Sikhs India - Online Sikh News Channel

Monday, August 29, 2011

SGPC Elections 2011: Non-keshdharis attempting to vote would be arrested, Election Cheif

Chandigarh (August 28, 2011): Chief Commissioner of Gurdwara Elections, Justice H S Brar (retd), is reported to have that non-keshdharis attempting to vote in the SGPC elections will be arrested.

“Express News Service” report adds that Justice Brar, while speaking to the media, said: “We have received complaints that some non-keshdahri Sikhs have been included in the electoral rolls. Besides arresting non-keshdharis attempting to vote, we shall also initiate action against the officials concerned.’’ Around some 60 complaints have been received till date, he added.

He said that 19 elections observers have been deployed in Punjab — all senior Haryana cadre IAS officers of the rank of secretary. In Amritsar and Ludhiana districts, two observers per district have been posted, as these have more SGPC seats.

In Haryana, seven election observers have been posted — senior IAS officers in the rank of secretary, this time from Punjab. On one seat each in Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, one observer each has been posted. They are Punjab cadre officers.

“The cut-off date of getting late votes made will be September 2. By this date, applications can be given to concerned deputy commissioners. On the same day, they will have to decide whether the vote can be made or not. Now, by September 17, the commissioner of gurdwara elections will have to decide on the applications rejected by the DCs,” he is reported to have added.

with thanks : link above.

Three-day-long procession begins from Akal Takht

Amritsar, Aug 28 (PTI) The three-day-long colourful Nagar Kirtan, a Sikh religious procession, began here from the highest Sikh Temporal seat Akal Takht marking the 305th year of compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib.Earlier, Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Gurbachan Singh performed Ardas or prayer as per Sikh rituals in the presence of nearly 50,000 Sikh devotees before the beginning of the procession in the marbled periphery of the Golden Temple. There was a big cavalcade with the Nagar Kirtan when it was passing through the city's streets and was accorded rousing welcome at various places in the city.Gyani Gurbachan Singh on this occasion said that tenth Singh Guru Gobind Singh had compiled the Guru Granth Sahib after inserting religious discourse scripted by ninth Sikh master Guru Teg Bahdur. He said that on August 30 at Talwandi Sabo a great religious day would be observed to mark the 305th anniversary of the compilation of the Sikh religious scripture.

with thanks : IBNLive : link above for detailed news.

Sikh temple celebrates 100 years

When the Gur Sikh Temple opened in Abbotsford in 1911, there were only 2,300 Sikhs in all of British Columbia.

On Sunday, at least that many people showed up for a parade celebrating its 100 years of serving the community.

The gurdwara, believed to be the oldest still-standing Sikh temple in North America, opened the doors to its archives on the main floor so people could see photographs from the community's long history.

Pioneers working in B.C.'s forestry and farming industries began building the temple in 1908, using lumber donated by a local mill. At that time, Sikhs in Canada were nearly all men because immigration policies restricted their wives and children from joining them in the country.

"This temple is a great gift to the Sikh community," said Gurdev Sidhu, 71, as he stood chatting with friends outside the simple white, three-storey building.

"I came into this country in 1969 and settled in Mission. At that time, we struggled to get more people, to provide more services, and we've come a long way."

Free samosas and water bottles were handed out as the parade wound its way from the temple down South Fraser Way to Rotary Stadium, where speakers continued the celebration.

with thanks : Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Sikh+temple+celebrates+years/5321678/story.html#ixzz1WQ7cuM1I

Golden Temple tales chart course of Sikh history

Going back more than two centuries, nearly 80 historical artefacts are on display in central London at the world's first major exhibition on the Golden Temple of Amritsar, north India.

They include some of the earliest-known paintings and photographs of the temple, along with film footage and eye witness accounts from western travellers.

The 10-week show, organised by the UK Punjab Heritage Association, has already attracted thousands of visitors, including many from across the world.

The exhibition traces the temple's history, from the 1800s up until the middle of the 20th Century - described as the "golden era" of the temple and the height of Sikh empire.

On the ground floor of the Brunei gallery at the School of Oriental and African Studies, in the Bloomsbury area, an accurate to-scale Perspex model of the temple, as it once stood, is displayed on a table.

It shows trees surrounding the shrine, along with tall buildings, known as "bungas", where intellectuals would meet and debate.

with thanks : BBC news : plz check link above to view the detailed news.

SikhsIndia