Thursday, April 2, 2009

Anarkali Kaur makes Sikhs proud

Anarkali Kaur makes Sikhs proud
Jagmohan Singh
The beleaguered Sikh community in Afghanistan could not have had a better role model. At 25, Anarkali Kaur Honaryar is a doctor, an activist, a Radio presenter and a member of the independent Afghan Human Rights Committee and the official Constitution Committee. With the dupatta decently covering her head, she presents an image which makes every Sikh proud of her.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Free Afghanistan (RFA)’s has declared her as the Person of the Year and Sikhs worldwide are quite happy to learn that.
The Sikh society is male dominated and the society in Afghanistan is terribly male-oriented. With the shadow of the Taliban looming large, the grit and determination of Anarkali Kaur can easily be compared with the legendary courage of Sundri of Bhai Vir Singh.
Since the last decade or so, a sizeable chunk of the community has fled Afghanistan to reside in India, Europe and the United Kingdom. A large number of them have been granted asylum and the Southall Bazar, once the centre of Punjabi Sikhs is now virtually called the Afghani Sikhs Street. They are ubiquitous by their small and unique turbans and the brashness of their youth. Not much is known about the status of their women, though. A large number of Afghani Sikhs live as stateless persons in India as India continues to grant them stay on a year to year basis, without confirming their residency.
Though Anjali Kaur could not fulfil her dream to become a pilot, she is certainly chanelling her life with respect and would be a shining star for all those who fight for an equal world.
Honaryar works for the country's Independent Human Rights Commission and has been consistently campaigning for equal rights and democracy. She was also a member of the Afghan Constitution Committee.
She was chosen as Person of the Year by human rights groups and journalists’ unions in Afghanistan.

with thanks : worldsikhnews.com

Indian 'riot politician' cleared

A former Indian federal minister accused over the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 has been cleared by police.
Congress party politician Jagdish Tytler said the case had destroyed his career but he had now been vindicated.
Sikh groups and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party have criticised the police report.
Mr Tytler had been cleared in November 2007 but a month later the case was reopened after a witness said he saw Mr Tytler leading a riot mob.
The riots, sparked by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, left more than 3,000 Sikhs dead.
Mr Tytler has consistently denied any role in the rioting.
'Truth is out'
India's federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its final report on the investigations into the riots to a Delhi court last week.
In the report, which was opened in court on Thursday, the investigative agency said it wanted to close the case against Mr Tytler.
"This case destroyed my career. And media portrayed me as a criminal. But the truth has finally come out. How can I react to the truth?" Mr Tytler told reporters in Delhi.
The CBI move angered Sikh groups.
"The victims have no rights. A criminal who is a politician who has money has all the rights," an unnamed victim told a private television channel.
The BJP has accused the CBI of working under the instructions of the Congress party government.
Mr Tytler is a Congress candidate for the forthcoming general elections.
'No evidence'
In November 2007, the CBI closed a case against Mr Tytler, saying there was "no evidence" or "witness" to establish that he had a role in the rioting.
But soon after, Jasbir Singh, who lives in California, claimed that he saw Mr Tytler lead a mob on a Sikh temple in Delhi during the riots.
Three Sikhs were burned to death in the attack on the temple.
Mr Singh, who lost 26 family members in the rioting, left the country after the incident.
The court asked the CBI to carry out a fresh investigation.
Mr Tytler had earlier been implicated by a judicial commission set up to investigate the 1984 killings.
The report, by retired Supreme Court judge GT Nanavati, was the ninth inquiry commission into the riots, and was set up in 2000 by the then governing BJP.
The inquiry found "credible evidence" against Mr Tytler and recommended further investigation into his role.
Mr Tytler submitted his resignation as a minister for expatriate Indians after being implicated in the riots.
He said he had resigned to have his "name cleared".

with thanks : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7978224.stm

Indian turban makes it big in German fashion

by Neeraja Ganesh

NEW DELHI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- In a first of its kind, a turbaned Indian American Sikh named Sonny Caberwal who is in India these days, has become the international face of the prestigious German men's magazine GQ.
Turbans, even if worn as symbol of Indian religion Sikhism, is in some nations, including Germany, associated with Osama bin Laden, where Sikhs have been targeted in hate attacks after the September 11 attack.
However, the 30-year-old Sikh has been featured in GQ's style Germany Spring Summer-2009.
He will go down as a "footnote in history for being a stereotype buster," the newspaper the Mail Today noted Thursday.
"It's not about me, but about Sikh identity and about our culture and traditions being shown in a positive light to people around the world," the Mail Today quoted Caberwal as saying in Mumbai.
Caberwal has received hundreds of comments and e-mails from people around the world telling him how proud they were to see their own identity being represented positively.
Caberwal's portfolio was shot in Hamburg, Germany, in January.
Conde Nast, the publishers of CQ discovered Caberwal after he appeared in 25th anniversary ad of leading American fashion house Kenneth Cole in 2008.
The GQ collection was for formal wear but they thought using turbaned Sikh would be cool, Caberwal told Mail Today.
Although he has been lucky in modeling world, Caberwal says there are still some challenges for turbaned model to gain mainstream attention.
On the positive side, he says there is definite place for unique and interesting looks, and in the western world, the turbaned look falls in that category.
Among the Sikhs, the turban is an article of faith that represents honor, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety.
The Sikhs wear the turban partly to cover their long, uncut hair. The turban is mostly identified with the Sikh males, although some Sikh women also wear turban. The Sikhs regard the turban as an important part of the unique Sikh identity.
The turban has been an important part of the Sikh culture since the time of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. The Sikh warriors, the Khalsa, wear turban, partly to cover their long hair, which is never cut, according to the wish of their last human Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
Editor: Fang Yang
with thanks : http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/02/content_11120758.htm

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sikhs who wear turbans and have unshorn hair

Sikhs who wear turbans and have unshorn hair are regularly decreasing in numbers. The shocking trends can be verified by standing at the gates of any gurudwara worldwide. Please view our slide show presentation : Khalso mero roop hai khaas on the left side of this page. Looking forward for your valued comments on the decreasing numbers.
Best regards
SikhsIndia

Monday, March 30, 2009

Sikh blogs & Sikh websites

If you have a Sikh Blog or a Sikh Website or a Sikh web portal, please mail us a few lines about your blog, website, portal for uploading on our sikh blog.
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SikhsIndia
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
www.sohnijodi.com
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/sikhsindia

Sunday, March 29, 2009

shrinking number of young Sikhs who wear turbans and have unshorn hair

The rapidly shrinking number of young Sikhs who wear turbans and have unshorn hair has alarmed many in this religious minority of 20 million. Although there are no formal surveys, community groups say that only 25 percent of Sikhs younger than 30 follow the practice. Many young Sikhs say the daily tedium of combing and tying up their long hair and a desire to assimilate are pushing them to give up the turban, a sacred symbol of a religion founded in the 15th century.
read complete report as & at :
A Ritual Slowly Unravels In India
Alarm Grows as More Sikh Youths Give Up Turbans
By Rama LakshmiWashington Post Foreign Service Sunday, March 29, 2009;
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/28/AR2009032801901.html with THANKS.

Anti-Sikh riots case: CBI files final report

Staff Reporter : हिंदू

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation filed the final report on the probe into a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case involving the former Union Minister, Jagdish Tytler, in a court here on Saturday।
He is now the Congress candidate for North-East Delhi.
The CBI submitted the report in a sealed cover to Metropolitan Magistrate Ram Lal Meena. The court will consider the report on April 2.
The report was filed after the agency examined Jasbir Singh, a California-based witness, whom it earlier declared untraceable. The witness submitted an affidavit against Mr. Tytler before the Nanavati Commission, which went into the riots. Protesters gathered outside the court complex, shouting slogans against Congress leaders, including Mr. Tytler, demanding that the culprits be punished.
The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that the Centre was misusing the CBI to give Mr. Tytler a clean chit.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/29/stories/2009032960731400.htm
विथ थैंक्स

Nishan-e-Sikhi tower - A ray of hope for youth

March 27th, 2009 by Varinder Walia

Khadur Sahib: Keeping in view the falling standards of education in Punjab and loss of life values elsewhere, the Nishan-e-Sikhi Charitable Trust under the patronage of the Baba Sewa Singh Kaar Sewa, Khadoor Sahib, thought out to provide attractive venues to students, teachers, preachers, professionals, sports people and the general public in the walk of life।

The Nishan-e-Sikhi tower under construction is in a four-acre land and is financially supported with donations by Thakral family and Sikh sangat. It will provide a bouquet of religious education, spiritual awareness, cultural understanding, historic information, vocational knowledge, national cohesion and entertainment options.

The exhibits and contents already prepared for museum and other directorates will be interesting and of great educative value in multiple fields to the competitors, researchers and other visitors.

In all, there will be eight directorates in the eight-story tower. A team of professionals is on the job to turn the projects into reality. The directorates will include Multimedia Sikh Museum, Training Institute for IAS, IPS and IFS; Olympic Training Institute For Sports, Bilingual Sikh Preachers Training Institute, Drug Therapist Training Institute, Environment Institute, Digital Library, and Play and Learn Institute for Children. All the directorates will be equipped with latest technology of the world so that youth could compete in the fast moving world.

Encouraged with the successful adventure of building up the future of progeny, it was further planned to erect the multi-storey educational centre with the name “Nishan-e-Sikhi” to prepare and help the youth in the different fields to compete in the fast moving world.

Khadoor Sahib is sanctified town now in district Tarn Taran. It was visited by eight Sikh Gurus. Gurmukhi alphabet was modified here by Guru Angad Dev who opened the first school of Gurmukhi lipi and started a planned campaign against drugs at this place.

To enhance the educational vision, Guru Angad Dev Multimedia Sikh Museum, first of its kind in the world, was set up by Dr Raghbir Singh Bains, social activist of Canada, at Khadur Sahib during the fifth centennial celebrations of the parkash utsav of Guru Angad Dev in 2004. Robotic and touch screen technology was used to educate masses about the Sikh religion, history, culture, philosophy and the Sikh way of life.

The projects scheduled for the Nishan-e-Sikhi tower have been planned very carefully and are expected to provide resources for educationists, learners and professionals to help better plan for the future of education in enhancing the job orientation and life values।

Thanks to : TribuneIndia.com

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Sikhs protest prisoner's hair cut

19 Mar 2009, 0345 hrs IST, TNN
AJMER: The members of the Sikh community in Ajmer organized a protest march in the town on Wednesday and demanded the suspension of a jailer of the central jail who allegedly cut the hairs of an undertrail prisoner, Sukhvinder Singh. They warned of a bandh in Ajmer if justice was not done to the prisoner. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the gate of the dargah and marched towards the district headquarters. They were shouting slogans against the jail administration, demanding action against jailer Govind Singh. "This is a shocking incident which has hurt our religious sentiments and we would not allow this," said Guljeet Singh Chabra, a member of the community. "Even if he is a prisoner, he too has the right to practice religion," he added.' The protesters marched towards the collectorate demanding a high-level inquiry into the issue. "The state government should take action against the jail authorities so that such incidents are not repeated," said Narender Singh. "We are not interested in the rules of jail administration but hurting religious feeling is something against Constitution," added Avinash Singh Hura. "If justice is not done, we will call for an Ajmer bandh next week," said Narender Singh. A memorandum was given to the district magistrate demanding suspension of the jailer. Meanwhile, women members called a meeting in Hatibhata Gurdwara and decided that no one shall be allowed to interfere in religious practices. "Keeping hairs is something religious to a Sikh and cutting it is a sin," said Balvinder Kaur of Gurdwara. Meanwhile, deputy inspector general of police, Mukut Behari Purohit, who conducted an inquiry into the incident, submitted his report to the DGP on Wednesday.
With thanks : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Sant Daduwal, over 90 sent in judicial custody

NAVJEEVAN GOPAL Posted: Mar 18, 2009 at 0340 hrs IST

Bathinda: More than 90 Sikh activists, including Sant Samaj leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, who were arrested last night, have been sent in judicial custody till March 24.
The move is aimed at scuttling the proposed Dharam Yudh Morcha from Talwandi Sabo, in which radical Sikh bodies had decided to send 11-member squads of ‘marjeeve’ (persons ready to sacrifice their lives for religion) every Sunday to Salabatpura against dera activities.
First such squad was announced to head towards dera on March 22.
About 32 arrested radicals protested violently in the police vehicle, when they were being taken to Barnala jail, after which they were brought back to Bathinda jail.
Later in the day, Daduwal and eight others were taken by Faridkot police on production warrants in connection with an attempt-to-murder case registered yesterday following the clash between Sikh activists, led by Daduwal, and Faridkot police.
Those arrested by the Bathinda police included Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj chief Baljinder Singh and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Sabha chief Sukhwinder Singh Khalsa.
Meanwhile, Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh did not blame Faridkot police and the administration in the Bajakhana incident.
“They (Punjab government) did not interfere in the religious congregation of the Sikhs. The clash occurred when the congregation was over and Sikh activists were returning. It appears to be a personal clash with the police,” Jathedar Nandgarh said, while talking to The Indian Express over phone about the allegations of the state government’s involvement.
He later added that he had spoken to Sant Samaj leaders and jathedars and a meeting would be held shortly to discuss the issue. “We will discuss the reasons that led to the clash, who was responsible and what was the role of the police,” said Nandgarh.
About the proposed Dharam Yudh Morcha taking off from Talwandi Sabo, he said as per Sikh maryada, he was supposed to offer siropas to Panj Pyaras on that day. “The call for the morcha was given by various Sikh bodies and not me,” the Jathedar clarified.

with thanks : www.indianexpress.com

London gurdwara gutted in suspected racist attack


A pic with thanks from Langer Hall.

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