Karamjit Singh and navigator Daveender Singh at the Jempol rally in August 2025 – Photo: Supplied
By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Asian rally legend Karamjit Singh reaffirmed his status as a dominant force in Malaysian motorsport by clinching victory in the opening round of the Malaysia Rally Championship (MRC) held in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan yesterday (Aug 3).
Behind the wheel of his trusted Proton Gen 2, Karamjit, alongside navigator Daveender Singh, triumphed in the open category with a commanding performance, finishing in a time of one hour, six minutes, and 14 seconds. The win serves as a powerful statement of his enduring skill and competitiveness on the national stage.
The two-day event, dubbed the Rally of Jempol, was organised by Millennium Motorsports Adventures Club (MMAC) and sanctioned by the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM).
Karamjit, 63, was a former World Production Car Rally Champion.
“It was a good start for us this season…It was a tough rally for everyone, just finishing the rally itself was an achievement. We are grateful to the organisers for giving us a chance to once again compete,” he told the NST.
Karamjit Singh and navigator Daveender Singh at the Jempol rally – Photo: Karimah Ibrahim / AS
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
Sukdave Singh recalling the 1975 hostage crisis when Japanese Red Army (JRA) held hostages in the American International Assurance (AIA) building on Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur – Photo: FMT / Sukdave Singh
By Frankie D’Cruz | FMT |
KUALA LUMPUR: On the morning of Aug 4, 1975, Sukdave Singh stepped into the unknown. He had come to the American International Assurance (AIA) building on Jalan Ampang to submit a medical certificate.
Minutes later, he was shot in the face. Just like that, Sukdave became the first casualty of Malaysia’s first international terrorist siege. It was a headline-grabbing assault by the Japanese Red Army (JRA) that brought the nation face-to-face with foreign extremism.
The bullet tore beneath his right eye and exited through the back of his head. He lived. But what followed was far more lasting than the wound.
“I feel like I was left behind — forgotten,” he says quietly, seated in the dim living room of his termite-ravaged home in Taman Sri Ampang.
At 29, Sukdave was a security guard who had served AIA since 1966. That morning, when told there was a “robbery” upstairs, he did what came naturally — he went to check.
He didn’t know five armed JRA men in business suits had stormed the ninth floor, taking 53 hostages, staff from the US and Swedish embassies and other firms.They were armed with machine guns, grenades, and a demand: the release of seven imprisoned comrades in Japan.
“I took the lift. When the door opened, I saw men with machine guns and covered faces. Then I felt a hot blow to my face.”
The shot destroyed his right eye, shattered his balance, and left his jaw permanently misaligned. The bullet lodged in the wall of the elevator where he’d poked his turbaned head out to gauge the chaos.
For nearly an hour, Sukdave bled while the hostage-taking unfolded.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. 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. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
LAST RITES Nirvana Crematorium Sek 21 Shah Alam 4th August 2025, Monday 12:45pm: Cortège leaves from No 54, Jalan SS 5A/8, SS 5, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor 2.00pm: Saskaar (cremation) at Nirvana Crematoriam, Sek. 21 Shah Alam
AKHAND PATH Gurdwara Sahib Subang 10am, 14 Aug (Thursday) – 16 Aug (Saturday)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. 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. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
The magic of connecting #4generations through hair rituals. Once in a generation shot – precious family moments captured through traditional Indian hair rituals. See full post @_dadimas on Instagram
By Dr. B. S. Bains | Opinion |
In Sikh tradition, the practice of keeping unshorn hair (Kesh) has always been emphasized, particularly for men. However, when it comes to women, there is no specific command or historical evidence mandating them to keep uncut hair as a religious requirement.
Historically, women naturally kept long hair, as cutting hair was not a common fashion or social practice of the time. There is also no instruction prohibiting women from removing facial hair, since women, due to natural hormonal differences, typically do not grow facial hair. If such hair does appear—due to hormonal imbalances or medical reasons—it is not considered impious for a woman to remove it. In fact, doing so aligns with natural grace and hygiene, rather than contradicting any spiritual principle.
In today’s world, hair styling and grooming are part of normal societal standards. Women engage in trimming or shaping their hair, and this does not diminish their identity as Sikh women. Their spiritual strength, devotion, and sense of Sewa (selfless service) often shine more naturally and visibly than through external symbols. Sikh women have always been tender-hearted, God-fearing, and service-oriented, and their inner divinity is expressed through compassion and action.
Gendered Persecution in Sikh History: A Contextual Overview
In the annals of Sikh history, documented persecution under Mughal rule was predominantly directed toward Sikh men, especially the Gurus, their followers, and male members of the Khalsa. Historical records—such as Persian court chronicles, Sikh hagiographies, and British-era Sikh historians like Rattan Singh Bhangu—reveal a clear pattern: Sikh men were publicly executed, tortured, imprisoned, or targeted through state policies due to their open defiance of forced conversions, refusal to pay Jizya, and commitment to preserving Sikh identity.
The Jizya—a religious poll tax imposed on non-Muslims under Islamic rule—was reintroduced by Moghal Emperor during Guru’s era and became a symbol of oppression for Hindus and Sikhs. Sikh men, particularly those aligned with Guru Arjan, Guru Hargobind, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, openly resisted the Jizya and its ideological underpinnings, which led to brutal crackdowns by the Mughal state. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom in 1675 was a direct result of his stand against forced conversion and religious intolerance, including the imposition of Jizya on Kashmiri Pandits.
However, Sikh women, while profoundly affected by the turmoil of the era, were not subjected to Jizya or formally codified legal torture under Mughal law. There is no known Mughal edict or historical record indicating that Sikh women were systematically taxed or tortured under religious policy the way Sikh men were. Their suffering, while very real, was more often indirect and emotional—loss of husbands, sons, displacement, rape during invasions, or forced abductions during the later Afghan and Durrani incursions (e.g., during Ahmad Shah Abdali’s repeated invasions in the mid-1700s).
It is important to note that Sikh women were not passive bystanders. From Mata Gujri Ji’s martyrdom, Mai Bhago’s warrior leadership, to the resilience of countless unnamed Sikh women who protected and passed down the faith, they played a vital role in the spiritual and cultural preservation of Sikhism. However, the absence of state-imposed religious taxes or formal legal actions against women—as compared to the well-documented targeting of Sikh men—points to a gendered differentiation in persecution during Mughal times.
The Turban
Regarding the turban, it is important to note that Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not mandate turban-wearing for women, nor did he include women among the original Panj Pyare (the Five Beloved Ones). This was not due to exclusion, but perhaps due to the biological and practical considerations known to the Guru. Women, on average, sweat less from the scalp due to lower hormonal activation of sweat glands, but they often have longer, denser hair, which traps more heat and moisture. Covering such hair tightly for extended periods—especially with turbans—may restrict ventilation and could lead to discomfort or scalp issues.
During times of conflict or warfare, some women did wear turbans for practical reasons—to support their men in the battlefield, carry supplies, or protect their modesty. Often, they would tie up their hair using their long veils (chunni), which served both functional and cultural purposes.
But wearing a turban was never a requirement for women, and it was never imposed. The emphasis for Sikh women has always been on grace, modesty, and devotion—not on strict uniformity in outward appearance.
Supporting References:
1. Rattan Singh Bhangu – Prachin Panth Prakash
2. S.R. Sharma – Religious Policy of the Mughal Emperors
3. J.S. Grewal – The Sikhs of the Punjab
4. Khushwant Singh – A History of the Sikhs
5. Persian chronicles – Maasir-i-Alamgiri, Akhbarat-i-Darbar-i-Mualla
Dr Balwant Singh Bains is a Malaysia-based kirtan enthusiast and a practicing physiotherapist with a chain of physiotherapy clinics.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com.
1pm: Cortege leaves residence at 10, Jalan Jernai 6, Medan Idaman, 53100 KL 3.30pm: Saskaar (cremation) at at Shamshan Bhoomi, Jalan Loke Yew Crematorium, KL
PATH DA BHOG Gurdwara Sahib Sentul, KL 9 August 2025, Saturday, 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Contact: Harvin 012-302 6404 Amarjit 014-224 2536
(We humbly request family, friends and well-wishers to join us in praying for the eternal peace of the departed soul)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
No independent theo-political community can survive without good scholars. They are expected to clarify the founding principles and institutions which support its organisational structure and, which prepare it for current and future challenges to its existence. For the Sikhs the collective of the Khalsa Panth is the organisation built on the deep foundation laid by Guru Nanak Sahib.
Over the centuries, during and following the Guru period, starting with Bhai Gurdas, a long line of Sikh scholars contributed to the interpretation and understanding of Gurbani, the lives of the Gurus and Khalsa tradition. They understood that the power was in the Panth (Sangat or collective) and not in any individual. Even the most powerful Sikh in history, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, accepted this Sikhi reality.
In recent years, Sikh Studies in the West have raised the global Sikh profile, albeit, with some negative trends. Contesting Interpretations of the Sikh Tradition, also the title of a book by late Dr Jagtar Singh Grewal, have caused much division amongst scholars and confused modern students of Sikh history, ideology, institutions and identity. One practical consequence of such scholarly divisions for UK Sikhs was the failure to get a dedicated SIKH tick box under the current ethnic count and monitoring system in the 2021 Census. The self-inflicted damage done to community interests will be lasting.
Meditative research-focus (khoj) of Gurbani is essential. A deep study of the continuity of Guru Nanak Jote-Jugat (Divine Light and way of life) from 1469 to this day and the future should guide Sikh Studies. That requires a paradigm shift in approach. Otherwise, we have misleading suggestions like Transformation of Sikh Tradition, also the title of the book by Gokal Chand Narang.
The founding principles of evergreen Sikhi did not change over time, but Sikhi and Sikh institutions responded to the needs of a growing movement to meet environmental challenges. The tree of Sikhi grew and flourished. Scholars of Gursikhi level of Bhai Gurdas understood that Sikhi did not transform or change with the arrival of Guru Hargobind Ji but responded to the external challenges of the times. Miri-Piri, theo-political twin track approach to Sikhi living, was inherent in Bani and the life of Guru Nanak Sahib. Thus, Guru Nanaks One to Ten, continued as One Guru (Teaching Light) to finally reside in Sri Guru Granth Sahib to continue to guide the Khalsa Panth and the whole humanity.
Modern Sikh scholars continue to make the same mistake as early Western scholars who looked at Sikhi through own Western methodology as applied to Eastern religions including Sikhi. They ignored the spiritual aspect to formulate own rational interpretation. Yet, quite hypocritically, they did not apply the same methodology to Christianity! As mentioned by Dr J S Grewal, J.D. Cunningham was rather exceptional in postulating co-relations between ideology, Sikh polity, Sikh social order and Sikh identity.
Early Western scholars lacked knowledge of the living, unbroken and reliable Sikh tradition, which only spiritually dedicated Gursikh scholars could understand and experience in own lives. Exceptionally, Western scholars like Cunningham and M.A. Macauliffe became familiar with the mainsprings of Sikh inspiration. They appreciated the role of Sikh ideology in shaping Sikh history.
Today, modern Sikh scholars in the West need to be aware of own lived-Sikhi limitations before they start offering views about current Sikh issues. They must learn to study Sikhi as an independent system and not one which needs validation against Western or Eastern philosophies.
Gurmukh Singh OBE, a retired UK senior civil servant, chairs the Advisory Board of The Sikh Missionary Society UK. Email: sewauk2005@yahoo.co.uk. Click here for more details on the author.The article first appeared at Panjab Times, UK
* 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. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
KLSSRC celebrates their march into quarterfinals of MJHL 2025 after defeating TBSS 2-1
By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
In a landmark achievement, the Kuala Lumpur Sikh Sports and Recreation Club (KLSSRC) junior hockey team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL 2025) — a historic first in their four-season campaign in the competition.
The young squad delivered a strong performance in the preliminary rounds, securing two wins and one draw to clinch their spot in the knockout stage.
The milestone is a testament to the dedication of the players, the strategic guidance of coaches Baljit Singh Charun and Inspector Kevinder Singh, and the steadfast leadership of team manager Veena Kaur.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
Late Parents: Sergeant Jang Singh (Police) & Mdm Bachan Kaur
Passed away peacefully, leaving behind her beloved children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Children:
Gurdeep Singh (Hunter) & Kaldip Kaur (Deepa)
Daljit Singh & Daljit Kaur (Dolly)
Keshvinder Kaur (Kesha) & Prithipal Singh (Perth)
LAST RITES 2nd August (Saturday) 10:30am: Cortege will leave from the residence at 7, Jalan 40/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL 11:30 – 12:30pm: Wake at Shamshan Bhoomi, Jalan Loke Yew Crematorium, KL 12.45pm: Saskaar. (Cremation) at Shamshan Bhoomi, Jalan Loke Yew Crematorium, KL
PATH DA BHOG 9th August (Saturday), 5pm – 7pm Guru Nanak Darbar Tatt Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
