Nepal Relief Team Bringing Medical Assistance to Those Most Vulnerable, Much More Needed...

Kathmandu, Nepal – The people of Nepal are still suffering after an earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes shook the country to its core, killing more than 5,500 people, and leaving thousands without water, shelter and medical aid, especially those living in remote areas who are famished and sick because of the lack of aid.

UNITED SIKHS Nepal Relief Team consisting of Dr. Harmeet Singh, physician in charge of Emergency and Urgent Care at the Moolchand hospital in New Delhi, Dr. Amarjeet Singh, working in Radiology Department at GB Pant Hospital in Srinagar and Dr.Rishab Koirala, from a local teaching hospital of Nepal are on the ground. The team is completed with the presence of another 10 volunteers and medical technicians.

Overview of medical assistance provided by the team within a week -

• First medical camp was set up in Bhimatra in Sindhupal Chowk area almost 120 km from Kathmandu. The team had to walk 10 km on foot to reach this village. Around 80 patients were provided medical aid there.
• Multiple medical camps have been held around the Raviholi area with the team visiting 6 villages and nearly 200 patients have been provided with medical assistance.

Type of injuries our doctors and medical team have been attending to -

• trauma (lacerated wounds, abrasions, infected wounds, fractures)
• shortness of breath
• musculoskeletal pain
• diarrhoea
• acute gastroenteritis
• heath concerns for pregnant women
• fever
• upper respiratory tract infections
• joint pains
• allergies
• oral ulcers
• anxiety disorders

Dr. Harneet Singh said: “I want to contribute to humanity. I love helping people, and since I am a doctor, I know the value of life”. Dr. Amarjeet Singh shares “I’m not just a doctor, but a sevadar. I want to help medically and give the best in terms of medical relief.”

We would like to thank all our supporters who have donated towards the mission from the beginning. Your support has reached hundreds in need of medical assistance already and we are committed to providing medical aid to many more. Our doctors are willing to walk long distances to ensure medical aid reaches all. We hope you will walk with us and continue to donate. If you have not had a chance to donate yet, please click below.

WHAT’S NEEDED? People have lost basic life necessities of food, shelter and clothing.

1. The ground team has assessed need for 600 tents and floor covering. Each tent can house 30-40 people. Total cost is Rs 18,50,000/ USD 29,000/ GBP 19,200.
2. The below list of basic medicines and many more are needed so aid can be provided. Plan is to ship medicine worth Rs 32,00,000/ USD 50,000/ GBP 32,800
3. Cost for 3 tonnes of food is Rs 21,35,000/ USD 33,500/ GBP 22,500
4. Distribution and field transportation cost- Rs 10,00,000/ USD 15,700/ GBP 10,500
5. Volunteer field cost- Rs 3,00,000/ USD 4700/ GBP 3100

ANTACIDS -TAB Pantocid 200 -Rantac 200 -Domperidone 200	MATERIAL -Needle (2,0.3, 0.4,0) 100 -Gloves 200 -Masks 200 -Needle Holders 10 -Scissors 10	PAINKILLER/ ANALGESICS -TAB Dickifenac 200 -Paracetamol 300 -Flexon 300 Combiflame 200
SURGICAL -Gauzes 500 -Bandages 500 -Betadine Liquids 5litre 20 bottles -INJ TT 500 -ORS Sachets 500	ANTIBIOTICS -TAB Amoxycillin 200 -Ciprofloxacin 100 -Ceflxime 100 -SYP Ciprofloxacin 200 -SYP Amoxicillin 200 -SYP Ceflixime 200	OINTMENTS - Diclofenac 100 - Betadine 100 - Neosporin 50

The team has set up a medical relief supplies base camp at the DDA, Community Hall, Gujjar Diary, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi - 49, near the Green Park Metro station. All medical supplies will be transported to Nepal with our volunteers.

Our cargo costs are minimal as our base camp is set up in New Delhi, in close proximity to the disaster area.

Special Thank You

• The Prerna Social Development & Welfare Society who have kindly allowed us to use their complex as our medical base camp.
• Spice Jet for 3 tonnes of charge free cargo and excess baggage fee waiver.
• Datawind for the tablets for field work and communication by the medical team.

Issued By:
Gurvinder Singh
UNITED SIKHS Aid Director
contact@unitedsikhs.org

Baisakhi Mela at Sint-Truiden,Belgium

 





Link: http://www.europesamachar.com/?p=69908#more-69908

Punjab Govt & SGPC to organise tour of Guru Gobind Singh’s relics

In an event to be jointly organised by the Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), relics of Guru Gobind Singh would be taken around the state in a special religious procession from May 6 to May 20.

The procession will start from Patiala on May 6 and culminate at Takht Keshgarh Sahib Anandpur Sahib on May 20. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar held a meeting with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday to finalise the programme.

The CM has formed a two-member apex committee comprising education minister Daljit Singh Cheema and   special principal secretary to the CM KJS Cheema for oversee the arrangements for the procession.

The holy relics of Guru Gobind Singh include three swords, a set of hair and comb, a turban, a chola (robe), a whip, a bunch of five arrows, a siri sahib, a wooden spear, a steel spear, a sword and another sword with “Sat Sri Akal Guru Teg Bahadur the 1713 Samvat (1656)” inscribed on its blade. The relics would be placed in a specially designed 33 feet long transport vehicle by the SGPC.

Link :http://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/govt-sgpc-to-organise-tour-of-guru-gobind-singh-s-relics/article1-1341952.aspx

Langar Camp/Relief Fund by DSGMC at Nepal

With Thanks : Media DSGMC

Teenager jumps off Punjab bus to escape molestation, dies

New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal on Thursday expressed grief over the death of a teenager who was allegedly eve teased and then jumped off a bus that is owned by him and his family.

"I am aggrieved over this incident. It is unfortunate that bus belongs to us. Whatever happened is not good and it is like Himalayan blunder. It is the biggest sin," Singh told reporters.

A 13-year-old girl reportedly died and her mother was seriously injured when they had to jump out of a moving private bus to avoid molestation by some youth along with the bus conductor near Punjab's Moga town.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening.

The bus belonged to Orbit company, owned by the ruling Badal family, which came under fire from rivals parties with Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann demanding that they come clean on the issue.

with thanks : Yahoo news : LINK : for detailed news.

Why Sikhs don't want the Golden Temple to be declared a World Heritage Site

In June, the 39th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet in Bonn, Germany, to determine new additions to the list of World Heritage Sites. India already has 32 such sites, and 47 more from the country that were added to the “Tentative List” over the past two decades will be considered by the committee this year.

Of those 47, arguably the most iconic, and certainly the most visited, is Amritsar’s Sri Harmandir Sahib, the holiest site in Sikhism that is known to most non-Sikhs as the Golden Temple. The nomination and selection of World Heritage Sites is generally the subject of little controversy. But the prospect of the Golden Temple’s selection has caused great alarm among sections of the Sikh community. A change.org petition, submitted by a Sikh student in Belgium and calling on UNESCO to delete Harmandir Sahib from the tentative list, has got more than 12,000 signatures.

with thanks : scroll.in : LINK : for detailed news report

When Vaisakhi Is More Than a Holiday

Have you ever wished someone a happy Vaisakhi ?

Most people have no idea that the Pentagon is holding a major celebration to celebrate Vaisakhi. Or that Vaisakhi is the birthday of the world's fifth largest religion. Why? Because the Sikh community as a whole, is often ignored in this country. The time has come to know more about our Sikh neighbors.

Let's start with the FBI's most recent Hate Crimes Statistics (released 12/2014) because the findings are telling. Race is still the leading cause of hate crimes in the U.S., followed by sexual-orientation and religion. Among major religious groups, Jewish people are most likely to be attacked (60.3 percent) followed by Muslims (13.7 percent) and people from "other religions" (11.2 percent). Unfortunately, those statistics do not separately track anti-Sikh hate crimes, only including them within "other religions." Fortunately, this practice has now come to an end. Following years of advocacy, the FBI is finally implementing a system to track anti-Sikh bias, along with bias against many other self-identified religious groups. It's about time. Because the Sikh community is being attacked.

Last summer in New York City, Joseph Caleca yelled "Osama!" at Sandeep Singh before running him over and dragging Singh for 30 feet. Only days later, a group of teens, male and female, attacked another Sikh man walking to dinner with his mother. These are not isolated incidents. The Sikh community is repeatedly targeted by verbal and physical violence. Sometimes the perpetrators escape apprehension. But in the case of Sandeep Singh, community activism led to Caleca's arrest and an indictment for attempted murder and hate crime charges.

with thanks : huffingtonpost : LINK : for detailed news report

Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan procession brings colour and noise to the streets of Slough

THE holiest day in the Sikh calendar was celebrated on Sunday when the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan procession procession brought colour and beauty to Slough.

The procession set off from the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha temple in Sheehy Way at 11am accompanied by an explosion of fireworks.

The thousands of dedicated Sikhs who took part were celebrating Vaisakhi, the initiation of the first five members of the Khalsa in 1699 by the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

The Khalsa is seen as the eternal living embodiment of the Sikh Guru. Every initiated Sikh is a member of the Khalsa – wearing the Five K’s; the Kesh (turban), Kirpan (small sword), Kanga (wooden comb), Kashera (undergarment) and Kara (iron bracelet).

with thanks : sloughobserver : LINK : for detailed report.

Sikh charity call for donations to Nepal earthquake appeal

A Sikh based charity is asking people to donate essential goods for those who have been affected by the earthquake in Nepal.

More than five thousand people have been killed and many more injured in the earthquake on Saturday. Many families are awaiting news of loved ones who are still missing.

with thanks : ITV : LINK : for detailed news.

DSGMC to offer langar and all possible help to quake victims in Nepal

In an emergency meeting of the members and officers of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) led by its president Manjit Singh GK it was decided to organise langars (community kitchen) in earth quake struck Nepal. The decision is considered historic as for the first time the Gurdwara committee is offering help to the people struck by a natural tragedy outside the country.

Manjit Singh GK told the media that a team led by senior leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Onkar Singh Thapar is leaving for Kathmandu, Nepal tomorrow morning to set up the base camp of DSGMC. Chaman Singh and Samardeep Singh Sunny are also part of the team, who would take stock of situation and on the basis of their report material for langar and other relief material would be sent.

DSGMC president said that on the plea of the government of India, DSGMC has started sending food packets for 25,000 people and is setting special camp shortly in Kathmandu for preparing round the clock langar for 10,000 people. “The Gurdwara committee is also setting up a control room for sending help to Bihar on the lines of help given to the people of Uttrakhand and Kashmir when in the past calamity struck the two states,” informed Manjit Singh GK who also informed that DSGMC is also offering langar to the protesters every day at Jantar Mantar, irrespective of their party, allegiance and issues raised by them.

Langar for the earth quake affected people in Bihar and Nepal is prepared at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and Manjit Singh GK has appealed the people to come forward and support the most genuine cause for the mankind.

DSGMC General secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa informed that instructions for beginning langar came from SAD patron and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president and Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. “We are also ready to send dry ration, medicines, clothes, chappals, and blankets,” informed Sirsa.  Speaking on the availability of means for helping the people of Nepal and Bihar Sirsa informed that DSGMC has self sufficient resources to perform any kind of sewa and run without any kind of aid from government or any other agency.

DSGMC Joint secretary Amarjeet Singh Pappu, member Kulwant Singh Bath, Kulmohan Singh, Jatinder Singh Goldy, Darshan Singh, Chaman Singh and Paramjeet Singh Rana and former MLA Jatinder Singh Shanty were also present. After the meeting a delegation led by Onkar Singh Thapar met Nepal high commissioner in India and offered all possible help to Nepal in the hour of tragedy. 

With Thanks : MEDIA DSGMC

Captain Hercharn Singh, the first Sikh as Commissioned Officer in Pakistan Army.

 Captain Hercharn Singh (born 1986) is the first Sikh officer to be commissioned in the Pakistan Army. He was born in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, which is also the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

Hercharn passed his matriculation from Government Guru Nanak High School and passed his FSc (pre-engineering) in 2004 from Forman Christian College, Lahore. He then passed Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB) examination in 2006 after failing once and joined the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) at Kakul, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Hercharn passed out from PMA and was































commissioned into the Pakistan Army on 27 October 2007.He had told reporters, “It is a matter of great privilege and an honor for me that today I am standing in front of you in the khaki uniform. I have been given a great responsibility”

He was commissioned in Baloch Regiment. Currently, he’s serving as an ADC to a Corps Commander

~ Source: Uos university of sargodha

http://barusahib.org/general/captain-hercharn-singh-sikh-commissioned-officer-pakistan-army/