Baba Ji’s Room
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Sikhi on 01 17th, 2011 | 6 Comments
Guest blogged by Hunny Singh
Recently I went home to the East Coast and had some inspirational time with my family. While snowy conditions prevailed outside, inside the house, a pizza soon to be shared joined a confused and yet open love for a dance. I had an interaction with my mother that got...
Moving Past “the Event” of 1984
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in General on 01 12th, 2011 | 14 Comments
Guest blogged by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
The reformist, humanitarian wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States) – and “first lady of the world” – Eleanor Roosevelt once famously said, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”
Over...
Postmodern “Hukam”
Guest blogged by Ajaib Kaur
Amrita (Ami) Kaur Dang’s sound often is described as a “blend” of the classical (traditional) and the experimental (non-traditional). Tossing together her North Indian vocal training with impressive sitar skills, she playfully builds collages of inquiry. Also creating...
Sikhi for Profit?
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in General on 01 6th, 2011 | 14 Comments
Guest blogged by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
For my first post as a guest blogger, I wanted to address an issue that has been irritating me since September, when I first read about it. [An anonymous] Mehmaan wrote a post titled “Valarie Kaur, the peddler of self-promotion.” Mehmaan’s claim is essentially...
Children of the World: A Photography Project Inspired by Rana Singh Sodhi
Guest blogged by Ajaib Kaur
I saw this video recently on a photography project inspired by Rana Singh Sodhi and the loss of his brother after 9/11 to a bias-motivated crime, or ‘ hate crime’. The project aims to capture photographs of one child from every country in the world, residing right here in...
The Day I Met The Pope
Guest Blogged by J. Singh-Sohal
Meeting the Head of the Roman Catholic Church is a once in a life time opportunity, one I fulfilled during the Holy Father’s recent State visit to the UK. I was privileged to be a part of a small gathering that represented all the major world faiths.
It was a special...
The Peddler of (Self)-Promotion: Valarie Kaur
I write this as it is the truth as I see it. Not out of spite or rancor, but out of a desire to caution others and promote the path of critical self-reflection. I write about peddlers of self-promotion.
The topic is hardly new. In fact, Jodha beat me to the punch years ago, but here is my own contribution...
Encouraging Higher Education
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Education on 09 2nd, 2010 | 6 Comments
Saanjh Sikh Scholarship has announced its 2010 Saanjh Scholars and awarded scholarships to four California high school students entering institutions of higher education. The 2010 scholarship recipients are Amandeep Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harsimratpal Kaur, and Kamalpreet Sahota.
The Saanjh Sikh Scholarship...
Gaining Gian
Guest blog by: Satinderpal Kaur
This August the 12th annual Camp Gian, in which approximately 150 youth ages 3 to 20 partook, was held. In its twelfth year, Camp Gian had a new home, the Khalsa Care Foundation, but still had the same mission. Youth attended the overnight camp from August 8th through...
Letter from Kashmir
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Human Rights, India, Politics, World News on 07 15th, 2010 | 82 Comments
Guest Blogged by Amritpan
Earlier this week I received an email letter from Kashmir. This was not the first such letter from Kashmir, nor I fear, will it be the last. I’ve read this letter once, twice, again and again and still cannot begin to explain the helplessness, anger, and despair that...
Cancer in Punjab
Guest blogged by Ajj Kaim
The fact that heavy use of pesticides in farming has left lot of farmers affected with Cancer in Punjab has been well documented. In fact almost a year ago, The Langar Hall had highlighted this sad state of affair in Punjab.
I came across a heartwarming documentary about the...
And a Child Shall Lead Them
Guest Blogged by Jind Kaur
The Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) is hosting a workshop specifically for children called, “Session for Children: Getting to Know Vahiguru” on June 27, 2010 in Windsor, Ontario. The seminar is aimed at piquing children’s curiosity and interest in not just Gurbani,...
Post-9/11 hatred rages on near Ground Zero
Guestblogged by Brooklynwala
Yesterday morning I was reading the ubiquitous, free “AM New York” newspaper on the subway on the way to a meeting and was disturbed and saddened to learn about a protest of 1,000 people in lower Manhattan against an Islamic Center being built near Ground Zero, the site...
Another United States is Necessary: The US Social Forum in Detroit this June
Guest blogged by Brooklynwala
There’s no shortage of reasons why progressives and people who believe in social justice should be gathering together in the US now more than ever. With US wars raging on in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, the financial meltdown taking its toll working and poor Americans,...
Womb of a Woman
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Gurbani on 05 13th, 2010 | 10 Comments
Guest blogged by Harkiran
Becomes the first house of the man and yet it’s ironical, that its the woman that seeks a shelter all her life. As she grows up she leaves her house and her family to start a new life with her husband and then her own womb becomes the place where life comes to existence...
Where Is My Sangat?
Posted by Mehmaan (Guest) in Sikhi on 04 28th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Guest blogged by Jind Kaur
For my inaugural [guest] post on The Langar Hall, I wanted to discuss something that is often on my mind when I think about our faith and how to practice it: the concept of sangat (the congregation). The Guru Sahibaan often impressed upon us how we should not isolate ourselves...
A Vaisakhi Call to Action: Standing up for Immigrant Rights
Guest blogged by Brooklynwala
While many of us were celebrating 311 years of the Khalsa at Sikh Day Parades and Nagar Kirtans this weekend, thousands of immigrants and their allies gathered in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday to protest what is being called the most anti-immigrant legislation in the United...
Sikhi and Transformative Justice
Guest blogged by Brooklynwala
A few days ago, a friend sent me this powerful open letter she wrote in order to spark critical thinking and dialogue on the pitfalls of calling the police and relying on the criminal (in)justice system to deal with issues in our neighborhoods and communities. We live...
Why 1984 Still Matters – the furore around Sonia Deol’s BBC documentary
Guest blogged by Harbakhsh Grewal
At the start of this year BBC 1, Britain’s premiere tv channel, highlighted the importance of 1984 to the Sikh psyche with a film documenting the personal journey of a British Sikh woman, journalist Sonia Deol. The reaction from many Sikhs has been hostile and vocal....
No Longer a Silent Spectator
Guest blogged by Ajj Kaim
Two of my friends invited me to a Holi party in San Francisco last Friday(03/05/10). They told me the DJ was great and he always played awesome Bollywood/Bhangra music. Being an ardent dance lover this was enough motivation for me to say yes. The venue of the party was Supperclub,...
