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Lauding the valiant role played by them during the World War I and II, a top British minister has described Sikh soldiers as unsung heroes who gave freedom that, “we hold so dear today”.

“The audience should remember the unsung heroes who gave us the freedom, Says the Home Secretary. She discussed about acts of heroism of the Sikh soldiers during both the world wars where many have been given recognition with the Victoria Cross Medal, the highest award for gallantry in the British Military.

She was present at a ceremony recently organized by the British Sikh Association in London as a Chief guest to present Sikh Jewel Award for 2014 to Kandhari,a leading Dubai-based NRI, Chairman of Guru Nanak Darbar for his exceptional service, dedication and commitment to the Sikh Community.

India’s Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Virander Paul, paid tribute to the British Sikh community for excelling in all walks of life and becoming one of the most prominent ethnic minorities in the UK.

The Sikh Jewel Award is given to those who brought honor to their community and country by living up to the ideals of their Gurus.

~ Source: http://www.niticentral.com/

Mai Bhago also known as Mata Bhag Kaur was a Sikh woman who led 40 Sikh soldiers against the Mughals in 1705. She killed several enemy soldiers on the battlefield, and is considered to be a saint warrior by the Sikh Nation for over 300 years. She was the sole survivor of the battle of Khidrana, i.e. Battle of Muktsar (fought on 29 December 1705); was a daughter of Bhai Mallo Shah,granddaughter of Bhai Pero Shah, the younger brother of Bhai Langah, a Dhillon Jatt Chaudhary of 84 villages who had become a Sikh during the time of Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru. She was the only sister of four brothers.

Born at her ancestral village of Jhabal Kalan in present-day Amritsar district of the Punjab, in the Majha region, she was married to Nidhan Singh Varnish of Patti, she was a staunch Sikh by birth and upbringing, she was distressed to hear in 1705 that some of the Sikhs of her village neighborhood who had gone to Anandpur Sahib to fight for Guru Gobind Singh Ji had deserted him under adverse conditions.

So despite the fact that they surely faced certain death, the forty (chali) men along with Mai Bhago, waded headlong into the Muslim forces (around 10,000 soldiers) and inflicted so much damage that the Muslims were finally forced to give up their attack and retreat as darkness fell to lick their wounds in the nearby woods.

Mai Bhag Kaur, was a great Sikh women, with a Keski tied around her head, with the Khalsa Uniform, with her Kirpan fighting, she was the fist women In the history of Punjab, to fight On a battlefield.

The Guru had watched the battle from a nearby hill and with deadly accuracy had rained down a flurry of arrows on the Mughal fighters during the attack. Seeing little activity among the party that had come to his aid he rode to the battlefield.

He found that group was composed of the forty men who he had asked to sign a paper dis-avowing him as their Guru, all of them had died of their wounds except one, Mahan Singh Brar, who was mortally wounded, had only the time to look up at Guru Gobind Singh as he pulled him upright with his arms pulling him into his lap. It is said that the note the men had signed slipped out of the dying Sikh’s clothing and was picked up by the Guru who told Mahan Singh that all was forgiven and that all had died as martyrs as the Guru tore-up their letter of resignation.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh blessed the forty men as the forty (chali) liberated ones (mukte) and that is still how the men are known today; the “Forty Liberated Ones”, the Chali Mukte. He took into his care Mata Bhago who had also suffered an injury in the battle.

After recovering she thereafter stayed on with Guru Gobind Singh Ji serving as one of his bodyguards, in warrior attire. She was one of the many Sikhs who accompanied the Guru on his journey to Nanded. After the passing of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded in 1708, she retired down at Junvara, 11 km from Bidar in Karnataka where, immersed in meditation, she lived to attain a ripe old age.

Her hut in Junvara has now been converted into Gurudwara Tap Asthan Mai Bhago. At Nanded, too, a hall within the compound of Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib marking the site of her residence is known as Bunga Mai Bhago.

~ Source: http://dailysikhupdates.com/

Shedding its tag of being a regional religion, Sikhism is on its way to becoming a global religion, making a major shift in the past 35 years or so, opined Prof Mark Juergensmeyer.

Prof Juergensmeyer, who has studied Sikhism for the past four decades, is Director, Orfalea Centre for Global and International Studies, US, chose to speak on “Sikhism as a global religion”.

He said some 35 years ago, Sikhism was a “forgotten religion mentioned in footnotes. In these 30 years, things have changed.” He said the challenges ahead was assimilation with the global order and participation in the global society.

There were more Sikhs than Jews in the world, Prof Juergensmeyer said. As of now, 30 per cent of Sikhs resided outside Punjab. “The religion now faces three immediate challenges; cultural adaptation in new lands, transformation, and participation in society globally”.

The time had come when there would be a debate on what were the core values of the religion and what were the cultural values, the professor said as he cited an example. “In gurdwaras in the US, Langar (community meal) is laid out on the table for people seated on chairs instead of sitting on the floor, as in India. It is for the community to decide if this is a cultural issue or a core value of the religion,” he said.

He said it was essential to wear the five Ks all the times. “Is it a core value or a cultural value,” the US-based Sikh expert asked. He said he wanted to see Sikhs as a larger part of the global cultural tapestry as the religion that assimilated without diluting its own identity or compromising on the core values.

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Dhan Sikhi! Dhan Khalsa!

~ Source: www.sonapreet.net

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.

Indian Sociologists might be busy either in the classrooms or busy in writing books but here is a humble Sociologist who is busy in villages of Haryana in teaching bad effects of Honor killing and Khap Panchayat. Panditrao Dharennavar who is an assistant professor in post graduate government college, Chandigarh has taken up the task of rural transformation by eye opening them and inspiring them to surrendering to the supreme power by following the religious texts.

Panditrao who is basically from Karnataka has learned Punjabi so well that he has translated Sri Jap Ji Saheb, Sri Sukhmani Sahib and Zafar Nama into Kannada. He requested the villagers to follow the philosophy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sri Bhagwad Geeta, Holy Bible, Holy Quran, instead of going to Deras. He has traveled to Panchkula. Ambala, Shahabad. 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!

He has plans to visit all the districts of Haryana to make them aware about Honor killing, Female foeticide. Panditrao also taught Punjabi to Haryana students on his way to different places of Haryana.

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Home Secretary Theresa May unveils Derby statues to war heroes. One of the statues was a statue of a Sikh Soldier who served in the world wars and the second was of Baba Banda Singh Bahadar.

It is not widely known that almost a million Indians fought on the side of Britain during the First World War. Among them, 20% were Sikhs, despite making up only 2% of the Indian population – meaning their contribution was ten times more than any other community in India.

It is the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War when the Sikh community in Derby decided to pay its own tribute. More than 138,000 Indian troops, many of them Sikhs, found themselves in the trenches of Belgium and France during the war, with more than a quarter of them becoming casualties.

Home Secretary Theresa May was specially invited to the National Sikh Heritage Centre and Holocaust Museum in Princes Street, Derby, today, to unveil two large statues of Sikh soldiers and two plaques – one in English and the other in Punjabi

The museum – the only one of its kind in the world – was opened in 2009 and is run entirely by volunteers. This time it was intended to commemorate the Sikh soldiers who fought in the First World War. The exhibition includes images of Sikh soldiers, military memorabilia and a soldier’s uniform.

Gurmel Singh, The secretary general of the Sikh Council UK, said he was delighted that Mrs May had come to Derby for the unveiling. He remarked”This museum is very important because it contains a great deal of Sikh heritage. It has put Derby on the map as visitors come to visit from across the world. It has also helped to regenerate this area of Derby.

Feeling honoured to perform the ceremony, Mrs May adds with enlightenment “The statutes are “thought-provoking” and it is right that we remember and pay tribute to the brave soldiers.

“They found themselves on cold European battlefields but answered our call in our hour of need.
“They showed great valour and sacrifice to give us the freedoms we enjoy today.”

Sikhs were allowed to use traditional Sikh weapons such as chakrams and talwar swords, and it was not uncommon to see the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, being carried before a marching Sikh battalion or even on the front lines among the battling troops.

Mrs May recognises and salutes the huge contribution of the Sikhs on the battlefield.

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~ Source: Derby Telegraph