Sikhism

Local Sikhs build ties 1 turban at a time at fest

May 31, 2021

People at Promenade Park waited Sunday for members of the Sikh community to wrap fabric in vibrant colors – including red, orange, pink and blue – around their heads to form turbans.

This sharing of culture was part of Allen County's first Sikh Turban Fest, a three-hour event presented by Indiana Sikh Outreach Mission.

Its goal was simple: raise awareness about the Sikh identity, which people often misidentify, said Jesse Singh, the organization's founder.

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A Sikh becomes first ever fan to be inducted in NBA hall of fame

May 26, 2021

Indian origin Nav Bhatia became a part of history as he became the first basketball fan to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

The 69-year old Sikh is known as the "superfan" of the Toronto Raptors and has rarely missed a game since the team started in 1995.

On May 17, Bhatia along with Chris Webber, Paul Pierce, and Jay Wright were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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Sikh leaders respond to San Jose railyard shooting as many community members worked at the facility

May 26, 2021

TRACY, Calif. — Although the identities of the victims in the San Jose railyard shooting have not been revealed as of Wednesday afternoon, a number of Sikh community members work at the Valley Transit Authority in San Jose.

The Sikhs of Tracy said that this is a sad day for the Sikh community.

"This is a very hard tragedy, especially for the Sikh community," Gurtej Atwal, co-founder of Sikhs of Tracy, said.

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A Vaisakhi Vigil: Chardi Kala and Miami University’s Sikh Student Association

May 12, 2021

Sat Sri Akal (Greetings in the Sikh tradition)

This week’s Convergence column is written by two Punjabi-Sikh American students from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), one an undergraduate and the other a graduate student. Navkiran Chima and Simran Kaur-Colbert share how they both navigated marking their campus’s first ever Vaisakhi weekend in the aftermath of a mass shooting targeting members of the Sikh-Punjabi Desi/South Asian American community in Indianapolis, Indiana. Furthermore, we share what coordinating the vigil meant given the Atlanta Spa shooting targetting Asian...

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Across faiths, US volunteers mobilize for India crisis

May 11, 2021

Volunteers at Hindu temples, Muslim groups and Sikh relief organizations across the United States are mobilizing to support India as the world’s second most populous country struggles to handle a devastating surge of the coronavirus.

From coast to coast, faith groups tied to the Indian diaspora have collected hundreds of oxygen concentrators and electrical transformers to ship to overwhelmed hospitals, raised millions for everything from food to firewood for funeral pyres and gathered in prayer for spiritual support for the Asian nation.

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Hoboken’s first Sikh mayor is on the front lines of fighting antisemitism

May 5, 2021

When Ravi Bhalla moved to Hoboken, N.J., he was a recent law school graduate thinking he’d stay for a few years and save on rent by not living across the river in New York City. “I was a bachelor,” said Bhalla. “Hoboken checked all those boxes [for] a young, single person wanting to have access to Manhattan, but also being a Jersey boy like myself, wanting to stay in New Jersey.” 

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'Our spirit lives on': On Vaisakhi, Sikh Hoosiers work to heal after FedEx shooting

April 21, 2021

On a day when the Sikh community around the world is rejoicing, the atmosphere inside the Gurdwara Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis turned somber.

Sikh Hoosiers on Sunday observed Vaisakhi, which traditionally marked the celebration of the harvest festival in Punjab, India. It's also a celebration of the culmination of the Sikh faith. 

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Goose Creek Sikh temple 1st in the Lowcountry, 3rd in South Carolina

March 8, 2021

GOOSE CREEK — Though nothing on the building’s exterior indicates its purpose, the modest structure is home to a tiny, but faithful, religious community in the Lowcountry. 

The edifice at 101 Jean Wells Drive in Goose Creek is the first permanent location for the region’s Sikh community, organizers said. Sikh adherents in the Charleston region said the new gurdwara, as Sikh worship spaces are called, is the third in the state.

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Religious Groups Keep Faith During Pandemic, Remote Academic Year

February 23, 2021

D. Anthony Alvarez ’21, a member of the Harvard Latter-day Saints Student Association, has attended religious services at the same congregation off campus since he arrived at Harvard as a freshman.

This semester, Alvarez said he still attends services at that same congregation. Amid Covid-19, though, he must sign up to attend ahead of time, don a mask, and eschew singing, which can spread infectious particles.

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Hundreds join Detroit car rally to show solidarity with farmers in India

February 1, 2021

Hundreds of drivers made their way around downtown Detroit as snow fell heavily Sunday to show solidarity with farmers in India who are protesting laws they argue could devastate crop prices and reduce their earnings.

Thousands of Indian farmers have been demanding the government repeal the laws for more than two months.

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Oklahoma Sikh community protests for farmers in India

January 12, 2021

Members of the local Sikh community gathered to raise awareness for human rights issues taking place in India.

On Saturday, Sikh Americans from Oklahoma and surrounding states gathered in Oklahoma City and then drove to Edmond as part of an in-vehicle rally.

Officials say 1 million Sikhs living in the United States can trace their immediate families back to those currently living in India.

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Chicago Sikhs Serve Christmas Lunch at Salvation Army

January 6, 2021

In the Sikh spirit of “Langar” the Sikh youth of Chicago area, under the aegis of Sikh Religious Society of Chicago, served food to the needy families on Christmas day December 25, 2020 at the Salvation Army Center in Chicago. Food was packed and distributed by the Sikh volunteers to the families and individuals, whocame to Salvation Army needing help.

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Stanislaus County Sikhs grab headlines with Bay Area protest

December 18, 2020

On Dec. 5, more than 10,000 individuals from California’s Sikh community, including Stanislaus County, participated in car rallies from Los Angeles to Oakland. From Oakland, all the cars drove over to the Indian embassy in San Francisco. This resulted in attention from media and others outside of the Sikh community because the Bay Bridge was clogged for almost four hours by cars covered with orange flags and anti-Modi signs in an attempt to strengthen the push to have the Indian government repeal three farm bills.

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Muslim, Sikh and Jewish groups seek inclusion in California’s new ethnic studies curriculum

November 19, 2020

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Religious groups are urging California education officials to include their histories and cultures in a model ethnic studies curriculum being developed for high schools in the state.

The proposed curriculum, which the Department of Education has been planning since 2018, centers on Chicanos and Latino Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans. It is intended to serve as a guide as schools design the ethnic studies courses that could be mandated for graduation beginning later this decade.

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