Excerpt from Sonnets Written in the Fall of 1914
The digitization of books has created a whole new way for Sikhs to access their history. I've stumbled onto a lot of historical Sikh literature that I had never heard of. For example, through Google's Book Search function, I discovered a tourist guide to Punjab from the 1880's (here's an excerpt on visiting Amritsar). He looks upon the world with that far-seeing vacant eye with which a mariner, having lost his boat, looks upon the broad sea, seated on a rock in the middle dashed by the waves of the angry sea. The world to him is lost in the constant vision of the higher Reality of its soul. There is an intense spirit beating within his heart, which weeps ard cries at the sight of a man who is lost in the tempest of passions and remembers not the glorious life of his beyond this little life and the glorious inheritence of his in ideals of God, Love, and Truth.However, what I really want to share is his opening introduction. The words are 100 years old, but just as or probably more relevant today.
He is a high abstraction in the love of God, and whenever a single thought of the world lowers his consciousness from those ethereal heights, he at once sings of God-consciousness and soars again.”Remember thy God, remember thy Lord, this is thy one duty, thy only duty,” says he.
Sikhism is a wonderful power that has been put in the soil of the Punjab and the flesh and blood of the Punjabis. I raise a warning note, lest the forgetful men may sleep over again on the verities of the sacred faith preached by the Sikh Gurus, and lest they may only apparently continue the babbling of the mere letters in delirium. The time has come that the life of man should be, awakened to its natural position of the Master Witness of Nature, realising afresh the Law of life, for the good of himself and the whole Society. "My I'd comes when I see the moon," "They are like dogs and hogs, who live on this earth with heads and eyes and hearts and consecrate them not to God." "Live in God or do not live at all." "Know thyself."
The Gurus have preached this and let us justify them by our daily conduct. Let us justify them and their beautiful teachings and their still more glorious life, by our life of love and dedication. In their honor and memory, let us make this Punjab, by living nobly, the "golden land where no monuments exist to Heroes but in the daily thoughts and deeds of men." Let all the individuals of the nation be the living and moving temples of God.
All Truth is alike. It is one and the same everywhere. Only men are needed to realise it and bear witness to it in their own soul. Unless, I am alive to Truth, all writings preaching Truth are meaningless to me. Unless I have some sort of the Hero's character, the life of a Hero has no lesson for me. Therefore, the true act of following any prophet is to evolve another prophet out of myself. It is to travel along the road taken by the prophets and the victory of faith is achieved, when we scale up the same heights as reached by them and see things as they saw, and read things as they road. Rhetoric availeth not, even learning and scholarship toil in vain. It is a simple inner reaction, wrought by acting upon the best and highest in us, that furnishes us with a new standpoint, an original view-point of looking upon things. "To see through God's eyes is knowledge." The world of misery, trouble and pain and death is gone and I see God everywhere. I become twice-born then. My father, mother, wife, master, servant, city, home, country, life, death, joy, sorrow, are all resolved into "the Eternal Me," the God, the One Reality. Nothing but God is.
Men of such high realisation and such ample and broad life and experience were our Gurus, the Masters of man. Let us sit at their feet, with respect and veneration, to receive that light from them which may open our eyes and make us fresh and alive to the presence of God.
But friend ! Beware! Our love for them is apt to change into an unhealthy zeal which, while trying to build the magnificent superstructure of love's and devotion's external show, digs only the grave of the whole Church of Love within.
Beware! our faith is apt to take the shape of hatred for others beliefs.
Our gratitude to our heroes is apt to degrade into a foolish obedience to the letter of the Truth they lived, when sonship does become idle and bankrupted in the false pride of their fatherhood.
Our missionary zeal is likely to change into a morbid tendency of reforming others instead of ourselves. Instead of vindicating the Truth preached by our masters we mar and jeopardise Truth, because of our non -realisation of the Facts which came into their inner spiritual experiences. Instead of Life, we only have mockeries in the form of our prayers, and talks and boastings.
Stop these mockeries and do not talk but live. Do not be anxious to save Sikhism. Rest assured that Sikhism can take care of itself. Your only anxiety should be to save YOURSELF.
A great singer and a great thinker.. Rabbi discussing what should be done about the turban issue in France and need for strengthening our global Sikh organizations.
Gurmit Singh Jassal has been found guilty by a Seattle jury of conspiring to distribute ecstasy and marijuana in the U.S., as well as possession with intend to distribute both drugs.
Jassal, 30, was arrested last February after he and an associate were spotted by U.S. border agents crossing the border by foot carrying four duffle bags. Surveillance cameras picked the pair up as they entered the Smuggler’s Inn near Blaine, Washington.
They went to the front desk and asked the inn’s owner to arrange a ride to the Bellingham Airport. At the airport, a Customs and Border Patrol agent questioned the men and got inconsistent answers about whether they knew each other and where they were headed. Their bags were searched and more than 90 pounds of ecstasy and more than 20 pounds of marijuana were discovered. U.S. officials say the drugs were worth $3.1 million at the street level.
Jassal's defence at trial was that he only got involved because a drug dealer in Canada had kidnaped his wife and daughter, and threatened to harm them if he did not transport the drugs into the U.S. He testified that the drug dealer ordered him to cross the border with the drugs, and then get arrested, so that he could provide information to law enforcement officers regarding other competing drug smugglers.
But in several interviews Jassal did after his arrest, he never mentioned anything about the threats to his life or that of his family even though he told U.S. authorities who had sent him with the drugs.
He will be sentenced in April by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour and faces up to 20 years in prison. (Link)
Here's a 105-year-old granny's secrets to longevity.'Sarson da saag' at least once a week is the secret of long life for Leicester-based Nami Kaur, who celebrated her 105th birthday this week.
Kaur, who was in her 60s when she arrived in the UK from India in 1967, has received a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth.
Parneet Kaur, her grand-daughter-in-law, told the local media: "She swears by a cup of tea first thing in the morning and a cup of tea with toast before she goes to bed.
"She has spinach curry (saag) at least once a week. It's her favourite dish and she always asks for it. She used to make it for everyone. She has a very good diet and a routine," she said.
Kaur arrived in the UK with her youngest son, Surjit Singh. They lived in Coventry, before moving to Newcastle, and settled in Leicester in 2001. She helped out in her son's shop in Newcastle.
In all, she has three children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
"Looking after all her grandchildren kept her fit and active. Even at her age, she'll ask me if she can make me a cup of tea - she's fantastic," Parneet said.
Her grandson, Pardip Shoker, said: "At family gatherings she is the centre of attention, whether it be for her special style of humour or mesmerising stories.
"We all feel extremely privileged and fortunate to have been blessed with our gran's love, kindness, care and advice for all these years. The wealth of knowledge she has passed on to us has been invaluable.
"When I think about the changes and experiences that Nami has witnessed over the past 105 years, it amazes me," Shoker said. (Link)
A Bakersfield family says they were discriminated against by a UPS driver. Their neighbor e-mailed 17 News after he says the driver wrote a derogatory term on a tracking slip while dropping off a package.Here's the story on NBC's KGET.
Anant Singh says his father is a member of the Sikh religion and wears a turban. When his father signed for a UPS package last week, the driver asked for his signature as usual, the younger Singh said.
But the family calls what they found on the tracking slip days later both hurtful and upsetting.
“I just happened to see it said signed by the word "terrorist." So I was amazed. I printed the paper and read it again, and it said signed by a "terrorist," Singh explained.
....
“It suddenly struck me, ‘oh my dad was wearing a turban.’ He wears a turban and belongs to Sikh religion,” Singh said.
Singh says after September 11 some Americans began to associate turbans with terrorists.
“Whether the guy belongs to Islam or Sikh or to any religion, looking at his physically appearance you should not make judgments,” Singh said.
Singh’s neighbor and friend emailed 17 News after he saw the tracking slip for himself.
“Somebody is practicing their religion you can't label them as a terrorist because they look like a Muslim or a Sikh to you,” friend Teg Sidhu said. (Link)
"UPS regrets that inappropriate action was taken to enter a name into our delivery records after a recipient signed for a package. We sincerely apologize to our customer for any offense. Documentation noted in our tracking network has been removed." (same as first source above)UPS's own policy book states the following on human rights:
We recognize our responsibility to ensure that human rights are respected and protected in the workplace. We will seek to protect those rights in our business sphere of influence. (Link)As UPS's workplace extends to their delivery points, this incident plainly brakes the rules. The driver responsible for this stupid practical joke needs to be disciplined but also educated on the Sikhs. If he's working in Bakersfield, he will like be dealing with Sikhs in the future. If I'm living there, I'd like some comfort from UPS that my grandfather isn't going to be harassed if he happens to open the front door to sign for package.
Subject: Help stop Pirated DVD's, please support the cause
ALERT !!
Guys there are insensitive people who are doing HUGE damage.
Some unscrupulous elements have flooded the market with fake copies of "Sundri: The Brave Kaur"; an amazing animated movie. Vismaad had earlier produced wonderful movies "Sahibzadey" & "The Rise of Khalsa". The recent creation "Sundri" is a $300K budget movie. Now we don't want them to loose money and stop this great sewa.
**NEW** Animation on Sikh History is already in works and is highly dependent on Sundri DVD sales. Please! Please!! go out in the market place. Request them, ridicule them, and advise them to stop this nonsense.
And yes don't forget to purchase your genuine DVD! Its a about spending a small amount but you can make a big difference. DVD can be purchased online from http://www.sikhdvd.com or from local video store. It is also a great gift idea, and with the upcoming holiday season, if you celebrate it, why not use this opportunity to spread the message of Sikhism. You can also help out the producers by selling original DVD's to sangat at your local Gurdwara Sahib.
Also please join Sundri Facebook fanpage and forward this message to your friends. Check out behind the scene video, rough sketches and many more posters and pictures of various characters. Updates about new animation will be added soon! So join today and share in supporting Sundri: The Brave Kaur.
A popular but addictive preparation made from parts of the poppy flower has been found to contain enough illegal ingredients to sustain criminal charges against some of those accused of selling it.
Available for as little as $20 in some flea markets and smaller grocery stores in South Asian neighbourhoods, doda is made by grinding the husk and seeds of the poppy flower — the same plant that produces opium. It's often taken with tea or water and produces a quick high followed by a sense of calm.
While charges against those who sell doda have proved difficult to uphold without scientific proof that the substance contains opium, a Brampton, Ont., shop owner is facing jail time for allegedly selling doda that Health Canada says tested positive for codeine and morphine. Both are opiates and considered controlled substances under Canadian law.
Police have laid charges in relation to doda before, but say this is the first time they are likely to stick after Health Canada delivered lab certificates to substantiate the accusations earlier this week.
Ashwani Bhangal, owner of Brampton's Nath Meat and Chicken Deli, has been charged with three counts of drug trafficking and one count of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking after Peel Regional Police made a large bust there and at a separate address in late October.
More than $10,000 worth of opium pods were seized, as well as more than 38 kilograms of suspected doda. Fourteen samples of the substance were sent to Health Canada's drug analysis service for testing.
"We have seized doda previously, sent samples off to Health Canada, however we were unable to get a certificate indicating that it had any opiates in it, therefore we couldn't substantiate a charge in court," said Peel Regional Police Const. Wayne Patterson.
"To my knowledge, this is the first time Peel Regional Police has gotten a positive certificate for the drug doda," he said.
Bhangal, 42, is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 2. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
Doctors have warned that doda, which is used by some taxi drivers, factory workers and truck drivers in the South Asian community to help them stay awake, is as damaging as other illegal narcotics.
Brampton Coun. Vicky Dhillon agrees that doda is dangerous and addictive, and has been leading the charge against the opium derivative in his community.
"This was spreading into high schools, before hard working people were using this, like taxi drivers, but now it was spreading into high schools," Dhillon said.
"Everybody is gonna be happy today when they hear about [the charge.] This is a new development to stop this drug."
One teenager who lives just outside Toronto said he went from using one spoonful a day to consuming the drug morning and night.
"I don't like being normal. I like being high," the 18-year-old told CBC News, which has agreed not to use his name to protect his family's reputation.
His mother wants police to lay more charges against those who sell doda and put a plug on the supply in Canada.
"There are so many families like us who are very upset. I don't know why people are selling this stupid thing in the market."
Health Canada outlaws any substance containing opium poppy or its derivatives, although does not list doda, as it is called, as a banned drug — something authorities say they hope will change if the court chooses to make a conviction. (Link)
During this holiday season of hard times, not even houses of God have been spared. Some lenders believe more churches than ever have fallen behind on loans or defaulted this year. Some churches, and at least one company that specialized in church lending, have filed for bankruptcy. Church giving is down as much as 15% in some places, pastors and lenders report.
"There have been too many churches with a 'build it and they will come' attitude," says N. Michael Tangen, executive vice president at American Investors Group Inc., a church lender in Minnetonka, Minn. "They had glory in their eyes that wasn't backed up with adequate business plans and cash flow."
The phone rings and its the call you dread as an uncle or older cousin. A desperate parent is on the other end asking for your help. Your teenage nephew/cousin wants to cut his hair. Can you please talk some sense into him.
Like many others in his situation, I also suspect that Sikhi has largely been conveyed to my cousin through guilt or fear. Cut your hair and your Dad will beat you to death and your Mom will cry herself to death. So how do you teach Sikhi through love? How do you instill the self-confidence, comfort and belonging that comes with being in love with your Guru? How do you get someone to hold their dastaar-adorned head up with pride instead of hung in shame? I can see many parents struggling with this on a daily basis.
For a lot of Canadians hockey is in our blood, it's part of who we are. For generations every Saturday night we watch 'Hockey Night In Canada'. But not all Canadians speak English or French. So last year, during the Stanley Cup Finals 'Hockey Night in Canada' decided to broadcast games in Punjabi. Why Punjabi? Because Punjabi is the 4th most spoken language in Canada. East Indians have lived here for more than a century. They helped settle and build Vancouver, they fought for Canada in both World Wars and they love sports. Of course, cricket is huge in India, but so is field hockey and a game called Kabaddi. So, it makes sense that Canadians of East Indian heritage would be into hockey. This season, 'Hockey Night In Canada' is producing a Punjabi broadcast every Saturday night. The commentators were hand picked from the Punjab community, both have experience in the media and both are huge hockey fans. Parminder Singh does the play by play. And Harnarayan Singh the colour commentary.
An interesting blog entry from Cerno on the fashion sense of the Sikh turban.Sikh men seem to have an intuitive sense of colour co-ordination. They have to — given visual prominence of the Sikh turban (also called a Dastar). It is a solid mass of colour that has to be co-ordinated with the rest of a Sikh man’s attire — making colour co-ordination a very significant part of the daily routine. How do you pick a tie, shirt, socks, trousers that all flow effortless with such a dominant visual element - AND do it with utter confidence? Sikhs are the only men I have seen capable of confidently wearing a bright pink and still look stylish. It is a sort of thing that will turn me from a fashion disaster to a train wreck. Which begs me to ask - what are the colour co-ordination secrets of Sikh style?
The daily act of colour co-ordination is a Sikh man’s life is hardly discussed. At best hinted at as some trivial ability unworthy of discussion. Mainly because wearing a Sikh turban in the 21st century is not only an act of colour co-ordination or a statement of religious identity. It is a deeply personal statement of managing cultural complexity.....Despite the politics, most wearers have a matter a fact ease about the whole thing - demonstrated by their casual genius at colour co-ordination. I wonder if Sikh men have a well developed set of rules about combining patterns, colour and different forms of clothing with the Dastar. Though there are plenty of tips on how to tie a turban, there’s nothing specific about how to colour co ordinate. Perhaps it is an intution that comes with your spiritual state of mind. Or something that you learn from a life time of morning turban rituals and subconsciously absorbing the colour choices of your male elders.
It is clear a wisdom that needs to be heard. For the dishevelled hordes of non Sikh men (yours truly included) a dose of Sikh eye for the straight guy would be very very useful. Sikh chic is not just for Sikhs. (Link)
Tune in to CBC tonight at 11pm to watch The Hour. George Stroumboulopoulos will be interveiwing Parminder Singh and Harnarayan Singh on their experience with Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi Edition. T.H. Huxley says:“The consequences of our actions are scarecrows for the cowards and beams of light for the wise. The world is a chessboard. The pieces are the gestures of daily life, the rules are the so-called laws of nature.”
Although he concentrates on what he is doing, the warrior of the light does not look on injustice with indifference. He knows that everything is one thing alone, that each individual action affects all the men on the planet, and if he sees someone being a victim of cowardly attacks, he uses his sword to put things in order.
But although he fights against oppression, at no moment does he try to judge the oppressor. Each one will answer for his acts before God, and that is why, once his task is accomplished, the warrior makes no further comment. A warrior of the light is in the world to help his brothers, not to condemn his neighbors. (Link)
Here's one for anyone who's ridden the Rocket or better known as the Toronto Transit Commission.
My dad can't understand why anyone would ever go to Starbucks. He love's calling it "Five-Bucks", because that's how much most people, like me, end up spending on overpriced drinks. Well I think people are starting to get the hint. 
Don't get me started on Vision TV's Saturday line-up of South Asian shows. Under the guise of Sikh spiritual programming, Vision sells airtime to the highest bidder. The result is a hodge podge of mostly amateur shows shot in basements across Canada. Most of the shows are forgetable with hosts who are better off staying on radio (where many have started out), a requisite religious segment featuring pop-kirtan or dharmik song and then non-stop generic bollywood/bhangra videos. All this packed with as many tacky ads as you can squeeze in. On top of this, many are produced by specific business (video production companies or record labels) so the shows are based largely on selling their wares.
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Football authorities in Dublin are investigating allegations that a referee tried to force a Sikh boy to take off his turban during a schoolboy match.
The family of Karpreet Singh and anti-racist campaigners have contacted the Football Association of Ireland over the alleged incident at Ashbourne in Co Meath a fortnight ago, which ended with the 12-year-old refusing to play in the second half.
The FAI has told Sport Against Racism Ireland and the Singh family they will meet them in the new year to discuss claims that the referee ordered the boy to remove his turban, then refused to talk to Karpreet's father after the game about his alleged remarks. Surinder Singh said that his anger over the alleged incident was compounded by what he claims was the referee's insensitivity when the game was over.
'Before the match the referee checked the two teams' boots and strips and the game began. He said nothing about anyone wearing anything on their heads,' he said. 'Then, 10 minutes into the match, he went over to my son and told him to remove the "headgear". Karpreet told the referee he couldn't take his turban off, and again the ref said to him to take the "headgear" off.
'The match went on and I could see that Karpreet was upset by the incident. When the team went in for half-time, Karpreet told his coach he didn't want to play in the second half. I knew he wasn't up for it. The whole thing had disturbed him and this is a boy who loves football.'
According to Surinder Singh, a previous coach of Hillcrest Soccer club, his son's team, tried to speak to the referee about his remarks.
'Instead of listening, the ref told the ex-coach to get off the pitch,' he claimed. 'I waited until the match was over and went over to the referee to talk about what he had said to my son. This man turned around and said "I don't have to talk to you!", and walked off without speaking to me. When I followed him he said: "Get away from me!" I couldn't believe how rude he was.'
Surinder Singh said the alleged incident was all the more shocking because, having been in Ireland for 24 years, he has never encountered any hostility. 'I try to make my kids integrate into Irish society. My eight-year-old daughter Japleen Kaur plays camogie for our local GAA club Sarsfields. Karpreet is dedicated to his soccer team and loves playing football. We never expected an attitude like that on the pitch, especially not from the referee.'
His son is a Manchester United fan who dreams of playing at Old Trafford. The schoolboy said he was 'very upset' by the alleged attitude of the referee but vowed to play on for his club. 'I love playing for the team and after the match my mates were brilliant. They all said they supported my decision not to take off my turban, which is so important to our religion.'
Karpreet said he would 'feel very nervous' now when playing matches while wearing his turban. 'I hope nobody else has an attitude like that again,' he said. (Link)
I don't know why, but there's this South Asian cultural legacy behind why we don't associate the colour black with celebrations. Even at gurdwaras, black is rarely seen in the aesthetics. That's why I was surprised to see black rumaalas adorning the Guru Granth Sahib at the Darbar Sahib. Here's a pic from the TV during the ATN ETC Alpha Punjabi broadcast.
A tragic story came from BC this week about a elderly Sikh patient's beard being shaven off during his stay at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminister.B.C.'s Fraser Health Authority has apologized for shaving a 70-year-old man's beard -- something forbidden by his Sikh religion.The worst part is that the Sikh was in hospital after being shot during an earlier robbery at at a Surrey gas station.
It happened during an overnight shift at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster. The Health Authority says the nurse, who recently came from out of province, feels terrible about the incident.
"We are very sorry on behalf of Royal Columbian Hospital that this happened," says spokesperson Mariam Stewart. "There have been numerous memos going out to other intensive care units and hospitals in Fraser Health of the fact that, with the beard, the beard is very, very important." (Link)
The victim's son in law says the senior has been victimized twice by what the hospital has done.I know that the William Osler Health Centre and specifically Brampton Civic Hospital has put a lot of effort into educating their hospital staff to the diversity of their patients. I also know their new mantra isn't the Golden Rule but the Platinum Rule, do unto others as they would want done to them.
"My father in law -- he's been killed twice," says Surjit Singh Virk. "To me, his pride, his honour, his belief -- everything taken away from him. It's very shocking."
The family says they will file a complaint against the hospital and are asking the Health Authority to implement a policy so something like this won't happen again.
Choosing in Peace
By Paulo Coelho
The warrior of the light meditates. He sits down in a quite corner of his tent and delivers himself to the divine light.
On doing so, he tries not to think of anything, detaches himself from the pursuit of pleasures, challenges and revelations, and lets his gifts and powers reveal themselves.
Even though he does not notice it at the time, these gifts and powers are taking control of his life and will affect his daily life.
As he meditates, the warrior is not himself but rather a spark of the Soul of the World. These are the moments that allow him to understand his responsibility and act accordingly. A warrior of the light knows: in the silence of his heart exists a higher order that is to show him the steps of his personal choice.
4,345,027 dominoes. Sure beats anything me and my family did in our living room during the holidays.
A great article on Sikhchic by Gurjeet Kaur who talks about connecting with her Guru during one of the most difficult times in her life.Finding myself alone, I turned to reading the Guru Granth and listening to kirtan. I began to understand it and almost could see a parallel in many difficult situations between my life and what I read in the baani.
It was almost like the Guru was talking directly to me. Every time I encountered another difficult situation (and there were many of them), I found myself not being afraid and always having this almost strange feeling of comfort. Everything was going to be all right.
And now, six years after I left, I feel I have found my path. I am content and happy and have learnt the true meaning of what life is. When I sometimes meet my friends from my old life and listen to them talking about their mundane existence, I sit back and think: I, too, was like them at one time.
Though I don't wish what I went through on anyone, I don't think that without it, I would have become this deeply spiritual person that I am today, nor would I have ever realized what is truly important in life.
I write this article in the hope of letting women who are in similar situations like myself know: don't despair, reach deep inside you, and look for the Guru's strength and listen to that voice.
It will guide you in making the decisions that will lead you to a better tomorrow. (Link)
UNITED SIKHS Invites You to Join Us For a Global Sikh Civil Rights Conference
Professor Paramjeet Singh, born in Patiala, Punjab, India represents the third generation of musicians in his family. His father, Late Gyani Kripal Singhji was the first teacher of young Paramjeet and laid a solid foundation of Gurbani and Kirtan singing in him. Paramjeet’s elder brother Late Sardar Baljit Singhji, a disciple of Sri P.C. Shekharji (disciple of Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan Saheb, the doyen of Patiala Gharana) further enhanced Paramjeet’s music. Dr. Ajeet Singh Paintel (disciple of Ustad Amir Khan Saheb) honed the young Paramjeet’s musical skills to perfection.Also, here's an interview, in Punjabi, with Professor Sahib on M Channel's Punjabi News:
Paramjeet Singh did post-graduation in music from Punjabi University and research in music from Delhi University. Thus he had the opportunity to be trained by the artists of various Gharanas but performs mostly Patiala Gharana.
Professor Paramjeet is equally adept at singing Khayal, Thumri, Ghazal, Folk Geets as well as Bhajans and often presents all these in one musical sitting. One of Professor Paramjeet’s specialties is Voice culture. His vocal range spans over 4 octaves.
See the attached poster or his website for more information on his performance. Hope you can make it out to the concert in support of a great local Sikh musician.
Jasmeet Sidhu is one of the 25 members of the Canadian Youth Delegation to Poznan, Poland for the United Nations Climate Change Conference and is blogging the conference for the Toronto Star.
The last time I was in Punjab, I visited a gurdwara with a cousin of mine who was a one-time employee of the SGPC. Upon receiving and tasting the karah parshad, I asked him why it was so coarse and dry compared what I was used to. He responded that it was now common practice for SGPC-controlled gurdwaras to use a lower quality, more unrefined type of flour, as this required less butter. But why would the gurdwara staff want to use less butter? To pocket the savings in the butter budget, of course. Sadly, not much surprises me about the SGPC anymore. A story out of the Tribune India this weekend reported the following account of 15 SGPC employees being fired. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee dismissed as many as 15 employees on the recommendation of the fact-finding committee, headed by general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur. Earlier, they were indicted for indulging in serious cases including corruption, addiction and moral turpitude. However, the SGPC has decided to review the cases of those who were found guilty of pilferage of ration from the Guru Ram Dass Langar and iron rods from store of Gurdwara Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthalla). Among those who have been dismissed include Sukhvir Singh, a gurdwara inspector, SGPC, Sawinder Singh, posted at Gurdwara Jind, Ajit Singh (Gurdwara Bir Sahib), Devinder Singh (Darbar Sahib, Amritsar), Lakhwant Singh, Satnam Singh (Gurdwara Sukhchaina Sahib, Phagwara), Pargat Singh and Baldev Singh (Darbar Sahib), Balkar Singh (Gurdwara Tahliana, Raikot), Harjit Singh, Natha Singh and Dalbag Singh (Takht Kesgarh Sahib), Rachhpal Singh (Darbar Singh) and Tarsem Singh (Gurdwara Amb Sahib). Talking to The Tribune, SGPC president Avtar Singh said the employees who were sacked were allegedly involved in theft/pilferage of ration, drug addiction and moral turpitude. He said the SGPC was determined to weed out corruption and all sorts of evils from the committee. The sub-committee, which recommended immediate dismissal of the employees, comprised Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala, Bibi Bhajan Kaur Dograwala, both executive members, Baba Tek Singh, Makhan Singh Nangli, Kulowant Singh Mannan and Harbans Singh Kandhola. Earlier, the accused employees were placed under suspension, but they had applied for mercy appeal. However, after scrutiny of the record, 22 employees were found to be guilty of various charges, while certain officials were let off for want of proof. It may be recalled that the SGPC had dismissed its two employees while two officials were suspended for bogus purchase of more than 10,000 cement bags by the SGPC by tampering with records.First of all what the heck is moral turpitude? On Answers.com, moral turpitude is defined as:
A phrase used in criminal law to describe conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty, or good morals. Crimes involving moral turpitude have an inherent quality of baseness, vileness, or depravity with respect to a person's duty to another or to society in general. Examples include rape, forgery, robbery, and solicitation by prostitutes.Ouch. Given previous reports that I've read about SGPC employees (here and here), I doubt it this case of moral turpitude was something as petty as dipping into the golak. Secondly, I love Avtar Singh's ironic determination "to weed out corruption and all sorts of evils from the committee". I know its just wishful thinking, but if he really wanted to clean things up, he'd go after the guys at the top of the SGPC that set the tone for the institution, not just those at the bottom of the food chain. But of course that would fall under the category of "biting the hand that feeds me".
On Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Tagore family was burglarized. The events that followed once the police arrived are disturbing and extremely bizarre. Instead of investigating the burglary the police victimized the family. Sach Productions, a leading media organization was able to reach the crime scene within 24 hours of the incident to have an exclusive detailed interview with the family. "When we heard about what had happened we knew it needed to be documented. What happened was very unfortunate and we're hoping this video becomes an example of how important it is to document your stories and share them with the world." Harpreet Kaur, Director.Watch to find out how this Sikh family became the target of a hate crime, which lead to inhuman treatment when police brutality took place in their own home.
To document all cases of police brutality towards the Sikhs--anywhere in the world. Take a moment to view each case and TAKE ACTION. If you are ever subjected to racial profiling and violence from the police please take photos, videos, cell phones and document it!! We should not have to live in fear from people we have given authority to protect us.
On a story I wrote about earlier, Harb Bains won't have to wear a helmet in order to coach his hockey team.B.C. Hockey announced Monday its new rule requiring helmet use by all on-ice officials will now exempt those who can't wear a helmet because it interferes with their observance of a religious custom.
Harbs Bains will be able to continue coaching the Surrey Hurricanes atom rep team without a helmet.
Bains, or other devout Sikh coaches or officials, will have to sign a waiver.
Failure to wear a helmet otherwise will result in B.C. Hockey pulling its sanction of an event, resulting in it not being covered by insurance. Link
Be part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay by making a personal pledge to do something in your daily life to make Canada an even better place to live.It would be great to have a bunch of Sikh-Canadian torchbearers representing our country. Register on the website for your chance to carry the torch.
For over 100 days leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, 12,000 Canadians will be helping the Olympic Flame make its way across Canada. And you could be one of them.
Every evening between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. the Saini home is filled with Punjabi music. Adarash Pal's parents watch a Sikh religious ceremony on television faithfully, his mother curled up in the corner of the couch, singing quietly along with the worshippers in India.There's a profile in today's Toronto Star (and a video online) of the classical Punjabi Sikh family in Canada. Dad came to Canada as young man and goes back to get married. Mom and Dad both have college degrees from India but have limited ability to speak English in a business setting. Living with Dad's parents, the economic pressures quickly put them into the workforce where they are able to land blue collar jobs at a local car parts factory. There they work with other immigrants, mostly Punjabi with whom they feel comfortable. Business is doing well, they're able to get good jobs on the factory floor, buy a good house and provide for their children.
"When we were working also we prayed, it's not just for jobs," Paramjeet says. "When you are in difficulty you know nobody going to hold your hand, only God will."
She serves dal and cauliflower for dinner, flattening the roti with a rolling pin, cooking it over the stove.
Paramjeet knows her former co-workers are also struggling. Some have already sold their homes and moved into condos or rented apartments. "Before we sell, we see for a while if we find good jobs," she says.
She also knows people talk about moving back home to India. It is not something the Sainis have considered, though at some point all options may be on the table.
"Right now, we have hope, like if I get my case approved maybe I upgrade, take some training," she says.
That will not be the end of her worries. "Then maybe afterward I have stress for the job again because wherever you go they ask for experience."
The Saints have to continue paying their mortgage, bills and property taxes, so cutbacks must come from elsewhere. No more day trips, no more takeout and no shopping for anything but necessities. The boys have played soccer every summer since they were young, but they may not get to his year. It will be a modest Christmas, and 11-year-old Gurjit will not be getting a new Xbox to replace his broken console for his upcoming birthday. Gurjit is now playing video games on the computer.
"Now I say, don't break the computer now," Paramjeet says, laughing. (Link)
