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Sikhs protest outside French embassy in Delhi over turban ban

VADODARA: Sikh groups led by United Sikhs organization, Akali Dal (Delhi) and Sikh Forum held a peaceful protest outside the French Embassy in Delhi and submitted a memorandum addressed to French President Francois Hollande against the ongoing turban ban in French public schools.

"If there was any doubt about the legality of France's (turban ban) action, the eminent jurists of the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) recently pronounced that France had violated the human rights of both Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh by denying them their religious right to wear a turban....The global Sikh community says that France is able to reverse the turban ban for a photo ID because France has since adopted biometric ID documents, in compliance with EU regulations, which rely on facial features and fingerprints and do not require a bare head for the photo on ID documents," Mejindarpal Kaur, UK based legal director of United Sikhs stated in the memorandum, that was submitted by a delegation led by protesters.

"Our argument against the turban ban in schools is that when a Sikh schoolchild removes his turban, his joora(top knot), which denotes that he is a Sikh, is visible. Hence, the French law that purports to ban the ostensible display of religious signs in schools should not apply to the Sikhs because it does not serve its purpose as a Sikh's religious sign (unshorn hair tied as a joora) will be ostensibly visible when the turban is removed," the memorandum stated.

United Sikh's India director Gurpreet Singh SAD's Manjit Singh GK and Onkar Singh Thapar, DGMC's Daljeet Singh and Sikh Forum's RS Chatwwal also held discussions with Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet, minister counsellor at the French embassy, after handing over the memorandum.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

Deep Money Singh : Famous Punjabi Singer in SGND Khalsa College

Kite Flying Festival in SGND Khalsa College : Joy of women's liberation

NSS UNIT of SGND Khalsa College,Dev Nagar,University of Delhi,organised a Kite Flying Festival on 14th February 2013 with a purpose to promote feeling of Gender equality/Gender sensitization and spread message of Women's Liberation.

Female Students/ Female Staff members flew the kite and Male Students/ Male Staff Members helped them with holding Kite spool / Charkhi.

Event was highly appreciated by the students as well as the satff.

KITE FLYING FESTIVAL : NSS UNIT SGND Khalsa College,University of Delhi

NSS UNIT of  SGND Khalsa College is organising a Kite Flying Festival with the display of Antardhvani 2013 ( DU Festival ) and with the slogans for the Gender Sensitization.

Female Students/ Female Staff members will fly the Kite and Male Students/ Male Staff Members will be helping them with holding Kite spool / Charkhi.

Purpose is to promote the feeling of Gender equality/Gender sensitization and Women' s Liberation.

Time : 10.30 AM to 11.30 AM

Venue: College Premises/Terrece

'Preachers should spare a month for Sikh Panth'

Akal Takht on Monday urged the'pracharaks' or preachers to "donate time" by sparing a month every year for the Sikh Panth in order to take the message and philosophy of Sikhism to every house. Gurbachan Singh, head of the top temporal seat of the Sikh community, made the call while addressing the valedictory function of the three-day 'Naam Simran Gurmat Samagam' here.

"Those 'pracharaks' who can afford to donate time and have fulfilled family responsibilities should volunteer to spare one month for Panth", Singh said.

"This type of donation of time, along with traditional donations, was necessary for carrying the message of Sikhism to different places the world over, saving our youths from apostasy, drugs and other evils and for respecting women, especially the girl child", he said.

He also urged the entire Sikh community to commit itself to Akal Takht, adding that the results of the recent elections of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) were a "slap on the faces of all those forces which had made sinister attempts to erode the supremacy of Akal Takht".

"Certain forces were always on the lookout to marginalise Sikh institutions, including Akal Takht, in order to weaken Sikh community but they will never succeed in the nefarious designs", he said. 

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK

A Weekend at the Golden Temple : Pics : Huffingtonpost

With thanks : HUFFINGTONPOST : LINK : for more PICS. Must view.

Amritsar's Golden Temple Welcomes Tourists

Going off the beaten track can be intimidating and frustrating. But what if I told you there was a magical place in India with a one-of-a-kind attraction that not only houses you for free, but feeds you for free as well?

Welcome to The Golden Temple.

The Golden Temple, or Harmandir Sahib in Punjabi, is the holiest temple in the Sikh faith. The Sikhs number some 30 million and are the fifth largest organized religion in the world.

The faith was founded by Guru Nanak Dev and expanded upon by ten more gurus. Sikhs follow the five K's: kes (uncut hair), kangha (small wooden comb), kaṛa (circular steel or iron bracelet), kirpan (sword/dagger), and kacchera (special undergarment).

The Golden Temple offers stunning views at sunrise, sunset, throughout the day, and at night. You really can't go wrong, but each view offers something special.

The easiest way to take in all four views, and the friendliest to a budget traveler's wallet, is to stay on site at the temple. Sikh hospitality is renowned throughout India and their temples reflect this.

The Golden Temple offers Indians very basic, barebones accommodation in the form of a large, shared open space to sleep on with a shared bathroom to use.

There is a special room for foreigners. Though it would be rated 0 stars, if you're on a budget it won't be terribly different from a hostel in India. There are several beds in the main room and five adjoining rooms where a group could set up camp. Lockers are also available to keep your belongings safe, but bring your own lock. There is a shower there with warm water. The public bathrooms are among the cleanest you'll find in India. A donation is appreciated at the end of your stay.

Sikh warriors patrol the temple. You'll notice them right away in their blue uniforms carrying various weapons. They are friendly and if you're lucky they'll even pose for a picture.

As you explore the temple, I beg of you, let this be the only time in India when you accept the unsolicited help of a guide. The Sikhs are aware that they have an image problem. Many young people eager to practice English and teach foreigners about their faith will greet you and offer to take you on a tour of the temple. You'll get great explanations and discover areas not in a guide book. You'll also meet a local person!

Another way to meet local people is to eat at the public kitchen on the temple grounds. The temple, as well as just about all Sikh temples, serves free, warm meals throughout the day. It is standard Punjabi cuisine - chapatis, dhal, and raitha, or Indian flat bread, lentils, and yogurt with fried chick peas. All food put on your plate must be eaten, so if you don't want something or don't want seconds, just put your hand over your plate when the server comes around.

with thanks : HUFFINGTONPOST : LINK : for detailed news & pics

No ban on wearing Sikh turbans in public: France

Ahead of president Francois Hollande's visit to India on February 14 and 15, France has clarified that there is no ban on wearing the Sikh turbans in public. But displaying religious symbols - which include turban and the cross - have been banned in public schools, diplomatic sources said.

The Sikh organisations such as International Sikh Confederation have protested against the ban on turban and wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to take up the issue with the French president. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) had also taken up the issue with the external affairs ministry.

The diplomatic sources said there were misunderstandings on the issue."There is no ban on wearing turban in public places such as streets. The diktat is that while being on the streets, no one should cover their faces. Turban doesn't fall under this category, the way burkha (veil) is," they explained.

But the sources said France has decided that there shouldn't be any display of religious symbols in public schools. "You cannot wear the cross as well."

"We have this policy in place for sometime now and French people are supportive of it. This is a policy in accordance with our secularism," sources said.On March 15, 2004, the then French President, Jacques Chirac, had brought an amendment to the French code of education that banned wearing clothing or symbols in state schools which "conspicuously exhibit a religious affiliation."

The French president will meet the Indian prime minister on February 14. Both sides are set to deepen their strategic ties, in which military, nuclear, space and counter-terrorism cooperation are vital. The French president will also visit Mumbai on February 15.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK

France won’t overturn ban on Sikh turban

NEW DELHI: Days ahead of President Francois Hollande's visit to India; France has indicated that it is not going to overturn the ban on Sikh turban in its public or government schools. Clarifying that the ban on religious symbols in schools is not Sikh specific, diplomatic sources said that Paris is ready to explain its position - that irrespective of religion no student can wear any religious symbol to school — if the Indian side thought it fit to raise the issue with Hollande during his visit to India later this week.

"There is overwhelming support in France for ban on religious symbols in public schools, which prevents Sikh students from wearing turban but this is not specific to them,'' said a source.

"It's the same with the Jews, the Muslims or the Catholics who constitute 75% of France's population. If a Catholic student wants to wear the Cross to school, he has to hide it in his clothes. For a Sikh it is obviously difficult to hide his turban but the law is the same for everybody,'' he added.

According to sources, France had on its own taken up the issue with foreign minister Salman Khurshid when he visited Paris earlier this year, and made the same point before him. "France is open to dialogue over the issue and will encourage groups which have reservations to put forward their point of view so that French authorities can put things in the rights perspective,'' said the source.

The government has repeatedly taken up the issue with French authorities in the past saying that the turban was not just an ``obvious religious symbol'' but also formed the Sikhs' core identity. Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has again appealed to PM Manmohan Singh to take up the issue with Hollande and explain how the turban is "inextricably'' linked to the Sikhs. 

with thanks : TIMES OF INDIA : LINK : for detailed news.

SGPC to give free education, shelter to Sikh girls in J&K

To promote education among Sikh girls in Jammu and Kashmir, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to offer free education and accommodation to them in the institutions being run by the SGPC. 

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said that a committee would be formed to conduct survey of schools in J&K to enlist Sikh girl students.

During a meeting with the SGPC chief, Kashmir Sikh Sangat chairman. Dhanwat Singh said that the Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir was facing a plethora of problems and nothing was being done address them. "J&K Sikhs have religious, social, political and economic issues. Sikhs are being ignored and not being given their due," Dhanwant claimed.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : link