Chapter 1 Three Worlds Meet Test Pdf: Fill & Download for Free

My strategy( I KNOW YOU ASKED JUST MAINS, BUT I HAVE RESPONDED FOR ALL THREE, so that many messages in my inbox can get it all in one place. I don't say it's a perfect stratergy and it will 10000% work for everyone, but even if it serves one person in achieving his/her dream then my purpose is served).Few basic pointsI dont read line to line.I cant cram much. ( my short term memory is really very short and long term memory is lost for long term, so I try to revise fast and be specific during revisions)I cant sit in stretch for days ( i need breaks, episodes from tv series like two and a half men, friends have saved my mental peace)Disclaimer : I don't advice you to watch TV series, we all have our escapes this was mineI covered broad areas and avoided doing phd in any one topicI am fan of flowcharts and diagrams and tried my best to use themI practiced world map, south Asia map, india map, central Asia map etc for rough ideaprep strategyPrepared mains and pre together.Only pre was focussed from April 1.Interview was focussed only after mains.Prelims-History -•i read ncerts properly and highlighted potential mcqs from them ( ncert11/12)•insight prelims booster(balyan sir book available in market too) - cannot cram whole.. So maximum number of tables were crammed. ( made mnemonics for almost everything so if you want I can upload the same) you can all have your own sources.Had a chart of all historical events (available in market) ( if you want I will attach the pic)Geography: 11/12 ncerts and some topics from mrunal ( all the videos were scrolled at 2x speed)(for main _ selected topics from gc leong- if you want I will upload the list)PolityLaxmikant by heart ( as many times you can read)I had a chart of Constitution. ( if you want I can attach it)Economics - mrunal sir videos on youTubeEnvironment:Selected topics from shankar ias, selected videos from mrunal and factual info from wikepedia.Science and tech -Any coaching institute notes for basic science.Current affairs -•Pt365 by heart. Line to line word to word.•Daily current mcqs by insights on india( they are compiled monthly in to booklets of 80-90 pages per month) and are available in any shop•Pib- cabinet meetings (add extra factual information in your own pt)•I had read pt365 of previous year during my first attempt. ( so i tore the index pages from previous year.. Wrote one line regarding each page on the index as to why it was in news and then stapled them to present year pt 365)•Onlyias prelims booster discussion daily ( 15 min daily you tube videos, watch at 2x speed)I always took screenshots from online lecture videos of any relevant information and created a folder for the same in my mobile. Every night I scrutinised those screenshots and important ones to be revised on last day were marked as favourites and rest which were added to pt/ mains and the ones not required were deleted.. Similar was the story with quotes for essays.•Budget summary and niti aayog three year agenda from vajiram yellow book ( pdf is available online)•Could not do India Year Book. As per cost benefit analysis time would have been used more.•Economic survey not relevant for this year as its not there.•Government ministries summary report of one year. (GsScore most probably) Read it. It's around 90 pages.i dont remember I think gs score gives it, pdf is available online. Don't cram but if you read you will feel confident.•Shankar ias (ias parliament) launches reports and indices booklets every year and also of international organisations. They both are hardly 50pages each and can be done in half a day. Cram specially which organisation releases which report. Upsc usually doesn't ask the rank but it definitely asks the organisation releasing report. It's a long list and can't be prepared in one day. Cram 20 each day and learn with your friend..Sab ka mnemonic ban jata h a to z. If you want.. I can make a video on my mnemonics ASAP.Organisation k members headquarters, India signatory h ya ni.. Last meeting and founding yearMcqs.1. Do previous years very sincerely. Make a diary and note down all the options of questions and you will find repetition at many places to in type of questions and also questions. Cover all the noted down topics.2.Mcqs - any two test series questions at home ( don't have time then I think 15 - 15 from each are enough) I did insights and vision. ( available in market.)Strategy in prelims.Score was not that great (105.34) but anyways my strategy was that I knew my error rate while attempting previous years. So I knew I have to attempt as much as possible. I did not attempt only those questions where I had no idea of any of the options or risk as very wrong.I attempted near about 85 questions.In first attempt i attempted hardly 70 questions and ended up missing the line. So I think you must try to attempt at least in 80s as no matter how tough the exam gets. Chances of cutoff falling very low in upsc are very low. Please see the change in previous years specially past 2 years. 3 years back it was totally current affair dominated. Past two years., paper has become a bit complex.Mains :After wasting a month crying about positive negative of result snd getting result as positive I realised I am in a mess. Alternate days for optional and gs and weekend half day for essay etc. Was tried.. My study buddies were shashi ranjan for prelims, sahil singh for mains and rest of the time ahead and Dr Rachna singh (my senior and bro like bro for rest of life) for optional:) we seriously sticked to studies and when I say seriously I mean no gossips. And of course.. Special thanks to Ishani Lohchab my childhood bestie for last minute gyan floods on topics of optional especially pharmacology. ☺☺☺For gs 1-4 I have read mains 365 of visionOther specifics1. Gs 1 - history from balyan sir notesSocial issues _ certain pdfs are available on mrunal website.( I can post the link for the same)I made handwritten notes compiling from best sources on net as well as mrunal and collected fodder ( by checking against topics in syllabus list) . Geography was largely done from same sources.. I practiced many diagrams in a blank a4 sized register with pen itself .. For eg, if question is on earthquake these three diagrams are to be made.. If it's on cyclone then these.. ( if you want I can upload certain pdfs of my rough notes online)Gs _2 polity notes of m puri and siddiqui sir ( available again anywhere) were done thoroughly. International relations.. Country specific markings were done on world map ( it became messy but I liked it because all the masala and relevant points of India and neighbourhood could be revised from one political map of India itself ) that if question comes regarding India maldives these ten points must be highlighted. Revised economic survey summary.. ( it's one of the best) It helped in all 4 papers in its own way.Gs_3 other than older sources, I saw the syllabus and saw many topics which were not covered thoroughly anywhere.. Collected there fodder from mrunal pdfs, govt websites and wikipedia.. Please do check syllabus here as for each word mentioned you must have quality content of at least three pages.Gs_4 prepared ethics in a week time. Read it first time there and then.Mrunal pdfs for basic knowledge about terms. Case studies are also good. Got photostated lukmaan ias notes and read them.2nd a. R. C. Every chapter has quotes.. And chapter 4 is great as it has some great material on probity in governance. So quotes in introductory mention were jotted down and also certain diagrams examples were beirfly copied.. It was a cursory reading so whatever I could get I copied. For famous personalities. .. I noted which ones are to be studied and wrote down two pages each about them in rough handwriting from wikipedia and mrunal again nd how I can use them. Certain theories were applied in many case studies for clear picture. We can discuss these in any length you guys want.Essay _had very high expectations so did my test series mentors but anyways at times upsc is unpredictable and whatever comes we should accept it with a big smile. I scored 115 in it.I love reading stories, books, I love observing things around me and then I use them as an example or story..Choose essay topics wisely.. I chose poverty ( most common) and customary morality( I guess here my essay might have become a bit of controversial..but these are guesses and what matters is score..( won't mention much because of my score(115).. For more details you guys can see my written answers in forum ias test series)Optional_Medical science.I left 60 marks paper blank due to Mismanaged time..Will discuss it in separate postStrategy in mains _It was race against time for me. I had never completed a single paper in my forumias test series and always completed in 3.30 hours or so.I wrote the fastest. Completed all the papers though could not underline but I guess upsc rewards for content so could score fairly in gs. Two coloured pens could obviously not be used because of time issue.. Used pilot pen.. Used pencils and colors in one or two diagrams like magma plume, ashghabad agreent map etcI did not leave a single question blank. Whether I knew it or not, I wrote it. I knew only factual five Points about chaitanya mahaprabhu ( that too prelims specific) yet I wrote 1 page on it. Similar was with bose Einstein condensate. Ethics gets very lengthy and writing became what we all doctors are famous for.. They were scribbles and bad hand writing. I approached case studies first.In between exam:Please don't waste time crying about how your previous paper went. I missed 60 marker in paper 1 of optional so I was all crying in the time in between and next paper itself. Irony is in both exams I scored 138. So we really cannot judge the attempt in mains. Just because some shit happened in some paper please don't let your next paper be ruined. Learn from my mistake rather than commiting blunder yourself.In evenings between exams, things used to become stressful, but it's for everyone. Please don't spend time discussing the paper at home with friends.. Here also I wasted time. Sleep at max by 1.30 no matter how much your brain wants to read more.Do reach centre at time, the schools don't allow late entry and it unnecessarily shoots adrenaline and increases stress.Check your pens, documents to carry etc before hand. Carry your water bottles if it's allowed.If sun light is irritating you in any sense don't feel awkward and ask them to cover the window. It happened with me on day one, couldn't be arranged so I carried chunni the next day.Most of all, be so confident about yourself that you can and will attempt any question that comes in your way. 100% syllabus is not possible and you just can't do it. Many a times people will say there exam was so nice paper was easy how could you attempt so bad and all.. Please avoid such people and rather block them for exam days. Trust the blessings, your struggle and God's purpose for you. You will succeed, just accept the fact that every step you are taking will lead you to the horizon of your dreams and it will become reality.Interview _This time I knew that in paper 1 of optional I have messed up so even if I don't get good score.. I will aim for 200+ in interview and work on my personality so that I manage to get any service in final list.. ( was expecting at the last)1. Mirror practice2. Discuss and debate things with people3. English speaking is not a greater issue but hesitation in speaking Is.4. Don't take extreme stands or one sided stands on topics like secular fabric of country, reservation or any other controversial issue, try to balance the positive negatives and always give a positive hopeful outlook at the end of your opinion. Don't be fatalist that nothing can be done on this issue. Always give hope. No country is perfect and every step in right direction is great achievement and all we need is to speed up the pace. We the youth are future of rising India and complaining about problems without giving hope and solutions is a futile exercise.Take extreme stand on certain issues like terrorism, drug abuse, women empowerment, dowry, patriarchy, honour killing, female feticide, caste divides, poverty,witch hunting etc, social and health issues.You always don't have to be calm middle path person but you should no where to sway and when to sway from the golden mean and that's in handful of circumstances only.Prepare your detailed application form like a holy book. Word by word in full details.. Please don't over elaborate, do take guidance while filling it. I wrote a lot so had to prepare a lot in depth.We can discuss interview strategy in a seperate post. I read three newspapers a day at this stage.My discussion buddies here were sahil singh( we discussed each conteoversial topic after indepth studies and reached conclusions and how to present them etc. ) and the one who corrected minute details of how I go wrong in mock or how mypace should have been and even more tiny stuff was abhishek phougat.Some extra stuff I didWhenever I used to read a boring or too much technical topic anywhere and I knew I would not revise it last day Or the fodder material in it is very important.. I would record the content in my own voice in my mobile and save the audio recording with topic name.. I would listen to that audio when I would get tired and my mind would behave unreceptive to the reading andunderstanding thing.I had green flash cards for geography ncerts and peach for history.. On last day of prelims.. Used them like deck of cards to shuffle and revise..I know it's all roughly written.. But I will keep on editing it and make it presentable and add various minute details I have missed...Forgive me for the grammar and spelling errors.. I am running on time deadlines.. All the very best future civil servants.. I know we all will make India proud one day and we will witness India at the top of world through our talent, largest strength and dedication towards country. Thank you all talented fellas for going through all this.

This is from my article:How Successful People Work Less and Get More Done 1. Make Small Decisions Rather than Large OnesRemove ego.Let’s examine human psychology.Studies have shown that people always tend to backwards-rationalize their poor decisions. They stick by their poor choices to protect their reputation or whatever else.I have seen this play out in the dating and business world.This is made even worse when you make a big decision.A bad marriage or hook-up. A monumental business decision gone wrong. Even though it is clear that the marriage is terrible or the business decision lead to massive losses in profits, the decision maker sticks to his decision.It doesn’t have to be this way.Now that you know, you can do better.Make smaller decisions. Rather than these big monumental decisions, you can look to make small, incremental decisions that can be changed or fixed. You are less likely to attach your ego onto such things.Having said that, you will still have to make some big decisions at some point. But with this understanding, you can realize that a great majority of these big decisions have the ability to be broken into smaller decisions.And if you do make a bad big decision, the best way of progressing, learning, and becoming better is to acknowledge your responsibility and see what you can learn from this experience.This applies to day-to-day activities as well:If you have now dedicated 5 hours to a task that should have been completed in 25 minutes, don’t let your ego keep you working at it. Analyze the situation and stop working on it for the day if that’s the best route forward. Perhaps your task is not the best use of your time.2. Stop being a perfectionistRather than helping you, it can cripple you. If you are trying to get thing’s 99% right, you are usually getting diminishing returns.Even worse: you could be stalling a release.I recommend the book the Lean Start-up for this. The basic idea is have a minimum viable product.If your product is perfect in your eyes when you release it, you’ve waited wayyy too long.It’s better to push it out first because you can always make it better later.Plus, according to the Pareto Principle, 80% of the results come from 20% of the work.3. Hack your productivity with short, time-sensitive, measure-able victories (STSMV’s)Want to know how to stay focus on your goals?If it takes a long time to accomplish, it usually delays you actually accomplishing it.You want to be able to finish things.To do that, you need to keep your motivation sparking. You can do this with quick goals that take less than a day to finish. By doing this, you can celebrate and see your results. This will keep you motivated and charged to continue.Keep in mind:These must be goals in line with effective results.Baking a cake or leveling up in a video game is NOT a good STSMV when you are trying to get an A for the year in mathematics.Stop MultitaskingI’m a millenial, so I used to love to multi-task.People older than me would comment on me and my peers. They would be amazed because they couldn’t do all the things I could do at once.I used to think it was so cool to be able to text, talk, and do homework.Guess what? Turns out studies show it’s horribly ineffective.The people who multi-tasked the most performed worse on multi-tasking tests and were more susceptible to distractions.A study from Stanford found that chronic multi-taskers paid less attention, had worse memory, and had more difficulty switching tasks. They had difficulty focusing on the task at hand rather than previous tasks.A University of Sussex study found that frequent multi-taskers had less bone density in the region of the brain responsible for cognitive and emotional control.Buy back time with automation and outsourcingFor Social Media, there is a great Twitter and Facebook tool called BufferAppthat allows you to schedule out your posts. Meet Edgar is another great one since it draws recurrently from a database of your pre-loaded posts.If you make $100 an hour and your time is worth that much, why do you spend 1 hour a day cooking, 30 minutes a day cleaning, and 2 hours a day on a job that you could pay someone $25 an hour to do? You must be willing and able to delegate. Nowadays, you can get cheap, efficient, happy employees who work virtually overseas for pennies on the dollar. Sometimes, you may get better results having someone you meet in person, especially if you want to build a culture. But very rudimentary tasks should not be done by you anymore and should be paid off.4. Identify the most effective, Eliminate the restHave you ever been just frustrated with your progress?You’re doing a thousand things and getting ZERO or marginal results.Your day is filled up to the brim with things you have to do but you just feel like you’re spinning your wheels.I was like this for a LONG time. And quite frankly, it’s because that’s what average people do. They think they’re working hard but 90% of what they’re doing is fruitless and unproductive.What makes it worse is that there are tons of guru’s who are telling you that you have to do a thousand things: jump on the latest social media platform bandwagon, start live streaming, etc.It’s a bit of a tragedy when there’s so much bad advice out there and people follow it mindlessly.Bill Gates learned from Warren Buffett to only do what’s critical.It’s why Mr. Buffett has so few meetings. It’s also why you should make a checklist of the top 20 things you have to do and throw away the last 19.5. How to Speed up your work with the 4-Bucket Identification techniqueThis is based off President Eisenhower’s Matrix box.Here’s the technique:Organize your goals into 4 buckets: Important and Urgent, Important and not Urgent, Unimportant and Urgent, and Unimportant and Not Urgent.I suggest using a paper and pencil. There’s experiments done that show the greater results of writing down your goals versus just having them in your head.Dump 2 buckets: Throw away the Unimportant and Urgent and Unimportant and Not Urgent.Only do the Important and Urgent today.Keep the other bucket list for next week.6. Communicate ProperlyClick here to get a FREE pdf of this whole article to keepThere are numerous layers of abstraction that people overlook in business.You think people understand your words exactly as you describe them but that’s not the case.This is why people argue so much about whether a movie was done right: Because people interpret the same book the movie was based on differentlydespite the words being the exact same.So how do you fix this?Be as concrete as possible.These things should be avoided:Reports, diagrams, specs, and documents. They don’t get read and they don’t get interpreted properly.They are capable of producing abstraction and therefore, layers of confusion. And that is critical if you want to tell your employees instructions.There’s a great chapter of Business Adventures by John Brooks called Impacted Philosophers that showed how the most simple statements by executives at GE could be wildly misinterpretted over and over again. I highly suggest you read the book as it is Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ favorite business book. If you use my Amazon link by clicking here, I get a small commission. Anyhow, you should be as concrete as possibleAlaska Airlines did this by using cardboard boxes to build a model of their airport rather than relying on drawings.7. How to use rituals to remove chances of quittingThere’s a variety of reasons that make you want to give up.Therefore, there’s strategies to plug up each of these holes.One is goals that take too long. To solve this, see Step 3 with STSMV’s.The second is to use WHY Motivation:We tend to forget or disassociate from why we’re doing things. I personally believe that some goals just cannot be accomplished if the why is too weak. If you’re simply in it to make money, you’re easy to quit. And that’s fine. I learned that I just wasn’t interested enough to go to med school despite how hard I pushed.Identifying the motivation can rekindle the spark to keep working.Why are you doing this work? Is it because this will be on the fore-front of technological advance?Is it to change the world? Save lives?Next, figure out if this is really worth doing.Some of your activities don’t need to be done. An example are all-nighter’s. I found them stupid and an sign of a procrastinator. One night, I ended up trying it out because everyone else was doing it. It destroyed my sleep schedule and the last 8 hours of time were a complete waste since my focus and concentration were in the negatives at that point from lack of sleep.Ask yourself: Could I just do it tomorrow rather than draining my health with an all-nighter? Does this actually add value? Is this actually worth paying for? Do I need to spend so much on advertising?Key things you should ask:Will this actually change anything if I do it?What could I do instead that’s important?Can I do this an easier way?Can I automate or outsource this for pennies on the dollar?Is this adding value?Is this solving a problem?Why am I bothering with this?8. Remove interruptionsMap out how you spend your time on paper.A few years ago, I mapped out how I spent every minute of my day for the entire past week.I was beyond shocked.I was wasting up to 60% of my time.How was this so? Distractions and useless activities.Small things add up. 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there. Soon, the whole day was gone.I highly suggest you map out your week. It helped me identify hour long blocks of activities that really did nothing for me.Let’s talk about how to remove interruptions.They’re a huge danger.It’s no coincidence that you get most of your work done when there’s very few people around: probably in the morning or at night right?For creative-based companies like Pixar, discussion could be considered collaboration. But more often, a tap on the shoulder and 20 minutes of chat is just another way for employees to spin their wheels and get nothing done so they can exchange their hours for dollars.Don’t be like that.A study done on top-executives of a company found that they waste up to 28% of their time to distractions. If you’re paying those executives $50 an hour and there’s 30 executives, that wasted time adds up fast:That’s $3,360 a day down the drain assuming a 8 hour work day.Note: Jason Fried of 37Signals and Rework argues you shouldn’t be so strict as to allow no time for your employee’s to recharge. 5 minutes on Facebook might be really healthy and it could cost you more buying expensive equipment just to monitor them.Instead, use these techniques:Step 1. Remove start-stop schedules.Studies have shown that your brain has to re-orient each time you stop a task and start a new. They estimate we waste up to 28% of our day because of this start-stop dilemma.This is a start-stop schedule: 20 minutes of work -> 10 minute call -> 41 minutes of work -> interrupted by coworker tapping your should -> 7 minutes of work -> lunch break -> walk back gets interrupted -> 39 minutes of work -> meeting -> 14 minutes of workWhat is worse is that people waste more time in between activities in what I callShift Friction: the extra few minutes that you add as you walk to lunch text messaging on your phone… the few seconds of small-talk on your call that shifts into 3 minutes of small talk… you get the point.I don’t think you think you should be a time-Nazi but you should at least be aware of this concept.The average person is not cognizant of any of this.Step 2. Lengthen Zone timeZone time is when you are in your state of flow and groove.You are fully concentrated on what you’re doing, time flies, and you love what you’re doing.More of this concept is discussed in a book called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. This, of course, should almost always be lengthened for someone at work.To do this, it usually means shutting off all distractions: your phone, your emails, any pings/sounds you get, people knocking on your shoulder or tapping on your door, meetings, and so on.Some people believe that for 100% of people, the more alone time you have, the better.I personally believe that there is some truth to this but for some organizations and jobs, collaboration is key.Talking and communicating with others, within reason, on a team is instrumental for certain creative industries. The book Creativity Inc. goes into much greater depth on how a team should do this productively. It’s for companies such as the author’s company, Pixar, Inc., which rely on creativity to spark awesome ideas for new films. Incredible book. I highly recommend it. It’s amazing seeing the back-end of these iconic films: Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, etc.Step 3. Try out passive communicationUse email and things that don’t require face-to-face meetings or calls.I suggest making it clear somehow in a FAQ or footer in your replies how you do things.I think you should cut out instant messaging and text messaging, but if you’re one of those who still want to use it and you’re sick of people instant messaging you “Hello, are you there?”, have a footer message or tell them in your briefing, “Message me your problem and question and I will get back with you when you can. Do not ask me if I’m there.”EMAIL IS A HUGE DISTRACTION!Only open your inbox when you have free time. It’s a huge distraction because most of the emails in there aren’t as productive for you as you think. They will distract you to click on them and reply back. Just because they are there doesn’t mean you have to respond to each one. I’ve seen people believe this and spend incredible time on emails that are 90% a waste of time.Emails are other people’s priorities shoved in your face.Zero in on the critical emails and respond quickly and briefly to those.9. Have fewer or no meetingsThere’s a reason why Warren Buffet has very few if ever any meetings:They interrupt. They don’t accomplish anything. They waste time. They’re abstract and never anything concrete.Everything is vague: the agendas and goals aren’t very clear. The list goes on.Let’s be a little more concrete here: Are all meetings bad? No. Some of them are helpful.However, for most businesses, they have become a stereotype of culture: done simply because everyone else does them.When you could accomplish the goal of a meeting in 7 minutes but you keep it going for 30 minutes because the company schedule out the meeting for 30 minutes because everyone else does, you have now lost 23 minutes of employee work time you have to pay out. 7 minutes is all you should spend.Trust me, I see this a lot:Employees will stretch out any time they are doing nothing because they are in the employee mindset: I’m trading dollars for hours so the more time I can waste doing very little, the more money I can make. If I can stretch out the meeting so that all I have to do is sit on this chair, I’ll do that.Now, of course, not every person is like this. It always frustrated me when I saw others doing this. But for a good portion of people, especially average people, they have this thought on some level in the back of their head.And you can’t really blame them when you are the one who scheduled out the meeting.If you must have a meeting, do this:Have a timer with a loud (and preferably pleasant) noise.Only invite the critical people you needHave a clear and distinct problem and agendaEnd with a solution and make clear who’s responsible10. Kill Procrastination with Short ChecklistsLong-lists never get done.When’s the last time you finished item #94 on your to-do list?Keep in mind that people are different and some perform better with their own quirky habits and techniques. But as a general rule, long lists don’t get done. Don’t take my word on it, ask Jason Fried of the company 37 Signals. That’s what he says.That long list of 100 items causes needless anxiety and overwhelm.It causes you to extend your procrastination.Cut that list into something that has 10 items MAX on it.Then, turn it into a checklist.There’s a book called the Checklist Manifesto. It’s highly acclaimed and recommended by numerous successful businessmen including Ramit Sethi and Mohnish Pabrai.The basic conclusion of the book is that checklists are incredibly important no matter how sophisticated your skillset or what industry you are in. In fact, it’s more important for really complicated jobs like a doctor because they have so much going on that they skip the simplest of things by accident. The book goes into incredible amounts of detail with statistics on how checklists increased success rates, survival rates, and so forth in numerous industries from plumbing, architecture, all the way to medicine.The point is: USE A CHECKLIST!Have definitive goals.Dr. Kim, President of the World Bank, has set a specific, measurable goal and deadline year for ending extreme poverty. Why? because vague goals never get accomplished.You want to set a specific deadline year and a specific goal.Break down your time-frames and goals into smaller onesWhy do companies constantly come out with things late and spend billions more than they expected to? (examples: “Boston’s highway project – 5 years late and billions over budget; Denver Airport – 1.5 years late and $2 billion over budget)Because everyone is over-confident in their estimates.Now, the smart people are not. Why is this the case?Because they understand that the average person is chronically good at underestimating how long things take:A walk of the dog – expectations: 20 minutes; actual time: 38 minGroceries for the week – expectations: 30 minutes tops; actual time: 149 min but it’s because I went to the pet store too spontaneously!How to fix this:Cut your time-frames down: Rather than a 2 year project, cut it into measurable, 1 month objectives with goals you can concretely define.This is from my article:How Successful People Work Less and Get More Done

Dear Owa Owa and other friendsThough the question have been asked from a person who is follower of Sikhism but most of the answers that I see is from the non-sikhs. Even I am also not the one who abides to the 5K’s of Guru Gobind Singh.It’s incorrect to call Sikhism to be a sect of Islam or Hinduism. If we are doing this then it would be like to shut our eyes to the multifarious trends of thought originating from these sources and contributing to the general atmosphere in which the founders of Sikhism flourished. Just as the mere presence of the ideas of transmigration of souls and the law of Karma should not make us think that Sikhism in nothing but Hinduism; similarly its stern monotheistic character should not persuade some scholars to say that Guru Nanak was a Mohammadan.*******************************************************************************************I really can’t control my laugh when I see the people decides the religion based on the cloths a person wear or used to wear.CLOTHESShirt & pants:— Shirts , Tshirts, Pants, Jeans are the western dress as we all know. And we clearly see that they have become the trend in Eastern World as well.Does that mean people of Eastern Lands are all Christians?Does the Buddhists residents of Thailand, China, Japan,etc became Christians just because they are wearing Shirts, T-shirts and all?Does Shirts/Pants made Hindus or Santani Christians as most of them doesn’t wear the traditional dress of the country or religion.?Does the Caps, Hats, Shoes, Socks etc are the sign that the wearer of these items is a Christian?The simple answer is “NO”. But then as well, some people keep on posting some picture of old hats or Seli Topi and start claiming that the Person who was wearing or said to wear was a Hindu.Even that the person has clearly said “I am neither Hindu nor Muslim”I don’t think this Seli Topi is more powerful than the person who is wearing it. When the person wearing it clearly says “ Na Koi Hindu, Na Koi Muslamman”, it’s clear that he has no interest in the religions that were prevailing in his time period.***************************************************************************************************Pictures— depicting Hats/Topi/black threadSome pictures of Guru Nanak show that he wears Tilak or thread type material on his body. Like for eg:-Now this black structure on his yellow body is being preached by some as Hindu Thread or Janeou. But till now no Historian has come up with the remark that janeou was worn on the dress. As far as we know it use to wear inside and its color used to be White or Pinkish as it is usually made from Cotton.What Kind of black Janeou is worn by Guru Nanak in the above picture?Pictures are the mere imagination of the artists. Even some tricksters have come up with the Images of Jesus, Nanak, or any God (quite famous Shiva) etc smoking cigarette and all.Does that really mean that Jesus, Nanak and other Holy Figures were in support of Drugs??********************************************************************************************************Picture—1—Guru NanakLets see this picture of Guru Nanak.Here the Cap or Hat of Guru Nanak resembles to that of Middle East Muslims and there is no Black structure or Tilak.*******************************************************************************************Picture-2- Guru NanakAnother Portrait of Guru Nanak. See the Hat. The Guru’s dress was somewhat of the Sufi Trend.Here you can see some of the Muslim Sufi. Check their dresses. The color of the dress is White , Yellow, Brown-black.They seem to carry a rosary. Similarly, we see the Guru Nanak’s dress. Mostly he is depicted in yellow color dress and a rosary.If Guru Nanak’s Rosary is some kind of Hindu Rudraksh then we have to admit that all the Muslim Sufi too used to carry Rudraksh,thus making them Hindu as well.*************************************************************************************************Murals of Gurdwara Baba Atal Sahib.[1]Some of the people just take pictures from here and there and then try to give the meaning according to their selfish needs.Same here we find in the case of the Murals of Gurdwara Baba Atal Sahib .The Murals are painted or made by the Jaimal Singh Naqqash, Mehtab Singh Naqqash and Hukum Singh. Their drawings or murals are inspired from Bala Janam Sakhi.Inspired by the well- known version of Bala Janam Sakhi, written by Paida Mokha, the artists Jaimal Singh Naqqash, Mehtab Singh Naqqash and Hukum Singh began their work on the holy walls of the Gurdwara with the sacred painting, where all the Gods are invoking the Nirankar-Allah/Waheguru/Yehowah/God/Brahman, the formless Almighty, to send a holy soul on the earth to relieve it from the burden of Kala-yuga. The centre of this painting is the divine light emerging from Sachkhand, The Abode of Truth. All the Gods and the Mother Earth in the form of a cow are standing in obeisance awaiting the descent of the divine incarnations.The prayers were answered; the invocation was rewarded; now the divine child is born. The parents, father Kalyan Rai Bedi and mother Tripla Ji feel blessed. The family priest, Pandit Hardiyal names the child Nanak Nirankari pointing out his true identity that lies in being Nirankar. History records the date 15th April 1469 at Raibhoi Di Talwandi.In the next painting, the child Nirankari is brought out by his father Kalyan Rai in the day light. Who are curious to have a glimpse of this divine incarnation, they are all the gods who prayed for His Avatar. In this picture, all the gods are shown having the bliss of seeing the Eternal Light in the form of a child. The earth and the sky were vibrating and shinning in the glory of the birth divine. The artists capture the mood. They paint gods showering flowers from the sky and the musicians on the earth playing the sacred music in unison with the showering of petals from the sky. All the gods and honorable guests bow in reverence to the eternal light, as if chanting:-“Dhan Guru Nanak Pargatia Miti Thund jag Chanan Hoyaya”Now see the above picture. The person claims to get the picture from the website “Sikhnet”which is true, but he writes his own meaning. When we bow to someone, then that means we are the one who is asking the blessing.We see similarly various deities are bowing to the Guru. It’s the deities who are asking blessings.Then also I will advise the readers to go and read by themselves about the Murals from “SIKHNET” to know the truth.Murals of Gurdwara Baba Atal Sahib Ji | SikhNetIn this above Mural we see the Guru Nanak and other Deities praying to Almighty Allah/Waheguru/Parbardigar/Yehowah/God.*********************************************************************************************Cloak of Guru NanakSikhs are well aware of Gurdwara Chola Sahib-Dera Baba Nanak.[2]The Chola is displayed nearby to the Gurdwara and is in the possession of the descendants of Guru Nanak.Guru Nanak use to wear this Chola and this Chola contains the verses of the Holy Quran.[3]Now the question arises to few such people if according to them Nanak was Hindu then Why he was wearing a Chola inscribed with the verses of Holy Quran?Let’s take the help of Bhai Gurdas. To those who don’t know I would like to brief them about Bhai Gurdas. Bhai Gurdas was the son of the cousin of Guru Amardas- the third Sikh Guru. His Vars or Poems are quite famous in the Sikh World.Baabaa Firi Makay Gaiaa Neel Basatr Dhaaray Banavaaree |Donning blue attire then Baba Nanak went to Mecca.Aasaa Hathhi Kitaab Kachhi Koojaa Baang Musalaa Dhaaree |He held staff in his hand, pressed a book under his armpit, caught hold of a metal pot and mattress.Baithhaa Jaai Maseet Vichi Jidai Haajee Haji Gujaaree |Now he sat in a mosque where the pilgrms (hajis) had gathered.—Pauri/stanza -32[4]Now I don’t think a Hindu will go to Mecca or will have a religious gathering in the Mosque. Besides at the time of Guru Nanak, the color of Haji’s Dresses used to be Blue ,now we have white clothes and that’s What Bhai Gurdas has said Baba wore a Blue dress and went to Mecca.Now I am wondering Why a follower of Hindu Religion is giving azan in Baghdad?The answer is Guru Nanak was no Hindu or Muslim. Na Hum Hindu na Musalmaan. Because of this very statement the Governor of Lahore asked the Guru Nanak to come and offer nawaz with him at Sultanpur Lodhi.The place where the incident took place is marked by the Gurdwara Antaryatma Sahib.[5]******************************************************************************************************Guru Nanak at Jagganath PuriGuru Nanak’s travels are quite famous. One such incident occurred at Jagganath Temple. When Guru Nanak tried to enter the temple, he was stopped by the priests. The Priests thought him to be a Muslim due to the dress of the Guru Nanak.I am wondering why they can’t see the imaginary Tilak or Janeou which some claims Guru Nanak use to wear?The Tale is quite famous among the Sikhs and the Odia People.***************************************************************************************************Guru Nanak’s visit to Shaikh IbrahimWhen Guru Nanak was confronted by Shaikh Brahm or Ibrahim (descendant of Baba Farid) with the cardinal question, was he a Hindu or a Muslim? To Guru Nanak such type of questions were irrelevant. He averred, “If I say I am a Hindu, I tell a lie. I am also not a Muslim”. Similarly at Mecca, he skirted the question of inter-se position of Hinduism and Islam, by saying that without good deeds, both Hindus and Muslims in the Court of God would rue the day—Page no -16-History of the Sikhs-J.D.Cunningham[6]************************************************************************************************SGGS page no 1411He alone is a Brahmin, who knows God.He chants and meditates, and practices austerity and good deeds.He keeps to the Dharma, with faith, humility and contentment.Breaking his bonds, he is liberated.Such a Brahmin is worthy of being worshipped.—Guru Nanak[7]Guru Nanak is saying that One who Knows the God -What the God is really is, is called Brahmin. That means all the religious leaders say for example, Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Noah, Abraham, etc all fall in the category of a Brahmin.We shouldn’t create a picture that Guru Nanak is saying about a guy who is wearing thread and doing some rituals. No, not at all.**************************************************************************************************Now let’s go to SGGS page no 141The holy Granth continues on a similar theme in the following shabad emphasizing the fact that there is a high threshold to be called a Muslim; not anyone can be called a Muslim. Just being born in a Muslim family does not make you a Muslim; one must go through various tests on oneself before one can be called a Muslim. If you fail any one of these tests, then you cannot be called a Muslim!The Guru continues then to highlight the test that one need to apply:The first Test: Do you consider the path of the Prophet as sweet and true; are you committed to this path? How much effort will be put to tread on this pathSecond Test: Have you discarded the pride of all your worldly possessions?Third Test: Do you believe that life and death are just two phases in the evolution of the soul and that both these are just a mental perception?Fourth Test: Accepting the Will of Allah, do you practice righteousness and generosity to others?Final Test: Are you merciful to all living beings?Salok Ma 1 ||Shalok, First Mehl:Musalamaan Kehaavan Musakal Jaa Hoe Thaa Musalamaan Kehaavai ||It is difficult to be called a Muslim; if one is truly a Muslim, then he may be called one.Aval Aoul Dheen Kar Mithaa Masakal Maanaa Maal Musaavai ||First, let him savor the religion of the Prophet as sweet; then, let his pride of his possessions be scraped away.Hoe Musalim Dheen Muhaanai Maran Jeevan Kaa Bharam Chukaavai ||Becoming a true Muslim, a disciple of the faith of Mohammed, let him put aside the delusion of death and life.Rab Kee Rajaae Mannae Sir Oupar Karathaa Mannae Aap Gavaavai ||As he submits to God's Will, and surrenders to the Creator, he is rid of selfishness and conceit.Tho Naanak Sarab Jeeaa Miharanmath Hoe Th Musalamaan Kehaavai ||1||And when, O Nanak, he is merciful to all beings, only then shall he be called a Muslim. ||1||[8]*********************************************************************************************Guru Nanak basic attitude towards Islam and Hinduism is explicitly stated in the line“Neither the Veda nor the Ketab (Quran) knows the Mystery”—Page no 1021 SGGS[9]In the same way the Qazi, the Pandit and the Jogi are bracketed“The Qazi utter lies and eats what is unclean; the Brahman (Hindu Priest) takes life and then goes off to bathe ceremoniously;the blind Jogi doesn’t Know the way; all three are desolated.” —Page no 951–952 SGGS[10] [11]Let’s see some more lines from SGGS. Instead of writing them I have taken the help of other writers.The below lines speaks about the hypocrisy. The passage is taken from the work of N. Kaur-[12]The “Hypocrisy” lines are present in page no 471 of SGGS.[13]**************************************************************************************************Lines of Kabir Das -SGGS page no 324Kahu Rae Panddith Baaman Kab Kae Hoeae ||Tell me, O Pandit, O religious scholar: since when have you been a Brahmin?Baaman Kehi Kehi Janam Math Khoeae ||1|| Rehaao ||Don't waste your life by continually claiming to be a Brahmin. ||1||Pause||Ja Thoon Braahaman Brehamanee Jaaeiaa ||If you are indeed a Brahmin, born of a Brahmin mother,Tho Aan Baatt Kaahae Nehee Aaeiaa ||2||Then why didn't you come by some other way? ||2||Thum Kath Braahaman Ham Kath Soodh ||How is it that you are a Brahmin, and I am of a low social status?Ham Kath Lohoo Thum Kath Dhoodhh ||3||How is it that I am formed of blood, and you are made of milk? ||3||Kahu Kabeer Jo Breham Beechaarai ||Says Kabeer, one who contemplates God,So Braahaman Keheeath Hai Hamaarai ||4||7||Is said to be a Brahmin among us. ||4||7||[14]These lines of Kabir Das also sound with the views of Guru Nanak as they both give the same definition of Brahmins. Brahmin is the one who contemplates the God , not the one who wear thread and go for Varna system and exploiting others.********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Guru Amar Das - The third GuruFirst I would Like to share a pic of Guru Amar Das.Guru Ram Das records that when Guru Amar Das reached Jumna and the Ganges, the toll gatherers offered presents and the whole multitude crossed over the two rivers without paying a farthing as pilgrims’ tax, as they avowed their fealty to Guru Amar Das. The toll gatherers knew very well that Guru Amar Das and his followers were not Hindus who were subject to payment of Jazia, or toll tax. The people of Haridwar came in a body and craved shelter of the Guru. Daily there was Kirtan, singing of hymns, and people learnt of devotion to God through the teachings of the Guru.This visit to Hindu places of worship added to the stature of Guru Amar Das, and his influence was on the rise. This made the Brahmins (and upper caste Hindus) all the more determined to seek the provincial and central government’s intervention to safeguard the Hindu dharma. Their complaint to Emperor Akbar who was at Lahore in 1566-67 is of interest.*****Letter of Complaint by Brahmins to Emperor Akbar against Sikh Guru*******“Thy Majesty is the protector of our customs and the redressor of our wrongs. Every man’s religion is dear to him. Guru Amar Das of Goindwal has abandoned the religious and social customs of the Hindus and abolished the distinction of the four castes. Such heterodoxy hath never before been heard of in the four ages. There is now no twilight prayer, no gayatri, no offering of water to ancestors, no pilgrimages, no obsequies and no worship of idols or of the divine Saligram. The Guru hath abandoned all these and established the repetition of Waheguru instead of Ram, and no one now acteth according to the Vedas or the Smritis. The Guru reverenceth not Yogis, Jatis or Brahmins. He worshippeth no gods or goddesses, and he ordereth his Sikhs to refrain from doing so for ever more. He seateth all his followers in a line and causeth them to eat together from his kitchen, irrespective of caste -whether they are Jats, strolling minstrels, Muhammadans, Brahmins, Khatris, shopkeepers, sweepers, barbers, washermen, fishermen, or carpenters. We pray thee, restrain him now, else it will be difficult hereafter.—-page no 22 -History of Sikhs- J.D. Cunningham[15]At Akbar’s behest, Guru Amar Das instead of going himself sent Bhai Jetha (later known as Guru Ram Das) whose answers were found convincing to a liberal-minded Akbar, who felt that whereas the Sikh movement represented the spirit of humanim, the Hindus were only following the letter of their scriptures.Akbar was so impressed that he not only dismissed the complaint but called upon the high caste Hindu delegation to ask for forgiveness. However, some of the Guru’s followers could not make up their mind to abandon their previous religion, and under influence of high caste Hindus reneged Sikhism. Guru Amar Das introduced for them the word be-mukh, one who had turned away from the Guru. He also condemned the traducers - hostile to the saints and friendly to the wicked - who “will never find comfort in this world or the next.”As the Guru’s influence grew, the jealously of high caste Hindus became intense.***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Guru Ram DasFirst a pic of the Holy Guru.In the section of Guru Amardas , we have come across the writings of Guru Ram das in which he has stated how the Brahmins were complaining about the third Guru and a letter of complaint was sent to Emperor Akbar.Like his predecessor, Guru Ram Das too renounces all Hindu deities and rituals. We can take the example of Marriage lines written by him.SGGS page no 773–774har pahilarhee laav parvirtee karam drirh-aa-i-aa bal raam jee-o.In the first round of the marriage ceremony, the Lord sets out His Instructions for performing the daily duties of married life.banee barahmaa vayd Dharam darirhHu paap tajaa-i-aa bal raam jee-o.Instead of the hymns of the Vedas to Brahma, embrace the righteous conduct of Dharma, and renounce sinful actionsDharam darirhHu har naam Dhi-aavahu simrit naam drirh-aa-i-aa.Meditate on the Lord's Name; embrace and enshrine the contemplative remembrance of the Naam.[16] [17]******************************************Let’s come to the definition of “God” given by Guru NanakThe God is beyond the cycle of birth and Death. Thus the legendary Kings of the Ayodhaya-Ram or the King of Dwarka- Krishna doesn’t fall in the definition of God as per Sikh Gurus.I don’t Know why some people add their words in SGGS. No where it’s written Hari. Why they tend to make Har into Hari, may be some potter friends will start claiming Har of Gurus is Harry Potter.*******************************Khathree Braahaman Pith Dhae Shhoddae Har Naamadhaeo Leeaa Mukh Laae ||3||The Lord turned His back on the high-class Kh'shaatriyas and Brahmins, and showed His face to Naam Dayv. ||3||Jithanae Bhagath Har Saevakaa Mukh Athasath Theerathh Thin Thilak Kadtaae ||All of the devotees and servants of the Lord have the tilak, the ceremonial mark, applied to their foreheads at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage.—- SGGS page no 733[18]*****************************************************************************************************Funeral of Guru Ram Das.It’s the topic which some intelligent guys use to prove Sikhs are Hindus or Sikh Gurus use to follow Hindu Customs.Such questions were well answered by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha in his book “Hum Hindu Nahi”.A pdf can easily be found on that. One such work is of Dr. Sheena Pal where she has presented the glorious work of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha. She has tried to bring out the situation of that time when some people were trying to finish the unique Sikh identity and how the work of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha brought them in control.The above lines are taken from the work of Dr Sheena Pal. The writer has tried to keep only one side opinion, i.e. of Hindus and tried to present that these were the views of Dr Sheena Pal.Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha replies to above raise question like this.The rites of kriya, shradh and tirath are taken up together as related to death. The statement from the Janamsakhi that Guru Nanak observed shradh for his father only two days before his own death, is not based on authentic information, contends the Sikh protagonist. The Sadd of Guru Amar Das in Rag Ramkali, which is supposed to prescribe kriya after his own death, is not properly understood. It is written with reference to a hymn of Guru Nanak in which the word ‘Keso’ refers to God. Therefore, the Keso Gopal of Sadd is no other than God. Furthermore, at several places in his compositions, Guru Amar Das himself denounces the pandit and what he does. Mourning with loud lamentations are denounced by Guru Nanak himself. He prepared karah parshad after Mardana’s death, according to a Janamsakhi. According to the Gian Ratnavali, kriya was replaced by ardas, kirtan, and karah parshad. The ceremony of bhaddan (tonsure) was not to be observed, according to the Gursobha and Bhai Chaupa Singh. The Gurus went to the places of Hindu pilgrimage not as pilgrims, but to preach their own message to the people assembled there——Issues of Sikh identity: Sanatanist Sikh Debate by Dr Sheena Pal Page no 201[19]******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Guru ArjanFirst we will have a pic of him.So far we were debating to show the uniqueness of Sikh Religion and here Guru Arjan has made us very clear by repeating the lines of Guru Nanak and Kabir Das . Not only that, he wrote them in SGGS.The lines clearly speak of a Hindu God Krishna of whom people make idols and celebrates his birth. The Guru has condemned such practices and even said the person is no God who takes birth and he (Guru) is no Hindu or Muslim.Guru Arjan says :-Bhairo Mehalaa 5 ||Bhairao, Fifth Mehl:Varath N Reho N Meh Ramadhaanaa ||I do not keep fasts, nor do I observe the month of Ramadaan.This Saevee Jo Rakhai Nidhaanaa ||1||I serve only the One, who will protect me in the end. ||1||Eaek Gusaaee Alahu Maeraa ||The One Lord, the Lord of the World, is my God Allah.Hindhoo Thurak Dhuhaan Naebaeraa ||1|| Rehaao ||He adminsters justice to both Hindus and Muslims. ||1||Pause||Haj Kaabai Jaao N Theerathh Poojaa ||I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.Eaeko Saevee Avar N Dhoojaa ||2||I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||Poojaa Karo N Nivaaj Gujaaro ||I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.Eaek Nirankaar Lae Ridhai Namasakaaro ||3||I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||Naa Ham Hindhoo N Musalamaan ||I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.Aleh Raam Kae Pindd Paraan ||4||My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4|Kahu Kabeer Eihu Keeaa Vakhaanaa ||Says Kabeer, this is what I say:Gur Peer Mil Khudh Khasam Pashhaanaa ||5||3||Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3|||—-SGGS Page no 1136[20]SGGS Page no 1136Bhairo Mehalaa 5 Ghar 1Bhairao, Fifth Mehl, First House:Ik Oankaar Sathigur Prasaadh ||One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:Sagalee Thheeth Paas Ddaar Raakhee ||Setting aside all other days,Asattam Thheeth Govindh Janamaa See ||1||It is said that the Lord was born on the eighth lunar day. ||1||Bharam Bhoolae Nar Karath Kacharaaein ||Deluded and confused by doubt, the mortal practices falsehood.Janam Maran Thae Rehath Naaraaein ||1|| Rehaao ||The Lord is beyond birth and death. ||1||Pause||Kar Panjeer Khavaaeiou Chor ||You prepare sweet treats and feed them to your stone god.Ouhu Janam N Marai Rae Saakath Dtor ||2||God is not born, and He does not die, you foolish, faithless cynic! ||2||Sagal Paraadhh Dhaehi Loronee ||You sing lullabies to your stone god - this is the source of all your mistakes.So Mukh Jalo Jith Kehehi Thaakur Jonee ||3||Let that mouth be burnt, which says that our Lord and Master is subject to birth. ||3||Janam N Marai N Aavai N Jaae ||He is not born, and He does not die; He does not come and go in reincarnation.Naanak Kaa Prabh Rehiou Samaae ||4||1||The God of Nanak is pervading and permeating everywhere. ||4||1||[21]**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Guru HargobindFirst a pic of him from his childhood.Guru Hargobind militarized the Sikhs. He used to have an standing army of some 700 Horsemen and that 700 men have defeated the Mughal army of 7,000.Usually we see that few people say that Guru Gobind Singh was worshipper of Shakti as he made Khalsa and waged war. Therefore the 9 Gurus were Vaishnav and the last one was Shakta. See the below screenshot for this.But now the guy tries to bypass one thing that it was from the 6th Guru , Sikhs have started carrying the weapons. Guru Hargobind brought up the concept of Miri Piri and the two swords given to him by Baba Buddha during his guruship. This tale is written by other persons too, which quite contradict their own statement when they write first nine Gurus were Vaishnav.Gurus were no Vaishnav. Guru Hargobind, Guru Har Rai and Guru Tegh Bahadur use to carry weapons. Guru hargobind and Guru tegh Bahadur had fought many battles and won.Guru Arjan has clearly written in SGGS page no 1136- God doesn’t take incarnations and he is no Hindu nor Muslim.[22]******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Guru Tegh BahadurA pic of him for us.Few people bring the book “Gur Pratap Suraj Granth” written by Bhai Santok Singh to keep their views.They debate that Suraj Prakash contains the lines which says that Guru Tegh Bahadur was Hindu.But they forget that these lines quite contradict with the teachings of the Sikh Gurus which are written in SGGS.No Guru has ever said he is following any religion. They only said that they believe in one God —The God of Hindus and Muslims are the Same.[23]In SGGS page no 1136 clearly says that Guru is no Hindu nor Muslim. SGGS is the Eternal Guru not the poetic work of Bhai Santokh Singh.***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Guru Gobind SinghZafarnama- Written by Guru Gobind Singh to Emperor Aurangzeb.The 95th couplet, in Persian, referring to his battles with the Mughal-allied hill rajas of the Sivalik Hills, states:"I, too, have fought against the hill-chieftains (kūhīyān, "hill-men") [who] venerate idols. As they are idol worshippers, so I am the idol-breaker."[24]I do not adore Ganesha in the beginning and also do not meditate on Krishna and Vishnu;I have only heard about them with my ears and I do not recognize them; my consciousness is absorbed at the feet of the Supreme Kal (the Immanent Allah/Waheguru/Yehowah/God).434.—Dasam Granth- Guru Gobind Singh -Page no 834Akal Utsat- Dasam Granth -Guru Gobind Singh. Here Guru speaks about the Deities and the Supreme Almighty God.Guru says he worships only Almighty God and no one else.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Sikhism has connections with Islam as well.I have already given the Vars of Bhai Gurdas which speaks of Guru Nanak going to Mecca and Baghdad.Guru Nanak gave Azan for Namaz in Baghdad is clearly mentioned in Bhai Gurdas Vars.[25] [26]The Chola or Cloak of Guru Nanak contains the lines from the Holy Quran which is still present at Gurdwara Chola Sahib- Dera Baba Nanak.Bhai Gurdas Vars also speaks of Prophet Muhammad in the very positive and respectful way.Pauri /Stanza 20—-Bhai Gurdass Varan[27]Kaytay Baydi Biaas Kari Kaee Katayb Muhanmad Yaaraa |He has created many a dear personality such as Vedavyas and Muhammad dear to the Vedas and the Katebas respectively.Pauri/Stanza 4- Bhai Gurdass Vaaran[28]Bahu Vaatee Jagi Chaleeaa Tab Hee Bhaay Muhanmadi Yaaraa |When varied sects got prevalent, then Muhammad, the beloved of God was born.Allah is not some 70 feet tall men that we all know.Allah is the formless Lord who is beyond the cycle of birth and Death as spoken by Sikh Gurus.The definition of Allah is well given in Chapter 112 of the Quran, titled Al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity) reads:Say, "He is God, [Who is] One.God, the Eternal Refuge.He neither begets nor is born,Nor is there to Him any equivalent."[29]Lets see What Bhagat Namdev has to say about Hindus and Muslims. SGGS page no 875Dr. Sheena PalDr Sheena Pal has given the analysis of the glorious work of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha.How Bhai Kahn Singh creates the situation in which a Hindu Friend ask questions to a Sikh guy about Sikhism and how the Sikh guy answers the questions preserving the uniqueness and identity of Sikhism.Dr Sheena Pal writes :”The first thing that strikes us in retrospect is that there was no dialogue between the leaders of the Singh Sabha movement and the Sanatanists. Both sides stuck to their ground. Bhai Kahn Singh’s view that the Sikh identity was not new because the Sikhs were conscious of their distinct identity before the advent of colonial rule, was not taken seriously even though he had adduced evidence from the pre-colonial Sikh literature starting with the Granth Sahib. Instead of meeting his arguments, the Sanatanists rejected his interpretation of Sikh scriptural literature and continued to interpret it in their own way in support of their position.”[30]The success of the Singh Sabha movement in winning converts and purging the Sikh way of life of Brahmanical accretions hardened the attitude of the Sanatanists towards the issue of Sikh identity. In fact, based on the idea of a distinct Sikh identity, the politics of the Akalis could never be appreciated by the Sanatanists. However, though generally opposed to their politics, the Sanatanists could share platform with the Akalis on issues of common interest, like opposition to the idea of Pakistan. This bivalent relationship would remain relevant for the Akali-Sanatanist relations after independence.[31]************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************SummaryGurus were no Vaishnav or Shakta or Muslims or Sufis. Guru Arjan has clearly written in SGGS page no 1136 that “God is not the one who takes birth and death and he(Guru) is no Hindu or Muslim.”Guru Nanak’s or any other Guru’s pictures having Tilak don’t make them Hindu. Neither the Azan or the Cloak having verses of Holy Quran makes them Muslims.Some of the Guru Nanak’s picture shows him having a black thread which is not a Hindu thread.Thread that Hindu wear is usually worn inside the clothes not above it.Pictures of Holy Figures like Jesus, Nanak or Buddha is found in internet having weed or promoting drugs. These are blasphemy.The Murals of Baba Atal Rai Gurdwara show the deities bowing before the infant Nanak. Bowing means they are asking blessings, not the Nanak.Guru Nanak himself claimed “There is no Hindu nor Muslim. When Nanak proclaimed in the court of Daulat Khan Lodhi that “He is neither Hindu nor Muslim” then Nawab asked him to come for Namaz which he did. The site is marked by Gurdwara Antaryatma Sahib.When Guru Nanak was confronted by Shaikh Brahm or Ibrahim (descendant of Baba Farid) with the cardinal question, was he a Hindu or a Muslim? To Guru Nanak such type of questions were irrelevant. He averred, “If I say I am a Hindu, I tell a lie. I am also not a Muslim”.Guru Nanak was not allowed to enter the Jagganath temple at puri due to his dress resembling like a Muslim. Pandits found no Tilak or thread on the Guru’s body.Guru Nanak and Kabir Das told that One who contemplates on God is called Brahmin. That means all the holy figures like Jesus, Buddha or Zoroaster etc all falls in the category of Brahmins. This Brahmin is different to the one who wears thread on the body and do idol worshiping.Kabir Das condemns the Brahmins who wear thread and exploits the common man. He asks if Brahmin says he is superior then why he takes birth like other humans? Why Brahmins too have the same blood like the other humans? SGGS page no 324Even Guru Nanak speaks against such hypocrisy in SGGS page no 471. The hypocrite priests take food from Muslim rulers, but to please them, he taxes the other people and exploits them.The Letter of Complain sent by Hindu Pandits to Emperor Akbar against Guru Amardas as he has stopped the people to worship idols and follow caste system. The incident is well recorded by himself Guru Ram Das.The word”Keso” is not a mythical or real man to whom Guru Amar Das is referring.The Sadd of Guru Amar Das in Rag Ramkali, which is supposed to prescribe kriya after his own death, is not properly understood. It is written with reference to a hymn of Guru Nanak in which the word ‘Keso’ refers to God. Therefore, the Keso Gopal of Sadd is no other than God. Furthermore, at several places in his compositions, Guru Amar Das himself denounces the pandit and what he does.The lines of “Suraj Prakash Granth” that says that Guru Tegh Bahadur was a Hindu goes quite opposite to the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.Besides Suraj Prakash is a poetic work not a Guru.Guru Gobind Singh has mentioned in the Zarfarnama that he punished the idol worshipers (Sivalik Kings) and he is an idol breaker.He further states in Akal Utsat that he worships only Almighty Waheguru/God/Allah/Yehowah. The almighty is worshiped by other deities too. All the deities will one day fall in the noose of the death as they have too taken birth as per the will of Almighty God.Guru Gobind Singh speaks about the Holiness of Quran. He writes to Emperor Aurangzeb that If he has taken oath on Holy Quran then he would have kept it due to it’s holiness.We should spread Love not Hatred in the Society. Every religion is respectable and Honorable, it’s the people who bring the bad and good fame.Footnotes[1] Murals of Gurdwara Baba Atal Sahib Ji | SikhNet[2] Gurdwara Langar Mandir Chola Sahib[3] Gurdwara Langar Mandir Chola Sahib[4] Vaaran Bhai Gurdas:- Vaar1-Pauri32-ਮੱਕੇ ਦੀ ਯਾਤ੍ਰਾ-At Meccaਵਾਰਾਂ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ :-SearchGurbani.com[5] Sultanpur Lodhi - Wikipedia[6] The Sikhs in History by Dr. Sangat Singh - [PDF Document][7] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 1411 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[8] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 141 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[9] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 1021 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[10] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 951 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[11] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 952 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[12] https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/28300/12/12_chapter%206.pdf[13] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 471 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[14] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 324 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[15] The Sikhs in History by Dr. Sangat Singh - [PDF Document][16] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 773 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[17] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 774 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[18] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 733 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[19] https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/sitefiles/journals/volume20/9-Sheena%20Pall%2020.pdf[20] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 1136 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[21] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 1136 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[22] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 1136 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[23] Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -: Ang : 1136 -: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ :- SearchGurbani.com[24] Idolatry in Sikhism - Wikipedia[25] Vaaran Bhai Gurdas:- Vaar1-Pauri26-ਉਸ ਸਮੇਂ ਦੇ ਹਾਲਾਤ-Erstwhile conditionਵਾਰਾਂ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ :-SearchGurbani.com[26] Vaaran Bhai Gurdas:- Vaar1-Pauri35-ਬਗ਼ਦਾਦ ਗਮਨ-Going to Baghdadਵਾਰਾਂ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ :-SearchGurbani.com[27] Vaaran Bhai Gurdas:- Vaar1-Pauri20-ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨੀ ਮਤ-Islamਵਾਰਾਂ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ :-SearchGurbani.com[28] Vaaran Bhai Gurdas:- Vaar1-Pauri4-ਜਗਤ ਕਾਰਣ-Creationਵਾਰਾਂ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ :-SearchGurbani.com[29] Al-Ikhlas - Wikipedia[30] https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/sitefiles/journals/volume20/9-Sheena%20Pall%2020.pdf[31] https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/sitefiles/journals/volume20/9-Sheena%20Pall%2020.pdf