Some Notes and Random Musings
Guestblogged by Mewa Singh.
Here are some general musings and broader notes/reflections that were sparked by my participation in the camp:
On Parenting – One thing I found quite interesting was changes in parenting styles. I don’t remember having had many choices as a child, when my parents were...
Reflections on Bhujangi 2011
Guest-blogged by Mewa Singh. Mewa Singh is a sevadar with the Jakara Movement.
The term ‘bhujang’ has a Sanskritic base and is used to refer to a small snake. The Mughals and Afghans of the 18th century employed the term as a pejorative to refer to the Sikhs as ‘bhujangs.’ Try as they might,...
Unifying Sikhs: A Riot Story
Guest blogged by Naujawani Sardar
When the riots began in London last Saturday, we all thought they were a one-off incident and the world would be back to normal by Monday. Instead we awoke to find that more shops had been looted, buildings were still being set ablaze and that the rioters were now widening...
UK Sikhs Gather to Protect Gurdwaras from Riots
Guest blogged by Naujawani Sardar
Riots have hit London and a few other cities in the UK over the last three nights causing mayhem, destroying property and leading to looting. Tonight, hundreds of Sikhs are gathering to defend the Gurdware in these cities should they fall under the eye of the looters....
On Being a Sikh Woman
Guest blogged by Neesha Meminger
Admin note: In an effort to further cultivate the conversation on Faith and Feminism within the Sikh community, panelists from the Open Heart/Closed Fist event in NYC will share their thoughts with us. To learn more about the panel, please read Sikh Women Speak...
SAFAR Call for Proposals
Guest blogged by Pataka
The intersections between Sikhism, gender issues, and academia have always been tenuous and fragile ones. As other posts on this blog have mentioned, there have been some recent pushes to democratize academic research as well as examine and undo the longstanding patriarchy...
150+ Revolutionaries – Answering a Lalkaar
Guest-blogged by Mewa Singh. Mewa Singh is a sevadar with the Jakara Movement.
Previously, here in The Langar Hall, there was a discussion by Navdeep Singh on an important panel discussion, held in NYC, on faith, feminism, and Sikhi. Brooklynwala had asked for a comment and report about Lalkaar 2011,...
Assessing ‘Victories’ – Arizona Governor Rightfully Vetoes Anti-Sikh Legislation
Guest blogged by Dilpreet Kaur
Mere days before Osama bin Laden’s capture and death, the Arizona state legislature had set into motion legislative steps to remove a 9/11 hate crime victim’s name from the state’s memorial in Phoenix. At the time, the bill’s original sponsor, Rep. John Kavanaugh...
Sada Safar
Guest blogged by Adi Shakti Kaur
For as long as I can remember, I can envision the imprints of patriarchy within the Guruduaras (Sikh spaces of worship). The Guru, was more than sacred scriptures; more than a living embodiment of the ‘word’; more than a Guru, who took us from darkness to light; but...
One Village Tells the True Story of Panjab
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Activism, Environment, India, Organizations, Punjab on 05 18th, 2011 | 44 Comments
Guest blogged by Satvinder Kaur Dhaliwal
Admin Note: After completing her undergraduate studies in Anthropology, the author traveled to Panjab to volunteer. She spent her time volunteering at Pingalwara and working with the Baba Nanak Education Society (BNES). Below is an article she wrote for BNES...
Vaisakhi {a poem}
Guest blogged by Preeti Kaur. Preeti wrote this poem for The Langar Hall in commemoration of the 312th anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa this week.
Vaisakhi
i’ve never seen a wheat harvest
never worried over winter punjab frost
monsanto seed or otherwise grown into grain
carried tender on the...
Is there political utility in Sikh The[a]logy?
Guest blogged by Tarnjit Kaur
This essay was written as an introduction to ‘Sikhism and Gender Equality: Where do you See Yourself?,’ an event to be held in Ontario Saturday, April 2nd at 6 pm. All are welcome to attend.
Motivated by the empowering message of Sikh theology, Sikhi, Sikh history...
India v. Pakistan: Beyond the Hype
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Activism, Human Rights, India, Pakistan, Sports on 03 30th, 2011 | 17 Comments
Guestblog by Fakir
I’ve been complaining for several weeks regarding the cricket craze and how educated, conscious south asians should be taking this moment of international spotlight on their ancestral or native countries to highlight their higher expectations for their countries much like what...
Conocimiento 2011 – Knocking Down Myths on Immigration
Guestblogged by Mewa Singh
This past week members of the College Sikhs Collaborative and the Jakara Movement – created the first Alternative Spring Break – explored the issue of immigration by visiting so-called ground zero – the Mexi/Cali border. While the surge of the Tea Party...
Understanding and Celebrating Shaheed Bhagat Singh
Guest blogged by resistsingh
March 23rd, 2011 marked the Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
Bhagat Singh is a legend in many circles, a man who gave his life to secure the freedom of India from Colonial Rule. Today, many celebrate his bravery and he has become somewhat of an icon....
Holi: Color Me What?
This post by our Mehmaan is none other than Harinder Singh. About Harinder Singh – he works with the Sikh Research Institute and the Panjab Digital Library to address all things Sikhi and Panjabi. http://twitter.com/1force
I have taken some time off to be Mr. Mom while my wife is on a work assignment...
The Lost Children of Punjab: 1984-2011
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Events, Human Rights, India, Musings, Preservation, Punjab on 03 15th, 2011 | 16 Comments
Guest blogged by santokh
A couple days ago I was reading some news articles on Hondh Chillar and Pataudi. Some of these articles include photographs from the two big events that took place at Hondh Chillar–clean up of the destroyed gurdwara building and Akhand Paath that took place thereafter in...
The What, Why, and Who of Hondh Chillar and Pataudi
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in History, Human Rights, India, Law, News, Preservation, Punjab on 03 9th, 2011 | 9 Comments
Guest blogged by Preserve Architectural Heritage
What: discovery of two sites linked to 1984: (1) Hondh Chillar, discovered January 2011. (2) Pataudi, discovered Februrary 2011. Both are in Haryana. Excerpts from Press Releases from Sikhs for Justice reveal that 32 men, women, and children were brutally...
Democratizing Academic Research
Guest blogged by Pataka
As a student interested in Sikhism, visiting the library can be a somewhat dismal affair. Searching for academic works on Sikhism leads to few results. Searching for specific topics within Sikhism – for example, gender and Sikhism, lead to even fewer results.
The elitist institutionalization...
Fatting It Up at the Langar Hall
Guest blogged by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
My wife’s family is Hindu, with varying degrees of connections to the religion. Some of them have statues of deities like Krishna and Ganesh scattered throughout the house, others have entire rooms sectioned off for bhajans and pujas, and then there are those,...
