Interview with Sikh Knowledge
Last month our friends over at Sepia Mutiny posted an interview with Montreal-based hip hop producer Sikh Knowledge, which I think many TLH readers will find of interest.  Sikh Knowledge aka Kanwar Anit Singh Saini has worked with many favorite Sikh hip hop artists including Humble the Poet, Mandeep...
Prayers for Libya
The massive pro-democracy uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East have gained tremendous momentum since the successful ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak two weeks ago.  My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Libya this week, as their calls for the end of Moammar Gaddafi’s...
The Divisive Taboo of Halal for Sikhs
Like many Sikhs, I grew up eating meat.  It was something I never really questioned until I was in college and started learning more about the treatment of animals on factory farms and the environmental impact of the meat industry. But growing up I never thought about where my spicy deep-fried chicken...
Mandeep Sethi’s Punjabi Gypsy Hip Hop Rebellion
A Review of Mandeep Sethi’s Poor Peoples Planet, released January 2011. With an unmistakably laid-back, West Coast hip hop sound, 22-year old Sikh rapper Mandeep Sethi brings us the dynamic and often incendiary (while maintaining the mellow Bay area vibes) Poor Peoples Planet. Inspired by the...
Arab Sovereignty, Sikh Solidarity
Kicked off by Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution last month, the massive uprisings against U.S.-backed authoritarian regimes throughout the Arab world have grown into an undeniable and unprecedented force for real democracy. Since the dictators being targeted have close ties to Washington, the leaders...
Saint Soldier on Farmer Suicides
Vancouver-based hip hop artist Saint Solider and singer Sukhraj recently released a moving single about farmer suicides in Punjab.  I won’t editorialize, as the song (and video) speaks for itself.  You can download the track on iTunes and by donation at bandcamp.
NYPD diversity training with a sinister twist
Since 9/11, Sikh advocates and community members have been proactive about providing training for law enforcement officers to educate them about our religion and articles of faith and to foster positive relations between local police and Sikhs.  My feelings about the role of the police in our communities...
Happy Birthday Dr. King
Today marks the 82nd birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   Most of us learn about Dr. King’s influential role in the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and have heard his “I have a dream” speech.  But less do we hear about his opposition to the Vietnam...
Working for Langar Justice
I love food.  I love to cook.  I love to gather with friends, community, and sangat and share a meal together. Because food it our most primal need and our common bond to the earth and one another, it can ground us as we stretch ourselves to draw in all the interlaced threads—so we can weave a...
A place for our sangat
Last week I attended a diwan of about 50 people on a Thursday night on the east side of Manhattan, in New York City.  The Manhattan Sikh Association (MSA) has been organizing monthly diwans in NYC for years now in apartment buildings and other temporary locations, but recently the group opened up a...
UPDATED: US House of Reps Votes on Palestinian Self-Determination
The Chair of the US House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee, Rep. Howard Berman, is trying to push a resolution through Congress today “condemning unilateral declarations of a Palestinian state.” The United Nations has long recognized the sovereignty of the Palestinian people...
Turban Groove
I recently got turned on to this band BlackMahal from the San Francisco area, fronted by the legendary dholi Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti. According to the band’s website, “BlackMahal is steeped in Old California, a Punjabi-American experience that started in the 1890s when the first Punjabi-Americans...
Will Obama give into bigotry?
By now, most of you have likely heard about the controversy surrounding Obama’s potential visit to Darbar Sahib (aka the Golden Temple) in Amritsar.  The Sikh Coalition reported this week that the President’s travel plans in India are still not finalized and is encouraging community members...
The musical uprising of Bant Singh
A friend recently sent me this short documentary on the Punjabi Dalit activist and singer, Bant Singh. Surprised that I had never heard of him, I was not only blown away by his singing, but by his revolutionary lyrics and fierce commitment to resisting caste and class oppression. “If we’re...
A Scary Halloween
I always get nervous in October because, although I love Halloween and all the imagination and candy involved in its celebration, it scares me a little bit. But not because of all too realistic vampire costumes or haunted houses. This is what really scares me: Every year, at least one person comments...
No one is illegal
I just came across this great campaign to urge the American public to stop calling immigrants “illegals.”  Brought to us by the racial justice media organization Colorlines, the “Drop the I-Word” Campaign website states, “The I-Word creates an environment of hate by exploiting...
Stupid or Evil?
As the debate over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” wages on in the media with plenty of misinformation and a whole lot of fear-mongering, we finally get some worthwhile news from The Daily Show on the subject. The Parent Company Trap www.thedailyshow.com
Liberation or Racism?
The French government is at it again.  France’s lower house just passed a law that would make it illegal for women to wear the full Islamic veil (burqa or niqab) in public.  It would fine women 150 euros for not complying.   Sundari posted on this issue back in February, and now this attack...
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