Gurdwara Choa Sahib commemorates the site where Guru Nanak Dev is believed to have created a water spring during one of his (udasis).
The Pakistan government
reopened the abandoned Gurdwara and the Evacuee Trust Property Board had
unveiled a plan to reopen the Gurdwara after restoration.
A Sikh organisation based in America has adopted 19th century Gurdwara Choa Sahib in Jhelum district of Pakistan’s Punjab province for its restoration. The organisation — Ranjit Nagara — began the restoration work in August this year.
The Pakistan
government reopened the abandoned Gurdwara and the Evacuee Trust Property Board
(ETPB) had unveiled a plan to reopen the Gurdwara after restoration.
https://www.facebook.com/RANJITNAGARAUSA
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for a young boy from Amritsar whose viral video of selling golgappas on the roadside to earn his livelihood had touched the hearts of thousands of people.
The youngster was seen refusing the offer of money from an individual, and said he wanted only his hard-earned money.In reply to a question, on #AskCaptain Facebook live, Amarinder Singh said that he had also seen the video, which captured the spirit of ‘Punjabiyat’. He agreed with the citizen’s suggestion that the boy should be helped by the state government and immediately announced Rs 5 lakh.
The CM said he will ask Amritsar DC to invest the grant in a fixed deposit and the interest on it will be used for the boy’s education. “I am impressed by the grit of this young boy,” he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/impressed-by-golgappa-seller-boy-cm-amarinder-singh-announces-rs-5-lakh-grant/articleshow/78063417.cms
Sikhs of New Zealand, under leadership of Supreme Sikh Society, are known for their social activities to help people.
The Society office bearers are also known for their affection towards children, especially its spokesperson Daljit Singh is famous for his affectionate behavior towards children and is lovingly recognized as “uncle who serves them ice cream” by majority of kids.
During recently held Free Food Campaign amid COVID - 19, Daljit Singh had especially brought ice cream packs for children.
Continuing this trend, Supreme Sikh Society virtually made children’s weekend by distributing ice cream boxes to 1100 kids in Takanini Primary School and Manurewa Central School. Each box weighs one kg.
Principal of Manurewa Central School, Michelle Dibben said they thought that only one ice cream stick will be provided to each kid but it was a pleasant surprise when 600 kg ice cream arrived in the school.
School’s Executive Officer, Armeena Nagra said it was a gift of changing weather and children were very happy.
Uttam Chand Sharma worked as volunteer in Takanini School while Jaspreet Singh Rajpura volunteered in Manurewa School.
https://nzpunjabinews.com/english/8149/?fbclid=IwAR1imcrkBwUlabai6E7f4X8kYAw4trCuil2VMAFJeBS8R2n7no8M6OFPSIU
Essential services
- Sikh temple volunteers step up
What started in
Level 4 lockdown in March as an act of charity synonymous with the Sikh faith has
carried on and now includes mobilizing members of the wider community.
Behind this
mammoth effort are two teams of volunteers from beyond just the Sikh community
- from Samoan to Cook Island Maori who join others to form a massive
packing line to help fill food bags worth around $20 to $30
each.
Distributing
free food to the needy is fundamental to the Sikh religion. Daljit Singh,
spokesperson of the NZ Supreme Sikh Society says this is for everyone -
you can't turn anyone away based on their race, beliefs or
religion."
The New
Zealand Supreme Sikh Society is made of different Gurdwaras or
temples, across the country. During crisis and times of need,
resources are immediately pooled together for humanitarian
help across New Zealand or even globally.
Each food bag comprises food for a family of four for a period of two to three days. Each day of food distribution anything between 1500 and 2200 bags are given out, effectively feeding nearly 10,000 people.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/voices/audio/2018762645/essential-services-sikh-temple-volunteers-step-up
Pakistan Sikhs
want Rare Scripture in Gurdwara
The Sikhs want the 300-year-old Guru Granth Sahib to be placed inside the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, a temple situated in the heart of Lahore.
Pakistan’s
minority Sikh community want a rare, handwritten copy of the Guru Granth Sahib,
estimated to be 300 years old and currently on display at a Lahore museum, to
be placed at the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, a media report said on Thursday.
The handwritten
copy of the holy book, along with other artifacts, were received by the museum
as a donation from various individuals and organisations, according to a museum
official.
“While there is no date on it, the writing and ink shows it is more than three hundred years old,” Aliza Saba Rizvi, a researcher and in charge of the section of Lahore’s museum dedicated to Sikhism quoted .“This is a rare copy of the Guru Granth Sahib,” Rizvi said, adding that a similar copy of the holy scripture is also found at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The Sikhs want
the scripture to be placed inside the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, a temple situated in
the heart of Lahore which stands at the spot where the fifth guru of Sikhism,
Guru Arjan Dev, was martyred in 1606, the report said.
“This ancient
copy of Guru Granth Sahib must be kept in a Gurdwara Sahib,” said a senior
member of the community.
“It cannot be
kept in a closet like any ordinary book. It needs to be placed inside the
Gurdwara with the respect it deserves,” said Sardar Bishan Singh, the former
head of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC).
The community
leader said he would place the demand on the agenda during the next meeting of
the PSGPC.
Bishan Singh suggested
the Museum should transfer the rare scripture to the Gurdwara or hire a member
of the community to take care of the holy book as prescribed by Sikh
customs.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/pakistan-sikhs-want-rare-scripture-in-gurdwara/cid/1791642
Home Minister
Amit Shah says FCRA registration to Golden temple is pathbreaking move
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Government's decision to allow the Golden Temple in Amritsar to receive foreign funds is a path breaking move and it will once again showcase the outstanding spirit of service of the Sikh community.
Earlier, the
Home Ministry on Wednesday approved registration of Sri Harmandir Sahib under
the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, allowing it to receive foreign
funding. Amritsar's Golden temple is also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib.
Taking to Twitter, Shah said, "The decision on FCRA at the Sri Harmandir Sahib is a pathbreaking one which will once again showcase the outstanding spirit of service of our Sikh sisters and brothers."
Shah further went on to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is blessed that 'Wahe Guru ji' has taken 'Seva' from him.
Youth Akali Dal holds protest against social justice minister in Mohali
As Scholarship Scam Issue Heats up, It Is Dalit Students Who Have Most To Lose
Owing to
politics over the post-matric scholarship, the number of Dalit students who are
beneficiaries has reduced from 3.10 lakh in 2015-16 to 1.99 lakh in 2019-2020.
Prince Singh – a
21-year-old B. Tech (Computer Science) final year student wondering if he would get his degree, which
has been withheld by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
The son of a
labourer from Pathankot, he and hundreds of Dalit students who are
beneficiaries of the scholarship are being harassed by their colleges and
universities to pay the fees. There has been a continuous delay in the release
of scholarship funds from the Centre and the state government.
“For the past
three years, the university has held back my detailed marks certificate, which
is issued after every semester. The university has refused to give it until the
pending fee is paid. Now that this scam has been exposed, I have realised that
I am bearing the brunt of politics over scholarship,” he said.
“I could not
even appear for the campus placement because the companies required DMCs. I
also lost the chance of appearing for GATE exam, CDS, AFCAT and the University
Entry Scheme for B.Tech students to join Army and Navy as Commissioned
Officers.”
“Last October,
we met additional chief secretary (ACS) Kripa Shankar Saroj in Chandigarh and
apprised him about our problems. But the Dalit students have lost so much,” he
said.
Kripa Shankar
Saroj, the ACS of social justice, empowerment and minorities, is the same
bureaucrat who exposed the Rs 55.71 crore scam. The senior IAS officer sent a
special report to Punjab chief secretary Vini Mahajan, seeking action.
https://thewire.in/rights/punjab-post-matric-scholarship-scam-dalit-students-lose
Ideocracy was at its peak when Dal Khalsa put up posters seeking the whereabouts of ex-DGP Sumedh Saini, and while doing so, they referred to Saini, who is a mass murderer of Sikhs as a Singh.
Sumedh
Saini is absconding in Balwant Singh Multani abduction and murder case and Dal
Khalsa has announced a reward for anyone who can provide a tip that leads to
his arrest.
On September 9, the activists of Dal Khalsa pasted posters declaring Sumedh Saini as a proclaimed offender of Punjab masses and the territorial law.
Party leaders Harcharanjit Singh Dhami and Kanwarpal Singh said that the Punjab police was capable of arresting Sumedh Saini within 24 hours but the Punjab government and police are playing a friendly match with him.
“Sumedh Saini is favorite of the Indian state and he is being enshrined by some influential personalities as per the Indian government’s directions,” they said while announcing that the posters seeking Sumedh Saini will be pasted all over Punjab.
In reply to a media query regarding the legitimacy of pasting posters seeking Sumedh Saini in Punjab, Narain Singh said that their move of pasting posters is aimed at creating awareness among Punjab masses and pressurizing the government to arrest Sumedh Saini.
The Dal Khalsa
leaders also announced that they won’t refrain from moving to roads if the
government doesn’t arrest Sumedh Saini.
https://www.sikh24.com/2020/09/10/dal-khalsa-posters-seeking-sumedh-sainis-whereabouts-come-up-in-punjab-but-refer-to-mass-murderer-as-a-singh/#.X1mz8BAzbIU
For the first time Pakistan government is going to introduce religious tourism packages to attract both Sikh and Hindu devotees from across the world to visit Pakistan for offering prayers and performing their religious rituals.
Chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Aamer Ahmad informed that ETPB
had proposed to introduce different religious tourism packages to attract Sikhs
and Hindus to pay obeisance at their religious places.
“The packages can be for three days or for five days etc. , we are working on the modalities and would soon start registration of tour operators “ he said, adding that pilgrims from across the world including India could avail benefit of religious packages which would be in addition to the current movement of Hindu and Sikh religious groups from India.
He informed that Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bhukhari, special assistant to the Prime Minister Imran Khan, hailed the proposal .
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-to-launch-religious-tourism-packages-for-sikhs-and-hindus/articleshow/78023905.cms
A deputation of All Sikh Gurdwara Management
Committee today called on Advisor to Lt Governor, KK Sharma and raised several
issues related to inclusion of Punjabi as one of the official languages of
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The deputation was led by Sardar Baldev Singh, Chairman All Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee-Kashmir and of Presidents of Gurudwara Prabandak Committees of Kashmir division which included S. Santpal Singh, S. Budha Singh,Dr Tara Singh, Dr Ravi Singh, S. Inderjit Singh and S. Bupinder Singh.
The deputation referred to the recent Parliament Bill 2020 approved by the Union Cabinet, in which Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi and English have been included as the official languages of Jammu & Kashmir and Punjabi language has been excluded which is mother tongue and spoken by majority of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims living in the UT.
They maintained that language has been given the recognition and guarantee under Article 146, Schedule VI of the J&K Constitution, thus it becomes obligatory on part of the J&K Government to make all the efforts for promotion of Punjabi language in addition to other regional languages.
The Advisor while interacting with the deputationists assured them that the issue raised by them would be looked into and taken up with the concerned.
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