Sikhs Take Advantage of Internet to Connect

April 21, 2007

Author: Neha Singh Gohil

Source: Contra Costa Times

http://www.contracostatimes.com/nationandworld/ci_5721683

NEW YORK - Every morning, Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa wakes up at 4 a.m., coats his body with almond oil, takes a cold shower and spends the next two hours meditating on God. In the quiet New Mexico dawn, he goes through a yoga routine and recites two Sikh prayers - the Japji Sahib and the Jaap Sahib.

This was Khalsa's New Year's resolution - to get up early and practice his "Sadhana," or daily discipline, as the Sikh gurus did hundreds of years ago. Seated alone on his living room floor, Khalsa leads his mind through each verse, singing to himself.

But he's not alone. Khalsa, 31, wrote about what he planned to do on his Internet blog, mrsikhnet.com, and now he completes his morning Sadhana together with at least 32 other Sikhs from around the world. Khalsa even created an online pledge bank to encourage others to sign up and participate in the 40-day effort.

Soon he was getting comments from Sikhs in the Middle East, India and Bangkok asking for advice on everything from which alarm clock works best to why certain prayers are said in the morning.

"We all are human and have our challenges," Khalsa said, referring to the difficulties in observing his Sadhana commitment. "By sharing our struggles and successes and things that are happening in our lives, people don't feel as bad about approaching those challenges."