American Sikh Congressional Caucus strengthened with two more co-chairs

Washington, May 23 (ANI): The bipartisan American Sikh Congressional Caucus has announced the appointment of Congressman John Garamendi and Patrick Meehan as additional co-chairs of the caucus.

They will serve as leaders of the caucus with the current co-chairs Congresswoman Judy Chu and Congressman David Valadao.

The selection of Garamendi and Meehan was made official through a letter to the House Committee on Administration.

Garamendi has worked with the California Sikh community for decades. His Congressional District is home to tens of thousands of Sikhs and many Sikh run farms.

"It is an honor to be selected as co-chair of the bipartisan American Sikh Caucus. I am proud to take this next step in my work with Sikh-Americans to defend civil rights, fight discrimination, and educate Members of Congress and the public about the community," said Garamendi.

with thanks : Yahoo News : LINK : for detailed news.

Protesting Sikhs push into Pakistan parliament

ISLAMABAD — Dozens of baton-wielding Sikhs pushed past the front gate and entered the grounds of Pakistan's parliament Friday, protesting recent attacks on their houses of worship.

Sikhs staged a two-hour sit-in on parliament's lawns in Islamabad before dispersing after speaking with police officials and lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, senior police officer Aftab Cheema said. They assured the Sikhs they'd receive full protection, Cheema said.

Cheema said investigators would look into how protesters made it past the gate.

Zafar Ali Shah, a lawmaker from the PML-N party of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told reporters that the Sikh leaders protested against several attacks on their places of worship in southern Sindh province.

"We assured them that the government will provide them full protection, and they peacefully dispersed," he said.

Darshan Singh, a lawmaker from the minority Sikh community, said the protesters apologized over entering the parliament's grounds.

Sikhs are a tiny minority in predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Most of them live in Sindh province and they never held such a protest in the past.

with thanks : bradenton : LINK

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2014/05/23/5167396/protesting-sikhs-push-into-pakistan.html#storylink=cpy

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Sikh-Americans raise $3,30,000 for needy students in Punjab

WASHINGTON: A US-based Sikh body has raised $3,30,000 to fund scholarships for bright but poor students to acquire higher education in Punjab. 

Sikh Human Development Foundation (SHDF) organized a fund raising programme which was attended by Sikh-Americans from across the US. The chief guest of the event, Surender Singh Kandhari, a Dubai-based business tycoon, announced a donation of $1,00,000. 

"Education is the most important treasure that any young man can possess and we are privileged to be in a position to help those in need in Punjab. It is our duty to do so. Good education helps in breaking the cycle of poverty. Giving is a virtue and it is a blessing that we are being asked to give," he said. 

with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.

Khanda Baba Deep singh ji : SikhsIndia : 28522 Views

Curfew in Hyderabad areas : pics

with thanks : Jagbani

Two killed in police firing in Hyderabad

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Two people were killed and nine injured Wednesday when police opened fire to disperse two clashing groups in Hyderabad, police said.

Curfew was imposed to bring the situation under control in Sikh Chowni in Kishan Bagh under the limits of Rajendernagar police station, a part of Cyberabad police commissionerate.

Trouble broke out after miscreants attacked houses and shops of a particular community following rumours that a religious flag was burnt.

Police opened fire to disperse the clashing groups killing two people and injuring nine, a police spokesman of Cyberabad told IANS.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand said the situation was brought under control. He appealed to people to maintain calm and cooperate with the police in restoring peace.

As tension spread to the adjoining areas of the old city of Hyderabad, police imposed prohibitory orders. Additional police and paramilitary forces were rushed to the troubled area.

Shopkeepers in the markets around the historic Charminar downed shutters while police stepped up patrolling.

Personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed in the communally sensitive old city. Several RAF vehicles were seen moving into the interior areas as a precautionary measure.

One person was killed and several were injured in the violence in the same area over a similar incident few years ago.

With thanks : dna : LINK

Short Break: Anandpur Sahib, Punjab

Anandpur Sahib torpidly sprawls in the foothills of the Shivalik range. The green of the indigenous kikar provides a painterly contrast to the white structures and the almost-always clear blue skies. In between this mosaic, the Sutlej River meanders through, en route her long journey to reunite with the great Indus.

It was here, over 300 years ago, when Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of the Sikhs, founded the Khalsa brotherhood. Ever since, the town has been an important pilgrimage site for the community, with Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib-one of the five temporal seats of the Sikhs-and over 40 gurudwaras drawing the faithful. On festivals, especially Holla Mohalla (March) and Vaisakhi (April), when the turnout is colossal, its labyrinthine lanes become a riot of colour and exuberance fills the air. It's a quiet, bucolic town offering unchartered trails for hiking, over 150 bird calls to identify, a non-touristy farm life to experience, voluntary service at langar, indulgence in simple pleasures of picnicking by the crystal-clear waters of the canals.

With thanks : India Today : LINK : for detailed news story

Sikhs to begin goodwill walk from S'pore to Malacca on Saturday

KUALA LUMPUR: UNITED SIKHS MALAYSIA, a non-governmental organisation from the local Sikh community, plans to undertake a 300km goodwill walk from Singapore to Malacca beginning Saturday until May 24.

Rishi Singh Randhawa, a radio deejay better known as "The Flying Singh", will lead the walk starting at 5 am from the Silat Road Gudwara Sahib in Singapore. 

 

The goodwill walk also aims to raise awareness and funds for the Gurpuri Foundation. 

 

Gurpuri, which means "Place of the Guru", intends to build a Sikh temple, a school and a home for orphans, widows, single mothers, handicapped children and the elderly on a seven-hectare site in Bentong, Pahang. 

 

"We hope to raise a minimum of RM100 per km and we will walk for an estimated 10 hours a day for eight days," Rishi said. 

 

There will be stops along the way, including gurdwaras (Sikh temples) in Johor Baru, Batu Pahat and Muar. 

With thanks : nst : LINK : for detailed news.

Sikh stamp unveiled

Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp to mark 100 years since a ship full of mostly Sikh passengers was turned way from Canada and sent back to India, where they were jailed or killed.

The Komagata Maru arrived in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet on May 23, 1914, carrying 376 British subjects, primarily Sikhs from India's Punjab region, as well as a number of Hindus and Muslims.

The ship was denied permission to dock and only a handful of passengers were allowed to stay in Canada, with the rest remaining on the ship as it was escorted out of Canadian waters two months after its arrival.

When the ship arrived in India, 19 of the passengers were shot and the rest were imprisoned.

The international-rate stamp features an image of the Komagata Maru, with a group of men in Sikh turbans in the background.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered an apology for the Komagata Maru incident in 2008, and the B.C. legislature passed a motion apologizing on behalf of the province the same year.

with thanks : castanet : LINK : for detailed news.

British girl gets jail for attacking elderly Sikh man

IANS

London, May 10 (IANS) The British teenaged girl who attacked an 80-year-old Sikh pensioner in a city centre in Britain's Coventry last year has been jailed for two years by the Warwick crown court.

Coral Millerchip, 20, attacked frail pensioner Joginder Singh at the city centre in August last year, an act which was captured on camera and caused an outrage among the Sikh community in the country, the Coventry Telegraph reported on Friday.

Millerchip punched Joginder Singh to the ground with his Sikh turban falling off in the brutal assault.

The judge Friday ruled that the girl had "humiliated" Singh and sentenced her to a two-year jail term and 20 more months for an unconnected burglary.

Singh suffered a scratched nose in the attack and was later discharged after being taken to the hospital.

A resident of Coventry in Britain's West Midlands, he was a dementia patient and died three months after the attack from an unrelated health complaint.

Millerchip pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, the report said.

Describing it to be "a serious type of offence", the judge said: "This man was very vulnerable due to his age and due to a medical condition."

"He was an elderly gentleman - you could have just walked away from him. Instead of that you assaulted him and humiliated him," the judge said.

with thanks : IANS : LINK : for detailed news.