Washington, DC - On 16th October, the civil rights concerns of the Sikh American community were featured on RT--an international English-language news channel broadcast to more than 200 million viewers in 100 countries on five continents throughout the world.
especially after 9/11 when the anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States was growing. According to a recent poll, 40% of Americans admitted to have a prejudice against Muslims. Oftentimes because of Sikhs' turbans, they get mistaken for Muslims and end up becoming targets for hate crimes, work place discrimination, and racial profiling at airports. Today, because of their turbans, Sikhs still can't enlist in the U.S. army and in some states they can't teach in public schools.
with thanks : youtube.com
contributed by : Dr. P S Puri, USA
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 22, 2009
US allows Sikh security officers to wear turban and beard
PTI 21 October 2009, 11:41am IST
WASHINGTON: Sikhs in US will be allowed to serve in uniform with their beards and turbans under a legal settlement reached with the US Department of
Homeland Security, a Sikh advocacy group claimed on Wednesday.
In a statement, Sikh Coalition said the Department of Homeland Security has agreed to pay Raghbir Singh, a Sikh who wears a beard and turban in accordance with his religious beliefs, monetary damages for his wrongful termination in 2005.
"Holding the federal government accountable for discriminating against Sikhs sends a strong message to private employers. If the government includes Sikh-Americans in its workforce, it should encourage other employers to do the same," said Harsimran Kaur, legal director, Sikh Coalition.
"Beyond monetary recognition, we're pleased the government recognised the need to edit its policies to accommodate for religious differences," said Khari Tillery, who represented Singh along with the Sikh Coalition and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.
"Singh's turban and beard did not affect his ability to perform his job duties and he was an exemplary employee," he argued.
Singh is a former contracted federal security guard who was fired from his Fresno post in 2005 when his supervisors reported that his beard and religious turban failed to comply with homeland security uniform.
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-allows-Sikh-security-officers-to-wear-turban-and-beard/articleshow/5144375.cms
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
WASHINGTON: Sikhs in US will be allowed to serve in uniform with their beards and turbans under a legal settlement reached with the US Department of
Homeland Security, a Sikh advocacy group claimed on Wednesday.
In a statement, Sikh Coalition said the Department of Homeland Security has agreed to pay Raghbir Singh, a Sikh who wears a beard and turban in accordance with his religious beliefs, monetary damages for his wrongful termination in 2005.
"Holding the federal government accountable for discriminating against Sikhs sends a strong message to private employers. If the government includes Sikh-Americans in its workforce, it should encourage other employers to do the same," said Harsimran Kaur, legal director, Sikh Coalition.
"Beyond monetary recognition, we're pleased the government recognised the need to edit its policies to accommodate for religious differences," said Khari Tillery, who represented Singh along with the Sikh Coalition and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.
"Singh's turban and beard did not affect his ability to perform his job duties and he was an exemplary employee," he argued.
Singh is a former contracted federal security guard who was fired from his Fresno post in 2005 when his supervisors reported that his beard and religious turban failed to comply with homeland security uniform.
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-allows-Sikh-security-officers-to-wear-turban-and-beard/articleshow/5144375.cms
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
Sikh Brother To Meet Muslim Sister After 62 Years
Srinagar, Oct 21: Separated in early childhood from his sister in the violent upheaval in Muzaffarabad during Kashmir’s division 62 years ago, an elderly Sikh is keenly awaiting a reunion through the cross-LoC bus.
For Gurcharan Singh Ransi, who still carries fond memories of his native town in the other part of Kashmir, Thursday is a day ordained directly by providence, for he would be traveling to Muzaffarabad to meet his sister whom he has not seen for the last 62 years.
Ransi has lived most of his grown-up life in Jammu, and is presently in Srinagar for the highly anticipated trip that has materialized after years of trying. As a child in the Bandi Jamadaar area of Muzaffarabad, Ransi had witnessed the upheaval in that part of the state when India landed its troops in Kashmir on October 27, 1947 after the tribal invasion from Pakistan areas.
The events that followed tore families apart, with nearly 500 households leaving behind loved ones as they fled the chaos, turmoil and violence in a bid to save their lives. Young Ransi was among the droves of Sikhs and Hindus that fled Muzaffarabad during the bloody period, tragically severed from his beloved sister whom the family could not take along.
The long years of separation have only intensified his yearning to meet his lost sibling, who, according to Ransi, has since embraced Islam and adopted the name of Reshma Begum. Heartbreaking tales of this nature are legion in the partitioned subcontinent, and Ransi may be among the lucky ones getting finally to see a long separated family member. And the tears in his eyes at the mention of his sister bridge the gap of decades and the divides created by borders and faiths.
with thanks : Source : http://www.kashmirobserver.net
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
For Gurcharan Singh Ransi, who still carries fond memories of his native town in the other part of Kashmir, Thursday is a day ordained directly by providence, for he would be traveling to Muzaffarabad to meet his sister whom he has not seen for the last 62 years.
Ransi has lived most of his grown-up life in Jammu, and is presently in Srinagar for the highly anticipated trip that has materialized after years of trying. As a child in the Bandi Jamadaar area of Muzaffarabad, Ransi had witnessed the upheaval in that part of the state when India landed its troops in Kashmir on October 27, 1947 after the tribal invasion from Pakistan areas.
The events that followed tore families apart, with nearly 500 households leaving behind loved ones as they fled the chaos, turmoil and violence in a bid to save their lives. Young Ransi was among the droves of Sikhs and Hindus that fled Muzaffarabad during the bloody period, tragically severed from his beloved sister whom the family could not take along.
The long years of separation have only intensified his yearning to meet his lost sibling, who, according to Ransi, has since embraced Islam and adopted the name of Reshma Begum. Heartbreaking tales of this nature are legion in the partitioned subcontinent, and Ransi may be among the lucky ones getting finally to see a long separated family member. And the tears in his eyes at the mention of his sister bridge the gap of decades and the divides created by borders and faiths.
with thanks : Source : http://www.kashmirobserver.net
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
IAS officer used riot-victims’ funds to pay power bills
Shruti Setia Chhabra, TNN 20 October 2009, 03:56am IST
CHANDIGARH: Funds marked for 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims used to pay electricity bills of a Punjab cadre IAS officer!
Information procured under the RTI Act has revealed that Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, when posted as additional deputy commissioner (development) Ludhiana, in 2002, had abused her position to divert the riots victims’ funds on September 11, 19 and 24 that year for paying power bills of her official residence.
Documents procured by NGO Resurgence India, a copy of which is with TOI, reveal that the officer made payments worth Rs 23,714 by projecting the expenses as those of her camp office (at her residence) even though there is no provision for it. Even if it is presumed that the officer was entitled to set up an office at her official residence, electricity bill of the entire premises — Kothi No. 1, Rose Garden, Ludhiana — could not be attributed to the camp office — the bill for which could not have been more than 5-10% of the total amount.
The documents reveal that the officer categorically certified, while approving the contingent bill for Rs 3,317.50, that, “The charges on account of electricity consumption/kerosene oil/telephone calls included in these bills are for bonafide purposes of rural development agency and not for private use.”
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/-IAS-officer-used-riot-victims-funds-to-pay-power-bills/articleshow/5140361.cms
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
CHANDIGARH: Funds marked for 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims used to pay electricity bills of a Punjab cadre IAS officer!
Information procured under the RTI Act has revealed that Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, when posted as additional deputy commissioner (development) Ludhiana, in 2002, had abused her position to divert the riots victims’ funds on September 11, 19 and 24 that year for paying power bills of her official residence.
Documents procured by NGO Resurgence India, a copy of which is with TOI, reveal that the officer made payments worth Rs 23,714 by projecting the expenses as those of her camp office (at her residence) even though there is no provision for it. Even if it is presumed that the officer was entitled to set up an office at her official residence, electricity bill of the entire premises — Kothi No. 1, Rose Garden, Ludhiana — could not be attributed to the camp office — the bill for which could not have been more than 5-10% of the total amount.
The documents reveal that the officer categorically certified, while approving the contingent bill for Rs 3,317.50, that, “The charges on account of electricity consumption/kerosene oil/telephone calls included in these bills are for bonafide purposes of rural development agency and not for private use.”
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/-IAS-officer-used-riot-victims-funds-to-pay-power-bills/articleshow/5140361.cms
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Disabled Sikh woman to skydive against fascism
London, Oct 19 (IANS) A feisty Indian-origin woman with cerebral palsy has announced plans to jump more than 14,000 feet from a plane to help raise funds for the fight against fascism in Britain.
Wheelchair-bound Rupy Kaur, 22, plans to carry out her skydiving feat Dec 6 in Lake District, a picturesque region in northwest England.
The psychology graduate of Manchester University said money raised from the act will go toward two of Britain’s best-known groups campaigning against fascism and racism – Searchlight and Hope Not Hate.
The move by Kaur, who is a disability activist, comes amid a recent surge in violent demonstrations by racist and anti-immigration groups in towns and cities with large non-white populations across Britain.
Kaur is particularly critical of the anti-immigration British National Party (BNP), which is the midst of a major controversy over a decision by BBC television to invite its leader to participate in a popular current affairs panel discussion show called Question Time this week.
“When I first heard of the BNP, I thought nobody would be that stupid as to vote for them. There have been many wars and nobody would want to incite hatred, would they?” Kaur says on the Hope Not Hate website.
“The sad fact is there are people who support them.”
The BNP has more than 50 elected representatives in local authorities all over Britain and two in the European Parliament.
Kaur, who takes her inspiration from Gandhi and declares pride in her Indian origin, said she comes from a family of fighters for justice: her grandfather had to fight prejudice and racism as a ragman in order to become a successful businessman.
Born with cerebral palsy, Kaur started her education in a special needs school but authorities were forced to admit her to a mainstream school following a campaign by her uncle.
Although she did not have a note-taker in lessons and was considered to be a ‘health and safety hazard’ – which meant she could not stay back in school without a support worker – she scored three A-grades in her 12th standard exams.
After finishing school, social services advised her to stay at home to do a ‘Learn Direct’ course but her cousin helped her “battle with them in order for me to study at Manchester” – one of Britain’s best universities.
“Gandhi once said, ‘We are the change we seek in the world.’ If you are proud to be British then I believe that you should stand against fascism,” said Kaur.
“This jump is a major thing for me.
“It would be awesome to know that people are supporting me and this cause so get your hands in your pockets … by doing so you’ll be making a positive difference in the world.”
Kaur can be sponsored on the website www.hopenothate.org.uk/skydive
(Dipankar De Sarkar can be contacted at dd.sarkar@ians.in)
with thanks : Source : IANS ; sindhtoday;
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
Wheelchair-bound Rupy Kaur, 22, plans to carry out her skydiving feat Dec 6 in Lake District, a picturesque region in northwest England.
The psychology graduate of Manchester University said money raised from the act will go toward two of Britain’s best-known groups campaigning against fascism and racism – Searchlight and Hope Not Hate.
The move by Kaur, who is a disability activist, comes amid a recent surge in violent demonstrations by racist and anti-immigration groups in towns and cities with large non-white populations across Britain.
Kaur is particularly critical of the anti-immigration British National Party (BNP), which is the midst of a major controversy over a decision by BBC television to invite its leader to participate in a popular current affairs panel discussion show called Question Time this week.
“When I first heard of the BNP, I thought nobody would be that stupid as to vote for them. There have been many wars and nobody would want to incite hatred, would they?” Kaur says on the Hope Not Hate website.
“The sad fact is there are people who support them.”
The BNP has more than 50 elected representatives in local authorities all over Britain and two in the European Parliament.
Kaur, who takes her inspiration from Gandhi and declares pride in her Indian origin, said she comes from a family of fighters for justice: her grandfather had to fight prejudice and racism as a ragman in order to become a successful businessman.
Born with cerebral palsy, Kaur started her education in a special needs school but authorities were forced to admit her to a mainstream school following a campaign by her uncle.
Although she did not have a note-taker in lessons and was considered to be a ‘health and safety hazard’ – which meant she could not stay back in school without a support worker – she scored three A-grades in her 12th standard exams.
After finishing school, social services advised her to stay at home to do a ‘Learn Direct’ course but her cousin helped her “battle with them in order for me to study at Manchester” – one of Britain’s best universities.
“Gandhi once said, ‘We are the change we seek in the world.’ If you are proud to be British then I believe that you should stand against fascism,” said Kaur.
“This jump is a major thing for me.
“It would be awesome to know that people are supporting me and this cause so get your hands in your pockets … by doing so you’ll be making a positive difference in the world.”
Kaur can be sponsored on the website www.hopenothate.org.uk/skydive
(Dipankar De Sarkar can be contacted at dd.sarkar@ians.in)
with thanks : Source : IANS ; sindhtoday;
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
51 Akhand paths Sukhasan vid by SikhsIndia
Plz view this VID of 51 Akhand paths Sukhasan. Though some prob in the vid. Plz bear with it.
SikhsIndia
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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sikh clergy to scrap Nanakshahi calendar?
Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 16In a move that could kick a storm in the entire Sikh world, the Sikh clergy is likely to give a re-thinking to the widely accepted Nanakshahi calendar even to the extent of its replacement with a new calendar in their bid to put an end to the long-standing dilemma over observance of important Sikh events.
The Nanakshahi calendar is a solar calendar which starts with the birth of the first Sikh Guru Nanak in 1469 and it has been in use in over 90 per cent gurdwaras across the world since 2003, when it was released at the Takht Damdama Sahib on the Baisakhi Day in presence of the then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and the then SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar. Vedanti and Badungar, had got the first copies of calendar, which, however, was being opposed by a section of orthodox Sikh sects such as, the Sant Samaj and the Damdami Taksal.
The peculiar feature of the calendar was that since it was based on the length of the tropical solar year and not on the basis of the lunar cycle, the dates of important Sikh events did not fluctuate as was the case with the old lunar-based calendar. As of now, all important Sikh days, except for the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, were being observed in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar, which, was even recognised by the Punjab and the Central governments.
The fresh and controversial discussion, it was learnt, would be held in an emergency but, secret meeting of the Sikh clergy to be held at the Akal Takht tomorrow. The meeting would be presided over by the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and other Sikh high priests Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedar of the Takht Damdama Sahib, Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar of the Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Iqbal Singh,Jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib, and Kulwant Singh, the Jathedar of the Takht Hazoor Sahib or one of his representatives were likely to participate in the meeting which, was likely to end up as a stormy affair as some of Jathedars could put up an opposition to the idea of revocation or change of calendar on the grounds that it was already duly recognised world over and by apex Sikh institutes like the Akal Takht and the SGPC.
“We are going to have a discussion on the calendar issue as we want to put an end to the dilemma prevailing in the Sikh world,” was all what was said by one of the Jathedars when contacted about the agenda of the meeting.
The issue assumed importance and could have certain political overtones in view of the forthcoming elections for the president of the SGPC and the elections to general house of the SGPC to be held during next year. A large section of the Sikh community was of the view that the calendar was important as it re-affirmed the Sikh faith’s separate identity from the Hinduism or the Islam.
It would be a big blunder to replace the calendar and the entire Sikh diaspora would be opposing it, said Dr Pritpal Singh, vice-president of the American Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
with thanks : source : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20091017/main5.htm
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 16In a move that could kick a storm in the entire Sikh world, the Sikh clergy is likely to give a re-thinking to the widely accepted Nanakshahi calendar even to the extent of its replacement with a new calendar in their bid to put an end to the long-standing dilemma over observance of important Sikh events.
The Nanakshahi calendar is a solar calendar which starts with the birth of the first Sikh Guru Nanak in 1469 and it has been in use in over 90 per cent gurdwaras across the world since 2003, when it was released at the Takht Damdama Sahib on the Baisakhi Day in presence of the then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti and the then SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar. Vedanti and Badungar, had got the first copies of calendar, which, however, was being opposed by a section of orthodox Sikh sects such as, the Sant Samaj and the Damdami Taksal.
The peculiar feature of the calendar was that since it was based on the length of the tropical solar year and not on the basis of the lunar cycle, the dates of important Sikh events did not fluctuate as was the case with the old lunar-based calendar. As of now, all important Sikh days, except for the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, were being observed in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar, which, was even recognised by the Punjab and the Central governments.
The fresh and controversial discussion, it was learnt, would be held in an emergency but, secret meeting of the Sikh clergy to be held at the Akal Takht tomorrow. The meeting would be presided over by the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and other Sikh high priests Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedar of the Takht Damdama Sahib, Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar of the Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Iqbal Singh,Jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib, and Kulwant Singh, the Jathedar of the Takht Hazoor Sahib or one of his representatives were likely to participate in the meeting which, was likely to end up as a stormy affair as some of Jathedars could put up an opposition to the idea of revocation or change of calendar on the grounds that it was already duly recognised world over and by apex Sikh institutes like the Akal Takht and the SGPC.
“We are going to have a discussion on the calendar issue as we want to put an end to the dilemma prevailing in the Sikh world,” was all what was said by one of the Jathedars when contacted about the agenda of the meeting.
The issue assumed importance and could have certain political overtones in view of the forthcoming elections for the president of the SGPC and the elections to general house of the SGPC to be held during next year. A large section of the Sikh community was of the view that the calendar was important as it re-affirmed the Sikh faith’s separate identity from the Hinduism or the Islam.
It would be a big blunder to replace the calendar and the entire Sikh diaspora would be opposing it, said Dr Pritpal Singh, vice-president of the American Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
with thanks : source : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20091017/main5.htm
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Akhand Kirtani Jatha Samagam held in Delhi - view pics
contributed by : Sd. Amandeep singh ji with thanks to : Akhand Keertani Jatha Delhi
More pics in part 2 of this post
SikhsIndia www.sohnijodi.com www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Akhand Kirtani Jatha Samagam held in Delhi - more pics
+at+Rakab+Ganj+Rain+Sabai.jpg)
+at+Bangla+Sahib.jpg)
Contributed by : Sd. Amandeep singh ji
with thanks to : Akhand Kirtani Jatha Delhi
SikhsIndia
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
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