Sikh community in US hosts drive-thru food distribution for 2,100 families

Ginny Ahluwalia, representative of the Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee of the Guru Nanak Foundation of America

Silver Spring (USA), June 29, 2020: Outside a place of worship in a parking lot, a group of not more than 25 volunteers has made and distributed more than 2,100 food packages in just seven weeks.

The Guru Nanak Foundation of America Gurudwara in Silver Spring, in the Washington DC metro area, has turned the traditional tenant of Sikhism -- the 'Langar Sewa' into a drive-thru food distribution zone.

About 300 plus families in their cars, line up-almost bumper to bumper every Sunday morning to receive donated food items like fresh produce and packaged food -- a necessity for some in poverty or anyone else in search of a meal amid COVID-19.

People from different faiths and religions show up in the drive-through as early as 9:30 am, even though the distribution does not open until 11 am.

A volunteer, with a smile on his face and a package in his hands, places a week's worth of food items in every car trunk that pulls up at the Sikh temple's driveway vibrating hope and optimism.

"I am just so grateful that you are helping the community," a lady thanks the volunteers. "When you come here to get something, it is not like anything below your dignity, but it is looking forward to something that you can appreciate," said another of the many people lined up to receive the food package.

"That smile on the face I think that says it all and I think, more than them, it is us that are grateful that we have been able to carry out this food drive," said Ginny Ahluwalia, Representative of the Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee of the Guru Nanak Foundation of America.

The process of packaging and distribution is highly systematised. A team of volunteers shows up on Saturday to methodically assemble a room full of crackers, cookies, cakes, food cans and fresh fruits. On the next day, the volunteers then distribute the food package at the drive-through.

"By God's grace, we have been successfully doing this for the seventh week. We have not had any shortage (food and funds)," Ginny told ANI.

"People have been donating. So, whoever can volunteer is giving their time. Whoever cannot give their time is giving money," she said.

The gurdwara shares information about the distribution through regular posts on large social media groups for local residents and even reaches out to other places of worship in the community to get the word out.

https://www.aninews.in/videos/world/sikh-community-us-hosts-drive-thru-food-distribution-2100-families/

Sikhs Fighting For Ethnic Tick-Box in UK Claim Victory

LONDON: The Sikh Federation UK (SFUK) is celebrating a “victory” in its campaign to get a Sikh ethnic tick-box added to the 2021 UK census after Scottish ministers agreed to put a prompt for Sikhs in the “other” part of the ethnicity response options. They also assured to “monitor Sikhs as an ethnic group as well as religion” going forwards.

The SFUK, which claims to have the backing of more than 150 gurdwaras and Sikh organisations, has withdrawn its legal case in Scotland but is still battling ahead with a second judicial review against the Cabinet Office over the lack of a Sikh ethnic tick-box in the proposed census for England and Wales.

On May 7, the Census (Scotland) Regulation 2020 was laid in the Scottish Parliament which included a prompt for Sikhs and Jews in the “Other” response option to the question “What is your ethnic group?”.

“At the top there is a choice of White, Mixed, Asian, African, Caribbean and Other. Sikhs is not within Asian, it is coming under Other,” said Dabinderjit Singh OBE, principal adviser to the SFUK.

The Federation’s tick-box campaign got a further boost in a letter dated June 24 from Scotland’s economy secretary Fiona Hyslop. The letter, which TOI has seen, states she will now “work with the Sikh Federation (UK) to ensure public bodies in Scotland monitor Sikhs as an ethnic group, as well as a religion”.

In the past public bodies have only followed the Census categories for ethnic data collection . “The only reason we wanted a Sikh ethnic tick-box box was to force Scotland to monitor Sikhs,” explained Singh. “We feel we have won the war in Scotland and do not feel there is any point in continuing legal action in the court of session.”

The Federation has also withdrawn its appeal against a December 12, 2019, judgment handed down in a first judicial review the SFUK brought against the Cabinet Office over the England and Wales census after the government objected to there being two cases running simultaneously over the same issue.

On June 11, SFUK submitted an application for a second judicial review to the high court seeking to quash the Census (England and Wales) Order 2020 on the grounds it was unlawful after Mrs Justice Lang ruled the first legal challenge was premature. Bringing the first case cost the Federation just over £1,00,000 in ‘capped’ legal costs for both sides.

If the second judicial review is allowed, the legal costs may not be capped and if the Federation win the case, the UK-wide census scheduled for 21 March 2021, could be delayed.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/sikhs-fighting-for-ethnic-tick-box-in-uk-claim-victory/articleshow/76680143.cms

Mission Fateh Warriors on COVA (Corona Virus Alert) Punjab mobile app :Ludhiana tops state in COVA mobile app registrations

Mission Fateh Warriors on COVA (Corona Virus Alert) Punjab mobile app

Ludhiana is on the top in the state with a maximum number of people registering themselves as Mission Fateh Warriors on COVA (Corona Virus Alert) Punjab mobile app launched by the state government. Patiala and Amritsar stand second and third respectively.

So far, more than 33 lakh people in the state have downloaded this app.

As per the data, a total of 15,673 people have downloaded the app in the district and have got themselves registered as Mission Fateh Warriors. They are further educating the masses about the ways to keep themselves safe from Covid-19.

A total of 10,848 people in Patiala and 7,897 people in Amritsar have connected themselves with the app.

In Ludhiana, as many as 5,712 people have uploaded pictures of their activities.

The Punjab government has urged residents to download the app and educate the masses in large numbers after which they would be honoured with gold, silver and bronze certificates.

In Ludhiana, residents have already won 12 silver and 75 bronze certificates.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/ludhiana-top-in-state-in-cova-mobile-app-registrations/story-TsP3oVPs03ktqEQ4JeuheO.html

Indiana Based SikhsPAC has pledged to donate over $1 million worth of free face masks and face shields to peaceful protestors all over the country : BLACK LIVES MATTER

Mr.Gurinder Singh Khalsa, the founder of SikhsPAC

Indianapolis, Indiana: Khalsa, Chairman of SikhsPAC, an Indiana-based nonpartisan political action committee, is working to make a monumental change in the lives of individuals around the country.

In order to encourage individuals to join hands during this time of peaceful action against police brutality, SikhsPAC has pledged to donate over one million dollars’ worth of face masks and face shields to peaceful protestors all over the country. In a partnership with Cleanxa (an Indiana-based personal protection equipment manufacturer and distributor), SikhsPAC has pledged to supply high quality filtered face masks and face shields in bulk to organizations that are working to arrange peaceful protests as a way to give back support.

As a part of this partnership, Cleanxa will be offering a free mask to anyone who is taking part in a peaceful protest. All you have to do to receive a free mask is go to www.cleanxa.com, and use the coupon code “BLACKLIVESMATTER” at checkout. For bulk free orders for organizations, please contact at FreeMasks@cleanxa.com or 317-308-1050

SikhsPAC has always and will always stand with the Black community, and SikhsPAC is making these donations as a way to advocate for police reform and justice for Black individuals in the United States. Along with this, SikhsPAC would like these donations to reflect their support for making Juneteenth a national holiday. Systemic racism is prevalent in USA for centuries. It is not a Republican or democratic issue rather an American issue and every American needs to step up against racism. Being non racist is not enough. We need to be anti-racist.

SikhsPAC has already begun the process of seeking out organizations and creating packages of face masks and face shields to ship out to groups and communities all over the country. 

Gurinder Singh Khalsa, the founder of SikhsPAC, is very passionate about issues that affect both people of color and Black lives. “In this country, the atrocities  against Black individuals is not covered enough within the history lessons taught to our children in schools. Putting a blanket over the history of systematic racism in our country is one of the most harmful things we can do – the new generations moving forward will be much more passionate, caring, and understanding toward their Black community members if they are taught the real, tough history.”

SikhsPAC stands not only for equality, but for justice.

https://www.sikhnet.com/news/indian-american-philanthropist-donate-1-million-us-dollars-worth-face-masks-protesters-us

‘What The Body Remembers’: This novel of Sikh lives during the Partition won the regional Commonwealth Prize 20 years ago

Rereading Shauna Singh Baldwin’s debut novel from 2000, ‘What The Body Remembers’.

Shauna Singh Baldwin’s debut 2000 novel What the Body Remembers has all the ingredients of a literary blockbuster – romance, history, suspense, and political intrigue. Its themes are as relevant today as they were two decades ago or in British India in the first half of the 20th century. 

Shauna Singh Baldwin : While the world is being ravaged by a deadly virus, natural disasters, and social upheaval, I decide to turn to my favorite companions for solace.Since I am writing about this book during an ongoing pandemic, I must not forget to mention the eerie coincidence of infectious diseases that also play a cameo. 

What the story reveals

The book begins with the birth of a baby in India under British rule at the turn of the 19th century. The baby, a girl, despite all the rituals and prayers offered in the previous life, laments her fate. After all, to be born a woman in this world meant to be resigned to one’s kismet.

What follows is the story of two women who on the surface, could not be more different. There is Satya, the grey-eyed 42 year old wife of the wealthy, Oxford-educated landowner known as Sardarji. She is fearless,outspoken, and refuses to lower her eyes when she looks at her husband. Shrewd and practical, she runs his business affairs efficiently despite the fact that she cannot do the Git-mit Git-mit talk, that is to say, speak English. However, Satya has a bigger problem; in all her years of marriage, she has failed to deliver a child.

The Anglophile Sardarji wants sons who “will start a clean race...a new race from the Best of Both Worlds.” Unbeknownst to Satya, he marries a young village girl and brings her home to his haveli in Rawalpindi. His new bride’s name, Roop, means physical form, but also refers to beauty. If Satya’s fate is to speak the truth, Roop’s fate is to use her body to deliver babies. “Learn what we women are for,” her grandmother had told her when she was a child witnessing her mother give birth. “Learning,” said Gujri, the maid who helped raise her, “is just remembering slowly, like simmer coming to boil.”

While the novel alternates between the perspectives of the two women, it is Roop’s life we follow more closely through the years. We watch her grow up in a village with a charming name – Pari Darwaza, or the Doorway of Fairies. Roop is beautiful even as a little girl, beautiful enough to be vain and long for a life of luxury. But she is deaf in one ear, a disability she promises to keep a secret. Her father is poor and her options, limited.

To save the family from ruin, she is married off at 16 to the powerful Sardarji who is 25 years older. When he gives Roop her first presents – dazzling gold jewellery that once belonged to Satya – Roop is mesmerised. But what she doesn’t understand yet is that in this marriage, she is destined to be Choti Sardarni – the second, younger, less important wife. And yet, it is her bedroom that Sardarji goes to at night. Satya hears his footsteps, and when she learns that Roop is pregnant, she asks herself – “How to bear this?”

It is impossible to pick sides. I found my sympathies oscillating between the two women. Whom to root for? The strong-willed Satya who has been betrayed? Or the innocent and submissive Roop, whose father’s parting words were “Above all, give no trouble”?

It would be very easy to make the two female protagonists foils to one another, diametrically opposed like night and day. But What the Body Remembers resists that impulse. Both Satya and Roop are complex women who constantly defy readers’ expectations. It might seem like they are victims in a relentlessly patriarchal world, but within their limited powers, they do exert agency to survive in ways that impact one another’s lives. Satya’s “jelsy” drives her to acts of unimaginable cruelty. Roop’s suffering leads her to connive in a manner that will bring not only revenge but tragedy.

If this were merely a story of two Sikh wives set in colonial India, it still might have been a highly enjoyable novel, but would not be the tour de force that it is. WTBR blends the intrigues of the domestic tale with one of national turmoil in the years leading up to India’s independence. As Roop and Satya move towards an inevitable collision, India hurtles towards the great tragedy of 1947 – the Partition.

Since I am writing about this book during an ongoing pandemic, I must not forget to mention the eerie coincidence of infectious diseases that also play a cameo. First, there is the plague that killed Sardarji’s mother while he was away in England. When all her servants and relatives ran away for fear of catching the disease, it was Satya who stayed to tend to her till the very end, an act for which she received no acknowledgement from her husband upon his return. Then, later in the book, Satya’s cousin, the ill-fated Mumta, is struck with tuberculosis, and tries in vain to cough away from those around her so that she does not spread the disease to anyone. Although fleeting, these events were a bizarre echo of these times.

https://scroll.in/article/965805/this-novel-of-sikh-lives-during-the-partition-won-the-regional-commonwealth-prize-20-years-ago 

Punjab govt to honour 148 ITI girls who armed Covid warriors with 2.3 lakh masks

Sakshi Taak, an ex-ITI student making masks
To honour the efforts of the students and 13 principals of ITIs, who armed Covid warriors with 2.3 lakh masksthe state government will acknowledge them with appreciation letters on Monday.

“It is important to recognise the efforts put in by these students and principals. The students have contributed to this cause by stitching masks and principals went out of their way to collect raw material through donations and deliver it at students’ home. They also collect the masks and distribute them among frontline Covid warriors,” said Anurag Verma, principal secretary, technical education and industrial training, Punjab.

“The appreciation certificates will be given to the ITI principals at our Chandigarh office. The principals will further hand these over to the 148 students. We will also hold a meeting with the students through video conference to appreciate them and share their experience,” he added.

Additional secretary (directorate of technical education and industrial training) Daljit Kaur Sidhu, said, “Students who stitched more than 1,000 masks will be acknowledged with appreciation letters. Besides, we selected principals from ITIs where students stitched 25,000 or more masks with their efforts.”

TOP 3 STUDENTS WITH MOST MASKS

Pawan Kaur has sewed as many as 3,800 masks

Twenty nine-year-old Pawan Kaur, who stays in a joint family, said she prefers stitching masks early morning and late night.

“I learnt the technique though YouTube, and with practice, I am able to stitch one mask in five minutes. While the ITI teachers deliver the cloth at home, my mother-in-law motivates me to contribute to the noble cause,” she said.

“Since childhood, I was fond of sewing and decided to pursue a course in tailoring. It will be an honour to receive the appreciation letter from the Punjab government,” said Kaur, who hails from Baba Bagla Sahib village in Amritsar.

Kanwaljeet Kaur has stitched 3,748 masks

Kanwaljeet Kaur, a student of ITI Women, Rajpura, Patiala, who stitched 3,748 masks also figures in the Top 3 students with maximum masks.

The 21-year-old, who hails from Babipur village, Patiala, said, “I am pursuing a dress-making course from ITI. When I was asked to stitch masks to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Kanwaljeet Kaur, a student of ITI Women, Rajpura, Patiala, who stitched 3,748 masks also figures in the Top 3 students with maximum masks.

Parminderjeet Kaur stitched 3,706 masks

A student of Government Institute of Textile Industry and Knitting Technology, Ludhiana, Parminderjeet Kaur, stitched 3,706 masks.

“While my parents encouraged me to stitch masks, receiving an appreciation letter will motivate me and several other students,” she said.

“I am studying surface ornamentation technology course from ITI and doing this course to earn a job,” added Parminderjeet, a resident of Vishkarma Colony in Ludhiana.

The 13 principals to receive the letters are Darshan Singh of Government Institute of Textile Chemistry and Knitting Technology, Ludhiana; Darshan Singh of Government ITI (W), Ahmedgarh, Ludhiana; Maninder Kaur of ITI (W), Rajpura; Jagtar Singh of ITI (W), Moga; Ranjit Kaur of ITI (W), Rayya Amritsar; Shamsher Singh of ITI (W), Mohali; Meenakshi Garg of ITI (W), Patiala; Jatinder Singh of Government Institute of Garment Technology, Amritsar; Harvinder Bhardwaj of ITI (SC), Mansa; Manjeet Kaur of ITI, Dera Bassi; Ram Singh of ITI (W), Nangal, Rupnagar; Jagtar Singh of ITI (W), Kheowali, Muktsar Sahib; and Mohan Singh of ITI, Maloud.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/punjab-govt-to-honour-148-iti-girls-who-armed-covid-warriors-with-2-3-lakh-masks/story-6FoUZRGj62XBs3yg6oxN6H.html

Mr. Rajinder Singh :Glad my challenge touched hearts: 73-yr-old ‘Skipping Sikh’ raised 13,450 pounds for the NHS,England

“The idea to start a skipping challenge came as I was spending time in isolation during lockdown in March after the pandemic  started. I was very much inspired by Captain Tom Moore and my daughter Minreet Kaur wanted to set a challenge for me. As I am very fond of skipping, she told me to start this Skipping Sikh challenge. I am glad that over the course of last three months, I have been able to raise 13,450 pounds for the NHS and I am overwhelmed by the support. To be recognised as one of the Points of Light by UK PM is a great honour for me and I wish more and more people can join the challenge and help NHS in such times,” said Singh while speaking with The Indian Express from England.

Originally belonging to Devidas Pura village near Amritsar and with his father Naik Makhan Singh serving in British Indian Army in the Second World War, Singh moved to England in the 1960s. While he used to work as a driver at the Heathrow airport near London, Singh took part in marathons apart from running in charity runs, where he also met legendary runner Fauja Singh. In the last three months, Singh has skipped 500-1000 times daily at his Harlington home and the garden area outside his home in an effort to raise funds.

“I worked as a driver before and retired in 2018. I was an active runner and ran in marathons and also love cycling. Growing up in my village near Amritsar, I had learnt skipping from my father and I found it as the easiest sport in terms of setting up and ability to do it anywhere. I am glad that my challenge has touched hearts everywhere. I’ve had a three-year-old girl taking up the skipping challenge to an 81-year-old grandfather taking up the challenge. People from India, USA, Canada, Australia and UK have donated and it’s a tribute to the NHS workers. They don’t walk away from a pandemic and are the frontline force against this pandemic,” adds Singh.

 While England eased out the lockdown regulations last month with new set of guidelines regarding unlocking the country starting July 4 including opening up of pubs and restaurants, Singh wants people to remain cautious. Singh’s daughter, Minreet Kaur, and wife, Pritpal Kaur, have also been honouring Covid-19 heroes in their community baking cakes for them.

Rajinder Singh at his Harlington home near London

 “With parks opening up in recent weeks, I am taking this challenge to the park following social distancing  measures and I also sometime skip while standing in queue outside grocery store and people have been supportive of this challenge. I will continue this challenge for one more week and we also plan to organise a ‘skipathon’ in a local park with social distancing. Keeping yourself mentally fit is the biggest asset in such times and I am happy to play my part for the public. My wife and daughter have been honouring our neighborhood heroes and that’s what we have been taught in Sikhism: to support and love,” says Singh.

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/glad-my-challenge-touched-hearts-73-yr-old-skipping-sikh-6479708/

Gurdwara Katrtar Pur Sahib : ' Pakistan's Goodwill Initiative ' Over Kartarpur re-opening on June 29 to Commemorate Maharaja Ranjit Singh Death Anniversary amid surge in COVID cases

Gurdwara Kartar Pur Sahib :The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing , connecting Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan to the Indian border in Punjab

 Even as the COVID-19 cases in India and Pakistan is on the rise, Pakistan's foreign minister has  announced on Saturday  morning  that it is planning to reopen Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. Taking to Twitter, Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that it has conveyed it readiness to reopen the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims from June 29 - which also marks the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. a valiant lead of the Sikh empire from the 18^th Century.

The corridor was temporarily closed on March 16 in the wake of the Covid -19 Pandemic that originated in China's Wuhan city.

Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Shakargarh tehsil in Narowal district of Pakistan.India and Pakistan in October 2019 signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian pilgrims a visa-free visit to the holy gurdwara, believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century, and located some 4 km inside Pakistan

The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing , connecting Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan to the Indian border in Punjab


https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/pakistan-to-reopen-kartarpur-corridor-on-june-29-to-commemorate-maharaja-ranjit-singhs-death-anniversary/612743

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/pak-trying-to-create-mirage-of-goodwill-over-kartarpur-re-opening-11593258507612.html

‘Kisan Bachao, Punjab Bachao Rosh Yatra’ :Bains Brothers Booked for violating Lockdown Orders

Ludhiana MLAs Simranjeet Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains, along with party workers, during a cycle rally in Mohali on Friday. A gathering of nearly 250 had collected for the rally.

The Mohali police on Friday booked brothers MLA Simranjeet Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains for allegedly violating the lockdown rules.


MLA Simranjeet Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains 

The brothers along with Gurpreet Singh, alias Jimmy, Didar Singh and others were booked after they conducted a cycle rally with a gathering of around 200-225 persons.

A case was registered under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act 2005 at Mataur police station.

High drama was also witnessed at Mohali-Chandigarh border after the brothers and their colleagues of the Lok Insaaf Party were stopped from entering Chandigarh near the SSP’s residence in Phase 3A here.

The party wanted to proceed to the chief minister’s (CM’s) residence on bicycles during a rally ‘Kisan Bachao, Punjab Bachao Rosh Yatra’ that started from Amritsar two days ago.

Bains brothers were adamant, but the police said no more than three people could travel together in a car. That’s when the brothers got on the bicycles to reach the CM’s residence. Assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Neha Yadav led them to the CM’s residence after they met duty officer tehsildar Suresh Kumar.

Before leaving for the CM’s residence, Bains brothers said, “Our protest rally ‘Kisan Bachao, Punjab Bachao Rosh Yatra’ is purely in interest of the farmers of Punjab opposing the three ordinances passed by the Centre. These ordinances will ruin the future of the farmers in Punjab. Agriculture and farmers are under threat not only from the corporates, but also from the government. We will be presenting a memorandum in this regard to the Punjab CM.”

The rally attendees were also booked by the Phagwara administration for allegedly violating the Covid-19 protocol.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bains-brothers-booked-for-violating-lockdown-orders-stopped-from-entering-chandigarh-near-ssp-s-residence-in-mohali/story-CfjqG0nbhP0Pm7IgQ5Zh1O.html