25 Seconds Could Raise $25,000 for the Sikh Youth

3 clicks are all it takes. JPMorgan Chase Bank partnered up with Facebook to have sort of an “American Idol” of charity giving. The 100 charities with the most votes by December 10th will receive $25,000.

CLICK HERE to vote for the Jakara Movement.

There are a great number of Sikh charities that are participating. The Jakara Movement has the most votes for the Sikh groups – and needs your support to bring $25,000 to our community to support projects by the Sikh youth. This weekend alone, the Jakara Movement had 6 events. There were 5 camps, titled, “A Nation Never Forgets” that were hosted in Los Angeles, Turlock, Stockton, Yuba City, and Orange County.

In the Bay Area, the Jakara Movement helped host the forum “Women and 1984”, bringing scholars and activists such as Cynthia Keppley Mahmood (author of Fighting for Faith and Nation and a champion for human rights), Navkiran Kaur Khalra (daughter of the late Shaheed for human rights, Jaswant Singh Khalra), and Jasmine Kaur (a human rights lawyer and member of ENSAAF).

To keep programs, like this going – WE NEED YOUR HELP. We are asking for ALL Sikhs – whether in the US, UK, Canada, India, Punjab, Malaysia, Australia, Africa, and beyond to rally around the Sikh organizations and provide your support. Get your non-Sikh friends to vote too!

Log into Facebook and click HERE to vote for the JAKARA MOVEMENT. And with your 20 votes, do not forget to vote for other great Sikh organizations (ENSAAF, SALDEF, and many others) too. Inspire and be inspired; together, we are the movement.

Please forward and circulate this widely. We Need the Entire Community to Rally Behind the Sikh Youth!

Surrey's Sikh Youth on CBC's The Current

Go to the CBC website to listen to the entire interview. Here's the description from the site:

Sikh Temple - President

When a slate of young candidates in Surrey, British Columbia decided to run for the leadership of one of the biggest Sikh Temples in North America, they didn't mess around. They ran an Obama-styled campaign based on the slogan of "Change." And they embraced the internet with video appeals to reform the Gurdwara ... or Sikh temple.

The candidates on the Sikh Youth slate ran on a platform with plenty of big promises. Change from the old, moderate leadership to one that's more traditionally religious ... Change from an old generation to a younger one ... And perhaps most importantly, change that would put a specific focus on tackling the drugs, gangs, and violence that they say are tearing their community apart.

Those messages brought out an overwhelming number of voters and pushed the Sikh Youth slate to victory. They will take over the leadership at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on January 1st. That's the same temple where, 12 years ago, a violent riot broke out over the issue of allowing tables and chairs into the Temple... a debate that's now history according to our next guest. Today, he says, the Surrey's Sikh Community has bigger priorities like its' youth. Bikramjit Singh Sandhar is the Temple's newly elected President and he was in Surrey, B.C.

Sikh Temple - Panel

For their thoughts on the Temple's new leadership and its prospects for curbing gang activity and youth violence, we were joined by two people. Jagdeep Singh Mangat is a community activist and a law student in Vancouver. And Indira Prahst is a Sociologist at Langara College in Vancouver. She is also a member of The South Asian Community Coalition Against Youth Violence.

The Surrey School Board is trying to steer young people away from gangs too. It has partnered with local police and run a number of programs that reach out to kids -- especially at-risk kids -- in their schools. The CBC's Meera Bains paid a visit to one of those programs led by Rob Rai who works as a Youth Diversity Liaison for the Surrey School Board. We heard from him as well as some of the grade nine students attending his youth gang violence workshop.

Kaila Thug is now Sant Baba Karnail Singh Ji!

Interesting how everyone's on Babbu Mann's case for his songs targeting Fake Baba's (although one particular Baba has taken his comments a little too close to home). However, here's a funnier and probably more accurate take on what's happening with these pakhandi sadhs in Punjab. Watch Bhagwant Mann's skit below (specifically from 5:40).

Are you a British Sikh aged 18-35? Here's a survey for you

An interesting PhD project underway by a Singh in the UK:

This PhD research project follows on from research on young British Sikhs, hair and the turban which I carried out as part of an MA in Religion and Public Life. This research discovered that a variety of events are now being organised which aim to transmit Sikhism to 18-30 year old young British Sikhs. What is surprising however is that many of these events are being organised by young British Sikhs themselves. Given that modernity and globalisation supposedly lead to the corrosion of tradition and authority through the process of ‘detraditionalization’ (Heelas 1996: 2) the main intellectual problem of this study is to understand how young British Sikhs are engaging with their tradition in the context of detraditionalization, and how they are negotiating ideas of identity, authority and belonging.

If you are in the UK and between 18 and 35, please help him out with his survey.

Dear All

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

My name is Jasjit Singh, a PhD Researcher from the University of Leeds studying the Transmission of Sikhism among young British Sikhs. My research is investigating:

• What understanding British Sikhs in the age range 18-30 have of Sikhism.
• What drives young British Sikhs to organise and attend Sikhism related events.
• What sources of authority young British Sikhs draw on.
• How young British Sikh acquire their knowledge of Sikh tradition, belief and practice.

The research will seek to understand how young British Sikhs (18-30) are learning about Sikhism and will focus on the role of Gurdwaras, Camps/Youth Events and the Internet.

As part of this research I have put together an online survey. I would really appreciate it if those of you who qualify could fill this survey in:

http://www.survey.leeds.ac.uk/sikhs

Many Thanks. Any questions please get in touch.

Further details are on my website

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Jasjit Singh
UK

Films from One Panth are online

If want to want to watch the films screened at the One Panth event last weekend, here's the link to all of them.

Here's some of the ones that I found the most powerful.

Thank you from Ensaaf!

This summer, Ensaaf interviewed over 1,000 individuals—including hundreds of survivors—to capture stories of disappearances, unlawful killings, and torture in Amritsar during the Punjab counterinsurgency. This ambitious achievement, which represents the largest deployment of human rights investigators in Punjab in over a decade, was only realized due to the financial support we received from supporters like you. As a small token of their thanks, Ensaaf created a short video tribute to show their immense gratitude for the generosity and trust given to us by their donors.

Please visit http://www.ensaaf.org/donate and make a generous contribution to this amazing organization.

We Are One Panth!

From the One Panth website:

Brampton– November 15, 2009 – Over 2000 Sikhs from across Ontario joined together today as One Panth (nation) to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the tragic events of 1984.

The day of reflection included live performances, films and displays about the pogroms against Sikhs across India after the death of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Live performances by Gurpreet Singh Chana, the Gurukul Arts Academy, Humble the Poet, and Dr. Onkar Singh allowed the audience to remember and reflect on this dark period.

Those attending also were able to see displays dedicated to the pogrom by twin sister artists Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh; Kanwar Singh Dhillon from the Art of Punjab; illustrator Rahul Singh Bhogal; artist Ravinder Singh; a historical display by Sandeep Singh Brar, curator of SikhMuseum.com; and painter Sukhpreet Singh.

“The commemoration was a way to allow the community, regardless of our political affiliations, social or economic status to come together to remember and reflect,” said Rapinder Kaur. “After 25 years we, as a community, are still waiting for people to be brought to justice. Since justice was not served we needed a way to commemorate as a community.”

For one brief moment, in 1984, Sikhs around the world were united as One Panth regardless of our individual affiliations, castes, education, wealth or politics. We were able to put our differences aside. Once again the Khalsa came together to find our common bonds and to remember that we are One Panth.

For more information about the commemoration and One Panth visit: www.onepanth.com.

Deja Vu In Surrey

It took them two election wins to do it, but the youth have finally won the opportunity to manage the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, BC.

Congratulations to the Sikh Youth Slate for running the first "Obama-like" campaign with a huge online presence and a slick hard-hitting advertising.

We often lament the lack of Sikh youth engagement in Canada, but the elections in Surrey and the One Panth event in Brampton last weekend showed us the power of can happen when a group of dedicated and inspired youth decide to make something happen

Here's some links to the election news here, here, here and here) and press release is below.

Writing a New Chapter in Sikh History
Community unites in Historic election and elects Sikh Youth Slate at Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple

Surrey, BC - On Sunday, November 15, 2009, Sikhs in BC received the answer to the question they have been asking for years, “When will we re-unite?” In what experts are calling a turning point in the history of Sikhs in North America, Bikramjit Singh Sandher and the Sikh Youth slate defeated the incumbent regime in the executive election at Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. In the official results, the Youth Slate received a total of 13, 458 votes, while the incumbent slate received 7, 257 votes. With an almost 2:1 ratio of votes for the youth, the Sikh community has loudly indicated their desire for a positive change.

Large, energized crowds gathered throughout Surrey late Sunday night into Monday morning, letting out a collective sigh of relief when reports circulated that the Youth slate was victorious. As the news sunk in, people from all political backgrounds flooded the Youth campaign office with congratulatory phone calls.

Standing amongst a crowd of supporters, president-elect Bikramjit Singh re-affirmed the message that the community had already conveyed, “The time for change has come. The sangat has spoken loud and clear: they want Gurdwara management that speaks to the real issues our community is facing today. We must all join together to save our children from drugs and gangs, to provide support and equality to women, and to ensure the best services for our seniors. We must renew our mission to serve all of humanity now that we are united.”

A true testament to their dedication, the Youth Slate fought a hard but respectful election campaign. Numerous attempts to engage them in dirty politics were instead met with logic and respect, a philosophy that did not go unnoticed by the community at large. “My mind was set on voting against the Youth slate, until I saw their demeanor and the purity of their message” said one voter, “I realized that I myself needed to rise out of the political rut that I had been stuck in for years and look at the bigger picture”.

The Youth Slate, in an impromptu rally in Surrey on Sunday night, also thanked the hundreds of volunteers who spent countless hours throughout the campaign to help achieve this great moment. “Without the help of the volunteers, we would not be celebrating right now,” said Bikramjit Singh. “Know in your heart, that your hard work has helped write a page in history!”

It now remains to be seen whether the outgoing management will give charge of the Gurdwara Sahib to the youth slate or continue to drag out the process in courts as they have done for the last 3 years. In the 2008 election, the Sikh Youth won by over 5,000 votes and was unable to serve due to small technicalities. Despite the delay, and despite the different opposing groups uniting to fight this tide of change, the community gave an even larger margin of victory to the Youth Slate this time around — a clear call for a new path of peace and unity among Sikhs in BC.

Change has arrived and it is being met with tremendous optimism. For the first time in decades, the Sikh community of Surrey has a Gurdwara that they can call their own: A place where people from all walks of life can gather to worship, learn and serve; a place where political affiliations get left at the door; a place that fosters love and harmony; and a place that everyone can feel welcome.

One Panth: United In Remembering 1984

This Sunday! Come with your friends and family.

Sunday November 15, 2009 from 2 to 6 PM
Chandni Convention Centre, 5 Gateway Drive, Brampton, ON

Tackling Caste

Caste is the not-so dirty little secret of Sikhs around the world today. Despite it going against the very DNA of Sikhi, caste or jaat is still a huge factor in all aspects of Sikh life in Punjab and around the world. The following video tackles caste head on in a way that I've never seen done before. Its definitely worth a watch:

Votaan Payo Sikh Youth Di Slate Nu

Here's the most brilliant piece of marketing I've seen in a very long time for a Sikh initiative. Please watch the video and if you live in BC, please go out and show your support for the Sikh youth. With years of useless infighting at our gurdwaras, its time to give the kids a chance.

Sikh-Canadian WWI Veteran Remembered

Private Buckam Singh who died alone without his family or hardly any Sikhs in eastern Canada at the time has once again been reunited and embraced by his extended family of fellow Sikh Canadians. His story of valour, bravery and sacrifice for his country will now be told and retold and celebrated by generations of Sikh Canadians.

Read more about Private Buckam Singh here and watch this CTV News video on his 2009 memorial service.

Singh Is Better Than King

Listen to the album here, but please go and buy the original.

Tubanman

Here's a quirky little video made about one the Nihangs in Punjab famous for their ginormous dastaars (turbans). I LOVE the music.

One Panth: United In Remembering 1984

Many of you have probably heard of the One Panth event being organized in Brampton next weekend. It aims to bring together the entire Sikh community to remember the tragedies of 1984. Its a great cause that needs to be supported. Please try to make it out to the event.

One Panth: United In Remembering 1984
Sunday November 15, 2009 from 2 to 6 PM
Chandni Convention Centre
5 Gateway Drive, Brampton, ON

Here's some of the promos that have been produced for the initiative.

Mr. Muscle Singh

From Getty Images:

Indian Sikh models walk the ramp during the Mr Singh International 2009 Turban Pride Fashion Show on the outskirts of Amritsar on October 26, 2009. A total of 64 contestants from various parts of India participated in the event.

Save Your Heart, Save Your Life

Heart disease is becoming a bigger and bigger issue in our community. From genetic predispositions, to lifestyles and diets, it seems like hear problems are a ticking time bomb for many Punjabis and Sikhs. To address this the Heart and Stroke Foundation has put together a page on their website and also produced some videos in Punjabi to educate people on this topic. Please check them out.

The Life of Guru Nanak

With the emergence of the True Guru Nanak, the mist cleared and the light scattered all around. As if at the sun rise the stars disappeared and the darkness dispelled.

Enjoy this clay animation on the life of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, born 540 years ago today.