Posts by Anandica:
Very Sad News: Ishmeet Singh Passes Away
July 29th, 2008Ishmeet Singh, the winner of the “Voice of India” contest, passed away today after drowning in a hotel swimming pool in the Maldives. He was the only son of his parents, and was set to perform at an event in Maldives capital. Such a tragic story and such a great loss for the Punjabi community.
Ishmeet had been vocal about his intent to encourage Sikh youth to step out of the shadows and achieve their dreams.
This talented Sikh turned out to be very humble, polite, and caring. His idea on winning rested in the ultimate sense to have faith in Waheguru wholeheartedly. He is an idol to many young Sikhs all around the world and he can inspire and motivate young Sikh men and women to succeed in life without compromising their values and traditions under any pressure whatsoever. While interviewing him, he very clearly said to me that in future he would do everything in his power to help Sikh youth with talent to step out of the shadow.
His Shabad Kirtan CD had just been released and many were hoping to see the beginning of a wonderful journey for Ishmeet. He will be greatly missed.
Previous Coverage of Ishmeet on the Langar Hall:
Giddha Pao Kuriyoo!
July 7th, 2008Is it just me or are we seeing Giddha increasing in popularity these days?
Giddha was the folk dance of choice for our Grandmothers and Mothers. It allowed them a platform to get together with other women, and through boliyan talk openly about their daily lives. I asked my Mum if this was a form of therapy for them, and she said “yes”. It was a release for these women to be able to have this time for themselves and openly release supressed feelings in a joyful manner.
We see a great number of young women in Universities joining the “Bhangra” team and peforming these rather masculine dances at Bhangra competitions. Where is our traditional Giddha? I found this video which shows a performance by the UC Davis Giddha Squad at a competition this year. It was nice to see that these girls decided to create some uniqueness to the monotony these Bhangra competitions have began to display. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend and we will see more incorporations of Giddha for women at University levels. There is a sense of elegance and femininity that Giddha has, and which Bhangra lacks for women.
I look forward to the day when young girls are able to immerse themselves in Giddha and learn Boliyan and truly appreciate what our culture has to offer. Maybe we will see a Giddha Academy some day? I am hopeful.
With Teeyan season upon us, we can take the first step in going and attending these events in our areas. In the California we have these events scheduled annually and it’s become larger every year. Please make sure to attend if you know of Teeyan happening in your area. It would be a great way to take your Grandmothers, Mothers, Aunts, Sisters, Daughters, and Friends out to spend an afternoon together. (And it’s a great workout!)
How do you all feel about this subject? How can we begin to make a progressive change towards incorporating Giddha into the lives of younger women?
A Positive Step For Our “Independence”
July 3rd, 2008It was reported this week that a Court in Belgium has overturned a ban that had been established for five Sikh students wearing Patkas. This case began in May 2005, when these Sikh students were banned from attending KTA Domein Speelhof school in Belgium due to the implementation of a new uniform rule banning head coverings.
The court said that the ban on the religious head covering was a violation of the Sikh students’ right to manifest their religion under article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Belgium is a signatory.
In a judgment handed down today, Judge Madam H. Coenen said that by excluding young people because of their religious beliefs the Domein Speelhof school in St Truiden had violated their right to practice their faith.
United Sikhs took up this case and are applauded for their great work.
The news comes at a time when our community is faced with many cases of injustice for practicing our faith as Sikhs. This is a positive step and shows that the fight for our rights as Sikhs is not a lost battle. It will take time, but we are progressing toward educating people who we are as a community. There are many more cases to be fought, but we will persevere.
Are our Gurdwaras dividing us?
May 27th, 2008In recent months I have witnessed the ceremonial openings of three new Gurdwaras in the Central Valley area. The number of new Gurdwaras are continually growing. Some people may applaud this action as an indicator of our success for having the ability to build million dollar Gurdwaras. But is this the right direction for our community to be heading?
By building more Gurdwaras, we are dispersing as a community rather than emerging as one. Growing up in the UK, all the people we knew growing up attended the one Gurdwara in our town. After some time, the space capacity was too constrained and people began complaining about not being able to sit with the Sangat. Since there was no additional space around this Gurdwara, there wasn’t any expansion work that could be performed. As a consequence, another group opened a new Gurdwara in the same town which fufilled the capacity issues, since it was almost three times larger. So slowly the Sangat at the smaller Gurdwara began to dwindle due to more and more people attending the larger Gurdwara.
Why wasn’t it possible for the community to come together and move as a “whole” to the larger Gurdwara? In the Central Valley there are so many choices of Gurdwaras to attend, but I personally feel this is dividing us. Politics and ego are at play when these associations and groups get together to begin implementing a “bigger, better, more expensive” Gurdwara.
Have any of you witnessed similar divisions happening within your communities and Gurdwaras in your area? Do any of you think this is a positive progression? Is there anything we can do as a younger generation to unite the community?
Petition Kamal Nath’s Visit to the U.S.
May 9th, 2008The Sikh Coalition was informed of Kamal Nath’s visit to speak at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management tomorrow. There is a petition circulating for those of us deeply concerned about a Human Rights violator being hosted by Northwestern University. To have your voice heard, please click here and fill out the petition.
Thanks Anandica — just to add what are his offenses:
Kamal Nath, a Congress official close to the Gandhi family, helped lead a mob towards Gurdwara Rakab Ganj during the Delhi 1984 anti-Sikh pograms. He was present as a number of Sikhs were torched alive and was outside as the crowd pelted the Gurdwara, attempted to burn it, and massacre those that sought refuge inside. He has denied all allegations and numerous tribunals, although failing to convict him (or ANYONE for that matter) have all had serious questions about his alibi. [Jodha]
What’s In A Name?
May 6th, 2008A Non-Sikh friend of mine recently asked me about the naming conventions in the Sikh religion. She was wondering why “deep” and “jit” were so common at the end of Sikh names, and did this take away from a person’s individuality. (Like Joe Smith?) I thought it was an interesting point, but personally I don’t feel my name defines me. My uniqueness comes from my personality, the pursuit of my own path and growing through my experiences. Although I do feel I have grown into my name, and it does hold significance for who I am becoming as a human being. What is amazing about our names is the depth of their meanings, the interchangability of parts of the names to create a new meaning, and that they are epicene names. When I do tell Non-Sikhs what my name means, the response is always “Wow, that is so cool!”.
A new pattern emerging these days is the shortening of the name and/or being creative with the way it is spelt. It is inevitable changes will happen as we assimilate to the western world we live in, and with the generational changes that are happening. People used to put faith with the Guru Granth Sahib and the first letter that was chosen, at random, became the starting point for naming a new baby. Is this a tradition that is being utilized today?
We have such an immense choice of names, and I have yet to find a culture that holds deeper meanings for their names, however common they may be, than ours.
I pose this question to you all: What does your name mean to you?
Britain’s Got Talent
April 28th, 2008I just saw this video and thought I’d share it with you all. Look out for the surprise!
A Siropa For All
April 15th, 2008A 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 the true essence of our Siropa tradition disappeared?
Amitabh Bachchan caused controversy last December when he was given Prashad at the Harmandar Sahib, which included a Siropa. This controversy touched upon the ongoing actions of our Gurdwaras of presenting a Siropa for all the wrong reasons. There was value in this tradition when Guru Angad granted Guru Amar Das an honor every year. Guru Amar Das treated these gifts as sacred, and carried them all tied on his head. So when I witness a wedding couple receive a Siropa at Fremont Gurdwara, simply for being married in front of the Guru Granth Sahib, I am confused. The couple was clearly a couple who was openly not interested in Sikhi, so I was disappointed to see this happen at a Gurdwara which draws such a large Sikh community in the Bay Area. This was not the first wedding to happen at this Gurdwara, but it was the first I had witnessed with the giving of Siropay. I wondered, how many Siropay are being given out here each month? I meant to ask the Giani Ji at the Gurdwara why the couple received this honor, but never got the chance. Is this something that is happening at other Gurdwaras?
We are losing the value of this tradition if we continue to “gift” these articles of honor. What will be the difference between a person who has been practicing Sikhi with a true heart their whole life, and a person who plays a Sikh in a Bollywood movie? What will be the difference between a person who has awoken at Amrit Vela every morning to do their Paath for the past 40 years, and a person who attended the Gurdwara and donated a large sum of money?
Whose responsibility is it to decide who deserves a Siropa ? It seems to me that our Gurus left us with these traditions so we could follow them, then why are we making our own rules? As a Sangat should we be adding value to the decisions our Gurdwaras are making?
Creating Your Own Path
April 1st, 2008How many of you have ever heard the following words from your parents, “Become a Doctor, (feel free to interchange with Lawyer or Engineer for the same effect)!”?
Our generation is definitely starting to see the freedom to pursue career paths that are unconventional to our parents’ or their parents’ generation. When you realize you will ultimately be doing the same job for the rest of your life, you begin to think about what you’re most “passionate” about. Many parents are coming around to the idea that there are many lucrative fields of work for their children to pursue and which they are “passionate” about.
Last week I heard journalist Lisa Ling say that she is often asked to speak at college graduations, and the one thing she feels a lot of students are doing is studying for a career, rather than studying to become a well-rounded person and allowing the career to find you.
Many of us are told to pursue a “stable” career first, and do your “hobby” on the side. Although patterns have shown that Sikhs are probably one of the most entrepreneurial group of people in the world. Our ancestors before us have shown how perseverance of a dream can become a reality. Many of our parents’ generation came to the West with a few dollars, or pounds, in their pocket to begin their new life- and live the American Dream.
The Art of Giving
March 18th, 2008Last week’s Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company. Being a fan of Apple’s innovative products for some time, I read the article with pride. The article was very interesting and talked a great deal about Steve Jobs and his struggles to get where he is today. 
However, there was one thing I learned from the article that disappointed me, and that was the fact that Apple is one of the least philanthropic companies in the world. On the other hand, Bill Gates’ company Microsoft may have been 16th on this list, but they are considered one of the most philanthropic companies globally. This article facilitated some personal thought to my own quest in giving enough back to the community, and what the importance of charity is in our Sikhi. Wand kay shako is one of the three main concepts of Sikhi, which encourages Sikhs to share their earnings with those less fortunate than ourselves. Guru ka Langar is a way in which we distribute this concept in the Gurdwaras. Dasvandh is donating a tenth of our earnings. It’s interesting that there are many religions that uphold the concept that “a tenth” of your income should be donated to charity in some form.
Although I know that other religions are strict in making sure this donation is made on an annual level, I am not sure whether we are as philanthropic? How much are you as families donating to the cause of Wand kay Shako? We are lucky to be a part of a religion that is so progressive and way ahead of the times. There is even more we can do to be more involved in the concept of “giving back”, because there are a growing number of organizations that are allowing us to contribute our “dasvandh” for a great cause - such as Sikhcess, Sikh Coalition, Sikhnet, and Sikh Giving. Many of these organizations have been started by our generation, which shows we truly are a generation of change and a generation of humanity!
Going Green in the Gurdwara
March 4th, 2008“Air is the Guru, Water the father, Earth the great mother.
Day and night, Male and female nurses, In whose lap the whole world plays.”
JAPJI SAHIB, Guru Granth Sahib (p.8)
We as a community can do an enormous part in contributing to the preservation of our planet. Our Gurus were environmentalists, and looking at the values they gave us, we can see that we should be ahead of the game.
Some of us might be doing our small part each day: Maybe you recycle your newspaper after reading it or even better, subscribe to the news online; maybe you drink free-trade coffee and tea; or maybe you eat organic cereal and drink a healthy shake of organic fruits; or maybe you turn off the tap while you brush your teeth to save some water? These are all great steps! But there are some additional steps we can take as a community.
Our Gurdwaras are not the most environmentally friendly places, but that is due to our own responsibilities. That can change! If we start taking even one of the following steps, we can look forward to a greener Gurdwara in our future, and additionally teach the next generation about preservation and the importance of Seva.
Are we losing our Punjabi language?
February 5th, 2008My parents have always emphasized the importance of speaking Punjabi in our home. Their reasoning was that we would have the opportunity to learn English in our schools, but may never get the time to learn Punjabi again. My father was so passionate about creating an opportunity for children being raised in the West to be taught Punjabi, that he opened the first Punjabi School at the Gurdwara we attended in our town. I was grateful to my parents for sending me to the school, because it allowed me to communicate with my grandparents, and other elders who didn’t speak English, and maintain my relationships with them.
Often the older generation is heard saying our language, and thus an aspect of our heritage, is being lost on the present generation. There are many young people who attend Gurdwara but have no idea what is being said. We have Gutkas with English translations. We’ve become quite tech-savvy in our Gurdwara now too, where we have projectors displaying the English translations of Shabads. We watch Punjabi movies with english subtitles. In India, even Punjabis are speaking Hindi now.
Is it the responsibility of parents to teach their children or send them to Punjabi school to learn? Or is it an individual’s responsibility? Some people take the initiative to learn Punjabi on their own, either through courses available at University, or from the growing number of online courses.
How can we preserve the Punjabi language?
A Sikh’s Rights
January 22nd, 2008Lately there has been numerous stories affecting Sikhs around the globe, and an interesting number of them concern our innate rights as Sikhs. Sarika Singh, a 14 year-old Sikh girl living in Wales, was excluded from her school for wearing a Kara. Last November a legal fight began for Sarika to be allowed back into her school, whom say she was “legally” dismissed due to violating their policy of “No Jewelry” to ensure equality for students. The school’s governing committee have yet to research the importance of the Kara and appreciate the significance it holds for Sikhs. Sarika has now filed her case in a High Court.
Another ongoing issue concerns the French law passed which bans students from wearing “religious headgear” in schools. A great number of students have been expelled from class for not abiding with this ban, which in fact means Sikhs cannot wear turbans and Muslims cannot wear headscarves.(The Sikh schoolboys lost their appeal in a French court). I felt great disappointment and anger when this was passed in France, and I thought where are the rights of these individuals as Citizens of this country? Then I remind myself how Sikhs in the U.S. must have felt when the TSA was allowing the searches of their Turbans in public. Thankfully with the perseverance of the Sikh community, and organizations like Sikh Coalition, SALDEF, and United Sikhs, we were able to “educate” people and facilitate an addendum to their policy. In 1969 Sohan Singh Jolly, a 66 year-old Sikh man living in the U.K., won a fight to wear his Turban on duty as a busman. I am amazed that we are still fighting for our rights as Sikhs, and yet we feel we have come such a long way. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been urged to bring up the issue of this ban with French President Sarkozy, when he visits India later this month. Sikhs held a peace march to protest against the French turban ban earlier this week in New Delhi. (Now with India being tagged as one of the emerging economic powers of the world, maybe Sarkozy will feel the need to make relations better with the Indian community, like Gordon Brown did earlier this week).
Tejinder Singh Sidhu was denied entry into a Calgary court earlier this week due to wearing a Kirpan. He had been summoned by the court to testify as a witness, and was not allowed to fufill his civic duty and testify. Our rights as Sikhs to freely practice our faith are continuously being violated. I am thankful that we have a great number of Sikh organizations that work incredibly hard to maintain and fight for our rights every day. But something is wrong in the world today where we are allowing such laws to be passed that discriminate, and are unjustified.
Maybe we fight more passionately for our rights because Sikhi instills values in us like equality amongst all people, respect and live by positive ideals, and fight for justice and fairness for all?
Rohanpreet, Little Prince of Patiala
January 8th, 2008There is a singing competition on Zee TV called Sa Re Ga Ma, Little Champs. I’d usually not be so excited about it, apart from the fact that I stumbled upon Rohanpreet Singh’s performance one day. He is an impressive and talented young boy. You can view one of the performances below, pay special attention to the tribute in the last part of the clip. Enjoy!
Punjab NRI Conference
January 8th, 2008Economic development and investment opportunities in Punjab were discussed at the Punjab NRI Sammelan, in Chandigarh and Jalandar, on January 5th and 6th. This brings about an important topic of maintaining our heritage and the significance of NRIs giving back to their communities in Punjab. There was a time when NRIs were investing their money made overseas by going back to their village and building a big haveli with a huge artificial plane sticking out of the roof (so they, and everyone else, could see their house when flying over their village!). Thankfully something positive, and more meaningful, is being asked of Punjabis overseas. We are all fully aware of the lack of employment opportunities, education and healthcare and how these issues have created dire consequences of drug-use and alcohol abuse. The conference was attended by prominent NRI’s including Dr. Ruby Dhalla, M.P. from Canada; Ms. Neena Gill, Member of EV Parliament in Brussels; and Mr. Varinder Sharma, former Major of London and Member of Parliament UK. The purpose of the conference was to present initiatives Punjab Chief Minister Badal, and his committee have created as improvements needed to increase the efficiency of Punjab’s infrastructure. 
The goal of this conference is to attract technical and financial investments from NRIs. The attendees were given the opportunity to voice their opinions of what they felt should be noted as additional initiatives concerning the NRIs continuing financial support in future projects. One such request has been validated with the creation of an eleven member Advisory Committee to preside over issues related to the welfare of NRIs investments.
During the conference a British NRI pledged Rs. 5 million for the renovation and upkeep of a state-run school in his village, which was met by an equal pledge from the Chief Minister. Hopefully this action will encourage other individuals to follow suit, especially considering Sikhi teaches us values to help others less fortunate than ourselves and strive to create equality amongst people. Education is a key element in creating a sense of pride back into our Punjab, and a little can go a long way. I applaud this conference and hope we will hear and see more positive consequences from it. There is the likelihood of some negativity, such as the incident of Deepak Obhrai, the highest-ranking Indo-Canadian in the present government, being ignored by the Punjabi government. He feels he was excluded due to being “Hindu Punjabi” and not “Sikh Punjabi”. This does not bode well for us, especially when the purpose of this conference is to gain support from ALL Punjabis, and that we should be striving for equality. Differences need to be put aside for the selfless purpose of improving Punjab and allowing the people of Punjab to reach their true potential. Hopefully that purpose will be achieved successfully, and we can finally make a difference.
Santa Singh and the Khalsa Tree
December 25th, 2007
This time of the year always makes me wonder how children in our community perceive Christmas. As a child I don’t remember having a Christmas tree in my house or any talk about Santa Claus coming with gifts (maybe my parents wanted to “keep it real” for me!). However, now that I have a niece and nephew, I do wonder how to create a sense of celebration for them so they don’t feel isolated from their non-Sikh friends. New Year’s day has always held more significance for me, and our family tradition is starting the year with a sense of peace and renewal by attending the Gurdwara.
Family friends of ours in Toronto have been creating a Sikh celebration, in a sense, for their children on Christmas day. The children put ornaments on their Khalsa Tree, and wait for Santa Singh to bring their gifts. (I am also pretty sure ladoos are awaiting him as an alternative to cookies!). They don’t celebrate the birth of Christ, but instead the birth of our tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. When I first heard about their tradition I was impressed that someone had thought to substitute every part of the day in order to teach their children our traditions, and at the same time do the things that go along with the commercialistic nature of the holiday.
Often I find myself teaching many of my non-Sikh friends about the special days we have in our religion throughout the year. They really enjoy learning about my religion and I feel it’s important especially since they would not normally have the opportunity to be educated about Sikhs and what we stand for. One friend once commented how lucky I was to have so many days to celebrate. He was absolutely right – we really are blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate our strong history throughout the year. If as a community we can begin to incorporate the importance of our history and these days into the next generation, we can truly preserve an essence of what Sikhi has to offer.
