News & Update

Indian American sisters Balreet and Jasleen Kaur Khaira are the California Air National Guard’s secret weapons when it came to India. Staff Sgt. Balreet Kaur Khaira and Sgt. Jasleen Kaur Khaira were part of a 12-soldier Cal Guard contingent at exercise Yudh Abhyas 2014, which took place Sept. 17-30 at Ranikhet Cantonment, India.

The Kaur sisters served on the staff for the exercise, but also acted as interpreters and cultural liaisons helping U.S. and Indian soldiers overcome language barriers and find common ground.

The annual Yudh Abhyas exercise is sponsored by the U.S. Army Pacific Command. Each year, it alternates between India and the United States. The exercise has a goal of increasing interoperability between the armies of the world’s two largest democracies. A big part of the exercise each year involves cultural exchanges intended to increase understanding between soldiers from two very different nations with different cultural backgrounds and military traditions.

The sisters were exceptional, model NCOs for the California National Guard,” said Col. Steven Buethe, the officer in charge of the Cal Guard contingent. “They exuded a positive image all the way around.”

“The Kaur sisters have been a living symbol of the strong bonds between India and the United States and a bridge between the U.S. and Indian armies,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth Koop, who was responsible for assembling the Cal Guard team. “They are proud of both their ancestral homeland and their adopted homeland, and have worked tirelessly to help soldiers from both countries understand each other and grow towards mutual understanding and interoperability.”

Balreet Kaur enlisted in the California Army National Guard at 17. She said she wanted the challenge and experience of being an Army medic, which she felt would be an advantage later on in a civilian medical career. During her military career, she deployed to Iraq, while also managing to complete a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Riverside. Her long-term goal is to enter medical school and become a physician. She serves as a platoon sergeant for C Company, 40th Brigade Support Battalion, out of Montebello, California.

Jasleen Kaur followed in her sister’s footsteps and enlisted in the Cal Guard as a medic while a student at U.C. Riverside. Currently, she serves as a squad leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion, out of Manhattan Beach, California. On the civilian side, she was recently hired as a registered nurse at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and is studying to be a nurse practitioner.

“The Indian soldiers obviously love it that we’re Indian and in the U.S. Army,” Sgt. Jasleen Kaur Khaira said. “I think the biggest thing the Indian Army has learned from us is that we don’t just move to America and lose our roots. America is very diverse and you have all these populations that do keep their culture while still being part of the larger American culture. You can do both. You don’t have to get rid of one to participate in the other.”

~ Source: www.facebook.com/FaujiWifesDiary/

Stout Sardars walkout slowly, fighting tears. Punjabi women — young and elderly — have water streaming down the eyes. The teenagers were wide-eyed

This scene is playing out daily at city theatres for the last several days. All of them have just watched the 3D animation ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’, which depicts the sacrifice of the four sons of the last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in the Battle of Chamkaur against Wazir Khan, a vassal of Aurungzeb.

In Kolkata, Inox is still running a show at Forum, Elgin Road, while block bookings have kept the multiplex authorities busy at Hind, Quest, Swabhumi and South City. PVR had a two-week run with the film and are open to screen it on demand. Single screen theatres like Menoka had earlier been block-booked.

Surjeet Singh, a management student, recalled how he had grown up trying to visualize the Battle of Chamkaur. “It has left an indelible mark in my mind. Many of my friends feel the same. When we finally had the visual experience, it made us even more interested in the Sikh past. I think it’s time I revisit the history pages,” he said.

Amrita Kaur, a CA from Bhowanipore, described how emotional the experience had been for her. “All of us were in tears. The young princes were no less than superheroes. I’m ready to watch it again and again.”

Surinder Singh of Surinder films is one of the major backers of the film. “Our religion prohibits anyone playing the role of the Guru. That’s why it is in animation. The producers have been brave to do this. It’s a rare movie on Sikh history and a well-made one. I had tears in my eyes,” he told TOI.

So while Surjit Singh Batra and Tejender Singh Walia of the Bara Sikh Sangat sat riveted, youngsters like Amanbir Singh Makhni, an event manager and Class-XII student Meherpreet Kaur Soni compared their childhood history lessons and had flashbacks.

Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, the general secretary of Behala Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, was instrumental in the film’s release. He said: “Our heroes lived for real, fought for real and had no super powers except for unflinching courage and devotion”.

Subhasis Ganguli, Inox regional director, said: “When we had a sellout week, we had a proper release. Then the block bookings started.”

Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR Pictures, said: “Kolkata being a hub of intellect was open to the film and we received a great response.”

Source – Times of India

Sydney based Swamy Army, the widest reaching Indian sports fan club in the world, paid respect to Phillip Hughes by bidding him farewell in their tradition way of “Antim Ardas”. Antim Ardas is the prayer recited during the final rites of a Sikh person. It forms the conclusion part of the rituals held during a cremation. It provides spiritual support and consolation to the family members of the deceased person and blessings for the departed soul are prayed upon.

On Sunday, 7th December, a group of Sikhs performed Gurbani Kirtan followed by Antim Ardas(Last Prayer) to pay their respect and bid farewell to Australian Cricketer who recently died of head Injury.

In Sikhism death is considered a natural process; an absolute certainty – an event that will happen sooner or later – an event that is guaranteed to take place; and only happens when the Almighty commands and never otherwise – as a direct result of God’s Will or Hukam. To a Sikh, birth and death are closely associated, because they are both part of the cycle of human life of “coming and going” which is seen as transient stage towards Liberation, complete unity with God. Sikhs thus believe in reincarnation.

~ Source: Wow News – Youtube

Jagjit Singh was sworn into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a reserves officer. He is the first Sikh ever to be sworn into the department with full beard and turban. He is one of the most professionally trained and duly sworn law enforcement personnel.

An electrical engineer by profession, Mr. Singh represents a large community of Sikhs worldwide, including the Sikh community in Los Angeles County who are very supportive and involved in their communities.

Members of the Los Angeles area Sikh community looked on with pride, as Jagjit Singh pioneered the way for Sikhs in California and across the nation, to begin serving in law enforcement agencies.

Jagjit’s graduation is the result of about a year and a half of hard work by a four-member committee of the California Sikh Council and top brass from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. It welcomes the beginning of a new realm of opportunity for Sikhs to serve the community.

This is the first time in the history of the Sikh community in America that Sikhs have been invited to serve in law enforcement and for that we owe a great deal to the true sense of openness, equality and community service of Sheriff Leroy D. Baca.

Mr. Singh joined one of the largest Reserve Programs in California. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs represent expertise and experience in a variety of professions helping to augment the many facets of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“Sikhs are warriors. We always have volunteered ourselves into law enforcement, Army, anything you can think of,” said Jagjit Singh, an observant Sikh and a reserve deputy sheriff in Los Angeles County who says he fought for the right to wear articles of faith on the job.

Like & Share to the Sikhs are who are WARRIORS in a true sense!

~ Source: Facebook.com

The Nanakshahi calendar is a tropical solar calendar that determines the dates for important Sikh events. The epoch of this calendar is the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Nanak Dev in 1469.

Some of its salient features include, it is a solar calendar – based on the time it takes for the earth to rotate around the sun.

It is scientifically design and keeps in precise tune with the sun’s position; seasons do not slip from year to year. It is based on Gurbani – Months taken directly from Guru Granth sahib. The year length is same as Western calendar (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 45 seconds)

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Prof Panditrao Dharennavar visited Dera Sacha Sauda and wrote a letter to Ram Rahim Singh in which he asked Dera to teach Punjabi rather than giving illegal training to youth.

High Court recently observed that the illegal activities going on in the Dera. Panditrao himself visited nearby villages and taught Punjabi to children and convinced people to follow Sri Guru Granth Saheb, Sri Bhagavad Geeta, Holy Bible, Kuran Sharif. Panditrao urges people to follow the philosophy of Sri Guru Granth Saheb, Sri Bhagwad Geeta, Holy Bible, Holy Quran, instead of falling into the preys of Deras. He tried to convince people and corrects their framework of mindset. His efforts in educating minds are commendable!

Prof Panditrao’s Never Ending Faith in Sikhism makes travel places to quit Dera in the name of spirituality and surrender yourself solely to the holy texts. We salute his contribution in transforming young minds with his highly impressionable views and take on following the correct spiritual path.

Like & Spread the message of this noble endeavour!

~ Tapasleen kaur
~ New Delhi, 8th Dec ’14