While a legitimate conversation can be had around the degrees to which langar is “selfless” among Sikhs in the west, I offer that framing langar as “giving back” is a disservice.
Categories: Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: Balwand, Guru Angad, Langar, Mata Khivi, model minority myth, seva
As time moves forward, Sikhs should consider how our actions and allegiances today will be looked upon by future generations. In America, the Sikh community finds itself in one of those moments.
Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Politics, Reflections • Tags: black lives matter
I came to appreciate the significance of this year quite late and quite suddenly. Admittedly, among the daily comings and going of life, I wasn’t paying attention. And so, when the last days of October turned to the advent of November, I found myself unprepared in my unmindful state. This year, by culturally established timekeeping, is the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs. Traditionally celebrated in November, tributes to Guru Nanak on this anniversary began appearing on my social […]
Categories: Art, Reflections • Tags: Arpana Caur, gurpurab, Guru Nanak, Jaswant Zafar
This month, Sikhs celebrated the appointment of Guru Hargobind as the sixth Guru of the Sikhs in 1606, following the execution of the preceding Guru, Guru Arjun, by the Mughal emperor Jehangir for refusing to convert to Islam. Born to a prophecy that he would crush tyranny, Guru Hargobind represented a metamorphosis for the Sikh people — manifesting more than just spiritual practice but worldly practice as well. The commemoration of his ascension as Guru is a timely coincidence, for […]
Categories: Civil Rights, Politics, Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: Bandi Chhorh Divas, Diwali, Guru Hargobind, ICE, Immigration, Jehangir, miri, piri, undocumented immigrants
The Sikh prayer called Ardaas (link) is an address before the All-Pervasive Immortal that is offered regularly by Sikhs in congregation. It concludes every service and is often offered ahead of an undertaking of a task by Sikhs to seek the Divine’s blessings and protection. The prayer is a defined set of verses that recounts Sikh history: the Gurus, those who sacrificed themselves, and custom verse at the end by the congregation specific to the context of the occasion. The Ardaas […]
Categories: Civil Rights, Politics, Reflections, Sikhism
In 2016, Buzzfeed News published a story about undocumented migration of Punjabi Sikhs to America in an article entitled “America’s Quiet Crackdown On Indian Immigrants”. Recounting the story of one migrant, the story traces the roots of the increasing migration and detention of Indian nationals in the US, looking at the affect political unrest and human rights violations in Punjab, India have had on those fleeing to the United States. According to the article, over 10,000 Indians arrive as undocumented […]
Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections • Tags: ICE, Immigration
This blog is now just over six years old. I started this blog in October 2010. I had just become an American citizen and being moved by the experience of the citizenship ceremony, I was compelled to express the enthusiasm I felt in adopting this new national identity alongside hundreds of others, but even more so, I wanted to openly reconcile this national identity with my religious one. I wanted to demonstrate that despite our different appearance as followers of the […]
Categories: American Turban, Reflections
A long time and proud resident of Bakersfield, California, Balmeet Singh was assaulted and had his life threatened by an individual invoking racist slurs outside a restaurant two nights ago. In this blog post, he recounts and reflects on the experience. Many thanks to Balmeet for sharing his thoughts about the incident.
Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Bakersfield, Balmeet Singh, California, hate crime, Racism
Our world as exists today feels overwhelmingly negative at times and particularly during this uncharacteristic election season. Recently, it seems as though the news cycle has bombarded us with negative news, and especially so with disturbing acts of violence and slander at home and abroad. I was invited once again by The Mash-Up Americans to write about how we can both address feelings of anger and channel energies towards a hopeful mindset. I will not claim any expertise nor mastery of […]
Categories: Education, Reflections • Tags: anger, hope, podcasts, The Mash-Up Americans
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