13 Apr
Prompt for ALS NaPoWriMo Day 13:
13th April is celebrated as Baisakhi in northern parts of India with great enthusiasm and fervor. Baisakhi is known by diverse names – PohelaBoishakh in West Bengal, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Uttarakhand, Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, PooramVishu in Kerala and MahaVishuva Sankranti in Odisha. It marks the beginning of the new harvesting season and is observed as Solar New Year. Write a poem today about any of these festivals celebrated on 13th April or about new beginnings.
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I have written about the significance of the Baisakhi festival for Sikh community.
Poem: Jatta Aayi Baisakhi
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The foundation of ‘Khalsa Panth’
By Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh Guru tenth
To invigorate the warrior within
To initiate a code of discipline
Baisakhi – a celebration of ‘Khalsa Panth’
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‘Panj Pyare’, the Five Beloved Ones
Baptized by the Guru Himself
With holy ‘Amrit’ and the title of ‘Singh’
A spiritual authority as equal beings
Baisakhi – a celebration of Sikhism
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The Five ‘K’s of the Khalsa tradition
Kesh, Kara, Kachera, Kangha and Kirpan
The Khalsa must follow all the 52 Hukams
Honesty, fidelity, equality and meditation
Baisakhi – a celebration of liberation
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The festival of harvest
A time to sow new seeds
Inception of new year
To bury our shortcomings
Baisakhi – a celebration of new beginnings
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©Vandana Bhasin
13.04.2023
