Joyous celebration. Johor Bahru Istri Satsang celebrates its 50th anniversary
By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Johor Bahru Sikh ladies are still going strong. The Johor Bahru Istri Satsang celebrated its 50th anniversary with a get-together on Tues (Jan 7).
As part of the celebration, the band of ladies are donating RM70,000 to pay for the carpeting of Johor Bahru gurdwara. Previously, they had donated RM25,000 to the Punjabi school and RM31,000 for general renovations of the gurdwara.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
Veteran ambassador Amarjit Singh Sarjit Singh is the new Malaysian envoy to Timor-Leste.
Amarjit has been appointed as the ambassador-designate to the Southeast Asian nation, according to a foreign ministry statement released today (Jan 9).
Amarjit graduated from the University of London, UK and joined the Administrative and Diplomatic Service in 2001. Before this appointment, he served as Undersecretary of Africa Division since 2020.
His previous overseas assignments were in Harare, Zimbabwe; Astana, Kazakhstan; and Hanoi, Vietnam. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as Undersecretary of Americas Division and assumed responsibilities at Africa and South Sahara Division, and Multilateral Economic and Environmental Division.
Amarjit was one of the 10 new diplomatic mission heads who received their Letters of Credence from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a ceremony at Istana Negara today. Among them is former minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz who is now the new ambassador-designate of Malaysia to the US.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
White Sun members (L-R): Adam Berry, Harijiwan and Gurujas Khalsa
By Asia Samachar | United States |
Los Angeles-based new age trio has won a Grammy award for their album Mystic Mirror which contains three shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib. White Sun landed the award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant album for the album released last year.
The trio consist of singer/songwriter Gurujas Khalsa, percussionist Harijiwan Khalsa and instrumentalist/producer Adam Berry.
This is not their first win at the Grammys. This In 2017, they won the New Age Album Grammy award for the album White Sun II.
How to best describe their music, which involves a blend of different style and genres? In an interview with BMI, Gurujas said: “This is always a hard question for me to answer, but I am going to say new-age pop. Ultimately our music comes from a place I don’t entirely understand, and there is no model for what we do. We shape the music just as the music shapes us. Every time we create a song, I feel something new has arrived, something I might not have context for. This is my personal experience.”
When asked how did the news of her second Grammy nomination via Mystic Mirror, she said: “I’m beside myself! We were all totally over the moon when we learned about the nomination. Mystic Mirror was a new direction for us in so many ways, and required a tremendous amount of effort, so the recognition is extremely gratifying.”
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
The house in action on 1 Feb 2023 – Photo: House of Lords, Facebook
By Gurmukh Singh | Opinion |
“The appointments process has been tainted by allegations of sleaze and corruption for as long as anyone can remember.” (Mike McCartney, article: Corruption in the House of Lords appointment process)
Given the Sikh population in the UK, now estimated to be well above half a million, the community qualifies for many more places in the House of Lords. More so because Sikhs are known to excel in most professions and fields and the number of senior Sikhs available to serve the country through the Lords has been increasing in recent years.
There is little doubt that nationally recognized highly qualified and experienced Sikhs are discouraged by the system to apply for entry to the Lords.
This un-elected second chamber of UK Parliament is supposed to bring together the most experienced people from different fields and communities, to provide some sort of check and balance while scrutinising the legislation proposed in the elected House of Commons. Because the Lords are not elected, therefore, the process for nominations must be seen to be totally impartial and fair. Some sort of balance between the diverse British communities would be expected in the representation. That has not been the Sikh experience to date.
There is absolutely no suggestion that the selection standards for the general suitability of applicants, capable of articulating national and international issues, should be lowered in anyway. Rather, the opposite, that the selection standards should be raised and the scope widened to bring Sikh community experience to the House. Yet, without casting any doubt about the suitability of the current Sikh peers, there is hardly any experienced Sikh representation from grassroots level capable of raising issues of legitimate concern to the community.
In the meantime, there are allegations of sleaze, corruption and cronyism in the Lords appointments process going back over the decades. For example, during the Tony Blair premiership there was the “Cash for honours” scandal which showed that the appointments process is corrupt. According to a political observer, ”public trust in the Lords is at rock bottom.”
That places a question mark against the credibility of the House as an effective second chamber of the UK Parliamentary system. In such a situation, there is always the possibility of foreign political influences interfering in the selection process. In the case of the Sikhs, due to events in recent decades, including the 1984 genocide of the Sikhs in India, Indian state-Sikh relationship remains strained even though the Sikhs are always acknowledged as the defenders of the country and champions of minority rights and the disadvantaged. Regrettably, Sikh political progress abroad as a distinct community is discouraged.
Institutional racism against visible Sikh identity has been shown by the number of Sikh cases which have been taken to the law courts since the arrival of the Sikhs in any significant numbers. Many legal challenges to secure Sikh identity rights succeeded while some others, including the right to be statistically counted and monitored to secure a level playing field, did not. From the manner in which Sikhs continue to be made invisible as a community, there is every reason to believe that more cases of glaring discrimination will continue to come before the courts.
While I have not seen any statistics i.e. if any are kept, of the number of qualified Sikhs, especially identity Sikhs, who have applied for Lords appointments over the years, the well-publicised allegations of corruption and cronyism in the nominations and selection process do not inspire much confidence in the system.
A journalist, Tommy Sheppard, wrote, “The House of Lords is an affront to democracy – it is time to abolish it.”
The British Sikh experience so far would support that allegation and conclusion.
Gurmukh Singh OBE, Principal Civil Servant Ret’d (UK). Email: sewauk2005@yahoo.co.uk. Click here for more details on the author.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here
Sikhs form Seremban and nearby towns visited Gurdwara Sahib Kuala Pilah, located about 40km away, on Feb 4. All in, there were about 60 Sikhs from both side. Both gurdwaras are located in the state of Negeri Sembilan. The event was organised by the Seremban Istri Satsang.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
Path da Bhog: 12 February 2023 (Sunday), from 5pm to 7pm, at Gurdwara Sahib Ampang (Jalan Ulu Kelang)
Contact: Mohinder Pal Singh (017-665 3815)
| Entry: 6 Feb 2023 | Source: Family
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
Entrepreneur Sarbjot Singh Johal has all but completed his takeover of Morecambe, with the club confirming his purchase has been finalised subject to being approved by the English Premier League (EFL), reports a British newspaper.
The 20-year-old entrepreneur has beaten Tyson Fury to buy Morecambe, with the takeover of League One side now subject to Football League approval, reports the Daily Star.
Sarbjot had been in competition with Fury to buy Morecambe, with the heavyweight world champion boxer offered the chance to buy the club last year.
Fury, who lives in the town and has previously invested in Morecambe, did enter talks with regards to a purchase in late 2022 before opting against buying the club, according to the report.
However, Johal will now become the new owner, having already purchased equity in the club, with his takeover to be finalised once he has passed the EFL’s owners and directors test. He is set to buy Morecambe through his investment firm Sarb Capital after making his money in the drinks industry, the report added.
Johal is listed as chairman of a company called Sarb Capital, a private equity firm, since January 2022. On Companies House Johal is recorded as a director of Vitanic Limited, a company incorporated as Vitanic Group in May 2019.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
Wife: Late Balwant Kaur d/o Tara Singh and Inderjit Kaur d/o Bachan Singh
Children / Spouses:
Ranjit Raj Kaur / Nirmal Singh
Kalwant Kaur / ASP Pritam Singh
Sarjit Singh / Jasver Kaur
Gurjit Kaur / Darshan Singh
Charanjit Singh / Dalwinder Kaur / Harjeet Kaur
Charanjit Kaur / Harjinder Singh
Jaspal Kaur / Sukhdev Singh
Khasminder Singh / Preet Kaur
Grandchildren / Spouse:
Rajdeep Singh
Pewinder Kaur / Jasveen Singh
Preetawinash Kaur / Balraaj Singh
Hasminderjit Singh
Jasleen Kaur
Harvinjit Kaur
Satvinjit Kaur
Keshvinjit Singh
Semerjit Kaur
Kavinjit Singh
Sukhvinder Kaur / Mohinder Singh
Dalvinder Kaur
Jaspreet Kaur
Talvinder Singh
Rajveer Singh
Simranjit Kaur
Gashwinpal Singh / Hanissha Kaur
Harwin Pal Kaur / Hardeep Singh
Ashwindave Singh
Ashmin Kaur
Great Grandhildren:
Banideep Kaur d/o Hardeep Singh
Prabhdeep Singh s/o Hardeep Singh
PATH DA BHOG: 18 February 2023 (Saturday), from 9am to 12pm, at Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Settlement, 31700 Tanjung Tualang, Perak
For further details, please contact: Sarjit Singh 016 297 8462 Charanjit Singh 016 563 4046 Khasminder Singh 016 352 5117
A loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather & great grandfather. He lived a full life & will be missed by his family.
| Entry: 6 Feb 2023 | Source: Family
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
Kamal Chopra wins ‘Best International Artist’ at the UK Bhangra Awards 2022
By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Lawyer-turned-professional singer Kamal Chopra has once again emerged as the best international performer at a British-based bhangra awards.
The Penang-based singer won the ‘Best International Artist’ title at the UK Bhangra Awards 2022, beating six other contenders from Denmark, India, Japan, Netherlands, Canada and Australia.
She won the same award in 2019, making her the first Malaysian to win an award at the event. She then caught the attention of the UK award team with her mixed performances of Hindi, Punjabi, English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese songs.
“To actually win this prestigious award again this year is truly a blessing by the Almighty. No words are enough to describe the feelings in your heart when you know you have brought so much honour to your family, community, state and country,” she told Asia Samachar.
“I’m really touched by the love and enthusiasm everyone has shown in helping me win this Award by taking the time and effort to vote for me and to have faith in me and support me in my journey to promote Bhangra, Punjabi culture and the unity of all communities worldwide,” she added.
Kamal, who is the leads singer of a six-piece rock band called Vintage Rising, has been singing professionally at various public and private functions for the past 10 year and have a wide repertoire of languages and genres. She is also a panel member of the Youth with Rhythm (Youth in Music) which aims to uncover and develop fresh talent.
Since the 2019 victory, Kamal has been invited to perform in various international online concerts such as the US-based Baithak Culturally Yours, Bhangra Aid 2020 Online Concert, Asian Arts Festival 2021 and the National Bhangra Festival 2021. THe last three were all UK-based.
She has also been invited to perform live on international stages in Australia, UK and India, with the most recent being the Asian Dance Festival 2022 in Birmingham.
She has her own Youtube Channel called Kamal Chopra Productions and she has released several Hindi and English covers and mash-ups.
Kamal Chopra and her husband Dr. Sunil Chopra (left) with Culture Unite CEO Bobby Bola (centre).
Todate, she has released three original songs: Khwaab, Jhanjhran and Shadaa. Khwaab, her first original Hindi single, was in collaboration with music producer Kush Anuradha in Kolkata, India. Original Punjabi single Jhanjhran was the result of her collaboration with music producer Arvinder Raina while the original Punjabi single Shadaa was in collaboration with music producer Jazz Tuli of High Beats Music UK.
“I would like to thank the organisers of UK Bhangra Awards 2022 Mr Bobby Bola (the CEO of the UK Bhangra Awards 2022), Ms Chandni Kahn and the whole Culture Unite Team (supported by Red Leaf Village), my Family and all my Friends and Fans from all over the World for this Award and Achievement,” she said.
Kamal is married to Dr Sunil Chopra, a consultant radiologist and nuclear medicine physician practicing in a private hospital in Penang. They have three sons.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
