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US embassy, FAD join hands to restore Sheikhupura Fort

LAHORE: The US embassy, in collaboration with the Federal Archaeology Department, is all set to restore the neglected Sheikhupura Fort, a national monument. It seeks support for a three-year initiative to restore, conserve and protect the historical garrison.

The Sheikhupura fort is a high priority cultural site for the Pakistan Ministry of Culture and the Archaeology Department.

The restoration and conservation project is focused on architectural preservation and would encompass historical research and conservation technology.

The project’s large-scale impact and efforts would provide an opportunity to promote importance of the country’s cultural heritage, and would strengthen academic and cultural ties between US and Pakistani scholars. Sources told Daily Times that the US embassy has allocated Rs 1 million for the project, while the Archeology Department provided Rs 16 million to restore the fort.

The official said the fort is unique as it is a symbol of both the Mughul and Sikh culture. Its construction and early use began under the Mughul era, which is reflected in the fort’s architecture and external design. Cultural elements of the Sikh era are also present in the artwork and internal design of the buildings, which had been constructed during the period.

with thanks : http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\01\story_1-11-2010_pg13_6

for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Orakzai Sikhs picking up their shattered lives

SAM FEROZKHEL: For 11-year-old Rajindar Kaur, life was full of joy in the picturesque village of Sam Ferozkhel in the Orakzau Tribal Agency. But then everything changed. The village’s serene atmosphere was disrupted by gun-toting bearded Taliban who unleashed a reign of terror on the entire area.

Kaur and her family, like dozens of other Sikh families, had to abandon their cherished village and flee in the face of advancing Taliban, who were gaining power and wanted to impose their own hard-line version of Islam on the area.

Kaur does not want to speak about her ordeal. She is now happy to have returned to her native village located in the lap of thickly-forested mountains and surrounded by walnut and apple orchards.

“I’m very happy to have returned to my village,” a beaming Kaur told The Express Tribune. She said when they left the area, they feared they would never see their village again. “We returned to our village after the authorities told us that the area is safe,” Kaur said.

with thanks : theexpresstribune : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Punjab bandh to protest ’84 riots

Urging the people from all walks of life to extend their cooperation to make the Punjab bandh called by them on November 3 against the 1984 anti-Sikh riots complete and peaceful, the Khalsa Action Committee, the Dal Khalsa and other Sikh groups have declared that buses and trains would be stopped on the day.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh clarified that private vehicles would not be stopped and no hospitals or emergency service would be disrupted. Schools and colleges will be, however, not allowed to function.

Describing the 1984 incident as “genocide of Sikhs”, he said a written request had been extended to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, all factions of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party (Karimpuri) and Lok Bhalai Party (Rammowalia) to participate in the bandh.

with thanks : IndianExpress : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Diwali with a difference !

This Diwali and till justice is done to Victims of 1984 Genocide,let's light a Candle/Diva in the Gurdwaras to pay homage to the departed souls.

Candle Light Vigil at India Gate on Ist November 2010 !

The Sikh Forum along with Volunteers from Human Rights, Civil Liberties, Democratic Rights and other organizations will assemble at India Gate with Candle Lights on Ist November 2010 between 5.30 PM to 8.00 PM in memory of those killed during 1984 anti-Sikh carnage and to demand justice for the victims. It will be a totally peaceful vigil with Candle Lights.

No upkeep for over 30 years, war memorial fights neglect

Paintings gather dust, weapons left to rust at Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozepur

Layers of dust on old paintings, rusting weapons of historical importance, dirty floors of the rooms housing rare artifacts and an almost crumbling heritage building — this is what greet you at the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial located on the banks of Ferozeshah canal here. It goes without saying that the memorial had ceased to draw visitors.

This was the place where Sikhs fought the British army in 1845. The memorial set up to salute the martyrs was dedicated to the nation by the then chief minister, Giani Zail Singh, and Sanjay Gandhi in April 1976. There has been no repair work at the memorial ever since. On the other hand, while not even a penny has been spent on the maintenance, the tourism department has sanctioned Rs 1.23 crore to make kiosks, shops, an interpretation centre and a food court in the complex and these have been under construction at the site for the last one year.

with thanks : IndianExpress : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

A taste of India

Daniel Scott journeys to a Sikh temple in Woolgoolga and unravels some of life's mysteries.

I've always been intrigued, as we've driven past Woolgoolga on journeys north, by the ornate white edifice with domes and minarets crowning a hill above the Pacific Highway. The Guru Nanak Temple, opened in 1970, is the most visible sign of Australia's largest regional Sikh population, a thriving pocket of India in the land of the Big Banana, 20 kilometres north of Coffs Harbour.

As a callow teenager, I learnt to travel in India on an epic 25,000-kilometre journey across the subcontinent. But I never visited the Punjab region, where Sikhism originates, so the religion of turbanned, big-bearded men has remained a mystery to me.

This morning, the second of a two-day family visit to Woolgoolga, I've finally made it to the temple and the mystery is unravelling.

"Sikhism is very close to Buddhism and the Baha'i faith," says a prominent Sikh on Coffs City Council, John Arkan, who is showing a small group around the temple.

"We have no caste system, no priest," he continues, as we remove our shoes and cover our heads with bandannas before entering the temple, "and the guru instilled the idea of equality between men and women."

Founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century and based on his teachings and those of 10 subsequent gurus, Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest organised religion. In Woolgoolga, 300 families worship at the gurdwara (temple) and there are plans to build another nearby.

We make our way upstairs and into a large open room, at the centre of which is a palki, an altar upon which the scriptures are placed each day. It's a welcoming, colourful space but not overelaborate.

We sit cross-legged and Arkan explains more about his faith. "We don't cut our hair because nature created it that way," he says, "so we normally wrap it in a turban together with a wooden comb to keep it clean." The uncut hair (kesh) and comb (kanga) are two of the five "Ks" worn by baptised Sikhs; the others are circular bangles (kara), symbolising God's eternity; a small double-edged sword (kirpan), representing day and night; and undershorts (kachera).

with thanks : smh : link in headline above for detailed story.

SikhsIndia

White House denies rumors about Obama and Sikh temple

(RNS) The White House has denied reports that President Obama will avoid a Sikh shrine while visiting India next week because the required head covering might have fanned false rumors about his faith.

"The decision we made was driven by ... the interests of time, how to best advance our common interests with India in these three days," said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser on Wednesday (Oct. 27).

Sikh leaders had hoped the president would visit the temple, which they consider their holiest site. Obama has been dogged by persistent -- and false -- rumors that he is not Christian, but Muslim.

with thanks : christiancentury : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Britain's longest serving Asian police officer retires

It's a career that took a fresh faced 17-year-old cadet with Thames Valley Police in 1975 to the country's elite anti-terrorism branch.

Along the way he has protected the royals and senior MPs, and worked on the drugs squad.

Now 52-year-old Detective Constable Harinder Singh Sangha is hanging up his truncheon after 35 years service.

"I have had a fantastic career. There's been a few lows. But lots of highs," he said.

It's rare for anti-terrorist officers to give interviews. But Asian colleagues and the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association (MPSA) encouraged Det Cons Sangha to go public because of his ground-breaking career.

"He has been the first in many things and is a good role model," said Det Sgt Gurpal Virdi of the MPSA.

with thanks : BBC News : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

The empty-headed twenty per cent

One aspect of the planning for President Obama’s trip to India is downright depressing — and there’s no weighty issue to blame, just the ignorance of a surprisingly large group of Americans. White House organisers are reportedly considering taking the city of Amritsar off the itinerary. The reason? Amritsar is home to the Sikh Golden Temple, which is more or less a mandatory stop for a head of state visiting the city, but those who enter it are required to cover their heads.

Something like 20 per cent of Americans still falsely believe Obama to be Muslim. Sikhs aren’t Muslims, but Obama’s staffers are worried that any picture of him wearing religious headgear (Golden Temple officials have said baseball caps and the like aren’t acceptable substitutes) would spread like wildfire among the paranoid minority who remain unconvinced of Obama’s faith. It’s a reasonable fear, given the crazed intensity of some of Obama’s critics, but the White House shouldn’t give in to it. If it fits his itinerary, he should go to Amritsar and visit the temple, wearing headgear.

with thanks : IndianExpress : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia