In the past, several posts have focused on the work of the Sikh Coalition around community mobilization to fight school bullying and the launch of an educational tool. As part of the Sikh Coalition’s on-going work, it has opened a new office in Northern California to provide coast–to-coast civil/human rights advocacy for Sikhs. On September 10th, over 100 attendees, including local community members and politicians, celebrated the Sikh Coalition’s office opening in Fremont, California.

The Coalition’s, Western Regional Director, Neha Singh, said:

“Fremont is nationally the heart of the Sikh  community … since we started, we’ve always taken cases from around the country, and a large amount of them were from the Bay Area. We thought it was now time to open an office in an area where a lot of the people requesting our services were.”

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A few days ago Sikhnet News posted a story about the Dastarbandi/Pagri di Rasam/Turban Tying Ceremony of Harmanas Singh, a 16 year old young man in California. While the story gave only a brief explanation for the ceremony it got me thinking about the significance of the ceremony in the Sikh community in general:  why we perform the ceremony, how wide spread it is, and how it pertains today to Sikh women.

A couple of websites describe the ceremony like this:

People who have lived in India would know the turban tying ceremony known as Rasam Pagri (Turban Tying Ceremony). This ceremony takes place once a man passes away and his oldest son takes over the family responsibilities by tying turban in front of a large gathering. It signifies that now he has shouldered the responsibility of his father and he is the head of the family.  [Source]

The explanation is a bit off –because the ceremony seems more for the passing of personal rather than family responsibility. While there may have been a time when the ceremony signified the passage of family leadership – I think in the Sikh faith the ceremony has come to signify the shouldering of personal responsibility for young Sikhs. The dastarbandi ceremony represents something different for Sikhs – it is as Guru Gobind Singh intended it – a stamp of identity for Sikhs and the responsibilities that being a Sikh entail.

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Young Sikhs are extremely internet savvy.  From the proliferation of videos on youtube to remixed dhadhi-jatha to an embrace of web 2.0, many young Sikhs are at the forefront of creating new avenues for education about their faith.  While I personally believe that most Sikhs focus their attention on education for non-Sikhs, in my opinion, far more crucial is the intra-Sikh education.

While in an earlier discussion I talked about the importance of the KhalsaKids website, launched last year by the Sikh Coalition.  It is an example of Sikhs experimenting with new media forms to better address the needs and concerns of their community.

In a similar vein, the Sikh Research Institute has recently announced its plans for a “webinar” series, titled “Liv.”

Explaining the impulse of this new project, SikhRI head, Harinder Singh, states:

“We are regularly in touch with Sikh communities in North America, Europe and Asia who want us to deliver programs in their local communities on a regular basis, but it’s been quite difficult due to logistical and financial constraints.  Now that we are introducing webinar facilities, our programs can reach anyone around the globe and we look forward to being able to engage with the vast Sikh communities outside of our traditional target area in North America”[link]

The “Liv” project entails four 90 minute seminars to begin at 8am PST (California time) on 4 consecutive Saturdays, beginning September 13, 2008.  The first four topics listed on their website includes: “Sikhi – A Gurmat Framework,” “Bani – The Idea,” “Tavarikh (History) – The Revolution,” and “Rahit – The Lifestyle.”

A pre-registration is required to participate in the “webinar” and can be completed here.

While waking up at 8am on Saturdays is beyond my abilities, the seminars being conducted by The Harinder Singh sound intriguing and informative.  I hope some of our readers can that do participate can discuss some of their thoughts on the format and the content here.

Also what are new ways that you have seen Sikhs embracing Web 2.0? (yes I am already aware of that one blog, uhhh but I can’t think of the name.)

Is your mom “chapter president” or a “member” of the local Sikh women’s Sukhmani Sahib club? Many Sikh women (generally those with Auntie status) are commendably coming together to form small groups who go to each other’s homes about once a month to do Sukhmani Sahib da paat to help bring/remember peace. Sometimes there is a specific issue a woman’s family is encountering and at other times it just for general familial peace. Thus, our mothers and aunties get to socialize about their everyday lives and connect spiritually through sangat and paat! One of the many things we could learn from them about practicing Sikhi!

As International Day of Peace approaches on September 21^st, these groups of Sikh women are being asked to come together to recite Sukhmani Sahib da paat. Sukhmani can be defined as counselor of peace or peace of mind with sukh meaning “peace” and mani meaning “mind”, “heart” or “jewel”. The entire paat/poem is known as the “jewel of peace” or “song of peace”. So if your mom belongs to one of these groups or is interested in joining/creating one, please let her know about this day of observance! Now she can do paat to help bring/remember peace in the world along with your well-being!

p.s. It’s always interesting about how many Sikh women are the focal points for spirituality in homes … but that’s another post!

So today will mark the opening of the Olympic Games. Some will cheer for their states; some will cheer for their heroes; some won’t care.

Well, here are FOURTEEN reasons to care: reasons that transcends national barriers and in many ways is more reflective of our Sikh-centered, globalized outlook. It is related to the fact that Sikhs from throughout the world congregate here at The Langar Hall and that issues ranging from Kenya, New Zealand, Canada, Panjab, England etc. all interest us

So in this spirit of continuing to foster a globalized Sikh diasporic community, I present to you the untold story of Punjabi Sikhs in the Olympics. The reason I am using the term ‘Punjabi Sikh’ is because I don’t really know how they identify themselves, but their names indicate that they come from a common ethnic stock – a Punjabi Sikh background.

I am trying to make this list comprehensive, so if I left anyone out, please feel free to post a comment and I will go back to add them. Let’s make this a project we do together, by posting their finishings and results. [also thank you to Mandeep Singh for correcting some of my mistakes]

Sikhs in the Olympics:

Sikhs are one of those great unknown Olympic stories. It is a diasporic story where Sikhs have representeed many countries and many continents. In the Beijing Olympics, there will be Sikhs (on as far as I could figure out using the wikipedia lists) coming from India and Canada. In years past, Sikhs have been included on teams from Kenya, Great Britain, and even Malaysia. From the regions of the five Olympic Rings (Blue – Europe, Yellow – Asia, Black – Africa, Green – Oceania, Red – Americas), Sikhs, including those in the diaspora have been at the center of many Gold medal winning teams – especially in field hockey. As far as individual glory, Milkha Singh “the Flying Sikh” disappointing fourth place finish in the Men’s 400M in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

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Time for another Retreat! This time around its Saanjh and its happening from September 4th to September 7th in the Monte Toyon camp and conference center in Santa Cruz, California.

According to their website:

The retreat will feature interactive workshops and discussions that will explore topics such as understanding the Guru, exploring our relationship with the Guru, Sikh identity and culture, visiting our recent and past history, Sikh politics and activism. We will utilize an interdisciplinary approach featuring spiritual, philosophical, cultural, historical, political, and activist angles to explore these diverse topics. There will also be different fun activities, sports and games to engage us. We hope to challenge participants to gain a broader and more nuanced understanding of what it means to be a Sikh while inspiring activism.

Registration is now open, and the early registration ends on July 15th, if you plan on attending than register now to avoid the late fees. For more information visit www.saanjh.org

Is it just me or are we seeing Giddha increasing in popularity these days?

Giddha was the folk dance of choice for our Grandmothers and Mothers. It allowed them a platform to get together with other women, and through boliyan talk openly about their daily lives. I asked my Mum if this was a form of therapy for them, and she said “yes”. It was a release for these women to be able to have this time for themselves and openly release supressed feelings in a joyful manner.

We see a great number of young women in Universities joining the “Bhangra” team and peforming these rather masculine dances at Bhangra competitions. Where is our traditional Giddha? I found this video which shows a performance by the UC Davis Giddha Squad at a competition this year. It was nice to see that these girls decided to create some uniqueness to the monotony these Bhangra competitions have began to display. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend and we will see more incorporations of Giddha for women at University levels. There is a sense of elegance and femininity that Giddha has, and which Bhangra lacks for women.

I look forward to the day when young girls are able to immerse themselves in Giddha and learn Boliyan and truly appreciate what our culture has to offer. Maybe we will see a Giddha Academy some day? I am hopeful.

With Teeyan season upon us, we can take the first step in going and attending these events in our areas. In the California we have these events scheduled annually and it’s become larger every year. Please make sure to attend if you know of Teeyan happening in your area. It would be a great way to take your Grandmothers, Mothers, Aunts, Sisters, Daughters, and Friends out to spend an afternoon together. (And it’s a great workout!)

How do you all feel about this subject? How can we begin to make a progressive change towards incorporating Giddha into the lives of younger women?

Apparently the police have arrested over 70 Sikhs in Mumbai for vandalizing MTV’s headquarters there. The reason for the protest and vandalism? Apparently MTV’s poster promos featured a sardarni massaging a man, which they found offensive to the faith community and its principles.

Now, I typically do not advocate vandalism or violence as a means of protest, but I think this incident brings up a larger issue around representation, especially for minority communities. Is it possible that there is a Sikh girl, somewhere, who is a masseuse? Probably. However, the issue at hand is whether or not such a representation is offensive to the teachings of Sikhi (I have not seen the poster, so I can’t comment on how salacious it is), and if so, what an appropriate response would be.

Like many other minority communities, Sikhs face a unique task in trying to combat stereotypical and lampooned representations in the media while dealing honestly with the diversity of experiences and viewpoints within the broader faith community. This event, while very different, reminded me of the gurdwara incident in the UK a few years ago. Many feel that it is dangerous to “indulge” negative representations because they tend to produce new stereotypes or to violate the ethic core of the community (a good example of stereotypical Sikh representations would be the buffoon/drunkard or villain/nemesis in Bollywood films). So, if this poster was offensive, how should the community have dealt with the issue? I don’t know if they had tried other tactics (e.g., letter writing, phone calls, non-violent protest), but then again, it’s not hard for a non-violent protest to turn to vandalism or other outward action.

In the U.S., SMART (now SALDEF) originally started as an organization to combat misleading and incorrect stereotypes in American media. The Mumbai case is different on many fundamental levels: Sikhs are a much larger and much more visible minority in India, there is less of an “excuse” for ignorance on the part of national media networks (or international, in this case). However, it doesn’t seem like there’s a great mechanism for dealing with incidences like this.

How can Sikhs work to balance negative representations against the reality of community issues without recasting themselves as another stereotype or caricature?

Few programs exist that provide an in-depth study of Sikhi. Fewer exist in the United States. While there are other ventures, such as the Jakara Movement that attempt to allow entry and inspiration, Sikh Research Institute’s (San Antonio, TX) Sidak provides

distinctive learning program for young adults seeking to increase their commitment towards the Sikh faith. This intensive two-week educational experience is a unique program consisting of instructional seminars on various facets of bani (scripture), tvarikh (history), and rahit (discipline). Sessions on leadership development and community building also serve as key foundations for Sidak. [link]

From Harinder Singh‘s esteemed pedagogy, to various learned guest-speakers, and the culmination in a final project, Sidak is an amazing educational and spiritual experience. This year Sidak is being held on 13 – 26 July, 2008. For more information visit www.sikhri.org

Prices go up after Monday. Take a moment at work, take a quick break from your finals, but take it now! A commenter asked to for a meet-up at the conference. A few of the bloggers will be in attendance so come meet a few of the faces behind the nonsense we write! Register now at www.jakara.org

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From our discussions on dividing Gurdwaras to Green Gurdwaras; from confronting the demons within to forging a new consensus; from questions of grassroots movements to moving beyond generation two blues; all are invited to attend JAKARA 2008 and discuss face-to-face these important issues.

The Jakara Movement Sikh youth conference is only three weeks away with registration closing on June 16th. REGISTER NOW to avoid late fees.

Who: YOU!
What: JAKARA 2008: Growing with our Gurdwara
Where: FRESNO, CA

When: June 19-22, 2008
Why: Because YOU need to be there. Visit the website for more information.

Yes I had urged all to attend in a different post, but consider this a friendly reminder.

Plan to attend, even if you just want to see life beyond bhangra or shoooooooooot, because you just want another Sikh T-shirt (no, you don’t get those ones).

Guest blogged by Mewa Singh

Yesterday’s post by Sundari got me thinking. When I saw the videos of the from the BBC footage from those days in 1984, I began wondering can the Sikh community mobilize like that again? Under what circumstances could it or even should it mass mobilize?

I thought of the mobilization that occurred with the Ram Rahim incident last year. Then while reading the internet news, I came across this Bay Area video.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO (sorry the website doesn’t allow me to embed the video)

The media was given the title as the “Spiritual March for World Peace.” Although I have been out of the loop with friends for sometime with my Bay Area friends, what was the ‘real’ reason for the gathering? Was it celebrating the shaheedi of Guru Arjan? Do we really have Nagar Kirtans to remember martyrdoms in our history? Should the march be construed as an anti-war protest? Partially to raise awareness, but partially to learn about the initiative as well, I would love to hear about the background, perspectives, or even your thoughts on this Nagar Kirtan.

Through various posts on this blog, we have discussed the idea of activism (and even lacktivism) within the Sikh community. Recently I have been thinking about what activism meant to our parents’ and grandparents’ generation and in what form they expressed their personal and political thoughts. Twenty four years later, as we remember the events of 1984, we are reminded of how much these events raised Sikh consciousness. It is also a historic event in another sense. The response to the events of 1984 allowed for our parents and grandparents to stand in solidarity with other Sikhs and in doing so, mark their place in Sikh history on both a personal and political sense.

During those days and weeks following the invasion of the Darbar Sahib, hundreds and thousands of Sikhs took part in protests. I remember hearing about these stories from my Dad who ardently took part in these protests in London and Liverpool. However, what was more striking to me, was the role my Mum Mom played in these protests. I remember visiting a museum whilst on a school trip (a few years after 1984) and seeing pictures of the protests on display. I was caught off-guard as I saw a picture of my mother with her fist in the air protesting alongside other Sikh men and women. That image has stayed with me – essentially the activism that has always existed and remains to exist within our community. I wasn’t able to find much press about these protests, but did come across this clip.

Please share your thoughts/memories.

Sharon Stone’s recent comments about whether or not the earthquake in China was due to bad karma over Beijing’s occupation of Tibet has caused quite a stir.  Stone is now facing a backlash in China with her films being boycotted (Um, what films?) and luxury retailer Christian Dior pulling advertisements featuring Sharon Stone from stores.  The Chinese earthquake killed at least 68,000 people.  China has been under much scrutiny in recent months over Beijing’s policies in Tibet.  “I thought, is that karma – when you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?” she mused at the Cannes Film Festival.  However, many people feel that Stone’s contextual use of Karma is simplistic and in fact, inaccurate (the actress later apologized for her remarks).

Karma is an important concept for Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs. Translated from the Sanskrit, it means simply “action”. Because karma is used in a number of ways and contexts this can be confusing…Stone’s take on karma is common – glossed over as an outcome that is the result of something done in the past – or even a past life.  But the law of karma states that it’s the motive behind one’s actions that affects the outcome of that particular act. “The earthquake in China or the cyclone in Burma have much to do with environmental factors,” says Dhammadassin. “To invoke karma is more to do with our desire to nail things down and find someone to blame. But that’s not ours to do.”  [Link]

 So, it got me to thinking about what Sikhi says about Karma.  Sikhs use the term generously (and sometimes, not so generously) but perhaps we don’t have a solid understanding of what it really means.  The doctrine of karma, according to Sikh belief, is a part of the Divine law (hukam). “The whole universe,” says Guru Arjan, Nanak V, “is bound by action, good or bad” (GG, 51).  Guru Nanak declares in the Japji that “all forms, beings, greatness and lowliness, pain and pleasure, bounties and wanderings are subject to the indescribable hukam and there is nothing outside the realm of hukam,” (GG, 1) and then adds that “karma determines the kapra, i.e. body or birth we receive and that it is through nadar (God’s grace) that one secures the threshold of moksa” (GG, 2). [Link]

Do you believe in Karma?

I just wanted to remind all of you out there, particularly those who live in California, that you can still sign up for the annual Jakara Sikh Youth Conference. The conference is in Fresno, California on the Fresno State campus and the dates for this year are June 19-22, 2008. Don’t be lazy, register and avoid a late fee.

This year’s theme is “Growing with Our Gurdwara.” The introduction from the website are as follows:

They don’t speak our language. They have too much politics.
They are too corrupt.

Too few young Sikhs are found at their local Gurdwaras. While young children play outside after Punjabi School and our parents congregate in the langar hall, too many Sikh youth decide not to go to Gurdwara.

However, this does not mean our spiritual thirst has been quenched. It is time for a change. It is time to stop blaming others. It is time for the next generation of Sikhs to empower ourselves and engage with our Gurdwaras. It is time to turn the “they” and “them” into “we” and “us”. The Gurdwara is OUR institution; it will always be the center of Sikh life. It is OUR grassroots democracy if we make it so.

This year at the Jakara Movement Sikh Youth Conference 2008, we will re-create, re-engage, re-emerge with the “door to our Guru”. Join us as we re-kindle our center and grow with our Gurdwara. [link]

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We know the Britney Spears and Miley Rays of Hollywood tremendously influence the lives of our pre-teen and adolescent girls. The voices we keep hearing on television are those of white, multi-generational American, and suburban teens.

Their experiences are being boxed and represented as THE experience of adolescent girls in America. Rarely on television does the media interview pre-teen and teen girls of color from immigrant backgrounds living in urban/rural areas about their perceptions of life and the future – unless the story is on teen pathology from pregnancy to drugs and violence.

Therefore, I was pleased to see the trailer of a documentary, “Going on 13”, that is about pre-teen girls from minority, immigrant, and urban backgrounds discussing how they negotiate the whirlwind of changes and choices, from body image to relationships, just as girls in the suburbs.

The only distinction is how their social, economic, and cultural contexts add a different layer to the experience that is not a form of “mal-adaptation”, but another way of living. The film-makers’ goal was “… to show the reality of preteen girls and urban minorities, which isn’t often portrayed in the mainstream media” and “… wasn’t just focused on the pathology of urban youth”.

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In one of the rare years in which Vaisakhi falls on April 14th, I wanted to wish everyone a happy Vaisakhi! How did you/your family celebrate? Personally, I totally forgot until reminded by Ms. Phulkari, at which point I coerced my roommate into imitating a dhol while we both danced around. Having settled the cultural side of the day, I’m looking forward to next Sunday’s services.

Hope today found you in good health, and here’s to a fantastic new year!

For anyone in the D.C. area interested in Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing- she is on a book tour and will be speaking at Sixth & I on Wednesday, April 23 at 7 pm.

Tickets are available at Politics & Prose for $6 or you can buy the book for $25 and get 2 free tickets with it. Contact P & P at 202. 364. 1919.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories about the Indian-American diaspora vividly evoke both the ambivalence of the older generation – appreciating their adopted nation, but feeling dislocated – and the freedom of the younger generation, unfettered by their South Asian origins, except for parental expectations. Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for The Interpreter of Maladies, and her second novel, The Namesake, was adapted to a film in 2007.

A little more info: Lahiri’s new collection of stories (as well as her older works) elegantly capture the way we navigate dual cultures.

Assimilation, in Lahiri’s fiction, is about coming to terms with disorientation. It is about not fitting in or settling down, not starting over from scratch and freely forging a new identity or destiny. Her characters balance precariously between two worlds—not just Asian and Western, but inner and outer…

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Punjabis (at least in East Punjab) love to protest. The cause is usually grim, the consequences leave one hoping for more, but the spirit and energy behind the gathering leave one (at least this one) with a sense of contentedness in belonging to such a proactive community. In honor of International Women’s Day, women from various groups were found on the streets highlighting the problems they face.

In Amritsar, a group of women burned an effigy in protest of the state and central government’s “anti-people” policies, according to The Tribune (I hope that journalists become a little more investigative soon- which “anti-people policies” did the burning effigy represent? We’ll never know. If only Mr. Vishal Kumar had bothered to ask a few follow up questions…)

In Nawanshahr, a Kavi Darbar and seminars were organized in honor of Int. Women’s Day where Punjabi poets read their works urging women’s empowerment. (Ironically, the poets were all male.)

Our neighbors to the West (in Lahore) noted that most efforts in their half of Punjab for Int. Women’s Day did nothing for the most vulnerable women- those struggling to survive. Expressing dissatisfaction, some women called the efforts of Ministers, NGOs, and government organizations “ploys to attract foreign donations.”

Perhaps the most interesting celebration of Int. Women’s Day was in Shahkot (Jalandhar area), where dalit women put a new twist on Jago, the traditional dance meaning “wake up” performed by women before a wedding. They ingeniously took out a Jago to highlight the sham free electricity that had been promised to landless laborers by politicians during election time. I would love to hear the boliyan they came up with for the occasion…

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Love lost, love gained, and love yearned for … HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Some of the first things that comes to my mind when thinking about Valentine’s Day are thoughts of carnations, roses, scobby-doo miniature valentine day cards, and those sugary heart candies with statements like “Be Mine” and “Page Me”. With the “expression-of-affection- through-consumption” aspect of of Love Day aside, let’s take this time to think about the idea of love. As I think about the depth, significance, and longevity of the emotion and meaningfulness of love … thoughts of Heer/Ranjha, Sohni/Mahiwaal, shyaari (poems) by Shiv Kumar Batalvi, and Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s love poetry come to mind. These works share the complications, nuances, selfishness, self-lessness, and spirituality of love.

Even though the ending in some of these works is not “happily-every-after”, I think beauty lies in the process and meaning of their love … how their actions expressed it … not so much the outcome! Let’s take Love Day to think and appreciate the expression of love in Punjabi and Sikh literature !

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Yes, like many of the ladies out there in blog-reading land … we love (not the process, but the outcome) getting our eyebrows threaded and not waxed or plucked. I know for myself, I usually go to a small beauty shop where generally an immigrant South Asian woman has set-up shop by herself or has hired a few “new arrivals” to work with her. I personally like the environment of a small salon, versus the mega salon, but I knew before I passed judgment I had to check-out one of these mega-salons owned by South Asians. So, I walked into a massive ZIBA Salon one-day (one of their beauty magazines really caught my attention) … looked at the price, felt the atmosphere and walked out. However, I got a good look at the “threaders” [not all were South Asian or female, but many were], their polished black uniforms, the people waiting in line to get their threading, and thought this is a pretty large business and … they probably get paid pretty well and better than the workers in the small-salons. Low and behold I read about a recent protest against ZIBA Beauty Center by the women who work at their salons and SAN (South Asian Network).

The statement made in the announcement:

On January 15, 2008 fired workers from ZIBA Beauty Center and the community protested on Pioneer Blvd. in front of one of ZIBA’s 11 stores. The protest came after several attempts to change the harsh contract which was being forced on its workers and after severe harassment by ZIBA’s management. ZIBA is one of Los Angeles’s largest corporate beauty salons which specializes in mehndi (henna) and eyebrow threading and has been engaging in unfair labor practices against its workers. The new contract which workers were being manipulated and forced into signing, would have decreased workers’ commission percentage as well as moved them down the pay scale, despite the fact that ZIBA has increased the prices on its services, thus increasing its profit. ZIBA also has threatened its employees with lawsuits if they try to work for another employer and has refused to provide sick pay or any vacation pay to its employees

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