The 7th Lord of Miracles Tour in Honor of Guru Ram Das arrives in ARGENTINA

     Argentina is the land of Tango, Pampas, Gauchos, and the best pizza on this side of the universe.  It is a rich country that is vibrant, energetic and well endowed with a rich culture. From the beauty of the north, the towering Andes to the west, the rich farmlands in the center and stunning glaciers of the south, Argentina has it all. And the crown jewels are its people. The Argentines are gracious, kind, smiling and full of life. Their exuberance is contagious, their style eclectic and their food “divine”!  This 7th Lord of Miracles Tour takes us on a whirlwind tour to 4 cities in Argentina. And we start with its glorious capital, Buenos Aires.

     Buenos Aires is well named after the clean fresh beautiful air that circulates in the city. It is a city with wonderful architecture in the European tradition and wide boulevards to enjoy. It sits on The Rio de la Plata which is so huge you think you are on the ocean. Buenos Aires is not only the capital of the country but the capital of nightlife. Everything starts after midnight and ends after the sun comes up. The rich blend of Italian and Criolla tradition is a joy to experience in its food, music and culture.

     Upon on arrival in Buenos Aires we were immediately taken to a special Gurdwara to honor the Lord of Miracles Tour by our host, Gurubani Kaur.  From the beautiful Kirtan to the absolutely wonderful Langar everyone was in the bliss.  S.S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa addressed the Argentine sangat on the power of seva.

     That evening, The Lord of Miracles lecture was held and the sangat was emotionally moved and inspired. For two hours they meditated, chanted and danced bhangra. Afterwards we returned to our hotel to the wonderful food prepared by Nam Simran Kaur and Hari Amrit Kaur.

   The following morning found us on the plane  flying to the city of Cordoba in the central region of the state. It is the second largest city of Argentina and a strong business center for the nation.  Meeting us for the first time was Sonia who we now call Aunty Sonia. She is well nationally known for her architecture and design as well as her international community work with folkloric culture and dance. She is a Samba dancer and choreographer and it is real delight to see her dance. Aunty Sonia has been doing Kundalini Yoga for several years and she has expanded the teachings throughout the region. Her love for Shabad Guru and seva is profound.

    After a wonderful brunch in her private home, the tour was taken to a refuge house for street youth. There we sat and talked to about 14 young adults who live on the street. Their interest in yoga and meditation was very surprising and their participation and understanding surprised us even more. During their session with all of us, S.S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa told them that he would return the next day with Langar. The following day we all did return and more than 60 adults came for the Langar. We were well prepared! It was very beautiful to see how the Guru works and participating in this great seva was a joy for all of us as well.

     That evening we were treated to wonderful barbeque of grilled pizza in the home of Monica and her family who is another Kundalini Yoga teacher in Cordoba.  None of us on the tour every saw pizza prepared this way where it was cooked on an improvised barbeque. It was wonderful. The large group of friends and family of the sangat came for dinner and serenaded us with classical and folkloric music as well as dance. They can really do the Samba! The real treat of the evening was watching the young children of 10 years old serenade us with cello and classic guitar.

     The following day we conducted interviews for television, radio and newspaper. The response was overwhelming, the people were enthusiastic and the results showed in the amount of people who attended the Lord of Miracles lecture that night. To a packed audience in the National Theatre of Cordoba, several hundred people learned to meditate, chanted to Guru Ram Das and listed to Gurbani Kirtan. It was a most beautiful sight.

     The following day we traveled back to Buenos Aires en route to our third city, Salta. This gorgeous colonial city where the people of the province are devoted and dedicated was built in a large part by the Spanish several hundred years ago.  In the two days we were there we were hosted by Sat Nam Singh who is Argentinean. In Salta, there is also a community of Punjabi Sikhs who have been contributing to Salta for the past 100 years. It seems as though everyone in Salta is a son or daughter of a “Singh” from their history. That afternoon we were invited to the home of Hardeep Kaur and her family to enjoy a Langar. Pizza is so popular in Argentina that even the Sikhs serve it as part of every Langar, Yum! While in Salta we shared our teachings of Kundalini Yoga and Shabad Guru with the general public. There is something very special when you are in the provinces of Argentina. The people are very slow paced and relaxed.  

     Two hours north of Salta is the province of Jujuy which borders with Bolivia to the north. There we shared the Kirtan, gatka and bhangra as well as the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and Yogi Bhajan.
 
        On our return from the north of Argentina we had a 7 hour stopover in Buenos Aires and we were hosted by a beautiful Argentine family who invited the entire sangat over for dinner. It was a very beautiful and graceful evening filled with wonderful food and most wonderful people who in their own right practice the teachings of Shabad Guru. We have included some additional pictures so you can see the joy in the faces of the Argentines practicing this life style.  Later that evening we caught the midnight flight from Buenos Aires to Asuncion, Paraguay our 9th city on this most blessed 7th Lord of Miracles Tour in Honor of Guru Ram Das.

Reporting from 29,000 feet somewhere over the northern part of Argentina.

S.S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa
Sat Guru Kaur
Gurubani Kaur
Ram Das Singh Khalsa