surprise,
Because when two minds feel the same about a subject,
That’s what I call a true connect,
A simple glance, shows how we truly feel and reflect,
Though my humble words, I present this gesture of appreciation and respectâ€
Gurpreet Singh Rai aka Saffron Poet aka Lion Rai ©
