Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Feb 9, 2012, 11:55 pm
(photo: Shergill Law Firm) You may recall the murders of Elk Grove, California residents Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, two senior citizens and turban-wearing Sikhs who, while on their daily walk, were shot down in a drive-by last year.  Despite last October’s Day of Action by the communit...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Feb 8, 2012, 9:00 am
It’s sobering (and depressing) to hear about another hate attack in the United States fueled by Islamophobia, this one in the form of racist graffiti on a gurdwara under construction in Sterling Heights, Michigan.  SALDEF‘s recent statement about the incident states: …the vandalism happened ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Feb 7, 2012, 12:00 pm
Cover of "Guru Tegh Bahadur: The Ninth Guru of the Sikhs" (photo: sikhcomics.com) Let me first take the opportunity to thank the bloggers of TLH for welcoming me to this blog.  A few might recognize me from americanturban.com, and I’m excited about the opportunity to engage with the audience on ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Feb 6, 2012, 12:26 pm
It isn’t new in our community.  A colonial official promises us money, land, and riches.  Hundreds of thousands of Sikh javaans found themselves in the deserts of Iraq, the jungles of Burma, or even in the mountainous regions of France during WWI and WII seeking greater opportunities.  One need...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Feb 2, 2012, 6:43 am
Communities on the periphery of the Indian State, be they Sikhs, Kashmiris, Christians in Nagaland, or even Bengalis and Bangladeshis have long seen the brutality of the “world’s largest hypocrisy.”  Despite claims of democracy, progress, and growth, the facade is held together by a sadistic ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 27, 2012, 6:14 am
First off, my sincere apologies to all in delaying the posting of this entry for far too long.  Over winter break, nearly 20 students participated in the Jakara j.Korps initiative that seeks to explore the issue of immigration.  Here is a photo-essay composed by Josh Singh. During winter break 20...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 26, 2012, 12:51 pm
Oscar nominated director, Ashvin Kumar today offers a free preview of his film on the twenty year military presence in Kashmir, ‘Inshallah, Kashmir: Living Terror,’ a film that documents the treatment of the Kashmiri people at the hands of  half a million Indian military troops. The film reveal...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 25, 2012, 1:10 pm
Chances are you’ve probably heard about Tonight Show host Jay Leno’s joke last week that has angered a lot of Sikhs in the US and around the world.  In the segment, the voiceover stated, “Here’s a look at Mitt Romney’s summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee,” as a photo of Darbar Sahib was s...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 22, 2012, 9:53 pm
I found this new video that Mandeep Sethi released last month beautiful and inspiring.  Shot in London, the young San Francisco-based hip hop artist links up with a dhadi jatha for a freestyle session unlike any other. I’ve always loved the power, poignancy, and rhythm funkyness of dhadi jathas....
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 19, 2012, 6:07 am
Since the inception of Sikholars: Graduate Sikh Conference, we have featured it here on The Langar Hall.  The past two years have been huge successes and the third year will prove no different.  A terrific agenda of evidence and research-based topics, as well as current thinking and new ideas will...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 19, 2012, 3:11 am
... young Sikhs pursuing their passion. YouTube, Lenovo, and Space Adventures are running a competition to find an amazing space experiment and 16-year-old Pranav Singh is ... will be carried out on the International Space Station and streamed live from space on YouTube. You can view Pranav’s ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 18, 2012, 12:32 pm
As you may have noticed, today is a national day of action to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and the PROTECT IP Act, two bills being decided on in US Congress right now.  Tons of sites, including Wikipedia, are on a 24-hour blackout to protest the bills and urge action. Needless to say, we at ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 16, 2012, 11:07 pm
... or “honor” of the family. These conversations are not easy to have.  These conversations hit home for many of us.  A woman is ... United States.  One in four women are sexually assaulted in the ... up to these difficult, painful conversations.  While we often see many ... deep emoti...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 9, 2012, 12:06 pm
As many of us in the US and around the world have been celebrating the beginning of a new year this past week as well as the Gurpurab of Guru Gobind Singh, a new draconian law has been brought upon us in the United States with near silence from the mainstream media.  On New Year’s Eve, President ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Jan 5, 2012, 4:16 pm
Image from Inkquisitive Illustration
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 27, 2011, 3:05 am
This season, Americans are spending $465 billion, according to the National Retail Federation and a substantial portion of that is on gifts. Luckily, the final days of the year are a chance to give in a different kind of way and by doing so, gain a benefit – namely, contributions made to a charita...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 22, 2011, 4:21 pm
Gendercide is a well-known problem in India.  The BBC and ABC 20/20 have highlighted this issue.  The low sex-ratio in Punjab, India shows how the soil, which gave birth to Sikhi is not devoid of this problem. The land on which our Gurus proclaimed the equality of women when others considered her ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 16, 2011, 3:49 pm
The legal banning of the burqa and niqab has once again been in the headlines this last week, but this time beyond Europe, in Canada (or as Tanmit from G.N.E. called it last week at Lahir, “America’s pagh”). Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, known for hi...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 14, 2011, 6:56 am
For many of us school is out and the holidays are upon us.  Throughout the season, many Sikhs throughout the world engage in seva to support members of the community in which they live.  We expect this year to be no different. We hope that commenters will use this section to highlight events or d...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 11, 2011, 2:25 am
Guest blogged by Mewa Singh. Earlier this year, I wrote an in-depth post, summarizing the workshops and questions raised at the Jakara Movement’s annual Lalkaar conference.  I was hardly alone.  Our sisters at Kaurista shared their thoughts, as did a number of individual participants. So now i...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 7, 2011, 9:00 am
As promised, here is my follow-up to Monday’s post about the Inquilab hip hop workshop in New York. This past Saturday night brought together hundreds of Sikhs (and others) for the fourth annual Lahir: Move the Movement.  I always seemed to have a conflict the last several years, but finally mad...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 6, 2011, 3:05 am
Guest blogged by Ranjanpreet Nagra and Jaskiran K. Mann In February 2011, six months after finishing my Master’s in South Asian Studies from University of Michigan, I moved to Berkeley and was still looking for a job and a place to live when I met the founding members of The 1947 Partition Arch...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 5, 2011, 11:30 am
As Sundari blogged about a few days ago, we just had an exciting weekend of Sikh youth art and activism in the NY/NJ area.  I was lucky enough to sit in on the Sikh Coalition’s “Inquilab: Raising Our Voices” hip hop workshop for a few hours on Saturday and then ride the bus to New Jersey with...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 4, 2011, 11:00 am
My Mamaji, a very well known Punjabi writer in India, has penned loads of best-selling novels, won numerous awards, and has some incredible stories about his experience of being in the Indian Army during the 1980s, but he has never once written about 1984. Nothing. Not even a short-story. He has wri...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Dec 1, 2011, 3:26 am
On December 2nd and 3rd, Sikh youth will have the opportunity to participate in a special workshop that will allow them to learn the power of expression and how it can be used to create change in their life and communities.  Inquilab: Raising our Voices, organized by The Sikh Coalition and Slumgod...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Nov 29, 2011, 1:31 pm
  Click here to view the embedded video. Tears and Ashes, an event to remember 1984, is happening this evening in Toronto, Canada. The event will be a night of reflection remembering victims and survivors. It would be great to see this event organized simultaneously in cities across the globe as ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Nov 23, 2011, 6:29 pm
This week, The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) and the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) announced the inauguration of the “Khalra Centre for Human Rights Defenders” in New Delhi, in honor of Jaswant Singh Khalra.  The announcement was made during The National Consultation on Human Rights...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Nov 22, 2011, 12:38 pm
Click here to view the embedded video. This video from the popular South Indian television show Adhurs Ultimate Talent Show has gone viral in the last couple of days.  In it, the so-called Warriors of Goja, a group of Sikh men “performing” with a giant Khanda as their backdrop and upbeat bhang...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Nov 2, 2011, 9:01 pm
When I met Sonny, I felt that his story demanded to be told. I was moved by his willingness to share difficult stories about how racism, xenophobia, and islamophobia impact him in a very daily and intimate ways. But more importantly, I was inspired by how he had turned this hardship into a motivatio...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 31, 2011, 3:05 am
Do you know how to tie a patka?  The following video, an original creation by Keerat Kaur, was produced by Saffron Press in an effort to educate about the Sikh identity – allowing educators (and curious children) to learn how to tie a patka/dastaar and see what actually lies beneath the piece of ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 28, 2011, 6:03 am
While most focus on Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the Middle East for its importance in today’s media landscape, slowly their incisive programs and documentaries have gained an audience amongst those serious about global issues throughout the world.  I am a huge fan of their English service and can ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 27, 2011, 4:00 am
Co-blogged by Sundari and Ajaib Kaur  How many young Sikh women do you know who are looking to meet their Sardar?  And how many young Sikh men do you know who are looking to meet their Sardarni? Lots?  We hear you.  But how can we make these two groups meet? We decided to write a post on this...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 25, 2011, 5:41 pm
Beginning on October 15th, a three-day exhibition was held in Ludhiana to profile a generation of rising young artists in Punjab. The mission according to gallery is ‘to further enrich and diversify cultural life in the Punjab region by facilitating the development of emerging artists.’ The newl...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 21, 2011, 6:25 am
Sit down with my cousins in Punjab for more than a few minutes and in-between their reckless driving and ear-pumping tracks of Jazzy B and Gippy Grewal, they will often give their commentary about how Punjabi music is now trash and doesn’t represent the “true” culture.  Ask if they enjoy the ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 20, 2011, 3:05 am
This week, Ensaaf launched their Challenge the Darkness campaign.  The aim of the campaign is to remember human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and bring awareness to the mass state crimes committed in Punjab, India from 1984 to 1995. At the end of the month, Ensaaf and the Khalra Mission Org...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 17, 2011, 9:29 pm
With Bhangras and Jakaras – our very own beloved Fauja Singh crossed the finish line to be the first 100 year old to complete a marathon – thus also setting a world record.  Running in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he may have been last in the pack – but he finished first in the...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 17, 2011, 2:01 pm
Guest blogged by Birpal Kaur Over this past weekend there was an article published in the Los Angeles Times of the  experiences of Sikh women and maintaining kesh.  This article addresses the journey and relationship with kesh, looking at societal pressures as well as a personal journey, and in t...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 14, 2011, 11:26 pm
It’s been quite a day here in New York City.  I woke up at 3am this morning and arrived at Liberty Square at 4:00 to protect the Occupy Wall Street encampment from eviction.  Sleep deprived but fired up, I joined with thousands of others who showed up to stand in solidarity with this growing mov...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 13, 2011, 10:32 am
Following in the footsteps of great Sikh marathon runners like Fauja Singh, a young Sikh Ph.D. student named Simran Singh is currently training to run the largest marathon in the world — the New York City Marathon.  And he’s running for a good cause.  Simran is working with Team in Training an...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 13, 2011, 5:10 am
... there, please come and stand with your community on this ‘Day of Action.’  We are calling for justice, not vengeance.  We are here ... we want the perpetrators apprehended. The schedule reads as follows:   Day of Action Help Find The Criminals That Murdered Surinder Singh and Gurmej...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 12, 2011, 7:04 am
This post is a bit late, but every bit still important.  Last week, the first “Sikh Feminist conference” – SAFAR – was held at the University of Toronto.  The conference brought together academics, activists, and community members to reflect on the meanings and experiences of gender in a S...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 11, 2011, 3:30 am
Guest blogged by Navjot Kaur Usually, I can take quite a lot before something unsettles me. Today, my pressure cooker was whistling. When you think things can’t get much worse, they have a way of doing just that. When it rains, it pours, right? As I went to pick up my son at the end of his secon...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 10, 2011, 3:38 am
For the past two years, the Jakara Movement has created a forum for budding scholars and researchers, working on various projects Sikh, to come together, share, and challenge each one another. Over this period, it has become an extremely popular venue for community members, activists, and researche...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 7, 2011, 7:50 pm
Occupation has come to carry a different connotation of late as the #OccupyWallStreet movement quickly spreads throughout the country.  But for millions in Afghanistan it still means U.S. militarism.  It still means war.  It still means injustice.  Today marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. in...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 5, 2011, 3:36 am
Gursharan Singh at his home Guru Khalsa Niwas in Putli Ghar Amritsar. 1986 (photo by Amarjit Chandan) During my last year of graduate school, we were reading “Lyrical Ballads,” for a seminar on British Poetry written by Wordsworth and Coleridge. This collection – published in 1798 – challen...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Oct 4, 2011, 1:15 pm
By now I imagine most of you have heard about Occupy Wall Street in New York City and the growing “Occupy” movement all over the country.  Inspired by the mass uprisings of the Arab Spring, the movement is uniting under the banner, “We are the 99%”, in its protest of unprecedented economic ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Sep 28, 2011, 3:17 am
For the past few months, I have been inundated with the much hyped Canadian-Bollywood venture, “Speedy Singhs” also called “Breakaway.”  As of September 3o, it is available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and India. It’s interesting in the comments to another post on TLH titled “Stick Ha...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Sep 26, 2011, 10:30 pm
Last week the US military officially ended “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) after President Obama signed a repeal of the 18-year-old anti-gay policy last December. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members (note the absence of transgender people, who are still not allowed to serve openly) and ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Sep 23, 2011, 8:20 am
While Breakaway/SpeedySinghs seems to be the talk of the town, earlier this week, a friend (pagh salute: download!) pointed this new movie to me.  It seems it is still in production and is a labor of love for Sikh-Australian, Rupinder Singh.  On the internet there are few details about the movie. ...
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Jodha S. posted an article on The Langar Hall - Sep 22, 2011, 7:52 am
The results are in and much to no one’s surprise – Badal and his cronies won. If you ran against the don, he sent his goons. If your supporters were going to come out and vote, they captured the booth and made sure your supporters were turned away. If they thought it was going to be close �...
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