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Condolence - Lt Gen Kartar Singh Passed Away
The President and the members of the Institute of Sikh Studies place on record our deep sense of grief and loss at the sad demise of Lt Gen Kartar Singh on November 3, 2020. During his long association with the Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, he contributed to the IOSS immensely through his qualities of leadership, dedicated services and valuable suggestions. He has been a source of great inspiration and motivation for all the members of the Institute. The Institute of Sikh Studies owes a debt of gratitude to Lt Gen Kartar Singh for his selfless services. His unique contribution will be particularly remembered for building the International Sikh Confederation, since its inception in 2006 upto the year 2020 and making it a distinguished International Sikh organization. He has recorded its achievements in the Abstracts of Sikh Studies for last 13 years. We pray to Akal Purkh Waheguru to grant peace to his departed soul and courage to his family to bear this irreparable loss.
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Why should we also call it “Operation Blue Star”?
– Gurdev Singh, IAS (retd)
Designed assault on Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar was code-named ‘Operation Blue Star” by the attacking Government of the day. This invasion was intended to crush Sikh sentiments, extinguish any voice raising protest against government’s discriminatory actions and to humiliate the entire Sikh people by military action on Darbar Sahib and by shredding into debris their most sacred religio-political seat Shri Akal Takhat Sahib.
To rub more caustic salt to Sikh wounds, the invasion was termed ‘Operation Blue Star’. To celebrate a happy occasion people light candles, to enjoy it with greater delight they flourish fireworks and to display their unbounded joy they proclaim to have turned the sky blue with the incandescence of their rejoicings. (Blue Ribbon is an award as an honour as to the first place winner).
The attack on Darbar Sahib was not only executed with fiercest military action but was proclaimed Blue Star Operation providing a rare celebratory opportunity for sky high rejoicings.
It was upto the invaders to declare their invasion as Blue Star Operation, but why should Sikhs use this contemptuous and slighting term in their discourse! I feel Sikhs, in their narrative, should call this dastardly assault as ‘Attack on Darbar Sahib’ instead of Operation Bluestar.
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Sikh Cop’s Legacy will Inspire Generations, says US Senator
Slain Sikh police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was gunned down in the line of duty during a routine traffic stop in Houston a year ago, was a hero and a trailblazer, whose commitment to his faith would inspire generations of Sikhs and other religious minorities to serve in law enforcement, US Senator Ted Cruz said.
Cruz’s remarks came after the US Senate unanimously passed a legislation to name a post office in Houston after him.
Cruz, the US Senator for Texas, said Dhaliwal had left a profound legacy on the law-enforcement community. “Deputy Dhaliwal was a hero. He was deeply committed to his faith, family, and to serving others with compassion,” Cruz said on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
“When he was first recruited by the sheriff’s office, Deputy Dhaliwal petitioned the office to allow him to wear his turban and beard while in uniform, becoming the first to be allowed to do so,” he said. “Dhaliwal’s commitment to his faith will inspire generations of Sikhs and other religious minorities to serve in law enforcement and protect our communities,” he said.
On September 27, 2019, Deputy Dhaliwal (42) was killed in the line of duty in service of his community. In his remarks, Cruz also remembered Dhaliwal’s commitment to love and peace.
The US House of Representatives and Senate have passed the bipartisan legislation to rename the post office at 315 Addicks Howell Road in Houston as Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Building. The Bill is now headed to the White House for it to sign into a law by outgoing President Donald Trump.
The post office named after Dhaliwal in Houston is the second US post office to be named after an Indian American. The first one was named after the first Indian American Congressman Dalip Singh Saund in Southern California in 2006. — PTI (Courtesy: The Tribune, December 11, 2020)
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UT to Celebrate Guru Nanak’s birth Anniversary with Museum of Trees
Chandigarh: Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator V P Singh Badnore will inaugurate a unique environmental landmark of Chandigarh - the Museum of Trees - on the occasion of the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on Monday.
The inauguration will be done online in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Conceived and curated by ex-IAS officer and author D S Jaspal, the Museum of Trees is a sacred grove created with genetically true replicas of sacred trees of Sikhism. The naming of sacred shrines after trees is unique to the Sikh religion. Ex-member of parliament and chairman of the minorities commission, Tarlochan Singh and PHD chamber of commerce and industry president Karan Gilhotra will participate in the online inauguration.
Alongside each tree are eight foot high panels that carry a picture of the tree, along with a description of its botanical features as well as the relationship between the tree and the historical and religious background of the shrine. The museum has reproduced genetically true replicas of 12 sacred trees, including Dukh Bhanjani Ber tree of Golden Temple, Ber tree of gurdwara Ber Sahib at Sultanpur Lodhi and the Ber tree of gurdwara Babe-di-Ber in Sialkot, Pakistan.
The project, said to be the first of its kind in the world, has been funded by the union ministry of culture and is promoted by the Chandigarh Nature and Health Society, a registered NGO. The project is the country’s only outdoor walkthrough museum where visitors can see genetically true replicas of sacred trees. (Courtesy: Times of India, November 30, 2020)
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Fighting for Rights for 40 long Yyears, this Farmer won’t Give up
Nirmal Singh’s arms were chopped off while operating a fodder-making machine in 1982. Now, he is 68 and has poor eyesight. But, nothing dampens his spirit.
Camping at the Tikri border with several other protesters, he is a prime source of motivation for the youth. He has been fighting for farmer rights for last 40 years.
“We have been sitting here peacefully for the past 21 days. This agitation may be the longest as we are in direct conflict with the Centre, which is working for the corporate houses,” Nirmal said.
Working as a cashier of Hathan village for BKU Ugrahan, he never misses a chance to encourage youth with the examples of several battles the community had won in the past.
His brother Kuldeep Singh has also been with him during most of the battles. But when Kuldeep is unable to stay for long, other members of the union take care of him.
“I am unmarried, but my brother is married. I know his responsibilities. Now, lakhs of members of the union are my family members and they take care of me. I have participated in several protests. Initially, youngsters were desperate for a solution, but now they have also settled here for long after detailed discussions with us,” Nirmal said.
“Like us, almost everybody gets inspired by Nirmal Singh as he has been fighting for farmers for the past 40 years. He is always full of energy and even during our march to New Delhi, he did not leave any stone unturned despite facing physical problems,” said Kulwinder Singh, cashier of BKU Ugrahan of Malerkotla block. (Courtesy: The Tribune, December 19, 2020)
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Leading Historian VN Datta no more
New Delhi: Leading historian of modern India Vishwa Nath Datta (1926–2020), most celebrated for the pioneering work “Jallianwala Bagh”, passed away at his New Delhi residence on Monday. He was 94. Born into a famous business family of Amritsar, Datta was the first to chronicle the Jallianwala massacre and bring to light the findings of the Hunter Committee Report the British had long suppressed. A Padma Shri, Datta’s long career included his time as a contributor to The Tribune in which he started writing as a student at Lahore and went on to author “Off the Shelf”, a well-regarded column for years.
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Passport and National ID-card for Sikhs in Norway !
Latest amendment in law in wearing turban by the Sikh citizens in Norway has been made with the untiring efforts by an Indian born Norwegian citizen and Municipal Commissioner Amritpal Singh of the city of Darman and other Sikh organizations.
Amrit pal Singh has succeeded in getting the laws governing the style of tying turban by the Sikh citizens after a relentless struggle for many years. Earlier, the turban wearing sikh citizens were not granted passport after 2014 when the Government of Norway had amended the laws which made it compulsory for the Sikh citizens to ear their turbans while keeping their ears uncovered.
S Amaritpal Singh is the son-in-law of popular Punjabi author Paramjit Kaur Sirhind and belongs to district Kapurthala. He, in coordination with the Young Sikh League and other Sikh organizations, has been protesting against these laws and kept on corresponding with the Govt of Norway. As a result of their concerted efforts, new amendments have been made and Sikhs have now been allowed to affix their photographs wearing turbans covering their ears on their passports and ID Cards. An announcement to this effect has been made by Norway Minister of Justice and Life Science Communities (STL) Indian embassy and Indian authorities have also supported the Sikh efforts to get their legitimate right. Amritpal deserves credit for this landmark achievement. Monica Meland announced this decision at Guru Nanak Gurdwarra in Oslo, the Country’s Capital on October
We are grateful to live in a country that takes its constitutional rights such as democracy, rule of law and human rights very seriously. We are now confident that the authorities promote equality, equity and justice, and that they safeguard the rights of minorities.
Sikhs have used these tools in our six-year struggle to change the regulation. We have met countless elected representatives from various parties, written thorough hearing replies, sent emails, written articles, engaged international organizations, given interviews to Norwegian and foreign media, and met Ministers and State Secretaries. There is no doubt that we have used our democratic rights. At the same time, we have examined possible legal actions - to lift this case from the political sphere into legal courts. We have always based our claims on the grounds of constitutional human rights and argued how the pervious regulation restricted and discriminated these very rights.
We have put in large number of working hours into this struggle. The case has been discussed in Gurdwaras and families, among friends and colleagues. We have worked with various strategies and have relentlessly pursued our way to meetings with key figures. There has been a lot frustration and despair. It has been a long and tough battle.
We have won a case that means a lot to us, and with tools that we have acquired through education, work, socialization and dialogue. The gift the Norwegian society has given us, the knowledge of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, was key to unlock a closed door we have met in Norway.
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Registration of Sikhism in Austria a Milestone: SGPC
The SGPC has congratulated the community members over the registration of Sikh religion in Austria while reiterating its continuous support to the farmers’ stir by providing langar, medicines and lodging facilities.
Bibi Jagir Kaur, president of the SGPC, said the acknowledgement of Sikhism as a religion by the Austrian Government was a remarkable win for the Sikhs. She said the community members with their industriousness and integrity of character were scaling new milestones across the world. She said this would establish the Sikh identity in European countries. She thanked the Austrian Government for acknowledging the Sikh identity.
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