Fair & Lovely for Sikh Youth?
Embracing my new role as a proud Chacha, I recently bought some Sikhi-related children’s books for my niece for her first birthday. I was especially excited about this new book and CD of Sikh nursery rhymes called Ik Chota Bacha. The book/CD is a great way to teach basic Sikh values to kids...
If England were like a langar hall there’d be no riots
Guest blogged by Eren Londonwala
Each day I walk down Ferry Lanein Tottenham to my workplace. On Friday 5 August a police cordon blocked my usual route. I learned later that police had shot dead 29 year-old alleged gang-member Mark Duggan the night before. The precise facts remain unclear but early...
Trying to Create a New Path Between Chitta-Neela
I have shared my views on Manpreet Badal and the PPP in the past. I still stand by my analysis, but as the election draws nearer, the youth of Punjab are making their voices heard.
Recently Manpreet Badal has been visiting the US this month and gaining more and more popularity among the non-voting...
The Three Deadliest Words
Posted by Jodha in Women on 08 25th, 2011 | 10 Comments
The issue of sex-selective abortion is not new here in The Langar Hall. A number of our bloggers have commented on this complex issue in the past; and even early community initiatives have been supported as well.
Recently I saw the official trailer of a documentary – It’s A Girl –...
Faith groups file lawsuit over Alabama’s new anti-immigrant law
I was listening to NPR a few nights ago while cooking dinner and was excited to hear about a group of Christian and Catholic clergy in Alabama taking action against a new anti-immigrant law in their state.
A few months ago, Alabama followed in Arizona’s footsteps in passing a bill that many are...
Remembering Hari Singh Everest
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in California on 08 23rd, 2011 | 5 Comments
Guestblogged by Mewa Singh.
A young and vibrant community in the diaspora, it is incumbent upon us to remember our trailblazers. Hari Singh Everest was one such person. I remember reading his name during my undergraduate days. Stumbling across the ‘Sikh Review’, when I should have been...
Breaking News from Punjab – 5 Saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib Thrown in a Well
Posted by Jodha in Punjab on 08 19th, 2011 | 18 Comments
UPDATES 8/20/11 as of 12:30pm
The pardhan of the pind Gurdwara tries to state that the whole village apologizes, without giving any specificity as to the culprits or accountability for the action. One Singh in attendance will not stand for it:
Yesterday, Punjabi Radio USA spent an entire show on the...
Saanjh 2011: Bay Area Sikh Retreat
Posted by Sundari in Events on 08 18th, 2011 | 2 Comments
If you were looking to attend a Sikh retreat a decade ago, you may have had a difficult time finding one. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. We are now fortunate enough to have a plethora of retreats and conferences to participate in. These retreats offer Sikhs an opportunity to cultivate...
NYC Passes Law to Ban Workplace Religious Discrimination
NYC Sikhs speak out against the Transit Authority's religious discrimination in 2009
This morning, the New York City Council voted unanimously to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (Int. 632-A), a bill that will strengthen the city’s human rights law that protects employees from religious...
The Sacred Thread: It’s All In the Head
Guest blogged by Gurchit Singh. Gurchit is a 16-year-old aspiring activist (in his own words) who submitted this piece (his first) to The Langar Hall. Raksha Bandan was last Saturday, August 13th.
Oh the joys of Raksha Bandan! The air is filled with love, family members are conversing and munching...
Shaheedi & Justice
We have many songs that remind us of Shaheeds; we acknowledge them in our Ardas; and they are an integral part of our Sikh history. It is a powerful experience to hear how an integral concept in Sikhi manifests in other communities. Specifically the Muslim community, which also adheres to a concept...
Some Notes and Random Musings
Guestblogged by Mewa Singh.
Here are some general musings and broader notes/reflections that were sparked by my participation in the camp:
On Parenting – One thing I found quite interesting was changes in parenting styles. I don’t remember having had many choices as a child, when my parents were...
Reflections on Bhujangi 2011
Guest-blogged by Mewa Singh. Mewa Singh is a sevadar with the Jakara Movement.
The term ‘bhujang’ has a Sanskritic base and is used to refer to a small snake. The Mughals and Afghans of the 18th century employed the term as a pejorative to refer to the Sikhs as ‘bhujangs.’ Try as they might,...
Why I Love our Commenters
Posted by Jodha in Musings on 08 12th, 2011 | 58 Comments
Yes, we disagree. Yes, most of you even fight amongst yourselves. Our voices and opinions are as diverse as the people in our community. So be it. This is how we learn from one another.
Sometimes you challenge us (the bloggers). Most of the time you challenge each other (the commenters). ...
Unifying Sikhs: A Riot Story
Guest blogged by Naujawani Sardar
When the riots began in London last Saturday, we all thought they were a one-off incident and the world would be back to normal by Monday. Instead we awoke to find that more shops had been looted, buildings were still being set ablaze and that the rioters were now widening...
UK Sikhs Gather to Protect Gurdwaras from Riots
Guest blogged by Naujawani Sardar
Riots have hit London and a few other cities in the UK over the last three nights causing mayhem, destroying property and leading to looting. Tonight, hundreds of Sikhs are gathering to defend the Gurdware in these cities should they fall under the eye of the looters....
Burqa Ban Spreads in Europe
Along with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the last few weeks have seen an increase in momentum for laws that ban the wearing of the burqa and niqab in European countries. We’ve talked about France before, where the implementation of its law banning Muslim face covering began this past...
Book Review: On the Outside Looking Indian
I love books – but I have a special, and perhaps curious, interest in books by and about Sikhs. Perhaps it’s the fascination to discover how similar or different our experiences are. I’m convinced i’m not alone in this. There has been an established interest in South...
Khuli Dhari: My Journey to Beard Liberation
My childhood was full of insecurity and self-doubt, the result of years of harassment, taunts, and jokes about the ball/rag/tomato/towel/etc. on my head as a turban-wearing child. My insecurities, however, began to shift (or expand) as puberty hit. Let’s call it facial hair anxiety.
At first,...
