The Rise and Demise of a Stupid Blog
Posted by Jodha in General on 10 13th, 2008 | 6 Comments
I had been sort of taking a wait-and-see approach to this news (pagh salute: preet) arriving out of England. It seems some punk kids started a blog to stir religio-ethnic hatred amongst Sikhs and Muslims. My hesitation was that I did not want to further enflame the story and further create the sort...
Sometimes I am Arab even though I am a Sikh
“I don’t trust Obama. I have read about him and he’s an Arab.”
So said a McCain supporter at a recent rally. To such an ignorant, bigoted, racist comment, McCain could only reply:
“No, ma’am,” he said. “He’s a decent, family man, a citizen that...
Sikh : India :: Uyghur : China
In an article published in the academic journal Ethnic and Racial Studies, last year, a PhD student in political science, Marie-Eve Reny makes a comparative study of political mobilization amongst the Sikhs of Punjab and the Uyghurs of Xinjiang in China.
The Uyghurs are a Muslim community of Turkic descent...
Man vs. Machine: Sikh Chakkar
Posted by Jodha in General on 10 3rd, 2008 | 6 Comments
Yesterday a friend sent me a link to a fascinating episode of a Discovery Channel program. The “Weapon Masters” series looks at various pre-industrial weaponry and their historical development, usage, and production. For the “entertainment” value, it pits traditional usage...
Revisiting Pashaura Singh and Punjabi and Sikh Studies
Posted by Jodha in General on 09 29th, 2008 | 41 Comments
This post is sort of dedicated to P.Singh. Let me first begin by saying that I agreed with ALL (and I use that word only after re-reading all of his comments) of the points that he made in a prior post (not all of his comments in other posts, but I digress….).
However, I did want to revisit the topic...
New Futures and ‘Insight into Sikhism’
Posted by Jodha in General on 09 22nd, 2008 | 21 Comments
For many of us Sikhs of Panjabi-background, those Sikhs that chose to embrace Sikhi (often termed as ‘goray Sikhs’, but by no means are all of them of such ‘gora’ background) are sometimes seen as an enigma. Too often stereotypes and easy labels such as ‘hippie’...
End the Presumption of Innocence: Indian Police
Over the weekend, a wave of bombs targeting civilians was unleashed in the Indian capital of Delhi. With the death toll rising (so far approximately 30), a group called the “Indian Mujahadeen” has been widely reported by the media as having claimed responsibility. This was not the first...
On Cricket, Monty, Sikhi, and Potato Chips
Posted by Jodha in General on 09 8th, 2008 | 17 Comments
Once upon a time, a fellow langa(w)riter commented that you know you’ve made it as a ‘notable’ community, when you are featured on the game-show Jeopardy.
While she may or may not have been right, in today’s consumerist I think when a member of your own has a potato chip named after them...
Demystifying the Sikh Parliament – SGPC
Posted by Jodha in General on 09 4th, 2008 | 21 Comments
Newspapers in Panjab have been buzzing about the recent proposal by the Sikhs in Haryana to form their own Gurdwara political body. However, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, and head of the Akali Dal has been on a warpath trying to prevent such a move. Badal even went so far as...
‘Thinking the Unthinkable’ in Kashmir – Freedom?
While those in the diaspora are less likely to follow, many in South Asia have had one eye on the Beijing Olympics and the other looking at the current situation in Kashmir.
This past Friday hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri protestors took to the street calling for ‘azadi’ (freedom) from the tyranny...
A Sikh Stands for Democracy in Pakistan
Guest blogged by Mewa Singh
I did not think I was going to write this post, but after seeing a post on the most popular South Asian American blog – Sepia Mutiny – by Amardeep Singh, I had to make a comment about Musharraf’s resignation to avoid impeachment.
For a quick primer on the...
Sikhs and Web 2.0
Young Sikhs are extremely internet savvy. From the proliferation of videos on youtube to remixed dhadhi-jatha to an embrace of web 2.0, many young Sikhs are at the forefront of creating new avenues for education about their faith. While I personally believe that most Sikhs focus their attention on...
Cheena-Punjabi Bhai Bhai
At one time Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana, Punjab was THE agricultural university in Asia. Largely due to this university’s role in promoting the Green Revolution (fellow Langa(w)r-iters have described the Green Revolution’s darker sides, another monograph is by Vandana...
Short Films to See
While the young Sikh filmmakers are probably preparing for the annual Sikhnet Youth Film Festival (have you seen their ad on satellite television, it is very impressive!), I recently came across some internet announcements for a list of fascinating Canadian-produced short films that I hope will galvanize...
Picture of Canadian Field Hockey Team with Sikh Turbans
Everyone seems to be searching for it online. The Langar Hall got it first. So, for those of you that missed the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, here is a picture of the Punjabi Sikh field hockey players on the Canadian field hockey team with their pagris (turbans). Pictured from left to right:...
Athletic Kaurs
Harwant Kaur is from Punjab and will be competing in the discus throw. It seems that she has recently moved to Australia after a career in the Punjab Police with only dismal prospects. She had previously finished 13th at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
The women’s discus qualifying round is set...
Sikhs that Shoot
Abhinav Bindra was considered a child prodigy, but has had limited success on the largest competitive stages. Still he is considered a medal hopeful.
Bindra will be competing in the 10m air rifle competition. Qualifications and the finale will all be on Day 3 (Monday, August 11, 2008) in the afternoon
Canadian Field Hockey
In these commentary posts, I will be republishing my original writings as well as include pictures of the athletes and the timings of their events.
There will be four Canadian field hockey athletes that come from Punjabi Sikh backgrounds on this year’s Canadian Olympics Team. Our Sikh community’s...
Seafaring Sikhs
Rowing
Manjeet Singh, a Chandigarh rower, has had much success at the junior levels. He will be competing in at the world stage in Beijing in the lightweight double sculls event. While Manjeet Singh and his partner Devinder Kumar are not considered medal contenders, they are hoping for a top-10 finish.
Rowing...
Jasveer Singh – Canadian Sikh Weightlifter
Representing the world of weightlifting, 5’3” Jasveer Singh (sometimes written Jasvir Singh), who came from Punjab in 2002, has become a Canadian and Sikh sensation (many communities have even held akhand paaths to raise money for him). He is the first British Columbian weightlifter to go to the...
