Religion, Poverty and the Group of Twenty
Posted by Sundari in Economy on 03 31st, 2009 | 8 Comments
The G20 summit, which will take place in London on April 2nd, will bring together world leaders representing 85% of the world’s output to discuss issues affecting the international financial system. The goal of this summit is to encourage world leaders to make three committments:
First, to take...
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...
Pushing Against Discrimination in the Passport Line
A couple of days ago Darshan Singh took his six-year-old son, Gurjot, to the post office to get a U.S. passport. Unfortunately, his experience is all too familiar: postal workers refused to take Gurjot’s photo, insisting he remove his “hat”:
A Frisco father says his family’s trip...
Finding Freedom In Forgiveness
I’m a bit of an NPR Junkie, and one of my favorite series I listen to is called This I Believe. This I Believe is a national media project that engages everyday people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their everyday lives. I’ve been following...
Gurmat Gian Group: An All Sikh Women’s Gurmat Sangeet Group
Recently we have discussed gurmat sangeet (i.e. classical keertan) on TLH. This past week, I came across an all Sikh women’s gurmat sangeet group from Punjab. Their voices are absolutely beautiful! The emotion that raags convey that words alone cannot express is actually felt in these women’s...
SGPC President: “Sikh religion doesn’t permit…jeans”
SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar recently put forth the stunning idea that the Sikh religion doesn’t permit women to wear jeans. Apparently jeans, along with sleeveless shirts, “attract undue attention and distract others.” [link]
The background story:
…authorities in educational...
Under the Lemon Trees
Posted by Sundari in Literature on 03 24th, 2009 | 10 Comments
“A young woman scarcely had time to weave the fragile fabric of her dreams in our town.”
This is one of the opening lines of Bhira Backhaus’ debut novel, Under the Lemon Trees. The novel – published this month – is set in a small town in Northern California, and...
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...
Beyond Diversity Days
There was an interesting story recently on Cultural Diversity Day at a local middle school. In addition to featuring dancing, self-defense, and dialogues, a few speakers lectured on their experiences or cultures, including a Sikh speaker:
Wearing a bright blue turban that matched his outfit, Gurparkash...
Wearing Your Faith: The Experiences of Four Individuals
Posted by Phulkari in General, Media, USA on 03 19th, 2009 | Comments Off on Wearing Your Faith: The Experiences of Four Individuals
I recently came across this CNN report of four individuals who discuss their experiences of wearing religious garments in the US. Two of the individuals are Sikh men (where are the Sikh women at) along with a Muslim woman and a Jewish man.
Ajitpal Singh Rania: Ajitpal lives in the Washington area...
Sikh Style
Remember that one particular Kenneth Cole ad in NYC that caught our eye? Yes, the picture of the sardar who received much admiration from Sikhs and non-Sikhs around the globe. Well, as it turns out – he’s back. Sonny Caberwal is being featured in GQ’s upcoming Spring/Summer...
Blame Canada(‘s Sikhs)
Canada’s problem with its Sikh minority should be of concern to Americans not just because Vancouver borders on the US, but for the broader lessons this story of ethnic conflict teaches. When a country imports an alien population, it often brings in all of the conflicts that bedeviled the immigrants...
My favorite Sikh bureaucrat
Harpal Singh Kapoor, Director of Miami-Dade Transit, must be the coolest bureacrat in all of Florida. At a recent office party he not only showed off some mad bhangra skills, he taught his non-Punjabi colleagues some skills too, to the beat of a live dhol.
I know there are some purists in the audience...
London Gurdwara Damaged by Fire
Recent news from East London is that Gurdwara Sikh Sangat has been substantially destroyed in an attempted arson attack. An official statement of the Executive Committee of the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat states that,
On Monday the 16th March 2009 at approximately 1.30pm, whilst some women were attending...
A United Front for Sikh Student Organizations
What exactly is the function of a Sikh Student Association? Is it simply to bring Sikh students together on campus for token meetings? Is it to celebrate Vaisakhi by organizing bhangra parties? Is it a platform to mobilize students to act upon issues impacting Sikh youth and the Sikh community? ...
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...
“Sikh Turban Week” at UT Arlington
We’ve definitely covered stories on the trials and tribulations Sikhs have faced recently in Texas. I saw this and thought it would be nice to share what students at the University of Texas – Arlington are doing to help dispel ignorance around our faith community.
The line outside the University...
Thee Di Mangh?
No longer are Punjabi “staarz” (i.e. Gurdas Maan, Arminder Gill, etc.) or Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Mrs., Harsimrat Kaur Badal (i.e. Nanhi Chhaan project), the only ones focusing on the “girl child”, but also a granthi at a California Gurdwara. I was recently surprised to hear a granthi support...
The “Garage Kitchen”
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...
Happy Hola Mohalla and almost Sikh New Year!
I don’t know if it’s actually appropriate to say “Happy Hola Mohalla” or “Happy Sikh New Year” (doubt it) but these are the awkward felicitations we’re going to have since we blog in English…
According to the Nanakshahi calendar (a solar calendar which...
