No Longer Alone.
Yesterday, we received a special request for a blog topic. The urgency and pain expressed in the comment inspired me to write.
In 2006, the Jakara Movement sponsored an online survey that revealed a horrifying 1 in 4 women that took the survey revealed that they had been the victim of sexual abuse,...
i’ma be on the TV, mama
How do you know you’ve made it as a notable community? When Jeopardy! gives you your own category of clues… twice! That’s right, two nights ago my favorite game show featured the category “Punjab.” Because I can only remember three clues, those are the ones I’ll share:
100:...
Domestic Violence In Elderly Couples
A couple of months ago, maybe it was many weeks, I saw on the TV show, “Cops” with utter disgust a Bapuji and Biji, being a form of “entertainment” for a domestic violence assault. Along with my disgust, anger, and sorrow I had a “well yea it happens … you think it’s that...
Bhutto Assassinated
Posted by Jodha in News on 12 27th, 2007 | 13 Comments
The news is ablaze; the blogs are on fire; Rawalpindi and Sind are burning. Former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated today at a political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
While few Sikhs will shed any tears for Bhutto as she was personally responsible for the deaths of many Sikhs...
A model Asian neighbor
Posted by Reema in General on 12 27th, 2007 | 14 Comments
Does this sound familiar? It sounds like it could be many areas in India, including Punjab…
The preference for boys here is centuries old and was rooted in part in an agrarian society that relied on sons to do the hard work on family farms…[A son’s]… elevated status came with...
Santa Singh and the Khalsa Tree
Posted by Anandica in Sikhi on 12 25th, 2007 | 13 Comments
This time of the year always makes me wonder how children in our community perceive Christmas. As a child I don’t remember having a Christmas tree in my house or any talk about Santa Claus coming with gifts (maybe my parents wanted to “keep it real” for me!). However, now that I have a niece and...
Punjabi Sikhs: Divided, United, and Brown?
As I have been thinking about the Sikh community’s mobilization against post-9/11 U.S. racial profiling policies, such as the TSA security guidelines, I have once again been reminded of the identity politics within our Sikh community. To be honest, I really have been thinking about the divisions in...
Capitalism, Carnage, Celebrity, and Contraction
Posted by Jodha in India on 12 23rd, 2007 | 10 Comments
So Modi and the BJP win again. Kill 2,000 Muslims and become Chief Minister. Hardly new. Kill 3,000 Sikhs and become Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs.
Reasons for Modi’s victory will soon flow: his cult of personality, the use of xenophobic propaganda against “jihadis” (Read:...
Re: Relationships – What Guru Sahib Thinks
Posted by Singh in General on 12 22nd, 2007 | 9 Comments
Many of our recent posts have involved discussion about relationships and gender differentiations in our community. So on Thursday, when I drafted this post, I decided to read the “hukamnama” from Darbar Sahib Amritsar and see what Guru Granth Sahib Ji had to say that day.
For those of you who are...
Are Amritdhari Sikhs a Punjabi minority?
Earlier this week the Haryana and Punjab high courts struck down a provision in SGPC-run schools that reserves 50% of its seats for Sikhs under the same concept as the federal provision for reserved seats for historic minorities. The SGPC is contesting the ruling, arguing that while Sikhs may constitute...
1 + _ = ?
Posted by Reema in General on 12 20th, 2007 | 15 Comments
I recently had a conversation with a friend whose relationship with his fiancée is in a bit of turmoil …
Let’s call him Jasdeep and his fiancée- Palwinder. They’ve been dating for a few years, told both parents who gave their consent/supported the relationship and a formal engagement date was...
All you need is love?
Posted by JeSuisDot in General on 12 19th, 2007 | 13 Comments
I always get asked about how my spouse and I met; those that are aware of Desis and the “arranged marriage” are always curious as to whether my marriage was in fact arranged. My first thought– how do you define arranged? We were introduced, by mutual acquaintances. The introduction – was under...
Runaway Grooms
Posted by Sundari in Punjabi on 12 18th, 2007 | 29 Comments
Blimey. Last week National Public Radio picked up a story about one of the newest scams to hit the community, that of Runaway Grooms. If NPR is doing a story about Punjabis and/or Sikhs, you’d hope it would be for something like this instead. So forgive me, if I think it’s disappointing (although...
What does Ishmeet’s Victory Mean?
Since May of this year a competition has raged throughout the Indian subcontinent. On Saturday November 24th, 2007, the results were in…the 1st Amul Star Voice of India: Ishmeet Singh from Ludhiana.
For those in the diaspora, who flip past the ZeeTV, Sony and all those other station as they channel...
Ji Aiyan Nu (Welcome)
Posted by Admin Singh in General on 12 17th, 2007 | Comments Off on Ji Aiyan Nu (Welcome)
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Welcome to The Langar Hall. This is a space dedicated to the experiences, reflections, and interests of a diverse group of young individuals – tied together by our common and varied identities as Sikhs in the diaspora.
Like the many conversations that take...
