Kaur Power

[spnadmin]

Amrit Kaur Becomes Head of a Leading Interfaith Body in Washington
Source: Amrit Kaur Becomes Head of a Leading Interfaith Body in Washington | SikhNet

Washington, February 24, 2008 - A Sikh woman, Ms. Amrit Kaur, became the President of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington recently when this body, representing 11 world religions and various judicatories, elected her as the president for a two-year term.

Created in 1978, the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (IFC) brings together eleven historic faith communities to promote dialogue, understanding and a sense of community among persons of diverse faiths and to work cooperatively for social and economic justice in metropolitan Washington.

Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director of the InterFaith Conference, noted: "This is the first time in the organization's 30 year history that a majority of the five member Executive Committee were from eastern religious traditions. A Hindu, Dr. Siva Subramanian, was elected as First Vice-President. A Buddhist, Dr. Sovan Tun was elected as Secretary.

She has been very active at the IFC from the last two decades and has been on the Board of this organization. She said, "I am deeply honored to be serving as

President of InterFaith Conference. The principles of IFC are very much similar to what my faith Sikhism stands for. In this global village we are all intertwined with each other and can not survive in ivory towers. The very core principles of my faith teach me to stand for social justice, nurture understanding and build a just and harmonious society. The more we believe in ourselves, our faith, the more likely we are to respect other faiths and build bridges across and find a common platform to work together for the betterment of humanity."

Amrit Kaur was educated in Delhi and Chandigarh, India. She came to theUSA in 1975 and has retired as a banker. She is from the Sikh faith and has been associated with Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF), a Sikh house of worship since its inception in 1984. This Sikh organization is based in Rockville, MD and is actively involved in community affairs. She has served in various capacities as President, Executive Director and currently is Secretary of GGSF. She has represented the Sikh faith in InterFaith Conference for about 20 years. She was First Vice-President from 2006-2008. On behalf of GGSF, she led a worldwide effort in 1992 to get Bhagat Puran Singh nominated to the Nobel Peace Prize and had several lawmakers and Academicians from U.S.A, Canada, U.K. and India write supporting letters for this nomination to Nobel prize committee in Norway. She is also active in Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) and has played role in organizing events at the Capitol Hill and the White House.

Dr. Rajwant Singh, the past President of IFC said, "It is truly a great feeling to have a woman represent us to the wider community. It is doubly satisfying to see her being elevated to this high position of this august body representing so many religious jurisdictions. It also reflects well for us a community that we have women active in the world affairs on behalf of our faith and that is a true implementation of the Sikh principle of Sewa. I sincerely hope that other Sikh women would follow suit. It has been pleasure to work with Amrit Kaur closely on a daily basis from last two decades on Sikh issues at Guru Gobind Singh Foundation and on other critical issues facing the American society. She is truly a dedicated individual and she has deep commitment to work for the betterment of the Sikh community."

Rev. Clark Lobenstine, the Executive Director of Inter Faith Conference congratulated her and praised her leading role in IFC activities. He said, "Ms Amrit Kaur is deeply devoted to establishing understanding and creating harmony among faith communities. He further stated, "This was the second time that a Sikh- Amrit Kaur, Secretary of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, was elected President of Inter Faith Conference of Washington. DC for 2008-2010. Dr. Rajwant Singh was the first Sikh elected as President in 1994-1996.This is also second time when a woman has been elected to this office in the 30 year old history of the InterFaith Conference."

IFC works through coalition-building, education, training and advocacy, by uniting diverse faith leaders to speak and act together, networking with other groups, publishing community resources and holding public events involving music, award ceremonies and lectures. IFC is committed to protecting religious liberty through its programs. IFC staff and members also are available as speakers and workshop participants to congregations, schools, community groups and others interested in fostering understanding among people of different faiths and traditions. In addition, it has also led a variety of service programs where young people of many faiths come together to clean up the environment, help build houses with needy families and other socially constructive projects, with time for discussion as they learn about each other.

The Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, representing Sikhs, became a full fledged member of the IFC in 1988.

​

 

[tony]

destroying a potential life mildy barbaric, selective abortions to avoid large families, science giving us the ability to things. none of these are the Guru jis teaching. the first is totally barbaric, the second is just as, and the third science gives us the ability to wipe out the entire human race so what. what happened to the sikhi idea of what will be will be. if you disagree with contraception then abstain. if you want a guarantee of the sex of a child try adopting. and if you think that the taking of a life at whatever stage is ok then seek help. And one other thing Id like to as ask is when did man earn the right to be the ruler and more equal than the female, if my memory serves me correctly there are more men in prisons than females, most wars are started by males wanting more power, and some men just like to excert there greater strength over women to look good to others. Every holy book ever written states all are equal try practising it. To all you Kaurs out there not all men share these chauvanistic views your struggles will pay off if you persist, believe in the guru jis teachings and your dreams will come true.
Tony
ps id like to see these chauvanist do some of the things that a women has to in there every day life. good luck to you all

 

[spnadmin]

A gift from respected Nam Jap ji -- An e-book by Bhai Vir Singh

Sundri

At this link you can download the book as a pdf file and save it to your desktop:

http://www.sikhs.nl/downloads/Englis...ngh_Sundri.pdf

also at this link

http://www.sikhism.us/local_links.ph...p&catid=4&id=7

 

[spnadmin]

Ranbir Kaur


Source Famous Sikhs: Ranbir Kaur

Ranbir Kaur was the first Sikh woman to join the US armed forces in 2003. She went on a one-and-a-half-year mission to Afghanistan. She had joined the National Guards at the age of 17. She was born in Nijjran village of Jalandhar district, Punjab, the young fighter reached the US as a seven-year-old after her father Mahan Singh, pursuing the American dream, secured a green card in 1990. She was brought up in an isolated town called Earlimart, in California, her brush with the uniform dates back to 2001 when she was a freshman (Grade IX) in high school at Delano, which was the closest city. In 2003, the daughter of a Sikh grape grower faced the ire of white supremacists, who posted terming her recruitment as a means to seek citizenship. However she was already a US citizen, and the young girl set about proving her detractors wrong through hard training. During the 2005 Katrina hurricane in New Orleans, the devout Sikh was instrumental in the recovery of the Guru Granth Sahib after the New Orleans gurudwara was submerged. United Sikhs, an organisation, had sought her assistance and Ranbir had got everybody moving after she announced that the living Guru of the Sikhs was under water. Amid random shootings, air force rescue experts David Cruz and Tom Bausmas had rescued the scriptures in an operation that lasted 22 hours.

 

[tony]

WJKK WJKF
Many thanks to Antonia ji for the link to the Book on Sundri. To read of the bravery of the Sikhs and especially of the Sikh ladies brought more than a tear to my eye. Anyone who doesnt believe that women should have the right to be treated as equals needs to read this. I have noticed though that after your postings of Amrit Kaur and Ranbir Kaur that the chauvanists have to have failed to come up with any response (maybe theyre a little ashamed of there none Sikhi attitude).
SAT SRI AKAL to all the Kaurs amonst us and to all who believe in equality
Tony

 

[kds1980]

PARENTS PROUD OF HARLEEN CHOPRA?S ACHIEVEMENT AT AFMC

PARENTS PROUD OF HARLEEN CHOPRA’S ACHIEVEMENT AT AFMC
Reporter
Friday, March 06th, 2009 AT 11:03 AM
Tags: AFMC, K J S Chopra, honour, woman cadet, achievement

Harleen Chopra with her mother Neelam Chopra and father K J S Chopra after the AFMC passing out parade on Thursday

Photo Gallery>>


It was a moment of pride for K J S Chopra and his wife Neelam to witness their only child getting honour of becoming the first woman cadet ever to command a passing out parade in the history of the Indian Armed Forces, at the Armed Forces medical College (AFMC) here.

Medical cadet Harleen Chopra, who was commissioned into the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), got this unique honour of commandeering the parade of 103 medical graduates on Thursday. It was on March 13, 2006, when bypassing the tradition of male commissioned officer commanding the passing out parade, commissioned woman officer Wahida Prism Khan was selected as the first woman officer to lead the parade. “There would not be a better day than this,” said Neelam Chopra.

Hailing from Ludhiyana, Lt Harleen was selected to lead the parade on the basis of her academic excellence, physical fitness and commitment. After a one-and-half month’s tough practice, she did the job confidently. “Earlier, I was a little bit apprehensive, but gained confidence as the parade started. It was a memorable moment,” said Harleen. She mentioned with humility that she was not different from other cadets. Harleen credits her family, instructors, teachers and senior cadets for this opportunity. “Believe in yourself and go on realising your dreams. Nothing is impossible for girls,” she said.

Lt Harleen, who has no army background in her family, joined AFMC in 2004. An active student throughout her school and college days, Harleen has won various awards and scholarships and always excelled in academics, said her father. She considers both the responsibilities as a doctor and an officer as equally important. She will leave for Delhi on Friday for a year-long internship with the Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment.

 

[spnadmin]

Young Sikh Afghan Rights Activist Selected As 'Person Of The Year'

March 24th, 2009 by Omid Marzban Source: www.rferl.org

RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan (RFA) has announced that it has selected 25-year-old human rights activist Anarkali Kaur Honaryar as its Person of the Year.

Honaryar works for the country's Independent Human Rights Commission and is a member of Afghanistan's small Sikh community.

She told RFA that she is proud of the honor, which she dedicates "to all those young people who fight for human rights, equality, and civil society."

More than 30 rights groups, NGOs, and journalists' unions helped select this year's winner.

Honaryar has been working to promote democracy, equal rights, and civil society issues in Afghanistan for the last seven years.

She was a member of the Afghan Constitution Committee, which drafted the country's current constitution, and of the Loya Jirga that selected Afghanistan's interim government after the Taliban was ousted.

"As a woman, I have faced so many challenges during this campaign,” she said. But she said she has never thought of giving up, despite Afghanistan's male-dominated culture.

When she was a child, Honaryar admits to once having wished she were a boy, as she dreamed of becoming a pilot. But because she was a girl living in Afghanistan's conservative society, the “dream never came true."

Instead, Honaryar is now a medical doctor.

"Now I believe that a woman is capable of doing anything that a man can do," she says, "only if they are given the opportunities that a man has.”

RFA's inaugural Person of the Year prize went last year to the governor of Nangarhar Province, Gulagha Sherzai.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

A gift from respected Nam Jap ji -- An e-book by Bhai Vir Singh

Sundri

At this link you can download the book as a pdf file and save it to your desktop:

http://www.sikhs.nl/downloads/Englis...ngh_Sundri.pdf

also at this link

http://www.sikhism.us/local_links.ph...p&catid=4&id=7

One of the earliest books of my childhood....read to me by my mum as a nightly "bedtime story"....SUNDREE and Bhai Bijla Singh..my very first.... James Bond !!
all time favourite....introduced me to Bhai Vir Singh....

Second most favourite book....read to me at bedtime by my father...was.....
Jail Chitheaan - BY : Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh founder of AKJ....
The Letters of Bhai Randhir Singh Ji from his prison days...made a lifetime impression on me..and introduced me to more than 20 fantastic books by Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Ji...among the earliest proponents of Gurbani Grammar/Gurmat Maartand/Rehit etc etc...

 

[spnadmin]

Women's Equality:
Why Aren't We Spearheading The Struggle?by HARINDER SINGH

Images below: first from bottom, courtesy - Shunya. Third from bottom, courtesy - Fiona Aboud. Thumbnail, courtesy - Andrew Yoon.





"The whole Guru Granth is the voice of a wedded woman or a maiden pining in love of the Beautiful. Her nobleness in Guru Granth is infinite, her freedom is of the highest. Both man and woman as sexes are forgotten in her voice. She becomes the supreme reality and a freed soul. In the freed soul alone is the subordination of one to the other effectively abolished and all disputes hushed." Prof. Puran Singh

Doctrinally, for us Sikhs, questions of woman's capacity and capabilities are a moot issue.

The divinity of Guru Nanak was recognized first by the none other than Bebe Nanaki. One of Guru Gobind Singh ji's bravest lieutenants was Mai Bhago.
Thus, the woman's role was neither sanctioned nor codified. It didn‘t need to be. Every woman's (for that matter every Sikh's) personal relationship with the Guru and the Creator moved each Sardarni in the spirit of utter volunteerism to do what she did.

So, why are we a party to a culture of domination today?

I submit: the raison d'etre of a Sikh is to fight every dimension of domination by anyone over another, regardless of whether it is spiritual, political or otherwise. In the past few decades, we've seen a desire to codify women's equality as a global community; however, this ideal is too often couched, albeit earnestly, in terms of a goal sometime in the future.

Paragraph 13 of the United Nation's 1995 Beijing Declaration issued at the fourth World Conference on Women stated: "Women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace."

I see our community still "declaring" women to be equal. It is time to stop the symbolic declarations and begin to assert, through our actions, the equal treatment of women in private and public spaces.

Guru Nanak's declaration on women's emancipation came 500 years ago, amidst the clash of Semitic and Aryan traditions, whereas our modern world appears still to be deliberating on it.

For the large part, religions, ideologies and other cultural systems have created strong protections for cohesion of society and nurture of its norms. This end is often ensured by way of controls over behaviour - hence, the preoccupation with gender and sexuality in all systems which guide human interaction.

Characteristically, societies developed a necessary division of labour, loosely based on perceived biological ability. This solidified and eventually extended symbolically, with women responsible for the upbringing of the family and related activities involving cultivating and cooking. Conversely, men related to the wider environment through their engagement in hunting, warfare and political relations. The subservience of women to men became widespread in all spheres, with rare exceptions. Combined with profound fears about the dangers surrounding sexuality (elaborated in complex ritual customs to deal with ‘purity' and ‘security'), these disparities led to the literal separation of women from men, especially in worship.

For me, the height of folly is that Sikhs have fallen victim to the larger hegemony's dictation of how we should think and behave. The results are that we are now debating whether we should allow women to do certain things, be it in our local gurdwara or even within the Darbar Sahib complex. How absurd! We have no basis in our doctrine for this prejudice, yet our debate on negative energies continues.

The Sikh culture, as envisioned in the Guru Granth and created by the Ten Nanaks, insists on complete equality. There is no stratification spectrum of inferior or superior status in any form, be it gender or other social divisions. The foundational doctrine of the Sikh Faith propagates integration, not division, to uplift human dignity.

Consequently, the Sikh scriptural canon, the Guru Granth, reveals Waheguru as The One Universal Integrative Force. The succeeding divine attributes are messages of integration; there is no allusion to division based on gender.

In the Sikh vision, the woman is the single thread which drives humanity. Her participation in all dimensions of life must be recognized as the essential elements in human affairs. With the exception of the Divine Order of Waheguru, Guru Nanak in Asa-ki-Var proclaims that everything in human existence depends on the Woman; the only exception being Waheguru, the non-human factor.

We see then that it is not an accident that the perspective adopted for self-realization in gurbani (Sikh scripture) is that of the woman. The feminine vocabulary, symbolism and behaviour are the medium for self-realization, which is the expression of total freedom or Divine realization.

Harinder Singh Mehboob articulates the Woman-consciousness in the Guru Granth as follows:

"In the Guru Granth Sahib, several dimensions of the woman-consciousness are experienced in the spiritual longing of humans. Guru Nanak - Truth did not incorporate it as a mere illustration or thought, rather it is a significant part of the whole experience. Woman is that form of its genius whose intense movement transforms the complete radiant richness of the Creation's fertile aspects into human morality. In the feelings of coming together and pangs of separation, several representative forms of life converge like a great carnival.

"Hence, firstly, the Khalsa must have the complete experience of the woman in accordance with the standards of Divine values; secondly, the Khalsa must be aware of the completeness of the woman in all colours of coming together and pangs of separation: the complete and grave experience intoxicated with pure essence and aesthetical splendour! This experience must have movement, longing, and serene bliss at the same time."

I must ask, are we experiencing this wonder, this vismad?

In the Sikhi lifestyle, Waheguru is enshrined in each and every heart. The same divine light is present in all human beings. Every man and woman is an image of Waheguru. The Gurus were far ahead of their time; they brought clarity by highlighting the prevalent jarring social inequalities. Regarding barring women from participating in society based on their purported association with ‘impurity‘, the Guru proclaims, rather, that all doubts in one's mind on this issue is the impurity!

In terms of rights and responsibilities of the Sikhs, here is what the revolution of the Sikh Gurus encompassed:

Admitting women into the sangat (congregation) without any restrictions or reservations; encouraging the education of all Sikhs, men and women included; condemning the cruel custom of sati (the Hindu custom of self- or coerced- immolation of the widow on the husband‘s funeral pyre); advocating widow remarriage, abolishing purdah (veils); and declaring that "Woman is the Conscience of Man."

Furthermore, the Khalsa initiation ceremony, from day, one was open to men and women alike. Also at the same time, a law was made to not associate with those who practiced female infanticide.

Today though, some in the community, like many other Indians, are still complicit in female feticide! Open your eyes and hearts to the conspiracy of silence surrounding gendercide.

While busy pushing our preferences as laws, we completely disregard the Guru's direct command!

As well, we see that, historically, the Guru forbade Sikhs to exercise any proprietary rights over women captured in battle; they could not be kept as slaves or wives but were to be treated with the utmost respect.

"In all contemporary records, mostly in Persian, written generally by Muslims as well as by Maratha agents posted at a number of places in Northern India, there is not a single instance either in Delhi or elsewhere in which the Sikhs raised a finger against women," records historian Hari Ram Gupta.

The culture can be judged from the position and respect it gives to women. Today, we are faced with the question, are we part of the Sikh culture or are we more Punjabi, Hindustani, or Firangi? If the answer is we want to be more Sikh-like, the first allegiance needs to be to the Guru Granth - Panth.

I saw an excellent, but disturbing, extrapolation of perversion toward South Asian women in the film "Maatr-bhoomi." I look at the alarming statistics on woman-to-man ratios in Punjab. I read testimonies of domestic abuse in Vancouver and London. Yes, I know versions of this injustice are prevalent in the whole world, in every community. Why, then, should I make noise about it?

Simple. Because even if one woman is treated unfairly, especially by those who claim to be Sikh, it is a crime. Our tradition, in the words of Bhai Gurdas, upholds a very different attitude and we should strive to see it made real: "In world events, literary affairs, virtuous behaviour, and exemplifying wisdom, Woman - half of the population, brings forth freedom."

Roles specified for men or women are antithetical to Sikh beliefs and practices. Sikh culture incorporates those ideas and practices that do not divide the human race for the purpose of defining their rights and responsibilities. Thus, the classification of roles for women and men becomes an absurdity.

Yes, there are prescribed tasks that are specific to a Sikh. Everything is prescribed for a Sikh by the wisdom of the Guru, from the shakhsi (personal) to the panthak (collective) living. There are enough historical narrations to substantiate this aspect. Prof. Puran Singh observes: "Never was eastern or western woman so free when she rose like Sundari, the nurse-sister of the Khalsa in times when the Sikhs were pitched against the Mughal empire; Sundari chose her own vocation, dedicated her whole freed life as the sister-nurse alike of the Khalsa and his foes."

That was in the eighteenth century. How are we facilitating the identity formation of Sikh women today? Let us shift our focus away from men's empowerment to the empowerment of all!

The Guru dealt with subordination, prohibitions on remarriage, dowry, menstruation-related taboos, superstitions, and other oppressive customs that had become cemented into society and were propagated by immature or under-developed minds.

Once more, the Guru's dictum, "Burn away those customs that make me forget the Beloved!" must be applied to everything that is designed to keep women subservient, docile and dependent today.

Anything that glorifies male gender preference, encourages female neglect and perpetuates the view of a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, as a liability is not aligned with the Sikh vision.

It has been shown that every Sikh has the same rights and responsibilities; there are no separate roles for men or women. Over 500 years ago, Guru Nanak launched a struggle for equal rights. Every single Guru articulated and practiced the equality of men and women while working to liberate women who were captives within their own social hierarchies.

Sikhi rejects gender inequalities; it stresses the familyhood of the human race.

Doctrinally, Sikh women hold an equal status in all affairs, from spiritual to political. It is a shortcoming of the human faculties and a result of the dominance and influence of other cultures that crept into the practitioners of the Sikh faith and began to justify the imposition of an inferior status on the female.

These shortcomings are the product of ignorance on the part of the practitioners as well as the nefarious designs of the forces operating actively to undermine the vision of the Gurus.

We must instead unite in our true understanding of the Sikh revolution and actively create a world that sides with inclusion and love.

I want to challenge all Sikhs, especially those who claim to build panthak institutions, to raise awareness in their communities about women's situation, the discrimination they face everyday, and the work being done to ensure rights and access to opportunities on three fronts:

Firstly, we must invest in women's capacity building and skills development to deal with people and institutions.

Second, we ought to ensure women's participation in every domain of life, offer them greater control, and allow them to assert decision-making power at home, community and society.

Third and finally, we should pledge to work diligently toward transformative action to bring about gender equality between men and women.

Rather than wait for the International Women's Day, let us focus NOW on equality as an objective, not on women as a target group. Men and women need to become partners in its pursuit, rather than throw up their hands and decry that prejudice is too deeply entrenched in our world to be changed, or placate historical wrongs with erratic token advancement. The daunting task is to move beyond mere recognition of gender differences, and increase vital attention to reducing gender disparities!

Harinder Singh is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) which is headquartered in Texas, U.S.A.]
March 27, 2009

Source http://www.sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=775

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Women in Sikhi will only have their rightful seat at the table of equality as prescribed by our Gurus in Guru Granth when we follow the Guru Granth through Shabad Vichaar and Shabad Vichaar can only exist if caretakers of Sikhi at our Takhats are educated so they can set educational standards for the Raagis, Kathavachaks and all others who are apt to share the Gurmat nectar.

Lack of education has created a Taliban mentality of machismo on the top. We can see that inside the Harmander Sahib where no women Raagis are allowed. We do not even see women sevadarnis in there, nor are they part of Panj Pyaras.

When we start putting emphasis on Gurmat education and allow women to have a seat at the Takhats and we men who live in diaspora start giving a helping hand in household chores and offer women's participation in the Gurdwaras' committees, then only these small steps can turn into giant leaps.

And then, one day our daughters and their daughters can be the flag bearers of the society no matter where one lives but first they should be allowed to carry the Nishaan Sahib of equality of Sikhi.

And that can only happen when they are not aborted in any Sikh household.

Let us give Sikh women a chance then only peace can have its.

Tejwant Singh

 

[Admin]

Rashpal Kaur performs Indian martial art on April 24, 2009 episode of Dance India Dance...Rashpal Kaur, an Indian Sikh mother, is visually challenged ever since she underwent a brain tumour surgery...in fact she completely lost her eye sight...Keep your dreams alive...Understand...to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication....

YouTube - Rashpal Kaur Performs Indian Martial Art on April 24, 2009 Episode of Dance India Dance

Remember all things are possible for those who believe...We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history...Hats off to this young lady...

 

[Rani Sandhu]

I totally agree, women need to step up and have their voice heard....they are as talented, smart and educated as men..........so we need to step up, nobody else is going to take the initiative for us.......we need to walk the path, make the changes and take leadership…..sometimes it is not hard when there is a generational gap or when it is mostly male dominated…but anything is possible…….as long as you have done your research, know your stuff…….you can implement leadership, take roles and get involved in the society……….men need to support us as well….it is sometimes hard to balance work, household, family and community work…..

 

[spnadmin]

The woman in your life
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE][/FONT]
One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply
Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.


Please appreciate "HER"

 

[Admin]

An emotional appeal by seven-year-old Sharan Kaur Sethi, a Sikh-American, to U.S. President Barack Obama and the Governor of California for more money for her public school has the latter, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, describing her as a "big part of our future."



Sharan Kaur, granddaughter of Sardar Jasbir Singh Sethi, Trustee, The Sikh Foundation, Palo Alto, California, is a Grade I student in a public school in nearby Fremont.



Early this month, she sent a handwritten letter to the U.S. President saying her state "has run out of money."



"So next year, we will not have a lot of classes that I love, like computer lab, science lab and library. I feel bad because these classes are important for my future. Mr. President, I request you to help our public school by giving them more money. I want to make America proud of me," read the letter.



And a couple of days ago, Sharan's parents were pleasantly surprised when they received a letter from the Governor of California that was addressed to their daughter.
"Thank you for your fantastic letter about funding for education in this year's budget. One of the best part of being Governor is hearing from the next generation of California's leaders, and from your passion, I can already say you will be a big part of our future," wrote Schwarzenegger.



The Governor admitted that the country was facing an economic crisis and even during these challenging times, education remains "one of my top priorities. I have four kids and I understand the important role education plays. Whether you aspire to become a doctor, teacher or even Governor of California, education will help you to be successful in whatever you do," Schwarzenegger's letter to Sharan said.



The Governor also informed her that to help "all of our school districts deal with this budget situation, I am giving them flexibility to choose how to use their money, so that they can support classroom instruction and services for students."



He further wrote that, rather than having elected officials make the decisions, "we will empower our education officials to make funding decisions which will give you, our young people, the best possible education."

 

[spnadmin]

Inspirational Music Video

Source: Inspirational Bhangra :: SikhNN :: The Next Generation of News and Views

Sikh women prefer Sikh men with kesh and dastaar. That is the message of the latest Punjabi music video by artist, Taranampreet.

Donned in keskis and armed with guitars, Taranampreet and her group, the Spice Girls of Punjab, sing the song while perched high on an ornate platform. Below is a courtyard filled with Sikh women dressed in white. Their warning to Sikh men: Don’t come around without unshorn hair and turban.

“These days Sikhs are forgetting what our Gurus did for us,” Taranampreet said in Punjabi, by phone from Jalandhar.

Born in Butala, Taranampreet was a college graduate with two older sisters and three younger brothers when she got her lucky break about seven years ago. She auditioned for music mogul, Inderjit Singh Bains. Both had the same ideas of creating positive music for Sikhi.

With Inderjit Singh as the songwriter and Zakir Husain as the music arranger, Taranampreet released three albums: Heer Saleti, Sahiban Jati and Nagni. Her music videos are produced in Punjab, but have also aired on Indian and Punjabi channels in Canada and the United States.

Inderjit Singh has launched many bhangra stars such as Jazzy B of Surrey, Madan Maddi of India, Bhinda Jatt of California and Sukhshinder Shinda of England.

“I introduced fresh new artists, made them stars and let them go,” he said by phone from Surrey, Canada.

But after 20 years in the business, he said he had had enough of artists that only cared about making money. And he had enough of the bhangra industry, which has gone by way of the rap industry, he said. They send negative messages and promote drinking, drugs and fighting.

“(Our) Gurus have done a lot for us,” he said. “It’s our duty to do something for the community.” Sikhs, especially the youth, look at these stars and begin to think that if they don’t wear a dastaar and they don’t keep their kesh, that is okay, he said. He found his calling to make inspiring videos in Taranampreet.

Two of them have inspirational messages and others tackle social ills. ‘Naa Dole Khalsa’ impresses upon Sikhs to honor the sacrifices of the Gurus and martyrs by staying true to Sikhi. ‘Dheeaan’ asks Punjabis to stop killing unborn baby girls. And ‘Jalandar Lahor’ is a love story that shows the destructiveness of honor killings.

‘Teri Meri Bas’ has received the most views, 2,818, and the most comments, 31. In one of the many approving posts, ‘sangajaspreet’ commented in Punjabi, “…looks like boys will have to live alone if they don’t have beard and kesh.” But in some other posts viewers had concerns, suggestions and criticism.

‘Pinkpeppypepper’ asked the artist to “please also write Kaur or Singh with your name.” ‘Meer86singh’ said the biggest mistake in the video was that ordinary Sikh girls might think this message is only for those who have taken Amrit or wear keski. And ‘Junta450’ said, “Sikhi has been lost to Sikhs, in the struggle for numbers - of dollars and converts.”

Making music videos has become a struggle for Inderjit Singh. He is spending his own money and making little in return. The ‘Teri Meri Bas’ video cost Rs. 4 lakhs.

Inspirational songs should be distributed free, he said. But he also needs money to continue his work. It is difficult to make money in this “dying” industry where music and videos are regularly pirated and distributed without royalty to its artists or producers.

This only added to his frustration with the industry. So, seven years ago he gave it up as a full-time occupation and bought a telephone company with a partner. Music became his hobby. His greatest hope now is that Sikhs take a greater interest in the message of the music instead of the flaws of the artist.

“Artist is artist,” he said. “She is doing something effective.”



Note: By Anju Kaur
Sikh News Network staff journalist
anjukaur@sikhnn.com
© Copyrigt 2001-2009 Sikh News Network, LLC

Most read story in Multimedia:
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[spnadmin]

The video

YouTube - Teri Meri Bas'SAT SIRI AKAL' By TARANAMPREET

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

We Sikhs love to brag that our religion sees women and men as equals.

All well and good, Sikhi teaches this.

But I don't see many of usr Kaurs standing up as equals. We tend to let the Singhs run everything. As marvelous as they are, we are also magnificent! We need to stand up, be visible, be tough and insist on being counted. We even need to stand in front of buses, if that's what it takes.

We who are the daughters of Guru Gobind Singh Ji need to find our voice and stand up as the proud Singhnis we are. Guru Ji gives us the right, the power, perhaps even the obligation to do this.

Let's do it ourselkves...If we wait for our brother Singhs, we'll be waiting another 300 years, at least!

BTW, I have no idea who this lady is, but I want to be like her.

When I was in INDIA recently...and took Public Transport...I FOUND out that this is the ONLY WAY..you can get the Public Bus to STOP !!.... WAIT by the ROADSIDE..patiently...and you will grow a BEARD by the time one stops !!!
Public Bus Drivers in India / PUNJAB..just dotn bother about waiting passengers..who cares...BUT one BLOCKING their way..gets attention ( and soemetimes NOT..and thats when we hear..Bus ne swarrean darrerr ditteahn..Bus ploughs/mows down passengers !)::::::::::

 

[spnadmin]

40 Sikh women raise money for Cancer Research

June 30th, 2009

Source at this link: 40 Sikh women raise money for Cancer Research | SikhNet

40 Kauragious Sikh women raised over ₤4,000 for Cancer Research as part of the Race for Life project at Cannon Hill Park
Each Sikh woman ran five kilometers to encourage her sponsors to part with monies that will be used to develop treatments for cancer sufferers.
The ladies and young girls gathered at the Nishkam Civic Centre in Birmingham, which is part of the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sewak Jatha (GGNSJ)


An event was organised to present a cheque to the Chief Executive of Cancer Research, Harpal Singh Kumar, sadly he was unable to attend. The cheque presentation ceremony was therefore made to the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Michael Wilkes


Sewa Singh Mandla introduced the key speakers and informed the audience of the purpose of the event “The acknowledge the efforts of forty of our young women”



Bhai Sahib, Mohinder Singh, Chairman of GGNSJ praised the efforts of the ladies, who had expressed one of the key virtues of Sikhism, Sewa (Selfless work)


“Anything to reduce suffering is welcomed” Bhai Sahib went on to say “Compassion, this is something we can do in prayer, as prayer influences things we do”


“Mental health is very important, values of ethics, truthfulness, love, faith and secularity are all closely linked”


“We are a large family of One God, work together to help one another, that is why we decided to add ₤1001 to the money raised by the young ladies”


A cheque for ₤5001 was presented to the Lord Mayor, who was overwhelmed with the work of these Sikh women.


Lord Mayor said “There is a tremendous spirit here, the Kirtan preformed earlier by the two Sikh boys was laidend with spirituality, and I am so pleased that my next visit in July will be longer”


The vote of thanks were given by Prof Ukar Singh Pardesi.

 

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

WOW!! How wonderful to see all these beautiful Kaurs banded together to do this sewa. And amazing that they could all actually run 5 km.

KAURS ROCK BIGTIME!!:happy:

 

[KulwantK]

Education is Key! For Everyone! Everywhere! Thank you all so much for sharing this- it is inspirational! Wahe Guru!