Rupinder Mohan Singh |

A poster for the film "Sadda Haq" at an American movie theater.

Keeping the untold story untold

April 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Punjabi film “Sadda Haq” (loosely translated as “our rights”) — telling a story about the insurgency in Punjab, India, during the 1980s and 1990s — opens today around the world. Not so ironically, the film has just been banned by the Punjab government, the land in which the film is set. “The Punjab government has imposed ban on the screening of movie ‘Saada Haq’ till further orders. This step has been taken to maintain communal harmony in the state,” […]

Categories: 1984, TV/Movies • Tags: 1984, anti-Sikh pogroms, Ensaaf, Government of India, Sadda Haq, Sikh genocide petition, Sikhs for Justice, White House

Jamie Larson has been indicted for a federal hate crime charge after his October attack of a Sikh taxi driver. (source: KOMO News)

Attacker of WA Sikh taxi driver indicted on federal hate crime charge

April 3, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As mentioned on this blog last October, a man in Washington State was arrested after viciously assaulting a Sikh taxi driver in what was thought to be a hate-based crime: Jamie W. Larson attacked the cab driver during an Oct. 17 ride after commenting on the man’s turban. According to charging documents, Larson, 48, tore out chunks of the man’s beard during the assault, which also loosened one of the driver’s teeth. Initially to face state hate crime charges, the US […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: "Washington, Federal Way, hate crimes, Jamie W. Larson, Seattle, taxicab

Sikh wedding ceremony. (source: Canadian Bride Magazine)

Judge declares that VA wedding law discriminatory against Sikhs

April 2, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Late last year, four Sikhs from Virginia challenged a state law (Virginia Code 20-23) that would have required them each to pay a $500 bond to be authorized by the state to perform the Sikh wedding ceremony because they were not ordained ministers. The issue, of course, is that the Sikh faith (like several others) does not have formal clergy or ordained ministers, and thus the law was discriminating against members of the Sikh faith. The Virginia chapter of the […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, Anand Karaj, Sikh wedding, Virginia

"The smoke blackened marble on the right hand side is evidence of the fire which engulfed the Darshani Deori which housed priceless artifacts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Bullet marks on the white marble facade are also clearly visible. Blood trails on the left side wall are likely evidence of the executions of captured Sikhs who were shot at point blank range by Indian Army soldiers with their hands tied behind their backs with their turbans as reported by multiple eyewitnesses." (source: SikhMuseum.com)

An irony for April Fool’s Day

April 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Guru Nanak Mission Society in Atlanta, Georgia is hosting a “heritage” exhibition from April 1 through 20, putting on display artifacts that are attributed to the Sikh Gurus and other relics from Sikh history. This would be an intriguing exhibition to partake, however, there is a little irony to be found therein. Of note, the exhibits are “provided by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) New Delhi Consul General of India.” It is noted that one of the exhibits […]

Categories: 1984, Events • Tags: Atlanta, Darshan Deori, Georgia, Government of India, Guru Nanak Mission Society, Operation Blue Star

Sikh Coalition Advocates in front of the White House, June 2012. (source: Sikh Coalition)

Become a Sikh civil rights advocate, apply by April 5, 2013

April 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh Coalition is inviting applications for its third annual Sikh Advocate Academy, an all-expenses paid training program held from June 16-22, 2013, in Washington, D.C.: Our objective is to train and cultivate a corps of dedicated volunteers who will enhance the Sikh American community’s fight for civil rights both locally and nationally. Through focused planning and execution, our goal over the next five years is to build a “trained and certified” corps of grassroots advocates who consistently support the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, Resources • Tags: Sikh Advocate Academy, Sikh Coalition

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Bandana Kaur, North American head of EcoSikh." (source: MongaBay.com)

An interview with Bandana Kaur of EcoSikh

April 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In an interview with MongaBay.com, Bandana Kaur, a Sikh ecologist and North American Program Director of EcoSikh, talks about her background and the faith-based approach that EcoSikh uses to address environmental issues: The approach that faith gives to environmental issues — the approach that EcoSikh has worked with — is this idea of celebrating our own resources and our own traditions that connect to the environment. Working through this sense of renewal, the power of lots of people putting effort […]

Categories: Events, Profiles, Sikhism • Tags: Bandana Kaur, EcoSikh, Guru Har Rai, Sikh Environment Day

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"Sikh devotees throw rose petals into a float bearing Guru Granth Sahib during the annual Hola Mohalla, Sikh Martial Arts Parade and Gatka Exhibition Gallery on Sunday afternoon (03-31-13) in Livingston, CA." (source: Merced Sun-Star)

Picture of the Day: Hola Mohalla celebrations in Livingston, California

April 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Merced Sun-Star reports on yesterday’s 15th annual Nagar Kirtan (religious procession) in Livingston, California, to celebrate the Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla. Over 3,500 people attended the event in this central Californian city. “We always make an attempt to invite everyone. We want them to be part of the event,” [Livingston Mayor Pro Tem Gurpal Samra] said. “It’s not just for us. It’s for everybody in the community.” Read more at the Merced Sun-Star.

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day • Tags: California, Hola Mohalla, Livingston, Nagar Kirtan

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Guru Nanak portrait c. 1770 (source: The Sikh Foundation)

Picture of the Day: 18th century portrait of Guru Nanak

March 29, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

According to the Sikh Foundation, the Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California, is “the only permanent collection of Sikh Art in a North American museum.” Due to the delicate nature of the collection, the pieces in the gallery are rotated every six months. The Sikh Foundation provides a sample of the artwork on display during this spring, including the above portrait that is believed to be of Guru Nanak (the founder and first […]

Categories: Art, Events • Tags: Asian Art Museum, California, Guru Nanak, San Francisco, Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery

Akhand path service at the Gurdwara of Delaware. (source: Gurdwara of Delaware)

Second Gurdwara opens in state of Delaware

March 29, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last weekend, the Gurdwara of Delaware, located in Newark, Delaware, held its grand opening at its new location, making it the second Sikh house of worship in the state after the Sikh Center of Delaware (originally established in 1990), located about 12 miles away: Much about this day was centered on beliefs that originated in the 15th century in an area that is now northern India. The new temple is a reminder of Delaware’s evolving diversity of ancestry and religious […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Delaware, Gurdwara, Gurdwara of Delaware, New Castle, Newark, Sikh Center of Delaware

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

Keeping the untold story untold

Attacker of WA Sikh taxi driver indicted on federal hate crime charge

Judge declares that VA wedding law discriminatory against Sikhs

An irony for April Fool’s Day

Become a Sikh civil rights advocate, apply by April 5, 2013

An interview with Bandana Kaur of EcoSikh

Picture of the Day: Hola Mohalla celebrations in Livingston, California

Picture of the Day: 18th century portrait of Guru Nanak

Second Gurdwara opens in state of Delaware