News & Update

PATIALA: Sikh string instruments and Punjabi language have found yet another taker in the United States. Within a year of launching of online study centre in Gurmat Sangeet (Sikh religious music) by Punjabi university, Patiala, two US schools have registered themselves with the varsity to provide elementary and PG diploma courses in Gurmat Sangeet and Gurmukhi (Punjabi script) to students in the US.

One such school, Sikh Garden State, Bridgewater, New Jersey, has already enrolled 53 students for these courses and the second one, The Sikh Centre of the Gulf Coast Area, Inc, Houston, registered itself with the varsity this week.

Gurmat Gyan Online Study Centre of Punjabi University is coordinating with these schools. Gurnam Singh, founder professor and head, Gurmat Sangeet chair, department of Gurmat Sangeet, said the aim was to apprise the second and the third generations of Punjabis settled in the US of Sikh music, Punjabi language and culture.
“Although both the schools are open for admission to kids of every religion and race, so far only Punjabi students are getting training in these schools,” he added.

He said this was the first of its kind initiative taken by any university to promote Sikh music and studies in United States.

“The schools have committed that they would enroll six students in each course, which would be of one to two semesters’ duration. Classes and examinations of the students would be conducted online by Punjabi University staff sitting on Patiala campus,” he said.

The programme would be completely online and students would be trained through the medium of audio-visual. The schools in the US would enroll students, organize weekly classes and help Punjabi University to conduct examination.

~ Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Tejinder – the name that means divine energy. He was recognized by Sant Kartar Singh Ji Kamaliye Wale, who, when held twenty-one day old Tejinder, had said, “Who will face his aura?” Little did I know what he meant by that. Being a young mother, I thought, I will feed him, play with him, walk him to school, bring him home, and feed him again.

My husband and I moved to the United States when Tejinder was almost three years old. He spoke Punjabi but no English. Within three months, he unlearned Punjabi and became proficient in English. In school, he was the boy with long hair, teased and harassed by his peers. He had to explain to his teachers and peers what his long hair meant. Sometimes people understood, sometimes they didn’t. Although very trying at times, his Sikh identity kept him focused and away from the many evils that stalk our youth.

We had always told him that he was representing the whole Sikh community, that all Sikhs will be judged by whatever he will do (a tremendous pressure on a young child). He stayed away from any experiments that could have harmed him or distracted him from the path of excellence. In college he was the designated driver for his friends.

He was also a strong willed, argumentative and laid back young boy. He did not believe in studying, because he ‘knew everything’. When I got frustrated, all I could do was yell at him, “I hope you have a son like yourself.” We tried to keep him as busy as possible in activities.

It literally takes a village to raise such a child. Tejinder was supported and loved by the community. Meetpaul Singh and Sameer Singh of Berkeley University started a Big Brother Big Sister Initiative to support young Sikhs. They gave him an avenue to voice his concerns in a protected manner and offered ideas on how to respond to situations in school. Khalsa School San Jose became a strong component of his weekends. It offered him opportunities to learn Punjabi, Sikhi, Gurbani, Kirtan and public speaking though participating in Sri Hemkunt Foundation Symposia. He met other Sikh boys there and realized that he wasn’t alone. Tejinder’s grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins from both sides of the family showered him with love. His teachers challenged him to reach his potential. His mentors and bosses gave him guidance and support to excel in college and his career. His friends made sure that he got into trouble, but never so much trouble that he couldn’t get out, which is probably how he learned a lot of the best lessons in life. And so many other members of the community have cared for him and hoped and prayed for his successes.
He became the first Sikh boy with long hair to attend and graduate from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA. They had to change their facial hair policy of 150 years to accommodate the growing beard and mustache on Tejinder’s teen face. They prepared him well to receive a full ride scholarship into Berkeley’s debate team.

The Journey of the Boy with Long Hair to the Supreme Court of the United States of AmericaHis father, Dr. Gurinder Pal Singh always insisted on excellence in everything he did. This did make him afraid of failures and he probably stayed out of many activities like sports, just because he felt he wasn’t excellent in them.
Tejinder had a highly competitive spirit which helped him excel as a debater in high school and college. He and his debate partner Dan Shalmon won the Copeland Award for being the best team in the nation. When Tejinder was studying for LSAT, his father asked him what score he hopes to get on the test. Tejinder quoted a random number. His father seized the opportunity and inquired, “Why not 100%?” Tejinder looked at him as if it was a challenge he was willing to accept. He studied and received full score in LSAT.
Tejinder received admission in many prestigious law schools, including full scholarships to a few. We convinced him to go to Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he met his future boss, who was a Supreme Court attorney. Now Tejinder works with him in Washington DC in his law firm that works on Supreme Court cases.

On April 28th,2014, Tejinder made his first oral argument in front of the nine Supreme Court Justices. It was an incredible feeling to watch a turbaned lawyer so handsome, so confident and so amazingly powerful in his speech. I, his father, his sister Lilly, and his wife Anna were there as a family and as proud members of the Sikh community. History was made- Tejinder Singh is the first Sikh and turbaned lawyer to have argued a case in the Supreme Court of the United States of America. As a child, he always thought he knew everything . . . well, I guess some things never change. He does!
Tejinder also met his sweetheart Anna at Harvard. They now have a son-who is just like his daddy. Has my wish come true? Yes, it has! It was a beautiful wish from a mother’s heart.

Source – www.sikhfoundation.org

Banda’s original name was Lachhman Dev. He was born in Kartik 1727 Bikrami Samvat, October-November 1670, four years after the birth of Guru Gobind singh. He belonged either to Kashmir or Punjab. He was a Rajput cultivator. By the time he was just turned 20, his astonishing mind was set on its task. He had a reputation of being a great hunter. One day he killed a doe which immediately delivered itself of two cubs which expired in his presence. The sight shocked him. He renounced worldly life and became a bairagi sadhu or a wandering hermit and ultimately settled at Nander on the banks of river Godavari in Maharashtra. He won great fame as a sorcerer under the name of Madhodas and commanded thousands of followers.

Guru Gobind Singh went to his hermitage. Madhodas was away. The Guru ordered his disciples to kill a few goats of the Bairagi and cook meat there and then. The matter was reported to Bairagi. The Guru asked him who he was. Madhodas replied, he was Banda or Guru’s slave. The Guru inquired, if he knew whom he was talking to. He said he was none other than Guru Gobind Singh. At that time Banda was 38 years old and Guru ji 42. The Guru encouraged him to give up his present way of living and resume the duties of a real Rajput. In few days the Guru held a durbar, conferred the title of Banda Bahadur on him and appointed him his military lieutenant to punish the Governor of Sarhind who had killed his two youngest sons, and was mainly responsible for the death of his two elder sons, his mother and thousands of Sikhs and Hindus. He was given a council of advisers of Five Sikhs who on their arrival in Punjab were to assure the Sikhs that Banda was Guru’s nominee and deputy to organize them in order to lead an expedition against Sarhind.

At a durbar held at Nander about the middle of September 1708, the Guru conferred the title of Bahadur on Banda and invested him with full political and military authority as his deputy to carry on the national struggle in the Punjab and to punish Wazir Khan of Sarhind and his supporters. He was supplied with a standard arrow and a drum as symbols of temporal authority. He was given an advisory council of five devoted Khalsa: Baj Singh, a descendant of the family of third Guru, Amar Das, his brother Ram Singh, Binod singh, who descended from Guru Angad Dev second Guru, his son Kahan singh and Fateh Singh. Twenty five soldiers were given to him as his bodyguard. A prescript called Hukumnamah or a letter of authority in the handwriting of the Guru instructing Sikhs to join Banda Bahadur in his national war against Mughal tyranny was provided. As an insignia of his temporal authority invested in him, Guru gave Banda Bahadur his own sword, green bow and Five arrows from his quiver. Three hundred Sikh cavaliers in battle array accompanied Banda to a distance of eight kilometers to give him final send off.

Torture and execution of Banda Bahadur by Mughals

Banda Singh’s rule, though short-lived, had a far-reaching impact on the history of the Punjab. With it began the decay of Mughal authority and the demolition of the feudal system of society it had created. Banda Singh increasing influence roused the ire of the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, who journeyed northwards from Deccan to punish Sikhs. Instructions were issued to the governors of Delhi and Oudh and other Mughal officers to march towards Punjab. Prohibitory laws against Sikhs were passed. Fearing that some Sikhs might not have smuggled themselves into the royal camp disguised as Hindus, Bahadur Shah ordered all Hindus employed of imperial forces to shave off their beards. Emperor Bahadur Shah’s order, issued on December 10, 1710 was a general warrant for the faujdars to “kill the worshippers of Nanak, i.e. Sikhs, wherever they are found. (Nanak Prastan ra Har ja kih bayaband baqatl rasanand)” Banda was chased out of Every corner of Punjab and he took refuge in the Shivalik hills.

He got married to daughter of one of the hill chiefs and it was few years before Mughals could trace him down . He again started his campaigns against Mughals and came out of hills to the plains of Punjab. But was overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Mughal forces. As reported to emperor Bahadur Shah on April 28th 1711, (Akhbarat-i-darbar-i-mualla) , “The wretched Nanak-worshipper (Banda Singh) had his camp in the town of Kalanaur (District Gurdaspur). He has promised and proclaimed: “I do not oppress the Muslims.” Any muslim who approaches him, he fixes a daily allowance and wage, and looks after him. He has permitted them to recite khutba and namaz. As such five thousand Muslim have gathered round him. siege_Picture

The massive imperial force drove the Sikhs from Sirhind and other places to take shelter in the fort of Lohgarh in the hilly region. “It is impossible for me,” says Khafi Khan a muslim historian of that time, “to describe the fight which followed. The Sikhs in ther faqir’s dress struck terror into the hearts of the royal troops. The number of casualties among the latter was so large that for a time it appeared as if they were going to lose.”

Further reinforcements arrived and sixty thousand horse and foot closely invested Banda’s hill retreat. For want of provisions, Sikhs were reduced to rigorous straits. They killed their horses for food, and when they could stand up to the enemy no longer, they made desperate nightly sally to escape into the hills of Nahan. Banda was far from vanquished. A hukamnamah, issued by him to his followers within a fortnight of his leaving the fort of Lohgarh, showed the spirit which swayed the Sikhs during those arduous times. The following is an English version of Banda Singh’s letter.

Deg O Teg O Fateh o nusrat bedirang
Yaft Az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh

The kettle and the sword (Symbols of charity and power), victory and blessing have been obtained from Guru Nanak-Gobind Singh. God is one! Victory to the Presence!! This is the order of Sri Sachcha Sahib (The great master) to the entire Khalsa. The Guru will protect you. Call upon the Guru’s name. Your lives will be fruitful!. You are the Khalsa of the great immortal God. On seeing this letter, repair to the presence, wearing five arms. Observe the rules of conduct laid down for the Khalsa. Do not use Bhang, tobocco, Poppy, wine, or any other intoxicant…Commit no theft or adultery. We have brought Satyug (the golden age) Love one another. This is my wish. He who lives according to the rules of Khalsa shall be saved by the Guru.

Torture and execution of Banda Bahadur by Mughals

Banda Singh’s rule, though short-lived, had a far-reaching impact on the history of the Punjab. With it began the decay of Mughal authority and the demolition of the feudal system of society it had created. Banda Singh increasing influence roused the ire of the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, who journeyed northwards from Deccan to punish Sikhs. Instructions were issued to the governors of Delhi and Oudh and other Mughal officers to march towards Punjab. Prohibitory laws against Sikhs were passed. Fearing that some Sikhs might not have smuggled themselves into the royal camp disguised as Hindus, Bahadur Shah ordered all Hindus employed of imperial forces to shave off their beards. Emperor Bahadur Shah’s order, issued on December 10, 1710 was a general warrant for the faujdars to “kill the worshippers of Nanak, i.e. Sikhs, wherever they are found. (Nanak Prastan ra Har ja kih bayaband baqatl rasanand)” Banda was chased out of Every corner of Punjab and he took refuge in the Shivalik hills.

He got married to daughter of one of the hill chiefs and it was few years before Mughals could trace him down . He again started his campaigns against Mughals and came out of hills to the plains of Punjab. But was overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Mughal forces. As reported to emperor Bahadur Shah on April 28th 1711, (Akhbarat-i-darbar-i-mualla) , “The wretched Nanak-worshipper (Banda Singh) had his camp in the town of Kalanaur (District Gurdaspur). He has promised and proclaimed: “I do not oppress the Muslims.” Any muslim who approaches him, he fixes a daily allowance and wage, and looks after him. He has permitted them to recite khutba and namaz. As such five thousand Muslim have gathered round him. siege_Picture

The massive imperial force drove the Sikhs from Sirhind and other places to take shelter in the fort of Lohgarh in the hilly region. “It is impossible for me,” says Khafi Khan a muslim historian of that time, “to describe the fight which followed. The Sikhs in ther faqir’s dress struck terror into the hearts of the royal troops. The number of casualties among the latter was so large that for a time it appeared as if they were going to lose.”

Further reinforcements arrived and sixty thousand horse and foot closely invested Banda’s hill retreat. For want of provisions, Sikhs were reduced to rigorous straits. They killed their horses for food, and when they could stand up to the enemy no longer, they made desperate nightly sally to escape into the hills of Nahan. Banda was far from vanquished. A hukamnamah, issued by him to his followers within a fortnight of his leaving the fort of Lohgarh, showed the spirit which swayed the Sikhs during those arduous times. The following is an English version of Banda Singh’s letter.

Deg O Teg O Fateh o nusrat bedirang
Yaft Az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh

The kettle and the sword (Symbols of charity and power), victory and blessing have been obtained from Guru Nanak-Gobind Singh. God is one! Victory to the Presence!! This is the order of Sri Sachcha Sahib (The great master) to the entire Khalsa. The Guru will protect you. Call upon the Guru’s name. Your lives will be fruitful!. You are the Khalsa of the great immortal God. On seeing this letter, repair to the presence, wearing five arms. Observe the rules of conduct laid down for the Khalsa. Do not use Bhang, tobocco, Poppy, wine, or any other intoxicant…Commit no theft or adultery. We have brought Satyug (the golden age) Love one another. This is my wish. He who lives according to the rules of Khalsa shall be saved by the Guru.

On June 9th , came the turn of Banda Singh. Harshest torments had been reserved for him. His eyes were pulled out and his hands and feet chopped off. His flesh was torn with red hot pincers. The end came, mercifully for him with the executioner’s axe falling on his neck. With his end Sikhism did not die on the contrary Sikhism came out strong and the torch of Banda Singh Bahadur was carried with new Warriors like Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, Sardar Budh Singh, Sardar Charat Singh, Baba Deep Singh ji Shaheed, Sardar Jassa Singh ji Ahluwalia, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Hari singh Bhangi, etc.

Manas ki jaal sabhai ekai pehchaanbo is the Guru Gobind Singh’s message. which emphatically states “men may call themselves Hindus, Muslims, Emams and Shaffies, but I see them all belonging to one race mankind.” Guru Gobind Singh had given Banda specific orders to punish those who had persecuted good saints like Pir Budhu Shah. He had not mentioned any revenge on those who had executed his own young boys at Sirhind. Hc had expected Bahadur Shah to fulfil his promise to punish those who had committed atrocitics on good men, but had parted company from the Emperor completely disappointed. Banda Singh was then taught to bring to reality the Guru’s own dream!

Source – http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/warriors/banda.html

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Review By – Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed

It all started in and around Rawalpindi…

It has been a sheer pleasure to read the autobiography of Kailash Puri, written largely in Punjabi and rendered into very readable English by Professor Emeritus Eleanor Nesbitt. We learn that Kailash was born in Arya Mohalla, Rawalpindi, just next to Gordon College. Being the fifth daughter in a family of Khatri Sikhs who longed for a son, her parents ironically named her Veerawali (sister of brothers)! She adopted her penname, Kailash, later in life when she began writing. The Puris, like millions of other refugees, had to run for their lives at the time of partition in 1947 and to begin life again from scratch in India. It so happens that one of my current students at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Nimra Zulfiqar’s family shifted to Arya Mohalla from Ludhiana and Jullundur in 1947. So, the partition saga continues to bring forth strange coincidences, connections and associations.

Although born in Rawalpindi, Kailash always felt that her roots were in the ancestral village of Kallar (now called Kallar Syedan) some 25 miles from the city. I visited Kallar in December 2004 for fieldwork on my Punjab book. In 1947, it escaped largely unscathed raids by Muslim mobs because the Sikhs and Hindus could find refuge in the large fortress-like building of the direct descendants of Guru Nanak, the Babas or Bedis. However, the Sikh and Hindu inhabitants of the nearby village of Thamali were almost wiped out.

Chapters one to five tell the story of the first phase of her life. Her father, Sohan Singh Puri, was a businessman. He built a home in Lahore as well and so the family stayed in both Rawalpindi and in Dharampura, Lahore. Like Parkash Tandon’s Punjabi Century, the portrayal of the social and cultural life of the old Punjab is done with great skill and absolute honesty. Although a believing Sikh, she deftly lays bare the dead weight of traditional life permeated by superstitions. A Puri boy, Gopal, a talented scientist, saw her, found her pretty and wanted to marry her. It was a proposal that contravened the rules of consanguinity applicable to Hindu and Sikh marriage because Kailash and Gopal belonged to the same ‘Puri Gotra’ (clan) within the Khatri caste. Intrigues and jealousies came into play and typically a villain reminiscent of Kado Langa of Heer fame, a close relative, Sunder Singh, tried his best to subvert the match but Gopal’s resolve prevailed and her parents agreed to the marriage.

Gopal Singh Puri secured a scholarship to do a second PhD in London in 1945 (presumably after the war). Kailash joined him later. They lived on a tight budget in a small room in very austere conditions but the English landlord and landlady proved to be extremely kind and considerate. Also, the shopkeepers and other English people they met were courteous and sympathetic. Their first child, Shaminder, was born in London in October 1947. Later, two girls Kiren (1950) and Risham (1956) were also born.

The Puris returned to India in 1948. Kailash’s parents had settled in Dehra Dun, where after some struggle Gopal found a job as forest ecologist and technical secretary to the Indian Council of Ecological Research at Dehra Dun. Intrigues and plots hatched by jealous colleagues and superiors made life difficult. When an opportunity arose, Gopal accepted a posting in Pune, Maharashtra. Here Kailash began her writing career — first as a columnist on cookery. Encouraged by Gurbaksh Singh, the editor of Preetlari (once a favourite of pre-partition Punjab leftists), she launched the first Punjabi language magazine for women.

The family went to Africa in 1961 where Gopal taught at Nigerian and Ghanian universities. The author once again impresses the reader with vivid and frank depictions of political, social and cultural life in West Africa. The presentations are done with sympathy and genuine curiosity to learn and understand. We learn that African women are quite enterprising and even those from the elite try to make an income by selling petty goods.

The last part of the book tells the story of the Puris arriving in the UK around 1966. An uphill task of finding work in a very different UK begins. By that time, thousands of people from the Indian subcontinent, mostly Punjabi Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, were already there. The culture clashes and shocks experienced by the host society and the immigrants had replaced the friendly attitude that Kailash experienced on her first stay in that country. Even with all his outstanding qualifications, Gopal had great difficulty in finding a job. Kailesh also had to struggle hard but got a break in Southall but then the family moved to Liverpool where they have been settled since.

However, all along, even in the most adverse circumstances, she continued writing and expanding the ambit of her expertise from cookery to family affairs, sexual relations and other related problems. She calls herself an ‘agony aunt’ and that is a very appropriate description. People consulted her on all the typical problems that ensue once the cultural framework of the home country is no longer applicable and traditional life can no longer be reproduced as before. That she achieved such authority and status without any formal university education speaks a lot for her native intelligence and ability to learn and develop.

The most touching chapter is the one on Kailash and Gopal’s visit to Pakistan. It confirms an urge all Punjabis uprooted from their roots have felt — to revisit, at least once, their roots. Finally, in 1983, an old world, long abandoned but never forgotten came back to life. The home at Dharampura was in ruins but both in Arya Mohalla and especially in Kallar the old buildings were still there and of course they met people who remembered their families. They were offered hospitality by those who lived in their old homes.

Kailash Puri’s autobiography is a must read for those trying to make sense of physical migrations and concomitant social and intellectual transformations that have wrought the lives of Punjabis from the 1940s onwards.

Source –  www.dailytimes.com.pk

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had written to Najeeb Jung asking him to exempt Sikh women from wearing helmets as it would hurt their religious sentiments.

Sikh women pillion riders will be exempted from wearing helmets in the capital. A notification in this regard is likely to be issued this week. The decision comes after the Sikh community strongly objected to the Transport department’s move of making helmets mandatory for all women pillion riders.

The Transport department had issued a gazette notification inviting public suggestions and objections in the matter.

“We received several objections from the Sikh community over the decision. This made us decide to exempt Sikh women from the rule,’’ a Transport department official said.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had written to Lt-Governor Najeeb Jung asking him to exempt Sikh women from wearing helmets as it would hurt their religious sentiments.

While making a case for compulsory-helmet rule for all women pillion riders, the Transport department had cited the risk involved in case of accidents. “The move was prompted due to increasing number of accidents on city roads. Helmets will go a long way in saving lives,’’ a Transport official said.

However, the Delhi High Court, in January this year, had dismissed a PIL seeking directions to the government to make helmets mandatory for pillion riders. The court said the government will decide on who has to wear helmets. The government had been delaying a decision in the matter due to opposition from the Sikh community.

Necessary amendments will be made in the Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules to implement the rule.

———————————

Related Article:

No helmets: 63 women killed in two-wheeler accidents last year
57 of them were riding pillion; exemption in law allows women to ride without helmets
Delhi_2430247b (68K)The rule that makes helmets optional for women on two-wheelers,to ?respect religious sentiments? of a few,appears to be having a drastic effect on fatalities in accidents.

According to recent figures released by the Delhi traffic police,the number of women who died as they didn?t wear helmets has gone up to 63 in 2013,against 42 in 2012. Of the 63 who died,only six women were riding the two-wheelers,the rest (57) were pillion riders.

In spite of efforts by police to raise awareness among women,the figure is on the rise. ?Of 561 fatal two-wheeler accidents reported this year,63 were women. The figure is on the rise each passing year just because women are being given the privilege to not abide by the law. This is akin to allowing people to die on roads,? Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla said.

Since the law has given women an option to ignore what is ?essential? for one?s safety,even the law enforcers cannot do much,as the women cannot be fined or booked for it,? a senior traffic officer said.

We can just request them and make them aware. We cannot force them to wear helmets as we do not have the power to do so. It does not count as a violation,? the officer said.

Women usually sit sideways on a two-wheeler,which makes them more vulnerable to accidents,as there is a huge possibility of tipping over and hitting the ground even before the rider. As they do not wear helmets,they are more likely to get a head injury. All women who lost their lives in accidents reported last year did so due to severe head injuries. These lives could have been saved if these women had been wearing helmets,? he said.

According to police,if it is essential for a rider to have a helmet strapped,it is equally essential for the pillion rider,irrespective of their gender.

We had requested to make wearing of helmets mandatory for everyone but the decision was not taken in our favour,keeping in mind the religious sentiment of a section. Security had nothing do with religion and the two should not be related. Awareness should be spread related to it,before this becomes a dangerous a trend,? he said.

~ Source: indianexpress.com

One of the volunteers with The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib – started a petition on the same and had its own effect in bringing about a change in the thought process of the masses.

You may still sign the petition here – http://www.change.org/petitions/smt-nutan-guha-biswas-don-t-make-helmets-mandatory-for-sikh-women-on-pillion-riding

THE mesmerising and unique blend of culture and heritage of Lahore is so beautiful that one cannot forget the memories since long and wants to come again and again to witness this prospering city.

These views were expressed by a delegation of a 27-member Sikh Yatrees who visited various historical buildings within the Walled City of Lahore on Monday. The Sikh Yatrees were given a fully guided tour of the Royal Trail project by the Walled City Lahore Authority (WCLA).

The Yatries said by visiting the historical city of Lahore, they are able to witness the ancient Sikh and Mughal eras’ buildings besides witnessing the rich culture of Lahore. They said the well preserved Royal Trail area has increased the beauty of the walled city. The delegates visited various important places of Royal Trail such as Shahi Hamam, Gali Surhan Singh, Phoolon Wali Gali, Koocha Gurbarchian, Haveli Bejnath, Chitta Gate and Wazir Khan Mosque.

Officials of WCLA were accompanying the Sikh Yatrees and told them that the project was started in association with the World Bank with the objectives of preserving the culture and heritage of the city along with providing modern living facilities to the residents of the Walled City of Lahore. The delegates opined that the project would promote domestic as well as international tourism in Lahore and could bring economic prosperity among the residents of the Walled City area.

Ajoob Singh, a Sikh Yataree from Amritsar said he was very glad to visit the place of his ancestors. He said he was astonished to see the recently restored Royal Trail area. “Before coming to Lahore I can’t imagine that Sikh era havelies are kept so well,” he said adding he and his fellow delegates are thankful to the Punjab government as well as the WCLA for taking steps for the betterment and preservation of Sikh heritage. The Sikh Yataries showed special interest in the beautiful structures with ornamental architecture of the walled city. The delegation was told that the Royal Trail connects along many of the heritage monuments like Shahi Hamam, Masjid Wazir Khan, Sonehri Masjid and Begum Shahi Masjid. This path is the same that was once followed by the Mughal and Sikh Emperors when they came from Delhi to Lahore.

Gurmej Singh, a resident of Ferozpur, said he cannot imagine that there will be any authority in Lahore which is providing fully guided tours to tourists. He said during the entire tour of the walled city, which he terms as the Lahore’s heart, he was feeling himself in a secure and safe environment and it is just like being home. He said he has taken many photographs and will share with his friends and family in India and will ask them to visit the Walled City of Lahore once in a lifetime.

Javed, the tour guide of the WCLA, said at this time we need to showcase the right image of Pakistan.

~ Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/

Canada’s Province of Ontario went to the polls last week and the voters have brought in, after a long hiatus, a majority government.

The win by Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal Party is notable in a number of ways, not the least being that the government side of the parliament benches will boast four Sikh-Canadian Members of Parliament out of 59 — that is, almost 7% of the governing party.

In addition to the four, a fifth Sikh-Canadian was re-elected for the New Democratic Party (“NDP”), bringing the total number of Sikh-Canadian MPPs in Ontario new Parliament to five out of a total of 107 — which is almost 5% of the province’s lawmakers.

The following are the five MPPs:

LIBERAL

1. Amrit Kaur Mangat, Mississauga – Brampton South
2. Harinder Kaur Malhi, Brampton – Springdale
3. Harinder Singh Takhar, Mississauga – Erindale
4. Vic Singh Dhillon, Brampton West

NDP

1. Jagmeet Singh, Bramalea – Gore – Malton

Equally notable in this election is the fact that Kathleen Wynne is the first woman to be elected as Premier in Ontario.

And, to the credit of Ontario’s electorate, neither her gender nor the fact that she is a lesbian and openly campaigned with her partner by her side, played any part in her electibility.

~ Source – http://sikhchic.com/