Birth Anniversary of Professor Sahib Singh (1892-1977) : Sikh Grammarian and Theologian

ONE DAY I AIM TO REMEMBER DARPAN PAGE BY PAGE : Dr.Gurjit Singh

Respectful homage and heartiest congratulations to all on the auspicious occasion of Prof.Sahib Singh's 119th Birth Anniversary on 16th February.He has done valuable work in making Gurbani and Gurmat philosophy accessible to the Sikhs of 20th century. These included exposition of several of the Sikh sacred texts and his monumental 10-volume commentary on Sikh Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Darpan, published during 1962-64.He made a notable contribution to Punjabi prose through his essays on moral and spiritual themes,religious philosophy.

Prof.Sahib Singh's grandson Dr.Gurjit Singh( well-known Eye-Surgeon in Chandigarh) considers that it is due to his Grandfather’s blessings only that he is able to read Darpan four times. He is very sure that very few sikhs have read Darpan as it requires a lot of patience .Dr.Gurjit says“I am totally addicted to reading Sri Guru Granth Sahib darpan. I have read it from first page to last page four times.More I read it ...more I love it ...One day I aim to remember it page by page.I am amazed with the thought that from where Prof.Sahib Singh got knowledge and the energy to do such an impossible task.He must have been chosen by the Almighty to do such great task”.

New Akshay Kumar Film Criticized As Hurting Sikh Sentiment

AMRITSAR – Sharply reacting to what it dubbed scenes hurting sentiments of the Sikh community, the All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) today flayed Nikhil Advani, director of the forthcoming Akshay Kumar-starrer, “Patiala House”, which is all set to be released on Friday.

In a statement released here, AISSF chief Karnail Singh Peer Mohammed alleged that the film, “Patiala House”, “portrays an incident, in which a Sikh youth gets his hair cut for playing cricket, as a trivial episode”.

He termed the film as one against the Sikh rehat maryada (code of conduct). The federation leaders alleged that such films were being made under a well-planned conspiracy. They said the film’s producer, Bhushan Kumar, and director, Nikhil Advani, should release the film only after cutting the “objectionable scenes”.

with thanks : thelinkpaper : link above for detailed news.

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Don't mention caste in census, SGPC asks Sikhs

AMRITSAR: President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Avtar Singh Makkar has appealed to Sikhs not to mention their caste during the ongoing nationwide census.

"Sikhs in India must mention their religion as Sikh, Punjabi as mother tongue and humanity as their caste," Makkar said on Friday. He also asked all Sikh men and women to suffix Singh and Kaur after their names. "This will help establish the distinct identity of Sikhs," he added. 

with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.

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Sikh passengers forced to remove turbans for security check in Italy

President of Indian Overseas Congress in Italy Karamjit Singh Dhillon, while addressing mediapersons accompanied by senior Congress leader and MLA from Bholath constituency in Kapurthala district Sukhpal Singh Khaira here yesterday, claimed that he was asked by the Italian Immigration check authorities at the Rome airport to remove his turban for security check.

He alleged that ten other Sikh passengers, accompanying him, were also directed to remove their turbans for security check.

''When I refused to remove my turban in full public view, I was taken to a room where I removed my turban,'' Mr Dhillon said.

He said this was for the first time that he was forced to do so in the last 27 years he was living in Italy. He was to leave for India via Doha from Rome airport.

with thanks : new kerala : link above for detailed news.

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Delhi HC asks Centre to decide on ‘blacklisted’ 169 Sikhs

The Delhi High Court today directed the Centre to take a decision on the plea of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management (DSGM) to allow the entry of 169 Sikhs who were blacklisted and barred from entering India during the days of Khalistani extremism. 

A division Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna directed the Home Secretary to take a decision in eight weeks and disposed of a PIL for review of the list. 

Filing its petition through senior advocate K T S Tulsi, the DSGM pleaded the list of 169 Sikhs should be reviewed as it has led to "unnecessary harassment" to various individuals at different airports and embassies across the world due to non-renewal of their passports by Indian government. 

Appearing before the Bench, Tulsi apprised it of a recent case involving Mayor of Slough (UK) Joginder Singh Bal who had been sent back from Delhi airport on the ground that his name figured in the blacklist. 

with thanks : Indian Express : link above for detailed news.

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Swiss gurdwara donor drug dealer?

AMRITSAR: Activities in the only gurdwara with classical Sikh architecture in Switzerland have come to a standstill with the police of the European country booking the main donor for allegedly indulging in drug- trafficking and money laundering.

The Sikh NRI Ranjit Singh Masuta on Wednesday blamed the Swiss police for allegedly implicating him in false cases and causing him huge financial losses, due to which, he was not in a position to support the activities in the gurdwara built on land donated by him.

Sikh Foundation of Switzerland that manages the Gurdwara Sahib and a representative body of Sikhs there have decided to defend Masuta in the 2005 case, in which he was later given a clean chit, foundation chairman Karan Singh said on Wednesday. The foundation hired two lawyers to contest the case and called a meeting of Sikhs of Europe to muster support for the donor. 

 

with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.

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SGPC, DSGMC on war path again

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) are once again at loggerheads; this time over a word in the form for registering new Sikh voters for the next SGPC elections. 

DSGMC office-bearers have blamed SGPC for playing with basic Sikh tenets by interpreting the word ‘patit’ (disqualified Sikh) as one who indulges in ‘dhumarpaan’ (smoking), contrary to Sikh Gurdwara Act-1925 that uses the word to mean ‘use of tobacco’. 

Former SGPC Secretary, Manjit Singh Calcutta, a close confidant of DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna, said SGPC has ignored the major discrepancy. “The SGPC has resorted to an anti-Panthic and anti-religious act by allowing changes by Gurdwara Election Commission — using the word ‘dhumarpaan’ instead of ‘using tobacco’. This means that anyone using paan-masala, gutka, paan and khaini, which usually contain tobacco, is not disqualified as a Sikh”, he said. 

with thanks : Indian Express : link above for detailed news.

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Alexandra Aitken, daughter of former government minister Jonathan, has married a devout Sikh

Demonstration of Sikh Martial Art(Gatka)at SURAJKUND MELA

Surge of immigrants from India baffles border officials in Texas

Reporting from Harlingen, Texas —

Thousands of immigrants from India have crossed into the United States illegally at the southern tip of Texas in the last year, part of a mysterious and rapidly growing human-smuggling pipeline that is backing up court dockets, filling detention centers and triggering investigations.

The immigrants, mostly young men from poor villages, say they are fleeing religious and political persecution. More than 1,600 Indians have been caught since the influx began here early last year, while an undetermined number, perhaps thousands, are believed to have sneaked through undetected, according to U.S. border authorities.

Hundreds have been released on their own recognizance or after posting bond. They catch buses or go to local Indian-run motels before flying north for the final leg of their months-long journeys.

"It was long … dangerous, very dangerous," said one young man wearing a turban outside the bus station in the Rio Grande Valley town of Harlingen.

The Indian migration in some ways mirrors the journeys of previous waves of immigrants from far-flung places, such as China and Brazil, who have illegally crossed the U.S. border here. But the suddenness and still-undetermined cause of the Indian migration baffles many border authorities and judges.

The trend has caught the attention of anti-terrorism officials because of the pipeline's efficiency in delivering to America's doorstep large numbers of people from a troubled region. Authorities interview the immigrants, most of whom arrive with no documents, to ensure that people from neighboring Pakistan or Middle Eastern countries are not slipping through.

 

with thanks : latimes : link above for detailed news.

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'Let a Sikh head Punjab and Sind Bank'

CHANDIGARH: Following a query by PMO on why only a Sikh should always head the Punjab and Sind Bank, and amidst arguments put across by various Sikh leaders to continue with the tradition, Congress MP Pratap Bajwa has now written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to select a Sikh for the job. 

With thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.

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