UK hails its blue-eyed Sikh soldier

They number just 80 in the 150,000-strong British Army, but Sikh soldiers have become the toast of the fighting force.

Private Ranvir Singh, a reservist with 151 London Transport Regiment, is now the UK government’s ambassador tasked with building bridges with that country’s formidable Sikh population.

He is credited with dispelling rumours about bullying, harassment and racism in the British army and also encouraging young people to enlist.

Singh has been visiting Gurdwaras across England to reach out to the Sikh community and share his experiences in the Army.

The British army website quotes Singh’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Adrain Lee as saying, "The work Private Singh has done on behalf of the British Army has been exemplary. At a time when conflicts occur as much over ideals as over territory, ensuring good communication across community groups is critical."

The British army admits that his efforts have been instrumental in improving its relationship with the Gurdwaras and engaging effectively with Sikhs. The Army Community Liaisons Office for London says, "They (Sikhs) now see a face they recognise and that builds up a trust with the Sikh community and the army."

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With thanks : source : Hindustan Times

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Three memorials for Punjab martyrs: CM

Fatehgarh sahib The Punjab government has decided to set up three memorials for its martyrs. While one such memorial would come up in Chhappar Chiri in memory of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, two others would come up at Sangrur and Gurdaspur, in the memory of thousands of people who lost their lives in the mass killings.

This was announced by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while paying tributes to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur on the tercentenary celebrations of the Sirhind Fateh Diwas, on Friday. The celebrations were held on the culmination of the Fateh Diwas march, from Nanded in Maharashtra to Fatehgarh Sahib, covering 2,500 kms in about a month and a half.

Badal said the memorial at Chhappar Chiri would be set up in 20 acres and would have a museum, a fateh minar and a light and sound show to highlight the bravery of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Besides, it will also have statues of Banda Singh Bahadur and his generals Fateh Singh and Baaz Singh.

The other two memorials, Badal said, would come up at Kup Rohira near Malerkotla in Sangrur and near Kahnuwan in Gurdaspur district, where thousands of Sikhs sacrificed their lives fighting the Mughals. He said these memorials would go a long way to perpetuate the memory of these great historic events which are an integral part of our rich legacy.

Addressing the gathering, Badal dared the Congress party to shun its nefarious designs to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state. He criticised the Congress for with working through its agents to create communal tension in the state as it had no political agenda of its own.

The chief minister said Punjab had a history of sacrifices and urged the people of the state to draw inspiration from the supreme sacrifices of the martyrs from the state. He also called for ending the menace of drug addiction as the great Sikh general had played a vanguard role in the eradication of intoxicants and abolition of zamindari system during his regime.

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With thanks : source : ExpressIndia

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Coin released to mark Fateh Diwas tercentenary

The Shatabdi Purab Committee of Mohali on Friday released a commemorative replica of the coin released by Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in 1710 in the name of the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev.

Releasing the coin during celebrations of the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas, committee convener Hardeep Singh, who is a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), said the coin does not bear the name or stamp of any organisation and has the same language (Farsi/Persian) as used by Banda Bahadur in 1710 on both sides of the coin.

Singh said the residents of Mohali and its vicinity who desire to have the coin, will be sent the coin free of cost at their doorsteps. The first coin was presented to a local resident.

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With thanks : source : Indian Express

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Mandira's tattoo leaves Akal Takht fuming

AMRITSAR: Model-turned-actress and TV anchor Mandira Bedi has once again earned the ire of the Sikh community for sporting an Ek Onkar (God is one) tattoo on her nape, with community leaders threatening to drag her to court for hurting religious sentiments if she did not have the tattoo removed immediately.

On Wednesday, Mandira Bedi, who attended a dealers meet of Jaypee Cement at Zirakpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh along with Sachin Tendulkar, flaunted the tattoo with the symbol in Gurmukhi on her bare nape, leading to protests.

This was the second time she is facing the wrath of the Sikhs, after she was warned by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2007 for walking the ramp with the same tattoo on.

Bedi said on Wednesday that she respected the religious sentiments of the Sikhs and that she had planned to undergo a plastic surgery to have it removed but could not find time.

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With thanks : Source : Times of India

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Now, Gadkari angers Sikhs

FATEHGARH SAHIB: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari's troubles aren't over yet. After having rubbed Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav the wrong way, Gadkari and his colleagues on Friday repeatedly referred to the Sikh general, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, as 'Banda Veer Bairagi.' The reference is something the Sikh community considers as a "deep seated conspiracy of RSS and BJP to discredit the Khalsa 'swaroop'.

The BJP leaders, including Balbir Punj and Punjab cabinet minister Manoranjan Kalia addressed a gathering during the tercentenary celebrations of the Sirhind Fateh Diwas at Fatehgarh Sahib, about 50 km from Chandigarh.

The celebrated Sikh general and his men had defeated the province of Sirhind, in May 1710 in what is considered as a major blow to the Mughals and then went on to establish the first, though short-lived, Khalsa Raj in the area.

Interestingly, just before the BJP chief spoke, Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, had warned the community against "distortions in the history" showing Banda Singh Bahadur in bad light and present him in the 'bairagi (ascetic) 'swaroop' instead of the Amritdhari Sikh that he had become.

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With thanks : Source : Times of India

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Baba Banda Singh Bahadur memorial in a year: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced on Thursday that the state government would dedicate a world-class heritage memorial to commemorate the victory of Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and his soldiers over the Mughals in Chhapar Chiri village near Mohali, within a year.

Addressing a religious congregation on the eve of the tercentenary celebrations of Baba Banda Bahadur’s Sirhind Fateh Diwas in Chappar Chiri, Badal said the design of the project had already been selected by the panel of top architects of the country, which has now been referred to the high-powered committee, comprising eminent Sikh intellectuals and academicians, for its final approval.

He disclosed that the state government had already given in-principle approval to give 20 acres at a cost of Rs 20 crore for construction of the heritage memorial, which would house Minar-e-Fateh, a museum, an open air auditorium for light and sound shows to depict the life and philosophy of Sikh warriors.

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With thanks : source : Indian Express

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For Tagore, Banda was a hero, 'lion in shackles'

CHANDIGARH: The Sikh community may have taken years to offer its collective homage to the ascetic-turned-warrior, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, but his universal appeal was recognized by poets and intellectuals even before India became independent. Banda was immortalized in literature by one of the greatest poets of the times, Rabindranath Tagore.

It was in 1899 that the Nobel Laureate – whose 150th birth anniversary was celebrated on May 9, ahead of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur's tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh on May 14 —wrote his famous poem 'Bandi Bir' (Captive Hero) based on the Sikh warrior and his brave Sikh fighters who took on the tyrannical Mughal army despite being outnumbered and ill-equipped in terms of weapons. He sang paens to the great warrior, using terms like "singher moto shrinkhalgato" (lion in shackles) to describe his arrest by the Mughals.

The poem, which is part of the academic syllabus in every English and vernacular medium school of West Bengal, is also one of those powerful creations of Tagore which mothers love to teach their children, in every Bengali household. It was also universally recognised as a source of inspiration to several other Bengali writers as well as the militant youths of those times who were fighting for India's Independence.

"This poem can be found in the book of poems by Tagore – 'Katha-O-Kahini' and is an extremely popular, inspirational poem," says Rajat Kanta Ray, vice-chancellor of the Visva Bharati University. Katha-O-Kahini is a collection of Tagore's poems where the poet featured great inspirational figures, not just from Sikh community but also Rajput and Maratha war heroes, who set high standards of bravery and valour.

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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British Sikh Re-elected as Director of UK Co-operative Society

Rashpal Singh Dhesi has successfully been re-elected as Director of the Midlands Co-operative Society, Western Regional Committee.

He has been a member of the Midlands Co-operative Society for over 39 years. He was employed by the society for over 33 years at Central Dairies, of which 25 years were in a management capacity. He has served on the Greater Midlands Area Committee for 15 years, of which 6 years were also on the Central Board. He is also a Magistrate in the City of Birmingham, Board member for the West Midlands Probation Board and Chair of the Audit Committee.

Having been a member of the society for over 39 years, he has a keen interest in the society and the Co-operative movement and a particular interest in developing active membership of the society.

With thanks : source : EMGONLINE : with link in headline above.

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Sikh Fateh March enters Punjab

Badal, Deputy CM greet the march at Shambhu; celebrations at Chappar Chiri tomorrow

The Sikh Fateh March from Nanded to Sirhind, to commemorate the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas, entered Punjab to a rousing welcome from the crowds on Wednesday. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, besides a number of religious leaders, were present to receive the march at Shambhu, on Punjab’s border with Haryana.

The Fateh March, which started last month from Nanded in Maharashtra, has till now travelled 2,500 kilometres, covering various states.

The march will culminate at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib on Thursday. The state government is celebrating the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas in a big way at Chappar Chiri in Fatehgarh Sahib on May 14.

The day is celebrated to mark the victory of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in ousting the Mughals from Sirhind. Banda Bahadur, a trusted lieutenant of Guru Gobind Singh, had started his mission from Nanded to conquer Sirhind, in order to avenge the martyrdom of two Sahibzadas.

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With thanks : Source : Indian Express

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Sikh Marriage Act ready for Cabinet nod

If the assurances given by Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily to a delegation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee on Wednesday are any indication, the draft of the Sikh Marriage Act is ready for ratification by the Union Cabinet. After clearance by the Cabinet, it will be introduced in Parliament at its next session.

Once passed, the Sikh Marriage Act will meet a long-standing demand of the community that has been fighting for an amendment to the Anand Marriage Act passed by the British in 1909. Under the Act, there will be a special provision for the registration of marriages performed under Sikh religious rights. Interestingly, Pakistan had taken the lead over India by adopting the amended Anand Marriage Act a couple of years ago.

Only yesterday, the Union Law Minister had given indications for amending the Special Marriage Act and not the Hindu Marriage Act. Incidentally, marriages performed under Sikh religious rights are registered either under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act. Now when the Special Marriage Act is being amended, provision for the registration of marriages performed according to the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 will also be incorporated.

Moily briefed the DSGMC delegation on the proposal. The delegation comprised Paramjit Singh Sarna, his brother Harvinder Singh Sarna besides Bhajan Singh Walia, Kartar Singh Kochhar, Gurmeet Singh Shunty and Rajinder Singh Chadha.

It discussed the statutory recognition to be given to the Sikh way of marriage known as Anand Karaj. The Minister said the Ministry of Law had cleared this long-pending demand and recommended it to the cabinet for enactment. This recognises the Sikh way of life by statutory enactment. Moily referred to his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and pertinent reference was made to Sonia Gandhi wherein she had taken note of genuine Sikh demands and decided in principle for the passing of the Sikh Marriage Act.

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With thanks : source : Tribune

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Sikhs set to reclaim lost heritage

LOHGARH: Sadhaura, Kapal Mochan, Bilaspur.... the names jump out of the pages of Sikh history books as the road from Naraiangarh in Haryana turns towards Yamunanagar, just short of the Kala Amb barrier in Himachal Pradesh. On the main road, though, there are not many who know the way to Lohgarh — the first capital of Khalsa Raj, which was established by brave Sikh General Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

The first helpful hint comes from a traffic cop, who points in the direction of the approaching Fateh Diwas march, from where a small group led by SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar would head for the still-elusive place. It is for the first time in independent India that the representative body is finally set to accord the regard and respect that the place deserves in Sikh history.

Lohgarh has till now remained an obscure place about which few local Sikhs are aware of even though it was the first capital of the community's rule. It's a difficult drive through narrow, hilly tracks, a river bed, and several dried, semi-dried nullahs which takes one to the place chosen by the SGPC to install the 'nishan sahib' (the Khalsa flag) at the site where a gurdwara would be constructed. It will also recreate the Lohgarh fort here as a befitting memorial to the Khalsa fauj and its leader, who defeated the nawab of Sirhind to avenge the killing of the two younger sons of the 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh.

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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