Rupinder Mohan Singh |

"A flag waves in the wind atop a flagpole wrapped in orange material outside the Sikh Sabha of New Jersey, located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, in celebration of Vaisakhi" (source: Michael Mancuso/The Times of Trenton)

Vaisakhi celebrations continue across the United States

April 16, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the Vaisakhi celebration at the Sikh Center of Pacific Coast Gurdwara in Selma, California, which brought together a large gathering of Sikhs from the Fresno County area for a Nagar Kirtan (religious procession). It was very well attended and the atmosphere was quite festive. A local television station covered the celebrations in Selma, which you can watch here. I certainly enjoyed my first visit to this Gurdwara and celebrating with them the […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: Albany, Bothell, California, Dallas, Lawrenceville, Los Angeles, Nagar Kirtan, New Jersey, Niskayuna, Niskayuna Gurdwara Sahib, Seattle, Selma, Sikh Center of Pacific Coast, Sikh Center of Seattle, Sikh Sabha of New Jersey, Southern Methodist University, Stockton, Texas, Vaisakhi

Site of the Boston Marathon explosions: "The view down Boylston Street." (source: @PeterHambyCNN)

Thoughts and prayers to the victims of the Boston Marathon attack

April 15, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

One cannot fathom the nightmare that took place in Boston today. Let us offer our wishes and prayers for the victims and survivors of the explosions at the Boston Marathon. While my head spins with the news, its consequences, and other aspects, further commentary can wait for another time. While one of the things I look forward to after the weekend is the resumption of blogging, on this Monday there will be none further. Sri Rag, First Guru. Thou art […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Boston, Boston Marathon, explosion

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"End the Death Penalty" poster. (source: @jakaramovement)

One year later, another Sikh faces execution in India

April 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

About a year and half ago, the story of Devender Pal Singh Bhullar was shared on this blog. Devender Pal Singh, a university professor, has been on India’s death row after he was deemed guilty for a bombing in India in 1993 which took the lives of nine people. He was sentenced to death by hanging. However, the conviction was rife with inconsistencies and problems, the most notable of which was that Devender Pal Singh’s confession was based solely on […]

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights • Tags: Amnesty International, Balwant Singh Rajoana, Capital punishment, Devender Pal Singh, Devender Pal Singh Bullar, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, India

The Panj Pyare, or Five Beloved Ones, lead the Nagar Kirtan in Los Angeles, California on April 7, 2013. (source: SikhNet)

Picture of the Day: Leading the Los Angeles Nagar Kirtan

April 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On April 14, Sikhs across the United States and around the world are celebrating Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi), which is the most significant celebration on the Sikh calendar. In many cities, this celebration includes a Nagar Kirtan (religious procession) through the city, and these are taking place across the country this month. In Los Angeles, California, Vaisakhi was celebrated on April 7 with a large Nagar Kirtan originating at the Los Angeles Convention Center (pictured above). Similar celebrations are also taking […]

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day, Sikhism • Tags: Baisakhi, California, Los Angeles, Nagar Kirtan, New York, Panj Pyare, Selma, Stockton, Vaisakhi

"Kirty Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Namit Satara plan an upcoming trip to Washington D.C. for members of the Sikh Junior Coalition." (credit: Jo Piazza | The Wall Street Journal)

Sikh Coalition program empowers Sikh youth to tackle challenges

April 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An article in The Wall Street Journal describes the Junior Sikh Coalition, a Sikh youth group in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area organized by the Sikh Coalition to develop leadership skills among young Sikhs and to take on issues such as school bullying: “When we were alone it was really hard,” said Rajan Kaur, a 17-year-old from Morristown, N.J. “But, when we are together we feel like we can accomplish anything.” When I was a young student, I was often […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Profiles • Tags: bullying, Connecticut, Gurwinder Singh, Junior Sikh Coalition, Kirty Singh, Namit Satara, New Jersey, New York, Rajan Kaur, Sikh Coalition, Wall Street Journal

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Addressing domestic terrorism needs renewed focus

April 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An article in the Dayton Daily News discusses white supremacist gangs in Ohio’s state prisons, and how that plague is now being seen outside of the prison system as well: “These guys are no joke,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “This isn’t a club. These are tough, hard-core criminals. They’re nasty and we have to take them deadly seriously.” After recent violence in Texas and Colorado that has allegedly been at the hands of white supremacists, the issue of […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Aryan Brotherhood, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Ohio, prison gangs, SpearIt, White supremacy, Wisconsin

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The Surat Fauj Running Club in New York. (source: The Huffington Post)

Running with a purpose

April 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Bandana Kaur and Simran Jeet Singh write on The Huffington Post about the Surat Fauj Running Club, a Sikh American group that has taken its inspiration from the famous 102-year-old (and recently retired) marathoner Fauja Singh: “Running has become such an important part of the American cultural landscape, and participating in events like these will help us combat stereotypes that lead people to see us as different. We want everyone around us to see for who we are, and we […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Bandana Kaur, Fauja Singh, Huffington Post, Simran Jeet Singh, Surat Fauj Running Club, Surat Initiative

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"Indians, many of whom were Sikh, worked at the Hammond Mill before its demise in 1922. During that time period, the Indians left their mark on Astoria, participating in wrestling matches, occupying Alderbrook also known as "Hindu Alley," and forming the Ghadar political party. Courtesy of Clatsop County Historical Society." (source: The Daily Astorian)

Celebrating the centenary of the Ghadar Party, in Oregon

April 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

One of the legacies of the earliest Sikh and Indian immigrants to the United States at the turn of the twentieth century was the creation of the Ghadar Party, a political movement based in northern California that sought to promote India’s liberation from British rule. Led by Indian expatriates in the United States, the Ghadar Party was formed in 1913. One of its main activities was the publishing of literature to promote resistance to British rule and for a free […]

Categories: Events • Tags: Astoria, Bruce La Brack, Daily Astorian, Ghadar, Ghadar Party, Johanna Ogden, Oregon, San Francisco, Stockton

"Dr. Harminder Kaur and her daughter, Hana Mangat, 13, of Potomac, talk with children at the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Sikh temple about a movie they made to educate people about Sikhism. The first viewing of the film was held Sunday in Rockville." (credit: Bill Ryan/Maryland Gazette)

From “kid to kid” in Rockville, MD

April 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Hana Kaur Mangat, a thirteen-year-old from Potomac, Maryland, discusses a movie she and others made to educate about Sikhism called “Sikh Kid to Kid”: “It’s all kids, because it’s directed toward kids,” Hana said. “I think kids would be more intrigued by other kids rather than by having adults explain (Sikhism) to them.” Read more at the Maryland Gazette.

Categories: Profiles, Sikhism • Tags: Hana Kaur Mangat, Maryland, Rockville, Sikh Kid to Kid, Sikhism

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

Vaisakhi celebrations continue across the United States

Thoughts and prayers to the victims of the Boston Marathon attack

One year later, another Sikh faces execution in India

Picture of the Day: Leading the Los Angeles Nagar Kirtan

Sikh Coalition program empowers Sikh youth to tackle challenges

Addressing domestic terrorism needs renewed focus

Running with a purpose

Celebrating the centenary of the Ghadar Party, in Oregon

From “kid to kid” in Rockville, MD