Apnian Votan Pao!
I came across this video, linked from PP about the elections for the mayor of London. For more election coverage, visit Pickled Politics. Check out this video on ‘how to campaign’ in Southall. The desi van is just classic. It is almost exactly as they campaign in Punjab. I wonder if...
A Post-Partition Diary
Most people who lived through Partition are understandably hesitant to talk about it. A decade long Ford Foundation study says that one fourth of those interviewed about Partition so far have never even recounted their stories to their children. So I was pleased to find this diary type piece about...
‘Butcher of Punjab’, You’re Fired!
Poor KP Gill. The ‘butcher of Punjab’ lost his cushy government position, after having been President of the Indian Hockey Federation for fifteen years.
Bribery, corruption, and mediocrity – this is Gill’s legacy as President of the Indian Hockey Federation. After failing to...
Britain’s Got Talent
Posted by Anandica in General on 04 28th, 2008 | 17 Comments
I just saw this video and thought I’d share it with you all. Look out for the surprise!
A Rotting Harvest?
In keeping with TLH’s agricultural theme, the BBC reported today on the environmental health fallout of the Green Revolution in Punjab (I). The Green Revolution introduced industrial mono-culture farming to small farms. The result was a short and sharp growth in grain production. However, over...
Taliban Forces Save the Lives of Two Sikhs
I figured I would start off this week with an odd news story – odd, but deserved of some spotlight. Over the weekend it seems that Taliban-aligned groups saved two Pakistani Sikhs from their kidnappers and are threatening to execute the kidnappers to stifle law-and-order problems in the area.
Two...
Punjabi Maboli Zindabad!
Early last month, UNESCO ‘supposedly’ released a report that said Punjabi will become extinct in the next 50 years. Soon our one-man PR campaigners (we have many in our community) came to the forefront. In the lead was Kuldip Nayar, who said:
“I have gone through a report prepared by...
Punjabi Fathers And Discipline
Recently, I read a 1997 research article in the Journal of Marriage and Family on “Fathering And Acculturation: Immigrant Indian Families With Young Children”, which stated that:
“Older fathers spent less time playing with their child … more educated fathers engaged more in disciplining than...
A Modern Day Sikh Saint George
So yesterday (4/23/08) for all of our valeti readers was Saint George’s Day. For the rest of us that probably don’t care (including apparently most of England), Saint George is the patron saint of England (sort of like Saint Patrick for the Irish) that:
[Saint George] was a third-century...
The Tabla Guy
Posted by Sundari in General on 04 23rd, 2008 | 7 Comments
For those of you in the LA area planning on attending the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, be sure to check out some of the musical talent that will be highlighted throughout the week in conjunction with the festival. Gurpreet Chana, aka The Tabla Guy, will be performing…
Tabla player Gurpreet...
A Dream in Doubt
Guest blogged by Mewa Singh
This evening I had the opportunity to view a screening of a new documentary on the tragedy and heroism of the Sodhi Family. From the website of “A Dream in Doubt” comes the synopsis:
“A Dream in Doubt” is an immigrant story in a world in which patriotism has morphed...
Shahr and Pind: Asian Americans and Rural Development
Last month I attended PolicyLink‘s 2008 Regional Equity Conference in New Orleans. The conference covered poverty and racial inequality in the context of the U.S., but it focused on the connections between living spaces — i.e., between neighborhoods, cities, suburbs, and rural lands.
While...
A Canadian Narrative?
I was a little hesitant to post about this, especially considering the numerous discussions we’ve had on this blog related to the negative image of Sikhs in the media. While a big fan of independent documentaries, I admittedly sighed when I came across an article about Air India 182, a film which...
Did I mention I like Sikh T-Shirts?
I like T-shirts. I am a self-described ‘scrub.’
22. scrub
Someone who doesn’t care much about what they do or how they look doing it. Or if you just do something very very stupid.
((Girl walks into classroom for a class one day dressed in XXL sweatpants and a huge baggy sweatshirt, no makeup,...
Knock Knock At The Door: Ladoos or Missionaries?
As I was exiting the parking lot of a major grocery store in a heavily concentrated Punjabi area the other day, I saw in my rear-view mirror a woman wearing a salwar-kaamez and holding a Bible with two Indian boys dressed in their “Sunday best” and carrying leather book bags, while they approached...
Can we just call you Harry?
So the weekend is upon us again. Yesterday, I had a friend tell me about an oh-so-common experience. His name is Harjinder [or something like that] and at work his co-workers asked if they could call him Harry. Something akin to when Barack went by Barry, back in the day. So Harry, ahem I mean Harjinder,...
Award for Stupidest Headline Featuring a Sikh-Related Article
Today I announce the beginning of a new award. It is the ‘Stupidest Headline Featuring a Sikh-related Article.” My first nominee:
“A Temple That Aladdin Would Be Proud Of”
It seems that our friends down-under in Autralia, at the Shepparton News, were reporting the opening of...
Making music
What moves you (both physically and emotionally)? Hip hop, the dhol, or Surinder Kaur? Artists, musicians and dancers often use their skill and art as a medium to promote their ideas.
The music of the Staple Singers soundtracked the civil rights movement: it was their songs that were sung on protest...
Towards a Sikh Civil Rights Agenda
Although my earlier discussion on multiculturalism put forth some of my thoughts, an interesting news item caught my interest yesterday. I guess this can be seen in a way as a part II of that original post.
While many of us spent our weekends remembering the spirit of the Khalsa, attending Nagar Kirtans,...
A Siropa For All
A Siropa signifies an honor bestowed on a individual for their commitment to Sikhi and their long-term dedication. Lately, however, I am witnessing the increasing distribution of Siropay being “gifted” out based on monetary contribution, or the completion of attendance to an event. Has...
