So Many Questions
Posted by Jodha in Musings on 05 19th, 2009 | 6 Comments
Sometimes (or may be it more often), you read an article that just doesn’t seem to make any sense. My google newsfeeder caught on such article titled: Sikh youth moving away from teachings of Sikhism. The author of the article Harleen Kaur seems to be at all places at once, reporting stories on...
Towards a Sikh Perspective on the Indian Elections
The election results in India seem to be in. The Congress Party has increased its power in the center and even some of the commenters here in The Langar Hall have been jubilant.
While the Indian elections have received brief commentary, here and there in The Langar Hall, the results call out for some...
A Sikh Response on Ruby Dhalla?
For those that follow The Langar Hall, Ruby Dhalla is no stranger to our coverage on Canadian politics. Whether it be on our list of Sikh MPs throughout the world, a Sikh Barack Obama, a horrible beating that is symptomatic of the nightmare that is the Punjab Police, or even attendance at NRI Punjabi...
Do the Right Thing: Kudos to Pioneer Bhangra
Posted by Jodha in Bhangra on 05 7th, 2009 | 6 Comments
In all honesty, I have grown tired of bhangra. Gone are my days of competing; gone are my days of organizing; gone are my days of even caring.
Still sometimes there are things that are newsworthy and call for praise and attention. This is one such story.
The Pioneer Bhangra competition, hosted by CSU...
Sikh Youth Conference on Remembering 1984
The topic of 1984 is hardly new in The Langar Hall and despite protestations from some amnesia-desiring commenters, we will not forget the Shaheeds of Darbar Sahib, the pograms in Delhi, the Ghallughara against the Sikhs from 1978-1995, or even the continuing impunity that continues today.
We have highlighted...
Slaughter in Sri Lanka and M.I.A
Posted by Jodha in World News on 05 4th, 2009 | 12 Comments
Months ago, my fellow langa(w)r-iter asked a question “On Whose Watch?” when Russian tanks retaliated against Georgian incursions. However, and almost all of us here at TLH, I believe, fall into the trap of having an American filter in terms of the news we discuss and don’t discuss have certainly...
Fighting With Courage and Inspiration: Voice of a Humane Dissident
Go to virtually any diasporan Sikh’s house that has an interest in Sikhi and you will find the ubiquitous blue book. On the cover is a dashing picture of Shaheed Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. The title: Fighting For Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants. While too few Sikhs...
The Blunder That Is India(n Politicians)
Posted by Jodha in India on 04 28th, 2009 | 6 Comments
Published in 1954, AL Basham’s The Wonder That Was India is considered a classic in Indian historiography.
With a quick reworking of the title, it probably also reflects the Indian electorate’s choices. Here is one take coming from the prestigious Foreign Policy Passport Page.
Navjot Sidhu...
Protesters to Martyrs – Whither the Sikh Revolutionaries?
Next month marks the two year anniversary since the Shahadat of Bhai Kamaljit Singh. It has been quite some time since I last blogged about Dehra Sacha Sauda and unfortunately maybe I am also guilty of only following the story as the Indian media does or does not.
It was at the end of 2007, when this...
Jew-Hindu Bhai Bhai: The Popularity of Mein Kampf in India
Posted by Jodha in World News on 04 23rd, 2009 | 66 Comments
Sometimes some articles are too disturbing to not make a comment.
The word Mein Kampf immediately brings to mind Adolf Hitler’s deluded dream and genocidal paranoia of the “Jewish peril”. Long the Bible of idiotic Aryan supremacist groups, the book seems to have found a rather new (or maybe)...
From Kabul through Kashmir: Thoughts on Af-Pak-India and the Sikhs
Posted by Jodha in World News on 04 20th, 2009 | 12 Comments
With Obama’s move for a new strategy, recently, we have seen an avalanche of different articles from Af-Pak, the newly vogue name for the region. I will begin with some more macro-debates, before turning to the Sikh-specific.
An interesting analysis was recently featured in the London Review...
A View From Across the Ravi
Posted by Jodha in World News on 04 14th, 2009 | 5 Comments
OR HOW NOT TO PULL A SIKH-RELATED PUBLICITY STUNT
I will leave the PR-stunt by Congress heir-apparent, Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi, and great-grandson of Nehru and his ill-advised (or rather ill-positioned pagri) to speak for itself. A pictures is worth 1000 words and...
Jarnail Singh Journalist: Sikh Folk Hero
Last week, we saw the birth of a new Sikh folk hero. I am sure the dhadhi jathas (just as Chuck D called rap music the CNN of black people, dhadhi jatha is the CNN of the Sikhs) are already warming up their sarangi and dhad.
While other commenters have suggested material reasons for the turnabout in...
A Tale of a Sikh’s Shoe: From Rebels to Revolutionaries
I know many will object to this post and ask how does a shoe bring justice to the thousands that lost their lives in 1984? My reply – it doesn’t.
But what it does do is highlight the farce that calls itself Indian justice.
Earlier this week, I wrote about Sikh outrage against the Congress Party’s...
Between Badal and Tytler – Sikhs and 1984
As previously discussed, 1984 continues to haunt the psyche of a new generation of Sikhs. As justice continues to be denied to those that faced the Sikhs’ Kristallnacht in Delhi, the perpetrators of the heinous pogroms continue to roam the streets with impunity and some even continue to be awarded...
A Known Story
The story is hardly new. Every few weeks, we see reports by journalists that reinforce a well-known reality – many Sikh men in Punjab are cutting their hair and removing their turbans. I am hardly an alarmist. I do believe that despite the overwhelming trend, there are countercurrents as...
Fuss of a Sikh Calendar and Badal in 1984
In time for the beginning of the Sikh New Year according to our own Nanakshahi calendar, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) has released its annual calendar. In this 25th year of remembering the events of 1984, it is a moment for Sikhs to reflect and take lesson as well as maybe something...
National Sikh Heritage Centre and Holocaust Museum
Posted by Jodha in Activism, History, Human Rights, UK on 03 16th, 2009 | Comments Off on National Sikh Heritage Centre and Holocaust Museum
Although it has been a few months since its ‘soft opening’, the National Sikh Heritage Centre and Holocaust Museum at Derby in the UK in July will soon host the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, to inaugurate the museum.
Although many Gurdwaras have a ‘museum’-room and apparently on the...
Bhangra in Beverly Hills
Posted by Jodha in Bhangra on 03 10th, 2009 | 2 Comments
Although I am long since removed from the “bhangra scene”, still I thought this was interesting montage compiled by the Los Angeles Times in their “street culture” section, highlighting 11 great pictures on the Sights of Socal Bhangra.
The thumping, driving beat of bhangra –a...
India’s Role in Darfur: Not just China and al-Bashir in Sudan
Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC), issued an arrest warrant for current President of Sudan, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir. Al-Bashir has been charged with five counts of crimes against humanity: murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. He also faces two counts of war crimes. ...
