| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 2 Feb 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Daljit Singh and wife Sanjit Kaur. The Malaysian Punjabi Chambers of Commerce and Industries received the Datuk Seri title – PHOTO / SUPLIED
Malaysian Punjabi Chambers of Commerce and Industries (MPCCI) president Daljit Singh received the Datuk Seri title while consultant surgeon Dr Balwinder Singh received the Datuk title in conjunction with the Federal Territory day.
They were among the 375 recipients of awards and medals presented by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on 1 Feb 2017.
Daljit was one of the 19 recipients, who included a Federal minister and three secretary generals of Federal ministries, to receive the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Mahkota wilaya (SMW).
The former one-term former senator, who won a seat in Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) central working committee (CWC) in the 2015 party elections, is also a director of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board. He had led Malaysian travel trade players and state tourism authorities to India and Bangladesh in recent months.
Dr Balwinder, a trustee of Gurdwara Sahib High Street in Kuala Lumpur, was one of the 76 individuals who received the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah (PMW) award which carries the title ‘Datuk’.
Son of policeman Saroop Singh, Dr Balwinder is a consultant surgeon and head of ear, nose and throat (ENT) department at the Putrajaya Hospital since 2000. He also chairs a number of national committees related to rhinology and sleep disorders. His wife Daljeet Kaur is a deputy director in the Ministry of Education.
Another recipient for the Datuk title is Umang Sharma, chairman of Consortium of Indian Industries in Malaysia (CIIM).
The CIIM founder chairman since its inception in 2005 has been actively working with both the Malaysian and Indian Governments in promoting bilateral trade and investments between Malaysia and India, according to a statemet from the consortium.
He is also the Director & CEO of Bry-Air Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a manufacturing company involved in the manufacturing of dehumidifiers and energy conservation systems for green buildings. Its manufacturing plant in Bangi, Selangor, caters for Asean market.
The state titles like Datuk Seri and Datuk, awarded by the Federal and state governments, are much coveted titles in Malaysia. However, in the recent years, Malaysians have began questioning the selection criteria as some of the recipients were found wanting in their contributions while some others were either linked to criminal activities or were suspected to have paid for the titles.
ENT specialist Dr Balwinder Singh and wife Daljeet Kaur – PHOTO / SUPPLIED
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Take a moment to think first before you cast your vote. That’s the message that UK-based singer-songwriter and professional kirtani Taren Kaur is trying to put across in her latest song ‘Vote Akh Khol Ke Paiye’.
The song was released just days before Punjab, India, goes to elect 117 members to the Punjab Assembly on Saturday (4 February 2017).
The state elections has witnessed a spirited challenge by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against the traditional heavyweights of Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine and the Congress.
“Recently, in the UK, the Brexit movement happened and many people admitted to not understanding what their decision to vote actually meant. Afterwards many people regretted not taking the time to inform themselves and understand the consequences of what would happen.
“So the reason I decided to sing this song is as it’s not supporting any political party, but instead it is spreading the message of using your vote wisely,” Taren tells Asia Samachar when asked what prompted the song.
When I received and read the lyrics I thought they were very relevant and meaningful. I think when it comes to elections there is a lot of propaganda and parties are obviously trying to encourage more people to vote for them. But the important thing is that people should take the time to make an informed decision on who they vote for. It’s about coming together as a community and making the best decision for the betterment of Punjab.
So the message in this was to just take a moment to think first before you make your vote.
Recently, in the UK, the Brexit movement happened and many people admitted to not understanding what their decision to vote actually meant. Afterwards many people regretted not taking the time to inform themselves and understand the consequences of what would happen. So the reason I decided to sing this song is as it’s not supporting any political party, but instead it is spreading the message of using your vote wisely. When we are given the opportunity to Vote, it is our chance to use your voice to make a decision for the greater good.
What is your take on the state of Sikhs in Punjab today?
The state of Sikhs in Punjab has changed so much over the years. So many more youth are falling into problems with drugs and alcohol, and are losing their way. Many people are falling into debt and struggling to survive. From the outside we think that everything is fine but many people are suffering and struggling in their every day lives. It’s important to educate the Sikh Youth in Punjab and encourage them to learn about the disadvantages of addiction and instead motivate them to take up other hobbies and interests that could improve their lives and careers. And instead of judging others, I feel encouragement and love is vital. Supporting one another is so important, and working together to make the difference in Punjab.
Singer: Taren Kaur (UK)
Music Produced By K J Singh
Lyrics by Singh G
Guitar/Pluck/Backing Vocals: Kannu nagi
Recording Engineer: Lakshman Parsuram
Special Thanks: Dindae Sheena SikhSound For Making The RØDE Microphones Ribbon Mic Available For Our Recording In Mumbai!
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Asia Samachar | Entry: 4 Feb 2017, 07:00 | Source: Family
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Lt-Col Kamal Singh Kalsi – PHOTO / FACEBOOK OF CHINAR KALSI
He is now Lt-Col Kamal Singh Kalsi.
Dr Kamal, who ran a field hospital while serving with the US army in Afghanistan in 2011, has been promoted to a Lt-Colonel.
Kamal serves in the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a disaster medicine expert in the Army Reserve. He is also a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council.
Lt-Col Kamal has been frequently mentioned in cases where Sikhs serving in the US army battle to be allowed to serve with their turbans and beards intact, as per the requirement of their faith.
“This is a shared promotion,” said Lt-Col Kamal, referring to his wife Chinar Kaur Kalsi and his family and friends.
Chinar posted the following on her Facebook page today (5 Feb 2017):
Cell phone rings Kamal S. Kalsi: “what are you up to?” Me:” Nothing just being lazy” Kamal: ” can you come down around 1 PM, they want to do my promotion today?” Me:”what? I don’t have an outfit?” Oh well! Congrats LT Colonel Kamal-so proud of you and your accomplishments. I will stand by you in my pajamas. Love you
In the battle to serve with their turban and beard, some major developments were announced early this year.
On 3 Jan 2017, the US army issued a directive that requires brigade-level commanders to grant religious accommodations for hijabs, beards, and turbans with unshorn beards and hair for soldiers in all roles unless the requester’s religious belief is not sincere or if the Army identifies a specific, concrete hazard.
The directive makes it easier for Sikhs to serve with their religious articles of faith intact.
“Sikhs have served honorably in the US military since the early 1900s—with their religiously mandated turbans and beards. More than 80,000 Sikh soldiers died fighting alongside Allied forces in WWI and WWII, but a policy change in the early 1980s effectively banned Sikh articles of faith from entering into the military. In 2009, I became the first Sikh in nearly a generation to receive a religious accommodation that allows me to serve with my turban and beard, and more soon followed,” Kamal, then a major, wrote in article for The Hill in March 2016.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Bibi Inderpal Kaur (standing, fourth from right) with some of the ladies at Gurdwara Sahib Kajang, Selangor – PHOTO / ASIA SAMACHAR
Canadian-based lay preacher Bibi Inderpal Kaur, sharing practical solutions to the challenges in our daily lives, had two well attended programmes in Seremban and Kajang this weekend.
In her talks – at Gurdwara Sahib Seremban yesterday and Gurdwara Sahib Kajang today (5 Feb 2017) – she tackled the issue of the wandering mind.
“We are trapped in a vicious cycle. Without the Guru, we just journey on. It’s better to pause, and ask the Guru if we are on the right path,” she says.
Her talk series continue tomorrow (Monday, 6 Feb 2017) at Gurdwara Sahib Greentown in Ipoh, her only engagement in the Kinta Valley of Perak. She will also have speaking engagements at Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. She speaks in both Punjabi and English, aided by a power point presentation.
The engagements in Seremban and Kajang were part of the family day camps series entitled Leadership of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji organised by the Coalition of Malaysian Sikh Organisations (CMSO) in collaboration with various gurdwaras.
Dr Karminder Singh, a former secretary of the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) and an active lay Sikh preacher, spoke on ‘Leadership of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Into the 21st Century’ at both camps.
Mohan Singh, a retired Malaysian police officer who was formerly the OCPD of Cheras, welcomed the talks.
“The talk by Dr Karminder was beautiful. We should have more such programmes – talks that are simple and plain, and in dual language,” he tells Asia Samachar. Mohan is also a Kajang gurdwara management committee member.
NEXT SESSIONS BY BIBI INDERPAL KAUR
6 Feb 2017, Mon – Gurdwara Sahib Greentown | 5.15pm-6.45pm (forum)
6 Feb 2017, Mon – Gurdwara Sahib Greentown | 7.00pm-8.00pm
7 Feb 2017, Tues | Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya | 3.20pm-4.20pm (Istri Satsang)
8 Feb 2017, Wed | Gurdwara Sahib Titiwangsa, KL | 3.30pm-4.10pm (Istri Satsang)
8 Feb 2017, Wed | Gurdwara Sahib Pulapol, Ipoh | 7.15pm-8.30pm
9 Feb 2017, Thurs | Gurdwara Sahib Klang | 9am-4pm (SGGS Leadership Camp)
9 Feb 2017, Thurs | Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya (AV Room) | 6.30pm-8pm
10 Feb 2017, Fri | Gurdwara Sahib Selayang Baru | 7.15pm-8.30pm
11 Feb 2017, Sat | Gurdwara Sahib Tatt Khalsa Diwan, KL | 12pm-1pm
11 Feb 2017, Sat | Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Kg Pandan, KL | 7.30pm-8.45pm
12 Feb 2017, Sun | Gurdwara Sahib Lembah Jaya, Ampang | 9am-4pm (SGGS Leadership Camp)
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
International civil rights and humanitarian non-profit organisation United Sikhs plans to provide legal representation to Sikh families affected by the ‘school turban discrimination’ in Australia.
The organisation is ready to raise this issue in the interests of all religious minorities, who face discrimination while trying to admit their children to schools, reports SBS Punjabi radio station.
The organisation says it has vast experience in providing legal representation to religious minorities with a special focus on the Sikh community.
The response comes after SBS Punjabi shared the story of six Sikh families who claim that they were forced to abandon the school of their choice due to their religious beliefs.
“As we prepare for Sidhak Singh’s case, we have been contacted by many Sikh families who want to be part of our legal campaign,” United Sikhs’ international legal director Mejindarpal Kaur told the Aussie radio station. Listen to the podcast here.
In Jan 17 2017, SBS Punjabi broke the story that a school in Melbourne’s western rural–urban fringe had refused entry to a turban wearing Sikh student to maintain its position on its current uniform policy.
Melbourne’s Melton Christian College (MCC) has provided a written response to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) in which the school refused to include any additional items amid the existing permitted uniform protocol, the report said.
The Sikh family of a 5-year-old boy claims that the institute’s uniform protocol inflicts indirect discrimination against their religious belief. In an interview with SBS Punjabi, the boy’s father Sagardeep Singh Arora alleges that MCC has discriminated against his son by placing uniform conditions on his enrolment.
In response to the incident, Mejindarpal told the same radio station: “There should be a political will to resolve this issue. It is not just one school but a trend. So, rules need to be put at a government level and political leaders should set it as an example to support religious freedom and freedom of education.
“We have lot of faith in Christianity’s principles. It is not against any other faith or any other human being.
“Jesus Christ is well known to have sported long hair and wore a turban. So, to blame Christianity for it or Christian schools for it, the people who do so, even the schools themselves, are actually staying shy of Christ’s own teachings.”
The Malaysian-born advocate also shared her experience in Malaysia.
“I attended a convent school in Malaysia and we went to catechism classes and we even went to chapel. But that didn’t make ourselves less Sikh or less humans.
“In fact, we now know more about the Christian faith to be able to say that it’s not Christianity to reject someone or put down their faith.”
She added: “I would also like to make a reference to a similar case from UK, known as Mandla (Sewa Singh) v Dowell-Lee [1983]. It was about what the Melton Christian College is saying to Sagardeep’s son, and on the facts both these cases are identical.”
“It’s beggar’s belief that 33 years later in the country which still deems the Queen as the head of the state, and which is a part of Commonwealth, and is subjected to same jurisprudence that we should have schools, whether they are Christian schools or whether they are non-faith schools, who should discriminate a child based on religious preference.”
Mejindarpal is a full time pro bono lawyer with United Sikhs since the past 14 years. She feels that cases like these also need a constructive discussion within local communities, the report added.
“We don’t fight these cases on an individual’s basis but from a community point of view as they set a precedent for coming generations.”
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Asia Samachar | Entry: 6 Feb 2017, 23:00 | Source: Family
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 7 Feb 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Giani Inderjeet Kaur (1930-2017), Sentul
Giani Inderjeet Kaur, the Punjabi school principal for some three decades and wife of the respected Sentul granthi Giani Indar Singh Gill, passed away yesterday. She was 87.
Inderjeet taught Punjabi for 45 years from the 1950s and took on the role as headmistress for about 30 years at Guru Nanak Punjabi School, Sentul. She was truly a beacon for the championing of the Punjabi language in Malaysia.
She held the record for producing the highest number of distinctions in Punjabi at Form 5 level, equivalent to the O-Levels, during her tenure.
“She supported the conduct of Budhimani and Gyani courses which were awarded from Punjab University. Much before people heard of foreign degrees and twinning,” her son Harwindar Singh Gill tells Asia Samachar.
Harwindar, who is himself now in the teaching line, was a former jathedar of Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM).
Among others, she had received awards in recognition of her services from the Khalsa Diwan Malaysia (KDM) and Sant Sohan Singh Ji Melaka Memorial Society Vidyala.
“Gurfateh Ji. As per Waheguru Ji’s hukam, my Mataji passed away today 6th February 2017 having completed her life journey to return to the loving arms and Grace of Guru Nanak,” read a message from Harwindar.
Her husband, the late Giani Indar, served at Gurdwara Sahib Sentul for many years, was described by one Asia Samachar reader in these words: “A most learned Kathakaar who could hold the sanggat spell-bound with his sermons on Gurbani and Gur-ithiyaas. This talent was passed on to his son Harwindar Singh Gill.”
[If you recall any memories of Giani Inderjeet Kaur, Asia Samachar would love to hear them. Drop us a note]
Giani Inderjeet Kaur (1930-2017)
Born: 5 March 1930
Deceased: 6 Feb 2017
Cortege Timing: Cortege will leave from Gurdwara Sahib Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, on 8 Feb 2017 (Wednesday) at 11.30am for saskaar (cremation) at Loke Yew Crematorium, Kuala Lumpur.
Path Da Bhog: 12 Feb 2017 (Sun) at at Gurdwara Sahib Sentul
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 7 Feb Jan 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Lt. Col. (Rtd) Mohan Singh Rendhawa
A workshop to explore how Gurdwaras and parents can help youth learn critical living skills is being planned by a retired army officer in Kuala Lumpur on 19 February 2017.
The one-day workshop led by Lt. Col. (Rtd) Mohan Singh Rendhawa will be held at the at the youth center next to Wadda Gurdwara Kampung Pandan in Kuala Lumpur.
“Parents and the Sanggat will find out how they can work together as a team to help our youth develop the soft skills required to become more employable in the future,” he tells Asia Samachar.
The morning session (8.30am to 1pm) is for youth from the ages of 14 onwards while the afternoon session (2pm-5pm) is for parents and the Sanggat.
Lt-Col Mohan had organised similar workshops last year for gurdwaras in Seremban, Shah Alam and Selayang.
This time around, he is teaming up with Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Kg Pandan, Gurdwara Sahib Kampung Pandan Dalam, Gurdwara Sahib Sungai Besi (Shaapa) and the Malaysian Armed Forces Sikh Veterans Association (MAFSVA) to create gurdwara level programmes to develop critical living skills among Sikh youth. All other gurdwaras are also invited to join in the program.
The workshop will encourage gurdwaras to cooperate with parents and link their activities to the school co- curriculum system.
Participants will be exposed to the Duke of Edinburgh Award which can be earned by the youth age 14 to 24 doing activities in and around the gurdwaras. Youth will be encouraged to sign up for the award and work on completing the Bronze, Silver and Gold medal requirements during their school holidays.
“The focus of the program is to help youth develop soft skills and self leadership skills. Today a lack of soft skills is a major cause of youth failing to secure jobs. It has been reported that 30% of local University graduates fail job interviews due to a lack of self confidence and lack of their ability to communicate effectively in English,” he said.
The workshop will also enable the youth to learn self leadership and critical soft skills.
“They will develop friendship among other Sikh youth and learn to cooperate with one another to complete simple but useful team based projects. This program will also be a good way to keep our youth active and engaged during school holidays,” he said.
Interested parents can also volunteer assist in coordinating the related activities. These parents will be trained free by the Ministry of Youth in a special two day Leadership Course.
[For more information, call Lt-Col at +6017.8889512]
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Asia Samachar | Entry: 6 Feb 2017, 12:00 | Source: Family
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Viewing the Oath of Allegiance with LTC (Ret) Albel Singh (second from left) Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung (3rd from left) and Senior Minister of State Dr Maliki Osman (5th from left). The NS Gallery is a permanent fixture at BMTC. – PHOTO / Facebook of Ng Eng Hen
Retired lieutenant-colonel Albel Singh, who joined the pioneer batch of Singapore’s national service (NS) trainees in 1967, was a guest of honour at oath-taking ceremony for new enlistees at the Basic Military Training Centre on Pulau Tekong on Tuesday.
The service is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“It was a real treat meeting up with the first batch of NSmen at Pulau Tekong this morning,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in an entry on his Facebook page.
Albel, 68, is celebrated in Singapore as the person who was first in line to register for the NS on 18 March 1967 at the Central Manpower Base in Dempsey Road. At the age of 18 years old, and just eight months after finishing secondary school, Albel had signed up for the Basic Military Training.
The NS pioneering batch were enlisted on 17 Aug 1967 following laws passed in March 1967 to make NS compulsory. They were to serve for two years with an allowance of S$60 every month.
He went on to serve the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for 32 years, retiring in 1999 as lieutenant-colonel and the commander of the 29th Singapore Infantry Brigade. He then became the general manager of Bintan Resorts.
“I feel honoured that I was the first one (to enlist), and for the opportunity to represent my cohort for their contributions,” he told MyPaper (21 June 2012). “It’s a very significant moment for me. NS is a responsibility. The defence of Singapore is a reality.”
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Penang, Malaysia | 8 Feb Jan 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Penang Workshop: Karnail Singh (left) and Rajvinder Singh
A workshop on resume writing and successful interview tips will be organised at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Penang on 4 March 2017 (Sat).
The one day camp, from 10am to 4.30pm, will be handled by Karnail Singh and Rajvinder Singh, both attached to Penang-based Intel Corp.
Karnail is the team lead for product development and chief engineer for data center validation & manufacturing). Rajvinder is the chief engineer and manufacturing strategist for Internet Of Things (IOT).
The workshop is intended for those who are 18 years old and above only, currently attending college/university or are about to graduate and/or those actively looking for a job.
Registered participants are required to bring along their resume/CV for the individual session. To register, call Sukhveer Kaur at 012.4300497.
Content of “Writing an Effective Resume/CV” Session
What are the key components of a resume which an interviewer looks for?
How important is your English proficiency?
What are key accomplishments? Why are they important?
How important are your grades? Is having a CGPA of 2.0/4.0 enough ?
Focus on effectively describing your Key Project challenges and accomplishments etc.
Content of “Tips on having Successful Interviews”
What are the different phases of an interview and what types of questions will potentially be asked.
What are the questions always asked in an interview? Why?
Guidance on how to answer these questions.
What is behavioral Interviewing?
DO’s and DON’T’s in an interview?
The Interactive session using Mock Interview will reinforce the tip above.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
The Sikhi being practised by our children is exactly the Sikhi we parents practised in our lives. They watched, they learnt and they became us. They saw us pretend, be hypocrites, and not change at all despite our daily or weekly visits to gurdwaras. – PHOTO / PIXABAY
By Karam Singh
Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s gift ofKhandey Batte Da Pahul (Amrit) is seen as something so strict, so difficult, that it frightens away many. We often hear that Amrit is broken if you do this or that. You are then told you must ask for forgiveness for this demeanour, appear before the Panj Pyare (Beloved Five) and do atonement.
Let’s look at this real experience of someone who could not sleep for two days after being told that he had sinned and thus had broken his Amrit. What was his sin? He had accidentally swallowed a mosquito and was accused of becoming a non-vegetarian! His atonement, he was told, was to retake Amrit! And until he did so, his Nitnem (daily prayer) was useless!
So a question: Is true Sikhi in name changes, longer turbans, longer beards, wearing kacherras only?
Sikhi has to be earned (kamaunni), in real life. Our Creator is gentle, loving, compassionate and forgiving, not the misguided fanatic “mahakaal” type of a blood-sucking demon described so graphically in certain scripts.
We must not be misled that the ‘Khandey Battey DaPahul’ is so weak. It is as strong as the steel it was forged in. Once chhak (initiated), it remains with you for LIFE. Sad indeed that some preachers dole out silly notions to innocent Sikhs! If we come across anyone who has had a similar experience, we must not hesitate to advise them that Sikhi is simple. We need to just believe in a loving generous Creator and a Guru with the same qualities. And every Sikh’s mission is to inculcate the same qualities in his life. We must have true faith not in 10 different ‘dehs’ (bodies) but in the living eternal Gurbani of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) Ji.
I was told that some so-called leaders are compelling youth who attend their camps to memorise and recite from non-Gurbani texts by falsely claiming these as divine scriptures. We need to be vigilant and not wait till a whole generation is subtly brainwashed by insincere leaders who pry on emotions and fear. Parents should be alert as to what youth are being exposed to. If you need help to educate them, please reach out. Don’t despair and become complacent like a ‘ki farak penda’ (what difference does it make) and hope all will clear up by itself.
There is a fundamental difference between religion and spirituality. Kids segregate the religion part because it is what they have been conditioned to from young. However, they are more sensitive to the spirituality aspect. They are more kind, more caring to all beings, they don’t see colour or race, they don’t see rules and practices to make them more spiritual. Kids today are very spiritual. And they don’t think about it. They feel about it. Religion forces them to unthink and unfeel.
A friend shared this: “I was discussing with my 14 year old on issues of adult Sikhs who are seen as followers (a.k.a. blind faith). Her view was that adults and young adults are accustomed to a non-thinking spiritual way of life. They use their thinking skills in all other aspects of life (she called it reality) but never in their spiritual life. There is a mental segregation carried out. They totally surrender themselves to corrupted practises and never question.”
Why don’t they question? The Sikhi being practised by our children is exactly the Sikhi we parents practised in our lives. They watched, they learnt and they became us. They saw us pretend, be hypocrites, and not change at all despite our daily or weekly visits to gurdwaras. They saw us organise Akhand Paths for the walls of our gurdwaras, get entertained by our kirtan performers cum entertainers and focus mostly on making and eating tastier langgar. They saw us dressed outwardly as devout Sikhs but tell lies, speak ill of others, gossip in the gurdwara and cheat and lie in life to get ahead. They saw that the Sikhi of a vast majority of us parents was driven by silly rituals, blind faith, illogic and downright stupid practices.
They saw that our Sikhi was basically nonsensical. It was nonsense because they didn’t really understand why their parents took so much trouble to run around helter-skelter for a Sikhi they never intended to practise. Our kids never understood why their parents invested so much in Sikhi while they never actually intended to change themselves even one bit.
They saw that our Sikhi has been one that was totally devoid of Gurbani and its messages. They saw that our Sikhi was one that was driven by ‘bhed chaal’ – sheep led by sheep.
Deep down we knew we were undertaking pretentious spiritual journeys. Deep down our kids, too, know that, only much clearer than us. While everyone else saw the pretentious external Sikhi that we portrayed for the whole world out there to see; our children saw the “real Sikhi” that we practised behind closed doors. Not unlike the pretentious show of “love and respect” that broken parents put up for the whole world to see. But their children see the “real love and respect” that goes on in the ugliest of behaviours behind closed doors. Nothing complicated about all that we did wrong. Not to us, not to our kids.
Making Sikhi simple is another of our pretentious demands – that Sikhi is too complicated, hence why we can’t really practise it. Or that’s why our kids can’t really understand it. Our kids are way smarter than us. Simplicity is not one of the traits of Generation Y. Honesty and forthrightness is. Learning by watching is. Making our Sikhi REAL for us will help. Living our Sikhi by example will certainly help. But before that we will have to learn the real Sikhi for ourselves. WE, yes, WE. NOT our kids. Focusing on our kids’ Sikhi while we parents are doing it all wrong is yet another pretentious belief. Nothing will come out of it.
Try sharing Sikhi principles with 4 to 9 years old. Their innocence and love is what makes them “spiritual.” Sometimes we just can’t get conceptual when sharing Sikhi with them. Sikhi is a way of life. It starts with us by thinking of kindness and love foremost.
At the end of the day each child makes his own choices. Our children may come through us but they do not belong to us, to paraphrase the poet Khalil Gibran. [They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you]. We are merely their guardians and have no ownership over them or their choices, just like in the case of Guru Nanak Sahib ji’s children. Gurbani says “Putree kaoul na paleyo,” they chose to disobey. Hukam gives them that freedom and Guru Nanak never imposed his beliefs upon them.
ਪੁਤ੍ਰੀ ਕਉਲੁ ਨ ਪਾਲਿਓ ਕਰਿ ਪੀਰਹੁ ਕੰਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਮੁਰਟੀਐ ॥
Puthree Koul N Paaliou Kar Peerahu Kannh Muratteeai ||
The best way to preach Sikhi to the youth or younger ones is to be a good role model. Nothing else will work on a long-term basis. When they decide that Sikhi is for them by looking at the ideals by which their elders live, they will embrace the basic Gurmat principles and Gurbani which by then should already be part of their lives.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 8 Feb 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Kuala Lumpur CPO Amar Singh with other senior police officers on the front page to The Sun (9 Feb 2017) -PHOTO / ASIA SAMACHAR
Kuala Lumpur chief police officer (CPO) Amar Singh and Pulapol Langkawi commandant Baljeet Singh –two of Malaysia’s highest ranking Sikh police officers – have received conformation for their ranks.
In an internal memo on Tuesday (7 Feb 2017), Bukit Aman confirmed their ranks, along with a number of other police officers.
Amar, a third-generation cop, made history for the Sikh community in Malaysia when he was appointed as the Kuala Lumpur police chief chief police officer, with the rank of commissioner, on 19 Feb 2016.
This is the highest rank attained by a Sikh police officer in Malaysia. Santokh Singh was the last Sikh to be appointed as a state police chief when he was made Selangor CPO with the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) 1.
Baljeet Singh was confirmed as an assistant commissioner of police (ACP).
“These are among our best and brightest Sikhs in the police force,” one police officer tells Asia Samachar.
The other senior Sikh officer is ACP Harjinder Kaur who heads the banking fraud unit at the Malaysian police headquarter’s Commercial Crime Investigations Department.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
“The Granthi mumbles when reading the paath. Irritates the hell out of me,” lamented my father, a regular paathi in my sleepy hometown, a few days back.
For the uninitiated, paathis are they who do path, i.e. reading the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS). They are usually engaged for akhand paths, the non-stop reading of the Sikh scripture.
“Maybe he doesn’t enjoy it like you do,” I jibed at my Dad.
“Not the point. It’s a seva. Do it the right way so that the Sanggat can listen nicely!” he responded.
“Not his fault at all, Pa.”
Clearly he was irritated and was about to ask me if I was simply yanking his chain or looking for an argument.
“Why did we have to get him to do the Paath this time around if we knew he wasn’t doing it nicely or sincerely before?” I queried.
The answer is pretty obvious. Like most Sikh communities in Malaysia, the local Sanggat did not really have a choice. And, the Sanggat would argue profusely that it was the Granthis’ job to be regular paathis for the Sanggat that employs them.
Three issues here concern me. And I know I’m pretty much part of the problem.
Why aren’t there many amongst us who can perform this wonderful seva for the Sanggat?
Most of us have totally abandoned the endeavor to read, recite, listen and seek understanding from Sri Guru Granth Sahib – the spiritual fountain of Sikh spiritual knowledge. I’m guilty, too. We are akin to the Hindus during the times of our Gurus who were overly reliant on the pandits, the priests who play the role of bridging our material lives to our spiritual Master and our Maker. In other words, we rely on our Granthis to recite our scriptures as if it was a ritual for which only the Granthis are trained to do. In our race to attain excellence in education and in our livelihoods, we have somewhat sacrificed our spiritual dharma. One aspect of this dharma is the ever maturing state of understanding the spiritual learnings from reciting Gurbani. There are many more aspects of this dharma like loving and caring of all beings, selflessness, honest living. The list goes on. But learning more from Gurbani is as vital as all other aspects because that’s how we learn and understand more of the other aspects of spirituality. Each aspect depends on each other.
Our inability to read and recite Gurbani, or even worse, because we can’t make the time, too few of us are available to read the SGGS in gurdwaras for the benefit of those that want to listen but are unable to recite. We then rely on the few, including the employed Granthis, who are probably doing it as a means of employment rather than spiritual driven seva.
Why call paathis over to our homes or in the Gurdwara to read the SGGS during the working hours when we are not present?
The recitation isn’t for the physical walls of the house or Gurdwara. I personally don’t call it prayer because prayers are from the heart in any language and any form. But that’s another discussion for another day. The recitation is for our ears, our hearts and our spiritual beings. If we understand what we’re listening to, then the messages and lessons learnt from Gurbani can change our lives. If we don’t understand what we’re listening to, it doesn’t really mean we’re doomed to boredom and are to be burned in raging fires of hell due to ignorance.
Gurbani was designed perfectly, rest assured. It was designed to surpass our logical thinking and cognitive understanding. It wasn’t designed for the selected few who understood the language. It is immensely universal.
The sounds and vibrations from the audible recitation of Gurbani touches our spirits within. Very mystical, I know. But I sincerely believe so. Repetitive recitation would slowly force you to understand what you’re listening to. But on its own, one can experience bliss, peace, lighter shoulders and happiness by listening to a perfectly audible recitation of Gurbani. And I know I’m not the only one who has experienced this almost all my life. But I have to be there, present in mind and in body. Otherwise, reading Gurbani to an empty house or gurdwara is an exercise in futility. It’s a sheer waste of time. Remember, we can do prayers ourselves, without any knowledge of scriptures or protocol, anywhere and anytime. You don’t need a paathi to do it for you.
Lastly, why are we treating Granthis like they’re employees with a job description?
When have literally abandoned the seva of reading the Guru Granth Sahib. We don’t have proper locally trained Granthis. This has created a market for Granthis from India. I use the word ‘market’ rather crudely. They come here to earn a decent wage to sustain their famil
to but they come over here from afar, and need to live their lives in a respectable manner with sufficient salaries to sustain their livelihoods. They most probably have no intentions of making this country or the town of duty their homes. Contracts are quite often drawn, and relationships are all almost exclusively professional. Sometimes Granthis are replaced on a quarterly basis because he wasn’t up to standard or didn’t follow instructions from the paying Gurdwara management committee.
It is sad, but Granthis have always been of higher standing, with almost father-like figures for the community they serve. Not merely restricted to doing prayers and kirtan, and locked out on other matters. Granthis and the Sanggat are supposed to have the most symbiotic of relationships, balanced and fair, with communal responsibilities as per the Sikh faith and practice. Not bound by contracts and salaries, or even worse, threats of deportation. Yet, because we don’t have any of our own, with strong local relationships with the community of that town or kampung, to play the role of Granthis, we turn to our foreign-trained granthis. And we import them just like we bring in the consultants, and employ them. And we treat them like so.
And so, with few paathis around, we have no choice but to get our employed Granthis to recite Gurbani in our homes while we are absent at work as he mumbles his way through.
My dad couldn’t disagree with me this time as I ranted on about our plight of the rarity of local Granthis. He could only nod. Now, that was an experience of a lifetime.
Jagdesh Singh, a Kuala Lumpur-based executive with a US multinational company, is a father of three girls who are as opinionated as their mother
EDITOR’S NOTE: A granthi, literally, is one who reads the Guru Granth Sahib. In many places today, granthis is referred to the person handling the affairs of the gurdwara. He or she is usually employed by the gurdwara management committee to handle the religious programmes. They do the reading of the SGGS, kirtan and sometimes also gives talks. In smaller gurdwaras, they are akin to the one-stop person running the affairs of the centre. The Collins dictionary defines a granthis as the caretaker of a gurdwara and the reader of the Guru Granth, who officiates at Sikh ceremonies
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Cardiff, Australia | 10 Feb 2017 | Asia Samachar |
The volunteers serving up food to the homeless. From left to right: Prem Singh Gill, Gurraj Singh, Alvin Dev Singh, Amerpreet Singh Khalsa. – PHOTO / THE CARDIFFIAN
Every Saturday afternoon at 3pm, a group of Sikhs set up a table at the end of Newport Road where it meets Queen Street, and give out food parcels to the homeless.
Just opposite Greggs, not too far from the pedestrian crossing, they take an hour out of their weekly routine to help some of the most vulnerable people in Cardiff.
They unpack large polystyrene boxes packed with foil cartons full of lentil and chickpea curries, and pasta with sauce, as well as plastic grocery trays full of chopped fruit, crisps and biscuits, and service flasks full of piping hot tea and coffee.
The man behind this weekly display of generosity is Amerpreet Singh Khalsa, from Adamsdown, though he admits he is not the head chef for the endeavour.
“My wife does all the cooking,” he says, “I just do the chopping and the simple things like pasta sauce!”
Amerpreet has been serving food at the stall every weekend since August 2014, having previously run a stall in the city centre and worked at the Huggard Centre on Tresillian Terrace.
“Basically, this was something I was looking into doing for a few years,” he says, “and when the founders of a group called the Midland Langar Seva Society were looking to extend what they do to Cardiff, I got involved.”
The society was founded in Walsall with the aim of feeding and providing support to the town’s homeless people.
Its founders never expected it to grow beyond the Midlands, but now it has a network of people stretching from Newcastle to London, as well as Cardiff.
The Midlands Langar Seva Society is now planning to go international, with groups being set up in the USA and India.
The charitable work of the society is informed by key principles in its founders’ religion.
Langar is a Sikh custom of providing a communal kitchen at their temple, the Gurdwara, which anyone can use regardless of their background.
The Midlands Langar Seva Society extends this idea of a communal kitchen beyond the walls of the Gurdwara.
“Our first guru, Guru Nanak started a set of concepts 500 years ago. One of these was Vand Chakko – to share your wealth with others”, says Amerpreet.
“Because this wealth that we have, we aren’t going to take it with us. What better thing to do than see people in need and help them out? If you’ve got a bit of happiness then share it out.”
Joining Amerpreet on this cold weekend at the start of February are two students from Cardiff University’s Sikh Society: Gurraj Singh, a fourth-year dentistry student from Slough and Alvin Dev Singh, a post-graduate law student from Malaysia.
Some weeks there are more people manning the stall, and some weeks less, but overall there are more than 20 people who help out on a regular basis.
The volunteers are not just limited to Cardiff’s Sikh community either, members from the university’s Catholic and Muslim societies also offer a helping hand.
Amerpreet is also joined by his newest volunteer, Premdeep Singh Gill from Reading, a Marine Geography student in Cardiff University who has been helping at the stall for two weeks.
“People see what we do and they just want to help in some way”, says Prem, as he is known to his friends.
“There’s a real desire for people in Cardiff to help out if they can, but they just need a venue to do it. They give us clothes and food, and some try to give us money but we ask for food instead.
“A lot of people give food donations by sending a Tesco delivery van to one of our houses, and last week one woman gave us ten new coats to hand out to people.
“I’ve asked for donations of fruit recently, because I was concerned they weren’t getting enough nutrients.”
On this blustery Saturday, the stall is quite quiet at first, with only a few visitors who stop for a cup of tea.
But as four o’clock approaches there is a flurry of activity, with warm foil cartons of food being handed over the tabletop, apples being pocketed for later, and shoppers stopping for a chat.
Some of the visitors sit down at tables outside Greggs across the road with cups of tea, while others stop by and leave soon after.
“They do a very good thing for us,” says one man shyly as he and a woman wearing backpacks stop to talk to Gurraj and Alvin, “they’re a lifeline.”
As the crowd disappears just before four, the volunteers pack away the table into Amerpreet’s van parked outside Queen Street station and take the remaining food to the Huggard Centre.
“None of it will go to waste,” says Amerpreet.
As he carries the folded-up table to the van, Gurraj explains that they never ask too much about the lives of the people who visit their stall.
“We don’t ask any questions they might not want to answer,” he says, “but if they are happy to talk to us, then we listen.
“There was one man who used to visit who said he wanted to become a professional chef when he got off the streets, and that he would cook for the homeless when he did.”
Research by the Welsh Government has shown a spike in the numbers of people sleeping rough on the streets of Cardiff.
Though only a one-night snapshot of the wider issue, when WG undertook their second annual rough sleepers count in 2016, they found 53 people sleeping on the streets of Cardiff, a rise from 30 in 2015.
The Wallich, a leading homelessness prevention charity in Wales, has recorded a similar trend, with Mia Rees, their Public Affairs and Research Manager saying: “Our figures have shown a consistent rise in the number of rough sleepers in all areas, apart from Bridgend, over the last three years.”
But Amerpreet is not deterred by this.
He plans to take part in a charity skydive in Wiltshire later this year to raise money for the Midland Langar Seva society to buy a coach that can travel around the country giving out food to those in need.
“If I could find a way to pay bills and support my family while doing this seven days a week, I would,” he says.
“We need people from Wales, and our friends from Cardiff to come and help out,” he adds, “Don’t just like us on Facebook. Until you get involved in it you don’t know what you’re missing: when you see that smile on these guys faces when they’re eating – that little smile is worth a lot.”
Read more about the Midland Langar Seva Society at their Facebook. Go here. The article by David Lynch appeared in The Cardiffian (7 Feb 2017), a site run and maintained by postgraduate trainee journalists at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. See here.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
ACTIVITY: Group activity during the Family Day Camp organised by CMSO and SIkhi Vichar Forum (SVF) at Gurdwara Sahib Klang on 9 Feb 2017 – PHOTO / ASIA SAMACHAR
“The explanations were good. The lecturers answered our questions well. Today, I learnt more about the Guru Granth Sahib,” said Karanjit Singh.
The 19-year old student, who is pursuing a software engineering degree locally, was amongst the 70 participants who underwent a half-day workshop in Klang on on Thursday (9 Feb 2017) on how to apply critical thinking in matters related to Sikhi.
“I look forward to the next session. I would like to see them come back again,” he tells Asia Samachar. His younger brother, Jaskeerat Singh, 16, concurs.
They took part in the Family Day Camp organised by the Coalition of Malaysian Sikh Organisation (CMSO) together with Gurdwara Sahib Klang and Sikhi Vichar Forum (SVF). The camp series is themed Leadership of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) in the 21st Century.
The one-day camps were earlier held at Seremban and Kajang. A similar camp will be held on Sunday (12 Feb 2017) at Gurdwara Sahib Lembah Jaya.
Along with the sessions for the youth, two senior had engaged the parents and the adults.
Canadian-based lay preacher Bibi Inderpal Kaur spoke on how to break free form the shackles of fear and live with a sense of inner security.
Dr Karminder Singh, a former secretary of the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) and an active lay Sikh preacher, spoke on ‘Leadership of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Into the 21st Century’.
Also present amongst the Sanggat was Kuala Lumpur chief police officer (CPO) Commissioner Amar Singh, who made headlines at Asia Samachar yesterday on the confirmation of his rank.
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Karanjit Singh (third from left) and his brother Jaskeerat Singh were among the participants at the Fmaily Day Camp at Gurdwara Sahib Klang on 9 Feb 2017 – PHOTO / ASIA SAMACHAR
NEXT SESSIONS BY BIBI INDERPAL KAUR (TORONTO)
10 Feb 2017, Fri | Gurdwara Sahib Selayang Baru | 7.15pm-8.30pm
11 Feb 2017, Sat | Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Kg Pandan, KL | 7.30pm-8.45pm
12 Feb 2017, Sunday | Gurdwara Sahib, Sentul | 11.00am-11.45am
12 Feb 2017, Sunday | Family Camp | Gurdwara Sahib Lembah Jaya, KL | 9am-4pm (Bibi ji’s time @ 2-3.45pm)
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Asia Samachar | Entry: 10 Feb 2017, 19:00 | Source: Family
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 10 Feb 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Passengers boarding at Tribhuvan International Airport (Photo: Courtesy Himalaya Airlines)
Himalaya Airlines made its maiden flight from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today, providing a direct flight to the thousands of Nepalis working in Malaysia.
The Nepal full-service carrier, established in August 2014, also makes direct flights to Doha and Colombo.
Nepal Minister of Culture, Tourism and Aviation and a number of Government officials boarded the plane that left Tribhuvan International Airport.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
A satsang in progress at the Punjab-based Radha Soami Satsang Beas centre. Insert: Gurinder Singh Dhillon (left) and former chief Charan Singh – PHOTOS / RSSB WEBSITE
Punjab-based Radha Soami sect chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon was flown yesterday to Singapore for medical check-up on the advice of doctors.
An official at Beas headquarters of the sect said Gurinder was flown to Singapore for complete medical check-up on the advice of a team of doctors at Fortis Escort hospital, according to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report.
Gurinder replaced Charan Singh in 1990 as the ‘spiritual teacher’ of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a movement also known as Dera Baba Jaimal Singh with a large following across India.
The Radha Soami practice of having a living Guru goes against the tenets of the Sikh faith which accepts the Guru Granth Sahib as its Guru, with the Gurus in the physical form having ended with Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.
The 54 year-old sect leader was suffering gastritis problems but could not take any medicine without consulting the doctors at a hospital in Singapore from where he was receiving regular treatment after being diagnosed with throat cancer two years ago, the report quoted an unnamed official.
His condition is said to be serious, according to a Tribune India report.
The Beas group had set up in 2005 the Satguru Partap Singh Healthcare in collaboration with the SPS Hospitals Group. The hospital in Ludhiana, Punjab, is badged as the best hospital in Punjab.
The Beas movement does not associate itself with the other contemporary movements that use the name Radha Soami.
On its living Guru, referred to as Master, the movement’s official website says: “Central to the RSSB philosophy is a spiritual teacher who explains the purpose of life and guides and instructs members in a method of spirituality based on a daily meditation practice.”
It adds that the master’s primary role is to ‘initiate’ disciple into a practice of meditation through which he ‘connects the disciple to the Shabad or Sound Current, thus guiding the soul back to its origin’.
It adds that ‘only a living Master can awaken the divine truth within us’ and that he ‘guides us through the spiritual process which cleanses our karmas, but he does not erase our karmas.’
The movement encourages vegetarianism, avoidance of the use of leather products and discourages participation in social networking and group chat sites on the Radha Soami teachings termed as Sant Mat teachings.
New members are told they need not give up their cultural identity or religious preference to follow this path.
The Radha Soami faith was started in the city of Agra by a man named Shiv Dayal, who was the husband of a woman named Radha. After death of Shiv Dyal his prominent followers formed individual satsang groups in different parts of India, according to an article at Quora.com.
Jaimal Singh, a member of a Sikh regiment was one such follower and started the shrine of the Radha Soami faith at Beas. At present there are many branches of this faith that are in opposition to each other. The Beas-based movement is said to be the most powerful Radha Saomi group and is the one which mostly comes in interaction with Sikhs, the same article added.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
