Pics - Keertan Darbar : Sri Guru Nanak Sewak Jatha

Pics of the Keertan Darbar on 15th November, 2010, arranged by Sri Guru Nanak Sewak Jatha, Chand mohalla, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi - 110031.

Sikh students allowed to wear ceremonial dagger to school

Teachers have been advised that up to 2,000 Sikh students in schools across a county should be allowed to wear a ceremonial DAGGER – to SCHOOL.

New guidance issued to head teachers and governing bodies in Bedford states that baptised Sikhs can wear a dagger – or Kirpan – with a blade of up to SIX INCHES.

The dagger, usually worn discreetly beneath clothing, is one of the five ”articles” of faith worn by Sikhs who have gone through the Amrit baptism ceremony.

Members of Bedford’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) agreed the guidance developed by members of the Sikh community on Wednesday.

The advice was issued after parents asked for clarification on the issue and states that there should be no objection to the practice of wearing the five Ks.

These include the Kirpan, a steel bangle (Kara), unshorn hair (Kesh) a comb, (Kanga) and special underwear (Kacha).

with thanks : swns : link in headline for detailed news.

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Give one percent of earnings for education: Badal to Sikhs

Chandigarh, Nov 14 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday urged established Sikhs all across the world to contribute one per cent of their earnings to provide free quality education to poor children in the state.

'We have called upon the Sikh intellectuals, representatives of social and religious organisations to jointly chalk out an action plan to impart quality education based on Sikh values to our children, throughout the country, and to establish a fund for this purpose,' he said.

'I also appeal the Sikhs who have established themselves all over the world to contribute only one per cent of their earnings for the cause to provide free quality education to the children of the poor class in Punjab,' Badal added.

A huge number of NRIs from different parts of Punjab are based in the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, the Gulf countries and in various European countries.

with thanks : SIFY : link in headline for detailed news.

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Sikhs Hold Annual Parade In Queens

with thanks :
http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/128896/sikhs-hold-annual-parade-in-queens
Link also in headline above.

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Commemoration of Sikh Soldiers in Tyne Cot (Iper,Belgium) on 11th November

In the Belgian town of Ieper (south-west of Belgium),where during four long years of world war, terrible trench wars were fought;there is an arch with the names of fallen soldiers and one can read many times over the name 'Singh'. Every evening the 'Last Post' is played by the bugles but on the 11th November, every year, hundreds of Sikhs from all over Europe; especially from the United Kingdom, come and gather to take part in a special remembrance ceremony on the Tyne Cot Memorial War Cemetery to honour and commemorate the sacrifices of Sikh soldiers who died in both the First and the Second World War.


Lili van Heers(a Belgian citizen & teacher) was very pleased to watch a programme on BBC1 about Sikh heroes during the First War. Since last ten years or so she herself has been trying to inform Belgians about the Sikh religion and the Sikh people. She is of the opinion that there is a lot of ignorance amongst Belgium people on Sikhism. It may be because Sikhism is not mentioned in schools and local people are not familiar with turbaned Sikhs and unknown of the fact that quite a number of Sikhs fought and died for them; in those wars for their freedom. Therefore, if Belgian pupils could learn about the Sikh contribution to the freedom of their country at school, they would have more respect for these strange Indians with turbans and maybe the current turban problem in European schools might not be an issue.Lili has beautifully said "After all, the Sikh soldiers fought valiantly with a turban, not a helmet, for a cause that was not even theirs, so why can they not get an education with a turban on their head?"

Sikh parade impresses

My husband and I were blessed to be able to attend, for the first time, the Sikh Parade in Tierra Buena. We had a great time and are already making plans to go next year.

We already thought East Indian folks were great, and this event solidified our feelings. At each of the food booths we visited (and we tried to visit all of them, but our stomachs could not hold any more goodies) we were made to feel welcome. The food was great, and I was thrilled when I found a booth that had saag (creamed spinach).

We did not understand the significance of the street sweepers in front of the first float, but judging by the very soothing chanting of the throng surrounding the float, we guessed it was for making the street holy. We were also impressed by how peaceful the entire event was. We have been spectators at many parades, and without fail, there is some jerk who ruins the fun for many. That was not the case at this event. It was, as one gentleman told me, "a different kind of fun." He made my day.

To the Sikh community, thank you from my family. I am proud we are neighbors. May God bless you.

Jonette Bumgarner

Colusa

with thanks : appeal-democrat : link in headline above.

SikhsIndia

Sohnijodi Matrimonial - Gursikh Extremely beautiful girl

BA Pol Sc. (hons.), Bed, DOB. 4th Jan. 1989, 5'-8", Extremely Beautiful, Very fair, Slim, 58 Kgs, Religious, Homely, Affectionate. Father - Amritdhari, Gursikh, in property business. Mother a homely lady. Brother in USA doing a good job in a Bank. Pic of the girl can be mailed after getting your detailed profile with pics. plz log on to www.sohnijodi.com/sikhg.htm

£15 million Sikh Temple to open next week

One of the biggest Sikh Temples outside of India is to officially open next week, after a multi-million pound project taking almost a decade to complete.

Members of the current Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Clarence Place, Gravesend, will vacate the site on Thursday as a massive procession is expected to herald the completion of the new temple, off Khalsa Avenue.

Temple secretary Narinderjit Singh, 58, said the date had been chosen as it coincides with the birthday of the founder of Sikhism, Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

This week, as he oversaw the finishing touches to the interior of the building, he said: “This will be one of the, if not the, biggest Sikh temple outside of India. It is a fantastic time in Gravesham’s history and something for the whole community to treasure.

“We are immensely proud of what we have achieved with the help of the entire community. There are more than 12,000 Sikhs in Gravesend, a large part of the population. It has been a long time from start to finish but you must agree it is magnificent.”

with thanks : gravesendreporter : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

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Amidst dance and music, Sikhs crown new "Mr. Singh"

First runner-up Jasjit Singh from Mumbai (left) and second runner-up Dilmeet Singh from Delhi flank winner Gurneet Singh from Delhi.

with thanks : sikhnet : link in headline for detailed news & more pics.

SikhsIndia

Amarjit Singh conferred with 'Sikh of the Year 2010' Award

LONDON: Additional Solicitor General Amarjit Singh chandhiok has been conferred with the prestigious 'Sikh of the Year 2010' Award for his outstanding achievement in his profession and for the betterment of society.

Britain's Secretary of State for the Home Department Theresa May presented the award instituted by the Sikh Forum International to Chandhiok last night at The Great Hall of Lincoln's Inn in the presence of an august gathering including Lord Swraj Paul, Lord Khalid Hameed and Sir Mota Singh QC.

The previous recipients included Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Listing Chandhiok's achievements, the citation said "a significant dimension to Chandhiok's profile is his ability to find time for being a humanitarian. He takes special interest in environmental protection, and care of elders in the society. He has rendered immense help in organising blood donations, arranging special treatments for the lower strata of the society by providing means to run charitable clinics.

With thanks : Tims of india : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Army gets first Sikh enlisted soldier since 1980s

FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- The first Sikh to become an enlisted U.S. Army soldier in nearly three decades said Wednesday he's eager to move on to training as a combat medic and defend his new homeland on the battlefield.

"When the bullets begin flying, it doesn't concern anyone what religion you are. I bleed the same color," said Spec. Simran Lamba, 26, after his graduation ceremony from basic combat training.

Sikhism, a 500-year-old religion founded in India, requires its male followers to wear a turban and beard and keep their hair uncut. Army policies since 1984 had effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting by barring those items. But Lamba was granted a rare exception because he has skills the Army wants - the Indian languages Hindi and Punjabi.

Before him, two Sikhs joined the Army as medical officers earlier this year. But Lamba is the first enlisted man since the policy barring religious articles of clothing.

Lamba said his black turban, full beard, unshorn hair and religious beliefs posed no problems during his 10 weeks of training.

"I am proud to be a Sikh, I'm proud to be a U.S. citizen, and proud to be a U.S. Army soldier," he said.

During training, he wore a camouflage turban under his Kevlar helmet. He used petroleum jelly to get a tight grip between his beard and gas mask, and was able to keep his hair clean under all conditions, meeting all the military's concerns about training and appearance.

And besides, the Sikhs were founded as a warrior group who were meant to fight against injustice and inequality, Lamba said, so adopting Army values were an easy fit for him.

"The Sikhs are warriors in Indian culture. Once our soldiers heard that, they were all for him," said Lamba's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Bryan Hernandez.

"It's going to be a good thing for our Army and our nation" to have Lamba in the service, Hernandez said. Lamba said he was treated like any other soldier.

The Army installation went to great lengths to educate his fellow soldiers, his commanders and anyone who would come in contact with him in order to make the transition go smoothly, said Maj. Gen. James Milano, Fort Jackson's commander.

"He met all requirements, he went through the training just like everyone else," said Milano.

Two hours before the graduation, Lamba also took his oath of citizenship along with a dozen other soldiers.

The native of New Delhi, India, was granted the honor of carrying a red-white-and-blue unit color flag as the 450 new soldiers paraded in a salute before 3,000 friends and family gathered in the stands.

Donning a uniform allowed him to fulfill a childhood dream of entering the military, Lamba said.

He came to the United States to get a master's degree in industrial engineering at New York University, and thought about enlisting and getting his citizenship. He did some research, and found that the Army's special forces units were allowed to wear beards, so it occurred to him that he might be able to enter the service. Also, he'd read about a Sikh dentist and a Sikh physician who'd entered the Army recently, and he sought their guidance.

"I thought, why not fight for this country? It doesn't matter that I wasn't born here," Lamba said.

After enlisting, it took a 10-month Army review before the service granted him a waiver.

Lamba got some mentoring in advance of taking his big step, said Capt. Kamal Kalsi, a fellow Sikh and emergency room physician now based at Fort Bragg, N.C., who entered the Army in June.

with thanks : lakewyliepilot.com : link in headline above for complete story.

SikhsIndia