Rupinder Mohan Singh |

"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker takes questions about his proposal to increase mental health funding by $30 million that he announced on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, in Madison. Walker will propose the funding in his two-year state budget to be introduced on Feb. 20." (source: LaCross Tribune. Photo credit: Scott Bauer | Associated Press)

Would mental health services or gun control have prevented the Oak Creek massacre?

February 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Wednesday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced plans to invest $30 million towards mental health in his state to address gun violence, particularly after the mass shooting of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August: “Initially, the discussion centered on those tragedies,” he said. “But it’s really much bigger than that, it’s much broader than that, it’s not just in reaction to that. There is a tremendous need in terms of addressing mental health in our society.” The intention behind […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Connecticut, gun control, hate crimes, mental health, Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Scott Walker, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Stamford, White supremacy, Wisconsin

"Discussions over the dinner table at Bobby and Jasmeeta Singh’s home." (source: Indo American News)

Houston, TX, Sikhs host “Dinner Dialogues” for interfaith outreach

February 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In Houston, Texas, the InterFaith Ministries for Greater Houston organized a series of “dinner dialogues” in which members of Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh families invite members of the public into their homes for dinner and engage in a moderated interfaith conversation: …the dinner dialogues will focus on conversations held in private homes where groups of 8-12 Houstonians will gather to learn about the faith practices and traditions of Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist families here in Houston and engage in an […]

Categories: Interfaith • Tags: Bobby Singh, Buddhism, Dinner Dialogues, Hindu, Houston, Interfaith dialog, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, Jasmeeta Singh, Sikh, Texas

Sikh wins religious accommodation case against AZ Department of Corrections

February 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh Coalition shared news today of a victory in a recent religious accommodation case in Arizona, in which a Sikh correctional officer employed by the Arizona Department of Corrections was threatened with dismissal unless he removed his articles of faith. According to the Sikh Coalition, after 10 years of employment with the Department, Ikhbinder Singh Bassin was told in December that he would be terminated unless he shaved his beard and removed his kara (steel bracelet) within 10 days, […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Arizona, Arizona Department of Corrections, Balbir Singh Sodhi, California, Employment Discrimination, Ikhbinder Singh Bassin, Jan Brewer, Sikh Coalition, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Amar Sawhney, CEO of Ocular Therapeutix, talks about entrepreneurship

February 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In the video above released by the Innovation Movement (advocacy group on behalf of entrepreneurs, via @amritsays), Amar Sawhney, CEO of Ocular Therapeutix, discusses being an immigrant and an entrepreneur in the United States. In another 2010 story chronicling his road to entrepreneurial success, Amar Sawhney shares a story that is not uncommon among many immigrants who came to the United States in search of opportunity, and particularly those from India — arriving with very little money or social support […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Amar Sawhney, entrepreneurship, Innovation Movement, Ocular Therapeutix, Sikholars

Six months since the Oak Creek, WI, Gurdwara shooting

February 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Today marks six months since the mass shooting of Sikhs in their place of worship by a white supremacist in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In recognition of this span of time, filmmakers Valarie Kaur and Sharat Raju released a short film entitled Oak Creek: In Memoriam which recounts that fateful moment and the days since. On this day, the Sikh Coalition provided an update about their activities in the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, area in educating city officials, law enforcement and school […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Oak Creek, Oak Creek: In Memoriam, Sharat Raju, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Steve Scaffidi, Valarie Kaur, White supremacy, Wisconsin

Atlanta, GA, Sikh family found dead in apparent murder-suicide

February 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Tragic news broke today that a Sikh family in Atlanta, Georgia, was found dead in their home. The bodies of father Shindiver Grover (52), mother Damanjit Grover (47) and their two sons, Sartaj (12), and Gurtej (5), were discovered in their apartment when Damanjit did not report for work on Monday. Police are still investigating what is called a “complicated” crime scene, but believe it was a murder-suicide: The nature of the murder – the city’s first since it was […]

Categories: News Bits, Resources • Tags: Atlanta, Damanjit Grover, Georgia, Gurtej Grover, Johns Creek, murder-suicide, Sartaj Grover, Shindiver Grover, Sikh Family Center

Cover of "Guru Har Krishan - Eighth Sikh Guru" (source: Sikh Comics)

New graphic novel about Guru Harkrishan released by Gyan Khand Media

February 4, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A few days ago, I received a copy of Gyan Khand Media’s new graphic novel about the eighth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Harkrishan (1656-1664), entitled “Guru Har Krishan – The Eighth Sikh Guru”: He led the Sikhs for two and a half years and spent part of that time in Delhi tending to the sick and poor during an epidemic of smallpox. Thousands were healed by Guru Har Krishan. The disease subsided in Delhi but the Guru took the […]

Categories: Art, Literature, Resources, Sikhism • Tags: Bhupendra Singh Ahluwalia, Daljeet Singh Sidhu, Graphic novel, Guru Har Krishan, Guru Harkrishan, Gyan Khand Media, sikhcomics.com

The Power Of Belief by Kiran Kaur (source: YouTube)

A young Sikh artist talks about belief

February 4, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Kiran Kaur is a young Sikh artist from northern California. In the video above, she discusses the role that belief plays in her life as she paints a corresponding piece of artwork: The word, “belief”, has different connotations for each person. And for me, belief is such a beautiful word, because belief is optimism, strength, and will power. Belief allows us to be individuals in a community, celebrates diversity, and yet creates a sense of union. This film was also […]

Categories: Art, Profiles • Tags: Kiran Kaur, live painting, Sikh Family Center, The Power of Belief

2012 murder-suicide in Selma, CA, has origin in Kashmir human rights crimes

February 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An article in Guernica by Shubh Mathur tells the story behind last year’s murder-suicide in Selma, California, of Avtar Singh, who murdered his wife and three sons before turning his weapon on himself. Prior to his murderous act, Avtar Singh was being confronted about his dubious past as a major in the Indian army: The story of his crimes and the manner in which he evaded justice for sixteen years is a grim chronicle of Indian crimes against humanity in […]

Categories: 1984, Art, Civil Rights • Tags: Avtar Singh, California, Decade of Disappearances, Ensaaf, impunity, Kashmir, Selma

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

Would mental health services or gun control have prevented the Oak Creek massacre?

Houston, TX, Sikhs host “Dinner Dialogues” for interfaith outreach

Sikh wins religious accommodation case against AZ Department of Corrections

Amar Sawhney, CEO of Ocular Therapeutix, talks about entrepreneurship

Six months since the Oak Creek, WI, Gurdwara shooting

Atlanta, GA, Sikh family found dead in apparent murder-suicide

New graphic novel about Guru Harkrishan released by Gyan Khand Media

A young Sikh artist talks about belief

2012 murder-suicide in Selma, CA, has origin in Kashmir human rights crimes