Guru Teg Bahadur Niwas, Amritsar

Harvinder Singh Sarna Exclusive Interview with Janhit News

After Rajya Sabha, Ahluwalia loses Patna Sahib poll

JALANDHAR: After his defeat in Rajya Sabha election from Jharkhand, BJP leader S S Ahluwalia lost his election in Takht Patna Sahib Management Board on Sunday. He lost it to former Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee president Harvinder Singh Sarna, who is also general secretary of SAD (Delhi). Ahluwalia had earlier remained president of the board for several years in his Congress days and then after he switched sides to BJP. Even when he was not president he called the shots in the board and his confidants controlled it.

With this loss, he has finally lost the clout in gurudwara management of Patna Sahib, which also happens to be a Takht of the Sikhs. The SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, who had reached Patna Sahib for the election and had advocated a consensus, did not cast his vote. Makkar confirmed the development to TOI on phone from Patna Sahib. "I tried for a consensus and had told that if election would be held then I would not be casting the vote," Makkar said. Sources said Ahluwalia had the support of Parkash Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal, but Badal's bete noir Sarna got nine votes, while Ahluwalia could muster only four votes. The board had 14 members (Makkar abstained from voting) and it was to elected 15th member.

Now, after three weeks its president and other office bearers would be elected. It is learnt that Makkar preferred to stay away from voting after it was clear to him that majority of the members were siding with Sarna and when he advocated consensus these members said that then consensus should be on Sarna to which Makkar could not agree and said that some other name should be suggested. Sarna had said that he would support election of a local member as the president. Earlier, leaders from Punjab had also been holding the post which had not been going down well with local community leaders.

Former SGPC secretary general Manjit Singh Calcutta said during Operation Bluestar and during subsequent turbulent times for Sikhs, Ahluwalia sided with Congress but now apparently SAD was siding with him due to his political ends, as he was now in BJP. "This election has also confirmed that SAD's influence was confining to Punjab alone and it was losing confidence of Sikhs living in other states," he said, adding "diaspora Sikhs have already rejected the changes affected by SGPC in Nanakshahi calendar". 

 

 

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

Sikh In Kabul, Afghanistan - FULL DOCUMENTARY FILM 2012

Synopsis: Documentary focuses on the Sikh community of Afghanistan that have dwindled from 80,000 to a mere 1000 as of 2012. The proud Afghan Sikhs have been a part of the culture and heritage of Afghanistan ever since the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited Kabul on his return from Baghdad and Mecca to India in the 16th century.

This film has captured the testimonies of the surviving Sikh families of Kabul who live in appalling conditions within their damaged Gurdwaré (Sikh place of worship) where 2 families are confined to a room. Since the American invasion of 2001 numerous wealthy Sikhs fled in haste to Pakistan and Europe, but some unable to flee were stranded and today their dilemma is worse than ever.

Walk on with Náám in your heart and, you'll never walk alone.

Pritpal Singh
ਸਰਦਾਰ ਪ੍ਰਿਤਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ
सरदार पिर्तपाल सिंह

MCD Elections : Janpath : Delhi AajTak : Sd Paramjit Singh Sarna & Sd. B S Vohra

It's a repeat upload.

Shaheedi Purab of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji 16th June 2012

Waheguru

Hand written Guru Granth Sahib ji

1984 anti sikh riots : Congress seeks dismissal of case in US on grounds of delay

New York: The Congress Party has sought dismissal of an anti-Sikh riots case against it in a US court on grounds that the case was filed nearly 25 years after the 1984 riots took place. A US judge in New York will hear the motion on June 27. 

In a motion filed in federal court in New York on May 29, the Congress party has sought dismissal of the claims filed by rights group Sikhs For Justice saying the riots took place in November 1984 and the victims filed their case in March 2011. 

Due to the lapse of 25 years, the statute of limitation had already expired, lawyers for the political party said. 

"Plaintiffs' claims are time-barred because they complain about alleged activities that occurred more than twenty-five years ago; all statutes of limitations have long expired," said attorney Geoffrey Stewart of the law firm Jones Day, which is defending the Congress in the case. 

The party has been accused by the Sikh group of conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out attacks on the community in November 1984 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. 

Judge Robert Sweet, presiding over the matter, said the Congress' motion to dismiss SFJ's complaint or to get a stay would be heard on June 27. 

Meanwhile, SFJ said Congress Member of Parliament Motilal Vora submitted an affidavit in the US Court in support of the motion to dismiss the complaint filed by riot victims. 

Vora's affidavit states that "no summons and complaint from the New York Litigation was delivered to the Indian National Congress Party in accordance with the Hague Service Convention". 

with thanks : IBNLive : LINK for detailed news.

Sikh TSA Agent Kulwinder Singh Wins Religious Rights Case Against Agency

A TSA agent won a $30,000 settlement after he complained to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that he wasn't allowed to display his kara, a wristband that some sikhs wear to remind them of the divine, the Religion News Service reports.

Kulwinder Singh, who works at New York's JFK airport, said a supervisor asked him to cover up or remove the wristband.

“By keeping it concealed, it defeats that purpose,” the attorney who represented Singh to the wire service.

As part of the settlement, the TSA will have to post notices that Sikhs are free to wear the kara if they wish by mid-June.

with thanks : Huffington Post : LINK for detailed news.

US Sikh body gives scholarships to Punjab students

Washington-based Sikh Human Development Foundation (SHDF) has given scholarships totalling about $210,000 to 504 needy students pursuing higher education in 159 institutions in Punjab and other northern Indian states for the 2011-12 academic year.

"This number is up from 412 of thelast year," said Gajinder Singh Ahuja, secretary general of SHDF. "Fifteen scholarship recipients belonged to farmers' families where the farmer had committed suicide to escape the excruciating debt burden." 

There is increased emphasis on female education in our programme, he said, noting 69 percent of the scholarships went to female students and 31 percent to male students. 52 per cent scholarship recipients were from rural areas and 48 percent from urban areas.

SHDF has granted 2,373 scholarships since the programme was initiated in 2001 and 774 students have already graduated and have become professionals, according to SHDF chairman Amar Jit Singh Sodhi.

"It is heartwarming that some of the scholarship recipients have landed in multi-national companies or found top career jobs throughout India and overseas," he said.

Rajwant Singh, SHDF's outreach director, said: "In rupee terms, this year we have distributed more than Rs.1 crore (close to $210,000) as pure scholarship money."

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK for detailed news.