Introduction: Gurbani Groups Project
So at Saanjh 2009 we were split up into several large groups and given a problem, and several steps to a real-world solution. Below I’ve embedded the presentation my group gave with our proposed solution. In the coming weeks I hope to move quickly forward on this project, and hopefully meet all the long-term goals outlined in the presentation.
If you’ve got some input, or would like to help in this effort, or just have a quick suggestion – PLEASE reply in the comments so we can get in contact with you. There are allready meetings in Houston and Atlanta that exist, and THIS Friday there will be a meeting in San Fransisco area. Later this month there is one planned for Los. Angeles. If you are interested in any of these, just get in contact with me and I will put you in touch with the appropriate people.
Panjab Digital Library Launched – Check it out!
Check out this cool new Sikh project that just publicly launched Panjab Digital Library.
From the press release:
For the first time ever a searchable collection of millions of rare pages, on Sikhs and the region of Panjab has been made available. Panjab Digital Library (PDL) will include texts of manuscripts, books, magazines, newspapers and photographs and will be available to anyone with Internet access at www.panjabdigilib.org. This launch was made possible in part by the Nanakshahi Trust and the Sikh Research Institute.
Panjab Digital Library has been in development since 2003, charged with a mission to select, collect, preserve, digitize and make accessible the accumulated wisdom of Panjab. Texts were included without distinction as to script, language, religion, nationality, or other human condition.
Definitely a cool and worthy project that I’ll be keeping my eye on in the future.
iSikhi – Gurbani Search App for iPhone
After using Gurbani Anywhere on my phone for the last few weeks, my little brother has been getting pretty jealous of all the cool things I could do with it sitting in Diwans, Kirtans, or anytime on-the-go. So Yesterday I grabbed his iPhone and installed the iSikhi iPhone app, which promises to
- Work on iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iTouch devices
- Search Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and view shabad(s) line by line with english translations
- Search with either First Letters or First Letters Anywhere
- Simple to install like any other iPhone application through App Store. No need to JailBreak your iPhone or any other modifications are required.
Let’s have a look at version 3 of this software. One thing to note is that my brother has the iPhone 2G, but is running version 3.0 of the iPhone OS. I suggest you view these pictures in order:
So the application is extremely clean and well-made. The gurmukhi keyboard and input work wonderfully. One thing I did notice is that performance on this older iPhone was definetly slower than expected, but not enough to bother me too much, or deter me from further use. The application makes good use of the iPhones screen real estate, and viewing the shabad in landscape mode with a slightly increased font makes it perfect for balancing on top of the vaja while practising kirtan.
There are some features from Gurbani Anywhere (which has an upcoming iPhone release also) are the transliterations, favorites, increased viewing options, and searching Bhai Gurdas Vara and Dasam Granth. Hopefully the iSikhi dev team can add some of these and more in upcoming releases.
Head on over to the iSikhi website, install it, donate, and post on the forums for help, comments, and support
Gurbani Anywhere – Bani on your Windows Mobile Phone
So my buddy Mr. Sikhnet contacted me and pointed me to this intriguing app called Gurbani Anywhere. This App promises to “enable fast and efficient methods to search & display Gurbani, on a truly mobile platform.”
So I registered on the website and waited (not-so)patiently for a several hours to get my membership approved. (Update: they have listened to user requests and enabled email activation rather than manual administrator activation for the website – definetly much easier to get to the download and forums now!)Finally got the download link so let’s have a look!
The app is distributed as a .zip file download from the site containing a terse README and a standard CAB file. Any owner of a windows mobile phone will know what this is and immediately what to do with it. Note: The application and cab file come in at a hefty 66MB so you will definitely want to transfer and install this to a storage card rather than to your phones (or PDA’s) main memory.
So I transferred the cab file over to my phone and installed it to the card. Let’s take a first-look visual tour!
Overall I found this to be a very nifty app, and I’m sure once the developers do some more updates, this will quickly become the defacto standard in Sikh mobile applications. Personally I’ve allready replaced Sikhi To The Max – Mobile on my phone with this, as it’s much better, more stable, has active developers, has more features, and is generally a better product. The various cool features, and addition of SDGS and Bhai Gurdas Vara make it especially compelling. I would strongly encourage everyone with a windows mobile device to run over to the website, register, download, and give some positive feedback to the developers as soon as you can!
Unlike my usual self, I will not mirror the installer here as the developers have asked that everyone please register on their site/forums
Cool Website: Gurbani Today
Check out this cool website – Gurbani Today that shows you a new shabad every weekday with video,audio, Gurbani, and translation all synced up for your viewing/listening/understanding pleasure. From the about page:
About GurbaniToday.com
Spend 10 to 15 minutes every day listening, enjoying, and most importantly, understanding and embracing Gurbani, one shabad a day!Every week day you will find a Shabad video along with English translation.
For weekends, you will find one audio-only Shabad.
In addition, other Nitnem banis and Aasa Di Vaar is available alongside English translation.
Pretty cool stuff, I only wish they had one bar for both videos, so scrolling one would appropriatly bring the other one in sync.
About Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib
*whoosh* <– What’s that sound you ask? Well that’s the sound of another cool book and worthwhile read flying your way. Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib by Professor Sahib Singh (translation by Sardar Dalip Singh) is a really interesting and quick read about how the Sri Guru Granth as we know it today came to be.
Why the venerated Professor wrote this:
One day we, the members of faculty, were sitting in a verandah opposite to the’ staff room, a Professor told me that he had read first three chapters of my book on Gurbani te Itihas Baare – Gurus’ Compositions and the related History”, and’ the maximum one could say was that Guru Amar Das had with him some of the Compositions of Guru Nanak Dev. It could not, however, be established that Guru Amar Das had with him all the compositions.
Any other person after reading those three chapters could form the same opinion. People could still have the misconcept that it was. Guru Arjan Dev, the 5th Guru, who collected the Compositions of all the preceding Gurus. In order to solve this intricate problem, I undertook to compare all, the Compositions of Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Amar Das and wrote the book “Adi Birh Bare – About Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib” during 1949 A.D.
This really is a very interesting read, and I highly suggest all of you guys check it out
| Download: | Compilation_of_SGGS_Prof_Sahib_Singh.pdf |
|---|---|
| Version: | 0.1 |
| Updated: | April 14, 2009 |
| Size: | 664.56 KB |
Cool Tool – Search Gurbani Desktop Version
A great alternative to Sikhi To The Max today I bring you Search Gurbani Desktop Version. A Java application for searching, displaying, and exploring the Guru Granth Sahib. From the website:
Search Gurbani Desktop Version (SGDV) brings to you a unique and comprehensive approach to explore and experience the word of God. We have the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji , Amrit Keertan Gutka and Bhai Gurdaas Vaaran and Sri Dasam Granth Sahib in entireity. You can explore these scriptures page by page or search for a keyword in either one or all of the scriptures.
The application is also designed for use in a Gurdwara like setting to help the sangat follow along with the Raagi. It displays the Gurmukhi line along with Romanization and English translation text.
A good option for non-windows users or people on other java-enabled platforms. It works sufficiently well and definetly meets it’s goal of providing something to put up for the sangat to follow along. I will add the download files to the downloads section soon, but all the relevant and up-to-date files are available on the SGDV website
Download – SikhNerd Punjabi Fonts Mega Pack
Going around the web browsing various Sikh and Punjabi websites you run into a lot of different Punjabi fonts used all over the place. To that end I’ve put together this fontpack of all the various Punjabi (and Punjabi-ish) fonts that one would regularly run into around the web. Download link, File list , and some advice after the break.