H4RPAL

Might be wrong here, but this is my view: The British were of no large concern to him or his kingdom, in fact if there was any fear, it was on the part of the British that Maharaja Ranjeet Singh would want to expand his kingdom into their territory. The Afghans entered India through the Khyber Pass, and into Punjab, which is why they were sent back to the lands from which they came (I beliieve the duty was given to Hari Singh Nalwa to take this land and thus prevent invasion in this manner)- this was not the route the British took into India, and thus they were not interfering with any territory inder Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

:WW: :WW:

The problem in Punjab is very serious indeed, but is it correct to say Punjab has the highest rate of infanticide? (Please note I am asking, and not questioning your comment). The following article was in The Christian Science Monitor Magazine, and shows what a major issue this is all over India. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...wl_csm/cgirls_1 For India's daughters, a dark birth day Wed Feb 9, 9:57 AM ET Infanticide and sex-selective abortion yield a more skewed gender ratio. By Uma Girish, Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor MADRAS, INDIA - The oleander plant yields a bright, pleasant flower, but also a milky sap that, if ingested, can be a deadly poison. It's one of the methods families use to kill newborn girls in the Salem District of Tamil Nadu, a part of India notorious for female infanticide. Though the government has battled the practice for decades, India's gender imbalance has worsened in recent years. Any progress toward halting infanticide, it seems, has been offset by a rise in sex-selective abortions. Too many couples - aided by medical technology, unethical doctors, and weak enforcement of laws banning abortion on the basis of gender - are electing to end a pregnancy if the fetus is female. The consequence of female infanticide and, more recently, abortion is India's awkwardly skewed gender ratio, among the most imbalanced in the world. The ratio among children up to the age of 6 was 962 girls per 1,000 boys in 1981, but 20 years later the inequity was actually worse: 927 girls per 1,000 boys. Infanticide is illegal in India (though never prosecuted), and laws are also in place to stop sex- selective abortions. But in some places, national rules don't hold enough sway to overcome local religious and social customs - which remain biased in favor of sons over daughters. "Factors like dowry, imbalance in the employment sector whereby the male is seen as breadwinner, and societal pressure to abort female fetuses conspire to increase the antigirl bias," says Ajay K. Tripathi of the Advanced Studies in Public Health Programme, of the Institute of Health Systems in Hyderabad. Government and the medical profession, he says, need to put more resources - and more political will - into strengthening and enforcing the laws. A case in point is legislation - introduced last year but now stalled - that would prohibit all genetic-counseling facilities, clinics, and labs from divulging the sex of the fetus. The hope is that if parents don't know "it's a girl," fewer will resort to abortion. But the proposal, which would amend a 1994 law, is opposed by medical groups. They argue that technology used to monitor fetal health - such as ultrasound scans and amniocentesis - cannot be put under such intense scrutiny. Others, though, see another reason for the opposition: Abortion is a lucrative business that many doctors do not want to see curtailed. "Abortions are a low-risk, high-profit business. As a specialist in fetal medicine, I can tell you that no pregnant woman would suffer if the ultrasound test were banned," says Puneet Bedi, a gynecologist at Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. "Right now, it is used to save 1 out of 20,000 fetuses and kill 20 out of every 100 because [it reveals that the baby] is the wrong gender." India stipulates that only a government hospital, registered facility, or medical practitioner with appropriate qualifications may perform an abortion. The reality, however, is that only about 15 percent of all abortions take place under such circumstances, according to the Indian Medical Association. About 11.2 million illegal abortions are performed each year off the record. Such abortions are often "female feticide," experts say. In Salem district, for instance, signs posted in towns reinforce the societal message: "Pay 500 rupees and save 50,000 rupees later," a suggestion that aborting a female fetus now could save a fortune in wedding expenses in the future. Salem district, a mostly rural part of Tamil Nadu, has a longstanding reputation as a deathtrap for baby girls. The Vellala Gounder community, the dominant caste there, owns most of the land and is intent on retaining property rights within the family. Sons represent lineage; daughters marry and relocate to their husbands' homes. As a result, local women, like Lakshmi, who gave birth to a girl early last year, may refuse to nurse their newborns. They leave it to midwives or mothers-in-law to administer the oleander sap, say anti-infanticide activists. Nearly 60 percent of girls born in Salem District are killed within three days of birth, according to the local social welfare department. That doesn't count the growing number of abortions there to ensure a girl baby won't be carried to term. Amid such stubborn statistics, activists are at work to counter the forces of tradition. A focus of their work: improving the standing and self-image of women themselves. Community Services Guild (CSG), a nongovernmental organization, works with rural women in particular to discourage female feticide. One of CSG's interventions targets women who already have at least one girl. Now 20 years old, the program sends workers to visit these mothers, teaching them and their daughters skills that contribute income to their families (such as basket-weaving or selling produce) and reeducating them about the value of girls to society. "Educating the new-generation girl - and empowering her with the skills necessary for economic independence - is the only long-term solution," says G. Prasad, CSG deputy director. Though CSG works in a patriarchal culture where female inferiority is ingrained, the group encourages women to become decisionmakers. In pockets of India where female infanticide persists, the practice is rooted in a complex mix of economic, social, and cultural factors. Parents' preference for a boy derives from the widespread belief that a son lighting his parents' funeral pyre will ensure that their souls ascend to heaven; that he will be a provider in their later years (India has no form of social security); and that he will preserve the family inheritance. Conversely, a daughter is considered an economic burden. Pressure to conform can be intense in rural areas, and some families borrow heavily to pay for the rituals prescribed for a girl - the ear-piercing ceremony, wedding jewelry, dowry, and presents for the groom's family on every Hindu festival. The Tamil Nadu government has started several programs to protect girls - with mixed results. One urged families to hand over their baby girls to local officials, who saw that they were adopted by childless couples. Between May 2001 and January 2003, officials received 361 baby girls. An informal survey by CSG, however, found that many women would abort rather than have a baby and give her up for adoption. Tamil Nadu's "Girl Protection" program may be more practical. Here, the government opens a bank account in a girl's name at her birth, depositing between 15,000 and 22,000 rupees during her childhood, depending on the number of girls in the family. "The only way to wipe out this evil is by an attitudinal shift," says CSG's Mr. Prasad. "Educate a girl beyond eighth grade and encourage her to find her voice."

na, ADMINS, make it a sticky. And what hate mail???

I might have to "take you out" now, so you don't beat me to it!

Get your mum/aunty/weird uncle to sew you one.

Ps, I want the free code or whatever too, as long as it is free, I'll have it.

WHAT???????????????????? This sounds very much like stealing!!!! On a Sikhi forum too??? Tut Tut Tut!!! (need a finger wagging smiley) That little innocent cat pic is fooling no-one!

But why cut out the parshad, and leave other indulgences as you describe them in the daily diet? On the other hand, if you were intending they be cut out too, then surely it is not too harmful to leave parshaad as the sole 'treat'. In issues like this, where it is a case of too much of something, why not maintain the Religious something and cut the rest? Also, you can always ask for less too (Not that this EVER works!!!!) <_<

hmmmmmmm. I guess that means "pimpin ain't easy" as the saying goes. Who ever thought that would be quoted on this forum?

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji KI Fateh. Congratulations bro, but now its my turn- only like 600 or so to go- how about another bout of vengence?? Shall I get a thread started??

Veer Ji, in response to your post, I have recieved the following information: It was stated on the forum that Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji fought with Bahadur Shah Zafar. This statment is in actual fact incorrect. Guru Ji fought with Bahadur Shah (first), and not Bahadur Shah Zafar who was a different person. Now, onto the issue of why Siks are 'better' than Marathas. While Marathas were simply fighting to get a kingdom, the Sikhs were fighting for their 'Dharma,' a far more noble cause. Now, lets look at the outcomes. Marathas fought for a kingdom, but do they have it now? The answer is no, as there is no such 'Hindavi' kingdom they can call their own. Now onto the Sikhs who fought for 'dharma'- do they still have it? of course they do! In this way, it is clear that the Sikhs were and continue to be better. Let us now move to the issue of Shiva Ji, who was imprisoned by Aurangzeb, but then escaped by using a great trick. Contrast this with the Gurus, who used no such tricks to escape, but instead chose to die for their 'Dharma' rather than fight on for a kingdom. Returning to the issue of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji helping Bahadur Shah (first) [ie not Bahadur Shah Zafar]. This is certainly not a negative point but rather a positive. Bahadur Shah was NEVER an enemy to Guru Ji, as it was his father who had commited foul acts towards both Sikhs and Gurus. Showing his true warrior spirit, Guru Ji did not let the atrocities commited by Aurengzeb cloud his judgement of Bahadur Shah, as a true warrior does not take revenge from his enemy's son or any other relative for that matter. Finally, let us again visit the issue of Shiva Ji, who was actually ready to work under Aurangzeb. However, Aurangzeb did not allow Shiva Ji to work as his Army Officer, and it was only upon this that he fought against Aurangzeb. Shiva Ji was ready to work as even 'panj hazaari' of Aurangzeb. Taking these facts into account, it is clear that history paints a picture of the superiority of the Sikhs, and any distortion such as that presented is absolutely baseless.

Please visit the following link to view the new pictures of Hola Mohalla 2005 that have been uploaded. These are pics that have been taken by Amrit himself. http://amritworld.com/gallery/thumbnails.ppa?album=6 Enjoy- they truly are worth checking out!

This is waht outsiders have to say in relation to these things and Sikhi ( I assume it was written by outsiders, whatever that means) http://www.ethnicityonline.net/sikh_sexual_health.htm

Knowledge about what exactly?

Every post after the first one is normally off topic anyway- at least yours was kinda relevant.

Amazing pics, where did you find these?

I said they MIGHT!! For reasoning, please read the rest of my post with relation to what I term 'natural contraception'

Does anyone know where to get it in the UK?

Who was the interview with? is it a national association/franchise or an independent practicioner?

They might need more than one try to make one child!! But if anyone is saying contraception is a NO, does that also mean that it is wrong to have sex at sucha time that would make it near impossible to induce pregnancy (ie at that stage in the menstrual cycle where this would not be possible, which itself constitutes a large portion of this monthly cycle)?. The use of the menstrual cycle to calculate when the best time to have sex can thus be seena s a form of contraception. Should it be the case that Sikhs then should calculate when such a time is that pregnancy can be induced, and only have sexual relations at that time? If contraception is a no, then would this natural kind of contraception not be wrong too, and as such also be avoided?

The moguls did not like Sikhs wearing turbans, as this was a sign of royalty etc. For this reason, they said only Muslims could wear turbans. In response to this, Guru Ji ordered Sikhs to wear two turbans just to show the Moguls they had no fear of them. For this reason, a tradition of two turbans were started. In this way, the orange bit would be a smaller turban that is worn underneath the one on top. This is called a keski, as quoted by Iron Arm veer Ji

hmmmmmm. nice explanation- why didn't the 8-ball tell ME to explain it that way? I was of course referring to Baldeep Singh's explanation.

For more great pics of Nihangs, check out the pics on this site (if you haven't already): http://www.amritworld.com/hola/hola_mahalla05.html