Symbols of race hate daubed on Sikh temple
13 August 2009
Racists have daubed far-Right extremist logos and a swastika on the side of a Sikh temple in Northampton.
The graffiti has appeared on a wall of the gurdwara and ramgarhia centre in Craven Street in The Mounts, and features the letters NF – standing for National Front – and makes offences comments to the Sikh community.
It is thought the damage was caused at some point during the night between Tuesday, August 11 and yesterday morning.
Anjona Roy, chief executive of the Northamptonshire Rights and Equality Council, said reports of racist graffiti were on the rise in the county.
She said: "The year before last, this would have been completely unheard of. But we are hearing of this type of racist graffiti, which has political far-Right undertones, more and more often.
"This is a deliberate act, designed to intimidate not just the members of the Sikh community but also other communities living in what is a very diverse part of town.
"There is a synagogue and Muslim prayer centres within a stone's throw of the gurdwara, and this graffiti will have an enormous impact on all of them."
The graffiti has appeared days after what was believed to be a racist fight on The Racecourse.
Paul Varnsverry (Lib Dem, West Hunsbury), Northampton Borough Council's cabinet member for communities, said: "This is completely unacceptable and of course it does not reflect the vast majority of people living in Northampton. Community relations in the town are generally exceptionally good.
"Unfortunately there is a tiny minority of narrow-minded bigots who think this type of expression is acceptable. It is not."
He added the borough council dealt with racist graffiti as "a matter of priority" and vowed offensive messages would be removed within 24 hours of them being reported to the authority.
Paul Crofts, of Northamptonshire West Hate Incident Forum, told the Chronicle & Echo: "In my view, this is a form of terrorism, designed purely to intimidate people of all religions and those of no religion.
"To paint a swastika on a place of worship is despicable."
The temple graffiti had been removed by 3pm yesterday.
with thanks : source : http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Symbols-of-race-hate-daubed.5548902.jp
SikhsIndia
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A lifeline for Sikhs in Shanghai
A lifeline for Sikhs in Shanghai
By Bivash Mukherjee
THE gurdwara on Dongbaoxing Road is a south-facing two-story rectangular structure with red-brick walls.
Old documents give an insight into the temple. "There are 19 stairs leading to the entrance of the temple with each step 2 meters wide. An arched wooden door leads to the inside of the building. About 3 to 4 meters from the front door, there are two other arched doors.
"Inside the building, or gurdwara, there is a big hall with the sacred rostrum in the center at the back. There are small long windows at center left and center right. There are five big windows on either side of the sidewalls. Downstairs on the ground floor is the administrative office."
The role of gurdwaras in Sikh history is very significant. They guarded local Sikh interests and looked after the economic welfare of their community, especially during times of crisis. They provided a lifeline - in terms of food and shelter - to the millions of migrating and overseas-based Sikhs.
Tales of the Shanghai gurdwara also find mention elsewhere.
Legendary Indian field hockey player and Olympic gold medalist Dhyan Chand made a brief stopover in Shanghai in 1932 on the way to the Los Angeles Olympics.
In his autobiography "Goal," he says, "The atmosphere in the city was quite tense due to the Sino-Japanese clash.
"We were told to keep within bounds and avoid any trouble spots. We visited a small Sikh temple on the outskirts of the city. The temple had suffered much damage.
"As we came out of the temple, Japanese soldiers eyed us with suspicion," Chand writes.
with thanks : source : http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200908/20090812/article_410414.htm
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
By Bivash Mukherjee
THE gurdwara on Dongbaoxing Road is a south-facing two-story rectangular structure with red-brick walls.
Old documents give an insight into the temple. "There are 19 stairs leading to the entrance of the temple with each step 2 meters wide. An arched wooden door leads to the inside of the building. About 3 to 4 meters from the front door, there are two other arched doors.
"Inside the building, or gurdwara, there is a big hall with the sacred rostrum in the center at the back. There are small long windows at center left and center right. There are five big windows on either side of the sidewalls. Downstairs on the ground floor is the administrative office."
The role of gurdwaras in Sikh history is very significant. They guarded local Sikh interests and looked after the economic welfare of their community, especially during times of crisis. They provided a lifeline - in terms of food and shelter - to the millions of migrating and overseas-based Sikhs.
Tales of the Shanghai gurdwara also find mention elsewhere.
Legendary Indian field hockey player and Olympic gold medalist Dhyan Chand made a brief stopover in Shanghai in 1932 on the way to the Los Angeles Olympics.
In his autobiography "Goal," he says, "The atmosphere in the city was quite tense due to the Sino-Japanese clash.
"We were told to keep within bounds and avoid any trouble spots. We visited a small Sikh temple on the outskirts of the city. The temple had suffered much damage.
"As we came out of the temple, Japanese soldiers eyed us with suspicion," Chand writes.
with thanks : source : http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200908/20090812/article_410414.htm
SikhsIndia
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sikh soldiers to guard Queen Elizabeth - ll - Video show
With thanks : Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoshow/4844546.cms
SikhsIndia
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Monday, August 10, 2009
SGPC won’t tolerate separate body in Haryana: Makkar
Chandigarh, Aug 10 (IANS) The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikhs, Monday announced it would not tolerate any attempt by Haryana to set up a separate organisation to administer gurdwaras in that state.
Strongly opposing the statement by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who heads the Congress government, that a new SGPC for Haryana could be announced Nov 1, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the main SGPC would oppose this move at all costs.
“The Congress is not a secular party. They are trying to divide the Sikhs and suppress their voice. The Congress is doing this to garner Sikh votes in Haryana elections,” Makkar told the media after a meeting of the SGPC executive committee held here.
The executive’s resolution, opposing the move of the Hooda government for a separate Sikh body for Haryana, will be put up before a general body meeting of the SGPC at Amritsar Friday.
The SGPC, headquartered at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, is dominated by the ruling Akali Dal in Punjab.
Makkar said: “This is a sensitive issue for Sikhs. Hooda’s statements in this regard are to instigate the community. His talk about holding a referendum of Haryana Sikhs is a sham. We will not tolerate if anyone tries to break the SGPC.”
But there were opposing voices in the SGPC executive meeting as well here.
Baldev Singh Khalsa, an executive member from Haryana, said Sikhs in Haryana wanted a separate SGPC.
“Sikh shrines in Delhi and Pakistan have separate committees to manage gurdwara affairs. This has not weakened the Sikh ‘panth’ cause,” Baldev Singh Khalsa pointed out.
Hooda’s announcement is being seen in the light of the impending assembly polls in the state to be held latest by February next year. The state has a sizeable Sikh population.
The SGPC, which manages all the big gurdwaras, including the holiest Sikh shrine Harmandar Sahib popularly called Golden Temple in Amritsar, is unlikely to let go of its control over the Haryana gurdwaras without a fight.
The SGPC has an annual budget of Rs.4.5 billion.
The Haryana government’s decision has come five months after the Chatha Committee, set up by Hooda to study the possibilities of having a separate Sikh organisation in the state, gave its recommendations this February based on 128,566 affidavits of Sikh activists.
Following this, the government formed a three-member committee under the advocate general to examine the case and facilitate its implementation.
The demand first came to the fore when seven Haryana members of the 170-seat SGPC levelled allegations of neglect of the state’s historical gurdwaras “even though they were adding Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million) of revenue in the SGPC’s kitty every year”.
There are seven major historical gurdwaras in Haryana under the direct control of the SGPC. Eighteen others are under its indirect control - elected members form the local management and one member from the SGPC is co-opted into the panel.
-Indo-Asian News Service
with thanks : source : http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/sgpc-wont-tolerate-separate-body-in-haryana-makkar_100230254.html
SikhsIndia
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Strongly opposing the statement by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who heads the Congress government, that a new SGPC for Haryana could be announced Nov 1, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the main SGPC would oppose this move at all costs.
“The Congress is not a secular party. They are trying to divide the Sikhs and suppress their voice. The Congress is doing this to garner Sikh votes in Haryana elections,” Makkar told the media after a meeting of the SGPC executive committee held here.
The executive’s resolution, opposing the move of the Hooda government for a separate Sikh body for Haryana, will be put up before a general body meeting of the SGPC at Amritsar Friday.
The SGPC, headquartered at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, is dominated by the ruling Akali Dal in Punjab.
Makkar said: “This is a sensitive issue for Sikhs. Hooda’s statements in this regard are to instigate the community. His talk about holding a referendum of Haryana Sikhs is a sham. We will not tolerate if anyone tries to break the SGPC.”
But there were opposing voices in the SGPC executive meeting as well here.
Baldev Singh Khalsa, an executive member from Haryana, said Sikhs in Haryana wanted a separate SGPC.
“Sikh shrines in Delhi and Pakistan have separate committees to manage gurdwara affairs. This has not weakened the Sikh ‘panth’ cause,” Baldev Singh Khalsa pointed out.
Hooda’s announcement is being seen in the light of the impending assembly polls in the state to be held latest by February next year. The state has a sizeable Sikh population.
The SGPC, which manages all the big gurdwaras, including the holiest Sikh shrine Harmandar Sahib popularly called Golden Temple in Amritsar, is unlikely to let go of its control over the Haryana gurdwaras without a fight.
The SGPC has an annual budget of Rs.4.5 billion.
The Haryana government’s decision has come five months after the Chatha Committee, set up by Hooda to study the possibilities of having a separate Sikh organisation in the state, gave its recommendations this February based on 128,566 affidavits of Sikh activists.
Following this, the government formed a three-member committee under the advocate general to examine the case and facilitate its implementation.
The demand first came to the fore when seven Haryana members of the 170-seat SGPC levelled allegations of neglect of the state’s historical gurdwaras “even though they were adding Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million) of revenue in the SGPC’s kitty every year”.
There are seven major historical gurdwaras in Haryana under the direct control of the SGPC. Eighteen others are under its indirect control - elected members form the local management and one member from the SGPC is co-opted into the panel.
-Indo-Asian News Service
with thanks : source : http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/sgpc-wont-tolerate-separate-body-in-haryana-makkar_100230254.html
SikhsIndia
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Sunday, August 9, 2009
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9th August, 2009
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Saturday, August 8, 2009
Sikh writer, activist and philanthropist Patwant Singh is no more
New Delhi, India: Well known Sikh Writer and philanthropist Patwant Singh has passed away in the national capital following a cardiac arrest. He was 84. Singh, who died at his residence here yesterday, is survived by wife Meher and adopted son Satjiv Singh Chahil.
Singh wrote over 10 books on history, politics and international affairs. His latest ‘Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ was released in Washington DC on June 18. Educated in Delhi, Patwant Singh, who made headlines with path-breaking Design magazine before turning his focus to issues that the Sikh community was grappling with, authored a definitive biography of Bhagat Puran Singh and several books about Sikhs.
The cremation will be at 6 pm in Delhi on Saturday, Aug 8, at the Lodhi Road crematorium.
Patwant Singh was a much respected commentator on Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Second Kashmir War in 1965. Since 1984, Patwant Singh delved deep into Sikh issues, editing and contributing the opening essay of Punjab: The Fatal Miscalculation, which was published in 1985. The Golden Temple, published in 1989, aimed to be the definitive volume on the Harimandir Sahib and show how central this “fountain of inspiration” has been to Sikhs since its construction.
Garland Around My Neck, the story of Bhagat Puran Singh, the barefoot soldier of remarkable humanitarian concerns was presented by Patwant Singh as a colossus that he was in real life.
Patwant Singh also wrote extensively for newspapers and magazines. Many in the US last remember him for his lecture on July 22, 2006 at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York in conjunction with, I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion, an exhibition jointly sponsored by the Sikh Foundation and the Sikh Art and Film Foundation.
His book The Sikhs, published in London by John Murray and in India by Harper Collins in March 1999 and in the US by Alfred Knopf and Canada by Random House in 2000, remains a best seller. Doubleday published the paperback edition in the US, as did Rupa in India. His articles appeared in The New York Times, Canada’s Globe and Mail, the UK’s Independent and elsewhere.
Source: sikhsangat.org
SikhsIndia
Friday, August 7, 2009
EXTREME RACISM - REALLY SHOCKING
SikhsIndia
7th August, 2009
.....a deep sense of shame at the treatment meted out to a party of Sikhs whose coach caught fire on Tuesday. They were returning to their homes in Luton from a day out at the seaside when their double-decker bus burst into flames. They managed to get out with the help of an off-duty policeman seconds before it exploded and melted. As they stood terrified on the hard-shoulder, passing motorists not only failed to stop and help, but actually slowed down to hurl racist abuse at the victims. Several gave them the finger and shouted at them to bet back into the blazing coach.....
Please read detailed news in this blog as " Our shameful treatment of Britain's Sikh saviours." Please mail your comments.
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
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7th August, 2009
.....a deep sense of shame at the treatment meted out to a party of Sikhs whose coach caught fire on Tuesday. They were returning to their homes in Luton from a day out at the seaside when their double-decker bus burst into flames. They managed to get out with the help of an off-duty policeman seconds before it exploded and melted. As they stood terrified on the hard-shoulder, passing motorists not only failed to stop and help, but actually slowed down to hurl racist abuse at the victims. Several gave them the finger and shouted at them to bet back into the blazing coach.....
Please read detailed news in this blog as " Our shameful treatment of Britain's Sikh saviours." Please mail your comments.
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
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Top 51 Sikhs
Times Books (publisher) with TOI, Nav Bharat Times & Ayur have published a book named TOP 51 SIKHS. The official description is as below :
Sikhs have always been an integral part of India. Their contribution to the country and society is outstandi ng. This book honours 51 best Sikhs of India. Featuring names likes Ajit Cour, Deepak Sandhu, Capt. Amrinder Singh, Manmohan Singh, KPS Gill, JJ Valaya, Milkha Singh, Khuswant Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Daler Mehendi, Mandira Bedi, Manpreet Brar and more. It highlights their achievements and contribution the society. The book aims to serve as an inspiration for many.
Though the official price is Rs. 399 /-, NBC India.com is offering 25% discount. NBC price is Rs. 299.25
BJP demands statement from PM on gurdwara committees
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, August 06, 2009
Both houses of parliament were repeatedly disrupted on Thursday following protests from the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Haryana's decision to form a separate Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to manage Sikh shrines in the state, even as a demand for a statement on the issue by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was turned down.
"Why are you bringing the leader of the house into this?" Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan asked SS Ahluwalia when he demanded a statement from Manmohan Singh.
MPs from the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were on their feet in both houses against what they saw as the government's move to have separate SGPCs in each state. Currently, the SGPC in Amritsar is the supreme body controlling Sikh shrines and religious affairs.
Unable to pacify the MPs, presiding officers of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were forced to adjourn proceedings twice.
In the Lok Sabha, two Akali Dal members Harsimrat Kaur and Ratanjit Ajnala went towards the speaker's podium to demand the suspension of question hour to discuss the issue.
There was also a heated exchange of words on the issue between leader of the house and Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav.
Speaker Meira Kumar had initially adjourned the house till 11.30 am. However, the protests continued when the house resumed and she adjourned the house till 12 noon.
Both the houses reassembled at noon. In the Lok Sabha, Akali Dal members were allowed to put forth their opinion. However, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 1 pm after the protests continued unabated.
When the Rajya Sabha reassembled, Ahluwalia said: "This is a religious matter. The leader of the house should respond." Khan, however, shot this down.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has declared that the separate SGPC will become a reality on Nov 1, Haryana Day. The announcement was received with both anger and anxiety by the SGPC, a mini parliament of Sikhs with an annual turnover of around Rs 400 crore.
The Haryana government's decision has come five months after the Chatha Committee, set up by Hooda to study the possibilities of having a separate Sikh body in the state, gave its recommendations this February based on 128,566 affidavits of Sikh activists. Following this, the government had formed a three-member committee under the advocate general to examine the case and facilitate its implementation.
The demand first came to the fore when seven Haryana members of the 170-seat SGPC levelled allegations of neglect of the state's historical gurdwaras "even though they were adding Rs 10 crore of revenue in the SGPC's kitty every year".
There are seven major historical gurdwaras in Haryana under the direct control of the SGPC. Eighteen others are under its indirect control -- elected members form the local management and one member from the SGPC is co-opted into the panel.
with thanks : source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=f6230c20-b483-4a1d-a72a-f8414d3cb46b&Headline=BJP-nbsp-demands-PM-s-statement-on-SGPC
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A Sikh web portal
New Delhi, August 06, 2009
Both houses of parliament were repeatedly disrupted on Thursday following protests from the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Haryana's decision to form a separate Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to manage Sikh shrines in the state, even as a demand for a statement on the issue by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was turned down.
"Why are you bringing the leader of the house into this?" Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan asked SS Ahluwalia when he demanded a statement from Manmohan Singh.
MPs from the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were on their feet in both houses against what they saw as the government's move to have separate SGPCs in each state. Currently, the SGPC in Amritsar is the supreme body controlling Sikh shrines and religious affairs.
Unable to pacify the MPs, presiding officers of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were forced to adjourn proceedings twice.
In the Lok Sabha, two Akali Dal members Harsimrat Kaur and Ratanjit Ajnala went towards the speaker's podium to demand the suspension of question hour to discuss the issue.
There was also a heated exchange of words on the issue between leader of the house and Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav.
Speaker Meira Kumar had initially adjourned the house till 11.30 am. However, the protests continued when the house resumed and she adjourned the house till 12 noon.
Both the houses reassembled at noon. In the Lok Sabha, Akali Dal members were allowed to put forth their opinion. However, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 1 pm after the protests continued unabated.
When the Rajya Sabha reassembled, Ahluwalia said: "This is a religious matter. The leader of the house should respond." Khan, however, shot this down.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has declared that the separate SGPC will become a reality on Nov 1, Haryana Day. The announcement was received with both anger and anxiety by the SGPC, a mini parliament of Sikhs with an annual turnover of around Rs 400 crore.
The Haryana government's decision has come five months after the Chatha Committee, set up by Hooda to study the possibilities of having a separate Sikh body in the state, gave its recommendations this February based on 128,566 affidavits of Sikh activists. Following this, the government had formed a three-member committee under the advocate general to examine the case and facilitate its implementation.
The demand first came to the fore when seven Haryana members of the 170-seat SGPC levelled allegations of neglect of the state's historical gurdwaras "even though they were adding Rs 10 crore of revenue in the SGPC's kitty every year".
There are seven major historical gurdwaras in Haryana under the direct control of the SGPC. Eighteen others are under its indirect control -- elected members form the local management and one member from the SGPC is co-opted into the panel.
with thanks : source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=f6230c20-b483-4a1d-a72a-f8414d3cb46b&Headline=BJP-nbsp-demands-PM-s-statement-on-SGPC
SikhsIndia
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SGPC alleges Cong politicising Sikh body issue
SGPC alleges Cong politicising Sikh body issue
Meetu Jain / CNN-IBN
New Delhi: Sikh politics threatens to resurface and cause some social, religious and political turbulence in the days to come.
In what's being considered a masterstroke by the Congress, the Haryana government is considering setting up an independent Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for Haryana.
The new body is to be formed on the lines of the Delhi committee and would break the monopoly of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).
It will help the Congress party get a toehold in Akali politics ahead of the Assembly polls of Haryana.
The issue rocked Parliament on Thursday but the Haryana chief minister was quick to deny any motives.
Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "I am willing to go for a referendum. I am ready to abide by whatever the Sikhs of Haryana decide."
The Haryana Sikh is expected to vote for an independent body as it means not just political clout but enough money power as well. But it's a move that is not going to go down well with the rest of the political class.
MP of Akali Dal, Harsimrat Kaur said, "In the last four years, Haryana saw no need to set up its own SGPC. Now as elections approach, this is a move to interfere into the religious affairs of a religious community for a handful of votes and political gains."
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chief Whip from BJP, SS Ahluwalia said, "The leader of Parliament, who incidentally is a Sikh and the Prime Minister of the country, should not do this."
The Hooda government has for the moment given an assurance in the Assembly that the recommendations of the Chaddha Committee set up for the purpose will be examined.
It is not for the first time that the Congress has tried to politicise Sikh sentiments. Now, ahead of the assembly elections the Congress is once again hoping to use Sikhs as a vote bank and at the same time, break the monopoly of the Akali Dal and the SGPC.
with thanks : source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sgpc-alleges-cong-politicising-sikh-body-issue/98727-37.html
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A sikh web portal
Meetu Jain / CNN-IBN
New Delhi: Sikh politics threatens to resurface and cause some social, religious and political turbulence in the days to come.
In what's being considered a masterstroke by the Congress, the Haryana government is considering setting up an independent Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for Haryana.
The new body is to be formed on the lines of the Delhi committee and would break the monopoly of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).
It will help the Congress party get a toehold in Akali politics ahead of the Assembly polls of Haryana.
The issue rocked Parliament on Thursday but the Haryana chief minister was quick to deny any motives.
Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "I am willing to go for a referendum. I am ready to abide by whatever the Sikhs of Haryana decide."
The Haryana Sikh is expected to vote for an independent body as it means not just political clout but enough money power as well. But it's a move that is not going to go down well with the rest of the political class.
MP of Akali Dal, Harsimrat Kaur said, "In the last four years, Haryana saw no need to set up its own SGPC. Now as elections approach, this is a move to interfere into the religious affairs of a religious community for a handful of votes and political gains."
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chief Whip from BJP, SS Ahluwalia said, "The leader of Parliament, who incidentally is a Sikh and the Prime Minister of the country, should not do this."
The Hooda government has for the moment given an assurance in the Assembly that the recommendations of the Chaddha Committee set up for the purpose will be examined.
It is not for the first time that the Congress has tried to politicise Sikh sentiments. Now, ahead of the assembly elections the Congress is once again hoping to use Sikhs as a vote bank and at the same time, break the monopoly of the Akali Dal and the SGPC.
with thanks : source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sgpc-alleges-cong-politicising-sikh-body-issue/98727-37.html
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
A sikh web portal
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Our shameful treatment of Britain's Sikh saviours
By : Dean Nelson
Dean Nelson is the Telegraph Media Group's South Asia editor. He has been based in New Delhi for three years.
With the deployment of two turbaned guards at Buckingham Palace this week, Britain’s Sikh community had cause to feel a little more appreciated than they have been over the years. To say the honour was a little late - more than 150 years after their troops came to the rescue of besieged British officers in the Indian mutiny, more than 60 after thousands of Sikhs gave their lives in Europe to save Britain from Hitler’s Germany - would be an understatement.
But any sense of satisfaction that a neglected community had finally been given the recognition it had been denied for so long was quickly replaced by a deep sense of shame at the treatment meted out to a party of Sikhs whose coach caught fire on Tuesday. They were returning to their homes in Luton from a day out at the seaside when their double-decker bus burst into flames. They managed to get out with the help of an off-duty policeman seconds before it exploded and melted. As they stood terrified on the hard-shoulder, passing motorists not only failed to stop and help, but actually slowed down to hurl racist abuse at the victims. Several gave them the finger and shouted at them to bet back into the blazing coach.
I grew up with racism. I remember being shocked the first time I saw a West Indian boy at the end of my Nan’s garden in Stoke Newington. It was the late 1960s, I was around five, and had been drawn by the mesmerising sound of steel drums one Sunday morning. I could not believe my eyes, I stared, and was clocked in the head for my rudeness.
I remember helping the milkman deliver free milk to Bangladeshi immigrants in Stepney two or three years later as he complained about ‘these F***ing Pakis, always paying with ‘tokens,’ the last word said in a bad Indian accent and with a wobble of his head. In my own family, my parents were always polite and friendly to all, but when my Dad, then a London bus driver, brought home his West Indian conductor for tea in the late 1960s, my Mum feared what our docker neighbours in Poplar, east London, might think.
I remember when we were later slum-cleared to an estate in Essex, how our neighbours, who’d by then bought their council homes, had threatened another because he had sold his to a ‘wog.’ Then, despite being part of an exodus from slum housing, many used to say they were ‘getting away from the blacks’ who’d moved into London’s poorer areas in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Theirs was the racism of ignorance and fear: poor people who felt their way of life was threatened by the smell of unfamiliar food, the sudden gaudiness of painted houses in our grey world, and newcomers they feared would take their jobs by working for less.
It took around 30 years for racism to become something widely regarded as shameful in Britain. I think the Daily Mail’s campaign for justice for Stephen Lawrence, the young black teenager murdered by fascist thugs in south-east London, was a landmark. My Mum was later mortified at how she had reacted to my Dad’s friend several decades earlier. Once-‘smelly’ Chicken Tikka Masala later replaced fish and chips or roast beef as our national dish, and today we’re all in love with Bollywood.
I don’t believe my racist neighbours of the 1970s would have passed by a coach party of terrified Sikhs without offering to help. For all their ignorance, they valued their own sense of themselves as being ‘decent people.’ I wonder how these motorway racists think of themselves? Here in Delhi today, the story of my ‘fellow’ countrymen’s treatment of these terrified Sikhs is all over the Indian newspapers, and I’m conscious that our hosts will regard me as somehow connected to these barbarians. As the Sikhs prepare to honour the off-duty policeman who did go to their rescue,I feel ashamed to be British.
it's source : with thanks : http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/deannelson/100005641/our-shameful-treatment-of-britains-sikh-saviours/
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