News & Update

96 Yr Old Air Marshal Arjan Singh was certainly the show-stopper at the President’s felicitation for 1965 war veterans yesterday. As his name was called and he walked ram-rod straight towards President Pranab Mukherjee to take a salute

Arjan Singh is the only Indian Air Force officer, who was promoted as Five-Star General. As he walk­ed up to the President, with a sti­ck in hand, all pride intact, and offered a salute, the ceremonial hall at Rashtrapati Bhavan broke into loud applause.

As a squadron leader during World War II, Singh was involved in the Arakan Campaign against the Japanese in 1944 for which he received the Distinguished Flying

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Manpreet Kaur sets a new National Record in the Women’s shot put event during the 55th National Open Athletics Championship 2015 in Kolkata, on September 16, 2015.

Manpreet Kaur has little idea how she added a metre to her shot put throw. She doesn’t even remember the mark set in her first national meet eight years ago. All she knows is that if she puts her mind, and broad shoulders, to it, she can do better than her record-breaking 17.96m on the first day of the 55th National Open Athletics Championships on Wednesday.

For now, 17.96 will be a special mark for Manpreet as it made her the second shot putter after Inderjeet Singh to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“It’s no big deal. I threw 18.6m on Monday, so I knew crossing 17.43 is within my reach,” said Manpreet in a matter-of-fact tone, referring to the 18-year-old record set by Harbans Kaur at Mumbai in 1997. That the runner-up in the women’s shot put final — another Manpreet Kaur from ONGC, came up with 15.03m shows how lopsided the event was.

It’s not as if Kaur wasn’t excited at breaking Harbans Kaur’s record. “She works in the same Patiala DCW department of the Railways as me. So that’s exciting,” said Manpreet.

However, she isn’t satisfied yet. Mother of a four-year-old girl, Manpreet’s last international meet was the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. Marriage and pregnancy meant she had to take a three-year sabbatical.

The comeback looks promising. She threw 16.39m at the last national meet, only to better it by 76cm at the inter-Railways meet last month. “I have to throw above 19m to give myself a chance of a medal in the Olympics,” she said. Preparations are in full swing, informed husband and coach Karanjeet Singh.

~ Source: Hindustan Times

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has warned schools must do more to ensure their uniforms respect the needs of Britain’s diverse religious and cultural communities.

The senior Conservative politician says schools should adapt their uniforms to prevent discrimination of pupils from minority races and faiths and avoid breaching equality laws. Her warning comes in the the wake of a religious row which erupted when two schoolgirls were ordered to remove their turbans on the first day of school.

As previously reported St Anne’s Catholic School headteacher Lyn Bourne apologized to the families of Prasimran Kaur, 11, and Simranjot Kaur, 13, when staff told them take off the religious headwear on the first day of term. Both Southampton girls have returned to classes at the Carlton Road school after being granted permission to wear their turbans which their families claim teachers had branded “fashion” items. Representatives from the Sikh Federation UK wrote to the Department of Education following the incident calling for “tough action” to prevent future flashpoints. In a written reply seen by the Echo, Ms Morgan, pictured below, said the girls’ case was a “wholly regrettable incident”.

Referring to the Equality Act 2010 which confirms that schools must be “sensitive” to the needs of different cultures, races, and religions and “act reasonably” in accommodating their needs, she wrote: “Schools are prohibited from discrimination on grounds of race, sex or any other protected characteristic. “This applies to schools’ uniform and other policies as well as to their interactions with pupils and parents.”

But pointing out that Miss Bourne has apologised for the teacher’s actions she said: “Regarding any further action, the department expects schools to take responsibility for and putting in place processes to handle complaints from parents or others, as well for setting, reviewing and if necessary adapting their policies to ensure compliance with the law.

“It is therefore, open to the parents or the Sikh Federation itself to engage directly with the school on this matter, should they or you want to assure yourselves that lessons have been learned , or indeed, to offer advice to the school on this or other aspects of Sikh practice and culture.”

Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the Sikh Federation UK, said: “Governing body at St Anne’s Catholic School and Southampton City Council need to step in to ensure school policies on race and religious discrimination are properly enforced.”

Harmeet Singh Brar, general secretary of the Sikh Council Hampshire said he is working with other faith groups to draw up a list of guidelines for use by Southampton schools.

He said: “I am glad that the Education secretary has got involved. Our guidance will help ensure this doesn’t happen again to anyone of any faith or religion.”

~ Source: Sikh Federation UK

Dear Turban,

I was of age 14 when I was for the first time introduced to you.
I didn’t like you too much that time, You were more of a compulsion than a choice for me.

I thought I looked weird or may be funny with you.
I made many excuses not to be with you initially.

This continued for few years. As time passed, I got more comfortable with you.
By college days, I think I started liking you. I bought more colors and new combinations and then even more colors.

Now I felt higher in spirits and in height , with you. You became a part of my every occasion. Different style in class, different with Bhangra, different with Gatka, different when I was tired in evening and wanted to relax, but you were always there.

Then I came abroad, where people looked at me differently, saw me from a distance and now recognized me from a distance.I could be identified among a million in a second. My presence or absence was felt.

People ask me about you, how many colors do I have, how long, why, what’s the significance etc and I feel so happy telling them.

~ Dharampreet Singh

Amazing story of an Australian that became Sikh and then took Amrit through events that transpired in his life. Based in Adelaide, Devinder Singh has kindly agreed to share his journey since he first came into Sikhism in 2007 and then took Amrit in 2012. Legally changing his name from Donald Harry Goldsmith to Devinder Singh, his life has been completely transformed describing with fondness and passion the reasons that drove him:

“Amrit I believe is very important. It for me was my commitment to waheguru. I feel an unexplained definite connection that has changed my life to be less stressful and significantly more peaceful and happy. Most importantly, it has made me a better more loving human being. I don’t like the word religion, much prefer faith. My dad used to say respect and love. We are put on earth not to see through people but to see people through love.”

“Dad served in World War 2, serving in army medical corps in New Guinea. He had so much respect and love for Sikhs that fought with allied forces describing them as true warriors – compassionate and brave.”

“I was in India in 1984 with my late father when all hell broke out in the streets of India. My Sikh friends got me out of Delhi. From that day, I always loved Sikh people, their caring nature for humanity and strong faith in waheguru. Dad also said I would one day become a Sikh through the experience of wonderful love.”

“In 2007 I had two heart attacks, almost died twice and the first thing I spoke after four days in coma was “waheguru wants me to become Sikh”. I felt I was brought back to life twice and am now so thankful to be in happy health. After the heart attacks I went straight into a turban, because I already had a beard from performing Shakespeare’s Antonio in The Merchant of Venice (that was another life). I wanted to go straight to Amritsar to give my heart and soul to waheguru.”

“I have found the Sikh community in Australia to be generally fantastic. Extremely happy, beautiful people – so pleased with waheguru for showing me this path”

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~ Source: Sikh24.com

More than 300 kilometres from Patna, Dalit settled in villages adopted Sikhism in large numbers.

The special districts of Nyanagr, Khwaspur, Prmanandpur, Manikpur and Mjltta Dalit village there are nearly 200 men and women who have embraced Sikhism.

In particular in Hilhai village there is a Gurdwara Sahib called Takht Sri Akal where hundreds gather every weekend.

Narendra Singh saw it all happen in front of his eyes. He lived for ten years in Punjab stricken with poverty and racial discrimination and he wasn’t accepted by the Khalsa Panth in Punjab.

He then returned to his village and spread what he learned about the Sikh faith in Bihar. To his surprise, the locals accepted the faith introduced to them in the 80s and now they have carried it through to the third generation. A Dalit turned Sikh from Katana Sahib Punjab, Khanna worked here for 35 years and said after he accepted the faith, he was opposed by the locals in Punjab and moved to Bihar.

~ Source: bbc.com