Power struggle at Sikh temple in San Jose

SAN JOSE -- One of the most spectacular views of Silicon Valley is from the nation's largest Sikh temple, whose golden dome and peaceful manicured gardens rise from the hills east of this city's downtown. Gov. Jerry Brown, then-Mayor Chuck Reed, faith leaders and thousands of Sikhs from all over Northern California celebrated its April 2011 grand opening, a statement of the community's growing stature.

But Sikh Gurdwara San Jose is also a house divided, with a nasty power struggle that has pitted its leadership against critics. It has filled the courts with a series of lawsuits involving the temple's steering committtee, prominent elders and a Sikh community newspaper. And it has spilled into the political arena, where a temple leader recently saw his hopes of becoming San Jose's first Sikh city councilman dashed after a campaign in which Sikh protestors called him a villain at candidate forums.

with thanks : mercurynews : LINK : for detailed news report.

Gunfire At Sikh Temple Parking Lot In Renton, Washington

RENTON, Wash. – Reports of gunfire at a Sikh temple sent officers from several agencies to Talbot Road South on Sunday, Captain Ohashi from Kent Fire Department said.

An argument between two members of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington congregation broke out in the temple’s parking lot, and quickly escalated.

Witnesses told police the two men were yelling at each other, which attracted a small crowd. One man suddenly pulled out a handgun, and it fired into the ground when several bystanders tried to restrain him.

“Nobody should take any weapon inside the temple. That’s very bad,” temple member Harjinder Singh said. “Everybody should come peaceful because kids come there, women come there, elders come there, so peacefully pray and go home.”

with thanks : theindianpanorama : LINK : for detailed news.

Enjoy the best street food at a road side Dhaba !

Parantha is a famous food of Delhi & Punjab and almost everyone of us like to eat Paranthas & that too stuffed with Aloo, Aloo Pyaj as well Egg. Its regularly cooked in our kitchen at our home as a morning breakfast. When out of Delhi, we prefer to eat it, as its time saving.

There are many sources where you can go and have it. ‘Ahuja Number 1’ at Sonipat and ‘Fauji Dhaba’ at Karnal bypass are the most famous ones though many new hotels with Star ratings have come up on this stretch of GT Road such as ‘Haveli’. But today I am writing about the Pranthas of Mool Chand at Delhi itself.

Yeah ! I was quite unknown about this roadside eatery shop. Once I heard about it in one of the newspaper & decided to go there to have its taste.

It was a small Dhaba type on the corner of a road just opposite the mool chand metro station. It was around 6 pm in the evening and I was surprised to find a large number of cars parked here and there & the Paranthas were being served in the car itself.

We parked our car & decided to place the order. Within minutes a young man was standing in front of us, to book the order. We asked for Aloo Parantha as well Aloo pyaj parantha.

Within 5 minutes we had the same in our car with Parantha in a paper plate with chutney, pyaj & green mirch. We asked for Rayta & butter & he brought the same in the split of a second.

Though we are regular eaters of stuffed paranthas & we have tried it at many places, including Five star hotels of Delhi. But the taste of parantha here was a bit different. It was crispy and very tasty.

Soon we finished it and ordered the Egg Parantha. We have tried the same at the ITO also where the shop opens after 10 pm and that too for two hours only for the vendors of newspapers. The egg parantha at Mool Chand looked good & again very crispy & tasty.

As we really enjoyed the Paranthas at Mool Chand, i asked about the history of this Dhaba & how it became so famous. I was told by the person in charge, Vijay, that it was opened in the year 1975 and the owner was  Ram Lal Thakkar.

I was told that they have regular customers from every part of Delhi & many top celebrities also visit the road side Dhaba to have the stuffed parantha. It has become so famous that it has been covered by almost all the newspapers. We were told that if we are there after 8 pm, we have to wait for much longer duration to enjoy the food due to heavy rush there.

We too liked the Road Side food, though it was not that much hygienic as we prefer to eat. But once in a month, we can definitely come here to enjoy it. If you have not yet visited this road side open air Dhaba, for the best street food, plz visit once & have the taste of Delhiites, Desi Food.

Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib : SikhsIndia Pics

Sikh festival comes to life with colourful procession in Doncaster

with thanks : thestar : LINK : for detailed news report.

Festival celebrates Punjabi culture

Kirk Barron/Appeal-Democrat

Bright colors swirled across the stage to the vibrant, up-tempo rhythms of Bhangra music at the 21st annual Punjabi American Festival.

The celebration of Punjabi culture began with Bhangra and Giddha teams from around the North State and closed with international music acts as an estimated 12,000 people attended the event on Sunday at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds.

Headlined by Miss Pooja, one of the best-selling female Bhangra artists in the world, and fast-rising singer Ammy Virk, the festival aims to have something for everybody, said Tej Maan, Chairman of the Punjabi American Heritage Society.

"Everyone has a different reason for being here," Maan said. "Some come for the music, food, shopping or because they know somebody performing."

Another big draw this year is a visit from Brian Murphy, a police officer who was shot 15 times defending a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., in 2012. A documentary about the shooting, which left three worshipers dead, was shown at the festival.

Through his interactions with the Sikh community after the shooting, Murphy began raising awareness for a faith many Americans know little about. That message goes hand-in-hand with the purpose of the Punjabi festival, Maan said.

"When we started the festival, we had two purposes in mind," Maan said. "To pass the culture on to the youth and to bridge the gap in the mainstream community."

with thanks : appeal-democrat : LINK : for detailed report

MYNTRA is the MANTRA of doing shopping !

You may be a man, women, a student, an office goer, a professional or a business personality. Every one of you has to do some shopping, regularly or once in a blue moon. But do you have enough time to go to the market, shop to shop, brand to brand, selecting the products of your choice, with a big wallet and on a strict, no return basis ?

The time has changed a lot as you don’t have the precious time, any more. Now you just require a Smart phone and the Myntra App loaded in it. If you have it, you can start your shopping anytime, anywhere.

Now you can do shopping from your home, office, car or even a bullet train. Now you can shop from your bedroom or dining room. Now you can shop from a playground or a burial ground. Now you can shop while under a shower or  in the swimming pool. Now you can shop privately with your wife, with your Girlfriend or even with your  Ex one. You can shop while sitting in between your family members or from the private corner of your home.

Myntra offers Fashion and casual lifestyle products. It has  over 2,00,000+ Styles and 1,000+ bestselling Brands i.e. the largest collection of the latest fashion and lifestyle products in India!

Just download the Myntra App on your smart phone & that’s all. No need to carry cash. No need  to hold the big and heavy carry bags. Just do your shopping using Myntra App & pay via smart money & the pack is sent to you at the designated place with a warranty to return / refund in the prescribed time limit.

Remember, this is the wonder world of smart phones & those not using mobile apps are the outdated personalities. Now, you have to decide whether you are an outdated personality, who still want to go to the crowded market places for shopping and that too at the exorbitant prices or an upcoming great personality who can shop from anywhere, any time and that too at the discounted prices.

Come on ! Have MYNTRA in your smart phone. I am selling it at no cost to you. I am offering it absolutely Free.  Just have it. Download it and start using it.  Myntra is now App Only. It has shifted to the sales via Myntra App, only, as this is the present trend of the market worldwide. Join this bandwagon for a true fashion experience. Remember, MYNTRA is the MANTRA of doing shopping in the present world. It’s the fashion. It’s the lifestyle. It’s the latest trend.

Pics used with thanks from myntra.com

Sikh breaks religious protocol to help injured child

Wellington: A young Sikh did not hesitate to break religious protocol by removing his turban to help an injured child bleeding profusely after an accident in New Zealand`s largest city of Auckland, media reports said on Saturday.

Harman Singh, 22, did not think twice before removing his turban to help the five-year-old who was hit by a car on way to school, New Zealand Herald reported. 

"I wasn`t thinking about the turban. I was thinking about the accident and I just thought, `He needs something on his head because he`s bleeding.` That`s my job -- to help," the daily quoted him as saying.

with thanks : zee news : LINK : for details

Violence erupts at Wolverhampton Sikh temple meeting

Trouble flared at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Sedgley Road, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton. It happened during the selection of the committee to run the temple.

Witnesses said the vice president had his turban torn off - a grossly disrespectful move - during the fracas and two people were hurt. One needed hospital treatment.

It was said that trouble flared in the prayer room as the names of those chosen to sit on the 25-strong committee were disclosed to a congregation estimated at more than 1000-strong.

Hecklers interrupted proceedings with shouts of protest at the proposed make up of the powerful group, the membership of which is changed every two years.

The disturbance reportedly got worse as it spilled downstairs into the office used by senior officials of the temple. Witnesses said too many people tried to cram into the room and a fight broke out during which a man allegedly drew a knife.

Punches were also reportedly thrown as groups representing rival factions clashed on Sunday afternoon.

with thanks : expressandstar : LINK : for details.

New Army Rule Eliminates A Hurdle To Sikh Service

WASHINGTON DC (TIP): In April 2015, the U.S. Army released new rules that will make it easier for observant Sikhs to request religious accommodations for their articles of faith. The prior procedures forced turbaned and bearded Sikh recruits to violate their religion while asking for a religious exception to serve – a Catch-22. Now observant Sikh recruits can continue to practice their religion while the Army decides whether to accommodate their religious articles of faith. The new process allows observant Sikh recruits to first contract with the U.S. Army and then submit a request for a religious accommodation. While the request is pending, the Sikh recruit will not be sent to training or receive any official U.S. Army assignments. If the religious accommodation request is granted, the Sikh recruit may serve without compromising his/her articles of faith; if it is denied, the Sikh recruit may then request a departure from the Army without penalty in order to avoid violating religious beliefs. It is the Sikh Coalition’s understanding that this rule change only applies to the U.S. army at this time. Despite these changes, the presumptive ban on Sikh articles of faith still remains and accommodation requests are still being decided on a rarely-granted case-by-case basis. In other words, while it is now easier to request a religious accommodation within the U.S. Army, it is still difficult to actually obtain one.

with thanks : TheIndianPanorama : LINK : for details.

Chicago Sikhs Raise $34,000 for National Sikh Campaign

CHICAGO — Last week 200 Sikhs attended the first major fundraising event for the National Sikh Campaign, raising a total of $34,000. The NSC aims to promote national awareness of Sikhism and Sikh identity through the media, said a press release.

At the event, NSC representatives presented their media plan to place specially crafted ads about Sikhs on national and local TV channels and websites. “This will help to educate Americans on the Sikh community and identity of wearing a turban and beard,” explained the organizers.

with thanks : indiawest : LINK : for details