Forced Marriages: Sikhs and “Shame”
Well I was hoping someone far more knowledgeable from our esteemed blog roster would write about this, but I figured since I feel it is extremely important and raises some critical issues, you’ll have to settle for me.
Yesterday when I was watching CNN, Jasvinder Sanghera came on to talk about...
The Use and Abuse of the “Punjab Lesson”: Sikhs and KPS Gill
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 17th, 2008 | 53 Comments
I am sick of these articles!
Every so often, usually an Indian (but not always – and yes I chose the term on purpose) picks some problem in the world and then asks the question “Where is X’s (insert troubled country here) KPS Gill?”
The most recent example, published in Toronto’s The Star,...
The Shoe Thrown ‘Round the World
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 15th, 2008 | 4 Comments
In the Sikh tradition, shoes have a particular connotation. When we enter the Gurdwara we take them off (and somehow it is noteworthy when a the Sheriff takes them off when visiting a Houston Gurdwara); before entering our homes we often take them off; and one of the worst insults is to get beat by...
The Rising Storm – India and Pakistan
Over the weekend it was reported that two Indian fighter jets violated Pakistani airspace. Although the Indian state is claiming the trespass was inadvertent, it seems that such a move is meant to engage in a ‘psychological escalation’ and pressure Pakistan into taking bolder actions against various...
Sikhs Care About the Sonal Shah Debate
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 11th, 2008 | 40 Comments
Yes, now it’s our turn….The debate has been raging in the South Asian blogosphere and although this post is extremely late, the issue is still important, especially for those Sikhs in the diaspora.
The issue surrounds that of Sonal Shah. Sonal Shah, like many young ambitious desis in the...
Part 5 – Sikh Book Club – Sikhs in Britain: Punjabi, Bhangra, Youth, and Conclusions
Sorry for not posting last week…so here we go with the summary of the final part of the book. Next week will be the grand-finale as we try to pull all these pieces together and view the book in a comparative Sikh diasporic framework.
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Coblogged...
Sikhs Pro-Actively Combating Hate
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 1st, 2008 | 3 Comments
It has been over a year since the brutal attack upon Sukhvir Singh, a Sikh taxi driver from Seattle. I previously blogged about the ordeal and Sukhvir’s heroic capacity to forgive. In many ways his move enshrines a message by Guru Nanak from SGGS (p. 223) in Raag Gauri:
Khima Gahi Brath Seel...
Every Punjabi Girl
Ok, so on Friday, I write this sort of stupid post. It isn’t meant to be taken too seriously so relax (I’m sure many won’t, but oh well).
Last year, my friend sent me this link from craigslist. It was a ‘rant’ but in so many ways it is sooo true.
So here is my question,...
Flying While Sikh – Not on US Airways
Posted by Jodha in General on 11 26th, 2008 | 47 Comments
A Sardar friend of mine once recounted his experiences flying soon after 9/11. He was flying within California to a small Central California city. Upon arriving he had to wait for his plane-side check-in luggage and the air-hostess joked that he was lucky to have flown at all. When he asked why,...
Part 4 – Sikh Book Club – Sikhs In Britain: Between Factory and Family
Last week we actually had a conversation about the book (thanks RT!) and hopefully this week will continue the dialogue. Sorry for the delay in getting this up, airline delays are tough. Here we continue….
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The...
Part 3 – Sikh Book Club – Sikhs in Britain: Khalistan and Multiculturalism
Coblogged by: Jodha and Mewa Singh
Well it doesn’t seem by the number of comments (0) that this first attempt at a book club garnered much interest, although by the number of hits, it has been extremely popular. Regardless, for us it has been a great excuse to read a great book….So we’ll continue....
Sikh MP in NZ and the State of Sikh MPs
Unfortunately South East Asia’s coverage in The Langar Hall remains sparse, except for often tragic stories that make the world headlines.
Here we report on something much more pleasant.
It seems that in New Zealand, we have our first Sikh elected as a member of parliament (MP). Delhi-born businessman,...
Part 2 – Sikh Book Club – Sikhs in Britain: Between Demography and Gurdwaras
Coblogged by: Jodha and Mewa Singh
After a suggestion from a fellow langa-(w)riter (thanks Reema!), we are trying a more thematic approach this week instead of summation. Let’s see how it goes:
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Chapter...
Part 1 – Sikh Book Club – Sikhs in Britain: From and Through Punjab
Coblogged: Jodha and Mewa Singh
First off, our sincere apologies. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this could not be published on Monday. The rest of the days will go along much better. Also, bear with us as we will get better as we go along. So Ji Aayan Nu and welcome to TLH’s 1st Book Club
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The...
A Sikh Barack Obama?
I was waiting until after the election to write this post as I didn’t want my personal thoughts to be in anyway seen as promotion or endorsement.
I have been a fan of Navdeep Singh Bains for many years now. I still remember his victory into the Canadian parliament as the first Amritdhari Sikh...
All-California Sikh Students Association Float at Yuba City Nagar Kirtan
Posted by Jodha in General on 10 22nd, 2008 | 16 Comments
Although the title of the post sort of says it all, as I believe it is a worthwhile effort, I do want to highlight here. (In full transparency, a few members of The Langar Hall are helping to support this initiative). As the 29th annual Yuba City Nagar Kirtan soon approaches, it is great that so...
Sri Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul
Posted by Jodha in General on 10 22nd, 2008 | 3 Comments
Blogged by: Mewa Singh
In celebrating 300 years of our Guru Granth Sahib, I thought it might be worthwhile to republish an essay I had written for the Jakara Movement‘s inaugaral issue of its J.Khronicles magazine. Hope you enjoy….
Sri Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul
Based...
Standing Against Muslimophobia
Posted by Jodha in General on 10 21st, 2008 | 13 Comments
Here are some of McCain’s Muslim supporters standing up to Muslimophobia (pagh salute: Chapati Mystery), as well as a campaign delegate, correctly, standing against such behavior.
In America, Sikhs are ‘racialized Muslim.’ Despite Sikhs’ attempts at differentiation from Muslims,...
UPDATE: First Sikh Book Club – Sikhs in Britain: The Making of a Community
UPDATE: Both authors – Dr. Tatla and Dr. Gurharpal Singh – said that they will participate in some capacity in our first book club. A number of well-known bloggers from some prominent websites have expressed interest as well. ORDER YOUR BOOK NOW! Only 1 week before we begin!
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Will Panthic Weekly Raise the Bar? (updated)
For the uninitiated Panthic Weekly is a Sikh portal that provides news and media on various issues that affect the Sikh community. As part of the Panthic Network, my first memories of the team are related to the long-standing Fort Panth Khalsa that especially became popular during the debates centered...
