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Sant Kaur Bajwa passed away at the age of 115. (Source: The Daily Mail)

Second oldest woman in the world passes away

July 23, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Born in 1898 in what is now Pakistan, Sant Kaur Bajwa, the second oldest woman in the world and oldest woman in the UK, has passed away at the remarkable age of 115. Her life is a story of overcoming of adversity. According to Sant Kaur’s twin grandsons, who she raised: ‘It was her inner strength and resolve that carried her forward, she fought and stood tall as the matriarch of the family. She will be sorely missed and we […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: England, Sant Kaur Bajwa, United Kingdom

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Picture of the Day: The “Fortress Turban”

January 3, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In the United Kingdom, a traveling exhibit has on display the “Fortress Turban”, worn by Nihang Sikhs — a sect of Sikh warriors dating back to Guru Gobind Singh’s time at the turn to the 18th century — as part of their soldier attire: This Turban is known as a Dastaar Boonga or turban fortress worn by a group of skilled warrior Sikhs called Akali Nihangs. It was used to protect the head in battle and to hold their weapons, […]

Categories: Picture of the Day, Sikhism • Tags: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, fortress turban, nihang, United Kingdom

Baltej Singh Dhillon (source: Whitterings)

Turban-wearing Sikh now to guard Queen of England

December 11, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In the United Kingdom, one Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar, a Sikh, became the first soldier to wear his turban instead of the traditional bearskin as a member of the Scots Guards at Buckingham Palace: LONDON — Britain’s Ministry of Defense says a Sikh soldier has become the first guardsman to parade outside Buckingham Palace while wearing his traditional turban. Fifty family members were on hand Tuesday as Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar as he took part in the changing of the guard […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Picture of the Day • Tags: Baltej Singh Dhillon, bearskin, Buckingham Palace, Canada, Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar, RCMP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Scots Guard, Stephen Harper, stetson, United Kingdom

South-Asian/Sikh blogging and exploring “hybrid” identities

June 14, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I received a message from Priya Kumar, a doctoral student at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and who recently completed a TEDx Talk (see above) about the role of the web in the South Asian diaspora: My name is Priya and I am a doctoral student in Politics at SOAS London. I did a TEDx talk in May about hybrid identities and the web, and I used your blog as an example of […]

Categories: American Turban, Reflections, Reports/Studies • Tags: blogging, London, Priya Kumar, School of Oriental and African Studies, Sikh diaspora, TED, TEDx, United Kingdom, University of London

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Pictures of the Day: Capital Sikhs – Washington, D.C & London, England

June 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This past week provided an interesting reflection of the Sikh diaspora, as Sikhs on both sides of the Atlantic gathered in their respective capital cities to take up Sikh issues. As mentioned yesterday, Sikhs from all over the United States attended the first ever White House briefing on Sikh civil rights in Washington, D.C. last Friday: Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Sikhs in London, England came together in much grander scale this past weekend at Hyde Park […]

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights, Picture of the Day, Politics • Tags: "Washington, 1984, D.C.", England, Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom

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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

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The Story of the Turban in Britain

April 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

British broadcaster BBC recently aired a documentary called “The Story of the Turban“: In September 2011, Sikhs from all over Britain gathered in Parliament Square to protest. The focus of their concern was the turban. Since the terrorist attacks of the 21st century Sikhs believe their turbans have singled them out for discrimination. In a case of mistaken identity the Sikhs claim they’ve been wrongly regarded as religious terrorists and subjected to increased airport security searches. This documentary traces the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, TV/Movies • Tags: BBC, Britain, The Story of the Turban, Turban, United Kingdom

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: United Kingdom

Second oldest woman in the world passes away

Picture of the Day: The “Fortress Turban”

Turban-wearing Sikh now to guard Queen of England

South-Asian/Sikh blogging and exploring “hybrid” identities

Pictures of the Day: Capital Sikhs – Washington, D.C & London, England

Picture of the Day: The Wonder of Darbar Sahib

The Story of the Turban in Britain