Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Why Sikhs are 'habitual do-gooders'? Explores new book

Why Sikhs are 'habitual do-gooders'? Explores new book

SELFLESSNESS and helping others through service, which is an integral part of Sikhism, is important for individual and societal health, says writer Jasreen Mayal Khanna whose new book explores science-based studies, interviews with Sikhs and history to understand why Sikhs are “habitual do-gooders.”

About 500  years ago, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhi, understood that being selfless, empathetic and generous is not easy, he created a radical religion that helped humans become better people in their everyday lives, Khanna wrote in a recent column, adding that he did it by introducing the concept of seva.


“By making seva the song of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak instilled service in their DNA,” Khanna wrote in a recent column. 

Khanna cited Alice G. Walter, a health and science journalist, who said: “Much of our mental anguish, stress and depression is linked to rumination and worry-based self-referential thoughts. Transferring your focus from yourself to another might work to quiet worry and distress about one’s own plight, much in the same way that meditation is known to quiet activity in the “me-centres” of the brain.”

GettyImages 886778940 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (3R) helps prepare food in a community kitchen during his visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. (NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images)

Pointing out that being selfless and indulging in service for others is not unique to Sikhi, Khanna explained how Buddhism also prescribes the practice of meditation as a “way of softening the walls of the ego and becoming one with the world around”.

However,  since meditation requires great mental practice, Guru Nanak introduced the meditative habits through seva, as per Khanna, who revealed how her mother used to take her, along with  her sibling, to help with langar seva regularly where she used to go into “meditative rhythm”.

Khanna also wrote that helping or giving to others also help oneself as it “leads to what is called the ‘helper’s high’”, adding that experts in preventive medicine are now suggesting that community service is just as important for one’s health as avoiding tobacco and obesity.

The book, SEVA: Sikh secrets on how to be good in the real world, is set to come out on July 26.

More For You

Fathers over 60 help 'reverse UK birthrate decline'

Photo for representation (Photo: iStock)

Fathers over 60 help 'reverse UK birthrate decline'

THE UK has recorded its first increase in births since 2021, with a notable rise in babies born to fathers over 60 helping to lift the numbers, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In 2024, there were 594,677 live births in England and Wales, up 0.6 per cent from the previous year. While this is a modest increase, it marks a change after several years of decline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Quad-leaders

The foreign ministers of the Quad — India, the US, Australia and Japan — met in Washington DC on Tuesday to outline priorities for the bloc’s annual summit to be held in India later this year. (Photo credit: X/@DrSJaishankar)

X/@DrSJaishankar

Quad condemns Pahalgam attack, flags China’s actions and Myanmar crisis

THE QUAD grouping has called for the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the Pahalgam terror attack to be brought to justice without delay. The group also urged all UN member states to cooperate in the process.

The foreign ministers of the Quad — India, the US, Australia and Japan — met in Washington DC on Tuesday to outline priorities for the bloc’s annual summit to be held in India later this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Preventable' grid failure caused Heathrow fire, says report

FILE PHOTO: Airplanes remain parked on the tarmac at Heathrow International. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

'Preventable' grid failure caused Heathrow fire, says report

A FIRE that shut London's Heathrow airport in March, stranding thousands of people, was caused by the UK power grid's failure to maintain an electricity substation, an official report said on Wednesday (2), prompting the energy watchdog to open a probe.

The closure of Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, cost airlines tens of millions of pounds. It also raised questions about the resilience of Britain's infrastructure.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tributes paid to Asian mum who died in Leicester attack

Leicestershire Police

Tributes paid to Asian mum who died in Leicester attack

TRIBUTES have poured in for a 'kind-hearted' mother who tragically lost her life last week after being attacked in Leicester.

Nila Patel, 56, a British Indian woman described as a "beautiful, vibrant soul," died in hospital two days after suffering a head injury during an assault on Aylestone Road.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Sri Lanka to receive USD 350 million as IMF completes fourth review

THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF) has completed the fourth review of Sri Lanka’s USD 2.9 billion bailout programme, allowing the country to access the next tranche of USD 350 million from the four-year facility.

The IMF had approved the nearly USD 3 billion bailout in March 2023 to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to restore macroeconomic stability, including fiscal and debt sustainability, during an unprecedented economic crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less