On Sonia Sotomayor
As talking heads buzzed with news of President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, there has also been a flurry of commentary. Is her selection tokenizing? Is it triumphant? Is she smart enough? Is she nice enough? I don’t think it’s particularly useful to parse...
Caste Matters: Legally Outlawing It In The Diaspora
The recent caste-based violence in a Vienna and Punjab has shown us the horrible consequences of casteism. Sathnam Sanghera recently did a short report, “Caste Matters”, which investigates the possibility of legally outlawing caste-based discrimination in the UK.
Often we think caste-based discrimination...
On Common Ground
Years ago, I attended a Sikh retreat far from home – outside of the United States and outside of my “normal crowd.” It was interesting to experience Sikh life in a different country…and I think Bono had it right when he said, “We are one, but we’re not the same.”
The...
New info on Sikh Maharani, Jind Kaur, uncovered
This week, Peter Bance published “Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh and the Heirs of a Lost Kingdom.” It includes some little known and interesting information on Rani Jindan- the youngest of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s wives. While the tale of her son, Duleep Singh,...
Sikh Author Wins Mind Book of the Year Award
Last year we discussed Satnam Sanghera’s memoir, If You Don’t Know Me By Now: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhamptom, and dialogued around the issue of mental health in the Punjabi Sikh community. The memoir was recently awarded the Mind Book of the Year Award for its literary...
Sikhi by fear, guilt or love?
Posted by Maple Leaf Sikh in Canada, Education, Film, Literature, Media, Music, Sikhi on 05 26th, 2009 | 31 Comments
Please upgrade your browser
He locked the washroom door, unravelled the nine-metre turban, took a pair of scissors and started cutting. Ten minutes later, three feet of hair lay in a pile and Charanbir Singh sat down and cried.
Outside, his parents and grandmother were in tears. Two friends persuaded...
When Sikh Lions Roar in Canada
June soon approaches and many in the Sikh community will take the time to remember the events beginning in 1984. While some traditional sites of remembrance, mainly Gurdwaras, will continue to fulfill their duties to celebrate those that gave their lives and remember those families devastated by the...
Latest Update on Sikhs and Dera SachKhand from the Punjab
My last post was about what we knew at that time. Since then, there are new updates.
After the attack in the Vienna temple (actually a dera of the Sach Khand group), there are news confirmations that Sant Rama Nand has passed away from his injuries, while the Dera head Niranjan Das is in stable condition.
There...
Sikhs and Dera SachKhand – Vienna and Jalandhar
Posted by Jodha in Europe on 05 24th, 2009 | 152 Comments
As suggested by our readers (pagh salute: ambi and an indian Sikh), I am posting on the tragedy in Vienna. The facts are still coming in, so we have little perspective on what exactly occurred.
This much is known. In the Austrian capital of Vienna, six Sikh men carrying various weapons and a handgun...
The Coercive Uses of Rescue Aid in Pakistan
Earlier this month I asked if the Taliban’s rising influence in Pakistan and their removal of Sikhs from the Swat Valley was a harbinger for more extreme religious persecution. This week, two articles caught my eye:
The first depicted multi-religious protests in Kashmir over Pakistan’s inaction...
Sukhmani Sahibs for the Sikh Shaheeds
Posted by Jodha in Events on 05 21st, 2009 | 4 Comments
In The Langar Hall, we do our best to keep you up-to-date with the latest 1984 events. From conferences, to concerts, if it’s happening, we’ll post it.
With the 25th commemoration of the Ghallughara, a great initiative called ‘Sukhmani Sahibs for the Sikh Shaheeds‘ (being held the first...
Immigrant Women: Perseverance & Agency
This past weekend, as I was talking to a Punjabi Sikh woman who came to the United States about 13-14 years ago, I heard how agency and perseverance define the experiences of immigrant women in the United States. She told me about the great new apartment she just got for her family and how the laundry...
Sukhdeep Kaur Receives Zeff Fellowship
Rice University senior, Sukhdeep Kaur, has received the Roy and Hazel Zeff Memorial Fellowship – a $25,000 grant, which will allow her to study issues of human rights and access to justice in areas around the world. The news release states:
A political science and policy studies major with a...
More Sikh Art: mool mantar through oil paintings
Thematically Sikh paintings are rare. Thus, when I came across the paintings below, I thought I should share. The oil paintings below are the work of Jaswant Singh Zafar. He’s a poet, photographer, and painter in his free time and an engineer in Ludhiana by day. This year, he’s spending...
So Many Questions
Posted by Jodha in Musings on 05 19th, 2009 | 6 Comments
Sometimes (or may be it more often), you read an article that just doesn’t seem to make any sense. My google newsfeeder caught on such article titled: Sikh youth moving away from teachings of Sikhism. The author of the article Harleen Kaur seems to be at all places at once, reporting stories on...
Towards a Sikh Perspective on the Indian Elections
The election results in India seem to be in. The Congress Party has increased its power in the center and even some of the commenters here in The Langar Hall have been jubilant.
While the Indian elections have received brief commentary, here and there in The Langar Hall, the results call out for some...
Ravi Bhalla advances in Hoboken City Council elections
At the Langar Hall, we’ve covered a number of Sikh candidates’ campaigns for local government office. I just wanted to include a brief update about Ravi Bhalla, who looks poised to become one of Hoboken’s first Sikh city councilmembers as he enters a run-off election next month:
While...
Building Human Rights Culture
Breakthrough is an innovative, international human rights organization using the power of popular culture, media, leadership development and community education to transform public attitudes and advance equality, justice, and dignity. Through initiatives in India and the United States, Breakthrough addresses...
Gurbakhash Kaur: Standing Up For Our Rights
Posted by Phulkari in General, Politics, USA on 05 14th, 2009 | Comments Off on Gurbakhash Kaur: Standing Up For Our Rights
Gurbakhash Kaur Questioning Vice President Joe Biden
One of the major issues affecting the Sikh community is increasing civic engagement in the United States. We often focus on getting more Sikhs to vote and lobby our politicians about the issues affecting our community. This lobbying general pertains...
The North American Gurdwara: Are We Expecting Too Much?
Phulkari’s post a few weeks back got me thinking about Gurdwaras – their origin and the role they play in Sikh society today. History tells us that Guru Nanak Patshah created Dharmshalas in Kartarpur where Sikhs would rise early and meet for Keertan, Veechar, reflection, and Guru-ka-Langar. ...
