Sikh Styling

An interesting story of a Bombay fashion designer who moved to Chandigarh to design clothes exclusively for Sardars.

Jewel in the Crown

Here's a cool event happening in the UK, being organized by the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail featuring Tigerstyle.

Jewel in the Crown - Music inspired by Maharajah Duleep Singh
Date: Sat 5 Sep 2009
Time: 6:45pm - 8:30pm
Location: Tower Of London, Tower Bridge, London, EC3N 4AB
The Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail Present - Jewel in the Crown

Against the stunning skyline of the Tower of London, leading British Asian musicians ‘Tigerstyle’ perform live music inspired by the life of Maharajah Duleep Singh.

The two brothers fuse traditional dhadi raag and soulful vocals, complimented by rich eclectic instrumentation on the mandolin, sarangi and algozay.

Join us at the incredible Tower Of London for this Historic Event.

No Weapons Allowed, But Kirpans OK

A great sign (overlook the spelling) a bank in Bangalore. Thanks to ambrosialnectar for the link.

Sikh? Between 18 & 30? In the GTA? Earn $20

Please involved in this research project if you meet the criteria.

MISSISSAUGA - Volunteers Needed!

Young Adults of Sikh Background

We are looking for individuals to participate in a research project on the role that culture and religion play in how you see yourself, how you live your life in Canada, and how you see Canadian society and major issues that the world is facing today.

If you are between 18 and 30 years old, have at least one parent who came to Canada as an immigrant after 1967, have lived in Canada for at least 8 years, and are of Sikh background; we are interested in having you participate in a focus group discussion, lasting from one and a half to two hours.

Participants will receive an honorarium of $20 for taking part in this focus group. The focus group will take place at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus (or another location), at a time and date in September or October of 2009 convenient for the participants.

If you are interested in taking part in this research project or you would like more information about it, please contact Kathryn Carriere at carrierekathryn@gmail.com.

Kaurs Camp This Weekend

From Kaurs United Toronto:

Kaurs United is an international, non-profitable Sikh women’s organization that branches off of the Guru Nanak Academy. Operated by Sikh women, our aim is to strengthen the spiritual lives of women around the globe. Brave Sikh women from the past, inspirational Sikh women of the present, and the anticipated pious women of the future form the backbone of Kaurs United. We are here to inspire, uplift, and unite Sikh women and girls around the world.

The time is near approaching for Kaurs United's 5TH ANNIVERSARY! It is time to celebrate this occasion in Toronto! Kaurs United camps are organized with the purpose of uniting, uplifting, and empowering Sikh girls and women around the world.

These camps are graced with the presence of diverse girls and women who contribute to every aspect of camp with their knowledge, experiences, love, and care for Sikhi.

This years Kaurs United Toronto Camp will be held from August 20-23, 2009 at Malton Gurdwara, 7282 Airport Rd., Malton, 905-671-1662, starting at 8am to 5:30 pm.

All women and girls 13+ are welcome. There are many girls coming from British Columbia, Calgary, Atlanta, and many more! This years camping event will feature morning and afternoon kirtan darbars, great workshops and discussions which will spiritually and emotionally uplift you, and exciting outdoor recreational activities such as bowling, laser tag, and sports. Everyday issues are discussed to help our sisters dealing with high school, university/college, or family problems.

The fees for camp are only $60, so register fast before spots fill up!

Visit www.kaursunited.org to register or for more information call 416-275-3897.

Momas, Don't Let Your Kids Grow Up To Be Truckers

Here's something to make you wince.

WINDSOR, Ont. -- A Brampton, Ont., trucker is behind bars after he was allegedly caught on Tuesday night crossing into Canada with one of the largest caches of cocaine ever seized at the Windsor border.

Kuldeep Singh Dharni, 37, is charged with importing cocaine into Canada and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Link

If you thought that was bad enough, read this:

One of the few cocaine seizures in this area that compares with Monday’s arrest occurred in February 2007.

In that incident, border guards discovered 147 kilograms of cocaine packed into seven duffel bags that were hidden in a truckload of produce from California. CBSA hailed it as the largest cocaine seizure ever at the Windsor border.

It was also one of the largest cocaine seizures at any land border crossing in Ontario.

Lachman Singh Chahal and Sandeep Singh Hans, both from the Toronto area, are on trial in that case for importation of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. Link

So it looks like two of largest cocaine seizures ever in Ontario, were by Sikh-Canadian truckers. Have fun in jail and please take the Singh out your name, you don't deserve it.

Breaking News - A Sikh Organization Actually Listens To Concerns!

Hats off to Sikh Research Institute for constructively and methodically responding to criticism of its Sikh curriculum program, Sojhi. After a controversy was sparked about certain lesson plans pertaining to the Ardaas, SikhRI struck up a committee of informed, respected and reasonable Sikhs to review the issue and provide guidance. The group considered various viewpoints, and then acting within a framework of Gurmat, provided recommendations for improvement. While I'm sure there's lots more to this story, at least we can point to one Sikh group trying to act like responsible grown-ups.

Here's their press release.

Sojhi Review Committee Responds

Sojhi - Gurmat and Panjabi Education Resource is a program that seeks to improve the effectiveness of Sikh education by developing high standards of learning with comprehensive teaching materials. In April 2009, a Curriculum Review Committee (the Committee) was instituted to deliberate on community feedback and provide recommendations to the Sojhi team on some concerns that were raised. The committee consisted of Dr. IJ Singh (NY), Harminder Singh Jassal (VA), Ishnan Kaur (ON), Kuldeep Singh (OH), Bhai Gurdarshan Singh (MD), and Inni Kaur (CT). "The team members are known for their experience in Sikh education and personal commitment to Sikhī and the Panth", commented G.P Singh, Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) Founder.

"The Committee was independent of the SRI and Sojhi structure. It was truly an independent body. Evaluation process such as this undertaken by the committee is inherent in and integral to all educational programs and should continue in Sojhi programs" commented Dr. I.J Singh, Member of the Committee. Their first and foremost observation was "this Committee is of one mind that Sojhi represents a uniquely powerful and well thought out program that is critical to defining Sikh presence outside Punjab, particularly in North America. It fills a vital and critical void in the life of our community."

The Committee used as basis the panthically accepted Sikh Rahit Maryada (SRM). Sojhi team accepts these recommendations and will implement them in the lesson programs. Based on these recommendations, Sojhi will:

• Keep the Dohera reflecting the existing tradition that is followed around the world. The recommendation is for the use of the dohera that reads: "….Guru Granth Jee maanyo, pargutt gura(n) kee deh Jo Prabh ko milbo chahay, khoj Shabad mein leh."
• Leave the Jeevan Jot Kaur's poem in the lesson plan as-is because the Committee feels that the complete poem in its context is not irreverent or blasphemous rather it implores Sikhs to follow Guru Granth Sahib.
• Keep Ardaas exactly as the one currently in use all over the world and recommended by the Sikh Rehat Maryada.
• Support curriculum users to use their discretion to choose the Romanized spellings. Spellings & pronunciation of the Words in question – Should be written either as Waheguru or Vahiguru and Fateh as Fateh.

"A special thanks goes out to the Committee members for their thoughtful deliberation and volunteer time", said Gurvendra Singh Suri, Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) President. "SikhRI also thanks the community for bringing their concerns to the forefront".

The Committee's complete report is available at www.sikhri.org

Atma Images

As an aspiring amateur photographer, I love coming across great young Sikh photographers. Atma Images is from the UK. Here's some info on them.

Atma Images = Two brothers: Atma Singh (Photographer/Film-maker) & Resham Singh (Film-maker/Sound-Man).

With an uncompromising sense of adventure and a thirst for all things creative, we work with a spectrum of equally passionate clients, covering authentic Sikh weddings (a niche that we specialise in), all sorts of portraits, commercial photo-shoots and some seriously cool events.

We also focus strongly upon our business-ethics. 10% of all profits go to charity and believe it or not even if you don't use our services, we'll give you advice about getting the best deal elsewhere. It's principles such as these that make us unique. In our spare time we offer our skills to not-for-profit organisations but most of all, we love shooting short films and documentaries. Atma Singh is also known to take his camera with him everywhere!

India Placed On Watch List For Not Protecting Mintorities

From a report just issued by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This week, they placed India on its “Watch List” today for the government’s largely inadequate response in protecting its religious minorities.

The failure to provide justice to religious minorities targeted in violent riots in India is not a new development, and has helped foster a climate of impunity. In 1984, anti-Sikh riots erupted in Delhi following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguard. Over 4 days, nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed, allegedly with the support of Congress Party officials. Few perpetrators were ever held accountable, and only years after the fact.

I highlighted the Sikh reference for obvious reasons, but the report details attacks on minorities all over India including Gujarat in 2002, Orrisa in 2007/08 and more recent incidents.

You can judge the majority by how it treats its minorities. India has light years to go.

A Sikh au Courant

Dr. I.J. Singh looks like a traditional Sikh uncle or elder, but his ideas are anything but traditional. I would consider him one of the most progressive, contemporary Sikh thinkers alive today. His ideas are insightful and thought-provoking. I consider his numerous articles and three published books required reading for Sikh youth around the world. I included one my favourite articles below. A pdf version is also available here.

A Sikh au Courant
I.J. Singh

We all want to be modern. There is nothing quite so distressing as to be told that one is behind the times or is clueless about the world in which he or she operates. It is worse than being poor, fat or ugly. But what is it to be modern? What does being modern mean? Let me illustrate my concerns by two little tales.

Not so long ago, a young Sikh technocrat and I were passing the time of day over a cup of coffee. He is a bright MBA and a good man but not a recognizable Sikh. All of a sudden he blurted out: "We Sikhs have a very practical and logical religion with an incomparably attractive and modern worldview but our external appearance is not consistent with that modern framework." He was pointing to the turban and bearded visage of the observing Sikh male.

Another incident is from a few years ago when I was single. Some kind friends tried to set me up with a Sikh lady in a different town and gave me her telephone number. She was a bright, young, professionally educated Sikh - a psychiatrist.

We talked a few times on the telephone. Here, we both thought, might be some possibilities. Naturally, we wanted to meet face to face to see what kind of chemistry might result. We hadn't yet met and didn't know what the other looked like. One day, we were on the phone chatting about the logistics of meeting, when she abruptly inquired: "Are you a modern Sikh?"

I knew what she was about but decided to play it for what it was worth. To me, the antithesis of being modern is to be primitive. So, my response turned out to be somewhat tactless but not entirely pointless. I countered that I never ever left the house without clothes, could coherently converse on a variety of subjects including religion, politics and sex, and knew which fork to use with which plate at dinner; therefore, I was not exactly primitive. She thought my response was aggressively, if not offensively, unresponsive; she had wanted to know if I was keshadhari, long-haired Sikh or not. I thought a crew cut would not necessarily endow me with the so-called characteristics of modernity, anymore than long hair would automatically transform me either into a sage or a savage. Needless to say we never met.

I must confess that in both encounters - with the lady psychiatrist and the MBA - initially I was somewhat taken aback but, upon reflection, realized that perhaps this is how most of the world thinks of us. I see that many Sikhs also seem to reason similarly; that says something for our sense of self and the self-imposed psychological burden that many Sikhs seem to carry. The question, of course, is less how others view us, even though that is extremely important but, more significantly, how comfortable we are with whatever we have chosen to be.

My cohorts in both encounters insisted that Sikh philosophy and precepts were modern. (Did they really know enough of Sikh tradition to so assert or were they only mouthing the words? I merely raise the question here.) Nevertheless, if I accepted their protestations then the unassailable definition of modernity for a Sikh would be to understand and live by the very modern tenets and postulates of Sikhism. And would that not, I wondered, include the lifestyle of a Sikh, including one's appearance as one? It seems to me a very clear outcome of their logic on the modernity of Sikhism.

But in common parlance - in proposing such a conditional definition of modernity implied by my friends - we usually mean only the principles of Sikhism that should govern our everyday reality - trade, family and at most the ethical framework of our existence. But in such reasoning both of my friends have created a rift between the postulates of Sikhism and their historical manifestation in the individual Sikh with his articles of faith, including the unshorn hair. This dichotomy states that other rules of the game - such as the ones that dictate our outer garb - are an entirely different matter and perhaps irrelevant and immaterial.

In this view, the external appearance of the male Sikh is not consistent with the ways of the world, as we know it, hence not in keeping with the times. Seriously, I have come across several fresh arrivals from India who said to me: "On the phone you leave a different and more modern impression. But I see that you look like a traditional Sikh, something we didn't expect after so many years." I wonder what they were really thinking.

There are several ways to explore this paradoxical situation and many levels of objections to such an attitude that seems to select some rules as applicable while branding others as extraneous. Qualitatively, there are at least two kinds of argument that I can muster to dismiss such reasoning.

One can sensibly suggest that the Sikh appearance was not decided by a people after some sort of a referendum but was willed to them by their Guru. Surely these articles of faith are not at all like corporate logos that are redesigned periodically by a professional team of consultants after a survey and market-analysis of the current trends and fads.

Now, one can choose either to walk the path of the master or not - that choice is always available. But to walk while continuing to quibble full force reminds me of the adage "faint heart never climbed a mountain." (Or was it faint heart never won a fair lady, but let's not be sexist.) To sit around and second-guess the Guru's intention and how he might have decided if he had lived in this 21st century is a game with no rules or one where every player makes his own rules.

It reminds me of many students who protest that the rules and requirements of the course that I teach are onerous, unfair and demanding, but this protest occurs during mid semester usually after a harrowing and hopeless test and is primarily limited to those who are floundering. That's when the rules no longer appear convenient or helpful to the learning process but loom as a hurdle to their graduating. Students look only at the fact that the rules impose hardships on them or set them apart from other friends who may not be in a similarly demanding program. On the other hand, I am aware of the role my students are destined to play as health professionals and I must design the rules of the game that will prepare them for such responsibility. Inconvenient the rules may be but are they necessary? If necessary then they are also eminently fair. To demand less would not be doing justice to the professional choices these young people have made in life.

I am not unmindful of the social isolation and the economic repercussions that many Sikhs fear their appearance might produce. The other side of the coin raises an interesting issue: what insecurities in me suggest that life would be so much rosier if only I looked like John Doe? If such attitudes reside in me and govern my outlook in life it must be difficult indeed to look in the mirror. Life has taught me that no matter what I look like there will always be some who will not like me while there will be others who will accept me as I am. For many, I will always remain too short or too tall, too fat or too thin, too dark or too pale, too this or too that. No matter how smart I am there will be millions who will be smarter and just as many who will not be. No matter how rich I am…. and so on, ad infinitum. Whether it is in personal relationship or in social and professional interaction there is always a glass ceiling. But is it the result of our own inadequacies or those of others? Perhaps a little of each.

If I truly feel uncaged and free only when dressed in a particular manner then the problem lies primarily in my head, not in others. No one can make me feel small without my consent. So to look for an excuse or explanation in the demands of society is really not meaningful. Also, such demands can never be settled in full. My sense of self must be pretty feeble if it depends primarily upon my button down collar, wing tip shoes, blow-dried hairstyle or, most importantly, the opinion of others. I know the requirements of the corporate culture but my bonus is finally determined more by my production figures and only minimally, if at all, by my spit-shined shoes.

I know full well the pitfalls in taking the road less traveled. I also know that Sikhs are a minuscule minority in any part of the world, even in the Indian culture, except perhaps in Punjab. I know the situation is not likely to change. I am also convinced that Guru Gobind Singh, when he ordained the Khalsa, never had any expectation that there would ever be more Khalsa than there are people of other kind in the world. We are ordained to remain a minority. We have to learn to rejoice in this and not try to metamorphose into a brown sahib. For instance, there will never be more of any kind of people in this world than there are Chinese but that is no reason why everyone has to look Chinese or ape their very rich culture.

The five symbols of our religion, including the long unshorn hair, become articles of faith only when their magic and historical impact become integrated into our lives and embedded in our psyche such that they define us. Otherwise they remain symbols that can be discarded as and when the spirit moves us. As articles of faith they become a part of the self and good people will fight and die for them but not abandon them. As symbols they will always leave us uncomfortable and ill at ease. Symbols have a price; they can be bought and sold in the marketplace. As articles that define faith they acquire value which is often greater than life itself; they can't be weighed and measured in the market, nor do they become shop-worn. Then the question of their being with the times or not becomes silly as would a question that demands to know the price, justification or relevance of any part of the self.

Parenthetically, I wish to leave with you one thought. Look closely at these five articles of faith in Sikhism. You will see that they have undergone transformation with time, some more than others. I have attempted a fuller discussion on this elsewhere and it is not pertinent here.

Even though, and perhaps especially because they were so few, the challenge for Sikhs was always to remain undaunted and to walk the razor's edge of their faith with courage, confidence and a smile. In other words to live life fully, not by half measures. That was, perhaps, the meaning behind Guru Gobind Singh's challenging call for a head on Vaisakhi 1699. This is maybe the lesson that emerges from the sacrifices of Guru Arjan, Guru Tegh Bahadur and countless Sikh martyrs that history has honored. This is what Guru Nanak may have meant when he challenged his followers to walk with the head in the palm of the hand. I would think that to be able to put your head on the line for principle is an utterly modern concept that only a free people can adopt.

To live free is to be modern. This implies the courage to be distinct and to walk the different beat of your distant drummer. Look back, perhaps not so many years in your life, and what do you see? During adolescence when life was driven by raging hormones, the most powerful urge - not always clearly seen - was to define one's own self by being different from everyone else. (I know that this drive was also accompanied and backed by another - to belong to a pack, which emerged from the fear of being alone.) The sense of self - indeed our identity - developed out of the complex interplay of these competing desires and directions.

We spend our defining years learning to become individually distinct. In selecting what we wear or carry, we spend our teen years trying to make a unique statement. I am my own person, we want the world to know. It doesn't matter if the world thinks it's ridiculous but dyeing pink a swath down the middle of the head makes me unique, so that's what it will be. I want to be alone on my path but not lonely, so I look for a ratpack that travels together, where each enhances the other's emerging individuality. I also search for a badge that stamps me as exclusive - a limited edition - by joining exclusive clubs and secret societies.

In Sikhism, the Guru gave us the gift and the courage to stand out and yet to belong to a rich, powerful and eloquent tradition. I can't imagine a more fittingly modern idea. The question is how to model our lives so that our difference makes a statement. And then the question is what kind of a statement do we wish to make.

We are an integral part of society and so are integrated into it. Being like others defines the niche to which we belong - a space that is carved out of a shared history. By attaching ourselves to the timelessness of a heritage we become free of the restraint as well as of the tyranny of changing customs and changing times. Would the slavery to fad and fashion not make us prisoners of our time? And in the process would we not lose the sense of our heritage that makes us different and unique?

It is not always easy, even the concept isn't so easy to grasp. But I think the most expanded version of being in tune with the times would be - being the right person at the right time in the right place for the right reason.

Extracted from the author’s book “Being and Becoming a Sikh” (pp. 9-16) published in 2003 by The Centennial Foundation, Canada

Mukhon Satnam Bolda

If you want to get a feeling for how powerful multimedia presentations can be in providing inspiration and moving peoples' souls, watch this amateur video prepared for Tigerstyle's dharmak song, Mukhon Satnam Bolda about the Sikh martyr, Bhai Mati Das.



Now comes the official version of the video by Tigerstyle. Unfortunately, they've removed the spoken word from the song, which was perhaps the most moving part. At the same time, the producers have chosen to shoot the video from the perspective of a young Sikh mother going through her daily routine with her family. An interesting touch. Both videos are definitely worth watching.

Late For Your Funeral?

Bonehead Harjinder Sekhon is clocked at 210 km/h in an 80 zone of Brampton. Welcome to a lifetime of public transit my young Punjabi friend.

You have one new friend request

Couldn't help but smile at this one. (From Daniel Pink's site)

Its Just a Kirpan, Let's All Get Over It

A very calm, rational article by Naomi Lakritz in the Calgary Herald about the insanity ensuing from the cancelled Gurdas Maan concert at the Telus Convention Centre last weekend. Here's some of salient points:

Sunday night's concert was halted because 10 elderly men arrived wearing kirpans under their clothes, as is required by the Sikh religion. So what? No doubt Calgary Sikhs have for years attended plays at Theatre Calgary, concerts at the Jack Singer, Flames games at the Saddledome and so on. No concert by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, no play and no hockey game have ever been shut down because of a Sikh in the audience, wearing his kirpan.

People are entitled to wear religious symbols. That means a Sikh should be as free to wear a kirpan as a Christian is to wear a crucifix around the neck. If we're not prepared to accept this in Alberta, then the next skid mark down the slippery slope to outright xenophobia will be for us to be like Quebec, whose government is being pressured to ban the wearing of religious symbols by civil servants, including teachers and doctors. Oppress one, oppress all is their motto.

France has long since gone that way. Let's not follow.

She goes further:

To see how ludicrous the to-do over the kirpans at the concert is, one need only reverse the roles, as I learned a few years ago when there was an uproar about Sikhs not wanting to remove their turbans to wear bicycle helmets. Much grumbling at the time seemed to focus on the grumblers' refusal to pay the health-care costs of a helmetless Sikh who might be involved in an accident. Happy Mann, a Calgary Sikh, phoned me to say that the public needed to be set straight. "Sikhs don't smoke, but we are paying for health care for smokers and they are the biggest burden on the system. Baptized Sikhs don't drink, either, but we pay for the drunk-driving violations, the cost of counselling, the health care. But, Sikhs never complain about any of that," Mann said.

Its important to correct Ms. Lakritz on the assertion that the kirpan is merely a symbol (it is more accurately an article of faith), her argument that Canada and Canadians need to move is very valid. We all (including concert security) have bigger things to worry about that a group of old men with dull blades under their clothes attending a music concert.

Planting 25,000 Trees in Delhi on 25 Anniversary of November 1984 Carnage

From HS Phoolka and the Gyan Sewa Trust:

It is a life-affirming gesture to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the tragedy in which the lives of thousands of Sikhs were snuffed out. Gyan Sewa Trust, in association with Sant Baba Sewa Singh Ji of Khadoor Sahib, Punjab, is planting 25,000 trees in memory of those killed during the carnage of November 1984.

In the tree plantation drive that started on 27th July, 2009, we have already planted over 1000 saplings in South Delhi. These saplings are in Chirag Delhi, Greater Kailash Part II, Greater Kailash Part I and at the cremation ground of Chirag Delhi Village.

The tree saplings as also the team of volunteers for planting the trees have come from Khadoor Sahib, near Amritsar, Punjab. Sant Baba Sewa Singh Ji of Khadoor Sahib has planted over 1,00,000 trees in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. He maintains a huge nursery of trees and distributes them as Prasad to the devotees.

Significantly, the trees would be maintained by us for one year and those that do not survive would be replaced.

In view of Global Warming and Climate Change and depleting greenery of Delhi, we feel that it is absolutely important to undertake such campaigns in Delhi and to connect the issues, which have emotional appeal, with environment so that more and more people join the movement to save the environment.

We earnestly feel that rather than depleting our energies any more in holding demonstrations or blocking the roads, it is much better to work for social issues such environment and to carry the general public with you. Through this, we would like to start the trend of raising larger public issues by working in the field of environment and other such social issues.

Other organizations working for this cause such as Sikhs For Justice and All India Sikh Students Federation would be joining in this campaign and its President, Karnail Singh Pirmohammad has planned to start similar campaign in all other cities of India, where the Sikhs were killed in 1984.

Here's an article on the project from the Times of India.