The Parliament of the World’s Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world. To accomplish this, individuals and communities are invited who are equally invested in attaining this goal. The 2015 Parliament begins on Thursday, October 15th.

This unique gathering brings together thousands of people from different faiths to dialogue with one another. The Parliament meets only once every four years and this is the first time in over 20 years that the Parliament has been held in the United States.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions seeks to promote inter-religious harmony.

Each day from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., Langar, a vegetarian meal that brings people together around sharing the meal, will be shared at no expense to Parliament attendees as a gift of the Sikh tradition.

~ Source: parliamentofreligions.org

Low-cost handset maker Datawind announced partnership with mobile operator Telenor to offer free unlimited Internet browsing for one-year.

The offer is available on any of its devices across six telecom circles across the country where Telenor offers commercial mobile services, Datawind said here.

Apart from Telenor, Datawind is also offering the one-year free Internet scheme with Reliance Communications. “This is a very exciting development for Datawind. We are making the Internet more easily accessible to millions of people across the country like never before,” President and CEO Datawind Suneet Singh Tuli said.

He added, “Our customers will be able to use any of our devices to browse Internet in all the six circles – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar & Jharkhand, UP (East), UP (West), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where Telenor has its network.

Singh said through this new partnership, the company had strengthened its market position as an organization that thrives for consistently bringing down costs for connectivity, both in terms of product range and Internet access for emerging economies.

~ Source: gadgets.ndtv.com

Products & Services like these are step towards achieving our Internet for empowering customers with benefits of being connected.

Even as food has become a communally divisive subject in India, Sikhs around the world have used it as a unifying agent in their observance of International Langar Week, from October 5 to 11. Langar – the Sikh practice of serving free food to all visitors of a gurdwara irrespective of caste or colour – was taken to 46 locations in 11 countries in a global community-building exercise. It is estimated that ordinarily at langar six million meals are distributed every day around the world.

The concept of International Langar Week, initiated by the Sikh Press Association (SikhPA) in London, was taken up by several Sikh organizations, including Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), which organized langars to promote the values of service and brotherhood.

The students and staff of National University of Singapore were treated to a communal meal. Rows of carpets were laid out on campus, and people from all ethnicities sat down to dal-chawal and rotis, served with the local rose-flavoured milk drink, bandung. Sandhya Deep Kaur, a law graduate, had helped organize the langar along with her friends, most of them of Punjabi origin. “There is racial harmony in Singapore and an openness to different religious traditions. We got a very encouraging response to the langar,” says Sandhya. Next in line is a langar at Singapore’s Singh Sabha, where non-Sikhs, especially children, have been invited to participate in the preparation of the meal.

Elsewhere locals in London, California and New York did not just partake in langars in their area but also volunteered in seva. “As the word spread, we had English locals approaching us with donations. Many of our Sikh volunteers shared stories of strangers walking up to them to appreciate the concept as a solution to food scarcity,” says Rupinder Kaur Virdee, the London-based press director of Sikh Press Association.

Langar’s customary format is changing in other ways as well. The platter has adapted to the tastes of the young. When the group, Basics of Sikhi, organized a langar at Delhi University, students were served hot vegetarian soybean ‘chaamp’ straight from a restaurant. “Likewise, at langars held for corporate employees in the national capital, fruit juices were served. The attempt was to take langar out of the Gurdwara to people of all communities,” says Opinder Preet Singh Khalsa, a key member of the organizing team.

Anne, a French national living in Chandigarh says, “Sikhism and Langar, in particular, have given me immense peace and I have been attending all langars held in Chandigarh. It is a great thing to sit and have food with someone you don’t know. Besides, people from different communities cook and serve food.”

All these efforts combined to make Langar Week a hit on social media, with even European volunteers posting pictures on Twitter and Facebook. Jasjit Singh of Basics of Sikhi in Amritsar said a high point of the campaign was the inter-faith lunch organized at Jama Masjid with Sikhs and Muslims having food side by side. He says it was overwhelming to see lines of religion blur and economic prejudices shatter along the food mile.

Source- Times Of India

Its overwhelming to watch how Langar Week has united all FAITHS blurring the lines of religion & prejudices!

A 42-year-old Sikh shopkeeper in the UK was hit over the head with a bottle of whiskey by a thug – but was saved by his thick turban. The glass smashed and sprayed on his head.

Gurpal Singh says his turban protected his skull as the 19 pound bottle shattered over his head. Sikh Gurpal was left with hearing problems and a bump on the side of the head.

“I had my turban on and that saved me from more damage when the bottle broke. I would have been cut without it and I prayed in thanks after,” Nottingham Post quoted Singh as saying.

The bottle was wielded by shoplifter Ronald Richardson, who was given a suspended jail term on Friday for the attack.

The Singh was needed to be taken to the hospital for treatment after being hit on the side of the head while working in the Family Shopper store in The Meadows. He was left with bruises and a bump.

Richardson had paid for the 70cl bottle of whiskey – but staff spotted bars of Dairy Milk chocolate stuffed into his bag. Singh told him to pay 7 pounds for them.

A 16-week prison term, suspended for a year, was imposed on Richardson, 49. He admitted threatening behaviour and assaulting Singh by beating. He was also asked to pay Singh compensation of 200 pounds.

~ Source: Ibnlive

THE OLD building of Jama Masjid, in the narrow streets of Field Ganj in Old City of Ludhiana, witnessed an unusual scene this Sunday.

A Hindu priest, P D Shukla, in saffron robes and a rudraksh mala in hand, was going around the mosque premises, asking people if they have had a proper meal. So was Manpreet Singh, a church pastor, as some Sikhs served food in the mosque’s verandah. The food was prepared in the community kitchen (langar) on the rooftop of the mosque. Close to 400 people — madrasa children, some Sikhs and labourers, too — were served food. This symbol of secularism needs to be preserved’.

“Hi Langar, Goodbye World Hunger,” read the banner at the entrance of the mosque, put up by Sikh Press Association (SPA) and Basics of Sikhi, who chose the mosque as the venue to celebrate International Langar Week.

We want to spread the message of communal harmony as well as give a call to fight world hunger, said the representatives of the four communities.

Harjinder Singh Kukreja, trustee, SPA, and the organizer of the langar, said, “There is a debate over beef versus no beef but our purpose is just to fight world hunger. We feel world hunger is bigger issue than fighting over cows and beef.”

It is in the teachings of our Guru that serving food to the poor is supreme. It is for the first time that such a Langar by Sikhs was proposed in our mosque.

Source- IndianExpress

Sikh and Hindu community members help Muslims repair an old mosque and even have a second storey constructed. In fact, the non-Muslims are bearing more than 65% of the expenses, contributing to the repair of an old mosque

Nathowal has a population of around 7, 000 of which around 500 are Muslims. Around 50 members are those of Hindus. Says Mansa Khan, a contractor and president of Jamia Masjid at Nathowal, “All three communities lived in peace here even before Partition. During Partition, 10 to 12 families migrated to Pakistan but 50 families stayed back as our Sikh brothers didn’t allow them to leave. Today, our relations are only stronger.”

Repair on the mosque started six months ago. Of the Rs 25 lakh invested in the project, around Rs 15 lakh have been contributed by Sikhs and Hindus. They also ferry bricks, cement and sand for the construction. Muslim and Hindu community members also contribute to Gurdwara work.

The majority Sikh community takes pride in the village’s communal peace. “Our village is more of a family. If a villager wants to donate money to a religious place he contributes equally to the gurdwara and the mosque. We will continue to uphold this spirit in the future. When we started work on the mosque, every villager pledged to help irrespective of his religion,” says Pyara Singh, block committee member and president of Gurdwara Dharamshalla in the village.

“There may be communal tension in any part of the country but this village has always been peaceful. The villagers have even planned to build a temple,” says said Bir Bhan, a prominent member of the Hindu community. “During our festivals we get utensils from mosque. Also, we celebrate festivals of all communities in including Diwali, Dusshera, Rakhi, Eid and Gurupurab,” says Gurpreet Singh, a youngster from the village.

(Originally published in The Times of India)

Krishna Kaur Khalsa is a Black American Sikh. In known times, she is the first woman to have performed Kirtan within the confines of Sri Harimandir Sahib. Khalsa performed the kirtan in 1980 for the Prakash Utsav of Guru Ram Das Ji.

Krishna Kaur Khalsa was born Thelma Oliver in Los Angeles, California on May 6, 1941.

While a 1966 Ebony Magazine profile mentions Oliver’s study of “yoga philosophy and breathing,” yoga became her life’s calling four years later when she met Yogi Bhajan. Yogi Bhajan renamed her “Krishna Kaur” – meaning Divine Princess. Under his direction, she became a yoga teacher with a special dispensation to serve the Black community. Krishna Kaur established a yoga community in the Black Watts, Los Angeles neighbourhood with a live-in center, children’s school, day care, twice weekly free kitchen and “Sat Nam Street Players” dedicated to bringing music and inspiration to the troubled streets of the ghetto.

Krishna Kaur’s journey into Kundalini Yoga and the Sikh tradition of Yogi Bhajan took her to the spiritual capital of Amritsar and the “Golden Temple” or Harimandir Sahib in December 1970 and again thereafter. In August 1980 she made history when, through a combination of circumstances she became the first and only woman to have ever sung Sikh hymns within the strictly patriarchal precincts of the Golden Temple.

Known for her musical talent, Krishna Kaur never gave up performing. In the 1970s, she toured and recorded with a group called “Sat Nam West.” In 2014, she released an album, One Creator

~ Source: Sikhiwiki

Oprah Winfrey hosted over 100 faith and spiritual leaders for a special advance screening of the upcoming landmark television series “Belief,” which explores faith and spirituality around the world, airing seven consecutive nights October 18-24 at 8 PM.

The screening and dinner brought together a diverse group of some of the world’s most prominent faith leaders and cultural influencers to preview the “Belief” series, which explores the uniqueness of individual faith traditions and examines the threads of common humanity that bind us together.

Guests included Pastor Rob Bell, Devon Franklin, Marianne Williamson, Dr. Serene Jones, Dr. James Perkins, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Imam Mohamed Magid, Suhag Shukla, Dr. Rajwant Singh who is the founder and chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education.

Oprah Winfrey presents “Belief,” a landmark television event exploring humankind’s ongoing search to connect with something greater than ourselves. This groundbreaking original series invites viewers to witness some of the world’s most fascinating spiritual journeys through the eyes of the believers. Traveling to the far reaches of world, and to places cameras have rarely been, “Belief” searches the origins of diverse faiths and the heart of what really matters. From the epic to the intimate, webbed throughout each hour are stories of people on spiritual journeys, taking them to sacred spaces, including: the largest peaceful gathering in the history of the world as a group of believers seek redemption along the banks of a holy river

Dr. Rajwant Singh added, “I was privileged to be invited by Oprah Winfrey for the opening of the belief series at her home. I felt so inspired that I sang – Tun Tun karta tun huya, mujh me raha na hun – line from Sikh scriptures – By saying repeatedly You! You! that I have become You. I have lost me!

Event attendees Valarie Kaur, Sikh and interfaith leader remarked, “Oprah’s cinematically stunning new ‘Belief’ series captures the true nature of divine love, and offers viewers the spiritual strength to keep walking the path of Gandhi, Heschel, and Kin

Oprah Winfrey’s Belief series will give a glimpse and inside view of various faiths. It gives a chance to each faithful to experience their own spiritual roots while admiring the neighbor dive deep in his or her faith tradition. Through the precious moments captured in these film series, one can discover the beauty hidden in one’s own faith. One can have a very personal experience of oneness – the underlying basis of our own existence. Tragically this usually remains undiscovered by most humans because we surround ourselves with a limited view of the world. These series will expand horizons of humanity and help us connect with each other and have a deeper respect of world’s faith traditions.”

~ Source: Sikhnet

Large-hearted Sikhs have taken their traditional community kitchen to one of the most dangerous places on earth today – Syria. Giving a twist to the concept of langar, a group of Punjabi NRIs has collaborated with locals to provide fresh bread to nearly 14,000 refugees daily in the strife-torn region for several months now.

Langar Aid, an extension of UK-based NGO Khalsa Aid, is located in the Pesh Harbour area, about 35km from the Kurdish city of Duhok and 10km from the Syrian border. Almost 70% of the members of Langar Aid are with Punjabi roots, besides some European volunteers as well.

Instead of the classic kitchen, Langar Aid set up a bakery because IS fighters were destroying any food coming in for the Yazidis. While Khalsa Aid provided the machinery and Joint Help for Kurdistan gave a new building to house the bakery , the local government in Duhok is providing free power.

UK-based Indy Hothi, a 27-year-old economist-cum volunteer of Indian origin said, “We set up a bakery at a refugee camp for Yazidi people to provide a self-sustaining solution. Support in the form of food for distressed people has been there for over a year now and organizations from Sweden are helping run the bakeries. Help is also pouring in from Serbia and Greece.”

“Refugees often mistake us for IS because of our appearance,” said Ravi Singh, CEO of Khalsa Aid, but that not deterred this unique force.

“I was there about two months back and it was a very overwhelming experience. It was poignant to meet a family that had fled from their homes with their 10-monthold child and they were pleasantly surprised to find aid in the middle of nowhere. Then there was an elderly lady who still wanted to return to her village she had built after years of hard work. The situation will get more challenging as winter sets in.”

On the other side of Syria, on the Lebanon-Syrian border, the organization is helping refugees by running a school for 5,000 local children. “The idea is to take the Langar outside the walls of the Gurdwara and share food with people who need it the most,” added Hothi.

~ Source: Times Of India

CHILDREN at the town’s Only Sikh temple were in for a surprise when they turned up to their weekly educational lesson.

Instead of taking to the desks, youngsters at Warrington Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Latchford got the chance to meet wheelchair fencer Adrian Derbyshire, and got their hands on the Olympic torch, as well as his medals.

The wheelchair fencer, from Warrington, who has won two gold and three silver international medals as well as being Great Britain’s number one, delivered an inspiring one-hour talk. The 41-year-old suffered a brain hemorrhage that led to chemical meningitis and his eventual use of a wheelchair in 2008. Adrian carried the Olympic torch in 2012 and was part of the North West Paralympic Lantern event, making him the only person in the UK to be involved in both celebrations.

And during the talk he spoke of the disaster and how he battled on.

Gurdwara secretary Pritam Tatla said: “The children from the Sikh community were very pleased and happy to see Adrian with his Olympic torch and his two gold and three silver medals.

“Adrian talked of the disaster in his life that struck in August 2008 and described waking up to find himself in hospital surrounded by doctors and nurses.

“The children also paid special attention to the part of the talk on hate crime and bullying at schools.

“Adrian spoke of the effects hate crime has on its victims – his message to children is for them to not be quiet about it.

“They should report bullying and hate crime in schools and talk to someone.”

But children and adults at the temple, on Dover Road, were also given the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch and learn about its history.

“The Sikh community would like to thank Adrian for his valuable time and the work he is doing in Warrington and schools, colleges and universities across England,” added Mr Tatla.

~ Source: warringtongaurdian.co.uk