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MTA agrees to unbrand Sikh turbans

May 2, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

For the better part of the last decade, Sikhs and Muslims have been campaigning against a discriminatory policy by New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) that required followers of these religions to affix the MTA logo on religious articles of faith that were worn on the head, even though the MTA distributed headwear that did not carry the logo to other employees . For Sikhs, this meant that for the purposes of employment, they were required to attach an “MTA” […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: Metropolitan Transit Authority, MTA, Muslim, New York, Sikh, Turban, United States Department of Justice

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Members of the local New Orleans Sikh community held the annual Baisakhi celebration Sunday (screenshot: wwltv.com)

Pictures of the Day: Vaisakhi celebrations across America

April 23, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This past weekend, the Sikh communities in several cities enjoyed Vaisakhi celebrations by holding annual Nagar Kirtans. I’ve enjoyed seeing Sikhs celebrate so openly in their cities. Below are photos from media reports about the Nagar Kirtans in Lansing, Michigan, New Orleans, Lousiana and New York, New York. Lansing, Michigan: New Orleans, Louisiana: New York, New York:

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day • Tags: Lansing, Louisiana, Michigan, Nagar Kirtan, New Orleans, New York, Vaisakhi

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Sculpture of Sikh by Peter Bulow (credit: Dr. Peter Bulow)

More sculptures from Dr. Peter Bulow

March 27, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent “Picture of the Day” post on this blog showcased the artwork of Dr. Peter Bulow, who sculpts portraits of people he encounters while commuting on the subway in New York. As luck would have it, Dr. Bulow commented on that post and provided interesting background: I was born in India, in Rurkhela, Orissa, and though I have never been back to Orissa I feel drawn to India and to its people. After medical school I volunteered as an […]

Categories: Art, Picture of the Day • Tags: clay, Jackson Heights, New York, Peter Bulow, sculpture, subway

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Picture of the Day: NY Sikh subway rider

March 14, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While many commuters occupy their time on transit in books, on the phone, or absorbed in their mobile devices, New York psychiatrist Peter Bulow engages in the world around him by sculpting the faces he sees during his commute on the subway. One of these sculptures was of a Sikh gentleman he encountered who later showed up in Bulow’s office: One of the people Bulow saw and sculpted on the A train was a Sikh man wearing a turban. The […]

Categories: Art, Picture of the Day • Tags: clay, New York, Peter Bulow, sculpture, subway

UPDATE: Plainview, NY Sikhs return to Gurdwara

February 15, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikhs of Plainview, New York, whose Gurdwara, the Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center, was shut down last year due to code violations, have been allowed to return and conduct services again after resolving some of their issues: Phyliss Barry, a spokeswoman for the town, said the gurdwara’s leaders have rectified some of the code violations and are continuing to work with the town to comply with the remaining issues. Good news for that congregation, and best of luck to […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center, New York, Plainview, Town of Oyster Bay

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Picture of the Day: Sophia Bhasin

February 1, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Read more about Sophia Bhasin, a young Sikh girl from California who is pursuing basketball at Long Island University in New York.

Categories: Picture of the Day, Profiles • Tags: California, College basketball, Long Island University, New York, Sophia Bhasin

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Taking responsibility for our crimes

January 11, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

It was not long ago that I came across the following on Twitter: BC it often does RT @DawudWalid: Minorities in America carry sad burden of feeling that one misstep of one of their own tars the whole group — ANNA ⚓ JOHN (@suitablegirl) December 20, 2011 I agreed with it then, and am reminded of it now as I came across the story of a Sikh cab driver in New York who was arrested on charges of rape (among […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Gurmeet Singh, New York, New York Post, rape

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2011

January 5, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Happy New Year! As I did last year around this time, I’d like to reflect on what were some of the bigger stories for Sikhs living in America during this past year in terms of their implications on us as a community, or their impact on our collective psyche. It was an up-and-down year for Sikhs. For many, it was a year that reminded our visible minority of the hate crimes and 9/11 backlash that apparently still continue to plague […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Amardeep Singh, Balbir Singh Sodhi, Fauja Singh, Gurmej Atwal, Jan Brewer, Kamal Nath, New York, Rana Singh Sodhi, Ravinder Singh Bhalla, Sikhs for Justice, Surinder Singh, Top 5 Sikh American Stories

Religious rights defended in New York

November 16, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“In the past 20 years, New York state has become much more pluralistic. We have more diversity in religious practices,” Schneiderman said at an Anti-Defamation League luncheon Wednesday in New York City. “The growth of our Hassidic and other Jewish communities, of the number of observant Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, has been staggering, and frankly, we need to adjust things in the office of the New York State Attorney General to deal with this new, more pluralistic reality.” — […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CDCR, Eric Schneiderman, John Kerry, New York, New York City, Religious Rights Initiative, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: New York

MTA agrees to unbrand Sikh turbans

Pictures of the Day: Vaisakhi celebrations across America

More sculptures from Dr. Peter Bulow

Picture of the Day: NY Sikh subway rider

UPDATE: Plainview, NY Sikhs return to Gurdwara

Picture of the Day: Sophia Bhasin

Taking responsibility for our crimes

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2011

Religious rights defended in New York