News & Update

While making the whole world move with their grit and determination, three city residents have been selected for the state-level Disability Day award this year. Amarjit Singh Anand being one of them doesn’t need require any introduction.

This 60-year-old got the inspiration from his daughter who was a Down syndrome child. According to him, he himself doesn’t know as to when from a doting father he became enlighten for other parents. “The biggest problem in our society is that parent of such children do not come in open. They keep their children behind closed doors. Due to this, many children with acute disability goes unnoticed. I am trying hard to identify them and bring all of them to a common platform,” said Singh.

The three were honoured by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in Ludhiana on the National Disability Day.

Source- Tribune

Sign The Petition : www.charge.org/bansikh jokes

For years now, the Sikh community has been ridiculed, insulted, poked fun at, and portrayed as naive idiots, foolish and an object of amusement, all “in good nature.”

While Sikhs are a fun loving community, we DO NOT like when “12 Baje Jokes” or “Santa Banta Jokes” are cracked at our expense. It is not about Sikhs not being able to take a joke, it’s about hurting our religious sentiments.

Bullying is not funny. Nor is making fun of any religion.

A PIL in the Supreme Court is asking for websites specialising in these jokes to be banned. This is our time to take action.

Sign my petition urging the Supreme Court to ban the websites that defame and insult the Sikh community.

The Supreme Court will hear the case soon. If thousands of us sign this petition, we can show it to Honorable Supreme Court of India that racism is not funny.

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib in wednesfield, UK was vandalized by graffiti as an act of offensive with the use of a racial word. The miscreants wrote ‘Paki’ on the wall of the Gurdwara Sahib showing their ignorance and inability to identify who Sikhs are.

The Sikh Youth Project wrote a template letter to spread awareness on the incidents within the local community:

Dear fellow Brit,

Some miscreant has gratified the word ‘Paki’ on the car park wall of a Sikh temple in the West Midlands.

Kindly share this information on social media to help raise awareness on the Sikh place of worship, thanks. Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple)

It will have a Orange flag outside of it, symbolizing its a Sikh place of worship Very often the Gurdwara will have a white dome on top of the building

AND

It will clearly say Gurdwara or Sikh temple on the sign outside. We would like to add that NO place of worship should be a target of ANY kind of attack.

Kind Regards

Hi Friends,

I am Malkit Singh, an England-based Punjabi Bhangra Singer. With the grace of Akal Purakh I was the First Punjabi singer to be honoured with an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

The world danced on the tunes of my famous composition, ‘Gur Naal Ishq Mitha’. We are known for our Punjabi Culture, Bhangra moves and rich heritage.

The racist ridicule and Sikhs being portrayed as an object of amusement often hurt my religious sentiments.

Our history holds evident instances where Sikhs have laid their lives to protect the religious freedom. We are firm believers of ‘Sarbat da Bhala’, which means blessings for all and praying for the well-being of all.

We are known as those 12 o’ clock warriors, who fought at midnight to use the darkness to their advantage. The Nation is obliged to Sikhs for their unparalleled sacrifices!

Humour for CASUAL FUN is a healthy habit but stereotyping the entire community as a community of low intellect just for laughs doesn’t sound like a great idea.

It’s Time for us to take the responsibility that our Future generations should not bear these jokes. The Supreme Court has to act NOW!

[button color=”color” size=”medium” rel=”nofollow” url=”https://www.charge.org/bansikhjokes” icon=”link” iconcolor=”white” ] Sign the Petition NOW! [/button]

S. Karanveer Singh currently a high school senior at Eastern High School, New Jersey has come out with a comprehensive book on issues facing Sikh-American children in schools across America.

The book gives a background about the Sikh Faith, the turban and the history of Sikhs in America. The author did an extraordinary job on a detailed bullying survey to find the current status of bullying among children in the Sikh American community and then interviewing several mental health professionals to get practical solutions in order to mitigate bullying.

The author not only brought out some rarely discussed topics but further suggested many solutions based on his own life and personal experiences which could help not just his peers from within the faith community but for all children who are bullied every day in schools across our country. S. Karanveer Singh needs to be highly commended for taking the initiative on this ground breaking book in order to help others around him so that they can live their lives proudly and not in fear.

Here is what Professor J. W. Whitlow, Jr.(PhD), has to say, “In this examination of the bullying experienced by Sikh-American children, Karanveer Singh has done a masterful job of combining his personal experience with an historical background of the Sikh community and systematic empirical research on bullying. His book is a significant addition to the national discussion of bullying and offers a multi-faceted perspective on bullying that both informs and makes sensible recommendations on ways to reduce it. This is a remarkable work that addresses the bullying experienced by an understudied group.”

The book has just been released and published and you can buy it from Amazon at Bullying Of Sikh American Children

~ Source: http://americansikhcouncil.org/2015/11/28/book-on-bullying-published-by-a-sikh-american-high-school-student/

What can welcome in the spirit of the Holidays than a parade, lighting of Christmas lights and fireworks? And this year marked the first time a float and marchers from the Sikh community in the Metroplex participated in the traditional 66th Annual HEB Thanksgiving Day Parade which wrapped its way through the avenues of Downtown on Thursday, November 26.

The Sikh Martial Arts group, Miri Piri Gatka, organized and led by Gursham Singh stood out with its with outfits and colorful yellow turbans with a blue sash proclaiming the academy’s name; blue side bag across the chest and a yellow waistband. The float was simply decorated in the same colors, the Sikh emblem and had slogans declaring Sikhs of America and faith in one God and Guru Nanak. In front of the float marched young kids from the MPG Academy displaying their martial arts skills and behind them came 75 Sikh men and women from area Gurdwaras in traditional clothing, waving American flags.

Along the route, the Sikh float played religious songs to a Punjabi dhol beat and spoke to the crowd on the sound systems, mingling with them, taking photos, and responding to their cheers. The Gatka team members were dressed in white attire with a yellow dastar and kamar kasa. “This was a great chance to show that Sikhs are part of the mainstream America and that we are equally joyous in the Thanksgiving celebrations,” said Gursharn Singh. “This was a great opportunity to showcase our Sikhi and be part of an American holiday celebration.”

The Gatka kids worked hard to make his a success, Gursharn Singh said, adding that he had made this team up in two months before the Thanksgiving parade. “The gatka kids worked and practiced very hard for the parade and I can say it turned out amazing. They kids never complained about bugs, the freezing weather or anything else during gatka practice. They always came on time and gave it their best during practice and their hardwork paid off.”

~ Source: indoamerican-news.com

Over 2,000 people gathered in Calgary to pay their tributes to a Canadian Sikh MLA who was killed on November 23 while trying to help a stranded driver, media reports said.

Manmeet Bhullar, 35, a former minister in Canada’s Alberta province who at the age of 28 became the youngest Indian-Canadian to get elected as an MLA, was killed in a road accident when he stopped to help a stranded driver on a snow-covered highway between Calgary and Edmonton.
Bhullar was standing outside his vehicle when another passing vehicle lost control and struck the median and hit him.

“Calgary landmarks was lit in navy blue (Bhullar’s favourite colour) in honour of our friend Manmeet Bhullar,” tweeted Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who attended the state memorial service at the Jubilee auditorium along with over 40 other MLAs, according to voice online.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement called Bhullar an “exemplary man who devoted his life, publicly and privately, to helping others”.

Former premier Jim Prentice, who was master of ceremonies, read Trudeau’s statement to the gathering.
Prentice said Bhullar would have had a chuckle and a smile over the outpouring of support and the turnout for his memorial, CBC reported. He praised Bhullar’s generosity and optimism and his “shining belief in the ability of young people to change the world”.

Friends noted that Bhullar was proud to be a Sikh, Indian, Calgarian and Canadian.
Bhullar’s wife Namrita thanked everyone and said: “Not everyone dies a hero… Meetha not only died as one, he lived as one.”

Source- Hindustan Times