Arson suspected at Vancouver Khalsa school
One of the three Khalsa schools in Vancouver burnt to the ground yesterday. Arson is suspected. The fire started in the main building and two portable classroom buildings simultaneously, and spread rapidly. The Elementary School had been broken into as well. When the school secretary called 911 to...
Spate of Shootings involving Sikhs?
Posted by Jodha in Punjab on 07 31st, 2009 | 43 Comments
With so few details, it may be premature to begin writing some thoughts, but that hasn’t really stopped me before.
Although each incident has its own genesis, with the recent spate of shootings this week, a discussion forum is needed. First I begin with an analysis of various Indian media coverage...
“Saanjh”-Bay Area Sikh Retreat In Late August
Posted by Phulkari in Activism, Education, General, Punjabi, Sikhi, USA on 07 30th, 2009 | 3 Comments
“Saanjh”-the annual Bay Area Sikh Retreat is taking place Thursday, August 27th-Sunday, August 30th at the Monte Toyon campsite near Santa Cruz, California. Share your experiences and connect with other Sikhs through a Guru-inspired sangat. This year’s theme is “Developing a Panthic Vision...
Armed And Ready
I was very impressed to see this great article (and cool pic!) in today’s Daily Mail. Along similar lines as last week’s post on the Blue Beret Kanhaiyas, it is wonderful to see Sikhs presented in this light…as confident and courageous soldiers in highly respected positions. Equally...
A Separate Justice for Sikhs?
Sikh victims of crime will now be given the option of requesting a Sikh police officer to work on their case. Well, in London at least. The goal of this new service, offered by the Metropolitan Police, is to make use of the “special” knowledge officers have in regards to Punjabi culture...
Sensitive Sikhs: Racial Profiling, Turban Effect, and Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Throughout the United States, the issue of race and racial profiling has taken center stage – all linked to a local event in Cambridge, MA. It was there, near the Harvard University Campus, that well-known academic, scholar, and public intellectual, Henry Louis Gates Jr. had an altercation with a...
O When Will We Learn – Navigating Sikh Gurdwara Politics
Posted by Jodha in California on 07 24th, 2009 | 6 Comments
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.
Blue Beret Kanhaiyas
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in News on 07 23rd, 2009 | 5 Comments
Blogged by: Amol Singh
Virunga National Park lies in Eastern Congo adjacent to Rwanda. Throughout the past fifteen years, the region has been embroiled in communal strife and has become the backdrop for some of the most wanton killings of peoples in recent history. In the battle over the area’s vast...
Lahir 2009: The Movement Has Only Begun
This past Saturday night, twenty artists from all over the country took to the mic in front of a packed and energetic crowd at the University of Maryland for Lahir 2009. It was a powerful evening of remembrance and reflection to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Holocaust, organized...
Navigating Identity as a Sikh Child
A nice piece in the Columbia Journalist discusses the challenges incurred by young Sikh men and women as they navigate through their adolescent years. The article tells us of two friends, Sonu Singh and Manjinder Singh, who have bonded over their love of hip-hop, video games, and (of course) girls....
How Large is the Tent that is the Sikh Qaum?
Posted by Jodha in Sikhi on 07 20th, 2009 | 47 Comments
Beyond brown or white Sikhs, beyond various caste Sikhs, when and how do we come together as Sikhs? Is the ‘jahaaz’ that is Guru Nanak’s Naam large enough to carry us all, or with a narrow set of doxies and praxis do we restrict those that can enter.
Despite the various attacks on the Singh Sabha...
Oregon carves an exception as big as equality into new “freedom of religion” act
Oregon recently passed a bill to repeal its ban on religious attire in the workplace, a policy adopted 100 years ago as part of anti-Catholic backlash. However, it let stand an exception to this act — specifically, it continues to ban wearing “religious attire” in classrooms. Its decision...
A neoliberal development pathway for Punjab?
Earlier this month TLH discussed how the unseasonably dry summer in Punjab is threatening its agriculture and economy. This week, the Punjab Assembly adopted a resolution authorizing the development of additional Special Economic Zones, or SEZs, while streamlining and supporting the existence of pre-existing...
Money Is Available But No Punjabi Teachers
Posted by Phulkari in General, India, News, Preservation, Punjab, Punjabi on 07 16th, 2009 | 9 Comments
Punjab has been divided numerous times. Both during and after partition. Anita Rau Badami eloquently writes, “First it was Partition and half our land disappeared. Now our own leaders are chopping it up like a piece of meat”. The Punjabi language was one thing we hoped would cross borders despite...
Proud To Be Six
It’s that time of year again…camp time! Sikh youth all over the world are packing their bags and heading out to their favorite Gurmat camp to learn, reflect, and have a blast with their Sangat! I’m very lucky to have been involved in Sikh youth camps for most of my life –...
Pakistan’s Sikh Refugees
Gurdwara Panja Sahib, located just outside Pakistan’s North-West frontier province, has become the temporary home for about 3,000 Sikhs who have been displaced by the presence of the Taliban in the region. Gurdwara Panja Sahib is one of the most notable Sikh shrines in Pakistan and has been transformed...
Turbanology
Turbanology, or knowledge of Turbans, is a TV documentary recently released in the UK which explores the meaning of the turban in England since the London bombings. Filmmaker, Jay Singh-Sohal, was working for a conservative think-tank in the US when he first began considering the misconceptions...
Two New Sikh Scholarships for Excellence
The list of 1984-inspired Sikh propositions continue to grow. In the past, I have mentioned more than my fair share and last week my fellow langa(w)r-iter added one more. Here is another great proposal.
This year marks the the creation of two great scholarships by the Jakara Movement. One aimed...
Sikh activists in the making, inspire
Early last week, a remarkable thing happened. Sikh children took to NYC streets again- some in strollers- and they were heard.
Last fall, the New York Department of Education passed a regulation in response to disturbing findings about the bullying that Sikh children face in schools. The regulation...
Canadian Sikhs run cross-country
In order to provide a little bit of cheer as we head into the weekend, I thought I’d share this news bit.
A team of 32 Sikhs partnered to run across Canada, as well as fundraised $10,000, on behalf of children’s hospitals in Canada and in Africa. The runners were commemorating the 10th...
