With millions celebrating it in unison across the globe, one of the biggest birthday celebrations every year is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanek Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.
The celebration is called Guru Nanak Dev Ji Jayanti or Guru Nanak Gurpurab, and this Tuesday, November 12, marked the 550th anniversary of the guru's birth, leading to three days of global celebrations.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the beautiful processions, rituals and gatherings held in both India and Pakistan to honour the occasion.
Globally, the celebrations generally begin with processions from Gurudrwaras the day before the birthday, while hymns are sung early in the morning of the anniversary. Then there is, as is common in Sikh tradition, a free community lunch organised by Gurudwara volunteers. The food is offered to anyone, of any religion, in the spirit of service and devotion.
Every year, thousands of Sikhs from across the world make a pilgrimage to holy sites in both India and Pakistan. The birth place of the guru is in about 80 km from the Pakistani city of Lahore.
While the site where the guru died in 1539 is also in Pakistan, and this year, a new visa-free passage for Indian Sikhs was opened up. The secure Kartarpur Corridor allows Indian Sikhs to visit the site, which had been difficult in recent years.
Meanwhile, the world's holiest Gurdwara (place of Sikh workshop) is the Golden Temple in Amritsar in the north-west of India.
Guru Nanak lived from 1469 to 1539, his teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib. He taught that followers should share with others, help those in need, earn a living honestly and meditate on God's name to control the weaknesses of the human condition.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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Expert advice
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Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
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“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
How to donate
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MATCH INFO
Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians won by three runs
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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