Seva for a Cold Winter
Posted by Camille in California, Events, General on 12 18th, 2008 | Comments Off on Seva for a Cold Winter
For those of you in the California Central Valley, a small group of folks from the Tracy sangat will be giving out coats, blankets, and socks in Modesto, Stockton, and Tracy . If you’re in the area and would like to donate or know families in need who could benefit from some extra help this season,...
Sukhmani Sahib iPhone App
Yes, a company called IndiaNIC has developed a Sukhmani Sahib iPhone application. For $0.99 you can download the entire Sukhmani Sahib and with a single swipe, read through it on your iPhone. Information about this application reads,
This iphone book has following features:
– Full Sukhmani...
Forced Marriages: Sikhs and “Shame”
Well I was hoping someone far more knowledgeable from our esteemed blog roster would write about this, but I figured since I feel it is extremely important and raises some critical issues, you’ll have to settle for me.
Yesterday when I was watching CNN, Jasvinder Sanghera came on to talk about...
Achieving the “American Dream”: Blinded By Our Own Prejudices
So the other day on an NPR report (I don’t have a link, you will just have to take my word for it), a Latino immigrant man shared his own prejudices that have developed as he has achieved his “American Dream”. He spoke about how easily he began to forget the difficulties he encountered while...
It’s Our 1-Year Anniversary
Posted by Phulkari in General on 12 17th, 2008 | 16 Comments
It’s The Langar Hall’s 1-Year Anniversary today and we would like to thank our readers and commentators for helping us sustain this blog!
We would basically be nothing without your participation, aside from a bunch of bloggers who read and comment on their own posts. You all have helped us come...
A New Sheriff In Houston – Better for Sikhs?
Posted by Singh in General on 12 17th, 2008 | 4 Comments
A couple of weeks ago TLH reported on an incident involving the Tagore family in Houston who suffered what can quite easily be classified as police brutality after having called for help. The family called nine-one-one after finding out that their home had been burglarized, but when the Sheriffs arrived,...
The Use and Abuse of the “Punjab Lesson”: Sikhs and KPS Gill
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 17th, 2008 | 53 Comments
I am sick of these articles!
Every so often, usually an Indian (but not always – and yes I chose the term on purpose) picks some problem in the world and then asks the question “Where is X’s (insert troubled country here) KPS Gill?”
The most recent example, published in Toronto’s The Star,...
Hard Times for Punjab’s Migrants
The World Bank estimates that nearly six millon Indians working abroad sent $30 billion home in 2008. Of those, it is estimated that Punjabi non-resident Indians sent between $150 million to $160 million. It should come of no surprise that Punjab is feeling the ramifications of the global economic...
Reuters Images of the Year
Posted by Publius in Images on 12 15th, 2008 | 3 Comments
Reuters News Pictures Service (RNPS) recently announced its images of the year for 2008. One of them is the following picture taken of “Gurmeet Singh, 72, a Sikh, work[ing] on a hand written version of the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ (the holy book of Sikhs) in the northern Indian city of...
The Shoe Thrown ‘Round the World
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 15th, 2008 | 4 Comments
In the Sikh tradition, shoes have a particular connotation. When we enter the Gurdwara we take them off (and somehow it is noteworthy when a the Sheriff takes them off when visiting a Houston Gurdwara); before entering our homes we often take them off; and one of the worst insults is to get beat by...
The Rising Storm – India and Pakistan
Over the weekend it was reported that two Indian fighter jets violated Pakistani airspace. Although the Indian state is claiming the trespass was inadvertent, it seems that such a move is meant to engage in a ‘psychological escalation’ and pressure Pakistan into taking bolder actions against various...
Toronto Sikh Retreat: The Spiritual Pick-Me-Up
For those of you that have never attended a retreat before, its not like the Sikh camps you went to as a kid. Its not Sikhi boot-camp, but a chance for you to explore you own spirituality and really examine how you’re incorporating Sikhi into your life.
The Toronto Sikh Retreat has been held in...
Sikh Inaugural Ball
As someone who is excited about the incoming administration, I have thought about ways in which I would like to participate in the presidential inaugural, when President-Elect Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. In particular, I thought about attending an inaugural ball...
Violence and Faith
Deh Shiva bar mohe ihe / shubh karman the khabhu na taro
God, grant me this: that I will never refrain from righteous acts
na daroo ar siyoo jab jah laro / nische kar apni jeet karo
That I will fight life’s battles without fear, and will claim victory with courage
Ar Sikh hao apne hi mum ko /...
Sikhs Care About the Sonal Shah Debate
Posted by Jodha in General on 12 11th, 2008 | 40 Comments
Yes, now it’s our turn….The debate has been raging in the South Asian blogosphere and although this post is extremely late, the issue is still important, especially for those Sikhs in the diaspora.
The issue surrounds that of Sonal Shah. Sonal Shah, like many young ambitious desis in the...
Feeling “American”
As many Punjabi Sikh homes across America celebrated Thanksgiving with the traditional Turkey dinner with all the fixins, chollaa puraa with a side of dhaee, or chicken/turkey cooked in good old Masalaa, I wonder about our internal struggle to feel “American”.
Although much of Jhumpa Lahiri’s work...
Different Ways To TAKE ACTION NOW Against The Police Brutality Faced By A Sikh Family In Texas
Last week on TLH we addressed the police brutality faced by the Tagore family in Texas.
You will find here a consolidated list of how to TAKE ACTION NOW on this injustice. Different organizing tools are available for the Sikh community to act, we just need to use them. Taking action in at least one...
The Sikh IDentity…
Posted by Singh in General on 12 10th, 2008 | 5 Comments
In a press release yesterday, SALDEF reported that the state of Indiana has recently implemented new guidelines for drivers license photographs:
The new policy incorporates the use of new facial recognition software and involves restrictions on smiling, head coverings, scarves, glasses, and facial...
One Sikh’s Act of Bravery
Karambir Singh Kang, the general manager of the Taj Mahal Hotel, acted with great courage during the recent Mumbai tragedy. (Thanks for the tip, It’sMe)
Karambir Singh lost his wife and two sons in the hotel when they were forced to barricade themselves inside a room on the 6th floor. They died...
Change for Southall?
Jodha previously blogged about national-level elected Sikh leaders and rightfully noted the low representation of leaders from the UK. This week, Councillor Gurcharan Singh was chosen to represent the Conservatives as the Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing Southall. Ealing Southall has one of the...
