Sikh route to Italy’s cheese empire

TRIENT, ITALY: Far away from the lassi kingdom of Punjab,Indian Sikhs are doing Chak
de Phatte in the province of parmesan.In Italy’s central Emilia- Romagna region,home to the famous cheese, cattlesheds that produce milk for parmesan are managed by Indians,mainly from the 30,000-strong Sikh community.So the joke goes among Italian parmesan makers: “If Sikh workers go on strike, Italy will not produce parmesan.”
Not a chance, their admirers retort. “Sikhs are good,honest guys, they work really
hard without complaining,”said a policeman based in Reggio Emilia, a wealthy city
in Emilia-Romagna, declining to be named as he is not allowed to speak to the media.
“They don’t drink, don’t quarrel,it’s like they don’t exist.” With its abundance of water,endless fields, farms and cattlesheds,Emilia-Romagna is,in a sense, he ‘Punjab of Italy’.And it is famous for its gastronomic specialities, strong socialist sympathies and racing cars — its home to legends like Ferrari, Maserati,
Lamborghini and Ducati.“I’ve been in Italy since 1992.I work very hard, but it’s good
here,” said a 40-year-old man from Punjab’s Sangrur town.“I’m well-paid, and on Sunday I watch football on TV. I’m a supporter of Juventus.” Alongside football, faith is alive too. A nearby town has the second biggest gurudwara of Europe, Gurudwara Singh Sabha, opened in 2000 in the presence of Romano Prodi,then President of the EU. And Emilia-Romagna’s parks often have Sikh children playing cricket, a little-known sport in Italy.But young Italians don’t want to sweat in the farms
and dairies. “Milking cows?” said a young woman in Italian. “No man, it’s a job for immigrants.”

with thanks : source : http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/world/25784-sikh-route-italy-s-cheese-empire.html

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Dr. Ravinder singh Bajaj is now a contributor to sikh blog SIKHSINDIA

SikhsIndia
11th July, 2009

We are pleased to inform that Dr.Ravindar Singh Bajaj, Consultant Paediatrician, is now a contributor to our Sikh Blog : SikhsIndia.

Thanks

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An endearing look at Sikhs everywhere

Shubha Singh, Indo-Asian News Service
Book: Sikhs Unlimited
Author: Khushwant Singh
Price: Rs 495;
Publisher: Rupa

Did Chandigarh lose out to Bangalore as the e-capital of India due to then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao's insistence that since Punjab had the benefit of the Green Revolution the next revolution should go to a southern state?

According to Gurujot Singh Khalsa, one of the pioneers of the off-shoring and back office processing business in India, he started his initial venture in northern India, but real time data transfer between India and the United States could begin only after the first satellite earth station was set up in Bangalore in December 1993.

Khalsa's HealthScribe company was the first commercial subscriber to use its facilities for data transfer. Later, his other company First Ring became the first to do voice transfers, which set off the trend for the call centre business.

This anecdote is related in a book titled Sikhs Unlimited, and Gurujot Khalsa is one of the Sikhs profiled in the book. Punjab lost out to Bangalore as even the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee did not take seriously Khalsa's proposal to jointly set up an earth station in Mohali in 1991, according to him.

The book maps the lives of Sikhs living aboard, celebrating the achievements of the Sikh diaspora that has excelled in diverse fields - from the arts to theatre to entrepreneurship.

The author of the book, Khushwant Singh chose to spend time with his subjects, living in their homes to be able to draw personalised portraits of each of them. The author's style is simple and readable. The book is written as a part travelogue, but it is the portraits of individuals that are interesting rather than the author's own journeys.

He has selected an interesting group of people to write on - they are not just the usual bunch of non-resident celebrities.

The portraits include entertainers like the standup comedian Sodhy Singh Kahlon of the Britain-based comedy troupe called Funjabis; Channi Singh, the King of Bhangra Pop and painters like the twin sisters, Amrit and Rabindra KD Singh, who have adapted the miniature style of paintings to depict contemporary themes.

Fauja Singh began running as a way to fight depression, and now the 92-year old marathon runner is a worldwide icon. He starred in Adidas' Impossible is Nothing campaign in 2004, and has beaten his own record at every new marathon.

Not so well known in India is Harvinder Singh Sahota who invented the Sahota Perfusion Balloon that is used in angioplasty surgeries all over the world. Chirinjeev Singh Kathuria has the knack of floating companies that become huge successes. His company Planetspace plans to send tourists into outer space.

The book brings out the irony of Sikhs wearing turbans being targeted after the 9/11 terrorist strikes, when one of America's largest private security firms Akal Security is owned by a Sikh. Guruteg Singh Khalsa's Akal Security provides security to American airports, court houses, harbours and major corporate offices.

The author has done his homework well to portray engaging personalities and little known facts.

with thanks : source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=8648fcf0-08c8-4470-80ee-277bc7f48825

SikhsIndia
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Where are the Dharam Parchar Committees formed by SGPC & DSGMC

Those, who paid gold coins for Sikh heads in mughal rules, could not finish the sikhs. And today, we are loosing Sikhi, by paying money from our own pockets at the Barber shops. Trimmed beards, caps on head, tambaku & whisky in mouth have become so common in Sikhs that even the movie makers project Sikhs as trimmers and not as bearded. The efforts of our Dharam Parchar Committees are not visible. The leaders are playing political games. The preachers are charging huge sums for Keertan Samagams and we are happy on getting Saropas in the Live relay of those programmes on various TV channels, BUT SHOCKING, nobody cares to count the rising percentage of Trimmers in such Keertan samagams. May i ask from the sikh community that where are the Dharam Parchar committees formed by SGPC & DSGMC.

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Contribute News, Pics, Vids related to sikhs

SikhsIndia
7th July, 2009

Wahe Guru ji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru ji ki Fateh,

www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com is a Sikh Blog offering Latest News, Pics, Vids related to Sikhs from any where in the world. The news items as well articles are collected from various sources with due acknowledgement to the concerned persons. This is purely an information blog, to inform interested parties of religious trends as emerged in print & electronic media. It's purely a service to the Sikh Community.Please contribute latest News, pics, vids related to sikhs from anywhere in the world. You can also contribute news articles about any sikh personality with pics & vids.We will be pleased to upload it with your name. Please promote our blog in your area. You can add our link on your websites as well web blogs of your area.

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Jarnail Singh, the journalist - sacked

Shoe-throw sack after 3 months

New Delhi : Jarnail Singh, the journalist who lobbed a shoe at home minister P. Chidambaram in frustration at inaction against the 1984 anti-Sikh rioters, has been sacked by his newspaper nearly three months later.

In a notice sent to the journalist, the management of Hindi newspaper Dainik Jagaran described his conduct at the April 7 news conference as “an act unimaginable on the part of a journalist and subversive of basic rule of discipline”.

Jarnail, a special correspondent who covered military affairs and states including Punjab, was shocked that the newspaper should react in such a manner so long after the incident. He had lobbed his sneaker in the direction of the home minister but did not mean to harm him.

“As a journalist, I regret what I have done. It was not proper for a journalist to act in that manner. I was emotionally overtaken and exasperated, just like so many Sikhs are,” he said today.

“But I thought the chapter was closed because of the way the home minister had reacted and had accepted that not enough people (who were behind the killing of Sikhs in 1984) had been punished,” Jarnail said.

After the incident, the management of the newspaper had advised him “to take rest at home”, he said. That was followed up with two show-cause notices.

At the April 7 news conference, Jarnail had asked Chidambaram about the CBI “clean chit” to Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 riots case. He felt the home minister had ducked the question.

“Now I feel that I am being victimised, punished for raising my voice against the injustice of 1984 and the CBI’s and the government’s unwillingness to prosecute those who were responsible for it”, Jarnail said. He said he was even more resolute now.

Sikh political parties had offered Jarnail tickets to contest the Lok Sabha elections but he had refused.

Following Jarnail’s outburst at the April 7 news conference, the Congress high command reconsidered its decision to nominate Tytler and Sajjan as candidates for the general election. Neither was eventually fielded.

with thanks : source : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090703/jsp/frontpage/story_11190977.jsp

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Dr. (Mrs.) Gurdeep Kaur is now a contributor to blog SikhsIndia

SikhsIndia
5th July, 2009

We are pleased to inform that Dr. (Mrs.) Gurdeep Kaur is now a contributor to our blog SikhsIndia. Dr. (Mrs.) Gurdeep Kaur is an Associate Professor,(reader), in the Department of Political Science, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College,University of Delhi, Dev Nagar,Delhi. She has done her PH.D from Dept. of Political Science, Univ. of Delhi, with title of Thesis , The Concept of State in Sikhism with Special Reference to Guru Granth Sahib. Currently She is Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Theology, Katholieke University,Leuven, Belgium.

She already has three popular books to her credit. Out of which two books on Sikhism are Political Ideas of the Sikh Gurus and Political Ethics of Guru Granth Sahib.

Her Recent Publications/Papers/Conferences include : 'State in Sikhism’; 'Khalsa, political Implications', with Sunita Puri in Encyclopedia of Hinduism 1999, Univ. of South Carolin;, 'Contribution of Sanskrit to Sikh Scripture; The Nature of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Kingdom; Relevance of Sikh Scriptures in the present context', presented at World Punjabi Conference,United Kingdom, London, 'Environment and Sikhism' , ‘Welfare State Perspective in Sikhism’ In XIXth IPSA ,World Congress, Durban, South Africa, 'Women in Sikhism’, ; Ethics in Religious Scriptures & its Contemporary Relevance 'presented at International Conf. 'Parliament of the World Religions', Barcelona, Spain.

She also Participated as Delegate in the ‘9th World Punjabi Conference’ at Lahore Pakistan, January30-February 1,2004. In August 09,she is going to Limerick, Ireland to present a paper on Sikhism & Ecological Balance in the International Conf. on Interdisciplinary Theological Perspective on Ecology & Economy.

SikhsIndia
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Plan aims to increase Sikhs' green quotient

Plan aims to increase Sikhs' green quotient
5 Jul 2009, 0407 hrs IST, Narayani Ganesh, TNN

NEW DELHI: EcoSikh is a five-year plan formulated by the US-based Sikh Council of Religion and Education (SCORE) to spread green knowledge
throughout the Sikh community and encourage environmental activism among Sikhs worldwide. "A grid and pledge, named Eco-Sikh, persuades all Sikhs to create a global network of cooperation to help execute an action plan that will help meet today's environmental challenges. It combines spirituality and practical action", says Rajwant Singh, SCORE chairman, who has launched a website, www.ecosikh.org.

Sikh leaders from around the world are committing themselves to reduce global warming, in collaboration with the UN Development Program and UK-based Alliance of Religions and Conservation. Addressing the EcoSikh meeting in Delhi, UNDP's director of development policy Olav Kjorven said "Thro-ughout history religions have helped people and civilizations interpret and understand events around them and to respond to new challenges in light of their spiritual heritage and moral compass... the leadership of religions is now required to meet challenge of climate change." He quoted from Guru Nanak's verse that likened the sky to a platter and the sun and moon to lamps.

Justice Kuldeep Singh said he was delighted that Sikh community was taking upon itself the noble service of forging environment-friendly practices. "As Sikhs we have a responsibility to revere the environment. A Sikh's life is incomplete if he does not revere Nature," he said. "Environmental ethics has always been an inherent part of India's precepts and philosophy and the environment has always been given an honourable place," he said. "But now we are only polluting it."

There are four factors we need to remember, said Justice Singh: that the earth is warming; that this is due to release of increasing volumes of greenhouse gases; that the climate is changing because of human activity and that we can only expect Hell on Earth if we don't take any action now.

with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Plan-aims-to-increase-Sikhs-green-quotient-/articleshow/4739378.cms

SikhsIndia
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Akal Takht says no to gay relationships

Akal Takht says no to gay relationships

UNI


Amritsar: The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhism is of the firm view that Delhi High Court judgement on gay relationships could ruin the society as this was against the tenets of all religions.

Reacting to the judgement on Saturday, Takht Jathedar Gian Gurbachan Singh said the Sikh religion or for that matter any religion did not permit sexual relations between individuals of the same sex.

"This is a very serious matter and against religious codes and ethics, "he said while appealing to the Sikhs against maintaining relations with the same sex.

"Any Sikh, baptised, non-baptised or one who believes in the Guru Granth Sahib, need not be influenced by the court judgement and should always refrain from establishing gay relationships," he said.

An edict issued from Akal Takht nearly four years ago had not only prohibited Sikhs from being involved in gay relationships but had described such a relationship as 'anti religious'. This edict was issued when there was a hot debate on legalising gay relationships in Canada, where a large number of Sikhs are settled.

Giani Gurcharan Singh said Sikhs should stick to the edict and set an example by keeping themselves away from such all "unnatural relationships".

"The marriage verses enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib are meant to solemnise weddings only between persons of opposite sexes," he said.

The Jathedar informed this issue would also be taken up in the Sikh High Priests meeting scheduled for July 8, and if a consensus was reached, they might issue a fresh appeal to Sikhs to follow the Akal Takht edict issued on this subject earlier.

Giani Joginder Singh Vidanti, a former Takht Jathedar who had passed the edict said that it was still valid for Sikhs, no matter what the courts say or interpret.

"Sikhism is against all forms of unnatural relationships," he added while opining there was an urgent need for building a public opinion against gay relationships.

"Religion has got a very important part to play in halting gay relationships and a public opinion must be built against gay relationships," he added.

with thanks : source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/akal-takht-says-no-to-gay-relationships/96356-3.html

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Happy Gurpurab

Aap sab noo Miri Piri de malik, Chenve Patshaah, Sri Guru Hargobind sahib ji de Parkash purab diyaan wadhaiyaan. Please view pics of Gurdwara Data Bandichor on our Sikh web portal www.sohnijodi.com

SikhsIndia
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Sikh students – Avail scholarships

Sikh students – Avail scholarships under the Minority schemes of Govt of India, under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

These include :

Multi-sectoral Development Programme

Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme

Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme

Free Coaching & Allied Scheme

Merit-cum-Means Scholarships Scheme

Scheme of Research/Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Schemes including Publicity

Schemes of Central Ministries/Departments included in the Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities which are amenable to earmarking for minorities.

Please log on to http://minorityaffairs.gov.in/newsite/schemes/schemes.asp

With Best Wishes

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