A successful business man has become the second ever turbaned Sikh to be elevated to the house of lords.

Ranbir Singh Suri, having been created Baron Suri of Ealing, was introduced to the Upper House on October 13 2014, supported by Lord Popat and Lord Leigh of Hurley.

The leading UK businessman and philanthropist delivered his maiden speech in the House of Lords on January 15 as part of the debate on Mental-Healthcare provision.

Lord Suri who has lived in Ealing for 36 years has been a resident of Hanger Lane for the last 36 years. During that time he has been a magistrate (Justice of the Peace) at Ealing and Acton Magistrates Courts, (1991-2005), a probation liaison committee member at Ealing Magistrates Court (1991-1993), executive committee member with Hanger Lane Residents Association, (1988-Present), Hanger Lane (Ealing) ward committee member (1979 – Present), area co-ordinator neighbourhood watch scheme for Ealing, (1981-1982) and executive committee member for the Ealing branch of the British Heart Foundation from (1991-2012).

He said: “I had established my business in the Central London W1 in 1977, which is still running strongly from there. At that time I was living in Hounslow, Middlesex. I decide upon moving to Ealing as it was closer to the West End and made the daily commute more manageable. Ealing has always been very well connected in terms of public transport and major roadways. I found Ealing very friendly and got on well with people whether working with them in political, social and cultural fields. I’ve participated in civic and local charities, including donating £5,000 to the first Sikh Temple built in Ealing.”

“I feel humbled and honoured on being elevated to the House of Lords. With my vast experience in voluntary, public services and business, the Peerage will give me a good opportunity for serving the country through this exciting role.

“Little did I know back in 1974 when I emigrated from Kenya to the UK, that I would be bestowed with this great honour to work alongside your Lordships to continue contributing towards building a cohesive multicultural society in this country. I am the second turbaned Sikh who has been elevated to the Upper House. This great British institution has taken a praiseworthy step by bringing into its fold people of different faiths.”

He is very keen to see more people involved in the UK political system and has worked with the Conservative Party to improve its engagement with members of all minority communities.

Lord Suri started his career in Kenya as an importer of educational supplies serving the needs of schools, colleges and students in the coastal city of Mombasa.

He has held posts such as Justice of the Peace, General Commissioner of Income Tax, Middlesex Probation Committee, Home Office Advisory Council of Race Relations, Member of Board of Visitors of HM Prison Pentonville and Mentor to The Prince’s Youth Business Trust.

As a Voluntary Associate at HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, prior to commencing his voluntary career in Probation and Magistracy Lord Suri became passionate about the importance of mental health care provision.

~ Source: www.getwestlondon.co.uk

Surrey has the largest settlement of Sikhs outside of Punjab and is among the 3 of the Top Ten Cities in the World With a Significant Sikh Population. Surrey has Sikhs as second largest religion in the City.

The City of Surrey has been named as one of the Top 7 Intelligent Communities of 2015 by New York-based think tank Intelligent Community Forum. The ICF studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. Its mandate is to educate communities on how to build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures.

“As the most rapidly growing city in the region, investing in technology and innovation is crucial to building a city that is ready for the challenges of the future,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “The Top 7 distinction given to us is fitting as the City of Surrey has been at the forefront in our use of digital technology to foster economic, social and cultural opportunities.”

Out of more than 300 nominations, the City of Surrey is the lone Canadian city in the Top 7 list and is now in contention for the prestigious designation of ‘Intelligent Community of the Year.’ The other six cities and towns on the list include three communities from the United States, and one from Taiwan, Australia and Brazil respectively.

“This is a significant milestone for Surrey as it acknowledges that the City is on the right track with sustainable economic growth, innovative service delivery, and sound infrastructure investments,” said Councillor Bruce Hayne, Chair of the Investment and Innovation Committee.

Surrey’s progressive approach is outlined in its “Smart Surrey Strategy” which provides a framework to build a city that uses technology and innovation to transform life and work within the region. Strategy initiatives include:

• Innovation Boulevard, an agile partnership of health, business, higher education and government which is creating new health technologies to improve peoples’ lives in the areas of medical devices, independent living and digital health.
• The City is building an Organic Waste Biofuel Processing Facility which will process the city’s organic waste into a 100% renewable fuel. This fuel will then be used to power Surrey’s waste collection vehicles, creating the only sustainable closed-loop system in North America.
• Surrey City Energy has been established to implement and operate district energy systems within the City. A district energy system distributes thermal energy (i.e. heated water) by way of a common heat source and pipe system to buildings in a defined neighborhood. These systems are an efficient and effective means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing low GHG-emission energy sources.

~ Source: DailySikhUpdate

An incredible story of a warhorse nicknamed Sikh that survived World War 1 has come out recently and amazed the curator of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum in Britain.

The museum now wanted to commemorate the life and contribution of the horse “that survived shellfire on the bloodied trenches”, said curator Chris Chatterton, who came across the story last week and now plans a special display of the old photo albums of Sikh and her master using the multimedia and touch-screen techniques.

Bred in Australia, the warhorse was bought to India and sold to the 36 Sikh Regiment. When the regiment was posted in China, it took the horse along, where a lieutenant of the 2nd battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, AC Vicary, bought the charger in 1913. “It was here that the brave warhorse was nicknamed Sikh, as it was bought from Sikh Regiment,” said Chatterton.

When World War 1 broke out, the 2nd Gloucestershire Regiment was called back to Europe. The soldiers left all their horses in China, except Sikh. It was Vicary’s association with the horse that he sought a special permission to take it with him.

“In an eight-week journey by ship to Europe, the horse was kept in a makeshift open box and allowed to stretch it legs only four times when the ships stopped for refuelling,” the British museum curator added. The horse remained a true companion to Vicary in the enormous war, from the time they first landed at Ypres in Belgium in 1915. Sikh delivered supplies to the troops, carried information from the headquarters, accompanied Vicary to victory on the Serbian and Bulgarian fronts, and then proceeded to Southern Russia when the war ended.

“The Sikh became a symbol of good luck for the soldiers after the war, as it was one of the 64,000 horses out of a million (10 lakh) that took part in it and survived,” said Chatterton. After the war, the Sikh accompanied Vicary to England and both of them retired from service to spend the rest of their lives peacefully at Vicary’s hometown in Devon.

~ Source: Hindustan Times

1) Born as Ramji Das, In his early life he would travel a lot from village to village and would stay overnight at Hindu Temples. One day when he was staying at one such temple, the Brahmins told him to clean the temple and then when he had done that, they sat in front of him and ate food without offering him anything.

The next time, he took shelter at a Gurdwara and the Gurdwara’s Giani ji (“priest”) not only gave him good hot food but also a cot and a glass of milk afterwards and all without asking for any Sewa (service) for the Gurdwara. Bhai Sahib ji wrote: “Every night 25-30 travellers would come to the Gurdwara to stay; they were all served food from the common kitchen. This culture of the Gurdwaras deeply affected me”. Following this incident, Ramji Das, the Hindu, decided to take Khanda-da-Amrit and became a Khalsa Sikh in 1923.

2) Bhagat Puran Singh Ji gave total selfless service to the terminal and mentally ill patients who had been abandoned by their families.

3) He gave his life to provide the last hope for these desperate patients. It is recorded that whenever and wherever he saw a deserted dead body (human or animal), he would immediately prepare by his own hand a grave and give the corpse a deserving burial or cremation as a sign of respect for the dead body. He is recorded to have said, “Dignity in death is a birthright of each living thing.”

4) Devotion to Nishkam Seva Bhagat ji wrote: “From my childhood, my mother had asked me to do personal service to all the creations of God. This tender and distinct feelings of virtuous tasks was ingrained in my mind. My mother had taught me to provide water to the animals, plant trees and water newly planted saplings, offer feed to the Sparrows, Crows and Mynahs, pick up thorns from the paths, and remove the stones from cart tracks. This had embedded the Name of the Almighty in my heart. She had entrusted me to the custody of Gurdwara Dera Sahib and started me on a path of virtuous living. By following this path your mind can never waver.”

5) In 1947, Bhagat ji founded the institute called Pingalwara meaning “the home of the crippled” with a few discarded crippled or sick patients. The word “Pingal” means “Cripple” and “wara” mean “home”. Today, this institute which is run by Bibi Dr Inderjit Kaur cares for over 1000 patients.

6) Bhagat ji was also writer as well as publisher and an environmentalist. Bhagat Ji’s contribution in spreading awareness about the global dangers of environmental pollution, increasing soil erosion, etc are now well recognised. For his dedication and unreserved service to humanity was awarded with heaps of honours from many quarters. Prestigious among these was the Padma Shri award in 1979, which he surrendered in the wake of the army attack on the Golden Temple in 1984.

7) Service To Humanity: One day, a visitor fell from the roof of the Gurudwara and got badly injured. Bhagat Puran Singh immediately rushed him to the local ‘Mu Hospital’. Experiencing inner joy after helping the patient, he took a man with badly bleeding leg full of worms to hospital where he expressed his thanks to Bhagat Puran Singh and said,”Son! Now I can die a peaceful death.” With this incident, the service of humanity became the mission of his life. Now he would wander here and there finding the injured, physically handicapped persons and toking them to the Hospital. He also took care of them as his pocket and capability allowed. Once, he even washed the clothes of an old and poor beggar who was suffering from loose motions.

8) Carried a boy on his shoulders for 14 years. On a moonless night of the year 1934, someone left a four-year-old leper boy on the door of Gurudwara Dehra Sahib who was handed over to Bhagat Puran Singh by the then Head Granthi of the Gurudwara, Jathedar Acchar Singh after performing prayers for his well being. He named the boy Piara Singh, who was taken care of by Bhagat Puran Singh. This incident completely transformed the face of his life.

9) No permanent dwelling for 11 years. From 1947 till 1958, Bhagat Puran Singh did not get a permanent dwelling. He could be seen outside the chief Khalsa Diwan, post offices, railway stations or under the tree outside the office of the Civil Surgeon. He would wander in the streets, asking for donations to help the needy. Some people offered to help him, but most of the others kept themselves from donating towards the noble cause.

10) Spread awareness of environmental concerns. He distributed free pamphlets and books to make the people aware of the impending dangers to the environment and society through the Pingalwara Society.

~ Source: dailysikhupdates.com

The Roman Conclave (meeting of the Cardinals) confirms that “Nanac” (Nanak) went Rome and other Nations. This confirms the Papal Brief of 1518. Leo-X and all the cardinals have a clave (Religious meetings of cardinals). In that clave Leo-X, instructed all the christians to follow the footsteps of Nanac, “Common Father of our race”. He instructed all the christians to thank Nanac for his practical help in Italy and elsewhere in the world. The Catholic Pope underlined Nanac’s starting Liberty of human slavery in Rome. This conclave was printed in 1609. Earlier it was a Roman manuscript.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s visit to Rome, Italy in the year 1520.

The Vatican FINALLY confirms the visit of Il Prima Guru Dei Sikhs, the first Guru of the Sikhs.Ufficio Papa (office of the Pope) confirms about Satguru Nanak Sahib visit to Rome and other towns of Italy (by courtesy of Pope Benedict-12 and his Arch-Bishop, Dom Jose Ronaldo Rebeiro dated Feb 27, 2013). Arch-Bishop Dom Jose Ronaldo of Pope Benedict-XII, speaks about Satguru Nanak Sahib visit to Rome with a musician, in 1518 AD, and Satguru stayed in Mussoleum-F of Old St.Peter’s Basillica. Satguru advocated to Leo-X, (the Pope) “Liberty of Slavery”.He told the Pope that nobody has the right to enslave others.

Almighty Satguru told the worthy Pope that every human being has the same blood in his or her veins. Satguru discussed in detail the “Missionario Humantario (Universal Human Mission). [by courtesy of Ufficio Scavi, Vatican, Rome, dated March 2, 2013]

“Sanctus Nanacus Di Indi, Prima Gorium Di Secta, Avec Musei”,

Meaning thereby, Saint Satguru Nanak Sahib, the First Guru of the Sikhs, with a musician, came to Rome and others towns of Italy in the last week of May, 1520 [by courtesy of the office of Scavi (Ufficio Scavi) Saturday (Sabato), dated March 2, 2013]. Thomas Nelson, US Ambassador to Italy, (1913-19), confirms from Vatican records that Satguru Nanak visited Florence, Gobbio etc.

East India Company of U.K, confirms Ek-Oankar in Gurmukhi Script, on the dome of St. Peter’s Basillica, Vatican.This Co. got this information from “Papel Briefs of June 1518. (ref ” House of Commons Papers, published in 1841, PP 190 & “Christian Disciple”, 1814).

~ Source – Sikhnet

Bhai Gurmej Singh, the well-known blind Ragi from Punjab who also served for nearly three decades at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, is in New Zealand these days.

Bhai Gurmej is highly accomplished in Braille – which is the written language for the blind and is a combination of 6 dots. He has worked tirelessly throughout his life to publish the various Sikh scriptures in Braille – so that blind people can also read and benefit from the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

He translated the Holy Sukhmani Sahib in Braille in the year 1969. In 1975 he completed translation of the verses of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur and by 1979 he completed Guru Amar Das’s verses along with the Nit Nem.

Currently he is working on a project to translate the entire Sri Guru Granth Sahib into Braille. Jagjit Singh, who is the son of Avtar Singh Andrew, a senior community leader and social worker of Auckland, is assisting him in this exemplary task.

Bhai Gurmej Singh was born in Village Bajidpur in Punjab in the year 1940 and at a tender age of 8 years the dreaded disease small pox rendered him blind. A village elder convinced Bhai Gurmej’s father Parsa Singh to send his son to the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar which also operated a wing for blind students and imparted them vocational training in Kirtan, cane weaving and also taught them to read Braille.

~ Source: www.indianweekender.co.nz

Gurtej Singh Sandhu is an Indian inventor in the fields of thin film processes and materials, VLSI and semiconductor device fabrication. He is recognized as all-time fourth most prolific inventor in the world as measured by number of U.S. utility patents. Gurtej Singh has 1,102 U.S. utility patents as of June 14, 2014.

Currently, Gurtej Singh Sandhu is Senior Fellow and Director of Advanced Technology developments at Micron Technology, Inc. In his current role, he manages the Emerging Memory Materials and Advanced Technologies research and development at Micron. He received degree in electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi and a Ph.D. degree in physics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1990.

Dr. Sandhu then joined Micron Technology, where he has been in a number of engineering and management roles responsible for process technology development, pilot manufacturing and transfers to manufacturing.

He has been actively involved with a broad range of process technologies, such as ion implantation, deposition technologies, plasma processing, CMP, Litho and front-end and back-end module integration technologies for IC processing. He has been associated with microelectronics technology for over 20 years and has pioneered a number of process technologies which are currently employed in mainstream semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Moreover, he was involved with introduction of a number of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) based processes and innovative patterning techniques for memory chip technology. Dr. Sandhu has authored over 35 technical papers. Dr. Sandhu is a Fellow of the IEEE.

~ Source: www.micron.com

Have a look at the First Ever Amritdhari Sikh Police Lady Constable in Punjab Police with Dumala as part of her uniform. She joins SGGS senthia class at SGGS Academy Raikot. She sets an inspiration for other Sikhs to proudly carry their attire. An example which surely makes us Proud! Such examples embody the power of positivity, inspiration, strength for other Sikh women. With Guru Inspired Sikhi Saroop you get connected to Sikh Values, a constant reminder of her commitment to her religion. Physical identity impacts how other perceive and treat you, molds how you feel about yourself, and communicates your values to the world. Furthermore, physical identity has a role in developing personal psyche. “Researchers have found that those who have made a strong commitment to an identity tend to be happier and healthier than those who have not. Those with a status of identity diffusion tend to feel out of place in the world and don’t pursue a sense of identity,”.

As a Guru’s Child I want my Sikh women fraternity to be empowered with equality the way Guru Nanak Dev Ji wanted. The steps Sikh Gurus took to advocate the equality of women revolutionized the tradition of Indian society. As women began to partake in social, religious and political affairs, their contribution and worth as equal partners of men became more obvious. The Gurus taught that men and women are equal in the eyes of God, so are equal in rights on the Earth. Gursikh woman Police Officers reflect a true warrior spirit which Sikhism is known for. Their turbans add to their attire of Service to the Nation, to the Society. It’s a moment of Pride to watch Sikh women serving their country without worrying about having to compromise their identity as a Sikh.

Let’s bring back Punjab’s glory & arrest drug abuse, patit-puna, female-foeticide by providing Quality & Value-based educational institutes to doorstep of rural poor. Akal Academies have contributed immensely in creating such ideals for the society who are inculcated with quality education & values of selfless service to the mankind.

We the children, aspire for such a Punjab!

~ Source: Kauregous44.blogspot.com

The historically prosperous state of Punjab, situated in the northwest corner of India, is one of the country’s most fertile regions. Known as the “bread basket of India,” its soil is home to rolling fields of wheat, rice paddies and sugarcane plantations. But trouble lurks in paradise: Punjab suffers from an environmental crisis that is a result of the 1960s Green Revolution that brought mechanized agriculture, genetically modified seeds and chemical fertilizers to Punjab, and has today resulted in poor farming practices, excessive pesticide usage and a shrinking groundwater table.

This sustainability crisis captured the attention of Chris Canales CC ’14 and Angad Singh CC ’16, who filmed an original documentary in rural Punjab during the summer of 2013. Their film, compiled from interviews conducted with rural community members, agriculturists, and academics, provides a comprehensive overview of the crisis, with a focus on rural Punjabi youth, who will inherit the socioeconomic problems their families face due to the crisis: dependence on government subsidies, poor harvests and crippling debt.

Film is a powerful medium to convey the complexity of a multigenerational crisis without pretending that we have the answers

— .
By documenting a little-known crisis that is often overshadowed by larger, global environmental concerns, Sustain Punjab aims to reach an audience far beyond the local communities that the crisis has impacted. And for the sake of the young people of the agricultural communities, who stand to inherit a land besieged by so many problems, Canales and Singh hope that it succeeds in spreading its message.

Film will become a tool to create awareness about Punjab among U.S. audiences. “Our project isn’t just about a film. Our focus is the story of the youth of Punjab and the difficulties they face growing up.

~ Source: www.college.columbia.edu

Manikaran is located in the Parvati Valley along the banks of river Parvati, northeast of Bhuntar in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. It is at an altitude of 1760 m and is located about 40 km from Bhuntar.

According to Sikhs, during third Udasi, Guru Nanak Dev ji came to this place in 1574 Bikrami with his disciples Bhai Bala & Bhai Mardana. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana in Manikaran region and Bhai Mardana felt hungry and they had no food. Guru Nanak sent his good Friend Bhai Mardana to collect food for Langar (the Community Kitchen). Many people donated flour (atta) to make Roti (bread). The one problem was that there was no fire to cook the food. Guru Nanak Asked Mardana to lift a stone and Bhai Mardana then lifted a rock and a hot spring(hot water) appeared. As directed by Guru Nanak Dev ji, Mardana put the rolled chapatis in the spring to his despair the chapatis sank. Guru Nanak then told him to pray to God saying that if his chapatis float back then he would donate one chapati in the name of God. When he prayed all the chapatis started floating duly baked. Guru Nanak Dev Ji said that anyone who donates in the name of God, his or her drowned items float back.

The water of the spring is also supposed to have curative powers & extremely auspicious. The water is so hot that rice for the “Langar” is cooked by putting it into a linen bag and dipping it into the boiling water.

~ Source: http://kullutourism.com/