UPDATE: Who is this Child?
In an interesting twist an Indian Bihari family is claiming that the 9-years-old Gurrinder is really their kidnapped son 6-years-old Shintu Kumar, who was kidnapped on March 3rd of this year.
The mother has stated:
“We saw his photo too [on TV]… I know my child.”
The Bihari police...
Beyond Empire, A Thousand Kosovos Now
Posted by Jodha in General on 03 20th, 2008 | 25 Comments
Throughout the world, the reverberations of Kosovo’s independence are still being felt. A number of nations have continued to recognize the new country, the latest including Canada. The issue of self-determination was raised earlier and I want to return to it for this brief post.
The word ‘balkanization’...
Generation 2 Blues
Last week, an article appeared in the Toronto Star by a young university student, Jasmeet Sidhu. In the article Jasmeet discusses her [is this gender assumptions or what, the name given is only Jasmeet Sidhu and nowhere in the article does it state whether she is male or female, but I am assuming female...
Another Sikh Wedding Act?
Too often in the diaspora, Sikhs are discouraged from becoming involved with the politics of their homeland. While on certain occasions I have been critical of special ‘entitlements‘ and malicious effects the diaspora has had on the Punjabi homeland, sometimes our political workings can bring...
So How are Sikhs Passing Gas?
So yesterday I had to fill my car with gas. I never really pay attention to the price of gas until I get to the pump. Yikes!! Is it really $3.75?? And that is just for the 87 octane. I feel bad for the ‘ballers’ in our community that choose to drive expensive redundant SUVs and other...
Simmering Sikhs
The Economic Times of India in its ‘Special Pages’ section last week carried an extended article titled Simmering Discontent: Sikhs in Punjab are fighting many wars.
The article sought to understand the ‘current and cross-currents’ of Punjabi society.
At the forefront were:
The...
Beyond Bhangra
Once upon a time there circulated a stupid joke that the only culture of Sikhs was agriculture. Despite the stereotyping of yesteryears, for too many the only associated culture to be promoted is bhangra (and sometimes giddha).
There is a growing legion that are seeking to promote Sikh arts, such as...
On a Lighter Note
While this week, in The Langar Hall we heard about ‘Boogeymen,’ Darsh Singh, and Going Green, I thought this old video might throw in some humor. Although old and produced by our siblings to the West, few other videos better depict Chachu and his headlights. Have a great weekend.
Guru Manyo Granth
A few weeks ago, I attended a seminar at the Bradshaw Gurdwara (Sacramento) on the dasam granth. Although I was unfortunately unable to attend the entire conference, I was able to listen to Dr. Harpal Singh Pannu, Professor and Head of the Department of Religious Studies at Punjabi University, Patiala....
Beware of the ‘Boogeyman’ that is the BKI
The Broadcast Piece:
Last week Radio 4 on the BBC broadcasted a piece titled “Sikh Terror – the UK Connection.” The piece was produced by Amardeep Bassey as an investigation into possible terror links within the UK Sikh community. You can download the 40 minute report by clicking here.
Despite...
Silver for the Prince of Patiala
Posted by Jodha in General on 03 2nd, 2008 | 19 Comments
Although we have been following the story for some time, it seems Rohanpreet Singh, the Prince of Patiala, fell short in winning SaReGaMaPa’s Little Champ’s competition. Although winning the “North Zone” that includes Punjab as well as having a 200,000 margin in the ‘international...
The Power of Nightmares
Posted by Jodha in Entertainment, General, Politics, UK, USA on 02 29th, 2008 | Comments Off on The Power of Nightmares
Recently, I watched a brilliant documentary called The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of Politics of Fear. Produced by the BBC, this documentary is 3 one-hour films comparing the rise of the American Neo-Con movement with the radical Islamists. It discusses certain parallel ideologies and the symbiotic...
Dear Momma
Posted by Jodha in General on 02 26th, 2008 | 35 Comments
There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always stayed real
And I appreciate, how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night there’s a brighter day
Everything will be alright if ya hold...
Hiring a Hitman in Hoshiarpur
An interesting news article caught my attention yesterday. While we have read on this blog about ‘holiday brides’ and other problems in Punjab, it seems that these problems, along with many older ones (especially involving jameen [land]) have opened a new-old market for contract killings. According...
UPDATE: “All Eyez on Me,” Pakistan
Posted by Jodha in News, Politics on 02 19th, 2008 | Comments Off on UPDATE: “All Eyez on Me,” Pakistan
The pundits (is that really an appropriate word here?) were right, the Musharraf coalition suffered a crushing defeat. The party of the slain Benazir Bhutto, the PPP, gathered 31%of the national assembly seats(83/272), Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N gained 25% (69/272), and the Musharraf-backed PML-Q collected...
Update: Hook a Sikh Punjabi Brother Up
Update:
Who knows if the “Langar-ite Leap” helped Rohanpreet gain the maximum number of votes last weekend, but it surely did help. If you voted last week, make sure you vote again. If you didn’t vote last week, make sure this week you do.
It is down to the final 3. After an acrimonious...
The Longest Walk to the Lodi Sikh Gurdwara
While perusing the internet news, I found something interesting. It seems that Native Americans, in order to bring awareness to issues concerning both Native Americans and the global community, have started an initiative, called the Longest Walk 2008, commencing from San Francisco this past Tuesday...
The Romance that is Panjabiyat
I recently read an article by Christine Moliner, a French doctoral student in anthropology. The article’s title “Frères ennemis? Relations between Panjabi Sikhs and Muslims in the Diaspora” caught my attention and I thought it raised a number of interesting questions. While the different...
On Common Ground – Sikhs and the DOJ
Posted by Jodha in Sikhi, USA on 02 8th, 2008 | Comments Off on On Common Ground – Sikhs and the DOJ
This tip just came in (thanks DJ Drrrty Poonjabi).
It seems that the US Department of Justice has released a training video, developed with SALDEF, for public view. Although the video has just been placed on their site, the US DOJ seems to have been using it for internal purposes since the Thanksgiving...
Stating the Obvious
With After the comments about the DSS, I thought this article by Pritam Singh, a professor in the business school at Oxford Brookes University (not to be confused with the Oxford, you are probably thinking about), might shed some light. may be interesting. Instead I found it rather obvious. The article...
