H-K-S

Well I'm in specifically in TO (or even in the same country ;-) but the thread at http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.ppa?showtopic=11228 which is a list of events on the 21st anniversary of the 1984 attacks against Sikhs contains the following entry: "Shaheedi Nagar Keertan June 5th, 2005 Just letting all the sangat in the Greater Toronto area of the upcoming Shaheedi Nagar Keertan happening this weekend June 5th in Hamilton. The Nagar will be to pay tribute to ALL shaheeds of the Khalsa Panth. Starting with Guru Arjun Dev Ji to all shaheeds to present day. The Program is as following Keertan Darbar - 10:00am - 1:00pm at Gurdwara ShaheedGarh Hamilton Nagar Keertan starts 1:00pm starting at Gurughar to City Hall Hamilton Panthic Veechars - 3:00pm - 5:00pm Nagar Keertan end 5:00pm Come out and pay you respect to all shaheeds. For more information you can contact Gurdwara ShaheedGarh at 905-525-5725" Hope that helps. Please take and post pictures if at all possible. 101435[/snapback] Thanks for the information! But do you know if there is anything happening within the Toronto area- perhaps in Brampton, Mississauga, etc.?

I did not grow up in a Gursikh household, but I love learning about our religion. In order for me to learn more about our faith and language, my parents sent me to Punjabi school when I was a youngster :doh: . Even though my parents are not exactly the most religious, I have a yearning to learn more about our wonderful religion, and have gained some knowledge through reading books and asking my family for more information about Sikhism. I have also learned how to do paat with God's Grace . But I'm still immature and have LOT'S to learn!

Hey all...this post is specifically targeted towards Sikhs in Toronto (sorry for all of you that dont live in T.dot! :doh: )! Anyway, I was wondering if any Torontonians know about any rallys/memorials occuring within the Toronto area to remember the lives lost in 1984. Thanks.

I'm from Ca-nai-da! :doh:

Drinking alcohol is very much glorified in the Punjabi culture- whereas, cigarettes are deemed as being "bad". I don't think there is a difference between alcohol and cigarettes, as both do realtively the same amount of damage to the body physiologically, emotionally, and psychologically., as well as put other people's lives at risk. I read somewehre that alcohol is a drug that does the MOST damage to the body than other drugs, yet it is legalized :doh: @ . Alcohol in the punjabi culture is unfortunately being promoted- the ignorant mentality is that people will only come to gatherings where alcohol is served.

That's what I'm asking as well! I would love to help organize a rally like the one done in England to remind the Sikh community that the wounds of 1984 have not yet healed, and we mustn't forget about them. Is there by any chance, anythign going on in Toronto?

Thank you to all for your replies :TH: ...by the way, bhaji, i'm a girl :doh:

I was hoping that the sangat could clear up some confusion. Being proud of oneself, or having ego is not the Sikhi way of life. Putting down others or belittling them is wrong, right? But, what if the person deserves to be put down? For example, a criminal , theif, rapist, *greedy politician* etc. Could you bad mouth them and their actions? Is a Sikh also not supposed to let negative comments about them get to them? In other words, if someone talks negatively about you, should you let it get to you and avenge the comments, or should you remain neutral and not let the remarks get to you? If you remain neutral, isn't that sort of letting the person stomp all over you? Is there such a thing as standing up for your rights? Thanks.

I am very appalled, angry and shocked to see just how much our religion is being distorted in India...... :<Edited>:

I just came back from Albion Mall and there wasn't a poster of Sunny Deol's movie- maybe they banned it for now?

What do you mean by this comment?

I understand your frustration, but that does not justify saying that all Hindus are "like this" or "that". As Sikhs, we wouldn't like it if someone labels all of us according to stereotypes present in Bollywood films. By the way, as I stated in my post before, there were some Hindus during the 1984 crisis that helped Sikhs escape the brutal situation. Are you going to put them in the "all Hindu" category as well? I acknowledge your concern that the Inidan government and those responsible for the killings have not apologized and that angers me as well. But be careful not to label the whote entire community based on the actions of a few.

:TH: Let's do it! If Darhsan Sahota and other media outlets do not want to do something about this, then lets all get together on Fri. May 13th (when the movie is going to be released) at Albion mall infront of the cinemas and begin to protest! Come on, people! Reply baccck!

Why do you think non-Sikhs won't get equal rights? Are Sikhs knows as oppressors and for practicing inequality? Kingdoms of Baba Banda Singh and Ranjeet Singh are perfect example to look at. Even if only Sikhs live in Khalistan the country will still survive. Look at every muslim country and see if other religions can flourish and if non-muslims have equal rights. Most of the countries Muslims took over became third world in no time but still surviving. Sikhs can do lot better. Heck, even in USA many communities don't have equal rights and religion plays a significant role in politics. Answers are out there just try to find 'em. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh 96724[/snapback] Good point Bijla, you kniow, i don't know why alot of ppl make u slook like something we are not. Makes me wonder why ppl would even think of such things... 97035[/snapback] Everyone on the forum is here to learn more about the Sikh religion. No one is proclaiming one thing superiour over another, or making someone look like something they're not. How else are we all supposed to learn more about our faith if we do not inquire about it?

PLease remember, that not ALL Hindus were a part of the systematic attack on Sikhs in 1984; there were some that helped save some Sikhs lives. By claiming taht all Hindus are "like this" or "like that", how is it different from the discrminatory mentality of the Indian government? As a Sikh, isn't one supposed to accept everyone from all religions and not put them in a negative light? Are we not all brothers and sisters?

Similar to a differnt thread that I posted, (to which I only got one response @ ), how do we help these individuals? Everyone talks about it a lot, but what about some peaceful action to help them?!

I'm from Toronto as well and am really angry with the film!! :cool: We must try to set up a protest or something to let other Sikhs be aware of the manipulation that is going on. I've already told my parents that if they ever brought the movie home, I'll happily throw it out! Maybe we should try talking with Darshan Sahota first, if he doesn't agree, then maybe we can stage a protest infront of Albion mall or something!! We have to get the message across since much of the Punjabi media isn't. PLease feel free to PM me.

Pain?! As a true Sikh, one should not put down people on the basis of their religion. Whatever happened to looking at humanity as brothers and sisters? With this type of ignorant mentality,how is one different from the Indian government- discriminating and putting others down becasue of their faith?

Good question! I also wondered about this as well, although I think that everyone would be entitled to equal rights no matter what religion one is from.

ppl have lives.... where will you find 20,000 men whom you can motivate to give up their lives for khalistan, .... and please be aware that indian sikhs don't see khalistan as a dream or goal they have to achieve, Warfare had greatly chnaged since then gorilla warfare is noo good, and as for 20,000 armed men, they will be bombed and gunned and curfews imposed on cities before you realise bhai sahib ji you are dangerously ignorant, sikhs did not quit the indian army when operation bluestar was carried out, and there were sikhs officers themselves carrying out the operation. and guns don't win wars, its tanks and jets , artillery warfare is too sophisticated to be wonover by gorilla methods, sikhs did defeat pakistan, but they were fighting under the indian army, they were provided resources, tanks planes etc, its not like they killed the pakistanis with mere rifles you can u say sikhs r discriminated if the indian prime minister is a sikh so please be more specific about the human rights problem, and how do you say being at "peace" got you nothing.... have u heard of babbar khalsa, BTF, and khalistan commando force(or a similar name) so there hasn't exactly been peace any khalistan activist will be arrested, coz in india its an anti-national thing, waheguru_fateh ji don't fall for tat article it dosn't have much truth in it, that stuff happened in the 80's and early 90's, not these days, it can be contradicted at several points, its too exaggerated Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh 91551[/snapback] You are very oblivious to the fact that Sikhs are being covertly discriminated against by the Indian government in a systematic form of racialization. Just because the prime minister of India is a Sikh does not mean that prejudice against Sikhs does not exist. Have you seen any Bollywood movies lately (ahem, which are funded by the Indian government) ? If you so strongly believe that discrimination against Sikhs no longer exists, then why is Sikhism portrayed as Hinduism in Hindi movies? Why are Sikh characters shown as "servants" and "fools"? Why is the Sikh religion shown in a distorted way? Since I'm on a role, why are the same perpetrators who have initiated violence against Sikhs during the anti-Sikh riots now members of the Indian government? Where is the justice for all those Sikhs who have horrifically lost their lives? By the way, the Prime Minister belongs to the same party as Sonia Ghandi, who could have put a stop to the brutal murders in 1984 since she was Rajiv Ghandi's wife, but didn't.

First of all, thank you for replying with your response. As for the petition idea, I don't know just how effective it can be, but bringing awareness in Punjabi media is a good idea (i just need support!). Now, as I have said in my other post, (and not to offend anyone in any way) everyone talks about the injustices that Sikhs face in India, but what about bringing those that have committed brutal atrocities to justice, in a peaceful manner? I'm going off topic, but there are many, many political leaders around the globe that are gulity crimes against humanity. It's frustrating, because as human beings we cannot help our fellow brothers and sisters.

Yes...I know what you mean.

I'm sorry if you feel my post was directed towards you . That was never the intention. I just read some posts and decided to put my own views forth. I felt that there was too much emphasis on women and how they dressed (even though there were some posts that expressed views on how men dressed). I understand your view that women who dress like they're "easy" are the ones that create more attraction from guys, but it is frustrating that women are still judged upon how they dress, and not on theiir minds, even though it's 2005!! I think that this problem lies in the root of how men and women think. If only both sexes had a "cleaner" mind (if you know what I mean). Everything comes down to what is deemed to be "attractive". I mean, some women might find baggy jeans to be attractive, while some men may have a fetish for women wearing a conservative punjabi suit. But does this mean that they should be banned? I just came up with the whole men and women wearing traditional punjabi outfits as a possible solution- it wasn't intended as a response to a comment you might have made.

I think the emphasis is placed too much on women and how they dress. I mean, sure, they have to dress appropriately when they go to the Nagar Kirtan (which I do not deny), but we have overlooked the appearance of men as well. There is the mentality that it's women who are "temptresses" and "teases". I mean, not to offend anyone's views, but it seems to me that if women dress inappropriately, she is seen to be "easy". But what about men? I mean, what if they wear their baggy jeans, very tight muscle tops and jeans (yes, some men do that! )? Is it alright for men to dress in this manner revealing themselves, but not women? I'm not saying that women have a right to dress like they're going to a party when attending the Nagar Kirtan, all I'm saying is that it goes both ways. Why don't the men wear kurta suits and women wear their suits (which are deemed appropriate, of course!)? Also, it is just not the Punjabi youth that think the Nagar Kirtan is a place to "pick up people"; sadly indidviuals who are married and who probably have daughters of their own do this too .