Bhai Lalo and Malik Bhago - Milk and Blood

Dadi: "Beta Guddu, do you know that Sikhs were practicing humanitarian aid more than a hundred years before the Red Cross was even founded?"

Guddu: "Really? How, Dadi?"

Dadi: "It all started with a man named Bhai Kanhaiya, born in 1648 in a small village in Punjab. As a young man, he was searching for spiritual peace - he wandered with sadhus and holy men, but nothing satisfied his heart."

Guddu: "How did he find peace?"

Dadi: "He met a Sikh named Nauna Bairagi, a follower of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Through him, Kanhaiya met the ninth Guru and converted to Sikhism. His first job? Carrying water for the Guru and working in the langar, the community kitchen."

Guddu: "Serving water and food? That doesn't sound exciting!"

Dadi: "*chuckles* Ah, but that's where the deepest lessons are learned, beta. In humble service. Kanhaiya's devotion to feeding and giving water to people became the foundation of everything that followed."

Guddu: "What happened during the battles?"

Dadi: "During the siege of Anandpur in 1704-1705, things were desperate. The Mughals had cut off all supplies. Food and water were scarce. Sikhs were dying of starvation. And in the midst of all this suffering, Bhai Kanhaiya did something extraordinary."

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "He went out onto the battlefield with his goatskin water bag, giving water to every wounded soldier he found - Sikhs, Mughals, Hindus, everyone. The city was surrounded, water was precious, and here was Bhai Kanhaiya sharing it with the very people trying to kill them!"

Guddu: "The other Sikhs must have been angry!"

Dadi: "They were furious! "We've been trying to stop him," they complained to Guru Gobind Singh, "but he won't listen!" The Guru called Bhai Kanhaiya."

Guddu: "What did the Guru say?"

Dadi: "He asked simply: "Is it true that you serve water to the enemy who then recovers to fight us again?""

Guddu: "And Bhai Kanhaiya admitted it?"

Dadi: "He said: "Yes, my Guru. But Maharaj, I saw no Mughal or Sikh on the battlefield. I only saw human beings. They all have the same God's Spirit. Guru Ji, have you not taught us to treat all God's people as the same?""

Guddu: "That was a brave answer!"

Dadi: "The Guru smiled and told everyone: "Bhai Kanhaiya has understood the deeper message correctly. You all must learn from him." Then he gave Bhai Kanhaiya medicine and ointments too."

Guddu: "What happened to him after the war?"

Dadi: "The Guru sent him to Sindh to spread Sikh teachings. He founded the Sewa Panthi Sampradaye - the sect devoted to selfless service. Before he died in 1718, he established a Dharamsala - a place that provided water, food, and shelter to anyone in need."

Guddu: "Was he really the first humanitarian like the Red Cross?"

Dadi: "Think about it, beta. In 1859, Henry Dunant saw wounded soldiers at the Battle of Solferino and founded the Red Cross in 1863. But Bhai Kanhaiya was serving wounded soldiers from BOTH sides over 150 years earlier! The Sikhs were practicing this principle long before the modern humanitarian movement even existed."

Guddu: "That's amazing!"

Dadi: "And you know what's even more beautiful? The same spirit continues today. Whenever there's a disaster anywhere in the world - earthquake, flood, pandemic - Sikh organizations are often among the first to arrive with langar, feeding everyone without asking their religion or background."

Guddu: "Just like Bhai Kanhaiya did!"

Dadi: "Exactly! In 2020, during the pandemic, Sikhs fed millions of people. During hurricanes in America, earthquakes in Nepal, floods in India - wherever there's suffering, you'll find Sikhs serving water and food to all."

Guddu: "What does this story teach us, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Beta, the world often divides people - by religion, nationality, politics. But suffering knows no such divisions. A thirsty person is just thirsty. A hungry person is just hungry. Bhai Kanhaiya taught us to see the divine light in every human being, friend or foe. His water bag has become millions of langars serving billions of meals. One man's seva became a global movement. Never underestimate what one person with a pure heart can start."

Guddu: "I want to do seva too, Dadi!"

Dadi: "You already can, beta. Help someone at school who's struggling. Share your lunch with someone who forgot theirs. Offer kindness to someone who seems alone. Every act of service, no matter how small, carries the spirit of Bhai Kanhaiya."