Vaisakhi 2012 celebration & Turban Day in Oslo (Norway)

The Vaisakhi 2012 celebration in Oslo (Norway) was a week full of different activities.It reached its peek on 14th April when hundreds of Sikhs marched through the main street of Oslo, and over 1500 Norwegians wore turbans in all imaginable colours. Sikhs arrived in Norway in the beginning of the 1970´s.Since then,Vaisakhi has been celebrated in Norway and Vaisakhi celebration has gone through several milestones.For instance,when first Gurdwara was established in 1984(Oslo),and the first time Sikhs marched through the main street of Oslo.This year the Nagar Kirtan ended up at Rådhusplassen (Town Hall square, in the middle of central Oslo) where different activities were held and langar was served. One of the main activities is the Norwegian Turban Day.

In 2010 a group of young Norwegian Sikhs felt that even though the Nagar Kirtan is extremely beautiful, the point of walking through central Oslo fade away when we forget to actively invite the Norwegians (non-Sikhs). People not familiar to Sikhism observe a lot of turbans, long beards, kirpans and hear us screaming something they can’t understand. Those who aren´t used to this might find it bit scary. Having this in mind, UngeSikher (Young Sikhs) under Gurudwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji – Oslo, decided to do something, and arranged the first Norwegian Turban Day in 2010.It was a great success.

This year The Norwegian Turban Day was held for the third time.Several tents were put up at the Town Hall square and the guests went through a route consisting of several posts.When they leave the tent they are told to show the turban respect if they want to keep it. In the tent we hang up posters and photos of Sikhs that provide information about Sikhism. Not least,representatives from Young Sikhs are there to break the barriers. The excitement and positive feedback from the guests was enormous. Not only did several thousand people visited, but over 1500 tried and kept their turbans. Over 1500 Norwegians from 2-90 years walked around in the city with colourful turbans! In a time where Sikh turbans are unfamiliar and seen as scary; it is important to invite the rest of the society and make them understand that even though you wear a turban you are not scary.Almost all the big newspapers and TV-channels covered The Turban Day. Aim of the Norwegian Turban Day is to re-launch the turban as a symbol of solidarity, equality and religious freedom. The past years have been characterized of prejudices in the public debate, not least; there is growing tendency of polarizations in the society. With The Turban Day contributes in reducing the gap between Sikhs and the society. Link:http://www.sikhfoundation.org/2012/

Gurmat Camp by DSGMC

Dr.Man Mohan Kaur with Daler Mehndi

Dr.Man Mohan Kaur ( Principal,Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College,Dev Nagar,University of Delhi) with Daler Mehndi,King of Bhangra Famous Punjabi singer

Just found this shocking news on net. Donno if true or fake. DSGMC must immediately check it.

चंद रूपयों की खातिर...गुरूद्वारा बैचनें की तैयारी?

Posted on: Saturday 28 April 2012

नई दिल्ली (संवादाता अफज़ल खान)।सीलम पुर विधान सभा अंतर्गत वार्ड संख्या 249 के मरकज़ी चौक जाफराबाद के पास घनी मुस्लिम आबादी के बीच एक मात्र गुरूद्वारा है जिसको कुछ लालची लोग चंद रूपयो के खातिर फ्लैट बना कर बेचनें की तैयारी कर रहै हैं।और चुपके-चुपके गुरूद्वारा के अंदर लेंटर डाल कर फ्लैट बना रहै हैं इस कार्य में पुलिस और एमसीडी के कुछ भ्रस्ट अधिकारी भी उनका साथ दे रहै हैं।गौरतलब है क्षेत्र में प्रोपर्टी (ज़मीन) का रेट आसमान छू रहा है । इंच दर इंच जगह की कीमत बहूत है। जिसके कारण प्रोपर्टी डीलर इस घनी आबादी में एकमात्र बचे गुरूद्वारे को रातो-रात फ्लैट बनाकर बेचना चाहते हैं। उनके इस अपराध में उनका सहयोग इस गुरूद्वारे के कथित संचालक भी कर रहै है। और इसमें बनने वाले फ्लैटो का ब्याना तक लें लिया गया है,सूत्रो से पता चला है, कि इन फ्लैटो को तैयार होनें से पहले ही 30-40 लाख रूपये प्रति फ्लैट के हिसाब से बेच दिया गया है ?और अवैध निर्माण जल्द से जल्द पूरा करके अपने मकसद में कामयाब होना चाहते हैं,आश्चर्य की बात यह है कि इस दुष्कर्म में उनका साथ मौजूदा गुरूद्वारा संचालक  के अलावा ज़मीन दान कर्ता जो कि प्रोपटी डीलर भी है, खुल कर सहयोग कर रहा है,और वह इन फ्लैटो को अपने निजि इस्तेमाल की बात कह कर टाल रहा है, इस क्षेत्र के थाना (जाफराबाद) के अधिकारी भी अपनी आंखे मूंदे हुए है।क्योंकि उन्हें उनका हिस्सा जो मिल गया है ? एक गुप्त सूत्र के अनुसार प्रति लेंटर 20 हज़ार रूपया तय हुआ है,और``चाय-पानी``अलग से?एमसीडी के एक अधिकारी को भी `खुश` करा गया है,क्षेत्र के कई मुस्लिम समाजसेवी व बुद्दिजीवी इस अवैध निर्माण कार्य से नाखुश है, और उनका कहना है,कि गुरूद्वारा रहने से क्षेत्र में सदभाव का संतुलन बरकरार था परन्तु प्रोपर्टी के दलालो ने अपनी गंदी नज़र से इस धार्मिक स्थान को भी नहीं बक्शा है,और धार्मिक स्थान की जगह पर अवैध रिहाईश बनाना गैर मुनासिब है,और वह जल्द ही उस विषय को लेकर क्षेत्र के पुलिस व एमसीडी के आला अधिकारियों से मुलाकात करेंगे।                              

Link : http://crimeindiaonline.com/news.php?news_id=2295

Can Sikh women wear helmets for safety, DSGMC asks Akal Takht

Days after Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit disagreed with her Transport department’s undertaking to the Delhi High Court that it was willing to change rules and make it mandatory for women to wear helmets while riding two-wheelers, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has asked the Akal Takht, the supreme religious and temporal seat of Sikhism, to decide whether Sikh women should be allowed to wear helmets in the interest of safety.

The DSGMC move to step beyond religious compulsions on grounds of safety follows the Transport department’s submission that it was willing to change provisions in the Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules that exempted women from wearing helmets. But Dikshit differed, saying the rule making it optional for women pillion riders to wear helmets was formulated in 1999 on requests by a particular community — she didn’t name the Sikhs — and that exemption couldn’t be withdrawn so easily.

Bhajan Singh Walia, Senior Vice President of DSGMC, told Newsline that they have approached the Akal Takht to take a call, given the safety issue involved.

“Essentially, the High Court’s decision is in totality for all men and women in view of safety of people travelling on busy and dangerous Delhi roads. But our religion absolutely prohibits people from wearing any form of a cap, and wearing a helmet (a form of cap) goes against the tenets of our religion,” Walia said.

“Our religious texts have given elaborate details about the way we should preserve our kesh (hair). Our hair can’t be trimmed, cut or even clipped. If at all one has to preserve his/her hair, it has to be done in a proper turban,” he said.

with thanks : INDIAN EXPRESS : LINK for detailed news.

Bala Sahib Hospital

डीडीए ने गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमिटी को नोटिस भेजा

प्रस॥ नई दिल्ली : डीडीए ने गुरु हरकिशन हॉस्पिटल मामले में दिल्ली सिख गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमिटी को कारण बताओ नोटिस भेजा है। नोटिस में कहा गया है कि हॉस्पिटल के लिए जमीन 25 जून 2002 को सौंपी गई थी। जिसके दो साल बाद वहां निर्माण कार्य हो जाना चाहिए था। लेकिन फील्ड स्टाफ की जांच रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक बिल्डिंग अभी भी पूरी नहीं बनी है और उसे बनाने से पहले बिल्ंिडग प्लान का अप्रूवल भी नहीं लिया गया।

इस आधार पर जमीन दी गई थी कि इसे बेचा या ट्रांसफर नहीं किया जा सकता। यहां ओपीडी चलेगी और मुफ्त इलाज किया जाएगा। लेकिन यह नोटिस में आया है कि इस प्लॉट का कमर्शल इस्तेमाल हो रहा है जो शर्त का उल्लंघन है। डीडीए ने कमिटी से 15 दिन में जवाब देने को कहा है। 


with thanks : NBT : link 

Sikhs launch race profiling app for phones

A Sikh rights group in the United States has launched a unique smartphone app that would allow people to register complaints about ‘racial’ airport security screenings.

The Sikh Coalition, which released the Fly Rights app claimed that the 11 US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening complaints probed during the early part of 2011 were woefully unrepresentative of how many fliers were actually being pulled aside on the basis of race, religion or ethnicity.

“I would say that some of our board members have more than 11 complaints in a quarter,” ABC News quoted Sikh Coalition programme director Amardeep Singh, as saying. “With the app, what we are trying to do is say ‘No, there are more people out there that have issues with the screening procedures than you think’,” he said.

with thanks : Hindustan times : LINK

Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Ji : SikhsIndia

Khanda Baba Deep singh ji : SikhsIndia

The Booming Economy of Punjab

  By Dr Srimal Fernando,  Asia Correspondent

The Indian state of Punjab is one of the most vibrant and dynamic states in the whole of India. Situated in the northwest of the country Punjab is called the “Land of Five Rivers”. This unique piece of land covers an area of 50,362 square kilometers. The state's 27 million inhabitants (Estimates 2011) spread across twenty two districts are well known for its socio-economic achievements. Agriculture continues to be the bedrock of the Punjab economy and earned its reputation as the “Granary of India”.  By South Asian standards, the economy of the state has a diverse and rich resource base. Poverty has been reduced over the past 30 years, and a social safety net put into place. There are a number of popular people and celebrities that have already made their presence felt in different streams and activities. Among them is the incumbent Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, one of the internationally acclaimed personalities from Punjab. Another personality is Shri Prakash Singh Badal who has been the Chief Minister of the state since 2007. His party, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), together with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been, once again, elected to power by winning the 2012 assembly elections in the state. Shri Prakash Singh Badal has been the Chief Minister of Punjab for a record-breaking fifth time. The states major economic resources are its fertile land, the irrigation systems and its well-educated, technically sound population. These factors have contributed to achieve higher levels of productivity and a better competitiveness level in the global economy.

The economy of the state depends heavily on agriculture, industrial exports and tourism .The state is endowed with vast agricultural resources. Being an agricultural state the majority of its workers are engaged in farming and animal husbandry. The state produces most of India's grains than any other state in the country. Wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton, fodder are the vital economic indicators of Punjab's agrarian society. The state has two crop seasons “Rabi”, the spring harvest season and the “Kharif” the autumn harvest season. The rice produced in the state is marketed and processed in different types of rice mills. There are about 2,200 grain hullers mostly in rural areas of the state. The Punjab sugarcane industry has undergone a major overhaul during the last five decades. The sugar production too has increased in recent years. Morinda Co-operative sugar mill is one of the largest sugar crushing mills in the state with a daily crushing capacity of 4,000 tones. Animal husbandry has been an essential part of Punjab’s economic life. The dairy industry of the state is part of a long and proud agricultural tradition of the state. Punjab is one of the largest milk producing areas of India with  a capacity of 10 per cent of the country’s total production capability. Moga, is one of the largest milk processing plants in the state with a total production capacity of 435 thousand liters of milk.

Punjab is one of the most industrialized states in India. The state has a large manufacturing sector serving both the local and exports sectors. The large and small scale factories are scatted in all parts of the state.  The majority of the industrial workers are engaged in small scale industries that make up 160,000 units (Estimates 2010). Large and medium business units are four hundred in number (Estimates 2010). The state's diverse industries range from Steel Rolling, scientific instruments, agricultural goods, electrical goods, bicycles, garments, machine tools, textiles, sewing machines to manufacturing of sports goods. Over the past few years the industrial sector employed over a million. The state has positioned itself as a key destination for operations of multinational companies in a variety of industries. In recent years, the state has successfully attracted many big-names and reputed global companies such as Nippon, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Nestle, Glaxo, Smithkline and Motorola. The state economy has witnessed rapid growth in the bicycles manufacturing industry. Today the state of Punjab is the largest bicycles manufacturer in India. Handicrafts and cottage industries of the state have been extremely popular. Punjab has more than 39,000 (Estimates 2010) small cottage industries providing widest avenues for the state’s labours.

Both modern and ancient culture is visible all over the state. Punjab’s natural and historical attractions appeal to many visitors from all parts of the world. Moreover, the fast growing tourism sector is another major pillar in the overall economic field of the state. According to the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) the state has been ranked the fourteenth tourism destination in India from twenty eighth position.The first planned city of India is the state’s capital; Chandigarh. It is a bustling affluent metropolis with glitzy shopping malls, boutiques and colorful markets which houses the intellectual elite as well as the seat of government. It serves as the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana .The pilgrimage to the holiest of Sikh shrines,  the Golden Temple  of Amritsar is regarded as the holiest city of Sikhism. It attracts millions of Sikhs from all over the world. Punjab's educational system and technical training is considered to be the best in India. The state has achieved universal literacy of more than 71 percent. The state's high proportion of tertiary graduates and its performance as a modern technological society with thirteen universities promotes high quality of professional education. Currently the state is ranked seventh in terms of education amongst the states of India. The state has a large potential for hydroelectricity, thermal and renewable energy. The state is constructing  several power plants with the vision of becoming a state with a power surplus by 2013. As one of the fastest growing economies in the country, the state of Punjab has a unique prospect to position itself on a path of continuing sustainable economic prosperity for its entire people.

 

LINK WITH THANKS


source of the article as 
www.thediplomaticsociety.co.za