By Balwant Sanghera

Management of Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji in Surrey held a very impressive seminar titled: An Afternoon of Kindness and Love recently. The Gurdwara management had invited several prominent representatives of various religious denominations and other organizations to share their thoughts about this very relevant subject. Every speaker made a commendable contribution to the deliberations.  Each one of them brought a different perspective to the discussion. The attendees seemed to enjoy listening to very lively and productive presentations by each of the esteemed speakers.The management and volunteers of Darbar SriGuru Granth Sahib ji and Gobind Sarvar School did an excellent job in making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. 

Kindness can be defined as a type of behaviour marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistance or concerns for others without expecting praise or reward in return. In other words, do a good deed and forget about acknowledgement or reward in return. It also signifies the quality of being gentle, caring and helpful to others. It is a very noble cause. There are several ways that a person can show kindness and love towards others. By taking the focus away from one self and putting others at the center is one of the easiest and most effective ways of showing kindness. Offering others a helping hand, listening to their concerns in a non-judgmental and non-threatening way is another strategy that is also very effective. Smiling at others and offering genuine compliments to them is also very helpful in this regard. We should try to make empathy as part of our daily life. There are a lot of ways that we can help and make our fellow human beings’ lives more meaningful and productive. 

Having a positive attitude goes a long way in self-improvement and in helping others. Carve it in your mind that every day is a good day. Always focus on the positive for your own well-being and that of others around you.A prominent philosopher has captured the essence of kindness and love beautifully in these words: “ Let us embrace beauty of diversity and connect through shared humanity. To-gether we can create a world where kindness reigns and oneness thrives.” In conclusion, I would like to thank the management and volunteers of Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji and Gobind Sarvar School for making it all possible. Their hospitality was wonderful.

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.