Sikh group seeks action against Nath in Belgium

New York: A US-based Sikh advocacy group has approached the Belgium government seeking criminal prosecution and arrest of Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, who is scheduled to visit Belgium next week, for his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

In a letter sent to Belgium Prime Minister Yves Leterme, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has said Nath should be denied entry into the country and criminal prosecution must be initiated against him.

Nath is scheduled to attend and address the 5th EuroIndia Summit on October 13, 2011 in Leuven, Belgium.

with thanks : IBNLive : link above for detailed news.

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Khalsa college to digitise rare books and manuscripts

AMRITSAR: Khalsa college will digitize the rich Sikh treasure including rare books, manuscripts and hand written documents during the times of Sikh Gurus, presently preserved in the 81 years old Sikh museum.

While talking to TOI on Monday, principal of the college Dr Daljit Singh informed that the museum, which was established in 1930, houses more than 6274 books which include rare books in English and Punjabi dating back to 16th and 17th century.

He said there were hundreds of manuscripts and documents in Urdu, Sanskrit and Persian also, apart from newspaper and magazine as old as 1904. The Museum also has weapons belonging to the times of Khalsa Army and other Sikh Wars besides old coins of Sikh era. It is a treasure house for the Sikh history and culture. Hundreds of students use the documents for their research activities.


with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.

Festive gathering takes ugly turn

An Indian wrestling tournament at a Sikh temple outside Lodi turned into a real brawl Sunday, forcing deputies to halt the major event and disperse thousands of people.

An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 fans of the Indian wrestling game kabaddi gathered at Deshmesh Darbar Sikh Temple outside Lodi for the tournament, billed as "The 1st World Cup."

But a controversial referee's call during the finals led to a melee among fans, said San Joaquin County Sheriff's Deputy Les Garcia.

"It got to a point where it got so physical that they were throwing chairs at one another," Garcia said.

The presence of 144 players in the open and under-21 divisions made the tournament one of the major kabaddi events in Northern California, organizers said.

Many Sikhs from the Indian state of Punjab grow up playing kabaddi. They bring their love of it to America.

The event also is a religious observance, food festival and basketball shootout.

The fight erupted as the Bay Area Sports Club was playing Sacramento in the under-21 division. The same Bay Area Sports Club was up against Lodi in the open division. At stake in each division was 398,296 rupees, or about $8,100.

Around 5:30 p.m., a referee made the disputed call. Some fans later said they believed the ref had been paid off.

"We were just watching the game, then just suddenly there's an argument and fights broke out and we see the police," said Suki Kandola, mother of one of the best-known players, Sunni Kandola.

Deputies on the scene and private security could not stop the fight from spreading into a melee that ranged across the temple's 10-acre site.

"Once the deputies responded to that area, then they would move, then another fight would break out," Garcia said. "So there was a continuous wave of physical fights throughout the property."

Multiple sheriff's units rushed to the scene. Lodi police dispatched five cruisers, including a K-9 unit. The California Highway Patrol also sent units to the scene.

"It was a mess," said Lodi police Lt. Tod Patterson. "People were throwing tables. It didn't end well."

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A different kind of wrestling at local Sikh temple

They're dressed in nothing but shorts as they duke it out on a pile of dirt. They get bruises, cuts and even bone fractures as 10 teams from Sikh temples throughout California and beyond compete in a way that most Americans wouldn't dream of.

More than 3,000 people crammed the grounds outside the Deshmesh Darbar Sikh Temple on Sunday for a full day of wrestling, basketball, volleyball, eating and praying at an annual event in the southern outskirts of Lodi. The festivities even included a 71-year-old Sikh man lifting a 125-pound weight.

Sikhs from east India wrestle in a much different way than is common in the United States. In America, wrestling matches are typically held in a gymnasium and on a mattress so the athletes won't endure much pain.

But at the Sikh temple, they follow a tradition from their homeland — matches are held outdoors, on dirt, while sporting bare chests and feet.

"It's a very tough game," said Ajitpal S. Kahlon, president of the Lodi-based temple at Armstrong Road and West Lane. "The game started in the (Indian) villages."

The matches, called Kabaddi, feature a wrestler from one team challenging four wrestlers from the opposing team. The single wrestler chooses one of his opponents, and the two of them go at it on the dirt.

Ten teams came to Lodi on Sunday for the tournament, including one squad from England and another from Canada, said Amarjit Bedi, a trustee at the Deshmesh Darbar Temple. The remainder came from parts of California, including Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno and the Bay Area.

"Everybody loves this game," San Francisco resident Kuldip Singh said.

Singh, who went to a tournament last weekend in Lathrop, brought his 8-year-old son, Mandeep Singh, to watch the wrestling and see how the matches operate. Young Mandeep said he'd like to someday wrestle in a ring like the one he saw in Lodi.

with thanks : link above for detailed news.

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Sikhs protest in London against "intimidation, disrespect" during airports' turban searches

LONDON: Sikhs have been protesting atLondon Parliament Square against "intimidation and disrespect" of their turbans being searched at European airports. 

The protest was organized by a cable TV station based in Birmingham and London, the Sikh Channel, and similar protests were held inBrussels, Rome and Madrid, The Independent reports. 
The turban, known as a Dastar, is regarded as a symbol of Sikh identity.

A Sikh Channel employee, Amar Deep Singh, travelled from Derby to participate in the protest. 


with thanks : Times of India : link a bove for detailed news.

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Sikhs demand investigation into “disrespect” at European airports

Britain's Sikh community has called for an investigation into allegations of “intimidation and disrespect” suffered by turban-wearing Sikhs at European airports, following complaints that they are forced to remove their turbans for security check even after they have successfully passed through scanners.

Hundreds of Sikhs held a rally outside Parliament demanding an end to “discrimination” against turban-wearing Sikhs and urging the British government to take up the issue with its European allies.

They said the turban, known as “Dastar,” was an important part of Sikh identity and its forcible removal was an “infringement” of their faith.

Similar protests were held in several other European capitals, including, Rome, Madrid and Brussels.

Rami Ranger, Chairman of the British Sikh Association, said the turban symbolised “the Sikh Gurus' commitment to human freedom…The Sikhs with their turbans paid supreme sacrifices in both the Great Wars and changed the course of world history. It is important that in their time of need to preserve their identity, the world repays that debt to them,” he said.

The protesters alleged that turban-wearing Sikhs were being singled for extra security checks.

with thanks : the Hindu : Link above for detailed news.

High priests demand murder charges for showing disrespect to Granth Sahib

AMRITSAR: Sikh clerics have asked Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar to impress upon the Central government to issue directions for registration of cases under Section 302 (murder) instead of Hurting Religious Sentiments (295 A) in cases of disrespect shown to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, considered as 'living Guru' by Sikhs, reasoning that even the Supreme Court had declared Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a 'juristic person'.

Talking to media persons after holding a meeting of five Sikh high priests on Monday, Jathedar ofAkal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh said that in recent past incidents of disrespect to Sri Guru Granth Sahib had increased and there was dire need to implement stringent laws to punish the culprits.

with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.