The details are still very sketchy, but it seems that a dera associated with the highly controversial Maan Singh Pehowa was burned down in Sacramento this past weekend.  Maan Singh has been accused of rape.

I write this post partially to clarify that it was not at a Gurdwara in Sacramento, as well as to give a place for discussion and thoughts.  The police seem to have some indication that the fire was not an accident, although very few details are being provided.  Could it be an arson against immigrants?  Could it be an accident?  Could it involve frictions within the Sikh community in Sacramento?  I do not know.  I would be interested to hear thoughts, especially from those readers in Sacramento.

A video from the local news about the fire can be viewed here.

The young researchers that presented at last week’s Sikholars conference have made their papers available. Until March 15, 2010 they will be available at this link.

If you read the papers, we would love to hear your comments.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

This past weekend was the first annual Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference. From Toronto and Vancouver, from New York and Boston, some leading young researchers converged upon Stanford University.

Beginning with the topic of the scholar in Sikhi, Harinder Singh creatively discussed the views of scholarship emanating from Gurbani and examples of community intellectuals from Bhai Gurdas to the recently departed Harinder Singh Mehboob.

The opening panel “Beneath the Surface” featured papers from Harvard’s Erik Resly, York University’s Kamal Arora, and University of British Columbia’s Iqbal Kaur. Discussions ranged from the usages of the janamsakhi literature in understanding the Sikh experience, understandings of trauma by the wives of shaheeds in Punjab and widows of the Delhi Pogroms, and issues of perceptions of adolescent suicide by Punjabi Sikh families in British Columbia.

The 2nd panel, titled “Locality: Old and New” saw topics on biodiversity, the role of izzat, and voices from North Delta. Bandana Kaur, Yale University, detailed the changes of Punjab’s ecology during the pre-Green Revolution period; Mette Bach, University of British Columbia, shared excerpts and accounts from her upcoming book about the changing people, lifestyles, and interactions in Punjabi-populated North Delta; Preet Kaur, York University, discussed the understandings of Canadian law by Punjabi Sikh immigrants.

The afternoon session, “Beyond Borders,” saw discussions beyond any national territory. Ajeet Singh of Columbia University provided a critique of the historiography of Punjab/Sikh studies, from the 1960s to the post-structuralist approaches popular among some today. Arvinder Kang of the University of Mississippi discussed his role and the ongoing debates in the promotion of Gurmukhi and Punjabi on the internet today. Mandeep Kaur, University of Texas Austin, gave a literature review of medical research related to the Sikhs. Finally, Harjant Gill, American University (Washington D.C.) concluded the panel with a discussion of Punjabi masculinities as reified and displayed in Punjabi films.

Over 80 community members from throughout California attended the event. Far exceeding the organizer’s expectations, it was standing-room only in this first event of its type – a Sikh graduate conference. Attendees and participants both left excited and exuberant. The event was made possible by the Sikh Spirit Foundation and the Jakara Movement. The Jakara Movement hopes to continue with such programming annually, while increasing its size and scope.

Months ago we announced the first Sikh graduate student conference – SIKHOLARS, being hosted by the Jakara Movement and Sikh Spirit Foundation.

Today, the confirmed participants have been announced:

• Ajeet Singh Matharu, Columbia University, History, N/A
• Arvinder Singh Kang and Amanpreet Singh Brar, University of Mississippi, Computer Science, Extending Gurmukhi Script into Twenty-first Century & Beyond
• Bandana Kaur, Yale University, Environmental Management, Reclaiming Natural Histories: Biodiversity and Landscape in Pre-Green Revolution Punjab
• Erik Resly, Harvard Divinity School, Divinity, (Re)figuring the Sikh: Theodicy, Discipleship and Narrative in Ethical Perspective
• Harjant Gill, American University, Anthroplogy, From Putt Jattan De to Munde UK De: The Transformation of Masculinities in Punjabi Cinema
• Iqbal Kaur Gill, University of British Columbia, Counseling Psychology, First Generation Canadian Punjabi Sikh Parents Beliefs  about Adolescent Suicide and Suicide Related Behaviours
• Kamal Arora, York University, Social Anthropology, The Politics of Pain: Gender, Mourning and the Punjab Crisis
• Mandeep Kaur, University of Texas (Austin), Nursing, The Sikh Patient: A Review of the Nursing Literature
• Mette Bach, University of British Columbia, Creative Writing, The Changing Faces of Suburbia
• Preet Kaur Virdi, York University, Socio-Legal Studies, Silence: Resistance or Acquiescence? Sikh women’s perspectives on Canadian law

A thorougly diverse and intriguing display of scholars.  We eagerly await for the conference.  We hope others can attend February 20, 2010 at Stanford University.

For more information and to read the abstracts, see here.

3 clicks are all it takes.  JPMorgan Chase Bank partnered up with Facebook to have sort of an “American Idol” of charity giving.  The 100 charities with the most votes by December 10th will receive $25,000.

CLICK HERE to vote  for the Jakara Movement.

There are a great number of Sikh charities that are participating.  The Jakara Movement has the most votes for the Sikh groups – and needs your support to bring $25,000 to our community to support projects by the Sikh youth.  This weekend alone, the Jakara Movement had 6 events.  There were 5 camps, titled, “A Nation Never Forgets” that were hosted in Los Angeles, Turlock, Stockton, Yuba City, and Orange County.  Here are some pictures from just one.

In the Bay Area, the Jakara Movement helped host the forum “Women and 1984”, bringing scholars and activists such as Cynthia Keppley Mahmood (author of Fighting for Faith and Nation and a champion for human rights), Navkiran Kaur Khalra (daughter of the late Shaheed for human rights, Jaswant Singh Khalra), and Jasmine Kaur (a human rights lawyer and member of ENSAAF).

To keep programs, like this going – WE NEED YOUR HELP.  We are asking for ALL Sikhs – whether in the US, UK, Canada, India, Punjab, Malaysia, Australia, Africa, and beyond to rally around the Sikh organizations and provide your support.  Get your non-Sikh friends to vote too!

Log into Facebook and click HERE to vote for the JAKARA MOVEMENT. And with your 20 votes, do not forget to vote for other great Sikh organizations (ENSAAF, SALDEF, and many others) too.  Inspire and be inspired; together, we are the movement.

Please forward and circulate this widely.  We Need the Entire Community to Rally Behind the Sikh Youth!

Last weekend I attended the Sikh Lens Sikh Art and Film Festival in Hollywood. I have attended film festivals all over North America and strongly believe in their need and presence in our community. Many times, however, the events get overshadowed by the glitz and glamour – the red carpet, the photographers, the eccentric outfits… I was therefore grateful that my experience at the Sikh Arts and Film Festival was a fulfilling one – I left knowing that Sikh Arts and Films bring value to our community and need to be supported. In addition, I felt the organizers made a special effort to keep the event focused on the directors, artists, musicians, actors, authors and organizations who were present. They recognized the fact that we are all in this together. Sikh Arts and Films are only beginning to be acknowledged, there is so much potential and growth that will still occur. However, this isn’t going to magically happen overnight, and it most definitely won’t happen without the community’s support.

I was recently told that Sikhs in the UK spend 7 times more on license plates than they do on books (yes, 7 times!). While I’m not sure of the statistic in the US, the point is clear – perhaps we’re not investing in the right places? I think as a community we have begun to establish the need to support non-profit organizations that are working to address human rights, legal, education and activism issues (although we still have a long way to go to enhance our support). However, what goes hand in hand with this is the support and advancement of Sikh Art and Media. Without a doubt, events such as Sikh Lens are helping to pave the path – however, we as a community need to ask ourselves why we are so hesitant to spend money on independent films, children’s books, on historical references and on paintings. When I think about other immigrant communities, I notice that their advancement as a community comes from their support of one another. Whether we like to admit it or not, our community is extremely frugal and competitive with each other, and unless we start to move away from those stereotypes – we will not be creating a better world for our children.

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Kash Gill, who grew up as a farm worker, will be sworn in today as Yuba City’s first Punjabi-American mayor.  As many of you know, Yuba City (often referred to as the pindh of California), has a large Punjabi Sikh population.  Just last weekend, 75,000 people gathered in Yuba City for the annual Nagar Kirtan.  It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that finally a Punjabi-American will be taking the seat of mayor.    The event does, however,  signify a signficiant step for a community that makes up about 12 percent of the population in Yuba City.  The story also embodies the dream, which many immigrant communities carry with them – that by working hard and perservering, anything is possible.

“You’d never think you’d be picking peaches one day and the next day you’re the mayor of Yuba City,” he said. “That’s why we call it the land of opportunity.” After moving to the United States when he was 3 years old, Gill’s parents stressed that education was the path to leaving the life of farm laboring. [link]

Gill said his priority will be to improve flood protection for the community, reduce gang activity and offer opportunities for young residents.  It should be added, that in Yuba City the mayor is chosen on a rotation system and while many of the comments (in the linked article) do discuss his Punjabi-American background, many more are focused on discussing his priorities and how they will benefit the people of Yuba City – as they should be.

Note: The Appeal-Democrat is hosting a live streaming video tonight of City Councilman Kash Gill being sworn in as mayor of Yuba City at www.appealdemocrat.com.

This weekend Sikhlens will be presenting its annual Sikh Art and Film Festival 2009.  The film festival showcases the best in Sikh movie-making talents from around the globe.  It also presents a forum for aspiring Sikh artists to also come and display their burgeoning talents.  A few book launches are planned with a particular emphasis on children’s books.  Authors of A Lion’s Mane and The Royal Falcon are planned to be in attendance to do a live reading.

The inaugural Sikh Art and Film Festival will be held at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA on November 13-15th.

In previous articles on The Langar Hall, I have written about how certain Sikh-film haters groan in jealousy and spew hatred, about the Sikhs’ taking advantage of new forms of media.  Such efforts in the community should be encouraged and more platforms created.

The weekend features a number of different clusters, highlighting issues on the youth, creative Sikhs, short films, feature films, and even Remembering 1984.  The Remembering 1984 cluster on Sunday afternoon will be co-hosted with the Jakara Movement in conjunction with it’s Visions of Truth film series.

So whether you come for the entire weekend, make it out to just one cluster (at $15 pre-sale, you won’t find a better price), or at least to Sunday’s mela, check the schedule, check out the films, and make sure you come out and support Sikh arts!  We’ll be in attendance and will post on our experience after the event.

This past weekend was the 30^th Annual Yuba City Nagar Kirtan (sometimes called the Sikh Parade).  Thousands from all over California and beyond gathered for the weekend, doubling the population of sleepy Yuba City.

An estimated 75,000 people filled Tierra Buena and Butte House roads before the beginning of the parade, one of the largest annual gatherings of Sikhs anywhere outside Asia.[link]

We had mentioned before the float built by the Sikh Students Collaborative.  The Appeal Democrat, Yuba City’s own newspaper, made special note of the float that seemed to have attracted plenty of conversation and provided fruits for conversation:

More floats followed, from businesses, school ethnic clubs and charities such as the American Red Cross’ local chapter. Some floats had a political message, such as one from a group of Sikh college students that warned of oppression against Sikhs in their native India.

Two men stood on the float with their heads positioned inside nooses, while words read, “A community will never forget.”[link]

Along with the float, the first annual Yuba City Youth Lecture and Discussion was conducted.  Overall the weekend was a great success and too many of us are still exhausted.  Special thanks to ALL those SSAs that lent their support and especially ALL OF THE VOLUNTEERS that were out until 2am working on the float.  Leave your comments or thoughts.  Below the link, see some pictures from the float.

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20,000 Butchered in Delhi
25,000 Made “Disappeared” in Punjab
A Community Bruised
A Diaspora Tarnished
STILL WE RISE
A Nation Never Forgets
Remember 1984

On The Langar Hall, the fight for justice is rarely far from our minds.  While justice remains elusive and mass-murderers promoted, the community suffers, but not in silence.  In this 25th year of the Indian Government-sponsored pogroms, we bear witness to that genocide.  We remember not only the lives lost, but call for accountability so that events such as Delhi 1984, Gujarat 2002, and the numerous human rights abuses that occur everyday in the territory that is India are not forgotten.  The Indian elite may see the country as a rising economic star, but without political rights, freedoms, and a genuine commitment to justice, slogans such as “Indian Shining” fall on deaf ears.

Here is one such event that inspires us to remember:

Below the fold, see a list of upcoming events in your community.  Participate, contribute, stand in solidarity – Remember 1984.

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Every other city we go….

The story repeats itself.

There are 2 Sikhs. They decide to build a Gurdwara. First comes love, then they disparage, next comes litigation and community image damage.

The most recent editions – Bakersfield and San Jose.

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Last week, I wrote a wrap-up about the 10th Annual Jakara Movement Conference.  Sikh Knowledge, a previously featured artist, wrote his thoughts on his blog.

However, an especially important post was written by Pashaura Singh Dhillon.  For those that are regular langa(r)-eaders, then you need no introduction.  In a post during last year’s presidential election, I introduced a Fresno Punjabi landmark – one of our many great poets.

At last week’s Jakara Movement Conference, Pashaura Singh delivered a powerful poem at the farewell banquet.  On his own blog, he introduces the piece, written with a contemporary problem using a traditional Mirza meter.  I quote at length:

I was invited to share a poem I wrote at the closing banquet of Jakara Movement. Jakara began in 2000 with a mission to call the next generation of Sikhs from all places, backgrounds and points of view to reflect on their past and prepare for the future. In 2009, they came together as the next generation of Sikhs to continue the process of empowering, engaging , and educating the Sikh community.

Kanwar Anit Singh Saini (Sikh Knowledge) and Kanwar Singh (Humble the Poet), two Canadian rappers and participants of 2009’s Jakara said it best. “1984 is all around us. It is happening in Rwanda. It is happening in Palestine. We should try to find connections with people who are also victims because then the minority becomes the majority.”

But I was not there to repeat what had already been reported or was going to be reported on this subject. As a poet I wanted to invite them to a different plane, whereby they not only take the message of what happened to the Sikhs 25 years ago but also what is happening all around the world today and how it relates to us all. A big picture where these compounded atrocities and excesses not only of humans on humans that are happening everyday but also collectively of humans on this planet Earth, which threatens its very survival. The victim of human’s inhumanity the Earth pleads with the princess of the Skies whose domain the fugitive from Earth is now so impatient to intrude. Without further adieu, here is “Umber Di Shehzadi De Naa: To the Princess of the Skies”

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 many events in the past and we will contine to do so.

In that spirit, I strongly urge TLH readers to attend this year’s Jakara Movement conference in Fresno, CA from June 18-21st.  A number of invited guests’ names will be announced in the upcoming week.  The title of the conference is “Remember 1984: reflect. respond. react.”

2009 | 1984 | 25 years | No justice | No memory | No history | No people

Despite the fact that many wish to forget the events that befell and have shaped the Sikh Nation, it is vital for the ‘next generation of Sikhs’ to be aware of our past and understand how it shapes our present and our future. While twenty-five years have passed since the attack on our sacred home, much has changed and much has remained the same. For the Nishan Sahib of our Nation to remain tall, it is for us to study our history, remember the past, and continue the fight for justice.

This year at Jakara, we will Remember 1984 and celebrate those Kaurs and Singhs that made the ultimate sacrifice for our Qaum.

Join us in Fresno as we Remember 1984: Reflect. Respond. React.

Register here TODAY and avoid a late fee.  Below the fold you’ll find the agenda.  See you there!

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While driving home from a friend’s house one night I noticed something out of the corner of my eye as I passed the rows of darkened homes in his neighborhood.  One garage door on the block was open and the garage lights were on, but there were no cars inside.  Instead, there was an older Mata/Mai/Bibi/Bebe standing in front of a stove making roti, while a younger lady was dishing out what must have been some dal/sabzi. 

The site was kinda cool and I had to resist the urge to stop my car and take a picture to post here – for fear of looking like a creepy weirdo.  I did, however, think about it all the way home.  What made it worth thinking about for a 10-minute drive is simple:  it took me back to Punjab, where many farming families have two kitchens – one inside and one outside (where a bulk of the cooking is done). 

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As International Women’s Day approaches us this weekend, I wanted to highlight the story of one woman who left a life of violence to a home of comfort built from creativity.  Tanya Momi, a Bay Area South Asian woman from Chandigarh, is a painter and owner of “Spoil-Me Salon”, who left a long-term abusive marriage where she was treated like an “educated maid”.  On March 8th her work will be launched in San Francisco as part of Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women’s traveling art exhibit.

Vidya Pradhan writes:

“Tanya Momi rebuilt her life after a traumatic marriage and divorce and in her own quiet way she helps other women do the same. “Women come into my life through the salon,” she says. “They are like the missing puzzle pieces of my life.” Through her work in the salon and her paintings she reaches out to offer comforting messages of hope and renewal.”

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Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D-Long Beach) has introduced a new bill requiring awareness trainings and instruction on how to approach Sikhs for California’s law enforcement agencies and officers. If passed, California, which is home to the oldest Sikh gurdwara in the U.S. (Stockton) and one of the largest Sikh populations in the country, would take affirmative steps to ensure that the rhetoric around national security is not inappropriately utilized to prevent Sikhs from the free and fully practice of our faith.

Assemblyman Furutani explained the need for this protection specifically in the context of the kirpan:

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Sikhs carrying the blade, which they consider sacred, have experienced a sharp increase in prosecutions, according to the legislation, AB 504, that Furutani has introduced.

“The Sikh community should not live in fear of arrest by law enforcement for carrying the kirpan, which is an integral part of their religious faith.” [link]

In light of the horrific experience of the Tagore family in Texas, it sounds like this kind of forward-looking legislation could prevent instances of ignorance-based harassment, or at the very least provide a legal basis for holding police officers accountable to culturally appropriate standards of enforcement for the diverse communities in which they work. The bill will be reviewed in March, and it will be interesting to see if it’s able to gain political traction in the upcoming legislative session.

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a group working to present stories that convey the “richness and diversity of Asian American experiences” to the broadcast audience.  They do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media.  One example is this video directed for Mandeep Sethi, a bay area MC.  As he says, Where do we go from here, I thought my people would be proud of their heritage and instead they want to bury it.

Also presented by the Center, is the upcoming 27th Asian American Film Festival in San Francisco.  For those of you in the area, here are some of the films you might want to catch.

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Growing up where I did, singing hymns and listening to the Our Father, Who Art in Heaven prayer were a daily occurrence.  There was only one religion taught in my school.  It was a point of discontent for those of us who followed other faiths and after years of students petitioning to be exempted from such morning meetings, my school reluctantly made exceptions for us.  My school was a public school but it was also in England where separation of church and state did not exist. 

I don’t have a problem with teaching religion in schools, actually I think religion should be discussed at school but practice should not enforced.  I do recognize that this raises the question of Sikh-based schools where religious education is provided in accordance with the Sikh faith.  However, I will emphasize that these faith-schools are private schools and children often have a choice to attend those institutions. 

It seems that the concept of separation of state and church has in effect reduced the amount of time/effort which is spent on teaching religion in schools.  A recent article discusses a school in Modesto, California which has decided that learning about world religions is an important subject and in fact, have even made it a graduation requirement.

Johansen High School in Modesto, California, sounds like any other, until the sacred Hindu sound – “ommmmmm” – vibrates from history teacher Yvonne Taylor’s classroom. Today, she’s talking about Hindu ideas of the cycle of death and rebirth. This nine-week course for ninth graders teaches the fundamental beliefs of Christians, Muslims and Confucianists, as well as Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jews – all tied in with the history of religious liberty in the United States. [link] 

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We covered the El Sobrante Gurdwara expansion — and the subsequent PR fallout — a while ago. Earlier this week, the county halted expansion plans pending a further environmental review. Local residents filed a petition for re-review, claiming the “regional service area” proposed in the expansion documents underestimated projected population growth/use in the area:

The appellants, El Sobrante Valley Planning and Zoning Advisory Committee and Quail Hill Homeowners Association, say the mitigated negative declaration does not adequately address their concerns regarding traffic, parking, noise, possible landslides, drainage, wildlife and emergency vehicle access.

Gurdwara leadership says that community members have it all wrong, though, and that they are off the mark in understanding how regional is defined and what it means for the future of the center.

Sikh leaders said they have spent the past 10 years fine-tuning the project to satisfy the county as well as neighbors.

“We have spent more than half a million dollars” — not including volunteer time and effort — “to comply “… and keep our neighbors advised…”

When we discussed this last time, I asked about the challenges we face explaining our presence and integrating into the fabric of religion in the U.S. We could revisit that conversation, but this time I thought it was curious that the project has been stalled in the face of a staggering economic slowdown in this region. Could this have generated jobs and funding at a time when the area could benefit from economic development? Or was this not worth the end result?

As the economy’s downturn affects millions of North Americans, you wonder how documented/undocumented immigrants are impacted by it; particularly, when many left friends and families in their home-countries for economic opportunities in the West. Maple Leaf Sikh gave us some insight into how the Punjabi Sikh population is being affected in Canada.

Last week, a KGET news report (view below for video report), focused on the undocumented population in California’s Central Valley.  Despite economic hard-times in Kern County, its large undocumented population, who are primarily Latino, has no intention of going back to their home-countries. Regardless of soaring unemployment rates, US economic recession, and a major downturn in California’s construction, service, and agriculture industries, many undocumented workers maintain a tremendous amount of faith in the US economy.

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