This newsletter is bringing you the latest news and events at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Ashram,
the Sikh Community in Espanola, New Mexico

Community in YOU!

HGRD Ashram Newsletter - April 2015

Calendar of Events

April 6th - Akal Takhat Wish and Dish Gurdwara - 5:30 - Rehiras
April 11th - HGRD Community Garden Spring Fling- 6:00 pm at Hari Sadan (Sat Purkh and Abhai Raj's house) Read more here >
April 12th - Baisakhi Celebration - Breakfast at the Ranch at 9am, Nagar Kirtan at 10am and Gurdwara and langar to follow.
April 18th - Women's Clothes Swap, 9 am-1 pm, Langar Hall.
April 19th - Recitation of Sukhmani Sahib after Sunday Langar in the Gurdwara.
April 20th - HGRD Quarterly Board Meeting - 7 pm at Kirpal's home
April 22-25th - International Khalsa Council Meetings at Santa Claran Hotel

Ongoing Events:
Monday evenings - Kundalini Yoga class, taught by Tera Kaur, 6 pm
Thursday evenings - Kundalini Yoga class, taught by Sat Sundri Kaur, 6 pm
Sunday afternoons - Women's Knitting & Craft Circle - Locations announced in ebulletin
Every 3rd Sunday - Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Sukhmani Sahib recitation - After Langar in the Gurdwara.

Siri Singh Sahib Quote

"In your life there will be good days and bad days, normal days and abnormal days, right days and wrong days, but you must understand that every day has to be followed by a night and every life has to end. Don't waste your life in reactions."

Welcome to the Newest Baby of the Sangat!

Congratulations to Rampreet Kaur and Tegbir Singh Burlett on the birth of their son, Abram Anand Burlett (Ram Anand) on March 23rd at 2:24am. If you would like to help out by preparing food for Rampreet and her family for her 40 days, go to TakeThemAMeal.com.
The access info is:

Recipient Last Name: Burlett
Password: 0323

Lead Gardener for the Ashram Community Garden!

Rosie Said has agreed to be our first lead gardener for the Ashram Community garden for at least the next year. This is a big step forward for us - it is the first time we will have a dedicated, full-time person focused on getting our community garden up and running. Of course, Rosie will need lots of help from the community. If you see her, please give her a big welcome! To read more click here>

Workshops & Events

Classes in Gurbani Kirtan and Raag Sangeet with Bhai Kultar Singh Ji!
May 27th - 30th

Course starts Wednesday evening at 5:30, and ends Saturday at 1pm. It will be held at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Ashram.

Daily Morning Ryazz: 5am to 6am

Day Session: 10:30am to 1:30pm

Evening Session: 5:30pm to 8:30 pm
Students from all levels are welcome! All Sessions - $350; Evening Only - $225.

Daily Morning Ryazz - By Donation. For more information and to register: shanti.khalsa@gmail.com or 505-927-0707.

Baisakhi Celebration 2015!

The day to renew ourselves as Khalsa has come again! We will celebrate Baisakhi on April 12th.
9am: Breakfast at the Ranch
10am: Nagar Kirtan will proceed from the Ranch to the ashram Gurdwara)

Gurdwara services and langar follow.
Come join us on this special day!

The Women's Clothes Swap!

The women's clothes Swap is coming up! Come join us on Saturday April 18 from 9am-1pm at the Langar Hall. Give & receive,help out, hang out, join the fun. For more information call Jai Jeet Sangeet, 505-901-1409

HGRD Community Garden Spring Fling

Saturday April 11th, 6:00 pm at Hari Sadan (Sat Purkh's and Abhai Raj's house). Come meet your steering committee as well as our new Lead Farmer Rosie, and learn about this year's vision for the HGRD Community Langar Garden. We'll have kirtan, a short presentation about the community garden plans for this year, and a chance to get involved. Dinner, cookies and Yogi Tea will be served, so please RSVP on facebook!

Serving the Pilgrims on
Good Friday!

Come help prep & serve the pilgrims who walk to El Santuario de Chimayo on Friday, April 3rd starting at 5:30am at the Santa Cruz Country Store. The prep will be on Thursday April 2nd, any time after 6pm in the Langar Kitchen. It has become a tradition among our community. It is a beautiful seva! For more info contact Hari Singh at: 505-692-3721 or harisinghkhalsa@gmail.com

International Khalsa Council Meeting

April 22-25 in Espanola, New Mexico

The Khalsa Council welcomes the Sangat to participate in the meetings as members of the Siblings of Destiny Section. This is a non-voting section for Sangat members who wish to attend either an entire 3-day session, or on a daily basis.

Opening Ceremony: Wed. April 22nd at 5:30pm in the Gurdwara at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Ashram, followed by Langar.

The meetings will be at the Santa Claran Hotel in Espanola from Thursday, April 23rd to Saturday, April 25th from 9am to 5:30pm.

The cost for participating as a Siblings of Destiny member is: $350 for the entire 3-day meeting, or $125 per day. Lunch and snacks are included. To register, please click here: REGISTER! For questions regarding registration contact Amrit Kaur, ak@sikhdharma.org and for general questions contact Sada Bahar Kaur, khalsacouncil@sikhdharma.org

Community Growth Fund (CGF)

Want to get more involved in building our community? Attend an HGRD Board meeting and find out how you can help. The next HGRD Quarterly Board Meeting will be on Monday, April 20th, at the Kirpals' home at 7pm. All are welcome. Agenda to follow.
Donate today to your Community Growth Fund and support the growth of our ashram.

Healthy, Happy and Holy Langars at HGRD

Things are starting to change in our langar kitchen! We are making progress with the purchase of more bulk grains, beans and organic spices with the donations we have received through our crowdfunding site. Guru Darbar and Harimander have mentored a new langar team headed by Hari Mitar Singh and they are now cooking once a month. However, we need to continue to build our donations so we can keep up with the bulk food purchases and also begin upgrading and purchasing better equipment (i.e., dishwasher, industrial mixer, etc.) for our kitchen. We have put a new donation button on the ashram website so that you can make recurring monthly donations as well as single donations at any time. You can help to make our langar kitchen a great place to prepare healthy food for the sangat by donating today!

Summer Solstice Sangat Pass

Sangat pass registration will be available in April during Sunday lungar.

Sangat full event rate (not including tantric days):$108
Tantric rate per day is an additional: $175

All three days of tantric rate is an additional: $450. Full event plus three days of tantric is a total of: $558. The sangat rates will not go up at the end of the early registration deadline. Harimandir Singh. Sat Nam!

Food for Health

Asparagus & Mushroom Rice with Black Pepper

In early spring, your body starts to crave snappy and refreshing textures like fresh asparagus. Asparagus is a strong diuretic to relieve spring water retention. Black pepper clears the respiratory tract of congestion, while asparagus relieves a dry cough. Read More here >

Besan Pancakes with Jalapenos, Onions & Greens (Wheat-free)

Besan Pancakes make a perfect savory breakfast, snack, and travel food. You make a batter of besan and water, and add whatever other ingredients you fancy. Then fry them up in a well-oiled pan, browning on each side, and serve with Ketchup or mint chutney. So tasty! They keep in the fridge or freezer just fine.

Read more here

Harigun Kaur's baby shower

with her Khalsa sisters.

Sikh Stories

Story of the First Female Freedom Fighter: Maharani Jind Kaur (1817-1863)

Married to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Jind Kaur was Maharani of the Sikh empire and the first female freedom fighter in the struggle to oust the British from India.

She was renowned for her beauty, energy and strength of purpose and was popularly known as Rani Jindan, but her fame is derived chiefly from the fear she engendered in the British in India.

After Ranjit Singh's death, the British annexed the Punjab through bribery and battle. Rani Jinda Kaur's revolutionary speeches and writings rattled the British who imprisoned her in Punjab, Nepal, Calcutta and finally, England, where she died in 1863 at the age of 46. She is credited for sowing the seeds of India's struggle for independence. To read more about her life click here >

Yogi Bhajan Story - by Harijiwan Singh

"I hate that," I blurted out during one of our conversations in the car on the way to lunch. Jason's Falafel Shop in Westwood was a favorite of ours, especially before a movie. This incident was so long ago that it was only the Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan, and me in the car. In the much earlier days like this one, there was no security, no secretary, no entourage, no anything. It was just him and me...Read entire article

Weekly Akhand Path

Make it a priority...schedule a time to read from the Siri Guru Granth. Our weekly Akhand Path Sevadar, Har Nal Kaur, can assist you in signing up for a reading spot. Contact her at 505-850-2008. Wahe Guru!

Prayers - Passing of our beloved Hari Krishan Kaur