SikhRoots

I dont take anything blindly but I am interested to know why, if you say that Baba Vadbagh Singh was a great person, would such a revered organisation like Damdami Taksaal guide the saadh sangat to stay away from these people? Its just a question. Also, her family didnt take her. One of the cheley "befriended" her and tried to entice her into becoming a follower. She was subjected to abuse and its not always as clean cut easy to go straight to the police with it.

Its not on this year

Sure, I would do that for you. Just send me your bank account details, social security number, full name, address, zip code, date of birth, copies of your bank statement, driving license and a swab of your saliva for DNA, and I will transfer $50,000,000.00 into your account...

You would think it would be enough but I am sure we will hear from them very soon. Its amazing how theyve shut up so far though eh? Normally, threads regarding Sikh Channel are viewed highly and have about a dozen pages before it fades away. Total shock horror(!)

Oh right, so Damdami Taksaal have got it wrong in their rehat maryadha then??? And as for that particular place - Baba Vadhbah Singh or not - someone I know had a very bad experience after getting involved with these people and visited the place. Luckily she escaped before she got deeper involved. I will try to get this person to make a post on here so you know what kind of people run this place. But what I have seen with my own eyes is not on - taking a young bibi into a seperate room and, in an attempt to "cleanse her body of a minor illness", they would tap her head with a metal "wand" and chant something.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/08/24/familys-tribute-to-road-smash-victim/

I visited it once - I dont like the going ons in that place at all so i suggest you stay clear. From Gurmat Rehat Maryadha - please see highlighted bold.

Answer to this should be simple - ask the Panj Pyaareh who gift you with Amrit...!!!

TV listings for Sikh Channel can be found here : http://tv.sky.com/tvlistings

I resent that. I go Sedgley St

Photos from the final divaan are up! http://sikhroots.com/photos?gid=203 http://sikhroots.com/photos?gid=203

Its a shame that we dont have our own "media watch" organisation like other religions do. I remember people like Mohan Singh and GNNSJ used to be quite active in the media but not any more. If we had a proper organisation dedicated to the portrayal and fair treatment of Sikhs in the world media, we would find it easier to resolve such issues.

BBC Asian Network are like that. When it comes to faith n religion they tend not to shy away from dissing other peoples faith and why? Because their target audience is not the faithful and religious type. And in terms of Adil Ray, you have to forgive him... hes not all there.. mentally or physically ;-)

I think there are many people who have taken amrit around the world, and the communities differ around the world. Even in the UK you would have one community of amrit dhari Gursikhs who would never even think about going to a concert, and they you have a seperate community who are a bit more "relaxed" and dont see anything wrong with it. Not saying that either group is right or wrong, but thats just how it is. So rather than clashing with other communities, we should try our best to help each other out and yes, if you believe that Guru Sahib really does not want his Singhs and Singhnia going to a Gurdas Mann concert, then we should try to educate each other alongside helping each other. Rather than say "Oh well, you were wrong for going to the concert in the first place, we are not going to support you." The danger in our community is that if Sikhs just stick to their own, the governments, the non-Sikhs will become oblivious to Sikhi - and we will find that within a decade or two, Sikhs will have no rights, no say at all. I think the issue highlighted at the concert is a valid one and one that needs to be addressed by the WHOLE of the Sikh nation because today, they are banning us from going into concerts... tomorrow, it may be supermarkets... shops... parks... etc. End of the day, lets stick together. By making others feel hated or inferior, we are not living Sikhi at all. We need to come together, learn to love and respect one another, and educate and inspire each other built on that love, not hate. forgive me if i said anything wrong.

I think this is the programme... http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s2619299.htm

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Respect+diversity+accept+kirpans/1860915/story.html Thank you to Naomi Lakritz who raised some very valuable points in the article below... Respect diversity, accept the kirpans By Naomi Lakritz, Calgary HeraldAugust 5, 2009 2:02 AM What is all the fuss about kirpans? And why did they suddenly become an issue at Gurdas Maan's concert at the Telus Convention Centre when they've never been an issue at public venues in Calgary before? Sunday night's concert was halted because 10 elderly men arrived wearing kirpans under their clothes, as is required by the Sikh religion. So what? No doubt Calgary Sikhs have for years attended plays at Theatre Calgary, concerts at the Jack Singer, Flames games at the Saddledome and so on. No concert by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, no play and no hockey game have ever been shut down because of a Sikh in the audience, wearing his kirpan. People are entitled to wear religious symbols. That means a Sikh should be as free to wear a kirpan as a Christian is to wear a crucifix around the neck. If we're not prepared to accept this in Alberta, then the next skid mark down the slippery slope to outright xenophobia will be for us to be like Quebec, whose government is being pressured to ban the wearing of religious symbols by civil servants, including teachers and doctors. Oppress one, oppress all is their motto. France has long since gone that way. Let's not follow. In 2004, the French government banned visible religious symbols in public schools, including Sikh turbans. Just before the ban came into effect, then-president Jacques Chirac said: "Secularism is one of the great successes of the republic. It is a crucial element of social peace and national cohesion. We cannot let it weaken." Chirac didn't weaken it. He destroyed it. Secularism should not involve suppression of people's religions or enforced cohesion; it should acknowledge people's individuality, respect their personal choice to wear a given religious symbol, and treat them all the same regardless. Secularism should make no big deal out of diversity. Otherwise, it becomes the great oppressor, not the great leveller of society, and its own dubious practice of equal opportunity oppression is far worse than the harmless wearing of religious symbols. Kirpans have sharp points, which is why Transport Canada regulations require them to be taken on a plane in checked baggage, rather than carried on board. One can only imagine the harm a kirpan could do if it were wrested away from a Sikh passenger by some individual with terrorist leanings. But a concert hall is not an airplane, to be hijacked or crashed. "The kirpan is no more symbolic (of) a weapon than the Christian cross is symbolic of a torture instrument," historian Sandeep Singh Brar explains on his website, sikh.org,which was the Internet's first Sikh site, and has been around for more than a decade. "To Sikhs the kirpan is religiously symbolic of their spirituality and the constant struggle of good and morality over the forces of evil and injustice, both on an individual as well as social level. The usage of the kirpan in this religious context is clearly indicated in the Sikh holy scriptures (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) and wearing it is meant to inspire a Sikh in their daily life," Brar says. So if Sikhs do not regard kirpans as weapons, why should the rest of the world show an overweening concern about them? Live and let live. Brar makes an interesting point about the cross. If Christianity were not the majority religion in Canada, would its followers be roundly condemned as advocates of torture for wearing that symbolic "torture instrument" in public? To see how ludicrous the to-do over the kirpans at the concert is, one need only reverse the roles, as I learned a few years ago when there was an uproar about Sikhs not wanting to remove their turbans to wear bicycle helmets. Much grumbling at the time seemed to focus on the grumblers' refusal to pay the health-care costs of a helmetless Sikh who might be involved in an accident. Happy Mann, a Calgary Sikh, phoned me to say that the public needed to be set straight. "Sikhs don't smoke, but we are paying for health care for smokers and they are the biggest burden on the system. Baptized Sikhs don't drink, either, but we pay for the drunk-driving violations, the cost of counselling, the health care. But, Sikhs never complain about any of that," Mann said. What bothers me most is the indignity suffered by the 10 elderly men wearing their kirpans. They were ordinary folks who came to the show in anticipation of enjoying a pleasant evening at a concert, just as any Calgarian would. Prevented from entering because of a religious symbol that they carry to remind them to live in a godly manner, they ended up being treated like "the other." Their ouster resulted in the entire show being halted. Where was all the respect for diversity that we're constantly told is a basic tenet of this Canada we live in? nlakritz@theherald.canwest.com

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/concert-cancelled-over-ceremonial-blade/article1241382/ A concert promoter is threatening to sue a Calgary venue for abruptly cancelling a concert after a Sikh patron refused to hand over his ceremonial dagger to security. About 2,500 people were packed into a sold-out Calgary Telus Convention Centre on Sunday, waiting for Indian superstar singer and actor Gurdas Maan to take the stage, when management decided to shut the show down. Centre spokeswoman Heather Lundy said a patron had refused to hand over his kirpan, a ceremonial dagger male Sikhs are required to wear at all times. When security told the man he would not be admitted, “the people started to get all riled up,” she said. “With the safety of our patrons foremost in our minds, the difficult decision was made to cancel the event, prior to Gurdas Maan taking the stage,” Ms. Lundy said in a statement Tuesday. “We take very seriously our responsibility to provide all our visitors with a safe and non-threatening environment. Regrettably, some attendees refused to allow us to meet that mandate.” Ms. Lundy said all promoters are made aware of the centre's security policy, which prohibits sharp metal objects. Conveners are also asked ahead of time to advise the centre of any cultural or religious matters that need to be addressed, but Sai Productions Entertainment's Nirmal Dhaliwal mentioned no such issues, she said. Sai Productions Entertainment's Nirmal Dhaliwal, who organized the event, conceded the contract did include a clause prohibiting weapons. But he maintains that the kirpan is not a weapon. He has said that he intends to sue the convention centre for loss of income incurred as a result of the cancellation. Ms. Lundy said the centre has consulted its lawyers. Sikhs are required to wear the kirpan at all times, even when sleeping. It becomes part of a man's body, explained Ajit Singh Sahota, director of administration for the World Sikh Organization. He noted that he visits Parliament every few months and that nobody there has ever questioned his right to wear the kirpan. Mr. Sahota said the Sikh community has been a victim of racism under the pretext of safety. “It's a horrible thing they have done,” he said. “They have no business doing this to the Sikh community in Calgary.” Calgary's Gurmail Singh Bhattal was one of the disappointed concertgoers. He paid $800 for tickets for himself, his wife and his two sons to see Mr. Maan.When he made it to the front of the line at the venue, he found the entrance shuttered. “I was really, really disappointed,” Mr. Bhattal said. “The whole community was very upset. The security guards should have known.” While Mr. Bhattal did attend a make-up concert at a park in northeast Calgary on Monday, he said it just wasn't the same. “It wasn't close to what it would have been,” he said. With a report from The Canadian Press

Why you asking them on SikhSangat? Do you really think the owners of the channel have time to read these ridiculously stupid and long thread?! Go call them, go to their website and find out how to get intouch. SikhSangat is not the Sikh Channel! *Shock* *Horror* (!)

Goes without saying, once the Sikh Channel have 10,000 direct debits, i am sure the "Keep It Free" campaign will stop and the sevadars and workers and concentrate on bringing quality programming rather than worrying about appeal shows all the time.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/i-worked-very-hard-to-look-sikh-saif_100225106.html The been refrain from Nagin in Love Aaj Kal has caught on like wildfire. “I’m glad. Because my producer Dinesh Vijeyan chased it up obsessively and we paid a small fortune to get the rights for that music from Sa Re Ga Ma,” informs Saif. Kareena predicted that music will play at every discotheque in the country. Saif and his director Imtiaz Ali held a press conference at a Gurdwara in Mumbai on Wednesday, before Sikh heads and prominent members of federations. Says Saif, “That’s the way they wanted it and we didn’t mind at all. As long as the Sikh community understands that our intentions are completely honourable, we didn’t mind doing anything to appease the sentiments of the Sikhs. ” Saif says he worked really hard to get the nuances of the Sikh character right. “Imtiaz and I didn’t want the character to be even slightly caricatural. We worked very, very, hard on the body language, and the speech. Then if the beard appeared not long enough, we couldn’t help it. Once people see the film they’ll know, there’s nothing to protest about. Everyone will be proud of me.” But was the media interaction allowed in a Gurdwara? Says Saif, “It wasn’t really inside the Gurdwara; but in an office, within the premise. We all met and sorted it out.”

yeah, Singh@ is totally right on this. BritAsia is a pretty seperate entity with a whole different board and staff.

Some of the comments on here are really quite sad. Why dont you guys actually do something about it? Why not go down to Sikh Channel, meet with them, talk to them face to face? Its saddening because the guys / sevadars who have been there since the start have worked really REALLY hard to build this channel. I am talking coming in at 9am in the morning and leaving at times like 12am / 1am (like last night), and what for? They arent getting paid great amounts because the channel isnt making great amounts and they understand that. Most of the time, they are under GREAT amounts of pressure - so much, that even the most calmest people can fold under the pressure. They do it because they believe in the concept that this channel can do so well and go to great heights and although they are struggling in the beginning, they hope that their efforts will pay off and the channel will stand on its own two feet. What they dont need are couch potatoes sitting behind a computer screen tarnishing their efforts. The channel needs funds to run - do a search in google and you will see many places which tell you it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to run a Sky Digital TV channel. Hindus and Muslims are a lot more giving than Sikhs. Fact. Out of a kaum of how many hundreds of thousands, how many responses have the channel had? 10,000? ... ok maybe thats a bit too much... 5,000?.... nope. 1,000? I mean, 1,000 isnt that much right? The channel hasnt even reached 1,000! This isnt an appeal from me - my aim is to get you lot to wake up, face reality that if you want something bad you have to help out. Why has Sikh Channel had to employ new people when uni students, teachers now have free time for these 6 weeks of holidays to come down and offer seva?! If you cant do or say anything constructive guys, just sit down and shut up (in the politest way possible). But if you want a Sikh Channel, you feel passionately about it, you have ideas, you are the type of person that follows through on everything, then go down and see the guys face to face. You dont get responses from e-mails? That should tell you something... that the very few guys who are there dont have the time to do everything and e-mails are not top of their priority. Those who are serious go down and see them personally, which i suggest all you "internet warriors" who have something to say, go and do. Bhul chuk maaph.

More at : http://www.sikhroots.com/zina/Keertani%20-%20International/Dr%20Tejinderpal%20Singh%20Dulla

http://ptinews.com/news/199717_Differences-with-Sikh-body-resolved--Saif Mumbai, July 28 (PTI) Actor Saif Ali Khan today said he had resolved differences with a Sikh body which raised objections over his portrayal of a Sikh in 'Love Aaj Kal'. "The issue has been solved. I am extremely proud to play a noble and strong character. The community will also feel proud after seeing the film," the actor told reporters here. The body had objected to the trimmed beard that Saif sports as a Sikh in the film, apart from a few other scenes set in a gurudwara, alleging that it hurt the sentiments of the community. The actor, who was here to promote the romantic flick that is all set to hit theatres on July 31, said the role of a women in a love relationship had changed over the years. "Women are no longer submissive. They are working and their careers are as important as men.

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED28%20Jul%202009%2023%3A22%3A38%3A887 HIS beard and light blue turban may mean he stands out from the other soldiers on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace, but one Suffolk-based soldier says it is a “privilege” to be the first Sikh to have the honour. Standing guard outside Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle is not an opportunity that comes along very often for soldiers outside the Guards of Household Division. But Lance Corporal Sarvjit Singh of 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, based at Wattisham Airfield, leapt at the chance when it presented itself earlier this year. L-Cpl Singh, who was born in India but moved to the UK in 2000, is the first to wear his turban on public duties as he protects the Crown Jewels. Along with fellow Sikh, Signaller Simranjit Singh of 21 Signal Regiment, the 28-year-old has made military history by parading outside the historic buildings over the past few weeks. Turbans, long hair and beards are considered a mandatory religious uniform for all Sikhs, according to the Rehat Maryada, the Sikh instruction for living. And L-Cpl Singh, who serves in 3 Regiment Army Air Corps with his brother Ardash, is allowed to maintain his religious practices as he parades in his “blues” dress uniform. He said that when he told his team mates at Battisford Cricket Club that he would be staying in London for the summer and would have to miss some matches, they had initially been disappointed but were soon filled with pride after learning of his groundbreaking honour. He said: “It's a brilliant experience, especially for me to be the first Sikh to have the honour. People take pictures and put them on the internet and they say it's good to see a Sikh on parade and on Queen's guard. Without any hesitation I put my name forward. “It's a privilege - history-making stuff. When I told my cricket club they were disappointed but when they knew I was the first (Sikh) to do this they were happy and told me to get some pictures. “My family back in India are very proud of what I have done in coming from another country and establishing myself, especially my father.” L-Cpl Singh, who has a degree in economics and political science, is engaged to his fiancée Monika and the couple plan to marry on October 14 before he heads back out to Afghanistan in January, where he has previously spent six months.