Wed, Jul 22, 2009 8:21:47
A Sikh couple has been traumatized by immigration officers during a raid on their business yesterday.
Harbans Kaur, 47 a cloth merchant claimed that she was humiliated by a group of Immigration officers who raided her shop at the Chowrasta Bazaar in Jalan Penang last week.
Harbans Kaur, said two officers handcuffed her in full view of the public after questioning her nationality during the 4.30pm raid on July 13.
"They asked where I was from and I told them that I am Malaysian, but they refused to believe me and asked for my identity card." Asia One has reported
Harbans obliged but was shocked when the two men proceeded to handcuff her.
"I protested and asked them to remove the handcuffs but they refused until my husband demanded they do so," she said when met at Datuk Keramat assemblyman Japdeep Singh's service centre.
Harbans' husband, Dalbeer Singh, said the officers did not produce their authority cards despite being asked.
"I am saddened by the incident as there was no reason why these officers should treat my wife that way when they were already told she is Malaysian," he said, adding that both her hands were swollen as a result of the officers' rough treatment., Asia One went on to report
Jagdeep said Harbans was now traumatised by the incident. He said police later sent a letter to her stating that her "case" was being referred to the magistrate's court.
"I will write to the state chief police officer for a review of the case as she clearly did not commit any crime."
An Immigration Department spokesman said the department would investigate the matter but refused to comment further.
with thanks : source : http://www.emgonline.co.uk/news.php?news=6481
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bollywood’s Kings & Singhs
Bollywood’s Kings & Singhs
JAYA DRONA , TNN 22 July 2009, 12:00am IST
What’s happened to Saif and his look isn’t a first. Akshay Kumar faced the ire of the Sikh community before Singh Is Kinng released, Saif Ali Khan More Pics
and so did Sunny Deol before Jo Bole So Nihaal.
After the Sikh community had demanded changes in the film Singh Is Kinng, Vipul Shah had reshot several scenes in Mumbai. He had said, “They wanted us to reshoot scenes where Akshay had a trimmed beard. We showed Akshay with a fully-grown beard, the sabot swarup at the end of the film.”
Gurbachan Singh Bachan, who was associated with the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) had said, “Vipul told us that it would be very difficult for him to reshoot the entire film. And we understood that it is a film meant to entertain the audience and not to hurt the sentiments of any religious community. So, we asked him to show Akshay going back to his roots at the end of the film wearing a proper beard and turban.”
And as if taking his cue from these controversies, producer and actor of the film Kisaan, Sohail Khan hired the services of Giani Singh, to help him portray the role of a sardar without making any room for controversies. He told us, “Giani Singh, who is aware of the dialect, gurbanis and the rules that the Sikh community was present with us on the sets all the time . We do not want to hurt the sentiments of a community.”
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4803279.cms
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
JAYA DRONA , TNN 22 July 2009, 12:00am IST
What’s happened to Saif and his look isn’t a first. Akshay Kumar faced the ire of the Sikh community before Singh Is Kinng released, Saif Ali Khan More Pics
and so did Sunny Deol before Jo Bole So Nihaal.
After the Sikh community had demanded changes in the film Singh Is Kinng, Vipul Shah had reshot several scenes in Mumbai. He had said, “They wanted us to reshoot scenes where Akshay had a trimmed beard. We showed Akshay with a fully-grown beard, the sabot swarup at the end of the film.”
Gurbachan Singh Bachan, who was associated with the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) had said, “Vipul told us that it would be very difficult for him to reshoot the entire film. And we understood that it is a film meant to entertain the audience and not to hurt the sentiments of any religious community. So, we asked him to show Akshay going back to his roots at the end of the film wearing a proper beard and turban.”
And as if taking his cue from these controversies, producer and actor of the film Kisaan, Sohail Khan hired the services of Giani Singh, to help him portray the role of a sardar without making any room for controversies. He told us, “Giani Singh, who is aware of the dialect, gurbanis and the rules that the Sikh community was present with us on the sets all the time . We do not want to hurt the sentiments of a community.”
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4803279.cms
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Saif Ali Khan’s beard irks Sardar community
Saif Ali Khan potrays the role of Sardar in his upcoming flick Love Aaj Kal, however his trimmed beard has hurt the religious sentiments of Sardars.
Charan Singh, President of Punjabi Cultural and Heritage Board says, “We are objecting on the grounds that Saif is shown with a very trim beard. Sardars don’t wear this look. While Imtiaz represented the sardars in Jab We Met very well, why has he not done the same in Love Aaj Kal? We have sent a memorandum regarding this to Saif, Imtiaz Ali and Dinesh Vijan (co-producer of Love Aaj Kal).”
“We have also written to the Censor Board not to pass the film until the rectification has been made. Otherwise, the Censor Board will be responsible for the ire of the Sikh community.”
However Saif is confident that the issue will be sorted out, he says, To begin with, there is nothing to be offended about. In fact, when they see the film, they will be very proud of the way sardars have been depicted. This is the most authentic and romantic sardar ever.”
“No one has seen the film yet and so we have decided to show them the film in a couple of days. I am sure once that is done, there will be no problem at all. I understand that in our country we have to keep everyone’s cultural sensitivity in mind and not do anything to upset any community. They just want to be represented well and that is exactly what we have done. There will be no question of reshooting.”
Well, lets wait and watch then.
Source with thanks : http://www.bollynova.com/page/2
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sikh historian from New Zealand passes away
Tue, Jul 21 01:00 PM
Chandigarh, July 21 (IANS) The man from faraway New Zealand who came to Punjab in the 1950s as a Christian missionary but ended up being a globally-reputed historian on Sikhs has passed away. W.H. Mcleod, who dedicated over four decades of his life in researching Sikh history, died in Dunedin Monday night, his wife of 54 years, Margaret, informed friends here.
Mcleod, 77, the son of a sheep-farmer in New Zealand had come to Punjab, the north Indian border province that has a Sikh majority population, as a Christian missionary in 1958. Soon after settling down in Batala town, 40 km from Amritsar, Mcleod found his interest in Christianity waning and was drawn to Sikh history.
'Mcleod played a major role in establishing and popularising the academic study of Sikhism outside India. He leaves behind a body of work on Sikhism which will be a source of reference to the coming generations of Sikh scholars,' Roopinder Singh, author of 'Guru Nanak: his life and teachings' and a senior journalist, told IANS here.
Described by many as an 'unsung success story' who acquired 'global repute' with his work as a historian, Mcleod left New Zealand in 1958 to work as a missionary in northern Punjab. He taught Punjab history at Baring College in Batala town before his interest as a missionary started to fade.
Unimpressed with the existing studies at that time on the 10 Sikh Gurus, Mcleod got immersed in Sikh history and religion and even Punjabi, a language he learnt to speak with ease. He lost all interest and contact with the church as he pursued Sikh history.
'It (his death) is a huge loss to the Sikh community. He always added a fresh perspective to the development and history of the Sikhs as opposed to the traditional view of romanticising it overly,' said Punjab-based author of the book 'Sikhs Unlimited' Khushwant Singh.
Sikhism is one of the youngest religions in the world founded by Guru Nanak Dev (born 1469) in the 15th century. The religion had 10 gurus till the early 18th century. The 10th master, Guru Gobind Singh, ordained that after him the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, would be the eternal guru.
Mcleod wrote several books, including 'Guru Nanak and Sikh Religion' (translated into Punjabi by Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev University), 'The Evolution of Sikh Community', 'The Sikhs - History, Religion and Society', 'Sikhs of the Khalsa' and many others. He did his PhD on Sikh history from the University of London.
Some of his books and research came in for criticism from Sikh scholars but there were many who admired his tireless work on Sikhism.
'He became an international authority on the religion, perhaps the best known outside Punjab and India, and the man who has done more to introduce Sikhism to the world outside India than anyone else,' said I.J. Singh, an academic.
'It is because of a few writers, and Hew McLeod above all, that the world has any inkling of Sikhism as an independent religion, with a unique, universal and timeless world view. He brought Sikhism to Western academia,' Singh wrote Tuesday on an international website on Sikhs, www.sikhchic.com.
Jaideep Sarin
with thanks : source : http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090721/812/tnl-sikh-historian-from-new-zealand-pass.html
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Chandigarh, July 21 (IANS) The man from faraway New Zealand who came to Punjab in the 1950s as a Christian missionary but ended up being a globally-reputed historian on Sikhs has passed away. W.H. Mcleod, who dedicated over four decades of his life in researching Sikh history, died in Dunedin Monday night, his wife of 54 years, Margaret, informed friends here.
Mcleod, 77, the son of a sheep-farmer in New Zealand had come to Punjab, the north Indian border province that has a Sikh majority population, as a Christian missionary in 1958. Soon after settling down in Batala town, 40 km from Amritsar, Mcleod found his interest in Christianity waning and was drawn to Sikh history.
'Mcleod played a major role in establishing and popularising the academic study of Sikhism outside India. He leaves behind a body of work on Sikhism which will be a source of reference to the coming generations of Sikh scholars,' Roopinder Singh, author of 'Guru Nanak: his life and teachings' and a senior journalist, told IANS here.
Described by many as an 'unsung success story' who acquired 'global repute' with his work as a historian, Mcleod left New Zealand in 1958 to work as a missionary in northern Punjab. He taught Punjab history at Baring College in Batala town before his interest as a missionary started to fade.
Unimpressed with the existing studies at that time on the 10 Sikh Gurus, Mcleod got immersed in Sikh history and religion and even Punjabi, a language he learnt to speak with ease. He lost all interest and contact with the church as he pursued Sikh history.
'It (his death) is a huge loss to the Sikh community. He always added a fresh perspective to the development and history of the Sikhs as opposed to the traditional view of romanticising it overly,' said Punjab-based author of the book 'Sikhs Unlimited' Khushwant Singh.
Sikhism is one of the youngest religions in the world founded by Guru Nanak Dev (born 1469) in the 15th century. The religion had 10 gurus till the early 18th century. The 10th master, Guru Gobind Singh, ordained that after him the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, would be the eternal guru.
Mcleod wrote several books, including 'Guru Nanak and Sikh Religion' (translated into Punjabi by Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev University), 'The Evolution of Sikh Community', 'The Sikhs - History, Religion and Society', 'Sikhs of the Khalsa' and many others. He did his PhD on Sikh history from the University of London.
Some of his books and research came in for criticism from Sikh scholars but there were many who admired his tireless work on Sikhism.
'He became an international authority on the religion, perhaps the best known outside Punjab and India, and the man who has done more to introduce Sikhism to the world outside India than anyone else,' said I.J. Singh, an academic.
'It is because of a few writers, and Hew McLeod above all, that the world has any inkling of Sikhism as an independent religion, with a unique, universal and timeless world view. He brought Sikhism to Western academia,' Singh wrote Tuesday on an international website on Sikhs, www.sikhchic.com.
Jaideep Sarin
with thanks : source : http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090721/812/tnl-sikh-historian-from-new-zealand-pass.html
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Police appeal for Missing Sikh mom
The family of a missing Brampton woman is offering a reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
Poonam Litt was last seen Feb. 5, 2009 at 9 a.m. when she left her family home in the Bramalea road and Bovaird Drive area to go to work.
The 27-year-old, who is the mother of a young child, never arrived to work and hasn't been heard from since.
Litt's husband has helped raise $25,000 and Peel Regional police say it might help investigators generate new tips in the case.
Investigators say they are concerned about the woman's disappearance even though there are no signs of foul play. Poonam 5’4”, 130 lbs., with brown eyes and black, shoulder-length hair, Ms. Litt was last seen wearing a black coat and blue jeans.
"The circumstances surrounding Mrs. Litt's disappearance are disturbing," police said in a news release Wednesday.
"Investigators will not simply close this file," the release says. "Any and all investigative leads will be followed-up on."
A video of the woman has been posted on the file-sharing site You Tube in an English and Pujabi version.
Anyone with information is being asked to call detectives at (905) 453-2121 ext. 2133. Anonymous tips can be left with.
with thanks : http://www.emgonline.co.uk/news.php?news=6429
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A sikh web portal
SAD lodges protest over proposed turban ban in US schools
PTI
20.7.09
Chandigarh , July 20 The Shiromani Akali Dal today lodged a protest with the US against a bill prohibiting teachers from the Sikh community in Oregon State from wearing"religious dress"including turbans to public schools.
In a letter addressed to US Ambassador-designate Timothy Roemer, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal said that he never expected such a move"from the oldest democracy of the world, that had heralded worldwide movement for personal and religious freedom".
Badal said that on a plea of broadening religious freedom, the bill passed by Oregon legislature and lying on the table of Oregon Governor for assent, would prohibit a teacher from wearing religious dress during performance of her duties.
The SAD President said that the Sikh community had always played a vital role in the progress of US in all fields including the education sector and the proposed law would lead to violation of human rights.
He warned that"singularly targeting Sikhs for this ban"would send a wrong message to the whole world.
Badal hoped that Roemer would apprise his government of the"hurt sentiments"of the Sikh community regarding the proposed ban and expected the federal government to take"necessary corrective measure to spare Sikhs from this blatant discrimination".
with thanks : http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/628098/National/1/20/1
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
20.7.09
Chandigarh , July 20 The Shiromani Akali Dal today lodged a protest with the US against a bill prohibiting teachers from the Sikh community in Oregon State from wearing"religious dress"including turbans to public schools.
In a letter addressed to US Ambassador-designate Timothy Roemer, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal said that he never expected such a move"from the oldest democracy of the world, that had heralded worldwide movement for personal and religious freedom".
Badal said that on a plea of broadening religious freedom, the bill passed by Oregon legislature and lying on the table of Oregon Governor for assent, would prohibit a teacher from wearing religious dress during performance of her duties.
The SAD President said that the Sikh community had always played a vital role in the progress of US in all fields including the education sector and the proposed law would lead to violation of human rights.
He warned that"singularly targeting Sikhs for this ban"would send a wrong message to the whole world.
Badal hoped that Roemer would apprise his government of the"hurt sentiments"of the Sikh community regarding the proposed ban and expected the federal government to take"necessary corrective measure to spare Sikhs from this blatant discrimination".
with thanks : http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/628098/National/1/20/1
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Akal Takht asks Sikhs not to carry Guru Granth Sahib in hotels,restaurants
PTI 20.7.09
Amritsar: Jathedar Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat) Gurbachan Singh in an edict issued from Akal Takht directed the Sikh community all over the world not to carry Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh religious and pious scripture) to hotels, restaurants and marriage palaces for any kind of function.
Singh said that most of the time, members of the Sikh community across the world take the copy of Guru Granth Sahib at marriage palaces to solemnized the marriage of Sikh couple as per the Sikh tenets but at the same time they remain failed to give due respect to Guru Granth Sahib, since Guru Granth Sahib was not mere the copy of religious scripture but also living Guru in Sikh community, even Supreme Court in a verdict issued had described Guru Granth Sahib as living Guru.
Singh said that whenever, Granth Saib is carried or shifted from one place to another place that required proper norms and presence of requisite baptized members of Sikh community and other customs.
Singh said that keeping in view the proper respect and care of living Guru (Guru Granth) all the Sikh community all over the world was directed to solemnized marriage functions in Sikh Gurdwaras (Sikh shrine) where Granth Sahib could be placed with due respect as per the Sikh rituals.
Singh said that in marriage palaces and restaurants, it was not possible to give proper respect and care to Guru Granth Sahib, since most of the time non vegan items were cooked which could never be done as per Sikh customs and people forget to remove their foot wears during the wedding occasion in the presence of Granth Sahib.
with thanks : http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=22147
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
Amritsar: Jathedar Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat) Gurbachan Singh in an edict issued from Akal Takht directed the Sikh community all over the world not to carry Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh religious and pious scripture) to hotels, restaurants and marriage palaces for any kind of function.
Singh said that most of the time, members of the Sikh community across the world take the copy of Guru Granth Sahib at marriage palaces to solemnized the marriage of Sikh couple as per the Sikh tenets but at the same time they remain failed to give due respect to Guru Granth Sahib, since Guru Granth Sahib was not mere the copy of religious scripture but also living Guru in Sikh community, even Supreme Court in a verdict issued had described Guru Granth Sahib as living Guru.
Singh said that whenever, Granth Saib is carried or shifted from one place to another place that required proper norms and presence of requisite baptized members of Sikh community and other customs.
Singh said that keeping in view the proper respect and care of living Guru (Guru Granth) all the Sikh community all over the world was directed to solemnized marriage functions in Sikh Gurdwaras (Sikh shrine) where Granth Sahib could be placed with due respect as per the Sikh rituals.
Singh said that in marriage palaces and restaurants, it was not possible to give proper respect and care to Guru Granth Sahib, since most of the time non vegan items were cooked which could never be done as per Sikh customs and people forget to remove their foot wears during the wedding occasion in the presence of Granth Sahib.
with thanks : http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=22147
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
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