Sikh bodies seek ban on Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's debut film Messenger of God

Controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's yet-to-be-released film Messenger of God (MSG) has kicked off a controversy even before its release.

Various Sikh organisations are up in arms against the dera chief's debut film MSG which is slated for a January 16 release .

All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) on Sunday said that it will soon move the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a ban on the film. AISSF president Karnail Singh Peermohammad said even the film's teaser is controversial as it shows the dera chief challenging people (Sikhs) with his dialogue "Jo hamse takrayega" (who will try to confront me).

Read more from the LINK at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gurmeet-ram-rahim-msg-messenger-of-god-dera-sacha-sauda-aissf-karnail-singh-peermohammad/1/408189.html

110-year-old 'Christmas- loving' Sikh is oldest man in Britain

LONDON: An Indian origin 110-year-old man will be celebrating his 111th Christmas in 2014. 

Nazer Singh, who was born in Punjab and had not heard of Christmas until he moved to England in 1965, said that since he came to England he takes pride in receiving gifts and giving presents, but he is running out of items to ask for, the Daily Express reported. 

The ex-labourer, who lives with the 61-year-old son Chain in Sunderland, is planning to spend the day with family, won't be seeing all his nine children, 34 grandchildren and 63 great-grandchildren. 

Chain said that they always get warm clothes and whisky for Singh, who is the 3rd oldest man in the world after two 111-year-old Japanese men, Sakari Momoi and Yasutaro Koide.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

$7K of items stolen from Sikh temple in Jacksonville

with thanks : actionnews : LINK

SIKH MAN IN FACEBOOK AD PERFECTLY RESPONDS TO RACISM

VISHAVJIT SINGH, THE SIKH CAPTAIN AMERICA, WAS FEATURED IN A RECENT FACEBOOK AD, BUT MANY RESPONDED WITH HATEFUL COMMENTS. HIS REACTION WAS BEAUTIFUL.

Facebook has regularly been releasing advertisements called “Facebook Tips.” They are generally around 27 seconds long, and explain to you how to have a better Facebook experience. Vishavjit Singh, the star of a recent ad, just happens to be a Sikh American. In the video, he discusses how your likes affect your timeline. However, Facebook users rarely miss a moment to bash on something, releasing their steady stream of hateful references.

with thanks : world religion news : LINK : for detailed report.

Sikhs have a separate identity, says Badal

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17

Indicating that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is going back to its Panthic agenda, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that the Sikhs had a separate identity that must be preserved.

He said the SAD would ask the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana to repeal the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Act enacted by the earlier Hooda government.

Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, SAD Member of Parliament, has moved a private member’s Bill in the Rajya Sabha, seeking an amendment to Article 25 (b) of the Constitution which clubs the Sikhs with Hindus.

This is the third such attempt, but the timing is significant. With the RSS reportedly making inroads in Punjab villages, amid speculation that the BJP may go it alone in the next Assembly elections, the SAD is looking at consolidating the Sikh vote bank.

with thanks : Tribune : LINK : for detailed news.

American Idol's First Sikh Contestant is Back in the Spotlight

Like most performers, Gurpreet Singh Sarin will never forget the first time he performed live on stage. But unlike most, this singer's first public performance had an audience of millions, as he took the American Idol stage to sing Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" for the show's judges and everyone watching at home.

"It was the first time I ever performed with a band," said Sarin, the first-ever Sikh contestant, in what was then 12 seasons of the singing competition.

The University of Maryland grad says that prior to auditioning for the show, his musical background was rooted in Indian classical and devotional music. "I saw a lot of connections between Indian ragas and the blues and jazz music," Sarin said. That connection led him to start posting his own covers of popular R&B songs to YouTube.

with thanks : nbsnews : LINK : for detailed news report.

Countdown to new memorial for WW1 Indian heroes

Pictures have been unveiled of a new permanent memorial in honour of the Indian soldiers who fought during World War One.

The "WW1 Sikh Memorial" will take the form of a statue at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, and it will commemorate around 130,000 Sikh soldiers who fought in the Great War.

A national campaign for the permanent memorial began back in August. Work is now well underway for the statue, and it is due to be unveiled in a special ceremony at the Arboretum in March next year.

Despite only making up 1% of the Indian population at the time, the Sikh contribution to the war efforts is recognised as remarkable. They constituted 20% of the British and Indian Army and were represented in more than a third of regiments at the time.

with thanks : itv : LINK : for detailed news with more pics.

Shilanayaas of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University !

Shilanayaas of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha Vishva Vidyalay in East Delhi by HRD Minister Smriti Jubin Israni. Pic with thanks from : Jivan Rastogi

Helmets for Sikh women : Hindustan Times

Sikhs advocacy group ask US lawmakers to ensure religious liberty in military

WASHINGTON: Sikhs enjoy greater religious liberty in the militaries of countries like India, Canada and Britain than the US, a Sikh advocacy group has said, presenting a case for removal of barriers for the members of the community to join armed forces in America.

"Sikh service members in the militaries of Canada, India, and the United Kingdom can expect to enjoy a greater measure of religious liberty than their peers in the United States," the Sikh Coalition said in a written submission to the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military personal.

with thanks : Economic Times : LINK : for detailed news.

U.S. Based Eco-Sikh Backs Water Conservation Efforts In India

WASHINGTON – Eco-Sikh, a Washington based organization, has launched a water conservation programme in India’s Punjab state amid reports of severe groundwater depletion there and other parts of Northern India.

Eco-Sikh’s Punjab team is actively working to teach locals about how and why they should conserve water and live in harmony with the Earth, it said.

The group has also asked the Punjabi diaspora to relay environmentally-friendly practices to their counterparts in India by teaching them how to farm plants that use less groundwater.

CBS News’ 60 Minutes programme last week highlighted with satellite images how Punjab and rest of India are losing groundwater at an alarming rate posing an impending disaster.

“The evidence is credible that the food basket of India is in serious danger and this issue should be treated with urgency and with immediate action by the state and central governments,” Eco-Sikh President Rajwant Singh said.

“When people in Punjab do not have access to water because it is being overused, the results will be disastrous,” said India Project Manager, Ravneet Singh.

In the U.S. too, California is facing its fourth year of summer droughts, which has forced residents to take major steps to conserve water, such as not irrigating their land and taking shorter showers, Eco Sikh noted.

Like in Punjab, Californian farmers must find new ways to conserve water, or else face major water droughts that will leave their plots of land like deserts, said Eco-Sikh’s U.S. programme manager, Sumeet Kaur.

with thanks : thelinkpaper : LINK