India's dirty old writer releases "last" book

NEW DELHI -- 

This book, he insists, will be his last.

It's a novel about two old men, written by a 96-year-old who says he can't have much time left.

So after this one, the man who has been a force in India's literary world for more than 60 years, a famously grumpy writer known for everything from beautifully wrought novels to fart jokes, vows to go silent.

Khushwant Singh says it's time to try something different.

"I have to teach myself to do nothing. In the last phase of a man's life, according to the Hindu tradition, you're meant to be a forest dweller."

With thanks : HERALDONLINE : link above for detailed news report.

Sikligar Sikhs achieve hole-in-one

This revolutionary win in golf has endorsed that there are 155 million Sikhs in the world. Four young men from the forgotten Sikh tribe Sikligar’s who live in the south of India have hit the headlines.

Nadeem Inamdar describes them as a ‘Members of the backward Sikligar community, these four youngsters have chosen golf to rise above their lot, first as caddies and now as amateur golfers’.

With thanks : EMGONLINE : link above for detailed news report.

SikhsIndia

Curfew in Bhikhi after violent clash

 

with thanks : Tribune : Link above for the detailed news report.

DSP among injured after Sikh-dera clash, Punjab town under curfew

Bathinda :

Indefinite curfew was imposed in Bhikhi town of Mansa district on Sunday evening to avert a clash between Sikh activists and dera followers, following violence that left a DSP among others injured. Police used lathicharge, water cannons and teargas shells to control the crowd. 

The situation in the area has been tense, with Dera followers accusing Sant Samaj leader Sant Baljit Singh Daduwal, who has been conducting a “Diwan (Sikh religious discourse)” in Bhikhi since December 31, of making “insulting remarks” against their dera head. Dera followers are holding their own religious discourse, the “Naam Charcha”, in Bhikhi. 

With thanks : Indian Express : link abive for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

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Sikh Shrine one of world 1,000 sacred places

Christoph Engels has written a book spanning through time, he has included Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) as one of the most spiritual places in the world.

Harmandar Sahib is the Sikhs Holiest Shrine and visited by millions of people from different faiths to loose themselves in the enclosure, of the complex. Also housed in the complex is the Akal Takhat the Sikh’s political Throne.

Spanning prehistoric times to the present, 1000 Sacred Places is a richly illustrated guide to the world's most extraordinary spiritual sites. Holy places and spiritual sites are found throughout the world, and all of them have in common a mysterious drawing power that has held humankind in its spell since the beginnings of time.

This book contains detailed information about the world's religions and their venerated people and sites. Overview maps and symbols of the religions, alongside each site being listed with GPS coordinates, make orientation easy.

Included are the holy sites of the great religions, along with countless spiritual places of indigenous peoples and vanished cultures.

Amongst the one thousand special places featured, you will find some of the great Christian cathedrals in Europe; pilgrim paths and places of pilgrimage; Hindu, Buddhist and Shinto temples in Asia; the most important mosques of the Islam; natural sanctuaries in Africa, America and Australia; prehistoric cult sites and modern sanctuaries.

This beautiful book is a spiritual journey through history and the cultures of the world.

Priced at only £13.99

with thanks : emgonline : link above in headline.

SikhsIndia

Happy New Year 2011

Happy New Year 2011

I wish you Health... So you may enjoy each day in comfort.
I wish you the Love of friends and family... And Peace within your heart.
I wish you the Beauty of nature... That you may enjoy the work of God.
 I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities.For those things that really matter in life
 I wish you Generosity so you may share... All good things that come to you.
I wish you Happiness and Joy... And Blessings for the New Year.
I wish you the best of everything... That you so well deserve.  
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 
With Best Regards
B S Vohra
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
www.sohnijodi.com

Rebel Queen – a thorn in the crown

The film Rebel Queen tells the remarkable story of the last Sikh ruler of Lahore – a fearless Maharani who waged two wars against British rule in India. She is an inspiring figure for young Asian women today.

An Indian woman wearing a crinoline over her traditional clothes, and emeralds and pearls under her bonnet, walks in Kensington Gardens in 1861. She is the last Sikh queen of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab empire, and her name is Jindan Kaur. She died two years later, in 1863, and was buried in west London.

Maharani Jindan Kaur's life – much of which was spent raging against the British empire for cheating her out of the Punjab, then a vast country stretching from the Khyber Pass to Kashmir – is the subject of a film called Rebel Queen, which premiered at New York's International Sikh film festival and is set to be shown in the UK in February.

Her revolt began when her husband, the last Maharaja of the Punjab, died of a stroke in 1839 and the British tried to wrest the kingdom from the heir to the throne, her infant son, Duleep Singh. During her rule as regent, Jindan waged two disastrous wars against the British that led to the annexation of the Punjab. She may have made huge strategic errors due to her military inexperience and young age (she was in her early 20s), but Jindan was a fierce ruler. British historian Peter Bance describes her as a "very gutsy woman". "She stood her ground against the British . . . she actively took charge of the Punjab."

with thanks : guardian : link above for detailed news report.

SikhsIndia

Sikh pilgrimage train reaches its first destination

Anandpur Sahib, December 30

The Sikh pilgrimage train reached its first destination Anandpur Sahib an hour before its scheduled time at 7 am today.

On board, 88 passengers from an eight-month-old girl to 75-year-old elderly carried an infectious enthusiasm. Travelling in five-star facilities, they paid obeisance at Takht Keshgarh Sahib. Against the capacity of 80, 88 passengers are on board, who are from the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France and India.

The train belongs to the Maharashtra Government, which had sent the train unoccupied from Mumbai to Delhi.

The CEO (The Luxury Holidays), Sajive Trehan, said the train was being run on the pattern of Palace on Wheels, wherein passengers’ comfort was the prime factor.

“I always wanted to run a train for the five Takhts on the pattern of Palace on Wheels. I met Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal at New York, where he agreed to the proposal. With the help of the Punjab Government, this Shan-e-Khalsa train chugged out on its maiden visit,” Sajive said.

with thanks : sikhsangat : link above for detailed report.

SikhsIndia

Luxury Sikh pilgrimage train departs from New Delhi

A luxury train covering the spiritual odyssey including the five Takhts (temporal seats) of Sikhs was flagged off from New Delhi.

The nine-day journey costs between rupees 210,000 to 450,000 per person. Despite the hefty fare, the first trip of the train witnessed full booking for all the 80 seats.

Many Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and foreign nationals from US, Canada, Germany and France boarded the train along with a good number of passengers from India.

Christened as 'A Spiritual Journey to the Gurus' Abode', it will cover the five Takhts (temporal seats) of Sikhs including Takht Keshgarh Sahib, Akal Takht, Takht Damdama Sahib, Takht Hazoor Sahib, Takht Patna Sahib.

Most of the journey and stay of the passengers will be on the luxury train apart from the section between Mumbai and Patna and the return from Patna to Delhi that would be covered by air.

Former Chairperson of National Commission for Minorities, Trilochan Singh, said the train is a welcome initiative that will boost tourism in the country.

"This is the first time that a luxury train in India has been especially organised for the tour of all the Sikh pilgrimage centres. The Sikh community has five seats (Takhts) which are called the highest seats of Sikh religion viz. Anantpur Sahib, Amritsar, Damdama Sahib, Hazoor Sahib Nanded and Patna Sahib," said Trilochan Singh.

with thanks : SIFY : ANI : TRIBUNE : link above for detailed news report.

SikhsIndia

Pics : Gurmat Samagam : Sri Guru Nanak Sewak Jatha

 

 

 

 

 

Organised by :
SRI GURU NANAK SEWAK JATHA,
Chand Mohalla,
Gandhi Nagar,
Delhi