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Monday, October 3, 2011
A different kind of wrestling at local Sikh temple
They're dressed in nothing but shorts as they duke it out on a pile of dirt. They get bruises, cuts and even bone fractures as 10 teams from Sikh temples throughout California and beyond compete in a way that most Americans wouldn't dream of.
More than 3,000 people crammed the grounds outside the Deshmesh Darbar Sikh Temple on Sunday for a full day of wrestling, basketball, volleyball, eating and praying at an annual event in the southern outskirts of Lodi. The festivities even included a 71-year-old Sikh man lifting a 125-pound weight.
Sikhs from east India wrestle in a much different way than is common in the United States. In America, wrestling matches are typically held in a gymnasium and on a mattress so the athletes won't endure much pain.
But at the Sikh temple, they follow a tradition from their homeland — matches are held outdoors, on dirt, while sporting bare chests and feet.
"It's a very tough game," said Ajitpal S. Kahlon, president of the Lodi-based temple at Armstrong Road and West Lane. "The game started in the (Indian) villages."
The matches, called Kabaddi, feature a wrestler from one team challenging four wrestlers from the opposing team. The single wrestler chooses one of his opponents, and the two of them go at it on the dirt.
Ten teams came to Lodi on Sunday for the tournament, including one squad from England and another from Canada, said Amarjit Bedi, a trustee at the Deshmesh Darbar Temple. The remainder came from parts of California, including Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno and the Bay Area.
"Everybody loves this game," San Francisco resident Kuldip Singh said.
Singh, who went to a tournament last weekend in Lathrop, brought his 8-year-old son, Mandeep Singh, to watch the wrestling and see how the matches operate. Young Mandeep said he'd like to someday wrestle in a ring like the one he saw in Lodi.
with thanks : link above for detailed news.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Sikhs protest in London against "intimidation, disrespect" during airports' turban searches
LONDON: Sikhs have been protesting atLondon Parliament Square against "intimidation and disrespect" of their turbans being searched at European airports.
The protest was organized by a cable TV station based in Birmingham and London, the Sikh Channel, and similar protests were held inBrussels, Rome and Madrid, The Independent reports.
The turban, known as a Dastar, is regarded as a symbol of Sikh identity.
A Sikh Channel employee, Amar Deep Singh, travelled from Derby to participate in the protest.
with thanks : Times of India : link a bove for detailed news.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sikhs demand investigation into “disrespect” at European airports
Britain's Sikh community has called for an investigation into allegations of “intimidation and disrespect” suffered by turban-wearing Sikhs at European airports, following complaints that they are forced to remove their turbans for security check even after they have successfully passed through scanners.
Hundreds of Sikhs held a rally outside Parliament demanding an end to “discrimination” against turban-wearing Sikhs and urging the British government to take up the issue with its European allies.
They said the turban, known as “Dastar,” was an important part of Sikh identity and its forcible removal was an “infringement” of their faith.
Similar protests were held in several other European capitals, including, Rome, Madrid and Brussels.
Rami Ranger, Chairman of the British Sikh Association, said the turban symbolised “the Sikh Gurus' commitment to human freedom…The Sikhs with their turbans paid supreme sacrifices in both the Great Wars and changed the course of world history. It is important that in their time of need to preserve their identity, the world repays that debt to them,” he said.
The protesters alleged that turban-wearing Sikhs were being singled for extra security checks.
with thanks : the Hindu : Link above for detailed news.
High priests demand murder charges for showing disrespect to Granth Sahib
AMRITSAR: Sikh clerics have asked Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar to impress upon the Central government to issue directions for registration of cases under Section 302 (murder) instead of Hurting Religious Sentiments (295 A) in cases of disrespect shown to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, considered as 'living Guru' by Sikhs, reasoning that even the Supreme Court had declared Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a 'juristic person'.
Talking to media persons after holding a meeting of five Sikh high priests on Monday, Jathedar ofAkal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh said that in recent past incidents of disrespect to Sri Guru Granth Sahib had increased and there was dire need to implement stringent laws to punish the culprits.
with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.
BSP suspends MLA after Sikh remarks
The Bahujan Samaj Party on Monday suspended its sitting MLA from Meerut city, Haji Yaqub Qureshi, on disciplinary grounds. Yaqub is the same person who had publicly announced a reward of Rs 51 crore on the head of a Danish cartoonist in 2006.
The BSP said Yaqub was suspended for his alleged objectionable remarks about the Sikh community during the inauguration of a slaughterhouse in Meerut.
Chief Minister Mayawati, who is also national president of her party, has issued instructions not to allow Qureshi at any party programme.
But sources said the action came because of his brother Yusuf Qureshi's decision to join the Congress. The Congress has already given a ticket to Yusuf for contesting the 2012 Assembly polls from Meerut city.
“The party was not ready to see the two brothers — Yaqub and Yusuf — as candidates of BSP and Congress, respectively, in the same Meerut district. It could have sent a wrong impression to its core voters and the action against Yaqub was inevitable,” a source in the BSP said.
with thanks : Indian Express : Link above for detailed news.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sikhs seek access to PoK gurdwaras
Sixty-four years after partition, Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir are trying for the revival of the gurdwaras in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) which have been non-functional since their migration in 1947.
Thanks to the renewed Indo-Pak thaw, the Sikhs are trying hard to revisit the gurdwaras in PoK similar to revered gurdwaras in other cities of Pakistan for pilgrimage.
The Sikhs have kicked off the process by meeting the former prime minister of PoK Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary who advised the Valley recently. “We have urged Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary to use his good offices to help the Sikh community to visit the historical gurdwaras with Pakistani government,” said Jagmohan Singh Raina, chairman of All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee.
PoK and northern areas are dotted with Gurdwaras as several Sikh Gurus visited the places centuries ago. But after raiders’ attack in 1947, Sikhs migrated to Jammu and Kashmir leaving behind their property and religious places.
with thanks : DNAIndia : link above for detailed news.
Victory was always on but sweep lifts their bigger hopes
That the Shiromani Akali Dal would easily win the elections to the “mini-parliament” of the Sikhs, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, was a foregone conclusion. What mattered was the handling of the SGPC polls, the margin of the SAD victory and the trends it might throw up ahead of the Assembly polls, due in five months.
The SAD, with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as its patron and his son and deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal as its president, had any major rival to face, with the Congress neither contesting the elections nor overtly backing candidates. The SAD, which had a tie-up with the Sant Samaj, bagged 157 of the 170 seats while its main rival, the Panthic Morcha of five Sikh organisations, was left trailing way behind.
The euphoric Badals have been hailing the results as a pointer to the outcome of the ensuing Assembly elections, while the Congress has called the SGPC elections a “farce” that will have no impact on the Assembly elections. The SGPC elections, which have always been won by the Akalis (they bagged 134 seats last time), have a total electorate of 56 lakh compared to the 1.8 crore voters registered for the Assembly elections to be held by February.
The SAD had appeared desperate to put up a good show. There were reports of tension and clashes among party workers even during the selection of candidates. Later, a few who had been denied tickets contested as rebel candidates. Despite the unmatched resources with the ruling party, there were areas in which multi-cornered contests led to uncertainties about the outcome.
with thanks : Indian Express : link above for detailed news.
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