Rajya Sabha adjourns amid uproar over anti-Sikh riots

PTI

New Delhi: A united opposition today cornered the government in the Rajya Sabha accusing it of cosmetic action into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and forced adjournment of the House 30 minutes ahead of lunch break.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (Akali Dal) said so many commissions and committees were set up to go into the riots but none gave justice to the victims. He said more than 7,000 Sikhs including 3,000 in Delhi were killed.

He alleged that two of the three Congress leaders named by Nanavati Commission - Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler – are gradually being let off from the case and wondered "why it is being done".

A Delhi court two days back accepted CBI's clean chit to Tytler in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The court said no further investigations are required and there is no need to send the accused for trial.

BJP members including SS Ahluwalia said there is only cosmetic action by the government into the issue and alleged that witnesses were threatened.

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With thanks : Source : DNAINDIA

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Despite Nitin Gadkari's denial, Sikh body threatens protest over remark

PTI

New Delhi: Despite BJP chief Nitin Gadkari's denial of having given a clean chit to Congress on its role in 1984 riots, a Sikh organisation today warned of nationwide protests against him from tomorrow over his comments.

"Gadkari's statement that there was no role of Congress in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots has hurt the entire Sikh community in India and abroad and it is a dangerous comment," All India Sikh Conference president Gurcharan Singh Babbar said.

"He must answer who was responsible for the deadly carnage if Congress was not behind this or else the Sikh community will also hold the RSS and BJP responsible for it," he told reporters here.

Singh said if Gadkari's statement was accepted then it would imply that the continuous efforts by Sikhs to get justice for the last 26 years was a "sheer waste".

He also warned of nationwide protests against Gadkari starting tomorrow, saying, "There would be widespread protests wherever Sikh communities exist and it will only get more stronger."

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : DNAINDIA

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Canadian parliament condemns Sikh extremism

Toronto, April 29 – In yet another warning to pro-Khalistan elements, the Canadian parliament Wednesday passed a resolution condemning threats by radicals to top Indo-Canadian leader and former health minister Ujjal Dosanjh.

A moderate Sikh who became premier of Canada’s British Columbia province in 2000,Dosanjh has been a staunch opponent of radical Sikhs in Canada since the 1980s when the pro-Khalistan movement was at its peak in India and Canada.

Two weeks ago, Sikh hardliners warned Dosanjh against attending a Vaisakhi parade in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. The threat led to outrage among Indo-Canadians and condemnation by Canadian leaders and the media.

After that incident, death threats against him appeared on Facebook.

The Canadian parliament passed a motion in support of the Indo-Canadian leader Wednesday. Passing the motion unanimously, the House said all its members ’stand united in condemning any form of extremism that incites violence in Canadian society, and re-affirm the rights of elected officials to freely express their views without fear of personal intimidation.”

Thanking the House, Dosanjh said, ‘I want to express my sincerest appreciation for the unanimous support of all my colleagues in the House of Commons in what is a very difficult situation for my family and I.

‘This expression of support from parliamentarians of all political parties reaffirms individual rights, including those of the public officials to freely express themselves without fear of threats, intimidation, or violence.”

The House resolution condemning Sikh hardliners comes two days after the Canadian government said that Sikh violence will not tolerated.

Making the statement in the House Monday, Indian-origin parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs Deepak Obhrai had said that his government ’strongly condemns the recent threats of violence made by extremists within the Canadian Sikh community.

This is unacceptable.”

Canada is home more about half a million Sikhs, with a very minute section of the community still supporting demand for a independent Sikh nation called Khalistan.

IANS

With thanks : Source : INDIATALKIES

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Sikh group to challenge clean chit to Tytler

NEW YORK: Angry over a clean chit to Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, a community group here has alleged that the CBI did not investigate material witnesses in the case when its team came to the United States.

The Sikh group based in New York and India, Sikhs for Justice, says there are several witnesses living in the US who had seen the Congress leader inciting mobs in the killings.

Sikhs for Justice, which had originally challenged CBI's closure report in 2007 are now preparing to challenge the Delhi court's decision to acquit Tytler, citing the new witnesses that have still not been heard.

"The CBI did not investigate material witnesses when they came to the United States and they came with the premeditated notion of giving Tytler a clean chit," Gurpatwant Pannun, the lawyer for the Sikhs for Justice, told PTI.

"The CBI should come back and speak to these witnesses who saw what happened," he added, noting that the Sikh group would ask the court to direct the CBI to hear these witnesses.

Resham Singh, who claims he saw Tytler at the Pulbangash Gurudwara standing in front of the mob as black smoke emerged from the shrine, said the CBI officials refused to speak to him when they came to interview the two key witnesses Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh in San Francisco and New York.

In its decision, the court pointed out that the statement of Jasbir had "no relevance" and that the statements of Surinder Singh were "self-contradictory".

"I'm running after them to be heard... this is absolutely ridiculous," Resham told PTI.

Pannun said the discredited witness Jasbir "is outraged by the court's decision and blames the CBI for yielding to political pressure".

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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300 Saala Sirhind Fateh March

SikhsIndia welcomes the 300 Saala Sirhind Fateh March in Delhi. The three days programme of this yatra in Delhi is as below :

28.4.2010

At 4 pm Gurdwara Baba Banda Singh Bahadur to Kutub road, Africa avenue, Ring road, Gurdwara Moti bagh to Delhi cant, Jail road and rest at Gurdwara Chote Sahibjade in Fateh nagar.

29.4.2010

At 7 am from Jail road, Tilak nagar to Najafgarh road, Main road vishnu garden, Subhash nagar, Raja garden left turn for Punjabi bagh, right turn for Moti nagar, Shadiput depot,Patel nagar, Shanker road, Gurdwara rakab ganj sahib, Ashok road, India gate, Dr Zakir hussain road, right turn Sujan singh marg, Lodhi road, Sai mandir, South ex, left turn Moolchand, to Gurdwara Singh sabha Greater Kailash, Pahadi wala Gurdwara.

30.4.2010

At 7 am from Pahadi wala gurdwara to Ashram, Bhogal, Sunder nagar, Pragati maidan, Nizammudin bridge, Pandav nagar, Mother dairy, Ganesh nagar fly over, Lalita park, Vikas marg, Dera Baba Karam singh, Jheel chowk, Krishna nagar, Lalquarter, Tej band, Swarn cinema to ISBT to Gurdwara Majnu ka Tila.

1.5.2010
At 9am from Gurdwara Majnu ka tila via ring road, Teekri border to Haryana.

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SikhsIndia SMS Channel

We have observed that many of the visitors are not able to get connected to our blog as they are not able to use the computers regularly. But a cell phone is a most common thing nowadays. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that we have added SikhsIndia SMS Channel to our SikhsIndia blog. Please subscribe the blog and than you will get Automated updates of the postings on the SikhsIndia blog by way of an SMS to your cell number.

Please use your cell phone & send a SMS to 9870807070 with the message ON sikhsindia as below : 9870807070: ON sikhsindia

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Tytler given clean chit in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

ANI

A Karkardooma court on Tuesday let off former minister and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case after accepting the closure report submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that gave a clean chit to him.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit said: "There is no sufficient material to send Tytler to trial."

Giving a clean cheat to Tytler, the court further said there was no ground to order further investigation in the case.

The CBI had submitted that there was nothing to proceed against 66-year-old Tytler as two witnesses, Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh, were not reliable and their statements were 'false and concocted'.

Earlier on April 2, the CBI had given a clean chit to Tytler .

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE i.e. THE SOURCE FOR THE NEWS.

With thanks : Source : LittleAbout

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Extremist groups trying to revive militancy in Punjab: Govt

PTI

New Delhi: Government today said that Sikh militant groups especially those based abroad are trying to revive militancy in Punjab and a close watch is being maintained on their activities.

"Available reports suggest that Sikh militant groups especially those based abroad continue to persist with their efforts to revive militancy in Punjab," Minister of state for home Ajay Maken said a written reply to a query in Lok Sabha.

As part of steps taken by the government to counter such attempts, he said a close watch is being maintained on the activities of many groups known to have been engaged in trying to foment terrorist activities in Punjab.

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With thanks : DNAINDIA

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Gunmen in raid at Sikh temple

Three armed raiders held up a Sikh Temple in Glasgow and stole thousands of pounds. The men, one armed with a gun, struck as worshippers were preparing the Temple for the day’s services.

The raid happened at the St Andrew’s Drive temple in Pollokshields and the men escaped with a four-figure cash sum. After the raid, which happened at 11.15am yesterday, the robbers ran off towards Shields Road and Maxwell Drive.

Detective Sergeant Jim Leckie, of Gorbals CID, said: “Worshippers were left shaken by events.”

Police issued descriptions of the three men.

The first was black, in his 20s, about 6ft, of slim build and with short dark hair. He was wearing dark trousers, a dark thigh length jacket, and black baseball cap.

The second was also black, and in his 20s, about 6ft and of slim build. He was wearing a black-and-white bandana and dark waist-length jacket.

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With thanks : source : EVENINGTIMES

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90,000 Sikhs celebrate festival in Birmingham

Around 90,000 Sikhs packed Handsworth Park as part of an annual celebration to remember the birth of their faith.

The Birmingham event was one of the largest Vaisakhi parties in the world and kicked off at 10am with two huge processions from the temples in Hockley and Smethwick.

Each parade was led by five Sikhs in traditional dress who represented the original Panj Pyare (Beloved Ones) who were the first to join the Sikh order over 300 years ago.

The processions arrived to a fantastic festive atmosphere in the park, where families enjoyed live music, dancing and craft stalls. Later, hungry visitors enjoyed the best Punjabi food thanks to a delicious Langar – a free vegetarian feast.

The 90,000 visitors beat last year’s attendance figures of more than 80,000.

Coun Martin Mullaney said: “Birmingham’s vibrant Vaisakhi festival shows how people come together in the city to celebrate their cultural identity.

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : Birmingham post

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Pak based Hindu, Sikh families want a visa-free zone

Amritsar, Apr 26 (PTI) Hindu and Sikh families settled across the border want a visa-free zone between India and Pakistan that would facilitate frequent visits to their near and dear ones here.

"Hundreds of Hindu and Sikh families, living in Pakistan for more than seven decades, approached me and expressed the desire to visit their relatives frequently in India. But visa problem restrain them all the time," Ramesh Singh, founder chairman of Pakistan Sikh Council, said.

Singh, who is presently leading a delegation of 150 Hindus and Sikhs, is staying at the guest house of the Golden Temple.

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED AT LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : PTI

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Congress did not initiate anti-Sikh riots in 1984: Gadkari

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari says it's not entirely correct to blame the then Congress government for initiating the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.

In an interview to BBC Hindi Service, Gadkari said: "Some people might be involved in those riots but it would not be entirely correct to say that the riots were initiated by the government.

"Nobody can manipulate or organise such incidents; these are unfortunate reactions of the people at large."

Gadkari was replying to questions on the alleged involvement of the BJP and its government in the demolition of the Babri mosque and the 1992 Gujarat riots.

"Gujarat riots were unfortunate. But when riots take place in other states, why aren't governments and chief ministers blamed for that?" the newly-elected BJP president asked.

"Why don't you corner Congress governments and their chief ministers for riots which took place in Congress-governed states, the way you are cornering Modi and the BJP? Riots took place in Mumbai in 1992 and the way Sikhs were killed in Delhi..."

He also said the BJP was not anti-Muslim, and shot back, "If our party were against the Muslims, why would we nominate Dr. Abdul Kalam as the president of the country?"

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With Thanks : Source : Times of India

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Turban a mark of Sikh identity

Amritsar: The Sikh leadership on Tuesday described the turban as a mark of identity and advised the members of the community living abroad against the practice of abandoning the religious headgear.

Akal Takht Jatehdar Gurbachan Singh said: “Families living abroad are adopting Western culture and not wearing turban since they are adopting Western style hair-cut.” He was speaking on the occasion of ‘World Turban Day' organised by an NGO to create awareness about the importance of the turban in Sikhism.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar said: “The Sikh community is a minority in the world and turban on the head of Sikh shows their distinguished identity.” The world knows Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a turbaned man, he said, adding: “The new generation of Sikhs needs to know the importance of the turban, since they get their hair cut which is against the norms of the religion”. - PTI

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With Thanks : Source : The Hindu

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Peace corridor between India, Pak sought

A delegation of United Sikh Mission met Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary, AICC, and demanded the creation of a peace corridor linking Dera Baba Nanak post in Gurdaspur to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. Amarjit Singh Tikka, former working President of the Punjab Youth Congress met Gandhi along with other members of the mission. Tikka said that Kartarpur gurdwara was visible from the Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak near the border. The distance from the Indian border in Dera Baba Nanak is 1.25 km only. So a corridor should be created so that people can go in the morning and can comeback by evening with visa formalities, he added. He said that Ambassador UNO John McDonald Chairman and CEO institute of multi track diplomacy had also agreed to this demand.

Detailed news can be viewed from the link in the headline above.

With thanks : source : IndianExpress

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Consider vehicle free zone in Amritsar

Amritsar, Punjab: Justice Rajive Bhalla of the High Court has asked the Amritsar Municipal Corporation to consider the possibility of declaring the area around Harmandar Sahib and Jallianwala Bagh as a vehicle free zone.

The directions were issued when during the proceedings of a contempt petition, petitioner and advocate Ajay Singh stated that vehicles should not be allowed to ply in the walled city, particularly in the area surrounding these significant landmarks, which were situated in crowded localities.

Justice Bhalla issued directions for impleading the Amritsar MC Commissioner as a party and directed to explore the feasibility of allowing only rickshaws and residents of the area could be granted vehicle permits.

Ajay Singh also pointed out that accidents on the Kurali Kharar S.A.S. Nagar road had caused four deaths during the past week but the police were conspicuous by their absence on these roads.

IG R.P. Singh submitted an affidavit that 65 patrol vehicles, 26 cranes and recovery vans and 18 ambulances had been deployed on state and national highways in the state.

Justice Bhalla has directed Punjab Police to file a detailed affidavit giving details about location of these vehicles and whether ambulances were manned by doctors or paramedics.

With thanks : source : SikhSangat ; Pic by : Leuven

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Dosanjh vows not to let threats change his resolve

VANCOUVER — It’s been a tumultuous and perhaps trying week for Vancouver Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, who saw his life threatened twice.

“As long as I stand for what I stand for, I will be a target,” Dosanjh told the Vancouver Province Friday after RCMP launched an investigation into a posting on a Facebook page calling for the former premier to be shot.

Dosanjh has drawn the ire of a minority of Sikhs since the ’80s, after speaking out against the violence sparked by Canadian members of the Khalistan movement who seek to create a Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab region.

“I don’t stand for dividing people on religion, I don’t stand for supporting hate or violence,” Dosanjh said.

“I have a very secular approach to life and that’s my right. I’m a Canadian by citizenship, I’m an Indian by heritage and I’m a Punjabi by mother tongue. I’m proud of all of that.

“For these guys, religion is everything. For me, religion is a small part of my life.”

Dosanjh was in a standing committee on national defence Thursday when one of his staffers interrupted to show him a posting from the Facebook group called “Ujjal Dosanjh is a Sikh traitor.”

“Someone shoot him — ASAP,” wrote one of the Facebook group’s members before the entry was deleted. Another wrote it “would be more appropriate to pierce him with bullets, not compassion.”

Members of the group accuse the former federal cabinet minister of “betraying his own people” and being “an insult to the Sikh religion” for his viewpoints on the Khalistan movement.

RCMP Insp. Paul Richards, who heads the force’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, said police are investigating the threats.

“It is unusual to have a threat like this directed at an elected official,” he said. “I think part of our job right now, in addition to looking at the nuts and bolts of if there is a threat, is also to look at the context.”

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED AT LINK IN THE HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : Vancouversun

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Police probe threat against Sikh MP

OTTAWA — Federal police are investigating an online posting calling for the murder of Canada's top Sikh politician, Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, after he warned of rising Sikh extremism in this country.

"We've opened an investigation into threats against Mr. Dosanjh made in Facebook entries," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Paul Richards told AFP.

"Someone shoot him ASAP," one commenter posted on the Facebook site titled "Ujjal Dosanjh is a Sikh Traitor," the National Post reported.

Another posting branded Dosanjh, a former premier of British Columbia and federal justice minister from 2004 to 2006, as a "rat in our midst," a "scumbag traitor and an insult to the Sikh religion."

Dosanjh's caucus colleagues responded in an open letter, saying "Canada is a free country where citizens must be able to express their views without being subjected to threats.

"We unequivocally condemn the threats of violence against our colleague Ujjal Dosanjh, and condemn all forms of extremism coming from any Canadian community," said Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

Dosanjh, who was savagely beaten in 1985 after speaking out against religious violence, warned in an interview on Wednesday that Sikh extremism in Canada -- blamed for the 1985 Air India bombing -- is "getting worse."

"It's more entrenched, it's more sophisticated and sometimes it's double-faced," he told AFP.

His comments echoed concerns expressed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper over growing support by Canadian Sikhs for militants in Punjab.

DETAILED NEWS WITH THANKS TO SOURCE Google : FROM LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

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No entry with kirpan: Canadian court to Sikh

Toronto, Apr 23: In what could draw the ire of Sikh groups, a Sikh religious leader was denied entry into the courtroom with kirpan, a Sikh religous symbol, by a Canadian Court on the grounds that it "could be used as a weapon".

"Although Kooner's charter right to freedom of religion may be breached, he will not be allowed to bring his kirpan into the courthouse," Superior Court Justice Steven Rogin said as he disallowed Sukdev Singh Kooner entry into courtroom with kirpan.

"This is especially so because of the excitement and passion this dispute has engendered in the Gurdwara and the fact that the kirpan, although ceremonial, could be used as a weapon," he said.

Windsor police posted extra security in the courtroom as around 100 members of the local Sikh community flocked inside the courtroom to attend the proceeding. Those present did not were thier kirpan inside the court.

Justice Rogin adjourned the case to make way for Kooner to testify outside the court, which is permissible under the law and can be held in places like his lawyer's offices.

However, Koooner, chose to stay outside the courtroom after he was not allowed to enter with his kirpan by the judge.

Kooner, an allergist and honoured leader at a Gurdwara was set to testitfy on Thursday, Apr 22, in connection with a lawsuit filed against him by a rival faction at the Sikh Cultural Society of Metropolitan Windsor.

While Kirpans are allowed in the House of Commons, the Supreme Court building and on trains, they are not allowed on flights.

With thanks : source : News.OneIndia : Link in the headline above.

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Sikh turbans banned from armed police operations

Sikh police officers who wear turbans cannot join firearms teams, following a ruling from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).

Officers can choose instead to wear a smaller head covering known as a patka, which will fit under a helmet.

The Acpo guidance follows consultations with the Home Office and a range of police associations representing Sikhs.

In 2009, a tribunal awarded £10,000 to a Sikh officer who was ordered to remove his turban during riot training.

The British Sikh Police Association asked for a clarification from Acpo following the award, and proposed a "ballistic turban" that would provide head protection.

Acpo opted against the ballistic turban approach but said the idea was worth "future exploration".

'No discrimination'

"The police service has a legal duty to consider the health and safety of staff at work and provide appropriate personal protective equipment to staff who are placed in high risk situations," said Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, Acpo's head of uniformed operations.

As a result, Sikh officers will only be permitted to engage in armed operations if they remove their turbans or wear the smaller patka head covering to permit the use of a helmet for protection.

Chief Constable Hughes said that wearing a patka was "a matter of choice for the police officer", adding that "Sikh officers who wear a turban will not be discriminated against if they choose not to perform firearms or higher-level public order duties".

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : BBS News

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Sikh bride featured in new series of Living TV’s hit show Four Weddings

Living TV’s hit show Four Weddings has returned for a new series. This week sees a traditional Sikh wedding take centre stage as four brides battle it out to win a dream honeymoon.

Four Weddings is billed as a “wedding eavesdrop show” and allows viewers complete access to four very different weddings each week. Every episode features 4 brides who are all competing against each other to have the best weddings. All of the brides must attend, and score, each other’s big days. The bride with the winning mark will be whisked away on a luxury 5 star honeymoon.

With such a fantastic prize at stake, feathers often fly between the competing brides. This week Sikh bride Raman has her big day and she treats her guests to a traditional, lavish Sikh wedding celebration. The 700 guests are served an eclectic mix of Asian cuisines, plied with free alcohol, and kept entertained with a range of performers, but there’s on major drawback; the whole wedding is finished by 6pm. Will the Sikh extravaganza be to the other bride’s tastes?

Competing against Raman to win the fabulous honeymoon are Becky, who is opting for a butterfly themed weddings, another Becky who will have small celebration held at a magnificent stately home, and nursery worker Sophie who is planning a child-friendly wedding with lots of little ones running around, plus she’s even baking her own wedding cake.

Will the other brides be bowled over by the opulent Sikh wedding, or will the butterfly-themed big day win out? Make sure you catch this week’s Four Weddings to find out.

With thanks : source : wedding-news.co.uk

Original news can be viewed from the link in the headline above.

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Canadian police hunt for Sikh trouble-makers

Toronto, April 22

Canadian police has launched a big hunt for people behind the recent violence at two Sikh temples in Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto that has outraged the Sikh community as well as common people here.

In the first incident, former Akal Takht jathedar Darshan Singh Ragi was targeted at the Sikh Lehar Centre gurdwara here. Though Ragi survived, one of his close associate who is a known lawyer was stabbed with kirpan. The attackers were opposed to inviting Ragi who has been excommunicated by the Sikh clergy in Amritsar for his views on the Dasam Granth which was supposedly written by the last Sikh guru Gobind Singh.

With that incident just behind them after the arrest of the guilty, the Canadian Sikh community was rocked by the Sunday brawl at another gurdwara - the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple - where axes, swords, hammers and machetes were used by two factions locked in a battle for control of the shrine.

Police, who arrested three people at the time of the brawl, issued arrest warrants for two more radicals - Amarjit Singh Mann, 58, and Surjit Singh Atwal, 54 - for their role in the violence.

The community has reacted with outrage to the two incidents, with calls for deportation of the guilty. Since the kirpan has been used in these incidents to inflict violence, there have also been calls for limiting the size of the kirpan that baptized Sikhs wear.

Canada is home to more than half a million Sikhs, with most of them concentrated in the Toronto suburbs of Mississauga and Brampton and the Vancouver suburbs of Surrey and Delta.

At the time of terrorism in Punjab, many top pro-Khalistani leaders, including Talwinder Singh Parmar, took shelter in Canada, turning it into a hotbed of militancy in North America. It was Parmar who plotted the Air India Kanishka bombing. Parmer, who later entered India via Pakistan, was killed in an encounter by police in Punjab.

Canada banned radical Sikh organizations, including the Babbar Khalsa and the International Sikh Youth Federation, only recently, though their members continue to be active.

With thanks : source : PROKERALA

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Etobicoke Sikh temple ousts 10 board members

Discharged group at Sikh Spiritual Centre refuses to accept the decision

A Sikh temple in Etobicoke voted off almost half its board of directors on Wednesday afternoon, but the ousted group is refusing to accept the decision.

Members of the Sikh Spiritual Centre, at Albion and Hwy. 27, were scheduled to meet and discuss the future of the centre’s 21-member board.

But 10 of the members refused to take part in the vote, saying that the 11-person ruling group, which includes president Gurinder Singh and secretary Major Singh, were preventing members that disagreed with them from attending the meeting.

Major Singh said that 56 SSC members were eligible to vote at the meeting. The opposition, which includes now-former board members Bhopinder Dhillon and a similarly named member, Major Singh Kler, disputed that number, saying over 125 regular attendees had voting power.

Two years of volunteer work at the temple is required to become a voting member, said Baldev Sandhu, another member of the ousted group.

The 10 opposing members had made a legal motion to stop the meeting, but it was denied. So, they refused to enter the upstairs meeting space, which was guarded by hired security guards and police.

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN THE HEADLINE ABOVE.

Thanks " source : TheStar

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Gurmat Samagam on 16th May, 2010

Even you can upload details of Gurmat Samagam in your
area. It is absolutely free service to the community.

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Gurdwara land sold to Pak's Defence Housing Authority: Report

PTI

ISLAMABAD: A secret probe conducted by Pakistani authorities after the Indian government protested against the sale of a Sikh gurdwara's land to the Defence Housing Authority in Lahore has confirmed that the deal was "less than clean", according to a media report today.

The 575 kanals of land was sold by the Evacuee Trust Property Board, the body that administers the shrines and properties of Pakistan's minority communities.

The sale had triggered protests in the Indian parliament last year.

The probe by the federal ministry for minority affairs revealed that the land belonged to gurdwaras and could not be sold under The Sikh Gurdawara Act of 1925.

The inquiry also revealed that the land was sold at rates lower than those prevailing in the market.

The findings of the inquiry are being kept secret as the "confirmation of massive irregularities in the questionable deal... might land certain top guns of the ETPB in big trouble", The News daily reported.

The probe was launched after the Indian government sent a letter dated December 29, 2009 in which it asked its Pakistani counterpart to investigate the sale of land attached to gurdwaras and other Sikh shrines.

The newspaper's report contended that the inquiry resulted in ETPB chairman Asif Hashmi's "dramatic" decision to
announce his resignation during an official function in Lahore on Monday.

The daily quoted its sources as saying that Hashmi was aware of the findings of the inquiry, which had been sent to prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for further action.

The inquiry revealed that the land sold to the army-run Defence Housing Authority belonged to ETPB for the past century and was attached to Sikh gurdwaras and trusts.

The current management of the ETPB, led by chairman Hashmi, decided to enter into a "dubious agreement" with the Defence Housing Authority after violating all "relevant rules and laws", the report said.

"The intricacies have provided a lot of room to the Indian government because of association of Defence Housing Authority with our armed forces and this was used to defame Pakistan, present government and our armed forces. That was why the deal between Defence Housing Authority and ETPB was highlighted in the media all over the world," the inquiry report said.

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN THE HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : PTI & DNA India

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Delhi Premiere Show : "Bhai Taru Singh Ji"

Satkar Yog Vir Jee - Behan Jee,

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH"

Delhi Premiere Show

Vismaad Pesents

"Bhai Taru Singh Ji"

01-02 May Sat. & Sun. 2010 (only 5 Shows)

Not to be “Missed”

Master Tara Singh Auditorium,
Khalsa College, Delhi Univ.(North Campus) Delhi -7

Cont. :
9818370413, 9312241578, 9990515457
9999704333, 9811023832, 9814180354

Nadar (Blessings)

Gurvinder Singh (Kohat)
Gurmeet Singh (Pitam Pura)
Arvinder Singh (Punjabi Bagh)
Amandeep Singh Lucky (Yamuna Par)
Jaspinder Singh (Tilak Nagar)
Inderjeet Kaur (Tilak Nagar)
Harvinder Singh Meenu (Mahvavir Nagar)

Taranjeet Singh

Guidelines by the Directorate of Education, Delhi

In one of the best decisions taken by the Delhi Education Minister Mr Arvinder Singh Lovely, Directorate of Education, has issued the following guidelines :

GUIDELINES FOR CONSTITUTION OF PARENTS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION IN AIDED / UNAIDED SCHOOLS

GUIDELINES REGARDING FEE HIKE IN RECOGNISED UNAIDED SCHOOLS

Delhites, please contact immediately to the school administration in which you have your school going kids so that you are a part of the, to be constituted Parents Teachers association of the respective schools. The detailed guidelines have already been uploaded on this blog and can be viewed by DOUBLE clicking the links above or the posts below.

Please add your comments in case you face any problem in this regard.

With Best regards

B S Vohra
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2010 SikhNet Youth Film Festival Announced!

The Fifth Annual SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival is gearing up RIGHT NOW and is open for your submissions!

OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, The film festival has inspired OVER A HUNDRED AND FORTY submissions of original films created by Sikh youth from all around the world. Film Festival winners from previous years like Angad Singh and Jasmeet Singh have gone on to have their films shown on television in the U.K. and India as well as having them screened at other film festivals.

2010 Prizes to be announced...

NOW is the time to start. If you don't know what to do, start tossing ideas around with your friends and family right away. It's really easy to get started even if you've never tried your hand at filmmaking. Last year our first place winners in the Junior Division were first-time film makers 12 year old Japman Kaur and Triman Singh.

If they can win, so can you!

Increase your chances of winning
Get feedback from the SikhNet staff judges. Start the creative process now, and send us your scripts and rough films. That way you will have enough time to get our feedback and be better able to create and submit your film on time.

Did you miss last years festival? Watch videos from the 2009 Film Festival

You can also become a Youth Film Festival sponsor and have your logo or image shown to tens of thousands of people.

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Bloody fight erupts at Brampton Sikh temple

Five people are in hospital after two opposing groups clashed inside a Brampton Sikh temple Sunday afternoon.

The fight broke out at the Guru Nanak Sikh Centre at Glidden Rd. near Hwy 410 and Steeles Ave. when one group tried to break up the other group’s meeting. It started as a fistfight but witnesses say turbans soon flew and hammers, machetes and construction knives were brandished as a group of about 100 people clashed at about 3:45 p.m.

The fight spilled outside as Peel Regional Police scrambled to take control, said witnesses.

“It was quite chaotic,” said Jagdish Grewal, editor of Punjabi Post, a newspaper published in Brampton, who arrived minutes after the fight broke out and saw two men lying outside with a bloodied hammer between them. Others were being given first-aid and taken to hospital.

Inside the hall, where the scuffle happened, Grewal said knives and machetes were still lying on the floor along with torn blood-soaked clothes. “There was blood too on the tiles,” Grewal told the Star.

At heart is the control of the temple but no one will say that openly.

The management was not available to comment on Sunday’s violence but members of the temple said trouble had started brewing a couple of days earlier when the group opposing the management announced that it would hold a meeting inside the temple.

“All we wanted was to have a meeting to discuss matters of the temple,” said Rampal Dhillon, who was inside the hall when the fight broke out. “We started the meeting at 3 p.m. and it was going smoothly when about two dozen people stormed inside.”

FOR DETAILED NEWS, PLZ CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE FOR ORIGINAL LINK.

With thanks : Source : THESTAR

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'Missing' chargesheet tabled in court

NEW DELHI: The "missing" chargesheet, in a case involving former union minister Sajjan Kumar as an accused in the anti-sikh riots case dramatically surfaced before a trial court on Saturday.

B S Joon, the special public prosecutor appointed by Delhi High Court for anti-sikh riot case trials, furnished a chargesheet that was prepared in 1992, but was never sent to court for trial.

Terming it as "total illegality" by the Delhi Police, the prosecutor told additional sessions judge V K Goyal that the chargesheet against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, citing sufficient evidence to proceed against him was prepared but was never brought before a judge to seek his prosecution.

"The chargesheet was prepared in the case FIR number 67/87 in police station Nangloi, naming Sajjan Kumar as accused on April 8, 1992 but it was dumped in the police files and never brought before the court," Joon alleged. He also showed from the police records how the chargesheet was kept tagged with another case that was going on before the court.

TOI had first highlighted how the fate of an FIR naming Congress leader Sajjan Kumar remained a mystery and how the special PP had moved court seeking to know its status.

The prosecutor in his application had alleged that non-prosecution of the accused in the FIR would amount to "miscarriage" of justice. Joon's plea had led the court to summon the then investigating officer, Rajiv Ranjan for an explanation.

DETAILED NEWS CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : Times of India

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300 Saal Guru de naal : Remembrances of Jagriti Yatra

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Sikhs Greeted on Vaisakhi in the US Congress

Reflecting the views of his fellow Congressmen, an eminent lawmaker from Indiana has greeted Sikhs across the country and the world over on the occasion on Vaisakhi.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me in honouring the Sikh Religious Society of Indiana, its Board of Directors, and congregation, as well as Sikh followers throughout the world, as they celebrate and observe the religious and historic event of Vaisakhi," Congressman Peter Visclosky said in his speech on the floor of the House on Thursday.

Through their words and teachings, these honourable individuals and organisations remind us all of the struggles and accomplishments of the Sikh people throughout the world," he said.

In his speech he also asked the Congressmen to recognise the Sikh Religious Society of Indiana and its Board of Directors as they celebrate one of their most significant religious and historical events, Vaisakhi.

The day will be commemorated on Sunday, April 18, at the Sikh Temple in Crown Point, Indiana. The Sikh Religious Society is a non-profit religious and social organisation that has served the community of Northwest Indiana since 1994.

Each year the Sikh people celebrate Vaisakhi, a festival that commemorates the establishment of the "Order of the Kahlsa" or "Pure Servants of God."

In 1699, Sahib-E-Kamaal, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth guru, initiated the process of the conversion of the people of India into a morally receptive and disciplined army of the pure and courageous, whose main purpose was to overcome religious oppression and considerable human rights violations that were occurring in India at that time," Visclosky said.

FOR DETAILED NEWS, PLEASE CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : OutlookIndia

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Some key dates in a century of Sikhism in British Columbia

1904: The arrival of the first wave of Sikh immigrants. The census listed 258 Sikhs. Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh Holy book was first brought to Canada by Bhai Arjan Singh. The scriptures were located at a house in Port Moody.

1905: For the next three years, 5,000 Sikhs came to Canada.

1906: A house was rented in Vancouver to start a Gurdwara or Sikh place of worship.

1907: Foundation stone of the Gurdwara for Khalsa Diwan Society was laid at 1866 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver.

1908: On Jan. 19, the first Sikh parade (Nagar Kirtan) took place to celebrate the opening of the Gurdwara on West 2nd Avenue in Vancouver. The first Granthi or priest was Bhai Balwant Singh.

1909: Establishment of Guru Nanak Mining and Trust company and plans to buy 440 acres of land in West Vancouver.

1911: The census for that year listed 2,342 Sikhs, less than half of that in 1908. Only three were women.

1912: Gurdwaras were built in Victoria, Fraser Mills and Abbotsford. Hardial Singh Atwal was the first Sikh born in Canada on Aug. 28. Hardial is the son of Balwant Singh Atwal, the first priest of the 2nd Avenue Gurdwara.

1914: The Komagata Maru, with 376 passengers, mostly Sikhs, under the leadership of Bhai Gurdit Singh, May 23, arrives in Vancouver. The Komagata Maru was escorted out of Vancouver under the guard of the Canadian Navy.

1918: Sikh population in British Columbia dropped to as low as 700. Mayo Lumber Company built a Sikh temple near Duncan at Paldi. This town was named after the village in India.

1919: Immigration restrictions on bringing wives and children under eighteen years old from India were lifted. Sikh women and children started arriving from India.

1925: Khalsa Diwan Society had autonomous branches at Vancouver, Abbotsford, New Westminster, Golden, Duncan, Coombs and Ocean Falls.

1929: Khalsa Diwan Society invited Charles Andrew, a friend of Mahatma Gandhi and Sir Rabindranth Tagore, Nobel laureate, to see firsthand the unfair treatment of the Sikhs.

1944: Survey of Sikhs in Canada showed that there were 1,756; 98% of them lived in British Columbia.

1947: Sikhs were granted franchise to vote and become Canadian citizens.

1949: Indian Prime Minister Nehru visited the Vancouver Sikh temple with his daughter Indira Grandhi.

1950: Narajan Singh Grewal was the first Sikh elected to a city council in Mission, B.C. In 1954 he would again make history when he is elected mayor of Mission.

1951: There were 2,148 Sikhs in Canada.

1969: March 30, foundation stone for the Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara at 8000 Ross Street was laid.

1975: Sikh Samachar, a newspaper, was published by the B.C. Sikh societies.

1979: The 500th birthday of Guru Amar Das Ji. Since that year, an annual Khalsa Day parade (Nagar Kirtan) is held in Vancouver.

1980: Federation of Sikh Societies of Canada was the first Sikh organization registered nationally.

1986: Khalsa School, a full-time private school, was established in Vancouver. This school teaches Sikh religion and Punjabi language classes. Khalsa Credit Union was registered on Feb. 19, to provide financial service to the Sikh Community.

1990: On March 15, the solicitor general of Canada announced that the RCMP dress code would be amended to have a turbaned Sikh join the force. Const. Baltej Singh Dhillon of B.C. had the honour of becoming the first baptized Sikh to join the RCMP.

1991: Three Sikhs were elected to the British Columbia legislature. Manmohan (Moe) Sihota and Ujjal Dosanjh went on to hold various cabinet posts. The other MLA is Harbhajan (Harry) Lalli.

1993: Harbans (Herb) Dhaliwal from Vancouver and Gurbax Singh Mahli were the first Sikhs elected to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. Vancouver's Punjabi Market at 49th Avenue and Main Street was officially recognized with bilingual signs in English and Punjabi.

1995: The B.C. government officially recognized the Vaisakhi Parade and published a brochure.

1996: In September, British Columbia schools started to offer Punjabi language in its regular curriculum from Grades 5 to 12.

1996: There were over a hundred Gurdwaras across Canada. Fifty of them were in B.C. Opening of the Sikh Resource Centre in Vancouver to celebrate the centennial of the Sikhs in Canada on July 28.

1998: The Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar is established. It will over the years stage the biggest Vaisakhi parades outside of India.

1999: A postage stamp was issued to commemorate the contributions that Sikh Canadians had made in the building of Canada.

2000-2010: Today, the number of Sikhs in Canada is approximately 300,000.

© Copyright (c) The Province

With thanks to source : www.province.com
Original news can be viewed from the link in the headline above.

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Firefighters join annual Sikh festival

KENT NEWS: Firefighters will help celebrate the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi by taking part in a procession through Gravesend today.Community safety officers will be on hand to offer advice about lighting 
ceremonial candles during the festival, which marks the beginning of the
 harvest season in Punjab, India.

The procession starts from the new Sikh temple complex in Khalsa Avenue at
11.30am.Principal community liaison officer Pirthipal Singh said:"While enjoying
Vaisakhi this year we want people to be safe from fire-related hazards in
the home."

With thanks to Source in the link in headline above.

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Oldest Sikh Temple holds Sikh Day New Year parade

Sikhs from Lathrop and Manteca will join other members from all over San Joaquin County in celebrating the annual Sikh Day Parade in Stockton commemorating the Sikh New Year. The parade will be held through downtown Stockton on Sunday, April 18, from noon to 4 p.m. and will end at the Sikh Temple at 1930 S. Grant Street. The celebration is open to the public.

The Stockton Sikh Temple is considered the oldest in the United States. It was built in 1915 by the early Sikh settlers in the San Joaquin Valley who found this area quite similar to their old Punjab region in India. Among the members of this temple are the family and relative of Lathrop Councilman Sonny Dhaliwal whose father is one of the temple’s leaders. Other Dhaliwal family members living in Manteca also belong to this Stockton temple.

With thanks to source in the link in headline above.

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Watford's Sikh community to celebrate

Members of the town’s Sikh community will come together tomorrow to celebrate one of their most important festivals of the year.

They will be joined at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Temple, in Kings Close, by Mayor Dorothy Thornhill, MP Claire Ward, and Parliamentary candidates Richard Harrington and Sal Brinton.

The Vaisakhi celebrations will take place between 11am and 1pm.

With thanks source in the link above in headline.

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Sikh pilgrim dies in Pakistan, body repatriated to India

ATTARI (AMRITSAR): Body of Indian national Sikh pilgrim who died in historic Sikh shrine in Panja Sahib at Hasanabdal in Pakistan has been repatriated in the evening to India here Thursday through the land transit route of Attari border.

According to the official at Attari border, Harnek Singh (78) died due to massive heart attack suffered inside the Gurdwara premises. Yesterday morning Harnek complained uneasiness in his chest, whereupon his wife who was with him raised alarm for medical help, but immediate after he was declared dead by the medical officer who was present in the medical camp organized in the preemies of Sikh shrine by Pakistan Authorities.

Official informed that Harnek Singh a Indian national resident of Ludhiana district of Punjab went to Pakistan with his family members along with the group of 1300 Sikhs to Pakistan few days ago on April 11 to Pakistan through three special trains from the International Attari Railway Station to observe Baisakhi festival.

Body of Harnek was brought to India by his wife Nachhatar Kaur besides other family relatives who were with him in pilgrimage to Pakistan.

With thanks : source : Punjabnewsline

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Sikh new year celebration to be held at Harrow High School

DANCE workshops and prayers will mark the Sikh New Year in Harrow this weekend. Vaisakhi will be held at Harrow High School, in Gayton Road, from 5pm to 7pm, and and there will be Bhangra and Gatka dance workshops from 2pm to 4pm.

Tickets are free and will be handed out on a first come first serve basis. To request one email community.development@harrow.gov.uk. Anyone who wants a place on a dance workshop must request one.

With thanks : source : harrowtimes.co.uk

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Thousands expected to be drawn to Surrey Vaisakhi festivities this weekend

Thousands more people are expected to be drawn to Surrey this weekend for Vaisakhi festivities celebrating the birth of the Sikh religion.

An estimated 50,000 people flooded streets surrounding Vancouver's Ross Street Temple last Saturday to observe one of the most important holidays on the Sikh calendar.

Because the Vancouver event was held a week earlier than usual, organizers of the Surrey parade and related events expect more people to be part of festivities here this Saturday (April 17).

"I think there will be more people out this year, because the Vancouver parade was held last weekend. Last year, it was held on the same day," said Pary Dulai, lead organizer of Saturday's Vaisakhi parade, said.

This is Dulai's fourth year as chief planner of Surrey's Vaisakhi festivities. A full day of action is promised, including nighttime fireworks (starting at 9 p.m.) and carnival rides on the grounds of Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple, 12885 85th Ave.

The parade follows the same circular path through Newton as last year, along 128th Street, 76th Avenue, 124th Street and 82nd Avenue. The main stage area is located at 7750 128th St.

More businesses and organizations were keen to get involved in the parade this year, Dulai said.

"The Cloverdale Rodeo will have a float in it, for example, and horses," he said. "There are 20 parade entrants. It's more of a procession, though, with people joining in."

Every year in April, millions of Sikhs around the world celebrate the birth of the Sikh identity.

In Surrey, the parade and related events not only celebrate the Sikh faith, they embrace diversity and multiculturalism.

with thanks : source : vancouversun.com

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Sikhs to celebrate with parade Saturday in Carteret

Hundreds of Sikhs are expected to participate in the borough's fourth annual Sikh Day parade on Saturday, one of the town's most attended events, according to borough officials.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that grew out of northern India about 500 years ago and now has approximately 26 million followers worldwide.Hardyal Singh Johal, chairman of the borough's Planning Board, said he was the first Sikh ever to move into Carteret, back in the early 1970s.

"This is like the birthday of our community," Johal said. "This is basically the most important day of the year for us. There is nothing better for us than this day." Saturday's event will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a ceremonial raising of the Sikh flag — named the Nishan Sahib — outside Borough Hall on Cooke Avenue. That will be followed by the parade.

Police Capt. Dennis McFadden said the approximately 1-mile parade will begin at Borough Hall, then proceed south on Pershing Avenue, turn right onto Washington Avenue and left onto Cyprus Street before ending at Carteret Park at the corner of Cyprus Street and Carteret Avenue.

The parade, Johal said, is expected to last about 45 minutes, adding that freshly-cooked vegetarian food will be served at the event. He expects at least 1,000 people from Carteret and other neighboring communities to join in the festivities.

Mayor Daniel Reiman estimated that more than 1,500 Sikhs live in Carteret.

"This is certainly an important event for the Sikh community and for those in the Sikh faith," he said. "This certainly gives us the opportunity to highlight their contributions to our local community and society in general."

Woodbridge-based Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar, located on Port Reading Avenue, is sponsoring the parade.

with thanks : source : mycentraljercy.com

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Carter to welcome Sikh holy texts

Friday, 16 April 2010,
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Chris Carter

Ethnic Affairs spokesperson

Labour’s Ethnic Affairs Spokesperson Chris Carter will join the Sikh community tomorrow in Auckland to welcome the holiest texts of the Sikh religion to New Zealand.

The Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of documents compiled by gurus (teachers and leaders) of the Sikh religion between 1469 and 1708. The documents are touring Australia and New Zealand before returning to their home at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.

Chris Carter said being entrusted with these documents is a tremendous source of pride for New Zealand’s 10,000 Sikhs. Some of the pages are more than half a millennium old, and Sikhs seeing them with their own eyes will feel equivalent to a Christian seeing the first Bible or a Muslim seeing the first Qur’an.

The Guru Grant Sahib’s arrival coincides with celebrations to mark Vaisakhi, the Punjabi New Year. The documents will be escorted by a 45-strong delegation from Melbourne, and will arrive at Auckland International Airport on NZ124 at 5:25pm tomorrow. The organisers of the tour, the New Zealand Sikh Society Auckland and the Supreme Sikh Council of New Zealand, welcome all media organisations to witness this historic event.

“I would like to congratulate New Zealand’s Sikh community on receiving the Guru Granth Sahib,” Chris Carter said. “This honour demonstrates how New Zealand is known throughout the world as a country which respects its minority religions, and is a real opportunity for New Zealand’s Sikh community to showcase their ancient culture and religion.”

With thanks : scoop.co.nz

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Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi at Nankana Sahib

Pak SGPC rejects amendments in Nanakshahi Calendar

The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) on Wednesday rejected the recent amendments in the Nanakshahi calendar by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Akal Takht. The announcement was made before at least 10,000 Sikhs at Nankana Sahib Gurdwara near Lahore in Pakistan, who had gathered to celebrate Baisakhi. American Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee head Dr Pritpal Singh told The Indian Express from Pakistan that they had already rejected the changes made and PSGPC also followed. “There had been strong resentments against the SGPC for bringing changes in the calendar adopted by majority of the Sikhs since 2003. Now, PSGPC chief Sham Singh has also rejected the amendments and they will continue to observe the gurpurabs according to the older calendar,” he said.

FOR DETAILED NEWS, PLZ CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE.

With thanks : source : IndianExpress

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Baisakhi Greetings

Wishing you a very Happy Baisakhi

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World Turban Day

with thanks : youtube

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Thousands of Sikhs return to the fold on World Turban Day

Thousands of Sikh men, each with a unique work of art perched on his head, will take to the streets of India today. Their mission: to prove to the world that the turban is not old hat.

Scores of rallies, prayer vigils and tying competitions will mark World Turban Day, an event conceived amid concerns that young Sikhs are abandoning the most conspicuous emblem of their faith — six to eight metres of cloth wrapped around their heads — in favour of close-cropped Western-style hairdos.

“We are inviting Sikhs who have forsaken the turban to return to the fold,” said Jaswinder Singh of the Akaal Purkh Ki Fauj (Army of God), a Turban Pride movement. “This day is their chance to reconnect with our gurus.”

Sikh men — and some women — have worn turbans since 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh, the religion’s tenth master, prohibited them from cutting their hair. Every man was given the surname Singh — lion — and was required to wear a steel bangle, long cotton underwear, a sheathed sword and wooden comb.

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With thanks : source : timesonline

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World Sikh Convention: Debar Jathedars of Takht Patna Sahib and Takht Hazoor Sahib

Sikh body urges govt for withdrawal of blacklist

NEW DELHI: The World Sikh Convention in New Delhi sought to debar the Jathedars of Takht Patna Sahib and Takht Hazoor Sahib from participation in clergy meetings convened to deliberate on panthic matters till they shun the practice of adorning the controversial Dasam Granth parallel to Guru Granth Sahib.

Representatives of several Panthic Bodies from India and 31 representatives from US, Canada, UK, Belgium, Sweden and Pakistan took part in the conference on Sunday.

Representatives of an international Sikh body appealed to the government to do away with the blacklist that debarred some Sikhs from entering the country.

They made the demand in a resolution adopted at the World Sikh Convention that ended with an open session at Rakabganj Gurdwara here on Sunday. The delegates contended that the list had no relevance any longer as the Khalistan agitation was over in Punjab long ago.

“The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara managing committee should take up the issue with the Indian government,” said Kuldeep Singh from New York, adding that the blacklist was also coming in the way of those having similar names getting the Indian visa.

Punjabis in the country must register Punjabi as their mother tongue in the ongoing national census, it said.

Delegates also appealed to Sikhs across the globe to continue to observe all the ceremonies in accordance with the unchanged version of the Nanakshahi calendar and changes that have been introduced now should not be accepted.

The conference formulated a committee to finalise the criteria of appointing the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht as well as the mode of retirement, qualifications, sphere of authority, working conditions.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara management committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna said, “We strongly condemn the ban on turbans in France and other Sikh code of conduct in other countries and demand that the Indian government protect the interests of NRI Sikhs and provide them dual citizenship.”

The convention also passed a resolution against the capital punishment awarded to Davinderpal Singh Bhullar in the case relating to the attack on youth Congress leader MS Bhitta and sought its revocation.

With thanks : punjabnewsline

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Sikh pilgrims must have visa for sites they want to visit: Pak

LAHORE: Pakistani authorities have imposed a ban on the travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to places for which they do not possess a visa, as 1,400 devotees arrived here to take part in celebrations marking the Baisakhi festival.

The Home Department of Punjab province banned such travel by issuing an official circular, official sources said on Monday.

The circular was sent to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) which looks after shrines of minority communities and organises pilgrimages to such sites, and to law enforcement agencies. The circular stated it was the duty of authorities "to provide all facilities and protection to the Sikh yatris (pilgrims). But it is important for their (Sikhs') protection to disallow them to visit places for which they are not issued visa by the Pakistan High Commission in India."

Law enforcement agencies and the ETPB were asked by the Home Department to enforce the ban at any cost.

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With thanks : Source : Times of India

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