Suspicious Fire damages Sacramento Sikh Temple

A charred building and broken windows are all that is left of a Sacramento Sikh temple after a suspicious fire nearly destroyed the house of worship overnight.

Instead of attending services today, members of the Sikh temple on the 7600 block of Rangeview Lane are picking through the charred rubble.

"This is too much damage. I can't believe it," said Sulakhan Singh who attends the temple. "Everything's gone, totally lost."

Singh says the congregation has never received threats or had problems before. So it's especially upsetting for members to hear someone may have targeted their temple. Arson investigators are labeling the fierce blaze that broke out before midnight as suspicious.

"You can't rule out the possibility of a hate crime. We're not saying it's accidental or on purpose, but it is suspicious at this time," said Sacramento Metro Fire Captain Rusty Dupray.

Because the fire involves a religious building and arson may be to blame, the FBI and ATF have been notified and brought into the investigation.

Sacramento Metro Fire investigators collected samples from the debris this morning to check for chemicals or accelerants.

Firefighters say the 911 call came in from the priest who lives at the temple and was startled from sleep by smoke alarms.

The fire damage is estimated at $250,000 leaving Sikh congregation is left without a place of worship.

With thanks : source : http://cbs13.com/local/sikh.temple.fire.2.1556405.html

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Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti interview

Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's play Behzti, set in a Sikh gurdwara, caused riots - the fallout forced her into hiding. Her new work, Behud, directly addresses the controversy.

Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti refuses to have her photograph taken for this paper. She’s not being difficult - the reason for her refusal is simple. She’s the writer responsible for Behzti (Dishonour) which, famously, caused a riot at the Birmingham Rep in 2004.

Incensed by her decision to set her play in a Sikh temple - a gurdwara - and for presenting it as a den of iniquity, rife with patriarchal sexual abuse - hundreds of Sikh protestors gathered on several consecutive nights to voice their anger before attempting to storm the theatre on Saturday December 18.

Windows were smashed, arrests were made, Bhatti - already the subject of violent threats - was forced to go into hiding, and the production’s run was abruptly cancelled.

This shocking, unexpected episode, unparalleled in modern British theatre, became a cause celebre and serves as a chilling illustration of how fragile freedom of speech can be.

Five years on, Bhatti remains understandably wary about being easily identified. And yet the smart, petite Asian woman who meets me in a central London cafe couldn’t be further from the cowed or chastened figure one might have expected. Revisiting the saga for the first time in a national newspaper, the 41-year-old playwright comes across as quiet, thoughtful and, above all, totally defiant.

“I’d do it again,” she says, firmly, almost matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t think twice about it. Behzti was the play I wanted to write. I always believed in what I’d done.”

She has steered clear of media interviews until now, she explains, because she wanted to get on with her life and work, developing projects for TV, film and radio. “I had to do that. I’m a human being, not a controversy.”

She realised Behzti was provocative - up to a point: “I’m from a Sikh background. I knew it would be controversial, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with provoking people.”

For detailed STORY, plz click the headline above.

With thanks : Telegraph.co.uk

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SGPC to release new calendar on March 14

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will release a revised Nanakshahi calendar for the next year, beginning from March 14. The radicals have, however, decided to stick to the old one.

The changes proposed by the SGPC had been vehemently opposed by a large section of Sikhs had who favoured the calendar released in 2003.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said they have ordered printing of the new calendar after making the required changes. It will soon be distributed among public.

He said the decision was taken after long discussions and the changes were approved by the Akal Takht.

“We will release the new calendar at a simple but impressive function at the Golden Temple complex on Sunday,” said Makkar.

On the other hand, radical Sikh bodies including Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Action Committee and Shiromani Panthic Council (SPC) have vowed to stick to the old calendar. They had been opposing the move to change the calendar.

for detailed news, plz click the headline above.

with thanks : IndianExpress

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Long cherished dream : Guru Granth Sahib Resource Centre

With Akal Purkh’s Grace & with a major grant from the Department of Culture, Government of India. ,Bhai Veer Singh Sahitya Sadan’s long cherished dream of setting up of Guru Granth Sahib Resource Centre has been realized under the able guidance of Director, Dr.Mohinder Singhji. The Resource Centre aims to build a first-rate Digital Library on Sikhism in addition to digitizing and conserving rare Guru Granth Sahib Birs with due maryada(respect). The new four storied building is complete with a big centrally air-conditioned hall on the ground floor. The lift has also become operational.

As we all are well aware that Bhai Vir Singh, the Saint-Poet of India,in whose memory the Sadan was set up 1958, popularized environmental concerns through his writings, especially poetry.

In view of this, Sadan observes March 14th every year as Environment Day by planting trees and ornamental shrubs in the Sadan’s complex and singing of Bhai Vir Singh’s poetry by eminent singers. Fortunately this year;also happens to be the New Year according to the Nanakshahi Calendar and Gurgaddi Divas of seventh Guru Har Rai who was the pioneer in Eco Movement!!

Everbody is requested to join this auspicious occasion on 14th March,Sunday at 11.00 a.m at Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, Gole Market, New Delhi-110001.

Dr. Gurdeep Kaur

SGND Khalsa College,Dev Nagar,University of Delhi

Photos of Free Medical Health check-up & Blood Donation camp which was held on 3rd March in Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College,Dev Nagar,New Delhi. It was organised by the National Service Scheme Unit of the college under the Supervision of NSS Programme Officer, Dr.Gurdeep kaur(Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science) who wants to give the entire credit for the success of an event to her College's respective Principal Dr.Man Mohan Kaur.

Dr.Gurdeep Kaur
Associate Professor
SGND Khalsa College
Department of Political Science
&
National Service Scheme Programme Officer

Sikh Matrimonial

Please log on to the sikh web portal www.sohnijodi.com with over one lakh hits per month. The portal contains matrimonial profiles of Sikh Boys & Sikh Girls. You can also add a classified listing or a detailed profile.

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Abhishek Bachchan washed dishes at Golden Temple

Do you think Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan will wash plates at home? I don’t think. Believe it or not, he washed dishes at the Golden Temple in Amritsar as part of his kar seva recently. The actor, who was with his sister Shweta Nanda in the city, visited three prominent gurdwaras.

"Abhishek and Shweta meanwhile have had a most awesome and wonderful ‘darshan’ at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. They were allowed to spend almost an hour inside the complex and Abhishek even did some ‘kar seva’, by cleaning up the premise, and washing the dishes at the ‘langar’. There were two other prominent gurudwaras that they visited and were ecstatic about their visit,” Amitabh Bachchan posted on his blog.

He went on to say that it feels good to see his children getting religious. “It is always such a joy to see children putting their minds to faith and devotion. Nothing would give me greater joy and nothing I believe could be better than their achievement in belief and prayer,” he wrote.

Abhishek, who was in Amritsar for the shooting of his reality show Bingo, also posted about his visit to the temple on his Twitter page. “Went to the Golden Temple at 3 in the morning. Did seva for about an hour, then just sat there listening to the kirtan,” he tweeted.

Amitabh had earlier written on his blog about his inclination towards his Sikh blood and his wish to visit the Golden Temple along with his children. It may be mentioned that Teji Bachchan, the mother of the 67-year-old actor, was from a Sikh family.

with thanks : Source : http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2010/abhishek-washed-dishes-050310.html

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Promising life after Death – 8 Sikhs started body organ donation campaign

Mohali, Punjab: It is not easy to look at one’s death with a positive attitude. Tougher still, to actually do something good before departing from this world. But these eight residents of SAS Nagar, all full of life, are living with such a passion, only to die for a cause far greater than their lives.

Inspired by Olympian Ajmer Singh, whose body was donated to PGI in January, these people have also pledged to donate their bodies to PGI for medical research.

Now they are planning to run a body organ donation campaign.

“A few years back, a pro- fessor from Amritsar Medical College told me that there was an acute shortage of bodies for research in medical colleges. The education of medicos was facing a setback due to this shortage,” said Amrik Singh Gill, who is one of the initiators of this cam- paign. He is an organic agriculture consultant staying in SAS Nagar, Phase II.

He says that around two years back, he along with wife Raj Gill pledged to donate their bodies to PGI.

“At that time, PGI’s Head of the Department of Anatomy told us that being a research institute, PGI requires around 25 bodies a month but they were getting just two. Then I realised how even dead bodies were important for living human beings,” says Singh.

He then shared the idea with his neighbour Brigadier H.S. Cheema (retired) and his wife Raj Cheema. “Both of them immediately agreed,” says Singh. Soon, it began tak- ing the shape of a campaign.

More people joined in and it almost became a community.

Today, sitting among the donors, H.S. Cheema proudly says, “I am the most eligible candidate among all these, because each day, I am growing older for the greater common good.”

with thanks : sikhsangat

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Guru Nanak Dev International University (GNDIU), Nankana Sahib

Coming up at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan’s Punjab, at an hour’s drive from Lahore, the Guru Nanak Dev International University (GNDIU) will be spread on 2,500 acres and promises to have numerous faculties, some of them devoted entirely to the teachings of Nanak. This will be the second university in the name of Nanak, after Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar set up in 1969. AGPC head Dr Pritpal Singh said the university building would be the most modern with architects hired from the United States, and it would have the best of curricula and research activities. He said it would have links with the world’s best universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, adding that scholars from all over the world would come for research work.

with thanks : source : Indian Express

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SGPC not invited for Nankana Sahib function, angry

But welcomes move by Pakistan government to start Guru Nanak Dev International University

The Pakistan government is all set to lay the foundation stone of Guru Nanak Dev International University (GNDIU) at Nankana Sahib on April 17. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) here has welcomed the move, but it is surprised, and irked, at not being invited for the event.

Claiming to be the paramount representative body of Sikhs, the SGPC feels ignored as it has not been taken into confidence while finalising the date for the significant event, to be attended by world Sikh leaders. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar says he things their criticism of Pakistan on various issues, including the recent beheading of a Sikh by the Taliban near Peshawar, may not have gone down well with the government of the neighbouring country. “We often criticise them. We are not like those who stoop low and turn sycophants ignoring the critical issues confronting the Panth,” says an agitated Makkar, confirming that no invitation has been received by them.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani will lay the stone of the ambitious project named after the founder of Sikhism. The university will spread the message of Guru Nanak on world peace, brotherhood and work. “It is a great step by the Pakistan government and I welcome the move to set up the university. But it is a surprise that we have got no invitation to take part in the event,” said Makkar.

FOR DETAILED NEWS, PLZ CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE.
With thanks : Source : IndianExpress

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Sikh groups abroad reviving Punjab militancy: Government

NEW DELHI: Sikh militant groups based abroad are trying to revive terrorism in Punjab and the government is maintaining a close watch on such outfits, the home ministry says.

"Available reports suggest that Sikh militant groups, especially those based abroad, continue to persist with their efforts to revive militancy in Punjab," Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken told the Rajya Sabha last week.

"A close watch is maintained on the activities of various groups known to have been engaged in trying to foment terrorist activities in Punjab," he said.

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with thanks : Times of India

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Punjabi edges out Tamil in Haryana

Chandigarh: Last week when Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was honoured at a function in Chandigarh for declaring Punjabi as a second language of the state, official circles were wondering what would happen to the Tamil language, which had so far been enjoying the status of second language in Haryana.

Even as there is practically no presence of Tamilians in the state, Haryana had declared Tamil as its second language in 1969 when Bansi Lal was the chief minister.

Officially Tamil had never enjoyed the status of a second language in this predominantly Hindi-speaking state, but the arrangement somehow carried on willy-nilly for more than 40 years.

Old-timers say the Tamil was declared as the second language just to give a rebuff to Punjab. “Since it was the Punjabi suba agitation that had led to formation of Haryana, Bansi Lal thought, ‘Let any language other than Punjabi be the second language of the state’. Hence, Tamil became the second language even though there might not have be even a single Tamil native family in the state at that point of time”, said a former bureaucrat.

Subsequently, though the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) announced the replacement of Tamil with Punjabi, nothing changed on the ground.

Hooda said here last month that a notification had been issued to accord Punjabi a second language status. Incidentally, the Congress menifesto had promised to take the step. The move might finally result in Tamil language being obliterated from the Haryana government records.

Hooda, keeping an eye on the Sikh vote bank, said his government would endeavour to popularise the language. Earlier, Hooda had announced to carve out a separate Sikh gurdwara management committee for the Sikhs in Haryana.

The Sikh population in Haryana is close to one crore, though the number of Punjabi-speaking population could be much higher.

with thanks : Source : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_punjabi-edges-out-tamil-in-haryana_1356124

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There is no black list of Sikh militants settled abroad: Centre

Even as politics heats up over the black list of former militants settled abroad, the Centre’s reply to an RTI application says there is no such list. Satnam Singh Dhaliwal, president of an NGO, Universal Human Rights Organisation, had asked for a copy of the list from the Ministry of External Affairs. The application was transferred to the regional passport office by ministry, saying that the subject matter is more closely connected with their functioning. The reply by Deputy Passport Officer Bidhi Chand, dated January 18, denies the existence of any black list. Dhaliwal is mulling an appeal to get more information.

with thanks : Source : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/There-is-no-black-list-of-Sikh-militants-settled-abroad--Centre/587379

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Pak PM to lay foundation stone of Sikh University at Nankana Sahib

By Ravinder Singh Robin

New Delhi, March 6: Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani will lay the foundation stone of the Baba Guru Nanak International University (BGNIU) next month at Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.

The ceremony is likely to be attended by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gurusharan Kaur and Punjab’s chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Talking to Asian News International over phone from Lahore about the ceremony of Baba Guru Nanak International University, Azhar Ehsan, an Advocate and the Executive Director of BGNIU’s governing body, said: “The function would be held on April 17 and Mrs. Gursharn Kaur, the wife of Dr. Manmohan Singh and Parkash Singh Badal, chief Minster of Punjab have shown interest to attend the ceremony.”

The university would be constructed in 2,500 acres of land in Nankana Sahib.

More than 15,000 Sikh pilgrims are likely to visit in the month of April to attend the Baisakhi festival’s celebrations in Pakistan.

Dr. Pritpal Singh from United States said that the proposed university would have the best architecture, curricula and research center on Sikh and other religion and culture. He said that AGPC would bear all the expenses on establishing the course related to Gurmat Sangeet facility.

“We will invite scholars from all over the world to join the university. It will be planned University that to be modeled similar to standards set by the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge and students from all over the world will be offered admission to the University.”

It is pertinent to mention that none of the members was taken from India in the governing body of the University, neither from the Shri Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the premier body of the Sikhs or from Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).

However, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Parmjit Singh Sarna said: “I am happy that the Pak Prime Minister would be laying the foundation stone ceremony to build the University. It makes no difference to me whether they have not given any representation in the committee to us.”

– ANI

with thanks Source : http://www.morningcity.com/mc/world/south-asia/10077030.htm

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Kidnapped Sikh faces Taliban threat of conversion, says father

TORONTO: Desperate for the safe release of his 32-year-old son Robin Singh from the Pakistani Taliban, Toronto-based Bishan Dass said his son faces threat of conversion.

An IT professional with degrees from the US, Robin Singh was kidnapped by the militants in Peshawar Feb 12 for a ransom of 10 million rupees. A father of three sons, Singh is one of the four Sikhs abducted recently by the Pakistan Taliban from Peshawar for ransom.''

"My wife Shama and I have been broken by this tragic happening. We don't have the money pay, and we don't know what to do. We have slept very little since then,'' 70-year-old Dass said.

A former national vice president of the National Bank of Pakistan, Dass immigrated to Canada in 1999 and lives in the Indian-dominated suburb of Brampton here.

"After kidnapping Robin Singh when he was on his way back home from Peshawar University, the militants called my elder son Rajat Singh to demand the ransom. They are now threatening him (Rajat)," he said.

Dass said his sons have been targeted because they are baptized Sikhs. "I am appealing to the Canadian government to help us ...we are a Sikh family and my baptized sons are under threat. They are under threat to convert," the shaken father said.

Dass, who was sponsored by his another son Sajan Singh (who came to Canada in 1997), was reluctant to involve India in the issue. "India can't do anything. In fact, its mention will only complicate things for us."

For detailed news, plz click headline above. With thanks to source : TIMES OF INDIA

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Bhindranwale T-shirts, Made in China, sold in Punjab

Bhindranwale may seem a long way from Beijing, but trust the great Chinese assembly line to go the distance. The face of the Sikh militancy movement is enjoying a surge in popularity in Punjab, and he is doing so riding on Made in China products — ranging from T-shirts to calendars, bumper stickers to coffee mugs and key chains, some carrying his pictures with the message “I will have to make a comeback”.

Youths in villages and towns of the state can be seen sporting bright yellow T-shirts, emblazoned with huge photos of Bhindranwale carrying an AK-47 rifle. And the paraphernalia is being openly sold in prominent markets in Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and even Delhi.

The numbers are surprising. Sukhdev Singh, a shopkeeper in Amritsar, claims to have sold 1.8 lakh calendars with Bhindranwale’s photos, each priced at Rs 20. He claims that the rush is unabated, something which has prompted the Chinese to enter the market.

Plz click the headline above for detailed news, with thanks to source : Indian Express

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Youth found guilty in killing of Sikh businessman

Melbourne, Mar 4 (PTI) A 22-year-old youth has been found guilty by a New Zealand court of murdering a south Auckland- based Sikh businessman in 2008.

Anitelea Chan-Kee, who fired the fatal shot at liquor store owner Navtej Singh during an armed robbery, was found guilty by a jury in the High Court at Auckland.

However, five other accused -- Myron Felise, 22, Tino Felise, 19, Eti Filoa, 25, Walter McCarthy, 19, and Jason Naseri, 21 -- were found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Mefiposeta Chan-Kee, 26, was discharged after being found not guilty of being an accessory after the killing.

Sentencing will be at the High Court on April 23.

The Indian was shot dead during a robbery at his Riverton liquor store in Manurewa East on June 7, 2008.

with thanks : source : http://www.ptinews.com/news/547417_Youth-found-guilty-in-killing-of-Sikh-businessman

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Pak authorities not giving gurdwara control to Sikhs

PTI

Peshawar, Mar 3 (PTI) The Sikh community in this northwestern Pakistani city today complained that the local administration is not giving it control over a gurdwara despite repeated requests to concerned authorities.

Leaders of the Sikh community said they had sought control of the gurdwara in Jogiwara area as the only other prayer hall in the interior of city is often crowded due to an increase in the number of worshippers.

"We are not being given control of the gurdwara in Jogiwara for the past seven years despite the fact that we have submitted many applications to officials in the district administration," Sahib Singh, former member of the district assembly of Peshawar, told PTI.

"We can look after the gurdwara and we can arrange funds for its repair on our own, provided the government gives it to our control," he said.

with thanks : source : http://www.ptinews.com/news/545214_Pak-authorities-not-giving-gurdwara-control-to-Sikhs

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Amitabh feels drawn towards Sikhism

IANS

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, whose mother was a Sikh, says he feels drawn towards the religion and wants to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar with his children Abhishek and Shweta but can't because of time constraints.

Abhishek shoots in the holy city of Amritsar and his sister Shweta joins him to pay homage and prayer at the Harmandir Saheb. I wish I could do the same, but am unable to. Soon however I shall find the time. Or as they say in such situations, when the time comes He will call you...," Amitabh posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com.

The actor, whose mother, late Teji Bachchan, belonged to a Sikh family, says the Sikh bloods in him 'beckons'.

The Sikh blood in me beckons and I must honour it. It is rather strange, but in the last few months, my attraction and interest towards my Sikh links attain some prominence and I feel drawn towards it," he said.

Amitabh says he wears two lockets of Guru Nanak all the time and even has a photograph of all the Gurus, presented by director Raj Kanwar, that finds space at his place of worship.

I seek blessings from them each morning - Sat Naam Wahe Guru , I recite, as I touch their images and a strange sense of fulfillment and strength consumes me," he added.

with thanks : source : http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14933726

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Real Khanda of Baba Deep Singh ji : Gurdwara Tahla Sahib

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