The Affidavit Writers of 1984 Riots/Massacre
Editorial
From the very beginning a question has been asked about the 1984 riots--were they organized? The unofficial records by concerned individuals and civil rights groups have diligently maintained a list of guilty politicians who organized the violence. They go on to say that secret meetings took place between state actors where plans were hatched to exterminate the Sikhs. On the other hand, government accounts have always said that the riots were spontaneous.
Finnish Translation of Japuji Sahib By Minna Hapuoja
There is always a lot to learn and discover in life, and I wish that my translation of the Japuji Sahib will arouse interest and curiosity in the people of Finland, a beautiful country that rests under the midnight sun and the northern lights.
A Champion of Human Rights By K.P. Singh
There are not enough courageous “soldiers” like Simon Wiesenthal, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, Human Rights organizations, Amnesty Internationals, and watchdog agencies to monitor daily violations. Often there is lack of much-needed cooperation and will or overriding political considerations to identify, aggressively pursue and bring the guilty to justice.
An Introspection By Dalip Singh Wassan
On every Independance and the Republic Day people in power never fail to tell us that our problems will get solved, and inspite of all these promises the problems that the nation faces continue to exist. In fact the ruling classes, also known as public servants, have turned rich and powerful while poverty, illiteracy and unemployment plague the masses.
The Great Education Muddle: State Failure and Judicial Jigsaw By P. Radhakrishnan
While it is inarguably right that the judiciary is the principal arbiter of the laws of the land, it is also inarguably right that the people who are governed by these laws have an inviolable right to dissect judgments and if necessary express their dissent, which in a democracy can be vociferous. In this context two observations will be in order.
US Ruling Targets Travelers Carrying Pirated Items By Danny Chan
The Philippine embassy in the United States has issued a caveat against entering America with pirated items. The embassy’s announcement on Oct. 7, which followed a travel advisory from the US Commercial Service, stated anyone caught with pirated goods faces “automatic deportation in violation of intellectual property rights, or arrest and criminal prosecution, in addition to civil fines and penalties.”
‘Heart to Heart’with Sardar Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan By Ashima Kaul
Jammu and Kashmir is a multicultural region. (Laughs) It is like one whole India, When borders would go away we would exist like we existed in the past. These were the same people with same entity. We lived amicably and peacefully in the past, and we would be able to do so now.
Hamey Bhi Jeeney Do: Pakistan Mai Acchoot Logon ki Suratehal (Urdu)
(Let us Also Live: Situation of the Untouchables in Pakistan) By Yoginder Sikand
Caste, the scourge of Hinduism, is so deeply entrenched in Indian society that it has not left the adherents of Islam, Sikhism, Christianity and Buddhism—theoretically egalitarian religions—unaffected. So firmly rooted is the cancer of caste in the region that it survives and thrives in neighboring Pakistan, where over 95% of the population are Muslims, as this slim book tells us.
Madrasas in Pakistan: An Interview with a Pakistani Deobandi Scholar By Yoginder Sikand
I have myself been trying to promote reforms in the Pakistani madrasas for quite a while now. I have written several articles on this subject in numerous magazines and newspapers. My own stand is that the present structure of the madrasas should be preserved, and their autonomy and independence should not be tampered with.
Human Trafficking in the Quake's Aftermath By Mohammad Shehzad
Although the October 8 earthquake is a great human tragedy, for human traffickers it is a perfect 'business opportunity'. The mafia has become actively creative. Human smugglers are collecting information about children and women who have lost their parents and spouses. They visit various relief camps, pretend to be close relatives of such victims and claim their custody.
Police Arrest Kidney Thieves in Quake Zone By Dean Nelson and Mohammad Shehzad
Police in Pakistan have arrested a gang of Afghans who were caught removing kidneys from the bodies of Kashmiri earthquake victims. The four men were discovered carrying a freezer box containing 15 organs from corpses trapped in rubble.
Kashmir Quake, Delhi Bombings and Our Response By Yoginder Sikand
A neighbor in Bangalore had virtually slammed the door on my face when I approached him for clothes that we were collecting for the victims of the Kashmir quake. ‘They are all Muslims, so it is not our problem’, he told me, shamelessly. I heard similar explanations from several other people I had approached, who all uniformly declined my appeal.
Widows of Vrindavan By Zoya Zaidi
In medieval India, widows were made to shave their heads off, wear coarse white clothes, eat fugal meals (minus spices, believed to excite sexual desires), which they prepared themselves, and sleep on bare floors or at best on rough mats. For them singing, dancing, and even humming was prohibited. Sadly such practices exist even today.
Biblical God
The discussion on Biblical God has generated interest among some of our readers. Continuing with this topic we are publishing responses that were sent to us. Jaspal Singh’s rejoinder Can The Real Biblical God Please Stand Up is a reply to G.B. Singh’s views published in the August 2005 issue of SikhSpectrum. Additionally, we are publishing G.B. Singh’s response to Jaspal Singh, Ed Unger’s reply to J.P. Holding and Baldev Singh’s rejoinder to Rev. Zekveld.
Shortage of Doctors Threatens Country’s Health Care: Duque By Danny Chan
A Philippine doctor employed in a government hospital earns about P25,000 ($446) a month, while a doctor employed as a nurse overseas could expect to make $8,000 a month. Lawyers, accountants and engineers have also enrolled to train as nurses, according to Mr Duque.
PCGG to Consider Auctioning off Marcos Jewels By Danny Chan
International auction houses including Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonham’s have expressed interest in selling the jewelry collection, appraised at upwards of $10 million (US). Mr Abcede said the gowns and shoes were “non-performing assets” that “should have been (sold) a long time ago.” He said the jewelry collection might sell for $150 million (US) in an international auction.
A Global “Environmental Rakhi” By K.P. Singh
When young children in Lucknow, India recently tied a 7-foot wide decorative “Rakhi” around a Neem tree, a tree-family that has been celebrated for its medicinal value for centuries, they were engaging in a form of “Environmental Rakhi” and reinforcing a folk tradition of eco-friendly treatment of environment and natural resources. The word “rakhi” literally means protection in Punjabi language.
Lion's Teeth: The Artillery of Maharaja Ranjit Singh By Neil Carleton
Arguably the most potent symbols of Sikh military power in the early 19th century were the cannon manufactured for the Khalsa Durbar Army. Between 1801 and 1839, Maharaja Ranjit Singh transformed the Sikh Khalsa from a semi-feudal force into the most modern army the East India Company (EIC) faced in battle.
Fiction - Evening Winds By Dalbir S. Sehmby
Shuddering, the girl freezes at the edge of the clearing. The gunshots feel as though they tear through the flesh of the air. Just this morning, in the meadow, she was certain that no one could catch the breeze. The wind escapes all, she played. Now, even the air is wounded, forever.
Improving Lives of the Young - One Person at a Time By Harmit Singh Kamboe
The value of a good education in our hyper competitive knowledge based society cannot be over emphasized. One only has to look around in India to see the illiterate live under crushing poverty every day, and those that have some money but poor education make do with poorly rewarding self employed careers, and in the case of Punjabi youth pawn away everything they have to make it overseas to join the ranks of the working class in those countries.
In Defense of Faith Boundaries By K.P. Singh
Imagine crossing and traversing boundaries as a bridge to a more enlightened and peaceful world where unity of purpose, equality of opportunity, sanctity of all faiths, dignity of each individual, and justice for all are enshrined as the “Universal Commandments.” No sacrifice is too great to safeguard them, and no one is left outside this universal circle of hope and basic dignity.
Bonded Labourers: Children of a Lesser God By Zoya Zaidi
As the world marked the 12th of June as the “World Against Child Labour Day”, I helplessly watched children working at car-mechanic’s, tailor’s, tea-vendor’s, and at retailer’s shops; working day-in and day-out, being kicked, scolded and beaten-up into submission and labour, sometimes, beyond their capacity.
Who Decides One’s Religion Editorial Abstract of Sikh Studies
Prior to the adoption of the Indian Constitution (without the consent of the Sikhs) the Sikhs had always been treated as a separate entity. The Cabinet Mission plan which led to the Independence of India Act, recognized the Sikhs as one of the three contending parties, the other two being Muslims and others. In fact, Hindus were not even mentioned as a party. They formed a part of ‘others’.
Open Letter to Professor Terchek By G.B. Singh
Your comments on my book surprise me: "The book lacks balance and refuses to acknowledge that people can grow and develop, learn from mistakes, and try to move forward." I hope you had read Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity in its entirety before making this comment. I urge you to read Part 5 of the book, which is devoted exclusively to answering your criticism.
Fiction - Annexation: Jhelum By Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon
"Oh god!" Norgate exclaimed as he fell. The Lancer clasped the dirt hard, clawing tightly with his right hand. He looked up, holding his bloody bosom with his other hand, at his foe's fiery features. At once his countenance betrayed regret, fear and remorse. A red delta fingered its way across the ground, spreading into a sticky quagmire.
Down the Memory Lane: A Personal Journey from Curiosity to Belief By Pritam Singh Grewal
A long train journey from Ludhiana to Lahore in the company of my parents was full of excitement and expectations. Onwards from Lahore, the capital of Punjab, the rail cars were jam-packed with devotees going to celebrate the great Guru's birth anniversary at his birthplace.
Meaning and Significance of Rituals and Sacraments: The Sikh Viewpoint
By Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia
The Sikh viewpoint can be best understood in relation to the Hindu thought and ethos, which constitute the background in which Sikhism arose. The Hindu conception of ritual has at its core the Vedic notion of rta as the all-embracing cosmic universal Order, to which even the gods are subjects and subservient. In its essence the Vedic rta is a logical order of causation in which the effect emerges from the cause with logical necessity and inevitability.
Ardas: Sikh Congregational Prayer By Baldev Singh
I am fascinated by the Ardas approved by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) not only for its language, which flows in poetic rhythm, but for the way it encapsulates Sikh history and philosophy in such a pithy composition with a beautiful ending reflecting the universality of Nanakian philosophy (Gurmat). However, I am do not find the second and third lines and Pritham Bhgauti consistent with Gurmat.
Sikh Diaspora and the Akal Takhat By Amrik Singh
The time for Punjabi cinema’s transition from the farcical to the authentic and entertaining idiom seems to have drawn closer. Director, Manmohan Singh, Raj Babbar and Harbhajan Mann have teamed up to boost the industry that is fast becoming an independent venture. The spread of Sikh Diaspora in the West has increased the demand of a representative cinema that may address their life experiences.
Being Politically Correct By Sarjeet Singh Sidhu
In interfaith discussions there is a tendency to portray one’s own religion as tolerant, and in the process, just to be politically correct, to praise other faiths as equally valid and true as one’s own, even when the faiths are in total disagreement. In the process of being tolerant and accommodating do we sometimes paint an incorrect picture of our own faith as well as the other? This article is an attempt at pointing out some of the problems associated with such political correctness.
Best of Learning Zone
The moderators of Gurmat Learning Zone (GLZ), a Yahoo e-Group, have decided to share selected articles published on their website with SikhSpectrum.com readers. In the current issue you will read how Sandeep Singh Brar found inspiration for his childhood hobby of keeping pets from his belief in Sikhism, and Lakhbir Singh narrates his experience of sharing Sikh heritage with students at a village school in the U.K.
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