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Talk eight as advertised on Sikh Discover Inspire taking place at Khalili Lecture Hall london EC1H 0XG , Sunday 9th Sept 2018 at 15:00 , ticket 5GBP: The series continues with our eighth talk, in which historian and ethnomusicologist, Radha Kapuria, establishes how Punjab emerged as a major centre for classical music patronage under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, revealing the particular centrality of sword-yielding, cross-dressing female dancers in his diplomatic negotiations with political rivals. This illustrated talk will be followed by a Q&A session. Radha Kapuria trained as a historian at the University of Delhi before joining the Jawaharlal Nehru University for her MPhil degree. Her research investigated the oldest classical music festival of north India- the Harballabh of Jalandhar, Punjab. She built on this ‘micro-history’ by researching a more macro-level social history of music in the region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for her PhD at King’s College London. She currently divides her time between preparing a book manuscript titled Music in Colonial Punjab: A Social History, based on her PhD, and working as part-time Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at King’s. This lecture series has been organised by the UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA) in partnership with the SOAS South Asia Institute (SSAI). Image: Dancing girls and musicians at the Court of Lahore, by Bishan Singh, 1874 (Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan)

A very honest interview in Punjabi

http://www.sikh24.com/2018/06/29/op-ed-misogyny-in-the-khalistan-movement-view-of-a-kaur/#.WzXeLnrwbcs I was sent this article and found it to be very accurate and on the ball. However, as much as i agree with this article, i think this article could be expanded even further. yes the typical khalistani in the uk is male, amritdhari and lashes out when anyone opposes their views. trust me i used to be exact the same. but taking a step back since i have moved away from birmingham, i can see that by restricting the movement to black and white, is never take the movement forward. the movement never was restricted to just amritdharis, initially the Anandpur Sahib mata was for all Punjab. secondly, Sant ji being the great visionary that he was, actively sought those who had broken away from sikhi i.e the smugglers, gangsters etc. thirdly, even at the peak of the movement, a lot of the kharkoos were not just gursikhs, a lot were well known guys in their areas and that gave them the base to branch out to other like minded guys and had girls who helped them out. so if you compare that to now, in general the khalistanis are seen as extremists by most sikhs (which hurts me to say), while the so called khalistanis are quick to alienate anyone who doesnt agree with them and give themselves in front of their own circles the hype about how panthic they are. from sant ji to baba manochahal, brahma, budhsinghwala to mintoo, these had enough vision to realise that if you want the sangaarsh to move forward, then all types of sikhs need to be involved, whether that is gursikhs, non gursikhs, male/female, young/old or anything else.

Which one of these ? Pakistan wants to destroy sikhi and is throwing drugs on the indian side of border . This was shown in movie "Udta Punjab". Indian govt is aware of pakistan doing it but couldn't care any lesser because it helps keep sikhs broken and pacified so they don't do another insurgency like the 80s. Indian govt is purposely doing it so as to destroy sikhi youth and thus destroy any rebellious tendencies so as to safeguard its own territorial integrity. Badal ke are involved. Its more of a social issue than a political one . And sellouts among sikhs and gangster elements responsible for drug menace

Am I the only one who thinks they are asleep

Salute to this mahaan jodha who sacrificed his all for us, funding himself for the sangaarsh, turning his back on a successful business and the luxuries of the west.

I have just returned from India. We stayed in Delhi, Patna and Amritsar. Observations: - Many non-Sikh men wear karas, especially in Delhi, and quite a lot in Patna too. - Something new I had not seen before - punjabi males wearing karas with their names on it. Found this strange. - Unfortunately, obesity is increasing even in the elderly village populations and many elderly women walking around with waddling gait due to hip problems. For obesity, the city Sikhs are even worse - normal weight is definitely the exception not the norm. - City Sikh females cannot be distinguished from their hindu counterparts. - The area around Harmandir Sahib has been over-sanitised and takes away a lot of the uniqueness of going there.

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh Next time any punjabi or indian tries to claim that it is Punjab where the most girls are killed ....and thus the ratio is unbalanced slap the truth into their faces Punjab's ratio is actually is improved by more than 19 points , the sex ratio is worst in Gujarat dropped by 53 points , then Haryana 35 points, Rajasthan 32 ,Uttarkand 27 etc 17 out of 21 states have been found to having dropping ratios.

Justin Trudeau has been snubbed by the senior members of the Modi BJP Government. In fact this stretches to not just the Political Party but also to the Indian Media. No senior officials have welcomed or accompanied Trudeau during his tour of Gujarat or Agra. Amritsar on the other hand has shown great hospitality to Trudeau with the SGPC, Akali Dal and Congress senior Politicians all eagerly greeting him and his family to the city and Darbar Sahib. The treatments of Trudeau is all very public and the questions of ‘Khalistan’ and the Canadian stance on the subject is all over the news now. Even Captain Arminder couldn’t resist bringing up the subject in his brief meeting at the Taj hotel today. He also had the nerve to accuse Canadian Sikhs of financing militancy in Punjab and directing targeted assassinations. Modi is scheduled to meet Justin Trudeau during the week and we can all expect to hear the same sound bites. Will Sikhs in Canada be sacrificed for trade between the two countries and what will Justin Trudeau make of his trip to India?

100-yr-old dies waiting for justice for 24 years Amar Kaur had deposed against ex-Punjab DGP Saini Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 12 Amar Kaur, who had been waging a legal battle to get justice for her son, son-in-law and driver — not seen again after allegedly being kidnapped by former Punjab Director General of Police SS Saini almost 24 years ago —died here on Tuesday. Kaur (100) had been bed-ridden for a decade due to brain stroke. Amar Kaur had deposed against Saini in a Delhi court while being in a wheelchair supported by an ambulance almost a decade ago. She had sent a telegram from her bed in Moolchand Hospital to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on July 8, 2011, requesting him to fast track the trial and hold day-to-day hearings so that she could get justice in her lifetime and her soul could rest in peace. “I have lost everything today. My mother could not get justice in her lifetime. The judicial system should not drag on a case for such a long time that people die waiting for justice. No person, howsoever powerful, should be allowed to misuse the system to unnecessarily delay a trial,” her son Ashish Kumar said, breaking down inconsolably. Her businessman son Vinod Kumar, son-in-law Ashok Kumar and driver Mukhtiyar Singh never returned home after being picked up by the police in Ludhiana and Chandigarh on March 15, 1994. A criminal case was registered against Saini and others by CBI on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1994. The case was transferred to Delhi by the SC in 2004 after Kaur expressed apprehension that Saini might use his might to influence witnesses.

I made a similar thread about the Dehli air quality. But anyone know if Punjab is also affected? I am reading alot about the current Dehli pollution issue. But not much on the Punjab . Is the Bad air quality also effecting parts of Punjab. I say this as I maybe travelling to India soon. So was thinking of staying in Punjab instead of Dehli to avoid the worst of the pollution in that region. Areas In punjab I am likely to stay are Amritsar and Patiala.

Herbert art gallery and museum in Coventry are having an exhibition showing the heritage of Punjab and the throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji. It will be on upto the 18th of January next year. https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/culturecoventry/craftsofthepunjab

What gives Sikhs the right to Punjab? Christians Hindus Muslims etc also live in Punjab and view Punjab as their motherland also. I agree Punjab is the homeland of Sikhs but it doesn't mean Sikhs own Punjab just because they are in majority. If that's the case then Christians own the world! Before you bring up the India for Hindus and Pakistan for Muslims argument. India is a secular country. Sikhs are a very small minority in the country , yet there was a Sikh prime minister showing India is also the land of opportunity for Sikhs as well as Hindus Muslims Christians etc.

Why is Punjabi considered the Sikh language, Punjabi is also the language of many Muslims, Christians and Hindus. Not every Sikh is Punjabi or speaks Punjabi Muslims in Pakistan do speak Punjabi and Hindu Punjabis view Punjabi as their mother tongue, contrary to what many believe, but not what all believe.

anyone watch these 2 documentaries that were made? if so whats your thoughts?

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Wheguru Ji Ki Fateh Sangat, I have a request for your help. For school I do an assignment on Sikhism and its influence on modern India. There us obviously a difference between Sikhs and other indians; the religion, customs and culture. But India is a very diverse country so I wonder what do Sikhs themselves think sets them apart and what is it that establish Sikhism as unique among a country filled with unique cultures, religions and customs? The difference between Sikhs and Hindus is clear, the difference between punjab and gujarati, maharashtra, Tamil etc. is clear. But what makes Sikhs truly unique among them? Many thanks for all your knowledge and help!

WJKK WJKF! This topic I am starting is not to do nindiyah, to fight with anyone or cause anyone disrespect. I am starting this purely due to my personal interest in the Khalistan Movement. Our Shaheeds who spilt blood will be forever remembered, while our brothers in jails and the familes who lost everything are in constantly in my thoughts. Nowadays the movement kind of gets glorified in the UK, I see a lot of people wear tshirts of certain Shaheed Singhs for fashion, image, repping a jathebandi or just to give it large. Whilst we are all aware of certain individuals who were the enemy e.g. indira, rajiv, beantah, gobind ram, gill and co, I would like to know more about those who were classed as our 'own' and sold the movement out. A LOT of lessons need to be learnt here, while I think this needs to be equally be exposed as much as the stories of our brave Shaheed brothers. Like I said before, this topic is not to cause inter-jatha beef, or for people to argue, lets have a discussion where anyone who has been mentioned as a sell out, can be justified for being one too. The kind of people I am interested in are the roles of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal (who I personally think made a massive kurbani prior to surrendering), Mokham Singh, Jasbir Singh Rode, the role of Simranjeet Singh Mann who I know Baba Manochahal was not a fan of, also I would like to more about any Singhs who sold out on their own jatha which resulted in them becoming shaheed, people such as 'Vanchiri' who had Baba Manochahal done, the guy who had Deepa Herawala done etc. Lastly, would be informative to hear views about the ISYF and the stories of them being corrupted and using funds for personal gain. All replies will be appreciated and I look forward to learning more and not arguing with anyone. This topic is for educational purposes only so that we can learn from the mistakes of our elders. A lot of these stories will soon never come to light due to people that know the truth getting older etc. P.S Apologies I know this topic has been touched on before and I have read majority of those before.

Often Shiv sena in punjab are dismissed as rats as clowns as fools who run away from brave Sikh warriors. However what our Sikh youths dont know is that the people who belonged to those organisations at the time had their role in the genocide and mass murder of Sikhs in 1980s/90s how they were part of the same false flag Indian state terrorist machinery that operated black cats, alam sena, virk sena,etc Below a short extract from " Truth About Punjab, SGPC White Paper, Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon " --------------------------- Siege of the Sikhs : State Terrorism in Punjab Logic of KPS Gill was that the police were dealing with people who did not believe in any laws and so unless the police too was lawless it could not really fight them,"^ Gill justified the policy of creating under cover squads. He said, "The security forces in Punjab can do nothing without special spotter's parties and there is no question of doing away with them."^ He was reported to have prepared his 'elimination lists', with instructions from the I.B. When a team of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) who had a long interview with Sumedh Singh Saini, Senior Suprintendent of Police, Bhatinda, asked him to comment on the armed vigilante groups created in many districts of Punjab, he too is reported to have said, "What was wrong if they were organised to assist the state to neutralize terrorists?'" Besides vigilante squads, there were other squads also who were responsible for deadly intrigues and murders. In a revealing letter written to the Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, Simranjit Singh Mann, while submitting his resignation from Indian Parliament, drew attention to the other hit squads called the "Black Cats"and "Indian Lions", who were operating in the State in a clandestine manner and were responsible for murdering and pillaging." Mann complained that three members of the executive of his party, including Jagdev Singh Khudian MJ*. were done to death by the "Indian Lions" outfit.^ Mann regretted that even though the Justice Harbans Singh Rai Commssion appointed by the government had indicted the Punjab DGP, K.P.S. Gill, in connection with the Khudian murder, yet no action was taken against him.' '^ ' "The state is actively involved in killing and murdering Sikh leaders and I have been threatened by the "Indian Lions" which has several other names - 'Vaidya Commando Force" (VCF) and "Lala Jagat Narain Tiger Force".' said Mann. The Tribune reported the formation of a secret militant organisation called the "Indian National Army" which recruited commandos to fight terrorists m Punjab. The report said, "Mr. Dayal Singh Chief General of the army said to-day that commandos were drawn from the Army, the BSF, the CRPF and the Punjab Police. He also introduced a commando to newsmen, who, he claimed belonged to the BSF."' All India Hindu Shiv Sena also trained its own commandos to carry out clandestine activities. 'Current' weekly in its issue dated August 5-11, 1987, brought to light a story which described a camp "somewhere in Amritsar district", where the AH India Hindu Shiv Sena was training about 1,000 of its young followers in the use of arms and commando tactics. The boys let their hair and beards grow and assumed the appearance of Sikh youth. The Sena president Surender Kumar BUla managed the camp and told the reporter that the idea was that these young men would act as agent provocateurs, attack the Sikhs and thereby create an aversion among Sikhs for the militants. A group photograph of Surender Billa and his fake Sikhs was also shown in the Weekly. There were reports of nine similar camps located all over Punjab. It is obvious that these camps could not have operated without the patronage of those in high places. These commandos indulged in looting and extortion's. According to a Tribune report (August 13, 1991), "instances of miscreants, some belonging to the Hindu Suraksha Samiti, having written letters in the name of the Dashmesh Regiment demanding ransom from members of the minority community have come to light in Bhatinda district recently. In police records Surender Kumar BiUa was shown as a man' wanted by the police but actually the government made no effort to nab him. He and his cohorts were allowed to go ahead with their mischievous plans. 'Frontline' reported (14-27 May, 1988) that 'in Punjab it is an accepted view that at least some of the death squads have been unleashed by the government.' This was a comment on a story reported by a freelance journalist that RAW was using imported AK 47s and RPG - 7 anti - tank rocket-propelled grenades in the Punjab in order to justify the 59th amendment to the Constitution, by which government can impose an emergency on the state and suspend the right to life.' Economic and Political Weekly' in a news report of April, 16, 1988, had asked 'Are the killings in Punjab the handiwork of the extremists ?' The report observed that 'strategic' killings by officially planned agent provocateurs may help the government to precipitate further authoritarian control by assuming more military powers.' The intention was to create an atmosphere of anarchy and violence so that, out of frustration, the people absolve the state for its direct use of violence and other means of repression. Such activities added an ominously new dimension to the tragic scenario and led to an atmosphere of terror and insecurity. Chandan Mitra observed, "The police under-cover operations have added to the confiscation over genuine and fake militancy."^ The Washington Post reported that the Indian security forces conducted a highly realistic mock hijacking of an airliner that fooled many people into thinking that it was a genuine terrorist action by Sikh militants. The purported hijackers issued a number of demands in the name of a Sikh extremist group. The exercise ended peacefully at an airport in West Central India but not without spreading alarm throughout the country.^ Such obnoxious tactics were used to blame and defame the Sikh community, to stoke up communal fires and to bring about reprisals in order to divot attention fix)m the real issue

A Sikh lady got into scuffle with Korean Christian ladies who were being disrespectful and trying to convert Sikhs at our Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar. Some people tried to malign the Sikh lady saying she was a Hindu convert and trying to pitch the Sikhs against Christians in Punjab. But now the Christian missionaries are going live themselves on their FBs in Harmandar Sahib. When will Sikhs finally wake up? Only a few Sikh youth were going to convert to Christianity in the late 19th century and it triggered the biggest revival in our faith in the form of the Singh Sabha movement and today lacs have become Christian and we're still sleeping.

WJKK WJKF , In light of the upcoming partition anniversary has anyone got any story's they would like to share that have been passed down or any knowledge they wish to share?

http://www.theblackprince.com

The rise of radical Islam in Punjab is never touched upon within the Qaum but it is a pressing issue. With the restoration of hundreds of mosques, conversion of Sikhs to Islam in our Sikh home land, increase in religious riots involving Muslims and non-Muslims and the Muslim immigrants facilitating Jihadi activity and there have been talks about introducing Sharia Panchayats within Punjab. The Muslim population of East Punjab was 0.8 % in 1971 and was at 1.92% in 2011. We need to act proactively before it is too late. The Gujar immigrants from Kashmir have been known to harbor terrorists and store weapons for a while now. A consignment of weapons was found more than 10 years back near the Adampur town of Doaba. The Gujar deras of Gurdaspur were used as a refuge by the terrorists before they launched the 2015 Pathankot attacks. Now in April 2017 a Muslim immigrant from Uttar Pradesh who was living in Jalandhar for several years working as a tailor was arrested for his links to ISIS. These are the developments of dangerous trends for the future of Punjab.

Dear All, Does anyone have experience of adopting a child in Punjab from the UK?

Just when Sikhs thought they were relatively safe in "Hindustan" in 2017 then this happens. Evil Hindu extremists caught brutally attacking Sikhs in chainpura, rajashtan.