Bruce La Brack |

"Sohan Singh Bhakna, second from the right, was arrested and jailed for his role in the Ghadar Partys abortive revolt against British rule in India. The former St. Johns mill worker, a major organizer and leader of the party, is shown here in 1938 at Amritsar Railway Station." (Photo: Kesar Singh, Courtesy of Amarjit Chandan Collection. Source: Portland Tribune)

Picture of the Day: Sohan Singh Bhakna

September 19, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An article in the Portland Tribune traces the origins of the Ghadar Party movement to Oregon after a group of laborers from Punjab demanded justice for the attacks upon their community by racists mobs in 1910. The movement sought to promote revolution in India from British rule: Though there wound up being only one person convicted, the fight-back was a turning point for the Punjabi community here, Ogden says. New activist leaders emerged, including mill worker Sohan Singh Bhakna and […]

Categories: Picture of the Day • Tags: Astoria, Bruce La Brack, Ghadar, Ghadar Party, Johanna Ogden, Oregon, Sohan Singh Bhakna

"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

"Some of the Hindus driven from the United States to Canada", from "The Hindu of the Northwest" (1907) - http://saadigitalarchive.org/item/20110714-238

The Sikh diaspora: Sikh history doesn’t end in India

July 20, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

When one refers to “Sikh history”, quite often we take that to mean the history of Sikhs from our inception with the birth of Guru Nanak (the founder of Sikhism) in 1469 through to the near-present, but of that which occured in India. The history of the Sikhs who began leaving India around the end of the 19th century for farther eastern and western lands is not as commonly known or acknowledged. The Sikh diaspora tends to be spoken of in broad terms, but […]

Categories: Literature, Sikhism • Tags: Bellingham riots, Bruce La Brack, California, Sikh diaspora, Washington State

Sikhism featured in nationally-airing documentary

April 6, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Coming to public television stations around the country is the documentary “The Asian & Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America“: “The Asian and Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America” explores the beliefs, practices and rituals of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism. Examining the similarities and differences with the Abrahamic religions, how they perceive each other, confront prejudice and stereotypes and how they can understand and respect one another. The primary aim of the documentary is to demystify the Asian religions; […]

Categories: Events, Interfaith • Tags: Asian Art Museam, Bruce La Brack, California, Jasbir Singh Kang, Jerry Krell, Jessi Kaur, Maryland, Narinder Singh Kapany, PBS, Rockville, San Francisco, SCORE, Sikh Council on Religion and Education, The Asian and Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America, Yuba City

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Bruce La Brack

Picture of the Day: Sohan Singh Bhakna

Celebrating the centenary of the Ghadar Party, in Oregon

The Sikh diaspora: Sikh history doesn’t end in India

Sikhism featured in nationally-airing documentary