Anti-Sikh riots victims living in darkness, BSES wants them under fold

New Delhi: Living in government-alloted flats in Tilak Vihar, they have received free electricity for almost three decades but now the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims have been asked to apply for new connections to get uninterrupted supply. 

Some 500 families in the area say they are being "forced" to apply for electricity connections by power distributor BSES Rajdhani. 

The families claim that they were promised free power by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as part of rehabilitation of victims of November 84 carnage. However, they have nothing to show on record. 

BSES on its part says that they did not make any promise and people must get new connections for uninterrupted supply. 

There are 944 janta flats, which used to get power through a 1000KV transformer which burst on September 6. BSES has for the time being installed a mobile transformer of 600KV, saying there was no point investing in an area which gives them zero revenue. 

The residents of this area are now enduring long power cuts of at least 16 hours a day. 

According to sources in BSES, the distribution company suffers an annual loss of Rs five crore because of non-payment by consumers in this area. 

"Life has become hell. My children's studies are getting affected during exam times. What do we do? We get power only for storing water in the morning and evening. We can't sleep properly. We don't get power during nights. These last 30 days have been terrible," said Rupinder Kaur. 

Another elderly lady, who lost her husband during the riots, said the government should first fulfil all its promises, then "we are ready to have metres and pay bills". 

A BSES official said all their efforts to convince residents to get the meters installed have failed. 

"It's not that we want to harass people. The annual loss that we incur is more than five crore. We keep talking to them, ...But there is no positive response," the official, who is involved in the talks with residents, said. 

"Earlier, there were only bulbs or fans in their rooms but now they have air conditioners too. People use heaters. Due to overload, the transformer gets burst early...We surely don't want to harass them," he said. 

Ajeet Singh, who was three-years old when he lost his father in riots, said they want an assurance from authorities that they will not have to pay arrears and will get subsidy. 

"After my father's death, I lost my mother in 1986. I could not study properly and don't earn much. You know how costly power is. Unless we are given in written assurance that we will not have to pay bills of previous years I am not going to get a meter installed in my house," he said. 

Atma Singh Lubana, an activist in the area, said he has written to the government that they be given subsidy. 

"I don't have anything to show but Rajiv Gandhi had announced that victims will get free power. We will convince people to get meters installed if we get some subsidy.We want there should be no charge on consumption of 1-200 units and Rs 2.50 should be levied for units from 201-500," he said. 

However, the BSES official said, "There are no government guidelines that they will not have to pay. And even if there were, it was the government, which made the promise not us, so let government pay it. If subsidy has to be given, it has to come from the government and not from us". 

with thanks : Zee News : LINK : for detailed news.

Sikh Gurus' Portraits Removed from Los Angeles Bar and Cafe.

Los Angeles, California- UNITED SIKHS International Civil and Human Rights 

Advocacy (ICHRA) Team received an email confirmation from the Pikey Bar and Café Management detailing that the portraits of the Sikh Guru’s have been removed from the Bar as of October 1st, 2013.

After learning of the portraits, UNITED SIKHS first wrote to the Bar management on August 29th, 2013 expressing deep concern and anguish of the community. We explained to them why this act is so disrespectful, and asked for immediate measures to be taken to address it. Specifically, we requested for removal of the portraits, and offered to have them transported to the nearest gurudwara.

Pikey Bar and Restaurant management responded by removing the pictures of the portraits from their website, but did not acknowledge receipt of our communication. After numerous follow up communications and on being unable to solicit a response, UNITED SIKHS created an online petition on behalf of the Sikh community. The petition requested the Pikey Bar and Restaurant management to respect the religious sentiments of the Sikhs by removing the portraits of the revered Sikh gurus from the Bar. It informed the management that to hang the portraits of the Sikh gurus in an establishment serving alcohol is a sacrilegious act. 

A few days after the petition was launched, the Pikey Management contacted UNITED SIKHS Staff Attorney Manmeet Singh and confirmed that the management had decided to take down the pictures. After numerous back and forth communications and much convincing, Singh received a call last night from Mr. Abraham Beltran, Special Projects Manager at Committed Inc., the parent company of Pikey Bar and Restaurant, informing that the portraits had been taken down. In an email sent  today, Mr.Beltran summarized our conversation confirming the removal, and shared the attached picture which shows that the portraits are no longer there.

“UNITED SIKHS is humbled to successfully address another issue which had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs. In future, we hope business establishments will be more considerate of, and sensitive towards religious sentiments of every community” said Manmeet Singh.

We would like to thank Mr.Abraham Beltran and the management of Pikey Bar & Café for understanding the sensitivity of this issue, and taking the right step.

Our heartfelt gratitude to S. Parminder Singh of Buena Park for informing us about this issue, the community and individual activists who have written to and called the Pikey management directly and signed the petition. If you are interested in volunteering with our legal team for similar causes, please sign up here.

You may read a previous report on UNITED SIKHS' advocacy for the Sikh community here

For media inquiries, please contact media-usa@unitedsikhs.org.

Issued By:

Manmeet Singh

Staff Attorney, International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA)

law-usa@unitedsikhs.org 

www.unitedsikhs.org

Tel: 1-646-688-3525

Punjab University beats IITs to be rated India's best : Hindustan Times

Amritsar Sikh museum being readied for news times

Preserving times gone, Central Sikh Museum (Ajaib Ghar) at the Golden Temple is getting ready for future, all set for a major facelift that the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has finalised.

The plan rolled out suggests elevators, plush flooring, and touch-screen and audio catalogues will be added to the facilities. The SGPC has roped in expert curators and architects to come out with something spectacular. So far, no deadline fixed but the authorities concerned promise early start to the project's first phase.

As the museum is on the first floor, the elevators will help disabled people and senior citizens reach the galleries. "It is one of the most eminent museums of the state, and in near future will be no less than leading international galleries," said Iqbal Singh, additional manager of Darbar Sahib. "It will attract foreign visitors who are interested in history."

Looking into the future, he visualised a new manner of displaying pictures to make it easy to grab information and appreciate art. In 1958, the-then SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, inaugurated the museum to preserve the artefacts and history related to Sikh Gurus. Other than historical pictures, it displays old musical instruments; maps; Nanakshahi coins; weapons; and Guru Gobind Singh's Kanga (comb), Kamar Kasa (belt), and Gatra (sword sling); besides Mool Mantar written by Guru Hargobind.

Visitors would also like exploring the world-journey map of Guru Nanak Dev, and gain awesome knowledgeable from the detailed wall paintings based on the life of Sikhism's founder. The exhibits document many other historical incidents, struggles, and proud moments in Sikh history.

Six grand halls with high ceilings receive good daylight to bounce on more than 400 paintings and highlight the brief descriptions in Punjabi, Hindi and English. If you want further information, the many sewadars in the galleries will assist you.

The galleries hold the works of great artists such as Sobha Singh, Karpal Singh, SG Thakur Singh, Aulak Singh, Gurwinderpal Singh and Sukhwinderpal Singh. Directions from all entrances to the Golden Temple can help increase the footfall.

Museum overview

Open seven-days a week from 7am to 7pm (summer); and 8am to 8pm (winter) Photography not allowed. For any museum-specific project, take permission for photography from the SGPC officials. No entry fee.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK

Gov. Christie Nominates Sikh American as County Prosecutor

United States

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced Sept. 12 that he will nominate Gurbir Singh Grewal, an assistant U.S. attorney from Glen Rock, N.J., as the next Bergen County prosecutor.

If approved by the New Jersey state Senate, Grewal would become the first Sikh American to serve as a county prosecutor in New Jersey, leaders of the Sikh community told NorthJersey.com.

Grewal’s nomination ends months of speculation over whom Christie would tap for the position.

A Democrat, John Molinelli, has held the post since being nominated by Gov. James E. McGreevey in 2002. He was reappointed by Gov. Jon Corzine and continued to serve as a holdover since his term expired in January.

Christie in a statement said Grewal “has the right credentials and background to be the chief law enforcement officer for Bergen County. He also brings diversity to a highly diverse county.”

The Sikh American prosecutor has been working in Newark, N.J., at the U.S. Attorney’s office as deputy chief of the economic crimes unit and computer hacking and IP crimes unit since 2010, Politicker NJ reported.

A year ago, Grewal helped prosecute an employee of a New Jersey defense contractor who was found guilty of exporting military-related technology to China.

He also recently prosecuted a former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney financial adviser who pleaded guilty in February 2012 to wire fraud on charges of money stolen from clients’ accounts.

Members of the Sikh gurdwara in Glen Rock, where Grewal and his family worship, told NorthJersey.com they are excited about Grewal’s nomination.

“It’s excellent news for the community, because I think he is one of what we call the new generation, born here, raised here and someone who went to school here and is a full-fledged Sikh,” said Karmjit Singh Sidhu, president of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sikh gurdwara on Prospect Street.

He added that Grewal’s father was a co-founder of the temple and Grewal has volunteered to serve meals at its community kitchen.

Amrik Singh Sikand, past president of the gurdwara, described the Sikh American nominee as “very dedicated,” and “hardworking.”

“His passion is public safety and that's why he is prosecuting people that have done wrong things," Sikand told NorthJersey.com.

Grewal is a graduate of Georgetown University and received a law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at The College of William & Mary. The Indian American is past president of the South Asian Bar Association of New York and is a member of the New Jersey Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association.

With Thanks : IndiaWest : LINK

The Lion of Nairobi

Akash Soni, Zee Media Correspondent from Nairobi

The man who saved 40 lives talks to Zee Media in Nairobi 

He saved 40 lives in the Nairobi mall. When you give him the credit he cutely smiles and points his finger upwards saying it is Him who did it, not him. He tries to give credit to others but the survivors, 40 of them, say – if he had not been there, perhaps Al Shabaab militants would have butchered them as well. 

37 year old Satpal Singh is a Sikh - a Kenyan of Indian origin. He shared his experience with Zee Media. No amount of words can describe his humility, bravery beyond ordinary, a shining example of unflinching faith in the face of cowardly butchery by the terrorists.

As booby traps, bombs and blood are cleaned from the Westgate Mall here in Nairobi, Satpal Singh narrates to Zee Media the ordeal of more than 1000 people who were trapped inside the mall on the fateful four days. 

Normal human reaction would have been to escape as grenades exploded and men, women and children fell to sprays of bullets. But Satpal tells Zee Media he never thought about running because Sikh religion does not teach you to run. I hold an incredulous expression; I cannot believe my ears as he says even his first reaction was not to run. So, Sikh teachings overcame the primeval survivor instinct to flee even in the face of danger? Intellectualise if you will, is his reply in a few words, but for him it is like this. “He will take care of me. He does his work, I do mine. It is His job to save me, then why should I be worried.”He was face to face with a terrorist who shot twice at him but Satpal cheated death, the bullets barely missed him.

I met many survivors - many refused to talk on camera; we understood it was a trauma they would rather avoid. What does Satpal feel when he looks back at the terrorist attack that claimed 67 lives? "I feel I could have done more," he says. So, is there no feeling of accomplishment? "No, we could have saved so many more lives and anyways there was an ex-British officer who was there. He said - you are a Sikh, a warrior, let`s join forces and get people out. We did what we could but still many lives were lost!" 

No hatred for terrorists. No big words. No ego. 

There is so much to learn from Satpal Singh. I have interviewed many people as we journalists do, but I have never felt so small, so inferior as a man as I did standing and clicking a photo with Satpal. And Satpal thanks - you have given many of us journalists and Indians and Kenyans a reason to believe that faith can indeed move mountains. 

A man who lives the teachings of his Guru "Chidiyon se mein Baaz Ladaoon, Gidran to mein Sher Banoon, Sava Lakh se ek Ladaun, Tabhi Gobind Singh Naam Kahaoon."

with thanks : Zee News : LINK

Rare pics of Sd Bhagat Singh

"I’m feeling gratitude":Harlem hate crime victim Prabhjot Singh

"People keep asking me what it feels like to have been assaulted in a hate crime. Honestly, I can't come up with a better response than simply "gratitude."I'm thankful for a few reasons. If they had attacked me any more violently, I may not be awake right now to tell my story. If they had attacked me even half an hour earlier, they would have harmed my wife and one-year-old son. And if they had attacked me anywhere else, I may not have had bystanders there to save me. I recall my assailants shouting slurs like "Osama" and "terrorist" before grabbing my beard. My most vivid and unexpected memory actually occurred after I was punched and thrown to the ground. I remember lying on the ground,waiting for  their kicks and punches to stop”.

“Even more important to me than my attackers being caught is that they are taught. My tradition teaches me to value justice and accountability, and it also teaches me love, compassion and understanding. It's a tough situation. I care about the people in my local community. I want the streets to be safe for my young son, but at the same time, I am not comfortable with the idea of putting more young teenagers from my neighborhood on the fast track to incarceration. This incident, while unfortunate, can help initiate a local conversation to create greater understanding within the community”.

“My wife and I plan to raise our son in this same Harlem neighborhood  and I can't help but see the kids who assaulted me as somehow linked to him. In a hostile world, could he too be driven to such action? Could he too feel such hate? My hope is no. My hope is that our family continues to be a part of this neighborhood  from visiting parks and playgrounds to building relationships through our work. I believe this will bring about positive change that strengthens us through our diversity. One day my son may choose to continue practicing the Sikh faith as an adult. My hope is that our neighborhood and all neighborhoods across America will support him, no matter his path”.

“So today, my response is gratitude. Tomorrow my response will be gratitude, as well. To the nurse, to the elderly man and to the other good Samaritans who came to my aid; to my Harlem community, my Columbia community and my Sikh community; and for my role as husband, father, doctor, American, teacher, advocate and neighbor. This gratitude enables my wife and I to remain optimistic that our son will never have to go through what I just experienced”

 Prabhjot Singh is an Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a resident in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hate-victim-prabhjot-singh-feeling-gratitude-article

Sikhs Want Guru’s Portraits Removed from Hollywood Bar

United Sikhs has initiated a petition drive and plans to initiate a boycott with the aim of getting the owners of a Hollywood, Calif., restaurant – Pikey Café and Bar – to remove portraits of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh from the establishment’s walls.

“Our religion is very against drinking. Hanging pictures of our guru where people are drinking is very disrespectful,” Karam Grewal, who alerted this publication to the issue, told India-West. “Images of Guru Gobind Singh are only found in gurdwaras or in private homes,” the Indian American said, adding that Pikey has tried to create an Indo-British feel to its Maharaja room, where portraits of maharajahs hang alongside pictures of Sikh saints. 

Grewal said that in the past week, she has contacted the bar multiple times. On the first occasion, she spoke to Noam – he only gave Grewal his first name – who said the portraits would be taken down. On subsequent occasions, Grewal was told to contact the Pikey parent company, Committed, Inc., founded by New York hotelier Sean MacPherson.

“They’re being passive aggressive. They have said they will take them down, but have not told us when. They realize that they have hurt a lot of people, but they’re not doing anything about it,” she said, adding that Pikey’s managers should close that part of the restaurant or at least cover the portraits until the matter is settled.

Committed, Inc. owns eight restaurants in Southern California, including two branches of the Swingers’ Diner, Bar Lubitsch, Jones Hollywood, El Carmen, and the Roger Room. MacPherson is also owner of the Bowery Hotel and the Jane Hotel, and recently opened the Marlton, all in New York. His estimated net worth is $800 million.

MacPherson was unreachable for comment at the Committed, Inc.’s West Hollywood headquarters. Abraham Beltran, controller at Committed, Inc., had not returned several calls or an e-mail for comment by press time.

Manmeet Singh, legal director for United Sikhs, told India-West that his organization would initiate a boycott of MacPherson’s vast empire if the portraits are not removed within the week.

“In the teachings of Sikh religion, all intoxicants are banned,” he said. “To put up pictures of Guru Gobind Singh, and other Sikh gurus, in an environment that promotes alcohol is utterly disrespectful,” Singh stated.

with thanks : IndiaWest : LINK : for detailed news.

Man jailed for cracking offensive Sikh jokes

A Jalandhar resident, who texted offensive jokes on Sikhs to a member of the community, found himself in a legal tangle.

CHANDIGARH: Next time you crack a joke on Sikhs, think twice. A Jalandhar resident, who texted offensive jokes on Sikhs to a member of the community, found himself in a legal tangle and had to spend two weeks in jail.

Complainant Narinder Singh, who heads a Sikh organisation in Jalandhar, accused Atul Kumar of hurting his religious sentiments “by sending jokes that downgraded Sikhs”. “ Kumar had texted offensive jokes to Narinder several times. Though Narinder remained silent initially, he decided to meet Kumar when the latter texted him 15 jokes together. 

He even told Kumar that the messages were hurting him. But an unfazed Kumar didn’t stop sending such jokes to him. A disappointed Narinder filed a police complaint when Kumar sent him an objectionable picture of Asaram Bapu with girls,” Ravinderpal S. Sandhu, assistant commissioner of police, Jalandhar ( west), told M AIL TODAY . The police arrested Kumar on September 5 under section 295 ( A) and IT Act. He was released on bail two days ago.

“ I was forced to complain against Kumar. He continued to text offensive jokes to me though I requested him not to do so. One day I received 15 jokes that were in bad taste and hurt my religious sentiments,” Narinder said.

Sikh organisations have termed the incident “ an eye opener” to others and warned that cases will be registered against those crack jokes on Sikhs.

with thanks : Yahoo News : LINK

Sikhs caught in crossfire of France's battle to stay secular

France's Sikh community is ramping up a campaign for the turban to be allowed in state-funded schools amid moves to reinforce a 2004 law banning pupils from wearing religious symbols.

The contentious issue pits the cherished French principle of secularity in public life and institutions against the essence of the Sikh religion, which requires followers to keep long hair as a mark of their faith and piety and a turban to cover the tresses, worn as a bun on the top of the head.

France's Education Minister Vincent Peillon has unveiled a new charter on secularity which must be displayed in government-funded schools explaining in child-friendly language why the Jewish skullcap and the Star of David, the Sikh turban, crucifixes and the Islamic veil are taboo.

But the 30,000-strong Sikh community in France argue that they are the victims of ignorance.

They see the recent official emphasis on secularism as being primarily the result of opposition to the Islamic veil and broader tensions with the largest Muslim community in Europe, and say they have been caught in the crossfire.

"We are currently in talks with (Interior Minister) Manuel Valls to explain our unique situation and to be exempted from this law," said Kashmir Singh, a member of the management committee of the largest gurdwara or Sikh temple in France, located in the Paris suburb of Bobigny.

"We have also met Manmohan Singh asking him to put pressure on France for justice to be done," he said, referring to the Indian prime minister who is also Sikh.

Singh added: "Our children are dropping out from school or being expelled for keeping the faith. The cross, the veil and the kippa are not mandatory and are symbols. But the kesh (long hair) and the pagri (turban) are non-negotiable. They are not symbols but a sacred, inherent and intrinsic part of our religion."

with thanks : expatica : LINK : for detailed news.