Sikh student gets compensation in NZ racial harassment case

Melbourne: A Sikh student has been awarded 45,000 dollars in damages by a rights tribunal in New Zealand for racial harassment and humiliation he suffered at the hands of his Indian-origin employers.

Satnam Singh told the Human Rights Tribunal he suffered racial abuse, culminating in a physical assault, while employed for two months at Scorpion Liquor in Mount Roskill, a suburban area in the city of Auckland, The New Zealand Herald reported.

Singh was also paid less than minimum wage, earning between 6 to 7 dollars an hour. Store manager Shane Singh and his mother Raj Devi, who owns the business, did not respond to the claim and took no part in proceedings.

The decision of the tribunal said Singh took the part-time job in January 2012 after coming to New Zealand on a student visa.

During his two months at Scorpion Liquor, Shane Singh frequently made racial remarks. He also made comments about Singh's long hair, a requirement for his Sikh religion.

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

Britain’s Sikh community tightens grip, asks candidates to adhere to the manifesto

LONDON: Britain's Sikh community are tightening their grip over the outcome of the upcoming general election with the Sikh Federation writing to the main candidates in over 100 constituencies urging them to adhere to their recently released election manifesto demanding allocation of a site in central London for a permanent monument to Sikhs who lost their lives in the World War 1. 

The politically active Sikh community have also called for a statutory code of practice on items of the Sikh faith in order to prevent discrimination in the workplace and public spaces besides an independent inquiry into the actions of the British government in relation to the Amritsar and Delhi massacres of 1984. 

Bhai Amrik Singh, the chair of the Sikh Federation said each candidate in the 100 constituencies are being asked to provide a general endorsement of the Sikh manifesto and indicate those items they are prepared to specifically commit to and work on if elected. 

Singh said "So far the Labour leadership continue to take the Sikh vote for granted. We will publish a summary of the responses from candidates in the 100 constituencies one month before the general election on May 7. We are also planning meetings with the leadership of the main parties to get their commitment to specific issues that will be shared widely with the 700,000 strong Sikh community. Sikh voters will then look at both the support of the party as well as the individual candidates before casting their vote". 

with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.

Argument leads to gunfire at Washington Sikh Temple

RENTON, WASH. — An argument in the parking lot of a Sikh Temple in Renton led to gunfire on Sunday, but no one was injured.

KOMO-TV reports (http://www.komonews.com ) witnesses told police two members of the (Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington) congregation were yelling at each other and attracted a crowd of bystanders.

One man suddenly pulled out a handgun and it fired into the ground when several bystanders tried to restrain him.

Renton police say no one was hurt and no weapon was recovered. Officers detained one man, but he is not likely to face any charges.

Information from: KOMO-TV, http://www.komotv.com/

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2015/03/09/4174737/argument-leads-to-gunfire-at-washington.html#storylink=cpy

Panel to resolve Nanakshashi Calendar row announced

An 18-member high-level committee was announced by five Sikh head priests after a marathon meeting here today to resolve the long pending separate Sikh Nanakshahi calendar row. 

Jathedar, Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat), Giani Gurbachan Singh said the committee would sort out issues raised by Sikh scholars and intellectuals so as to bring certain amendments. 

The number of committee members may increase, in order to have participation of all Sikh outfits, he said, adding that the names of all the members would be announced soon. 

He said that various Sikh religious outfits at home and abroad have been asked to recommend the names of their representatives within seven days to be included in the panel. 

The committee would remove all confusions and doubts with regard to the calendar by suggesting certain mandatory amendments. 

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK : for detailed news.

Pakistani minister endorses green projects at two Sikh shrines

Washington: Pakistan has endorsed a plan to explore green projects at Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib  as part of the celebration of 550th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019.

This was informed by EcoSikh, a US-based Sikh group, whose president Rajwant Singh was recently invited by first Sikh member of Pakistan's Punjab Assembly Ramesh Singh Arora.

In his meetings with government officials, Singh proposed that the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak be celebrated in a unique manner.

During his meeting with the Federal Minister of Planning Development and Reform, Ahsan Iqbal (of Narowal city in Pakistan), he discussed the possibilities of far-reaching environmental plans, a media release from the group said. Iqbal gave a positive response of forming a committee to formulate master plans.

Plans include solar panels, creating organic farmland for food, dedicating forest areas, and creating an ethos of care for thousands of pilgrims who visit the destinations of Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur every year.

with thanks : Times of Oman : LINK : for complete news.

Bold decision for growth & success !

It’s always expected that if you want to make a change, you must be bold enough, strongest as well with positive attitude. It’s the positivity of thoughts that can generate fruits even in a desert. Just think of Gujrat. It has no water or can say it has very little water, still it is the major producer of Electricity in India. What they did, they took the positive attitude & decided to use the sun light for making electricity. The result is that today they don’t have any kind of scarcity of power and it has resulted into the mega development of the state. Therefore, we must always be capable to take strong decisions for favourable responses.

One of my friend did his PHD from one of the Indian university but the placement was not that exciting. He got much lesser than what he expected. He had big plans to buy a new home, a car and all that but with that small salary he knew he can’t meet his goals.

Therefore, he took a bold decision to Start a new life. He resigned from the Job. He had done his PHD in the Power sector. He immediately applied for a loan from the bank. On viewing his qualification, bankers immediately sanctioned the loan. With that amount, he purchased a running unit related to his field and started manufacturing Solar panels.

He knew that power is a major source for the development of our country. So he decided to produce solar panels for his personal growth as well for the growth of the country. Soon he became the major producer of Solar panels in the country. He even started exporting to various countries.

He was on the path of Glory & success just because he took a bold & right decision at the right minute. Instead of doing a small job, today he has given a job to over a hundred persons in his factory.

That’s what we call the success story of a person that wanted to make a change. A person who wanted to change the trends of job seekers into job creators. He changed his thoughts & today he is a successful businessman.

Very recently, he was awarded the TOP EXPORTERS award by a top most institution of the country for his growth, development as well exports. This kind of persons who are bold enough to take strongest decisions often make the history.

Therefore, we must always look upwards if we want to achieve success in our life. There is a website named  https://housing.com/. This website offers a housing property as well all kind of new projects for the successful entrepreneurs. You too can log into this website and can also promote it by tagging @housing or +Housing-com with the hashtag #StartANewLife. A video of the concerned website, showing how to look upwards is also being produced below. You must look into it to promote yourself.

He has indeed changed his destiny. He has also given a new way of life to his employees. He is a source of encouragement & achievement for his entire staff. They all feel pround on working under his guidance. And this is just because, he was bold enough to resign from his job & take a right step. We feel proud of him.

President Obama Chooses a Sikh For Key Administration Position

The President of the United States of America Barack Obama has chosen Sikh American CEO Ajay Banga for a major administration position on his Advisory Committee for Trade and Policy Negotiations.
Ajay Banga is currently the chairman for the US India Business Council and came to India as part of Obama’s CEOs delegation.

The White House in a press release confirmed that Ajay Banga will be part of the Advisory Committee. President Obama was quoted saying “The talent and expertise these individuals bring to their roles will serve our nation well. I am grateful for their service, and look forward to working with them.”

Ajay Banga has an MBA from the IIM Ahmedabad and since 2009 is the CEO of MasterCard.Before joining MasterCard Ajay Banga held the following Positions:

Senior Management Citigroup (1996-2009)

Director For Marketing and Business Development at Pepsi Rest

He served as Director for Marketing and Business Development at PepsiCo Restaurants International India from 1994 to 1996.

Mr Banga began his career at Nestle India, where he served in various sales and management roles from 1981 to 1994.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of MasterCard and The Dow Chemical Company. He received a BA degree from St Stephen’s College of Delhi University. Ajay Banga is president and chief executive officer of MasterCard and a member of its board of directors.Prior to joining MasterCard in 2009, Mr. Banga was chief executive officer of Citigroup Asia Pacific responsible for all businesses in the region, including institutional banking, alternative investments, wealth management, consumer banking and credit cards. He joined Citigroup in 1996 and held a variety of senior management roles in the United States, Asia Pacific, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. He was also responsible for Citi’s brand marketing and from 2005-2009 oversaw its efforts in micro-finance.

Mr. Banga began his career at Nestlé, India, where for 13 years he worked on assignments spanning sales, marketing and general management. He also spent two years at Pepsi Co, where he was instrumental in launching its fast food franchises in India as the economy liberalized.

Mr. Banga is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and on the Board of the American Red Cross. He is currently chairman of the U.S.-India Business Council and was also appointed a member of the U.S.-India CEO Forum. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Round table. Mr. Banga is also a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He is also vice chair of the Business Council.

In addition, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management (SKOLKOVO), the board of the Financial Services Round table, the Economic Club of New York, the New York City Ballet and the Partnership for New York City. He also is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association and was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012.

With Thanks : Sikhs Helping Sikhs 

Celebration of Hola Mahalla at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib

With Thanks : Media DSGMC

Inauguration of Shaheed Bhai Jeevan Singh Ji Langar Hall in Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib

With Thanks : Media DSGMC

Hola Mohalla: Punjab's rich and colourful tradition

A day assigned for mock battles for his troops by the 10th guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, has come to be the symbol of Punjab's own rich religious and cultural tradition. The festival of 'Hola Mohalla', as it is known, takes place this weekend in this Sikh religious town.

Hola Mohalla, celebrated a day after Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, has carved out its own unique place in Punjab's and Sikh religion's calendar. The festival made its beginning around 1701 as Guru Gobind Singh wanted his troops to have mock battles to keep them battle ready.

Tens of thousands of Nihang Sikhs assemble in this town, home to Takht Keshgarh Sahib, the second holiest of Sikh shrines (after Harmandar Sahib or Golden Temple in Amritsar), every year to be part of the festival.

The shrine is famous as it was here that Guru Gobind Singh founded the 'Khalsa Panth', the modern day Sikh religion, in April 1699.

During the festivities, various sects (deras) of Nihangs go in a procession from the main gurdwara and pass through the holy town.

The procession then culminates at a stadium where the Nihang Sikhs perform 'Gatka', a traditional form of martial art in which age-old weapons and equipment are used to showcase mock battles.

"It is an amazing sight to see the Gatka performance. The festivity around the procession and the colourful atmosphere make it a great spectacle to watch," travel writer and author Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu told IANS.

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK : for complete news.

SHOCKING NEWS : Sikh man converts to Islam in Afghanistan

A disillusioned Sikh man from India has converted to Islam in Afghanistan's Jawzjan province and has been named Abdul Rehman, according to a media report here. 

Tota Singh has converted to Islam and has been named as Abdul Rehman in the northern Jawzjan, Pajhwok Afghan News reported. 

Singh arrived from India in Shiberghan, capital of Jawzjan province two years ago. He was thinking of converting to Islam, the report said. "After doing a lot of research, he has finally chosen Islam," he said. 

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK : for complete news.