Beyond Just Enough: The Promise of USA’s First Sikh Feminist Conference
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Activism, Education, North America, Women on 10 26th, 2014 | 87 Comments
Guest post by Sarina Kaur
“A Sikh’s entire life is life of benevolent exertion”. Sikh Rehat Maryada (Code of Conduct)
Benevolent exertion. These powerful words along with countless examples from history, gurbani, and rehat remind us that to question, challenge, and think for the purpose...
How much weight does the Sikh image carry?
Guest blogged by Manpreet Kaur
Recently the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) announced that they will be honoring Gap, Inc. for taking “pride in featuring the Sikh American identity†at their annual gala on October 11th in Washington, DC. As you may remember, last year,...
Defending Our Mother Earth: Sikhs at the People’s Climate March
Guest blogged by Bandana Kaur
“Pavan guru paanee pitaaMaataa dharat mahatDivas raat du-i daa-ee daayaa
Khaylai sagal jagat”
-Guru Nanak SahibÂ
In honor of the Sikh concern for preserving ‘Mata Dharat’ (Mother Earth), Sikhs from cities across the northeast are joining the People’s...
Kaur Life: Inspiring Lioness Queens to Rule the World
Guest blogged by Harleen Kaur
Sangat: a concept that has been emphasized to me, and thus I have reiterated to others, for as long as I can remember. My mom telling me to be aware of the friends I was keeping at school, my camp counselors telling me that I should strive for sadh sangat, or people who...
Rape Her to Dishonor Them
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in General on 08 15th, 2014 | 25 Comments
Guest blogged by Shahe Kaur
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times)
The story is not a scene from a movie or excerpt from a novel; it is the living nightmare of a 13-year-old rape survivor in Swang Gulgulia Dhoura, India. In a remote village in the woods, in the middle of the night,...
Not Quiet, Not Idle – A Voice Against Sexual Abuse of Sikh Boys
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in General on 07 31st, 2014 | 40 Comments
Guestblogged by Daler Singh
Warning: This post contains graphic depictions of sexualized violence.
I was about 7 years old when a respected granthi and my dad’s friend sexually molested me. I would spend much of my afternoons and evenings at the gurdwara. My father is a devout Sikh and made sure...
Lalkaar NY 2014 ReCap
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in General on 07 29th, 2014 | 30 Comments
Guestblogged by Jagga Singh.
It was a hot June day, and I was stuck in traffic. This was the last place I wanted to be today. As the cars in front of me inched little by little, I imagined myself in my frigid air conditioned room reading a book or watching Netflix. Instead I was sweltering in the...
From Khalistan to Palestine
Guest blogged by Moninder Singh
I am for Palestinian statehood, and at the same time I am for the existence of the state of Israel. I am against rockets fired into civilian areas killing innocents indiscriminately, but I am even more against what can only be seen as purposely targeted air strikes...
Punjab 1984: An Opportunity for Discussion
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Film on 07 15th, 2014 | 76 Comments
Guest blogged by Shahe Kaur
 On June 27, 2014, Punjab 1984, directed by Anurag Singh, was released by White Hill Production and Basic Brothers Productions. Kirron Kher and Diljit Dosanjh play the starring roles in the film as mother and son. This is not the first movie released which discusses...
The Last Killing
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Film on 05 15th, 2014 | 10 Comments
Guest blog by:Â Jaspinder Singh
On the 23th of May 2014, Ensaaf will be releasing their documentary, ‘The Last Killing’ to the general public. It is an outstanding and powerful 20 minute film, showing the resolve of Sikhs who have faced indescribable hardships and terror, on their journey...
The Center for Change
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in USA on 02 1st, 2014 | 5 Comments
Blogged by Harjit Singh
Many people who know me wonder why as an astrophysics and geophysics major I interned in the office of Congresswoman Judy Chu. In her office I have was not only able to explore my interests, but I also served my Sikh community and built a network of friends and mentors who will...
Sikhs fight for rights in the largest democracy in the world
Guest blogged by Kirpa Kaur
A few weeks ago, India joined the world in mourning the loss of Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary whose armed resistance and leadership rendered him a “terrorist†and imprisoned for 27 years. Prime Minister Manmohan...
Making money not love
Guest blogged by Jaspreet Kaur
There has recently been a lot of stir in the Sikh community about the GAP’s new “Make Love†holiday campaign. The Gap used Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh actor and designer, as a model for one of their promotional pictures. The response from the...
A Critical Analysis of Post 9/11 Sikh American Activism: Addressing White and Christian Supremacy
Guest Blogged by Jaideep Singh
As the Sikh American community embarks yet another mobilization against hate attacks— since this latest episode of violence has really hit home with many Sikhs in a way rarely seen since Balbir Singh Sodhi— we would do well to first answer the difficult,...
Hate Hits Home: When My Friend Became A Target
Guest blogged by Simran Jeet Singh
Last night, I received the kind of phone call that everyone dreads: a close friend was hurt, and on his way to the hospital. But the news got worse, as I learned that my friend, Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a young Sikh American professor at Columbia University, had been...
Indian Independence Day, a Call for Reflection
Guest blogged by Shahe Kaur
On the eve of India’s Independence Day, it is difficult to not think about the haunting stories I have heard from my parents, grandparents, and others who lived through the horrific partition of India into azaad (independent or free) India and Pakistan. This partition...
Am I Trayvon? Zimmerman? Both?
Guest blogged by Simran Jeet Singh
As I strolled outside my Manhattan apartment this morning, reflecting on the Trayvon Martin decision, I had one of those moments that would shatter any possible artifice of living in a post-racial society.
I heard a woman cry in pain and turned around to see her lying...
A British Perspective on Lalkaar-CA 2013
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Activism on 06 28th, 2013 | 10 Comments
Guest blogged by CitizenSoulja, follow him on twitter at @citizensoulja
This year I went to the Lalkaar 2013 conference in Davis California. Lalkaar run by the Jakara Movement, a Sikh youth organisation, is now in its 14th year. This was by far the most interesting and inspiring Sikh educational...
Sikholars London 2013
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in UK on 05 1st, 2013 | 5 Comments
Guest blogged by Mewa Singh
Earlier this year the Center for South Asia at Stanford University along with the Jakara Movement hosted its 4th annual Sikholars Conference (see the recap here). Â This successful endeavor bringing the latest academic research with an engaged community audience allows for...
Why We Are Sikh Feminists
Guest blogged by Herpreet Kaur Grewal
Editorial note:Â the author talked to her colleagues on the Sikh Feminist Research Institute’s editorial board about why they are feminists. This blog post collects their views to mark the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi, which took place this weekend.
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