Sikhman

Sikh boy admits his attack was a lie Date: 12/25/2006 News Source: http://observer.guardian.co.uk A Sikh schoolboy, who prompted an inter-faith vigil to promote peace, respect and tolerance after claiming his hair was chopped off by racist thugs, invented the story. The 15-year-old, in tears, gave a graphic description of a vicious verbal and physical attack by four white males who struck as he walked near his home in Edinburgh. His story was widely reported because of its unusually aggressive nature. It is the Sikh tradition for males to keep their hair uncut and not to shave their beard or moustache. The teenager claimed that, after being punched and kicked, he fell to the ground, had his bandana-style head-covering torn off and his hair chopped off with a knife. At the time community leaders explained that a Sikh's hair is sacred, and for someone to cut it off in such an attack was akin to someone taking his life. The boy had told police he was attacked in Pilrig Park Police investigating the claims questioned more than 120 people and studied hours of CCTV footage. In addition, the vigil was held to promote inter-faith tolerance. It was attended by hundreds of Sikhs who had travelled from across the UK, as well as by community leaders and representatives of other religions. Scores of residents from the shocked community turned out to express their support. Although the boy did not require hospital treatment, it was reported that he had some bruising and swelling on his nose and cheeks. He also had racist remarks written on him. But it has emerged that he cut off his own hair, punched himself in the face and concocted the story. It is understood he was experiencing personal problems. Sources say that he felt torn between his Sikh values and more westernised ones. They said he had wanted to get his hair cut for some time, but was afraid of the reaction of some members of his family and the Sikh community. A source close to the investigation said: 'There were a lot of things that weren't adding up. There were severe doubts. Eventually he admitted he'd made the whole thing up.' Lothian and Borders police confirmed that the reported attack had not taken place and said the boy had expressed deep regret for the consequences of what he had done. It is understood that no further action will be taken and the teenager will not be reported for wasting police time. Sikh leaders are expected to tell their community of the outcome at a service today. Superintendent Ramzan Mohayuddin, area commander for North and Leith, urged people to accept that the boy acted not 'out of malice, but due to emotional pressures, including cultural identity issues'. Last night the Edinburgh Sikh Gurudwara Committee released a statement thanking the police and all those from around the world who had offered support. It urged that the circumstances should not to be used to undermine the reality of real faith and race-hate crime, and said the matter was now one of child protection. 'It is obvious the boy has been suffering deep anguish and a crisis of faith which has resulted in him harming himself,' the statement said. 'We take a compassionate view and at the same time acknowledge the challenges our youth, and not just the Sikh youth, are facing in society at large. We will take this opportunity to ensure our young people feel able to discuss difficult matters on life and faith in a supportive environment.' The Rev Donald Reid, co-convener of the Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association, said the incident highlighted the need for support, but also for 'the views, difficult realities and challenges of our youth to be heard and appreciated'. Lorna Martin, Scotland editor Sunday December 24, 2006 The Observer http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/news.nsf/Ne...72572500001E019 MOD NOTE : Topic already been discussed. http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.ppa?showtopic=23323

http://www.sarblohwarriors.co.uk/ Can't wait for this

NO not really !! RSS/ or GOI spy or anything but try this belief-o-meter http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html BIT OF FUN,HOPEFULLY PEOPLE HERE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN WHAT THAT IS :e: My results 1. Hinduism (100%) 2. Neo-Pagan (97%) 3. Jainism (93%) 4. Mahayana Buddhism (87%) 5. Sikhism (85%) 6. New Age (81%) 7. Orthodox Judaism (79%) 8. Liberal Quakers (76%) 9. Unitarian Universalism (74%) 10. Bahá'í Faith (72%) 11. Scientology (71%) 12. Islam (66%) 13. Reform Judaism (63%) 14. New Thought (59%) 15. Theravada Buddhism (53%) 16. Jehovah's Witness (51%) 17. Orthodox Quaker (50%) 18. Taoism (49%) 19. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (49%) 20. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (42%) 21. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (42%) 22. Seventh Day Adventist (42%) 23. Eastern Orthodox (39%) 24. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (39%) 25. Roman Catholic (39%) 26. Secular Humanism (33%) 27. Nontheist (15%)

Again, mud sling

Alot of hearing going on in this forum, just looking at other posts looks like too many critics and childish slinging matches.

Radha Soami's give naam too very similar to the AKJ but are they giving the right naam ? they give 5 gupt shabads

If Sikhi is the truth, then wasn't sikhi there before Guru Nanak?

I'm, a Sikh looking to progress, where did the term sikh evolve from? When Guru Nanak Refered to "Na Ko Hindu, Na Ko Musliman" where did Sikh come in ?

Whats so good about being Sikh ?

Bass Singh, very sad to see that you probably "heard" this so called taking Amrit maybe next time do some research before " i heard" I made this mistake many times when I used to hang around with the so called " singhs" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great Good luck my brother

UK Singhs Fighting, Punjab, USA Singhs Fighting...We need an enemy I recall from a book "When Ranjit Singh's army collapsed and the British took over the great land of punjab, the Sikhs had no enemy, and began to turn on themselves" ( sorry forgot the reference) But sums us up, no mugals, no british, no indian government, Who shall we fight ? Our Own :D

Smile at people :TH: ( not too much else they might think your being cocky) smile very quickly look at the eyes make the connection then move eyes away and dress smartly wear neat dastaar and speak, nicely too all a better image for Sikhs :D

nothing dodgy going on, here, if you look back into ancient indian, arms and armoury you will find in Ranjit Singh's army this was an adaptation of the the mogual helmets, for sikhs, ie: with a top knot,Ranjit Singh's army ranged vastly from input from Itailian, spanish and many other foreign military uniforms, if you want to know more visit the best armoury of indo persian weapons and you'll see a wide range of khanda's,shamshirs,chakars and the helmets at the wallace collection it's free to get in and open most days. Ranjit Singh's own sword is behind Oxford Street, London go and see the beauty for yourself at the WALLACE COLLECTION http://www.wallacecollection.org/newsite/public/ Ranjit Singh Sword http://www.asht.info/159 Sikh helmet 1 http://www.asht.info/146 Sikh helmet 2 http://www.asht.info/161

This is good, in one way bad in another, Jere Pake Pake, Jere Kachey Kachey Those that are solid remain solid, those that wither fall off like dead leaves of a tree" :e:

You must have been one of his "homies" then to say that. So Granthis can wear there hair down, watch disgusting videos, have adult content on his laptop, swindle the Sangat into thinking that he is a real GurSikh, all after the duties of the Gurdwara on the off days????????????????????????? Pritham singh ji, not sure of your background but if you look at the instutions of current gurdwara's in west they are run by cut hair meat eating punjabis, as there is not enough activity from gursikhs as they are too busy struggling which marayada to follow and say " I don't get involved in politics" then what do we expect, we majority of gyanis brought to the west are familys relations, they know how to read paat and do kirtan but actually (not all) have no depth of knowledge and see their work as a job. and at the other end of the scale we have punjabis that are not going to ever become true gursikhs so their is a niche market for gyanis to work in, where if each family took on their roles and lived and brought the gurdwara under gursikhi then, fine, aah...what a dream

Seeing as we have a deep rooted tradtion of Dhadhi Vara, started by Guru Hargobind Ji, and reading this article http://www.punjabheritage.org/index.php?op...4&Itemid=31 thought it might be good to learn more about the Sarangi :TH: The Sarangi The sarangi is the most important bowed stringed instrument of North Indian art music. Its name is widely believed to mean "a hundred colours" indicating its adaptability to a wide range of musical styles, its flexible tunability, and its ability to produce a large pallette of tonal colour and emotional nuance. The sarangi is revered for its uncanny capacity to imitate the timbre and inflections of the human voice as well as for the intensity of emotional expression to which it lends itself. In the words of Sir Yehudi Menuhin: "The sarangi remains not only the authentic and original Indian bowed stringed instrument but the one which... expresses the very soul of Indian feeling and thought." Coming from a large family of folk fiddles, the sarangi entered the world of Hindustani art music during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as the preferred melodic accompaniment for songstress-courtesans. It appears to have been the most popular North Indian instrument during the nineteenth century at at a time when sitar and sarod were relatively rare as well as relatively primitive not having yet benefited from technical improvements made during the twentieth century. So plentiful were sarangi players that paintings and photos of singing and dancing girls usually depict a sarangi player on each side of the singer. The classical sarangi is carved out of a single piece of hardwood, usually tun (sometimes called Indian cedar) and is between 64 and 67 centimeters in length. It. It has three melody strings which are usually made of gut and around thirty-five metal sympathetic strings which provide a bright echo. The strings pass over and through an elephant-shaped bridge usually made of bone or ivory. This rests on a leather strap which protects the instrument's goatskin face. The bow, held with an underhand grip, is usually made of rosewood or ebony and is considerably heavier than Western violin or cello bows, contributing to the solidity and vocal quality of the sarangi's sound. Most players play instruments between fifty and a hundred years old, often inherired from their elders. The instrument's tone and playability are largely determined by its setting up: the placement of and contouring of the bridges, the thicknes height of the strings, and the fitting of the pegs. These complex skills require a lot of experience. Traditionally they have been passed, like the music, from father, grandfather or uncle to the children of sarangi families. But due to both the quickening pace of life and inertia and demoralisation on the part of sarangi players, these skills are gradually being lost. The sarangi's three melody strings are stopped not with the pads of the fingers but with the cuticles or the upper nails or the skin above the nails of the left hand. The Cretan lyra and Bulgarian gadulka are also played with the sides of the finger nails, but to my knowledge there is no other instrument on which the strings are stopped with so high a portion of the back of the finger. Practice often leads to prodigious callousing as well as to telltale grooves in the fingernails. The difficulty of sarangi technique is legendary. Click on Ustad Abdul Latif Khan's hand: The nineteenth century sarangi was a smaller and less standardised instrument, and it is possible that the unwieldly complexity of the modern instrument has contributed to its decline as an accompaniment instrument, and to solo sarangi's relatively low profile on the modern concert stage. But the sarangi's decline has been largely precipitated by social forces. Although sarangi players and tabla players were equally important in the ensembles of singing and dancing girls, the tabla have to a great extent outgrown the stigma of association with prostitution partially because of its enhanced role and more glamorous status in the accompaniment of sitar and sarod. In the popular imagination the sarangi remains linked to the world of courtesans. And that world has ceased to exist. It first came under attack with the British export of Victorian moral attitudes which were enthusiastically embraced by the swelling middle classes. The erosion of the funds of the nobility, the courtesans' patrons, was begun under British rule and completed by the democratisation of Indian society at the time of Independence in 1947. Government legislation has consolidated the demise of the songstress tradition, a tradition which was central to the evolution and preservation of art music. Tawaifs still exist in the cities of North India, but usually they perform film songs for clients of meager refinement. With the end of what was once a lucrative market for sarangi playing, the prospects for sarangi players became bleak except for those who were talented or lucky enough to become employed by All India Radio. And as the pace of life quickened, sarangi players had less and less reason to devote their lives to practice the way that their forefathers had and as appears to be necessary for anyone who wants to attain and maintain control over a sarangi. The innocuous harmonium has largely replaced the sarangi as the preferred accompaniment to vocal music. Although its tempered tones are categorically out of tune for Indian music, they are, sadly, more in tune than the notes of a less than expert or out-of-practice sarangi player. Generally vocalists shy away from the possible competition of sarangi players. And indeed, sarangi players do sometimes overplay or steal the limelight, often, sometimes justifiably, considering themselves to be of more substantial musical pedigree than the singers they accompany. Their low social status is often at the root of unjustifiably low musical status, more so nowadays as a large percentage of performing vocalists, especially in Maharashtra, come from the educated middle classes and no longer from families of hereditary musicians. Musical aesthetics have changed during the twentieth century. The use of microphones and the proliferation of recorded music has increased the accessibility and public appreciation of sweet quiet singing. Along with technical improvements in the sitar and sarod, this has contributed to the standardisation of intonation and to a high premium being placed on slick clean music which, to quote D.C. Vedi, "does not disturb". The sarangi fits poorly into this context. It is a survivor from a time when music spoke more directly to people and music's emotion and formal brilliance were valued more highly than its slickness and technical perfection. The modern concert-going public is largely motivated by questions of status: music reminds them of the good old days or, for the nouveau riche, it confirms their newfound position as consumers of culture. This is an exercise which should be accomplished pleasantly and comfortably. There is no longer a high premium placed on being profoundly moved by music; bursting into tears would be quite out of place in the comfortable armchairs of a Delhi auditorium. And sarangi is the quintessentially emotional Indian instrument, a favourite with film-makers for tragic scenes: a baby bitten by a scorpion; Gandhi-ji's assassination; unrequited love. The situation of sarangi players is a vicious circle. Lack of recognition has eroded their self respect, bringing about a decline in the dedication with which the tradition is sustained through practice and teaching, and inevitably a decline in musical excellence. I have met many excellent players who, being depressed about their poor economic prospects, have become unmotivated with regard to the tuning and maintenance of their instruments. This compounds the dimness of their prospects of employment as well as inviting criticism from vocalists and from the musical public, which further erodes self-respect. When I first met sarangi players in 1970, a large proportion of hereditary sarangi players were no longer teaching their sons. Disillusioned by the economic prospects offered by sarangi playing, many were sending their sons to school and on to commercial colleges. In the last ten years this trend has been somewhat reversed. The sarangi has received more interest. Of particular importance was the Sarangi Mela held in Bhopal in 1989 where sarangi players were reminded of the importance of their tradition. A resurgence of interest is attested by the phenomenon of great sarangi players such as Ustad Abdul Latif Khan and Ustad Ghulam Sabir Qadri who did not teach their sons - now teaching their grandsons. It is heartening to see that a large number of players are now teaching their sons. Musical enculturation - how children grow into music in sarangi families - is an important aspect of my current research. Sarangi music is vocal music. It is quite impossible to find a sarangi player who does not know the words of many classical songs. The words are usually mentally present during performance, and performance almost always adheres to the conventions of vocal performance including the organisational structure, the types of elaboration, the tempo, the relationship between sound and silence, and the presentation of khyal and thumri compositions. The vocal quality of sarangi is in a quite separate category from, for instance, the so-called gayaki-ang of sitar which attempts to imitate the nuances of khyal while overall conforming to the structures and usually keeping to the gat compositions of instrumental music. Most sarangi players learn to sing before they begin to play. Sarangi players sing with their fingers. Rather than as an appendage to or as a shadow of vocal music, sarangi must be viewed as a semi-independent tradition of vocal music, still respected at the end of the nineteenth century, which has fallen drastically in prestige largely as a result of social factors.The sarangi tradition is integral to the vocal tradition, and has sustained and nourished it. Prejudices against sarangi players are usually defended on grounds of the shortcomings in their grasp of and capacity to reproduce vocal music; to my mind, this is a convenient way of side-stepping the social basis of prejudice. If sarangi players were all poorly grounded in vocal music, it would not be possible, as is the case, that a large number of the most famous male singers of the twentieth century have come from sarangi families or been sarangi players themselves. These have included: Abdul Wahid Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Niaz Ahmed and Fayaz Ahmed Khan and Rajan and Sajan Mishra. The Kirana and Patiala Gharanas, important vocal traditions, owe their heritage largely to sarangi playing. Before the latter half of this century, most of the great female singers came from the courtesan tradition, and many of them were taught by sarangi players. Nowadays many respected sarangi players owe some or all of their livelihoods to the teaching of vocal music. Contrary to common belief, the sarangi is and has historically been a solo, as well as an accompaniment, instrument - that is to say that sarangi players have always played solo in their homes and in musicians' gatherings. The fact that solo sarangi has had limited success on the modern concert stage does not demonstrate that sarangi players have not been ready to play, or that solo sarangi music does not exist. There are many surviving recordings of solo sarangi from the first decades of this century including those of Badal Khan, Master Sohan, and the patron saint of sarangi, the genius Bundu Khan. Recordings from the fifties and sixties immortalize the brilliance of players such as Gopal Mishra and Shakoor Khan as well as the virtuoso Ram Narayan who went on to engineer a successful career for himself as a soloist. All sarangi players who are employed as staff artists of All India Radio give solo broadcasts from time to time. It is fascinating to observe the ways in which vocal music has been adapted to solo sarangi and the details of how the voice of the sarangi differs from that of a singer and generates its own stylistic specialities.

Instead of spending, hours on here, why doesn't everyone on here, obviously english speaking, learn ancient granths, knowledge of all granths, and in totally Guru Granth Sahib, and begin parcharing in english around the uk, instead of worried about chilled out gyani, who has his weekends off from his job at the gurdwara :TH:

bass singh, it's seems to be introductory for marriage, which involves getting to know, which is dating but along the road to marriage/family respect, not the average fun partner. :D that comes after the marriage Piddu, points taken on what stage of your life are you at marriage,uni, college? beacause ask those on the otherside of 30 weather or not marriage is causing them stress

Well lets look at different angles of this; 1)Some people looking to find a Sikh "that follows" the lifestyle, and wants that person along similar lines instead of getting introduced to average "punjabi" 2) Not everyones's mussy or aunty is well connected 3) Some people have different thinking and want to keep their parents happy "which doesn't" always work 4) Its better that sikhs find someone on their wavelength ,own rather than, getting introduced to numerous partners that have nothing in common 5) Gives the opportunity, as i know one, girl is a non-amritari, but she wants and amritari guy and wants to join sikhi further through marriage and her own life. So many choices, it becomes more and more difficult in todays society, with so much going on, I think its a great idea!

http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/news.nsf/Ne...72571FC007E3BBA http://www.sikhspeed.com/ The energy, feedback, patronage, optimism, etc. that was shown prior to, following and at both events has been consistent and incredible!" Wonder when this will start in UK ?????????? :D

Nice to see the original Benares Tabla and an Udasis in the sangat

It has been confirmed, that there may be an issue but for security please make your way to Peterborugh Gurdwara this morning 08/10/06 if you can make it Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Sahib Newark Road, Boongate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 5UA http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...m=1&iwloc=A