2desi

Detention without charge, a common tool used by world's biggest "democracy". We have seen this before with Bhai Diljit Singh Bittu and Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann, always put on "house arrest" before any kind of major rally or protest.

Separatist in Golden Temple ban A prominent separatist leader in Indian-administered Kashmir, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has been prevented from visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Mr Geelani hoped to become the first Kashmiri separatist leader to attend a function to commemorate the storming of the temple in June 1984. He was invited to attend by a separatist Sikh party. The Golden Temple is the Sikh community's most sacred site. Hundreds died when it was stormed by the army. The operation, named Bluestar, was targeted against militants believed to be hiding in the temple premises. The operation lasted more than a week and civilians and militants were among the casualties. The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that Mr Geelani was invited by the Punjab-based Dal Khalsa party to be the chief guest at the commemorative function on 4 June. The participants will speak on the motion that "minority" places of worship are unsafe in India. But the authorities placed Mr Geelani under house arrest and have deployed security personnel outside his home since Sunday night to stop him from going. Mr Geelani leads a hardline faction of the separatist All Party Hurriyat Conference. He has regularly been put under house arrest by Indian forces. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7432279.stm

Here's a clip from a Dhadi track about Singhs with Baba Banda Singh Bahadur doing Jhatka of their horses as Jassa Ji as already told us. Track is by Pritpal Singh Bains Dhadi Jatha. Complete track can be downloaded from sikhsangeet.com its called 'Banda Singh Bahadur'. Baba_Banda_Singh_Bahadur.mp3

Why do Punjabi people think that owls are "bad luck"?

:vaheguru:

SGPC drops memorial for bluestar Chandigarh May 28: The Shiromani Gurudawara Prabandhak Committee has rescinded its six-year old plan to build a memorial for Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and scores of his armed followers who died battling the Army troops during Operation Bluestar in June 1984. Responding to a demand by the radical Sikh groups, Mr Avtar Singh Makkar said, "The radicals have a habit of raking up issues that have long been shelved." http://howrah.org/india_news/13975.html If this is true, then it is the ultimate disrespect, first to announce a memorial in 2002 then to go back on it spitting on the Kurbani of our Shaheeds.

Children marry pups to keep evil at bay Monday, 18 February , 2008 Kulupdanga (Jharkhand): Three boys and two girls were married to puppies in the superstition that it would ward off evil at this remote tribal-dominated village in Jharkhand's Saraikela-Kharswan district today. Salu Banra, the mother of one of the girls, 15-year-old Puspa, a student of class seven in a government school, said, "This is a custom. We set the puppy free after the marriage." The upper tooth appearing in either a girl or a boy is considered inauspicious by the Ho tribe which lives in this village. "Marriage to puppies of the opposite gender gets rid of the evil," said some of the other villagers. They said that six marriages between puppies and boys and girls had taken place yesterday. The pup-human marriage takes place on only two days in a year -- the second and third of the month of Maghe. Today was the third of Maghe. Full-grown dogs are not used in the marriages but puppies which are called 'Pida Panda' (one who drives away evil). All rituals and customs of a tribal marriage takes place with a priest officiating and guests invited, entertained by songs and dances, the villagers told a PTI correspondent. Dowry in cash is sought and given. The bride is also given new clothes to wear. Only in case of smearing of sindur (vermillion), it is applied not to the puppies or humans but to a tree known locally as 'renge banam'. When contacted, SDO Dinesh Prasad said, "This is a tradition. As long as they don't disturb others, we don't interfere."

Rajasthan village celebrates cow-bull wedding in style Jhalawar (Rajasthan) : It was a wedding complete with chanting of hymns, rituals, music, sweets and many guests - only it wasn't the usual marriage in Rajasthan as the bride and groom were a cow and a bull! The marriage of Kaushalya and Kanhaiya Lal, as the animals are called, was solemnised late Monday amid much fanfare at a temple in the otherwise sleepy village of Hemda in Jhalawar district, over 300 km from the state capital Jaipur. Scores of people attended the unique wedding as the cow Kaushalya, decked up in bridal finery and henna, went round the sacred fire with the bull Kanhaiya Lal, who was also beautified with accessories. The ceremony was conducted as per traditional Hindu rites. The bull's wedding procession passed through the main street of the village in the evening and people were seen dancing to the music played by the accompanying band. "The procession was accompanied by lights, fireworks, music and dance," said Bablu Bheel, the bull's owner who also performed the rituals that a father would usually do. "It was just like any other normal wedding. Ladies led the procession, singing wedding songs," he told IANS. The marriage party procession reached the Pipleshwar Mahadev Mandir, a temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, where the two animals tied the knot. "I was really excited. It was a different experience to perform rituals as the father of a cow," said Kailash Chandra Soni, who owns Kaushalya. A reception was also hosted on the occasion and sweets made of 40 kg sugar were distributed to all guests. The newly weds also got sweets, besides some green leafy vegetables. The marriage wasn't a one-day affair as a henna ceremony was held for Kaushalya Sunday. Villagers were thrilled about being a part of the unique wedding. "This is the first time such a ceremony took place in our village. I attended it and it was a unique experience. While I was part of the groom's procession, my younger brother received me from the girl's side," said Ram Bhan, a villager. "These kinds of weddings were a regular feature during ancient times in India. But now they have become a rarity. It is believed that conducting a ceremony like this on 'Somvati Amavasya' (a new moon day falling on Monday that is considered auspicious) brings good luck and prosperity to the village," a village priest said. Man 'marries' hill to end Maoist menace December 29th, 2007 Ranchi : A tribal man married a hill in a symbolic gesture to end Maoist insurgency in Jamshedpur district of Jharkhand. The man is already married with two children. The 'marriage' was solemnised in Bomaru village of Ghatshila block in Jamshedpur on Thursday, 170 km from the state capital Ranchi. According to reports in the local media, Nandi Munda, 30, 'married' a hill named Lakhasaini to end the Maoist terror in the area. Munda, dressed as a traditional bridegroom, went to marry the hill accompanied by hundreds of baratis (revellers). A tribal priest presided over the wedding rituals. The wedding was followed by a feast attended by hundreds of people. The menu included mutton and handia, a local rice brew that tribals love. After the wedding, the local youths constituted a private army which will guard the villages against the Maoist rebels and fight them. Munda said he 'married' the hill because he was told to do so by the goddess of the hills. "One day, the goddess of hill appeared in my dream. She asked me to marry her to end the menace of the Maoist rebels and help the villagers live in peace," Munda said. The villagers hope that the wedding will help them thwart the rebels. "The goddess of the hill is very powerful. The area will be blessed by the goddess after this marriage," said Bishnoi Munda, another villager. Maoist rebels are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state. Nearly 1,000 people, including 645 civilians, have been killed in the last seven years in Jharkhand. Marrying a hill to end the misery is not new to Jharkhand. Two years ago, a youth had married a hill in the same district to cure his mother.

Crowds flock to monkey 'wedding' 26 Feb 08 06:37 Some 3,000 villagers have attended an elaborate Hindu wedding ceremony in eastern India for two monkeys. The "bride" was dressed in a five-metre long sari and decked in flowers. The ceremony took place last Thursday in Ghanteswara village in Orissa state. The guests were served a feast of rice, lentils, vegetables, fish and sweets. Monkeys are revered idols in Hindu mythology. But the couples that took in and "married" off the two monkeys in Orissa say they love them as pets. The monkey marriage took place some 200km (125 miles) from the Orissa state capital, Bhubaneswar. The "groom", a three-year-old male monkey named Manu, was taken by procession to a temple in the company of hundreds of bemused onlookers, accompanied by loud music, dancing and fireworks. 'Unique experience' Women welcomed the groom with loud, synchronised ululations typical in a Hindu marriage while priests chanted sacred hymns. "It was a unique experience for me. It was the first time I conducted a marriage between two animals. But I followed all the rituals that I do in human marriages," said Daitari Dash, the priest. Women prepared the female monkey, named Jhumuri, as they would a human bride, draping her in a red sari and smearing her with sandalwood paste. The monkeys were showered with gifts by those present. They included a gold necklace for the bride, donated by a local businessman. "I feel as if my own daughter is getting married. I cannot bear the thought that she would not be with us anymore," Mamina, the woman who has been looking after the female monkey said. Mamina has been looking after Jhumuri since her husband found her at a local temple. The male monkey, Manu, was found in a mango orchard in a neighbouring village by a couple who raised it as their pet. The two monkeys, who were kept in chains before the marriage, have now been released by their owners. They have been spotted hanging out at the temple where the "marriage" took place. A local villager, Mitrabhanu Dutta, said the event was a "nice way to release the monkeys from captivity". Source: BBC South Asia

Hindu dog wedding called off Dec 18, 2006 1:22 PM A Hindu wedding ceremony of 18 dogs has been called off in India after hard-line religious groups and animal rights activists said it was a mockery of the religion and cruel to the canines. The marriage of nine dogs to nine bitches to promote canine culture was expected to take place on Sunday in the north-western town of Jaipur, the Times of India reported. But the wedding, which according to Hindu rituals involves sitting in front of a sacred fire and exchanging flower garlands, was canceled after groups including People for Animals (PFA) criticized the event. The marriage would also have included a procession and a huge feast with a special dance party. Event management company B Positive and the Pink City Canine Club were organizing the spectacle. "In my opinion, marriage of dogs is cruelty on animals," the newspaper quoted the PFA's chairman Naresh Kadyan as saying. "People hold the front legs of the dogs against their will and force them to dance, which is cruel. The lights, noise, sound used in these kinds of events also hurt them." The organizers said they were sorry for hurting people's sentiments but added they still planned to go ahead with the other events, including a beauty pageant for "unmarried dogs". Source: Reuters

Here's another case. Charmed woman marries cobra in India June 2, 2006 BHUBANESWAR, India — A woman who fell in love with a snake has married the reptile at a traditional Hindu wedding celebrated by 2,000 guests in India’s Orissa state, reports said on Friday. Bimbala Das wore a silk sari for the ceremony on Wednesday at Atala village near the Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar. Priests chanted mantras to seal the union, but the snake failed to come out of a nearby anthill where it lives, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said. A brass replica snake stood in for the hesitant groom. “Though snakes cannot speak nor understand, we communicate in a peculiar way,” Das, 30, told the agency. “Whenever I put milk near the anthill where the cobra lives, it always comes out to drink. “I always get to see it every time I go near the anthill. It has never harmed me,” she added. Villagers welcomed the wedding in the belief that it would bring good fortune and laid on a feast for the big day. Snakes and particularly the King Cobra are venerated in India as religious symbols worn by Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. Das, from a lower caste, converted to the animal-loving vegetarian Vaishnav sect whose local elders gave her permission to marry the cobra, the world’s largest venomous snake that can grow up to five meters. “I am happy,” said her mother Dyuti Bhoi, who has two other daughters and two sons to marry off. “Bimbala was ill,” Bhoi told local OTV channel. “We had no money to treat her. Then she started offering milk to the snake … she was cured. That made her fall in love.” Das has moved into a hut built close to the anthill since the wedding. Earlier this year, a tribal girl was married off to a dog on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

LOL....Kieth Olbermann's ODDBALL clips are the best....anyone seen the one where the Indian guy paints with his tongue or the one where the Indian guy plays a leaf (as a instrument)?

I've gotta see this! Can't wait until Saturday.....Channel 291!!!

it says the accounts are suspended and not deleted...therefore they should be able to appeal their accounts being suspended ConfusedKhalsa's account has been suspended for a long time, his account was one of the oldest ones and he had uploaded a lot of panthic videos to youtube.

Srinagar, May 20: Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been invited to speak at a function being held at Golden Temple in Amritsar later this month to commemorate the anniversary of Operation Bluestar against the Sikh extremists and militants. According to a Geelani aide, the Hurriyat Conference faction leader has been invited to speak at a seminar titled "Minorities’ places of worship are unsafe in India", being organised by a Sikh outfit on June 4. "Akali leader Kanwar Paul Singh has extended the invitation to prominent leaders of Muslim, Sikh, Christian and other minority communities from across India, including Geelani sahib," he said. The aide, Mr Ayaz Akbar, however, added that Mr Geelani has yet to take a decision on the invite. Does anyone have any more info about this?

I don't like Jazzy B b/c he is all about the $$$ and doesn't give a crap what he needs to say or do in order to get more famous. I also don't like the fact he says Guru Ji's Fateh at the beginning of his gigs, very disrespectful but worse people in Punjab are starting to do this including other singers and people on shows like the "Miss Punjab" contest. I listen to dharmik songs sung by him b/c of the lyrics, I support the song writers who take the time to write such beautiful lyrics and help people understand our history and provide inspiration but I don't like the messenger (singer) who wears khanda chains and encourages people into drinking alcohol in his music videos with half naked women running around him and then wears a dastar and a GIANT Khanda (also tattoos) and tries to act all religious in "dharmik" music videos. I read the following Shabad a long time ago and I always reminded of it every time I see this type of thing: rhq Avr kCu Avr kmwvq ] rehath avar kashh avar kamaavath || He says one thing, and does something else. min nhI pRIiq muKhu gMF lwvq ] man nehee preeth mukhahu ga(n)dt laavath || There is no love in his heart, and yet with his mouth he talks tall. jwnnhwr pRBU prbIn ] jaananehaar prabhoo parabeen || The Omniscient Lord God is the Knower of all. bwhir ByK n kwhU BIn ] baahar bhaekh n kaahoo bheen || He is not impressed by outward display. Avr aupdysY Awip n krY ] avar oupadhaesai aap n karai || One who does not practice what he preaches to others, Awvq jwvq jnmY mrY ] aavath jaavath janamai marai || shall come and go in reincarnation, through birth and death. ijs kY AMqir bsY inrMkwru ] jis kai a(n)thar basai nira(n)kaar || One whose inner being is filled with the Formless Lord iqs kI sIK qrY sMswru ] this kee seekh tharai sa(n)saar || by his teachings, the world is saved. jo qum Bwny iqn pRBu jwqw ] jo thum bhaanae thin prabh jaathaa || Those who are pleasing to You, God, know You. nwnk aun jn crn prwqw ]7] naanak oun jan charan paraathaa ||7|| Nanak falls at their feet. ||7||

LOL...he talking just like Deepak Chopra.....

exactly.....what goes around comes around....

Did the mob kill him or the accident? I mean the article mentions twice that the man suffered serious injuries, once in the accident and once by rocks.

Mob kills accident victim mistaking him for Dera chief Nagpur: In a bizarre incident, an accident victim was killed by an angry mob who mistook him for Dera Saccha Sauda sect''s chief Baba Ram Rahim and pelted stones at the vehicle taking him to hospital near Itankar Dhaba on Bhandara road. Dinesh Sakharam Dhole and his cousin Prakash Dhole were returning to Nagpur from village Kharki in Bhandara after attending a marriage ceremony when their motorcycle was hit by a truck near Jayatambh Chowk in Mouda. Sakharam received serious injuries in the accident. Dera Sacha Sauda members, passing by, noticed them and shifted them in the Tavera meant for carrying Baba Ram Rahim to take the injured to the hospital. Members of the Sikh community had received information that the Dera Saccha Sauda sect Chief would travel through the road this afternoon in a Tavera. However, Baba Ram Rahim had reportedly left for Delhi by a flight, which was not known to the agitating crowd, police said. When at around 1300 hrs, the Tavera came, the mob blocked the road and started pelting stones at the vehicle. Sakharam, who was travelling in the vehicle, was seriously wounded. He was taken to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Central Avenue, where doctors declared him dead. A case of murder has been registered at Mouda police station and further investigations was on, police added. http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=4724

Does the school want the Non-Sikh students to wear proper Dastars or just to simply cover their heads with a ramaal?

Turban kicks up row in Punjab's Sikh school Hindu parents at a school in Punjab are protesting after the school's Sikh authorities asked all students to wear traditional Sikh headgear to school. School authorities in the Sikh-dominated state says they were merely enforcing a stipulation in its prospectus that students of all faiths have to wear the traditional Sikh headgear called the "patka" or "dastaar". But parents of other faiths say this is an affront to their religion, and have drawn parallels to Sikh protests in France in 2004 after the government there banned religious symbols such as Sikh turbans and Muslim headscarves in state schools. About 150 parents sat in front of the Akal Academy in protest on Thursday, and reports said they had blocked roads, chanted slogans at the school gates and written to the local education minister saying the school be asked to withdraw its diktat. "This is unfair to Hindu students," Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, one of the parents, told. "Schools should stay clear of religious dogma." Hindus said the Sikh school authorities had imposed their religious values on followers of another religion, and said Sikhs had been equally unhappy when France's secular authorities had crossed into personal religious space with the turban ban. Sikh religion requires followers to grow their hair and wear a turban. France justified its move saying it was aimed at checking what officials said was the rising influence of radical Islam among France's large Muslim population. "What do the France school protests mean if they do it here?" asked Ashok Jindal, another parent offended by the school's diktat, was quoted as saying by the Times of India. "It is just not fair." The school is run by a Sikh trust, but around 20 percent of its estimated 1,400 students are reported to be Hindus. Any student failing to comply with the rule is asked to pay a fine of 10 rupees a day. "It's in the prospectus -- you take it or leave it," Beant Kaur, the principal of the school's Punjabi division, told Reuters. "This is not about religion. This is part of proper uniform, for uniformity in the uniform." Swaran Kaur, the school's English division principal, says most non-Sikh parents were not bothered about the turban diktat and only a handful of "troublemakers" were creating problems. "We have information that some of these people don't even have children studying in our schools," she told Reuters. "They are obviously trying to give this a religious colour." The school's prospectus says its curriculum lays special emphasis on spiritual development so that the young learners develop into virtuous adults and be the torch bearers of society. "Moral and spiritual education is compulsory for all students," it said. "All non-Sikh students follow their own religion but they have to cover their head ... and they have to follow the spiritual and religious curriculum of Akal Academy."

School in Punjab makes turbans mandatory for all Sangrur: The Akal Acedemy, a school in Cheema Mandi has asked its students, irrespective of religion, to wear turbans. However, the Hindu parents have reacted sharply to the order issued on Thursday and a hartal was observed in the town on Friday against the orders. "We requested the school authorities not to implement the order but they refused. They even said that we can take away our children from the school if we want,” says parent. Gore Lal. The new rule has met with stiff resistance from non-Sikh students. “We are Hindus. We are not supposed to wear head gears but the school authorities seem adamant on turban issue,” says another parent, Ashok Kumar. One may have heard of controversies over wearing turbans in France. However, this one is at home, in Punjab. The school authorities say the turban is part of school uniform and is mentioned in the prospectus. They add that students who don't wear turbans will be fined. “It is a part of the dress code. It's mentioned in the prospectus,” says School Principal, Swarb Kaur. The police have stepped in to prevent any violence as emotions run high. “We will not let any untoward incident happen. We will try and resolve the issue amicably,” says Station House Officer, Police Station, Sunam, Harjinder Singh. The Akal Academy has 1,400 students and around 20 per cent of them are Hindus while the rest 80 per cent are Sikhs. The school authorities insist the rule on turbans will not be changed and add that those students who don't want to wear the headgear, can leave. There is also a video: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/school-in-punj...ll/64935-3.html - I hate how the media is calling the Dastars "head gear".

I don't have Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji's exact words, as I was working at the time and could only listen to parts of the conversation.

Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji Barapind was on radio Red FM this morning here in Surrey, he was speaking directly from Punjab via the phone. The host who is against the idea of Khalistan clearly noted the Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji is seen as a hero in Punjab and people are lined up for miles to meet him in his pind. Also, the host mentioned that Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji is highly supported by Hindus in his pind, as he clearly protected them and saved them from being forcefully evicted or killed. Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji made a lot comments regarding Khalistan or Sikh Raj, the current state of the Panth, the reasons Sikhs where forced to fight, about Sant Jarnail Singh Ji, how the Indian Government has not given the Sikh Quam any justice. The host referred to him as "Khalistan Faujan Da Jarnail" It was very inspiring to listen to him.