2desi

Thousands of Christians are in relief camps, thousands more are hiding in the forests and nothing is being done to stop the right wing fanatics from the Shiv Sena, BJP, RSS & other. What a contrast, when rallies and protests were being held in Punjab, the Central Government was quick to dispatch CRP and Army battalions to "make sure the peace wasn't disturbed." But when these right wing fanatics (who have done this in the past both in 1984 & 2002) go out on rampages killing innocent people, the Central Government still does nothing! They don’t want to mess up their chances of winning the next election, that’s why Sonia Gandhi has remained mainly silent, if she denounces this violence, the BJP will play the religion card and accuse her of “being a spy sent by the Pope” just like they have done before. Sikh organizations in the west have denounced this violence, which is a clear persecution of a religious minority but it’s been mostly from the “Pro-Khalistan”, so-called "Fundamentalist/Hardliners", Sikh organizations and Gurdwara Committees. Even in Punjab, it appears to be the same with Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann leading rallies with Christian organization. Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh Ji has spoken against this violence. I have yet to hear any statements made by any “Pro-India” Sikh organizations or politicians denouncing this violence. Pretty sure Badal won’t say anything nor will the SPGC.

Nice share bro.

Thanks for those links guys. Lots of great information.

Looks like its going to be Pakistan. I think Pakistan might break into two smaller nations one comprising of Balochistan which is mineral rich state, and one comprising of Sindh & Punjab (Kashmir might join if it breaks away from India). The Northern Tribal Provinces will probably join with Afghanistan. Kashmir leaving India might start a chain reaction and India could also break apart into smaller regional nations. Just a theory.

Really sad. One takes Amrit, recites bani everyday but still is consider less than a "jatt" Sikh.

Phoola got the taste of his own medicine: Dal Khalsa JAGMOHAN SINGH Friday, 29 August 2008 AMRITSAR : In a joint statement here today Dal Khalsa secretary Kanwarpal Singh and SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli alleged that infamous Nihang Ajit Singh Phoola was a cat of police hierarchy conniving with higher level police officials got killed many innocents. They alleged that Phoola had grabbed lands, raped women and committed human rights excesses during the period of militancy. The worst in-human act he committed was killings of four women, who were relatives of Balwinder Singh Jattana, a Babbar Khalsa militant. Phoola along with his goonda brigade raided the house of Jattana at wee hours of 29 August 1991 and burnt alive four women named Jasmer Kaur (grandmother), Dawarki Kaur , Manpreet Kaur ( a 7th class student) and Harsimranjit Kaur, a 6 year old handicapped girl. Terror and Phoola was synonymous. Despite the repeated pleas of Sikh organizations and Human Rights bodies, none government initiated an inquiry against the cold-blooded killings, let alone punishing the perpetrators. At last, the destiny caught hold of him and punished him for all his sins. He got the taste of his own medicine. Guru Sahib on page 366 says: As they plant, so shall they harvest. It may be mentioned here that two jail inmates in the Amritsar Central Jail yesterday sprinkled diesel and put on fire the controversial Nihang chief of Taruna Dal Ajit Singh Poohla. Poohla was facing trial in a mass killing of seven members of a family in Beas area in Amritsar district and some other criminal cases including rape was lodged in the jail. http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/11959/38/ He got what he deserved.

This is a good topic. It would be good to know other languages, also knowing both Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi will help us master Punjabi better.

:nishaan_sahib_right:

I ain't an expert but I think that the Caspian Sea (third largest oil reserve in the world) and a key oil pipeline running through Georgia is playing a factor in this. Just read the following article: Georgia's oil pipeline is key to U.S. support There is more than meets the eye to the frantic U.S. efforts Friday to talk Russia and American ally Georgia out of war over an obscure mountain tract most Americans have never heard of. A look at the map and your gas credit card bill shows why. The breakaway province of South Ossetia is claimed by Georgia, a former Soviet republic that cast its lot with the United States and the West to the eternal irritation of Moscow. But South Ossetia has resisted Georgia's rule and has been under Russia's sway for years. Georgia sits in a tough neighborhood, shoulder to shoulder with huge Russia, not far from Iran, and astride one of the most important crossroads for the emerging wealth of the rich Caspian Sea region. A U.S.-backed oil pipeline runs through Georgia, allowing the West to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern oil while bypassing Russia and Iran. The dispute makes the Bush administration the middleman between a promising ally it wants to help and the powerful former adversary next door whose help it needs. Washington praises democratic development in Georgia, delights in its contribution of combat troops for Iraq and acknowledges valuable intelligence and counterterrorism cooperation. Moscow's cooperation is vital to numerous Washington aims in Iran, North Korea and elsewhere. "For all those reasons, and the fact that Georgia has demonstrated that it is a close ally, we cannot simply sit by and say, 'So be it - what does South Ossetia mean to us?' " said Janusz Bugajski, director of the new European democracies project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Georgia as a whole means quite a lot." The pipeline that crosses Georgia can pump slightly more than 1 million barrels of crude oil per day, or more than 1 percent of the world's daily crude output. The 1,100-mile pipeline carries oil from Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea fields, estimated to hold the world's third-largest reserves. Its potential vulnerability was already in the spotlight after it was sabotaged this week, apparently by Kurdish separatists. Most of the oil is bound for Western Europe, where gas prices are even higher than the $4 and more a gallon that U.S. consumers are now paying. With only so much oil to go around, what the pipeline carries affects prices elsewhere. The United States also hopes it will be a model for other development projects that could have a more direct effect on the U.S. market. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on the phone Friday morning, appealing for calm in South Ossetia, a patch of craggy farmland that is home to about 70,000 people - fewer than live in Youngstown, Ohio. In a statement later, she reiterated U.S. commitment to Georgia's "territorial integrity." President Bush discussed the violence with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Beijing, while the presumptive Democratic and Republican candidates to replace Bush issued worried statements. Tanks rolled as Bush spoke. South Ossetia is one of the few places where ethnic, nationalist and other complications mean that the Cold War didn't die. U.S diplomats refer to these neighborhood squabbles as "frozen conflicts," a euphemism that belies the long-recognized threat that seemingly petty disputes can easily provoke a wider war. The United States, European nations and others raced Friday to keep the conflict from spreading. The State Department appealed for a cease-fire and prepared to send a mediator to the region. "We are asking our friends, and the United States among them, to somehow to try to mediate and try to persuade Russia to stop this military aggression and invasion of Georgia," said Vasil Sikharulidze, Georgia's ambassador to Washington. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../MNDG127U55.DTL

The followers of this temple consider Bhagat Ravidass as their Guru, they refer to him as Shri Guru Ravidass but inside their complex they have a saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. From their website, you can see the darbar hall and writing that says "Dhan Guru Ravidass" on the stage/podium right beside Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, they seem to believe that Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is merely the "Sikh Holy Book". The website also says "The gurdwara follows the rehat-maryada of Shri Guru Granth Sahebji." http://www.gururavidasssabha.org/ Does anyone have more information on this place? Do the people follow some pakandi baba because their is a picture a person looks to be the head "Baba". Also pictures of Ujjal Dosanjh and Dave Hayer: Temple allowed to restrict members because of class VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a complaint by two members of the Indo-Canadian community who were denied membership in a Burnaby Sikh temple because of their social ranking in India's caste system. Gurshinder Sahota and Sohan Shergill said they were discriminated against by the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple because they belong to a higher caste in the traditional system of social ranking than do temple members. Caste is a complex and much-maligned hierarchy that has historically divided Indian society according to occupational categories. The 900 members of the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple belong to the lowest group, Dalits, formerly referred to as "untouchables" and often considered outside the caste system altogether. Sahota and Shergill are from the jat caste, which is traditionally a land-owning class in the Punjab and now makes up much of Metro Vancouver's Sikh community. The decision, released this week, was hailed as an affirmation of temple members' right to gather as a "minority within a minority," said spokesman Jai Birdi. "Since the decision has come out, the members are feeling quite empowered by it," he said. "They're feeling that this really reinforces their ability to come together as a marginalized community from India to talk about their heritage and historical unresolved issues and come up with some strategies for moving forward." He added that the complainants are welcome to attend the temple's religious ceremonies and social programs. "Our vision is that one day the community's confidence will increase to the point that they are not feeling oppressed . . . and then there will no longer be a need to restrict membership," he said. The Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple was formed in 1982 to meet the needs of Dalits who "felt that they weren't fully welcome in the existing temples," Birdi said. Members follow the teachings of a 15th-century guru who preached against the caste system. Birdi said temple-goers were worried that if membership was opened to non-Dalits, it would defeat the purpose of the organization. The tribunal dismissed the complaint for two reasons: First, it found it does not have jurisdiction over temple membership; and, second, citing a prior decision regarding the United Native Nations, it agreed that the temple should be allowed to restrict membership to a minority group in order to promote the group's welfare. Sahota and Shergill argued that by denying them membership, the temple was promoting the "evil caste system," according to the tribunal ruling. But Birdi said that after centuries of social segregation and extreme poverty there is a need for Dalits to unite. He compared the struggle to that of Canada's First Nations and African Americans, groups that have gained a sense of pride and identity through organization and advocacy. Although caste is not taught in the Sikh religion, in reality it still affects many aspects of life for Sikhs in India and Canada, with even local matrimonial ads specifying caste preference, he said. Vancouver Sun crolfsen@png.canwest.com

Sikhs never wanted to lose our Shrines to Pakistan or Punjab to be split but Nehru and the Congress did everything in their power to make this reality.

This is the same Shiv Sena that attacked cyber cafes in Mumbai in protest of Orkut, when some people made a online community group called "I hate Shiv Sena" and people in India were using cyber cafes to log onto Orkut. “We will see that no cyber café allows their customers to surf Orkut.com. If we find someone surfing that website where things against our party chief and Gods have been written, we will destroy the place and the shops owner and customers will be punished for it,” said Kalyan’s Sena Chief, Arvind More Also Shiv Sena and its friends from the Bajrang Dal protesting Valentine's Day by raiding shops and stealing Valentine's cards, then burning them in protest. Bal Thackeray said "anyone wanting to avoid violence on Valentine's Day should not celebrate it." "Our volunteers will check parks, hotels and restaurants and swoop upon young lovers found walking hand-in-hand," said Vijay Tiwari, a Shiv Sena activist in Lucknow. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2749667.stm http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4283944

Temple holds first service for Air India victims The Canadian Press VANCOUVER, B.C. — A B.C. Sikh temple will hold its first memorial service ever beginning this morning for 331 people killed in two separate 1985 bombings targeting Air India. Inderjit Singh Bains, head of the Dashmesh Darbar temple in Surrey, says it's about time his congregation honoured the innocent victims of Canada's worst case of mass murder. Air India Flight 182 took off from Vancouver but fell from the sky on June 23, 1985 after a suitcase bomb exploded mid-flight near the coast of Ireland. On the same day, a blast in luggage destined for another Air India flight at Tokyo's Narita Airport killed two baggage handlers. The three-day service in Surrey is stirring up controversy because on the wall of the temple dining room hangs a framed photo of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the man who allegedly masterminded the bombings. Rattan Singh Kalsi, whose daughter Indira Kalsi was killed aboard the Air India plane, says the temple should remove the photo, although Bains says Parmar wasn't convicted of any crime before he died in 1992 and before two other men were acquitted of all charges in 2005. http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/C...ishColumbiaHome Sorry, supposed to say Dasmesh not Damesh (in the title)

These guys blew up a theater, Thackeray talks about "unleashing Hindu terror to tackel Islamic terror" but not once are they even labeled extremists or terrorists by the Congress or BJP or media.

DarkWing Duck was also pretty cool.

Just follow the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7457894.stm

mmmmm...rdx...lol On a serious note, do ardas for these Singhs. These damn cops are just trying to get promoted by planting evidence.

Good point. We should send complaints to Viacom and MTV about the offending content on their affiliate networks. The 'foots already in the door' and this would be a good opportunity.

Since the Associated Press published this article and MTV is own by Viacom, every single news station has it posted on their site: CNN, MSNBC, ABC, Fox News, CBS, a bunch of radio station sites. Worldwide exposure but is this good or bad?

Even TIME Magazine has an article on this: Protesters Attack MTV Office in India (MUMBAI, India) — Police arrested 70 Sikh protesters after the MTV music channel's office in western India was vandalized over posters showing a Sikh girl massaging a man, officials said Tuesday. On Monday, protesters smashed windows with rocks, tore banners and damaged furniture in the MTV office in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, police inspector Raju More said. The protesters said the posters, which promoted the reality show "On the Job2," offended Sikhs, More said. Sikhs comprise more than 2 percent of India's 1.1 billion people. Police later released the protesters on bail, he said. Satish Maneshinde, MTV's attorney in Mumbai, called it an unfortunate incident. He said no one was injured in the attack. Maneshinde said MTV would consider the protesters' demands to remove the posters. MTV has hurt Sikhs sentiments: SGPC FATEHGARH SAHIB: Taking strong exception to a controversial MTV promo, the SGPC on Monday said it has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs and the attack on a Mumbai studio was "spontaneous" reaction by some members of the community. Talking to reporters here, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar said "no one has the right to hurt the sentiments of Sikhs. "It is not for the first time that our sentiments have been hurt," he said. A group of Sikhs had on Monday vandalised the office of MTV in central Mumbai alleging misrepresentation of their community in the publicity campaign where the visual of a Sikh peeping into a room where a girl is giving body massage to a man was used. Makkar said these incidents are taking place despite SGPC's "repeated requests to the Centre to induct its representatives in Censor Board or any other organisations that can check contents of movies or serials involving Sikhs".

Notice also how Sikhs will try and play it down and refuse to face caste discrimination as an issue. Right, notice how the police told the socalled 'dalit' Sikhs to have the Antum Sanskar on some vacant land instead doing the proper thing and allowing them to it at the cremation ground which is their legal right. What's up with this Jatt surpremacy anyways, I've even seen this with my own relatives who call it pride but there is clearly a hierarchy and its just wrong.

Sometimes you have to take action with your hands and not with word inorder to get a message across. Also, stop hating on peacemaker, he's entitled to his own opinion.

Sad news. Casteism raises head, cremation stopped FEROZEPUR: Many in the country face the evil of caste-based discrimination in their lives. But in case of a Dalit woman in Bholuwala village, it continued even after she died. The dominant Jat Sikhs of the village did not let Dalit families cremate the body of Gurdial Kaur, 75, at the common cremation ground on Tuesday. She had died on Monday. Jat Sikhs of the village allegedly threw out the pyre wood from the cremation ground following which the situation got tense. District administration sent the local executive magistrate and SHO of Ghal Khurd police station to the spot to diffuse the tension and persuade the Dalits to cremate the body at a vacant land in the village late on Tuesday afternoon. According to sources, some Jat Sikh families had filed a case some time back to prevent Dalits from using the common cremation ground of the village, but the court had issued a stay order in favour of the Dalits pending a final decision. However, Jat Sikhs of the village claimed they hadn't received any such orders from the court. They said Dalits had been given a separate piece of land, measuring about one kanal, for use as cremation ground for the last many years. Jagtar Singh, a resident of the village belonging to the dominating caste said Dalits had unnecessarily raised this issue at the behest of some local politicians to create tension. Some people said similar tension had gripped the village when a Dalit man Gurdial Singh had died. That issue was resolved peacefully. Caste-based discrimination has deep roots in the village, which actually has two separate gurdwaras for the two communities. Dalit residents of the village alleged that being a minority and a financially depressed community, they were being discriminated against by the influential Jat Sikhs of the village. Caste Concerns in Cremation Grounds in Punjab - Totally Contrary to Sikh Teachings OTTAWA(Canada): The World Sikh Organization (WSO) expresses shock and outrage at the caste-based discrimination disallowing cremation of Gurdial Kaur in the common cremation grounds in the village of Bholuwala, Punjab. Guru Nanak Dev Ji strongly condemned the ugly caste system prevalent in India over 500 years ago. He advocated equality of all individuals. "Amongst Sikhs, there is no caste" said, Ram Raghbir Singh Chahal, International President of WSO. Guru instituted langar, a community kitchen where all people, regardless of caste, race, religion or gender, sit side by side to eat. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Guru, put his final seal on the concept of equality at the first initiation ceremony of the Khalsa. He offered sacred Amrit, to all people, regardless of caste, creed or gender. It is relevant to note that he declined to admit so-called upper caste Rajputs to the new order of Khalsa, as they desired a special initiation ceremony, separate from those, they believed to be, of lower castes. The Panj Piarey (the five beloved ones) came from different caste backgrounds. "It's shameful that hundreds of years later, we're still arguing about cast based cremation grounds in Punjab" said, Gurpreet Singh Bal, WSO Canada President. "Clinging on to the discriminatory divisions like Jat, Ramgharia, Khatri or Dalit Sikh is contrary to Guru's teaching and reflects ignorance on part of some Sikhs. This incident highlights a pressing need for strong educational campaign among Sikhs to rid our society of the lingering effects of the caste system and other social evils like drugs, dowries and female infanticide", said Gian Singh Sandhu, WSO Senior Policy Advisor. The WSO urges the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to launch a community wide educational endeavour to understand and practise Sikhism as it was intended to be. We also urge public media in Punjab to accept these and other societal challenges and become agents of desirable and necessary changes. More sad news.

So true.

can't wait to see this Singh play