A Sikh Lawyer Now Wants Malaysian-Made Sahip Brandy Banned For Sounding Like 'Sahib'

[Premi5 2,195]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Sikh Lawyer Now Wants Malaysian-Made Sahip Brandy Banned For Sounding Like 'Sahib'

He argues, that the label on the Sahip bottle "shows a bearded man in a turban on the horse carrying a flag, which strikes an uncanny similarity to the famous portrait of Guru Gobind Singh Ji".

 

By Sadho Ram — 19 Oct 2021, 06:44 PM

As local whiskey brand Timah has run into religious controversy, another Malaysian brandy named Sahip has found itself in the same boat after a lawyer called for it be banned for sounding like "sahib"

New Straits Times reported that Dr Shamsher Singh Thind, who is a lawyer and criminologist based in George Town, Penang, says the domestic brandy's name is similar to the word "sahib".

Sahib is an Arabic loanword that has passed into several Indian languages, where it's used to refer to "sir" or "master", and sometimes as an honorific title for names of saints and gurus.

According to Shamsher, it's not just Timah that Malaysians should be focusing on.

He argues, that the label on the Sahip bottle "shows a bearded man in a turban on the horse carrying a flag, which strikes an uncanny similarity to the famous portrait of Guru Gobind Singh Ji".

 

Sahip's label shows a Punjabi soldier dressed in British military regalia

According to an old article in Poskod.my, Sahip brandy, with its label capturing the colonial history, comes in three different sizes, retailing from RM7 to RM30. The brandy contains 40% alcohol.

Image via Anne Fernando/Poskod.my

 

Shamser, in fact, wants all alcoholic drinks to be strictly regulated

"It is time to regulate strictly, if not ban, all forms of liquor, whether locally made or imported, and whether cheap or expensive," the practicing lawyer was quoted as saying yesterday, 18 October.

While drinking alcohol is often associated with the Punjabi culture, thanks largely to the community's portrayal in Bollywood movies, alcohol is prohibited in Sikhism.

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Image via Dr Shamsher Singh Thind (Facebook)

https://says.com/my/news/a-sikh-lawyer-now-wants-malaysian-made-sahip-brandy-banned-for-sounding-like-sahib

[MisterrSingh 6,546]

Proof that becoming proficient in a respectable profession doesn't mean you actually possess intelligence. 

The picture on the bottle is unmistakably of an Indian military officer in their usual ornate livery.

Plus, if he was such an advocate of the Sikh religious identity, he wouldn't be caught dead wearing a f****g beanie instead of a dastaar. He looks like a tramp who's going to a Halloween party dressed as a barrister.

[Premi5 2,195]

22 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

Proof that becoming proficient in a respectable profession doesn't mean you actually possess intelligence. 

The picture on the bottle is unmistakably of an Indian military officer in their usual ornate livery.

Plus, if he was such an advocate of the Sikh religious identity, he wouldn't be caught dead wearing a f****g beanie instead of a dastaar. He looks like a tramp who's going to a Halloween party dressed as a barrister.

Disagree. He wouldn't be a lawyer or barrister without having intelligence, you are having a laugh!

The image to me, at first glance does look like it could be a Sikh. 

I think the personal attack in the third paragraph is completely unnecessary and has nothing to do with the article. 

[MisterrSingh 6,546]

52 minutes ago, Premi5 said:

Disagree. He wouldn't be a lawyer or barrister without having intelligence, you are having a laugh!

The image to me, at first glance does look like it could be a Sikh. 

I think the personal attack in the third paragraph is completely unnecessary and has nothing to do with the article. 

Why'd you take it so personally? Is he your rishtadaar? Ghara vicho chacha lagda?

Plus, the clown is arguing the artwork resembles Guru Gobind Singh, not just any random Singh on a horse. Aside from the beard and the horse, what artwork of Guru Sahib have you seen where they look like an Indian army officer?

This foolishness is why we are a laughing stock. People who sympathize with this spurious attention seeking are as bad as the people who instigate it to begin with.

So I reiterate: if he was such an ardent and purist advocate of the Sikh identity, why's he wearing a beanie when he's in such a respectable and powerful profession, especially when he wants to be viewed as upholding Sikh religious values?

Where's California Sardaar to rip the tatti out of this clown?

[Ranjeet01 2,866]

There was a famous Sikh lawyer from Penang called Kartar Singh. I think this guy is trying to follow in his footsteps.

[Premi5 2,195]

21 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

Why'd you take it so personally? Is he your rishtadaar? Ghara vicho chacha lagda?

Plus, the clown is arguing the artwork resembles Guru Gobind Singh, not just any random Singh on a horse. Aside from the beard and the horse, what artwork of Guru Sahib have you seen where they look like an Indian army officer?

This foolishness is why we are a laughing stock. People who sympathize with this spurious attention seeking are as bad as the people who instigate it to begin with.

So I reiterate: if he was such an ardent and purist advocate of the Sikh identity, why's he wearing a beanie when he's in such a respectable and powerful profession, especially when he wants to be viewed as upholding Sikh religious values?

Where's California Sardaar to rip the tatti out of this clown?

Not taking it personally, but as Sikhs I think we should

I don't think too many Muslims would be letting this go if they thought a 'Muslim' was being shown as the face of the product

Let's see what @californiasardar1thinks...

[Premi5 2,195]

11 minutes ago, Ranjeet01 said:

There was a famous Sikh lawyer from Penang called Kartar Singh. I think this guy is trying to follow in his footsteps.

Have you got relatives there ?

[MisterrSingh 6,546]

4 minutes ago, Premi5 said:

I don't think too many Muslims would be letting this go if they thought a 'Muslim' was being shown as the face of the product

Why are you moving the goalposts? He's not arguing the picture looks like a random Singh (who -- and this may come as a shock to you -- tend to drink like a fish at the best of times), but he's specifically saying the picture resembles Guru Ji. I want to know in which world has Guru Ji ever been drawn to resemble someone who looks like an Indian cavalry officer?

[Premi5 2,195]

9 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

Why are you moving the goalposts? He's not arguing the picture looks like a random Singh (who -- and this may come as a shock to you -- tend to drink like a fish at the best of times), but he's specifically saying the picture resembles Guru Ji. I want to know in which world has Guru Ji ever been drawn to resemble someone who looks like an Indian cavalry officer?

Fair enough

But why not speak against it if it does look like a Sikh ?

Also, why would you have an 'Indian cavalry officer' be the image of an alcoholic product ? 

[dallysingh101 4,505]

 

[dallysingh101 4,505]

 

[MisterrSingh 6,546]

1 hour ago, Premi5 said:

Also, why would you have an 'Indian cavalry officer' be the image of an alcoholic product ? 

Because it's a masculine image they hope to use as a visual summary of the type of people they'd like to attract as buyers of the product, or at least to pander to their customers who think they see something of themselves in the type of man portrayed in the bottle? Goodness, do you want me to get in touch with their marketing department, and ask them their reasoning for choosing to depict a Punjabi soldier in the artwork?