Losing the Turban: Indian Sikhs at odds on essentials

excerpts :

It's a trend that has alarmed the leadership of the world's 25-million-strong Sikh community and fueled debate on whether you can still be considered a good Sikh if you cut your hair.

Sikhs discuss the issue of vanishing turbans at a political party meeting in New Delhi.

That debate intensified with the release of a new movie called "I Am Singh," which looks at the hardships of Sikhs in America who were mistaken for terrorists after the September 11, 2001, attacks because of their turbans.

"We live for the turban. We die for the turban," say the lyrics of a song in the movie.

Manjit Singh, the local president of the Sikh nationalist political party Shiromani Akali Dal, says he hopes the movie will help revive Sikh pride.

with thanks : cnn : link in headline above for detailed report with pics.

Comments awaited.

Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Attack on Sikh in Calif.

with thanks : youtube

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Sikh intellectuals seek criterion for Panth Rattan

AMRITSAR: While jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh is going to bestow title of Panth Rattan Fakhar-e-Quom to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday, there is a demand from Sikh intelligentsia to lay down guidelines for giving such awards.

"There is no tradition of conferring such titles from Akal Takht, nor it is an annual feature and if such titles are to be conferred, Sikh high priests should lay down norms," said Balwant Singh Dhillon, professor at Guru Nanak studies department at Guru Nanak Dev University.

While justifying the title for Badal on the basis of his political services, he said high priests should also acknowledge the work of other Sikhs.

with thanks : Times of India : link in headline above for detailed news.

Our CEO Sd. B S Vohra on NDTV : लोकपाल पर महाबहस :

Muqabla: देशभर में लोकपाल के कई मसलों पर लगातार बहस छिड़ी हुई है... एक जायजा इस बार के मुकाबला में। Mr B S Vohra asked two questions. Please view the complete video at the link below :

http://khabar.ndtv.com/PlayVideo.aspx?id=217599
Read more at: http://khabar.ndtv.com/PlayVideo.aspx?id=217599&cp


With thanks : NDTV

Sikh man stabbed waiting for plane at Fresno airport

A Sikh man in his mid-50s was stabbed near the security area at Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Sunday evening, Fresno Police said.

The man was waiting in a public area near the Transportation Security Administration terminal around 5:30 p.m. with his translator when the suspect, described as a 26-year-old white man, approached him, Fresno police Lt. Tom Rowe said. The victim thought he had been punched in the upper torso, but was actually stabbed, Rowe said.

The suspect ran from the airport but was arrested by airport police officers on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Rowe said. The victim was treated at the airport for non-life threatening injuries and declined to be taken to a hospital, instead opting to board his flight, Rowe said.

 With thanks : fresnobee : link in headline above for detailed news.


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I Am Singh : A Family’s Irreparable Loss for the Crime of Being Sikh

Once there were two eras, B.C. and A.D., says an aging, grieving Indian woman at the start of “I Am Singh,” sitting in a graveyard near ground zero in Manhattan. Now there is before and after Sept. 11. And with that, this drama commences its impassioned if melodramatic jeremiad against anti-Sikh sentiment in America. More than a plea for tolerance, it is an assertion of pride in Punjab, home to much of India’s Sikh population.

But neither Punjab nor New York is the principal setting. Ranveer Singh (Gulzar Chahal), in India, learns that one of his brothers has been killed, and another is missing, after an attack by skinheads in Los Angeles; his beaten father has been hospitalized. In California, Ranveer consults the police, only to face stonewalling and rebuke.

with thanks : movies.NYTIMES : link in headline above for detailed movie review.

Golden gate of history

The holy city of Amritsar (meaning pond of nectar), derived its name from the sarovar that surrounds the beautiful Golden Temple.

The town, which can undoubtedly be mistaken for a dusty small city by first-time visitors, is amongst the most popular pilgrim centres for Sikhs. Not only does it attract the local Indian travellers but it is certainly a part of the ‘places to visit’ list of foreign tourists also.

The sense of purity that one experiences inside the gurudwara premises is unforgettable. The magnificent Golden Temple and other gurudwaras situated in various corners of this small town gives it an apt name — Guru ki nagari.

This historic city was once known as Ramdaspur after the name of the fourth Sikh Guru who founded the city. In 1947, after the Partition, the state of Punjab was one of the worst hit areas and was divided into parts out of which few went to Pakistan and the rest remained with India making Amritsar a border city.

Amritsar is a mix of old heritage and recently developed township areas. As soon as the name of the city comes into one’s mind, what people are reminded of is the world heritage site of Harminder Sahib. The clean water, the pure surroundings and the beautiful carvings on the top of the main hall are most attractive features of the gurudwara.

with thanks : asianage : link in the headline above for detailed news.