Operation Blue Star |

"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

Picture of the Day: The Wonder of Darbar Sahib

June 1, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The above photo of Darbar Sahib (Sikhism’s holiest shrine, also known as Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple) comes from photographer Ratul Upadhyay who describes this image thus: A Work of Art is not a living thing, that walks or runs. But the making of a life, that which gives you a reaction, certainly is. To some it is the wonder of man’s fingers, to some it is the wonder of the mind, to some it is the wonder of […]

Categories: 1984, Picture of the Day • Tags: Amritsar, Darbar Sahib, Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib, National Sikh Youth Federation, NSYF, Operation Blue Star, Ratul Upadhyay, United Kingdom

The morning when the sun set: November 1, 1984

November 1, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Once more I am the silent one who came out of the distance wrapped in cold rain and bells: I owe to earth’s pure death the will to sprout. Pablo Neruda (1904 – 1973) One morning, 27 years ago, I – a young lad living in the west – was walking to school. It was seasonably cool morning. There was a dusting of frost on the grass and a slight chill in the air, but a warming sun was rising. […]

Categories: 1984, Reflections • Tags: 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Ensaaf, Harmandir Sahib, India, Indira Gandhi, Operation Blue Star, Operation Bluestar, Sikh genocide, Sikh Genocide Project, Sikhs for Justice

A prelude to 1984

June 3, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

It was late 1983 when my family was staying in Chandigarh, India. As is common for Sikh families, we were planning a trip to Amritsar and Harmandir Sahib (Sikhism’s central Gurdwara, also known as the Golden Temple). I was nine years old at the time. Little did we know that only a few months later, my family would be glued to our TV, watching reports of the Indian government’s military attack upon the heart of Sikhism in Operation Bluestar. In […]

Categories: 1984, Reflections • Tags: 1984, Akal Takht, Amritsar, Golden Temple, Harchand Singh Longowal, Harmandir Sahib, Indian Government, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Operation Blue Star, Operation Bluestar

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Operation Blue Star

An irony for April Fool’s Day

Picture of the Day: The Wonder of Darbar Sahib

The morning when the sun set: November 1, 1984

A prelude to 1984