Sunday, June 14, 2020
Australia News Heading"'If you want anything done, get the Sikhs': community wins admirers for bushfire and Covid aid"
Group serves up thousands of hot meals to Australians and international students in needDuring the pandemic, the United Sikhs and Sikh communities have been vital in organising food relief in some of Victoria’s most economically vulnerable areas. At the Wyndham Park community centre in Melbourne,they have been providing hundreds of hot meals a week.
“My mantra is if you want anything done you get the Sikhs involved,” says Greg Ferrington, who managers the centre. “They can just put a list up on Facebook and within 24 hours they can turn it around and get what they need, that’s just the ethos in the community.”
Among those the Sikh community has been helping in Australia are international students, who have been widely excluded from government assistance.
Jatinder Singh, a master’s student at Victoria University, lost his job at a restaurant when the lockdown began and, within a few weeks, he and his roommates were struggling to buy food.
“I was still having to pay rent and pay my university fees … We thought we might need to cut out our meals,” he says. “I was thinking like, ‘Man, I’m gonna have just one meal a day.’
“I was thinking maybe I can get some money from family back home but in India it is worse, they have lost their jobs and, with the lockdown, they can’t even get to the bank … I can’t even fly home”.
Jatinder found the United Sikhs through Facebook, filled out their form and the next day two bags of groceries were dropped off at his door. “To be honest I was crying … it’s been really really bad.”
The student is Sikh himself but the vast majority of the students and families they have fed are not.
Though religious-based charities are commonplace, Sekhon says sometimes people worry that the United Sikhs have ulterior motives for helping.
“It has come up and we have been addressing it, but there are no pamphlets or anything that we are handing out that tell people who we are, or anything that could possibly try and convert anyone at all,” Sekhon says. “If people have questions then we will answer them, but that’s all.”
Singh says the organisation is working to become more widely accepted within Australia.
“We want to be part of the mainstream. People do look on us in a different way but we want to just remove those differences. Like, ‘Hey, we look different but we want to be part of the community, we want to help create a better community for the future.’”
While some Bairnsdale locals were tentative at first, Sekhon says by the end of the bushfire crisis his team were part of the community.
“For the first two or three days, it was about building the relationship but then we mingled in together and it was sort of like a family situation,” he says. “By the end we didn’t want to go back, even though we had family waiting for us. It was like a second home for us.
“We still get messages saying thank you and people posting to Facebook to remind others that if they are ever in need that the Sikh community or your local Sikh temple will give you whatever you need, or whatever they possibly can give you.”
The United Sikhs volunteers in Bairnsdale: ‘We want to be part of the mainstream.SDR. HARMEET SINGH KALKA ANNOUCES THE DELHI STATE UNIT OF SHIROMANI AKALI DAL.
Media DSGMC
Saturday, June 13, 2020
The unaffordable & inadequate health facilities in Delhi may lead to ?
At this rate, we will soon require a Dozen more crematoriums in Delhi as Pvt hospitals are unaffordable & Govt has nothing for the common man on the name of health facilities.
Staying Safe in Covid -19 Pandemic :Free Webinar Series
A Nurse & a Doctor Talk Challenges of Coping with Covid-19 Pandemic :Dr. Kanwaljeet Kaur Maken and Nurse Practitioner Shabana Ahmad
During this global crisis in addition to responding to the urgent needs with meals, groceries, medical supplies for vulnerable populations and frontline workers, our webinar series serves the broader need for latest expertise on best coping strategies for living in this pandemic as lockdown rules are opened up.
In the fifth edition of this series on June 13th, 2020 at 12:00pm PST, Dr. Kanwaljeet Kaur Maken and Nurse Practitioner Shabana Ahmad both working in Riverside, California will talk about the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic and how their lives have been transformed. They have treated many patients with Covid-19, quarantined themselves, spent days away from their loved ones to keep themselves and their families safe.
Please register now and share this invitation with friends, family, co-workers and anyone you feel will benefit from this much needed expertise in these challenging times.
"Stay safe, well and spread kindness!"
Link" https://unitedsikhs.org/invite-a-nurse-a-doctor-talk-challenges-of-coping-with-covid-19-pandemic/
“Equality is to be earned and fought for" :Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter – UNITED SIKHS Joins Nationwide Protests
Following the shocking murder of George Floyd, the world witnessed people across the globe uniting to raise their voice against systemic racism and police brutality. In support of the racial justice movement in the United States, UNITED SIKHS volunteers distributed meal packages consisting of vegetarian food and water bottles to the protesters at Los Angeles City Hall.
UNITED SIKHS along with Mayor Ali Taj, participated in the candlelight vigil held in the memory of George Floyd in the City of Artesia, California.
“Equality is to be earned and fought for. The death of George Floyd is evident that we still have a long way to go. Sikhs have always stood for justice and freedom and stand with Black Lives Matter as this is the need of the hour,” said Meetan Kaur, Associate Director of UNITED SIKHS.
Participating in the Hungry for Change Rally in Dallas, Gurvinder Singh, UNITED SIKHS International Director for Humanitarian Aid said, “UNITED SIKHS strongly believes that silence is not an option during times of crises and need. We must rise and join our brothers and sisters who are peacefully protesting to ensure that justice for all rings true for all. Black Lives Matter must resonate as those who have been marginalized must be allowed to come forth from the shadows. Sikh history is replete of standing against oppression and we must continue to carry that legacy forth.”
Langar (community kitchen) seva (selfless service) by the Sikh community is a common form of service through reverence and UNITED SIKHS volunteers demonstrated that with action to assist the Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. If you would like to help serve in a local protest or if you or someone you know needs help with food, daily essentials, PPE or legal assistance, please call our national helpline UMEED at (855)-878-6333.
Remember to practice your faith fearlessly and follow it up with tangible actions to make this world more robust and just for us all. We owe it to our history, we owe it to our elders, we owe it to our children and we owe it to ourselves.
"Till justice rains down on all."
2020’s Pilgrimage to Sri Hemkunt Sahib suspended for indefinite time
CHANDIGARH,Punjab—In the wake of prevailing unfavorable circumstances due to coronavirus pandemic, the annual pilgrimage to hilly Sikh shrine Gurdwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib has been suspended for an indefinite period. Notably, the pilgrimage to Sri Hemkunt Sahib usually begins in June every year and lasts till September.
Narinderjit Singh Bindra, vice president of Sri Hemkunt Sahib Management Trust, has informed that they have decided to suspend annual pilgrimage for an indefinite time as the government has also not released any advisory in this concern. “It’s not possible to make adequate arrangements for the pilgrimage without the government’s support,” he added.
Sewa Singh, the manager of Gurdwara Gobind Ghat, informed that he visited Sri Hemkunt Sahib on May 23 to take stock of the situation. “A 25 feet thick and 300 feet long layer of snow is present at Atlakoti (near Sri Hemkunt Sahib) due to more snowfall this,” he said while adding that the building of Gurdwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib is surrounded by 12-15 feet thick layer of snow.
It is pertinent to note here that the snow deposited on the path leading to Sri Hemkunt Sahib is removed by the India Military every year.
https://www.sikh24.com/2020/05/25/2020s-pilgrimage-to-sri-hemkunt-sahib-suspended-for-indefinite-time/#.XuQ7GtUzbIUFriday, June 12, 2020
2nd Lt. Anmol Kaur Narang :Indian-American makes history as first observant Sikh to graduate from West Point
Sikhs have been always making their community proud by their achievements around the world. Amid the coronavirus tension, Anmol Kaur Narang has become the first Sikh girl to graduate from West Point – The U.S. Military Academy.
President Trump was scheduled to give the commencement address to the Class of 2020.
A second-generation immigrant born and raised in Roswell, Georgia, 2LT Narang was influenced early in life to join the military by her ancestral history, according to a press release from the Sikh Coalition, a U.S.-based advocacy organization.
Narang’s maternal grandfather served in the Indian Army. She began her application for West Point the afternoon after her family visited Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
Narang’s maternal grandfather served in the Indian Army. She began her application for West Point the afternoon after her family visited Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
She attended one year of undergraduate study at the Georgia Institute of Technology before transferring to West Point, where she studied nuclear engineering with the objective of joining the air defense systems in the U.S. armed forces.
Second Lt. Narang said she was excited and honored to fulfill her dream of graduating from West Point. “The confidence and support of my community back home in Georgia has been deeply meaningful to me, and I am humbled that in reaching this goal, I am showing other Sikh Americans that any career path is possible for anyone willing to rise to the challenge,” Narang is quoted saying in the press release.
She will complete her Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Sill in Lawton, OK., following which she will head to her first posting in Okinawa, Japan in January of 2021.
In 1987, Congress passed a law that prohibited Sikhs and several other religious communities from maintaining their articles of faith while in the military.
The Sikh Coalition has led a campaign, in partnership with other civil rights organizations, to get equality of opportunity for all who observed the tenets of their religion by wearing a turban for example.
“While 2LT Narang required no accommodation for her articles of faith, her exemplary service to date underscores how diversity and pluralism remain core strengths of the U.S. military and the country as a whole,” the Sikh Coalition said.
“The broader acceptance of Sikh servicemembers among all of the service branches, as well as in top tier leadership spaces like West Point, will continue to benefit not just the rights of religious minority individuals, but the strength and diversity of the U.S. military,” said U.S. Army Captain (CPT) Simratpal Singh, a family friend of 2LT Narang and a former Sikh Coalition client, according to the press release.
Twitter has been flooded with congratulatory posts for the achievement by Anmol. She will be leading all the men and women officers after her training
Twitter has been flooded with congratulatory posts for the achievement by Anmol. She will be leading all the men and women officers after her training
‘It’s brought communities together’: How Teesside’s Sikh community in UK has responded to covid-19 by helping others
Sikh volunteers preparing meals for emergency services and vulnerable people. (L-R) Sahab Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Haravinderjeet Singh, Jagat Pargash Singh, Fatehjeet Singh and Dilibagh Singh.
Middlesbrough has had a rich Sikh community since the 1940s.
The first Gurdwara, being the name for a Sikh place of worship, was established on Southfield Road in the 1960s but moved to the larger current premises on Lorne Street in 1990.
Fatehjeet Singh president of Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji Gurdwara, Lorne Street, Middlesbrough
“One of the pillars of the Sikh religion is voluntary service to mankind, and the Sikh community has been on the front line wherever food has been needed”, says Fatehjeet.
“ Beginning in March, we have been serving hundreds of meals to local hospitals”, says Fatehjeet Singh.
When Covid-19 was at its first peak, some of the hospital staff were working 11 hours shifts without the chance of a break.Prepared each Thursday morning from 6am, the food is distributed along with a bottle of water: 300 meals to James Cook Universty Hospital , 250 meals to Cleveland Constabularies and 50 meals to Cleveland Fire Brigade.
Sikhs at Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji Gurdwara, Middlesbrough, have been cooking and providing meals for emergency services and those in need
With closures and social distancing due to Covid-19, the Sikh community have stayed connected although remaining apart.“It’s affecting us quite badly, but we have channels from big Sikh communities”, says Fatehjeet, including online meetings from London and Birmingham.
As well as encouraging the congregation to pray from home, there are online hymns and holy scripts being read in various online meetings for people to access.
“I don’t know how people will take to life after, we’ve learnt a lot from it and it’s brought communities together more”, added Fatehjeet.
Staying in contact the best they can, the congregation are grateful that there has been no Covid-19 related fatalities in the Middlesbrough Sikh community.
As part of the weekly ‘Clap for Carers’ initiative, Fatehjeet has felt humbled and connected by the amount of people who have supported key workers and our NHS during this difficult time.
“It’s brought neighbours together”, he added, looking at the positives that have arisen from this challenging time.
Whether people have had problems with their mental health or drugs, we serve mankind no matter who you are”, added Fatehjeet.
Long before Covid-19, our Sikh community has cared for those around them, and throughout this current crisis they have gone the extra mile to feed and care for Teessiders.
Link:https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/its-brought-communities-together-how-18341520Sikh British MP demands probe into Thatcher gov’t’s role in Operation Bluestar
Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Tanmanjeet Singh Deshi has called for an independent inquiry into former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her government’s alleged involvement in Operation Bluestar.
Deshi, who is the United Kingdom’s first turbaned Sikh MP, raised the matter in the House of Commons on the 36th anniversary of the raid on Golden Temple that was carried out by Indian forces at the orders of then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The desecration of the Sikh shrine in Amritsar in 1984 to flush out violent extremists had attracted widespread criticism for Gandhi and eventually led to her assassination at the hands of her own bodyguards later that year. Subsequently there was widespread violence against Sikhs across India, a pogrom that was carried out, allegedly, with full blessings of the then Congress government.
"Despite recent revelations and given the huge demand from within the British Sikh community and the support of the Labour party and other Opposition parties, an independent inquiry to establish the extent of the Thatcher government's involvement in the attack has still not been held," Deshi reportedly told the Parliament.
To this, Leader of the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, reportedly responded by acknowledging that it was an “important anniversary” and said, “I have every confidence that Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest leaders this country has ever had, would always have behaved properly.”
The demand for an inquiry originally arose a few years ago when it was discovered that the British military had ‘advised’ Indian forces prior to the operation. This led the then British PM David Cameron to order an internal review. Subsequently a statement was made in the British Parliament that Britain's role had been purely “advisory” and the Special Air Service (SAS) advice had “limited impact” on the operation.
पंजाब चुनावों के लिए शिरोमणी अकाली दल ने कमर कसी
पंजाब चुनावों के लिए शिरोमणी अकाली दल ने कमर कसी
पंथ की सबसे बड़ी नुमाईंदा जत्थेबंदी शिरोमणी अकाली दल जिस की स्थापना के अगले वर्ष 100 वर्ष पूरे होने जा रहे हैं। भारत की सबसे पुरानी पार्टी का सम्मान जिसके हिस्से में आया है। शिरोमणी अकाली दल के अब तक के इतिहास में यह बात सुनिहरी अक्षरों में लिखी गई है कि पार्टी ने यहाँ पर अपनी धार्मिक मान्यताओं पर पूरी तरह से पहरा दिया है वहीं पर देश की आजादी में भी अपना अहम योगदान दिया है। इस पार्टी के मौजूदा अध्यक्ष स. सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने 2022 में होने वाले पंजाब विधानसभा चुनावों को देखते हुए एक बार फिर से पार्टी का पुर्नगठन किया है। पार्टी के पुर्नगठन का मकसद यही था कि पंजाब के हर जिले को पूरी तरह से शिरोमणी अकाली दल में स्थान दिया जाये। पार्टी अभी से जमीनी स्तर पर कार्यकत्ताओं को अपने साथ जोडने की कवायद शुरू कर दी है।
स. सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने दूरअंदेशी का पालन करते हुए पंजाब के लोगों का फिर से विश्वास हासिल करने के लिए उनकी कचहिरी में जाने की कोशिशें शुरू कर दी हैं। जिक्र योग्य बात यह है कि 2017 के विधानसभा चुनावों में पार्टी को पंजाब में बुरी तरह से शिकस्त का सामना करना पड़ा था। इसलिए स. बादल ने अब नई रणनीति खेलते हुए अभी से ही पार्टी का पुर्नगठन कर दिया है। पार्टी के अंदर कुछ नये पदाधिकारी शामिल किये हैं और कई पुराने चेहरों पर फिर से विश्वास भी प्रगट किया है। इसी के साथ ही स. बादल ने विरोधियों को भी घेरने का कोई अवसर नहीं छोड़ा। जिस कारण आज विपक्षी पार्टियों के पास कोई मुद्दा नहीं रह गया है।
हित कोर कमेटी में शामिल शिरोमणी अकाली दल के अध्यक्ष स. सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने पार्टी के पुर्नगठन में दिल्ली के वरिष्ठ अकाली नेता व पटना साहिब कमेटी के अध्यक्ष स. अवतार सिंह हित को अपनी 20 मैंबरी कमेटी में शामिल करके पूरी दिल्ली के सिक्खों का मान बढ़ाया। शिरोमणी गुरद्वारा प्रबंधक कमेटी की पूर्व अध्यक्ष बीबी जागीर कौर भी फिर से स्त्री विंग की प्रधान बनाया गया है। इसी के साथ ही स. बादल ने यूथ अकाली दल का अध्यक्ष स. परमबंस सिंह बंटी रोमाना को बनाकर यह संदेश देने की कोशिश की है कि पार्टी नौजवानों को साथ लेकर चलना चाहती है। नौजवान किसी भी पार्टी की रीढ की हड्डी माने जाते हैं। इसीलिए बंटी रोमाना की पार्टी प्रति सेवाओं को देखते हुए उनको विशेष तौर पर नई जिम्मेवारी सौंपी गई है। दिल्ली कमेटी मैंबर व पटना साहिब कमेटी के अध्यक्ष स. हित जो कि पार्टी के साथ वर्षों से जुड़े हुए है और पार्टी की नीतियों पर पूरी तरह से पहरा दिया। खास तौर पर जब दिल्ली में शिरोमणी अकाली दल के साथ कोई सदस्य खड़ा होने को तैयार नहीं था उस समय भी स. हित अकेले ही पार्टी का झंडा बुलंद किये हुए थे। जत्थेदार हित की पार्टी की प्रति वफादारी को देखते हुए पार्टी के अध्यक्ष स. सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने विशेष तौर पर उनको उसमें जगह दी है। जत्थेदार हित के कोर कमेटी में शामिल होने की बात जैसे ही दिल्ली के सिक्खों को पता चली तो उनमें हर्ष की लहर दौड़ गई। पार्टी उनके अनुभवों को देखते हुए पंजाब में होने वाले विधानसभा चुनावों में पार्टी उनका लाभ उठायेगी।
With Thanks :Sudeep Singh,Honorary Media Advisor
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