A judge ordered an Oregon man to learn about the Sikh religion and submit a report to the court as part of his sentence for an attack on a Sikh shopkeeper in Salem, a civil rights group said.

Andrew Ramsey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of intimidation and assault in the January 14 incident targeting Harwinder Singh Dodd, the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the US, said in a release.

The Intimidation count is considered a hate crime, it said.

Witnesses said Ramsey pulled on Dodd’s beard after he refused to sell him cigarettes without an ID, punched him and pulled him to the ground. Bystanders restrained Ramsey until police arrived.

Dodd, who came to the US from India and owns the convenience store, noted in a written statement to the court that hate crimes are on the rise in America. The FBI says hate crimes increased by 40 per cent in Oregon from 2016 to 2017.

“He didn’t see me as a person,” Dodd said of Ramsey. “He attacked me because of how I look. Because of my turban and beard — my religious articles of faith.”Police said Ramsey also threw his shoe at Dodd and snatched his turban. Sikh men don’t cut their hair and cover it with a turban for religious reasons.

Marion County Judge Lindsay Partridge ordered Ramsey to attend the annual Sikh parade in June in Salem and report to the court what he learned about the Sikh community and culture, the Statesman Journal newspaper of Salem reported.

“Bigotry is the result of ignorance,” Partridge said. “All of us are able to learn and benefit from cultures in our community.”He also sentenced Ramsey to three years of probation and 180 days in jail, with credit for time served, the newspaper said.

Partridge said mandatory drug, alcohol and mental health treatment was the best option for Ramsey, who has convictions for methamphetamine possession, domestic violence assault and theft.

Ramsey said he has had mental health problems his whole life and was ready to accept help, the newspaper said.

In 2018, members of Salem’s Sikh community joined with other volunteers to aid 124 immigrants — many of them Sikhs — who were sent to a federal prison in nearby Sheridan by the Trump administration.

The Sikh temple in Salem offered the asylum-seekers religious and other services and a place to recover after they were released from months of incarceration.

Courtesy- A wire agency feed

Seva Nu Lagda Meva, Chal Seva Kariye
(Selfless service reaps fruition, so let’s perform selfless service)

Waheguru Waheguru Boliye, Kisay To Naa Dariye
(Let’s recite the name of the true lord and not fear anything else)

As the music of this song echoes through the hallways, not only does it unite the students of the Westborough Gurdwara in Massachusetts, US, but the lyrics also exemplify and spread the true meaning of Seva (Selfless Service). The song is based on the core principles of Sikhism “Sarbat da Bhalla” (the common good of all). However, Bow and Arrow productions took a unique route as they combined a contemporary style of music and storytelling.

At the New England Sikh Study Circle Gurdwara, in Westborough MA, a part of the Khalsa school teaches kids filmmaking as a medium to tell stories of the rich Sikh history and culture. The ultimate goal of the film club, Film Neev, is to spread awareness about Sikh culture and to combat the incorrect stereotypes about Sikhs. Harbaldeep Singh, the founder of the film program stated, “The aim of the film school is to preserve the ethics of Sikh history using music and videos while inspiring the younger generations to the messages of the Sikh faith”. This year, 28 kids have been enrolled for the film program, and they have written and directed five short films (28 kids divided into 5 groups). Each group based their movie off of a specific theme including hate crimes, bullying, gun control, and selfless service.

__________________________________________________________
“Helping the needy, the weak and poor,
Give them blessings, time and more”
______________________________________________

This music video is the title song for the film of the same name “Chal Seva Kariye: Let’s do Selfless Service”. Over the span of many months, the Khalsa School Film team, Bow and Arrow Production came together for the production of the film ‘Chal Seva Kariye’. Not only did the young group of filmmakers produce a film, but the team also executed and put together the making of a music video. The team had an ultimate goal of representing and displaying the significance and celebration of Seva. The music video – being the opening, title tracks of the film – represents and depicts the concept of Seva as a whole.

Many have done Seva with pure devotion Kanaiya,
Bhagat Puran gave love and emotion”
________________________________________

In the film, ‘Chal Seva Kariye’, a group of Khalsa school students come together to help one of their fellow classmates and friend. As a hurricane has made its way down to the state of Florida, the students learn that this devastation has affected the family members of their friend. The young students unite with one another and decide to collect donations for those impacted by the hurricane. Throughout the film, the kids represent the values and ideals of the concepts of Seva in Sikhi. The kids learn that helping those who cannot help themselves is a prominent aspect of Sikhism.

The film will be released Summer 2019.

Please support the film program at Westborough, MA Gurdwara by visiting:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/309309046433160/?fundraiser_source=external_url

For more information please contact:
Harbaldeep Singh
info@filmneev.com

The film will be released in Summer 2019.

Watch the music video of Chal Seva Kariye:

Service rendered with full devotion and without selfish motives is the prerequisite to tread the holy path to realise the Divine within. Guru Amardas, the third Nanak, proclaims that the service rendered according to the instructions of the guru is the supreme meditation and is acceptable at the Divine Portal. Renunciation of the worldly life; meditating and living in austerity in forests, caves and cellars; and torturing the body to accumulate occult powers cannot be compared with the virtues of selfless service. By rendering selfless service, the seeker’s ego is eliminated and the Divine Light becomes resplendent in his mind: Gur sewatapaansirritappusaaru. Hari jeeoumannivass-eiSabhdookhvisaarnh-haar.(423) The divine service is much higher than undergoing all sorts of penances and ascetic disciplines. Due to this, the Divine manifests in the heart of that person, who renders the holy service and thereby gets rid of all the sufferings and miseries of the world.

By rendering selfless service, one becomes humble and mind gets purified and unites with the Divine.

Guru Ramdas, the fourth Master, proclaims that only the service rendered with devotion is accepted at the Divine Portal: Satgurkeesewasafalu h-ei J-aikokar-aichittulaa-e. Mannichind-e-aa phalupaavnhaa Haum-eivich-hujaa-e.(644) Service to the guru is fruitful and rewarding if one performs it with full love and devotion with the mind focused on it. The fruits of the mind’s desires are obtained and egoism departs from within.

A man who does this kind of selfless service attains divine wisdom and salvation by eradicating his ego completely. A householder while leading a normal life, should develop his mental state in such a way that he considers all his relations, including parents, siblings, children and others as God-gifted companions. He should realise that it is his divine duty to serve them. He prays to God to seek His blessings to transform the children into enlightened Sikhs. He considers everything — his business and job — as God’s blessings to render service to Him truthfully, with honest toil. He develops this attitude of service that everything is bestowed upon him by the Divine and it is his duty to fulfil His command. In this way, one is rendering divine service by leading the life of a householder. One renders holy service and gets His blessings to fulfil the desires of his life.

According to the Sikh way of life, three kinds of service are considered important for attaining the divine wisdom: selfless service rendered with wealth, body, and mind. The basic self-service is contributing wealth for the divine cause. By doing so, man imbibes a feeling of detachment from wealth. In other words, he does not accumulate it for worldly pleasures but spends the same for the noble cause of humanity, as destined by the Divine. After his mind gets detached from wealth and material possessions, he gets closer to God. In order to get the divine wisdom, the next service is using the body to render noble service to humanity to create a spiritual atmosphere. Due to these services, the mind becomes strong and always remains in service of the Divine within by reciting His name and motivating others to follow His path. By rendering physical service selflessly, one’s mind rises above bodily comforts, attachments and develops the mental strength to withstand hardships while rendering strenuous service. As a result, his consciousness spontaneously develops devotion, love and an urge to realise the Divine within by getting rid of the five vices — lust, anger, greed, pride and attachment. In this way, one treads the divine path, eradicating the ego completely and is united with the Supreme Being.

Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Master of Sikhs, affirms that only that person realises God, who renders selfless-service. Sewa karat-ho-e nehkaamee.Tisskaouhoatpraapatisuaamee. (286) While rendering service, one should develop the feeling that it is being done with the blessings of the Divine. In this way, he fully submits to the Divine to render selfless service which leads him to realise the Divine within.

Follow Baba Iqbal Singh at speakingtree.in

OMG! I am totally shocked!!

This is insane – Most of us are VITAMIN-D DEFICIENT????
I never knew the KILLER WAS IN MY HOME!

Thank God, this video opened my eyes!

Let the knowledge spread!

A new Epidemic has silently enveloped our lives
This is quite a controversial subject. Watch on and decide for yourself.

It is estimated that 80 % of urban Indian population
is deficient in Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) in the country.

Recent reports suggest “8 out of 10 people in Delhi suffer from vitamin D deficiency”

The strongest probable cause is RO Water
Yes! RO Water

A WHO Report reveals disturbing facts
In HEALTH RISKS FROM DRINKING DEMINERALISED WATER By Frantisek Kozisek, National Institute of Public Health Czech Republic

WHO says “In search for clean drinking water, we remove many essential minerals from water” RO Water actually causes health problems

WHO also released a report, after analysing hundreds of scientific studies stating that RO water “has a definite adverse influence on the animal and human organism.”

A similar study was published in Medical Journal Armed Forces India
Demineralization of drinking water: Is it prudent? by Col. K.C. Verma and Lt Col. A.S. Kushwaha

Czech and Slovak health regulators were aghast when health complaints of acute magnesium and calcium deficiency were reported within weeks of RO Water being used in home-taps in 2000

RO Water is mineral hungry
RO Water wants to bond to everything, and it will take the minerals where it can — like in your food & body When it is consumed it extracts minerals from your body
Calcium (Vitamin-D) and Magnesium (the Calming mineral) get removed from your body
by RO Water

Scientists further studied that “this mineral loss was not compensated by our diets……RO water was responsible for an increased elimination of minerals from the body.”
Consumption of RO water leads to the dilution of the electrolytes dissolved in the body water.

The minerals being consumed in food and vitamins by you, are being urinated away

Deficiency in Calcium leads to
Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Depression, Mood Swings, Irritability
Bone Loss, Hair Loss,

Deficiency in Magnesium leads to
Diabetes, Fatigue, Cramps, Insomnia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and osteoporosis.

A number of scientific studies are published on this:
RO Water may be associated with higher risk of fracture in children
(Verd Vallespir et al. 1992),
Can cause Depression & certain neurodegenerative diseases (Jacqmin et al. 1994),
Pre-term birth and low weight at birth (Yang et al. 2002)
Some types of cancer (Yang et al. 1997; Yang et al. 1998).
In addition to an increased risk of sudden death (Eisenberg 1992; Bernardi et al. 1995; Garzon and Eisenberg 1998),
Intake of RO water seems to be associated with a higher risk of motor neuronal disease (Iwami et al. 1994),
pregnancy disorders (so-called preeclampsia) (Melles & Kiss 1992)

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that RO water may be a risk factor for
Hypertension, Depression, coronary heart disease, gastric and duodenal ulcers
chronic gastritis, goitre, pregnancy complications and several complications in newborns and infants, including jaundice, anemia, fractures and growth disorders.

Our ancestors used to feed on water
Now, RO Water feeds on us

Time to wake-up
RO Water with 50-100 TDS is bad for health

Please consume Water with 300 to 400 TDS only

or adjust your RO Water Machine to provide water with 300-400 TDS

Issued in Public Interest

Fauja Singh was born to a peasant Sikh family in Punjab, India, in 1911. His legs were so weak that he couldn’t walk until the age of five, and they were so thin that kids in his village teased him by calling him danda, or stick.

Fauja couldn’t walk all the way to their nearby school, but as he got older and stronger, he began toiling on the family’s farm beside his father. He never learned to read because he didn’t go to school, and even now, at the age of 108, he still has not learned to read.

Singh eventually got married and took on a farm of his own. He taught his own children to farm as well. He loved his family and was close with every single member, and so after the deaths of his wife, son, and elder daughter, Fauja sank into depression and struggled for some time with his emotional health.

After moving to England to live with his son, Fauja Singh found himself without much of a social life. He would pass the days sitting in the living room, watching television. Then, one day, he saw the London Marathon and felt inspired.

So Fauja Singh began his running career at the ripe age of 81. By the time he was 88, he was training with a seasoned runner and coach, Harmander Singh, and just a few years later caught the world’s attention when, at the age of 89, he shattered the previous world marathon record in his age bracket by an astonishing 58 minutes.

He is the only person in human history known to have run a marathon after turning 100 years old. He even ran one after his 101st birthday.

This month, Singh turned 108, and though he has been retired since 2012, he still holds all the age-related world records, from the 100 meters to the marathon for men over 100, many of which are so remarkable that experts believe they will stand for a long time.

Though he stopped making ceremonial appearances at major races after he turned 104, this running celebrity still walks about five miles a day around the London neighborhoods where he lives, visiting different Sikh places of worship (gurdwaras), both for worship and camaraderie. Walking remains his preferred mode of transportation, though admittedly he still harbors a love for racing motorcycles.

For Singh, running became his saving grace. For the rest of us, his running career traverses key issues like classism, racism, literacy bias, ableism and ageism.

I am one of many whose lives Singh changed entirely. I first learned about him while watching an Adidas television commercial. I was 20 years old and passionate about sports but had never seen a turbaned Sikh (like me) featured alongside legends like Muhammad Ali and David Beckham.

I not only began following Singh’s career, I began running long distance like him. The day he became the first 100-year-old to complete a marathon, I decided it was time to let go of all my excuses and sign up for my first.

Later that fall, I ran in the New York City Marathon, the world’s largest, along with nearly 50,000 other runners.

Exhausting and grueling and painful, running a complete marathon was one of the most moving things I had ever experienced. Crossing the finish line after months of training made me feel like I could accomplish anything to which I put my mind. I signed up for my next marathon almost immediately, and I’ve averaged a marathon and a handful of half-marathons every year since.

My New York marathon run is especially meaningful to me because, in the post-9/11 backlash that led to the targeting of Sikhs, Muslims, Arabs and South Asians, Fauja Singh registered for the New York City Marathon as a way to create awareness about the Sikh community. Perhaps predictably, he suffered racist abuse from spectators while running the marathon that year.

This is typical of how Fauja Singh has used his celebrity for good. He has become an advocate for health and wellness, encouraging people of all ages to exercise, eat healthy and treat the world and all creation with respect. He supported People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in campaigns to support vegetarian diets, and he has spoken repeatedly about the key to a long life being balanced, nutritious eating. He refuses to accumulate personal wealth from his sponsorships, insisting instead that all sponsorship money be donated for charity.

In his more than 100 years on this earth, Fauja Singh has accomplished the implausible, time and time again, with persistence, dignity, grace and an attitude of service. And he’s done it with such courage and grace that he’s touched thousands of lives around the world along the way.

So here’s to a happy 108th birthday to you, Fauja Singh. And best wishes for many, many more years of happiness.

-Simranjeet Singh

Source- Religionnews.com

(Simran Jeet Singh’s children’s book on the life of Fauja Singh will be published next spring by Kokila (Penguin) and is illustrated by Baljinder Kaur.)

Best out of waste was organized at Akal Academy, #FathegarhGunduan