nishaan@magazine

I have often argued that religious traditions and practices are the glue that unite a people and creates a community. People, then, need to elaborate a statement like the Articles of Confederation as the defining document of a community’s basic connecting glue. For a religious people, the prayer–Ardaas–is that. The many faiths of humanity agree on that One fundamental, although they continue to quibble over the language, words, their meaning…

There are important matters in life that we all overlook, despite the best of intentions – such as credit cards, unpaid bills, birthdays and anniversaries, and timely medical advice, even matters of race and gender that have become the lightning rods of our times.  We brush them aside with a lightness of spirit and invariably rue the cost later.  This kind of neglect turns out to be not so benign,…

Charanjit Singh Channi took the oath as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab. Born in 1963 in Bhajauli village, the 58-year-old leader was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, at a simple ceremony and he took the oath in Punjabi. He has also served as a member of the assembly three times from the Chamkaur Sahib constituency and as technical education minister in Capt. Amarinder…

According to reports, a historic cross-party event was held in the UK Parliament to reflect on Anglo-Sikh history and to explore issues connected to British Sikhs.  The event was hosted at the reception of the Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster by Preet Kaur Gill MP.  The guests included cross party leaders as well as prominent members of the Sikh community. Ms. Gill and principal adviser of the Sikh…

During his visit to Harmandir Sahib (GodenTemple),Bandaru Dattatreya, theGovernor of Haryanastated that “Sikhism has played a most significant role in eradicating division among society on the basis of caste, creed, region, religion and above all untouchability inequality.    Sikhs have made great contribution to the defense of the country which cannot be forgotten. I am taking new energy from here and I pray to God that the country and the world are…

The Indian Railway Minister Mr. Ashwini Vaishnav recently announced the launching of  Gurudwara Circuit trains, a set of special trains for Sikh devotees that will take passengers to select Sikh pilgrimage sites across the country. This 11-day journey will commence from and end in Amritsar. Amongst other pilgrim sites, the Gurudwara Circuit  will cover four prominent gurudwaras, namely Harminder Sahib in Amritsar, Patna Sahib in Patna (Bihar), Hazoor Nanded Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra & Damdama Sahib in…

A life-size bronze statue of Havildar Ishar Singh was unveiled at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Wednesfield, a suburb of Wolverhampton, UK, on the 124th anniversary of the battle of Saragarhi. This is the first memorial of its sort in the United Kingdom, honouring the valour of 19th-century Sikh troops. The monument, which was commissioned by the Guru Nanak Gurdwara Wednesfield after Wolverhampton Council agreed to transfer land, was officially unveiled…

With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan,  a large number of Sikhs and Hindus were evacuated from Afghanistan after Kabul fell to the Taliban in August. Amongst them were a group of 44 Afghan Sikhs who have been given shelter at a Gurdwara in west Delhi, India. Of these 44 people, 32 will be adopted by the Sobti Foundation, a New York-based philanthropist Mandeep Singh Sobti, said Kanv Bhalla, who is…

Remembering the soldiers and officers for their courage, Lt General A K Sharma (retd) said “this momentous day gives us an opportunity to celebrate the historic day and reiterate the solidarity with the armed forces”. Paying floral tributes to the martyrs at Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum, Lt Gen Sharma stated that, “Every soldier has committed to sacrifice his life for the sake of the nation. Serving the country by…