☀️ JOIN SPN MOBILE
Forums
New posts
Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
Latest activity
Videos
New media
New comments
Library
Latest reviews
Donate
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Welcome to all New Sikh Philosophy Network Forums!
Explore Sikh Sikhi Sikhism...
Sign up
Log in
Discussions
Hard Talk
Interviews
Sikh Councilman Inspired By Obama Beat The Odds In Hoboken
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Sikh News Reporter" data-source="post: 115312" data-attributes="member: 393"><p>Ravinder Singh Bhalla at his Hoboken law offices. Last June, he won a council seat by a wide margin, despite the fact that less than 1% of the city's registered voters are Asian.</p><p></p><p>President Obama was his inspiration.</p><p></p><p>It was after Obama was elected the United States' first black President that Ravinder Singh Bhalla decided Hoboken was ready to elect its first Sikh councilman.</p><p></p><p>"That election made me believe the country has reached a phase where qualifications matter more than race," said Bhalla, 36, who, according to the Sikh Coalition, is one of just two Sikhs holding elected office nationwide.</p><p></p><p>Bhalla ran on acting Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's ticket and was elected councilman at large by a wide margin in June, taking office July 1. He received the most votes of 11 other candidates — despite the fact that Hoboken's registered voter population is less than 1% Asian and the city is home to only about 10 Sikhs, including his wife, Navneet, a human rights lawyer, and their 2-year-old daughter, Arza.</p><p></p><p>"I think residents are looking for honest, competent and professional individuals in government, and I think that desire supersedes other considerations such as race, religion and gender," Bhalla said.</p><p></p><p>A native New Jerseyan and a civil rights attorney, Bhalla first became involved in local politics in 2005, when he successfully represented two Hoboken council members in a challenge to a lawsuit by then-Mayor David Roberts, who was trying to force the council to pass his budget.</p><p></p><p>"It gave me a better sense of what the issues were on the local level," Bhalla said. "The city council's refusal to pass what they saw as an underfunded budget and the mayor's attempt to force them to pass a budget they didn't believe in gave me an intimate look into the intersection of law and politics at the local level."</p><p></p><p>Bhalla has also fought to advance Sikhs' rights. He won a battle to have a Sikh NYPD traffic officer reinstated after he was fired in 2001 for refusing to remove his turban and trim his beard, both forbidden by the Sikh religion.</p><p></p><p>That case helped pave the way for the Army's first acceptance of a turbaned Sikh recruit in 23 years, announced last Friday.</p><p></p><p>In 2002, Bhalla spurred a federal prison policy change after filing a complaint because guards had ordered him to remove his turban for a search while he was visiting a client at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.</p><p></p><p>Now, visitors to those facilities can't be required to remove head coverings worn for religious purposes "without probable cause," he said.</p><p></p><p>Bhalla credits his father, Ranbir, an India-born inventor with a Ph.D. in physics from Penn State University who "came to the U.S. with less than $50 in his pocket," with helping instill in him the importance of not compromising his religion to fit in.</p><p></p><p>In West Paterson's public schools, Bhalla's turban made him a frequent target of bullies, but he still played Little League and tennis, earning an all-state ranking in high school. "I saw it as an equalizer," the avid Yankee fan said. "I really felt like on the playing field, if you knew how to pitch or hit, people respected you."</p><p></p><p>Similarly, he found that after participating in locally televised debates with the other council candidates, he won respect for his performance.</p><p></p><p>"After the debates, people would come up to me in the streets and say, 'You were the only person out there who made any sense,' " recalled Bhalla, who has degrees from the University of California-Berkeley, the London School of Economics and Tulane University. "The debates helped break a perception barrier between appearance and substance."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sikh News Reporter, post: 115312, member: 393"] Ravinder Singh Bhalla at his Hoboken law offices. Last June, he won a council seat by a wide margin, despite the fact that less than 1% of the city's registered voters are Asian. President Obama was his inspiration. It was after Obama was elected the United States' first black President that Ravinder Singh Bhalla decided Hoboken was ready to elect its first Sikh councilman. "That election made me believe the country has reached a phase where qualifications matter more than race," said Bhalla, 36, who, according to the Sikh Coalition, is one of just two Sikhs holding elected office nationwide. Bhalla ran on acting Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's ticket and was elected councilman at large by a wide margin in June, taking office July 1. He received the most votes of 11 other candidates — despite the fact that Hoboken's registered voter population is less than 1% Asian and the city is home to only about 10 Sikhs, including his wife, Navneet, a human rights lawyer, and their 2-year-old daughter, Arza. "I think residents are looking for honest, competent and professional individuals in government, and I think that desire supersedes other considerations such as race, religion and gender," Bhalla said. A native New Jerseyan and a civil rights attorney, Bhalla first became involved in local politics in 2005, when he successfully represented two Hoboken council members in a challenge to a lawsuit by then-Mayor David Roberts, who was trying to force the council to pass his budget. "It gave me a better sense of what the issues were on the local level," Bhalla said. "The city council's refusal to pass what they saw as an underfunded budget and the mayor's attempt to force them to pass a budget they didn't believe in gave me an intimate look into the intersection of law and politics at the local level." Bhalla has also fought to advance Sikhs' rights. He won a battle to have a Sikh NYPD traffic officer reinstated after he was fired in 2001 for refusing to remove his turban and trim his beard, both forbidden by the Sikh religion. That case helped pave the way for the Army's first acceptance of a turbaned Sikh recruit in 23 years, announced last Friday. In 2002, Bhalla spurred a federal prison policy change after filing a complaint because guards had ordered him to remove his turban for a search while he was visiting a client at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. Now, visitors to those facilities can't be required to remove head coverings worn for religious purposes "without probable cause," he said. Bhalla credits his father, Ranbir, an India-born inventor with a Ph.D. in physics from Penn State University who "came to the U.S. with less than $50 in his pocket," with helping instill in him the importance of not compromising his religion to fit in. In West Paterson's public schools, Bhalla's turban made him a frequent target of bullies, but he still played Little League and tennis, earning an all-state ranking in high school. "I saw it as an equalizer," the avid Yankee fan said. "I really felt like on the playing field, if you knew how to pitch or hit, people respected you." Similarly, he found that after participating in locally televised debates with the other council candidates, he won respect for his performance. "After the debates, people would come up to me in the streets and say, 'You were the only person out there who made any sense,' " recalled Bhalla, who has degrees from the University of California-Berkeley, the London School of Economics and Tulane University. "The debates helped break a perception barrier between appearance and substance." [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Discussions
Hard Talk
Interviews
Sikh Councilman Inspired By Obama Beat The Odds In Hoboken
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top