See India’s Unique Airplane Temple That Fuels Devotees’ Traveling Dreams

It’s not unusual at Indian temples for devotees to make huge offerings of money and food in exchange for their prayers to answered. But the case of this particular Sikh temple in Punjab is quite strange, even for Indian standards. The narrow, dusty alleyway leading up to the Sant Baba Nihal Singh Gurudwara in Punjab’s Doaba region, near the city of Jalandhar, is lined with a host of shops selling toy aircrafts of various sizes and colors. Although they sell like hot cakes, they are not meant to be travel souvenirs, but offerings to the temple. At the Sant Baba Nihal Singh Gurudwara, devotees make toy plane offerings in the hopes that their dreams of traveling abroad and starting a new life will come true.

It’s hard to say how the trend started. But the offering of the toy plane is quite befitting, since the thing most people pray for at this temple is to settle down in another country. According to one local shopkeeper, “Surely it must have been someone’s wish to go abroad coming true that must have started it all. It’s now become a tradition. For us it’s business.” So the sight of scores of devotees flocking at the century-old gurudwara gates, holding colorful toy planes might be a strange one to you but quite normal to the locals. They line up patiently, waiting for their turn to access the inner sanctum on the first floor, where several decorative model planes are placed in neat rows.

The devotees place their rainbow-colored offerings in the demarcated enclosure, paying their obeisance to the Gurus of the Sikh tradition and to Baba Nihal Singh, a simple farmer of the nearby Doaba region after whom the gurudwara was named. After the offering is made, they then proceed to ask for their wish to be granted – to be sent abroad as soon as possible.

The gurudwara is most famous among Punjabi youths, who are anxious to immigrate to places like the UK, United States, and Canada, and believe that a prayer can help them significantly speed up their visa and other procedures. Satwinder Singh, a 21-year-old college graduate from a nearby village, says, “I have just put in my application for a visa to go to the UK and am here to ensure my passage by making an offering of an aeroplane.” Surinder Kaur, another devotee, says, “My son was trying hard to go to Canada but was denied a visa. A friend suggested we offer the replica of an aeroplane at the gurdwara and it worked and he is now in Toronto.” So popular has this temple become that it is referred to as the “Hawai Jahaz Gurudwara” (Airplane temple).

Several hundreds of airplane models are offered here and the temple often runs out of space to house them all. The shrine management has now come up with the solution of distributing the toys to children. “At least the children can play with them. We cannot stop people from offering them. In the end what matters is the faith with which you pray,”says head priest Bhai Manjit Singh.

Considering this high-tech service that the people of Punjab have access to, it isn’t surprising that every single family in the Doaba region has at least one member living in one of the highly coveted lands abroad. No wonder this temple is believed to possess a power even greater than that of  immigration officials.

Michael Jackson's Ghost Haunts Childhood Home

La Toya Jackson, Michael Jackson's elder sister is convinced that her brother's spirit is haunting his childhood home.
The 56-year-old believes Jacko’s spirit is looking over his children Prince, Paris and Blanket — who live there with his mum Katherine.
According to her, the late pop legend can be heard tap dancing in the mansion in Encino, California.
The former Celebrity apprentice star said: “You don’t see anything but you feel a presence.”
La Toya has also been using a psychic to speak to her brother, who died of an overdose in 2009 aged 50. She said: “If Michael wants to tell me something, I want to know.”

9 JAMB Candidates Die In Accident

No fewer than nine candidates going to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations today were feared dead in an auto crash on the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.
The Public Relations Officer of the Abia State Police Command, Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna, said seven persons, including the driver died instantly while two others died later in hospital. The police did not identify the victims.
The police image maker said that the candidates were travelling on a Hiace bus with registration number Rivers XY 249 from Port Harcourt to Aba.
Ogbonna said that the driver of the bus rammed into a truck with with registration number Lagos XC 109 SLK, parked off the road.
He said that the accident occurred at Obeaku-Ihie in the Ugwunagbor Local Government Area of Abia at about 10.40 a.m.

Ogbonna said that the dead had been deposited at the mortuary while six survivors of the accident were in critical condition and receiving medical attention in a hospital Aba.
He said that the 15 seater-bus, was conveying mainly people, going to sit for the JAMB examination, slated for 27 April.
According to him, the clue comes from the items recovered at the scene of the accident.
A witness, Mr Peter Okolo, attributed the accident to over-speeding and recklessness on the part of the driver.
He said that the driver lost control of the vehicle when he wanted to overtake a vehicle in front of him.
“When he saw an upcoming vehicle while he was over-taking the car in front of him, he veered off the road and then rammed into the truck parked off the road,” Okolo said.

sources by naijabliss.com

Doing The Puff Puff Brymo Smoking A Joint.

This photo of Brymo smoking cannabis in one hand and typing on his blackberry with the other hit the net a couple of days ago. However, it isn’t a big scandal because it was the “Ara” singer who released the photo himself.

This isn’t anything new for a musical sensation of his class. It’s common knowledge how grueling studio session could be, lasting for almost the whole day. Different folks, different strokes is what people say, so this is probably Brymo’s way of easing his mind and getting a little tension and pressure off his shoulders.

On the other hand, he (Brymo) should set a good example for his young fans to follow, after all there are better and more healthy ways to relax than smoking weed. But who are we to judge? Do your thing, brother, but just make sure you don’t get caught up with the law.

The Chocolate City star posted the photo on Instagram, tagging it ‘It’s alright’. Few minutes later while we were all still trying to understand what was alright, he posted another  photo, this time making it clearer for us to understand. ‘Actually, I smoke a lot‘, he wrote as he posted a picture of a huge chunk of cannabis.

Men In Suits Look Successful But They Work For People Like Me” Peter Okoye

This gist as being going viral online now for hour now, PETER Okoye of P-Square twitted this about few hours ago?  “Men In Suits Look Successful But They Work For People Like Me” – Peter Okoye. what this dude means that he did not want to marry biko..  go ask 2face

Our story as Plantashun Boiz – Faze

Annie used to sit under the tree to cry for 2face’s love …
After a failed album, Originality, he took a long break from the music scene, only to re-surface with Re-Fazed, an album which opens a new side to the dreadlocks wearing Faze. But this time, the dreads are gone- here comes the ‘new born’ Faze. Read on.
What have you been working on?
I’m working on my new album titled Re-Fazed. It  contains a number of tracks with the videos already shot. We are putting finishing touches to the album, and I have already started the album promotion, shot videos and granting radio interviews. A lot of things have been going on.  I’ve changed my management, a lot of things have been re-Fazed.
What’s ‘Re-Fazed’ all about?
It’s about me and everything around me. Basically, everything that has to do with my music has changed. It’s not like I’m not the same Faze but my music has changed because the environment is changing. My dreadlocks have been shaved. The kind of music I do right now is that which people have to dance to, and  my management has changed too.
Why did you change your management?
I feel it’s better for me to be doing most of my stuff. I’m a very funny person. I like getting involved in my own project.
How many tracks are contained in your new album?
It has 17  tracks in all. I  have songs like Good Wife, Nkem and some new ones we’ve just done.

Faze

Who’s the producer?
I worked with new people because I don’t always like old hands. When I meet new hands, I try my best  working  with them because I believe challenging them will get me challenged too. I worked with a guy called Pig Mixed, Rhyno, Kelly among others.

What about doing collaborations?
I’ll do collabos but not now. It will be after releasing the album.

 After dropping the last single, Originality, you went off the stage, what happened?
I didn’t go off the stage. I only took my time to do some research because when I dropped my last single and it didn’t fly the way I expected, I quickly carried out a research. That’s why every artiste is scared to release singles because of  the fear that fans may not like it. If you see an artiste daring to bring out an album, it means he has confidence in himself because releasing an album is the greatest fear of any artiste.

We are not scared and that’s why we do the best we can, we experiment our performances with people and they tell us what they think about us. That’s why it’s not good to ask your friends to judge your music because they’ll always tell you it’s good. They don’t want to offend you. But when critics descend our music, you don’t need to be told to buckle up.

When is the album dropping?
It’s out already but the problem is that people don’t know it has been released. What we are doing at the moment is to include other songs in the album and then, plan a proper launch. That’s where I had a problem with my former managers. I don’t want to talk about it now. I’m working with a new team and we are trying our best to do something new with it. I’m trying to re-package the album and make noise with it. I’m also trying to organize a concert starting from next month. It’s going to be a U.S tour.

Are you saying that your former manager was not good?
No, it’s not like that. We had an agreement that we should go our different ways because I felt the way I used to run my business is different from the way they are used to doing it. We can’t work together because my style of doing things is different from theirs.

What was the reaction you got from fans after you cut your dreadlocks?
I was scared which was normal because I didn’t know what fans would say. People have always loved and known me with my dreadlocks. But I was surprised because they were impressed. And when they saw me cut my dreads, they actually knew that something new will come out of it. At the end of the day,  it’s the fans’ reaction that will determine whether your songs and looks are good or not. And I got positive reactions which I think is good for me.

Why do you think you had to change your kind of music in order to stage a comeback?
It’s not like it’s changed. There’s a little of me that is contained in my new song because everybody wants to dance. Even if you give birth to a child today, she wants to dance. It’s not everybody that loves mid-tempo songs. So, I had to mix it with dancing songs then, they can go through the album and appreciate others.

Taking you back, what was growing up like?
My parents were never poor. They cared of me and my siblings very well and that’s why I’m trying to do same very soon. I attended Nazareth Primary school and Festac Grammar School. I did ATS 1 & 2 in Ilaro and later had my degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies. Then  I went into music.

Why didn’t you practice what you studied?  
Black Face told me some time ago that if I knew I wanted to do music, I had to leave every other thing and face it. It did work out for me. God has a calling for everyone, and I think music is my calling.

Plantashun Boiz

What do you mean by ‘leaving everything’?
That is  I had to relocate from where I was living because we weren’t living together at that time. I went to live with 2face and Blackface to enable us form the Plantashun Boiz. Even there was a movie I featured in, titled Alero’s Symphony. I insisted that I would be coming to location from my home but the producers disagreed with me because they wanted me to get used to the environment. So, I was on location for about three months and that was what delayed my album.

You have a degree, 2face doesn’t, and I don’t think Black Face does…
No, Black Face has a degree. What Black Face just told me was that if I wanted to cope with Plantashun Boiz, I should forget about this because I don’t like talking about the past. As young boys, in the Plantashun Boiz,  we were always back up to each other. If 2face wasn’t singing, I could take his part because we have similar voices. And Black Face raps and sings at the same time.

So, two heads are better then one. Then, as the baby of Plantashun Boiz, I listened to whatever Black Face said, and I never see anything wrong with that because it worked out for me. Who knows, if I wasn’t part of the group, I might be struggling with other groups to come up today. I attempted it and it worked but if I tried and it didn’t work out, maybe I would have done something else.

How do you feel today that 2face is a superstar as well as yourself, but Black Face is yet to hit the mark?

Black Face is also going to be big. Everybody seems to be supporting him financially, and it takes a lot for people to believe in you. Black Face wrote almost all the songs we had in our first album, so, he has potentials. He has management challenges and people that believe in him. We must be frank, we have some junk music in the industry but they sell because they have financial backups to pay for publicity and other things. These days, if you are bringing out an album, it has to be well packaged, it has to generate noise.  I’m working on something with him to make sure he bounces back.

Since you know his problem, why didn’t you…?
He’s going to be big. Everybody has his time

But don’t you think it’s getting too late?
Nothing is too late. He just needs a single and I’m working with him on his album because he was involved in my career. I remember when I wanted to go for a singing competition. I was young and scared of the unexpected because there were so many ladies there that could sing well.  I didn’t want to involve myself because I noticed judges were usually partial when it comes to ladies.

It was a live performance but Black Face encouraged me to go ahead.  He accompanied me to the competition and I won at the end of the day.  So, it’s the same spirit that I’m trying to give back to him.  Whenever, we sit and write songs together, he writes in a different dimension. I think the only thing he needs to do is take his time and not to be in a hurry.

It appears you are more passionate about Black Face than 2face? 
No, it’s not like that. 2Face is already big and Black Face will still grow. Most of the times when he’s down, I sit with him because I know his kind of person. He has talent and he has his fans. What is left is for him to give his fans the right music to listen to and enjoy. 

He made me grow, and I don’t want to say I don’t care about anybody but I’m a kind of person that I don’t forget my benefactors. Sometimes, God directs me to give to people and I do it because I know there’s blessing behind it. It was Black Face who made me join Plantashun Boiz and that’s why I’m known today.

So why didn’t you speak with 2face  to lend him a support?
What he needs isn’t financial support. We are working together to bring out the right songs.

What’s 2face doing about it?
I’m sure both of them meet to discuss on their own, you know they are from the same area. I can only speak for myself that whatever I do for Black Face, I’m not helping myself, he’s helping me. I’m still going to do one or two songs with 2face in future. But I’m doing everything to make sure things work out well for Black Face. We are all looking for money to take care of our responsibilities. The highest we can do is work together and make more money. Black Face has been helpful to me even financially so, it’s on both sides.

Why were you and Black Face absent at Tuface’s Dubai wedding?
I was in Dubai but got to the venue very late.  I had other functions I was attending to. People saw me because we were together at the club. Black Face has his own reason he didn’t make it.

But you are his friend and you should know better
He must have his reasons.

Maybe, he didn’t have money for the ticket…?
It’s not about the money because tickets don’t cost that much. He must have his own reasons. Tuface had his reasons he didn’t invite him too. After all, when Black Face did his wedding, none of us was there.

Now, that 2face and Black Face are married, what are you waiting for?
I’ll do that very soon.

I thought you said you had a girl you were dating for years and you’d get married to?
I’ve never dated any girl for years in my whole life. Besides, I don’t have to date anybody for years before knowing who she is. That’s why I wrote a song called Good Wife. I know the qualities of a good wife, and it’s only  God that can show you who a good wife is because you know most of  our young  ladies pretend only to change after the wedding. I know my wife. It’s not that I’m perfect.

Meaning that someone is in your life…
Yes, I don’t play with that. But what if I want to marry her but she isn’t ready for it? Both of us have our lives to live but what matters is that we love each other. I didn’t say I have another girl. She’s a wife to be by God’s grace. It’s not that my mum has to approve her. It’s just for her to pray because God determines everything we do in life. I do things at my own time and make sure that person is ready to do it too.

So when is your time?
I won’t say anything now but it’ll happen at the right time.

How come you and Black Face are reserved with girls but 2face isn’t?
Tuface is also a cool headed person. The girls who got pregnant for him knew what to do to avoid pregnancy but they didn’t. That means they wanted the babies.

They wanted him to marry them?
It’s all about choice when he decided to marry Annie. I’ve known Annie for years and I think she’s perfect for him. There were times she would sit under the tree, crying and asking me if 2face really loved her. Even when 2face was  dating  Annie, Black Face and I were equally dating  two of Annie’s friends. But we didn’t marry those girls but 2face and Annie eventually got married. That’s life for you.

How do you cope with girls?
It’s not easy. They come, want to get very intimate and ready to do anything. Some of them already have boyfriends, and some are even married but I know the rules. So, what I do is to invite them to my shows and they see me. Some of them just wants their parents to see me. There was a girl that her mother always calls me and prays for me over the phone. So, considering all the prayers I get from mostly elderly people, I don’t think any evil can happen to me in this life.

So since you are still single…
No, I’m not single. I have a fiancee and I’m marrying her by God’s grace.

How does your fiancee cope at your shows?
No she can’t go to my shows because it’s not right. I’m not a public person and I can never take my wife to-be to my events. And that’s why I can’t marry an entertainment person because we can’t be doing the same thing.

Maybe, you don’t want her to get jealous
She can’t get jealous because she’s a matured person. I don’t go out with kids and I can’t date a girl that’s not intelligent because it’s going to affect my career, and even our kids will be dull. I like a lady who can help organize my life.

New release: May D - So Many Tinz [Official Video]

May D - So Many Tinz [Official Video] new

Video Description: Mista May D drops brand new video – SO MANY TINZ brought to you by, Confam Entertainment, directed by Mr. Moe Musa. This time, the confam sure boy May D comes from a different angle. SO MANY TINZ music video reveals in a beautiful story line the extent to which a man in love can go as the title implies; giving you an even clearer picture of the Award winning movie – Django Unchained. There are really so many things.