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| Public Service Announcement | Ohio, US | 27 July 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Parliament Sikh Task Force
Sikh Council for Interfaith Relations (SCIR)
POB 523, Dublin, Ohio 43017, USA
Phone: 614-753-3292
parliamentsikh@gmail.com
July 26, 2017
The Parliament Sikh Task Force of the Sikh Council for Interfaith Relations (SCIR) calls upon Sikhs across the world to register by August 10, 2017 for the upcoming 2018 Toronto Parliament of the World’s Religions. The next Parliament of the World’s Religions will be held from November 1 to 7, 2018 in Toronto, Canada.
The Super Saver individual registration rate of US$295 ends August 10. After this deadline, the individual registration fee will increase significantly. To register for the parliament, please visit online at https://parliamentofreligions.org/webform/2018-parliament-registration (click here). If you need assistance with group Sikh registrations, please email parliamentsikh@gmail.com.
More than 10,000 people from across the world are expected to participate in the 2018 Parliament, which will last for seven days and comprise more than 500 programs, workshops, and dialogues, alongside music, dance, art and photography exhibitions, and related events presented by the world’s religious communities and cultural institutions.
SCIR coordinated the Sikh participation and presentations at the 2015 Salt Lake City Parliament of the World’s Religions. In view of the upcoming Parliament, SCIR has established a 2018 Parliament Sikh Task Force. The charge of the Parliament Sikh Task Force is to coordinate and implement the active participation of the worldwide Sikh community at the upcoming parliament through:
– significant international Sikh presence and engagement,
– presentations at plenary and parallel sessions focused on interfaith and intrafaith issues, and
– Guru ka Langar, if possible, at the parliament to be led by the local Sikh community.
The task force members include Sikh representatives from Canada, US, and across the world. Dr. Satpal Singh, Trustee of SCIR, serves as Convener of the Task Force. Suggestions and queries about Sikh participation in the upcoming parliament can be emailed to parliamentsikh@gmail.com.
The Parliament of the World’s Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world. More information about the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions along with online registration is available at https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/2018-toronto/toronto-2018 (click here).
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com
Gurcharanjit Singh – Photo / SINGAPORE AT 50: 50 SIKHS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
“THE brightest stars are those who shine for the benefit of others” – these words aptly describe the late Mr Gurcharanjit Singh. He was the star among his family and friends – a star that shone bright!
Gurcharanjit grew up in a multi-racial Housing Development Board estate at Outram Park in the 1970s. At that time, the Singapore government’s promotion of racial harmony was in its infancy stage and had yet to make an impression on the people. However, to this child, the campaign was irrelevant as race and religion mattered little to him in his daily interactions. He had friends from all creeds and cultures because, to him, everyone was equal, regardless of ethnicity or class. It was this belief that ultimately fashioned the thinking and life of Gurcharanjit and which led him to spend much of his time in public and community service despite working in an extremely challenging legal profession and fulfilling his responsibilities to his beloved family.
Gurcharanjit possessed wisdom far beyond his age, unlike young Singaporeans of his age. He actively participated in many conversations focusing on socio-economic and political issues. This exposure to real world issues affecting Singaporeans expanded his knowledge and awareness, something that would be extremely relevant later in his life. Significantly, it was these early conversations which planted the desire in Gurcharanjit to want to make a difference to the Singapore Sikh community and all Singaporeans.
Gurcharanjit graduated from the University of London and was called to the Singapore Bar as an Advocate and Solicitor in 1998. Viewed as an all-rounded lawyer, he was a consummate advocate with particular strengths in litigation and negotiations. He encapsulated the highest virtues of integrity and honesty expected of members of the Bar.
In a tribute to the memory of Gurcharanjit, his wife, Rajvant wrote: “He was always eager to share his ideas and plans and dispense words of advice. He was also not one to hold any punches. He was always frank, forthright and true to his beliefs. His presence was always felt when he was around and he invariably left his mark in everything he embarked on.”1
To Gurcharanjit, the well-being and interests of his clients were of paramount importance. He fought the cases of his clients with a great degree of passion and confidence. He respected every person whose case he advocated. Although not every outcome was in his client’s favour, he derived great personal satisfaction in doing his best for every case he undertook. The legal fraternity saw in Gurcharanjit all the great qualities of a gentleman and a lawyer. As his fellow partner in Lau & Gur, the law firm in which he practiced, Dr Lau Teik Soon, stated, Gurcharanjit was “his closest legal colleague and a dependable lawyer”2 and one who was highly committed to the legal profession.
GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEER
Despite his hectic professional career, Gurcharanjit also found time to serve the Sikh community and the larger Singapore community. To him, time was relative to desire – if one had the desire to serve, one would find the time. Gurcharanjit was an extremely dedicated, committed and passionate volunteer. What distinguished him from those around him was his sociable and approachable nature, and his ability to relate to those around him. His best friend and fellow lawyer, Mr Jagjit Singh Gill, remarked that Gurcharanjit “had the uncanny ability to connect with all kinds of people whatever their status, race, creed or background and it, therefore, came as no surprise that he excelled in community work.”3
Gurcharanjit’s involvement in grassroots activities saw him manage a range of portfolios over the years. These included being the Chairman of sub-committees under the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council and the South West Community Development Council, Vice-Chairman of the Bukit Timah Community Club Management Committee, Chairman of the Community Emergency and Engagement Committee and Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle, and Immediate Past Chairman of the Bukit Timah Zone 3 Residents’ Committee.
“Gurcharanjit was an active, enthusiastic and aspiring lawyer who would have achieved prominence in the legal profession. He was diligent and con dent in the conduct of the cases and some judges knew him well – they conveyed to me commendable remarks about him.
Aside from his professional occupation, Gurcharanjit contributed unsel shly to the welfare and well- being of Singaporeans and his exemplary role was recognised by the state. e legal professional has lost a valuable, balanced and stable member.”
Dr Lau Teik Soon,
Former Partner Lau & Gur
Gurcharanjit Singh – Photo / SINGAPORE AT 50: 50 SIKHS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
As a grassroots volunteer, Gurcharanjit’s compassion and accommodating nature were readily apparent. Although he ended up with many people’s burdens on his shoulders, Gurcharanjit’s calming nature never failed to provide assurances and resolution to his constituents.
COMMUNITY WORK
Notwithstanding his heavy involvement in grassroots activities, Gurcharanjit always had the Sikh community’s welfare at heart. He envisioned Sikh youth contributing to the cohesion of the community and, consequently, to the fabric of Singapore. His engagement with the Sikh community saw him spending countless hours outside the office addressing the challenges and concerns of the Sikh community. His genuine desire to promote the welfare of the Sikh community led to his active involvement in the Sikh Advisory Board, the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation, the Sikh Welfare Council (SIWEC) and Sri Guru Singh Sabha Youth Wing. As his wife aptly stated, Gurcharanjit just wanted to make life better for his community and the people around him.4
Gurcharanjit’s contribution to the Sikh youth of Singapore is best epitomised by his role as Advisor to Sri Guru Singh Sabha Youth Wing. He took particular pride in the success of the youth. He encouraged them to do their part for the community because he felt that the youth would benefit professionally and personally through such involvement. He believed that they would become more enlightened, compassionate and caring. With his active guidance and encouragement, the youth wing became a vibrant body which organised a range of activities to meet the needs of Sikh youth.
Gurcharanjit’s relentless drive to fulfill his responsibilities in the different facets of his life was truly inspiring and outstanding. His selfless service and contributions to society were recognised when he became the youngest- ever recipient of the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (the Public Service Star).5 He had earlier received the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (the Public Service Medal).6 Quite apart from the medals, the praiseworthy comments of his fellow grassroots members attested to Gurcharanjit’s high level of rapport, harmony and fellowship with his fellow Singaporeans.
FAMILY: HIS PRIDE AND JOY
Of all his achievements, Gurcharanjit’s greatest pride and joy were his wife, his three children (Roshan, Livraaj and Jasreen) and his mother. He cared deeply about his mother who single-handedly raised his two brothers and him after his father passed away when he was just seven years old. His mother’s sacrifices in raising him motivated him to excel in all he did.
His wife was the pillar of strength in his life. Gurcharanjit courted Rajvant during their days in England when they were both law students. He relied heavily on Rajvant’s support in managing the home and raising the children because his involvement in grassroots activities saw him spending many hours away from the family. Notwithstanding his punishing schedule, Gurcharanjit always endeavoured to make time for his wife and his three children. They completed him.
LEGAL PURSUITS
Gurcharanjit always possessed a desire to deepen his legal knowledge, resulting in his acceptance into the Master of Laws programme at the University of London. Gurcharanjit was to have commenced the course in October 2010. Perhaps fate had other plans. On 3 October 2010, Gurcharanjit suddenly passed away from a heart attack. The unanticipated demise of this committed, caring and loving husband, father and son, honest, helpful and hardworking lawyer, and passionate and dedicated grassroots volunteer left everyone in a state of shock and sadness.
Gurcharanjit may no longer be with us physically but his spirit and ideals continue to live in us. He taught everyone whose life he impacted that the highest virtue was how one lead one’s life. Although his life may have been short, Gurcharanjit’s life was rich, full, respectable and impactful.8
If Gurcharanjit were around us today, he would most likely say that it was not the length of time he spent on Earth that mattered; rather, it was how he lived that counted. In the words of his family and friends: “His legacy [has been] defined by his actions that will last for an eternity, where even words engraved in stone will fade away with time.”8
Gurcharanjit indeed left us a legacy – one that will forever keep his memory alive.
Endnotes:
1 Rajvant Kaur, In Memory of Gurcharanjit Singh s/o Dewan Singh (PBM) (BBM) 4 February 1969 – 3 October 2010, Singapore Law Gazette, February 23, 2011.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Interview with Ms Rajvant Kaur, August 12, 2015.
5 The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat was instituted in 1963. It is awarded to
any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore; or who has distinguished himself or herself in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement. See http://www.pmo.gov.sg/nationaldayawards.
6 The Pingat Bakti Masyarakat was instituted in 1973. The medal is awarded to any person who has rendered commendable public service in Singapore or for his or her achievement in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement. Ibid.
7 Rajvant Kaur, In Memory of Gurcharanjit Singh s/o Dewan Singh (PBM) (BBM), op. cit.
8 Ibid.
[This article is courtesy of SINGAPORE AT 50: 50 SIKHS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS, a book published in 2015 by the Young Sikh Association, Singapore (YSA) in conjunction with Singapore’s 50th birthday]
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
India cricket sensation Harmanpreet Kaur bears the jersey number 84. There is a story behind the number.
“When she picked up her jersey, she chose the jersey number 84. For Punjabis, 84 brings back the memories of the 1984 riots,” Harmanpreet’s mother Sukhjeet Kaur told an Indian newspaper. “But she took it positively and now we also see it as a good sign for her…She dedicates all her victories to the victims of the riots.”
The 27 year old cricketer created history in 2016 when she became the first player from India to get a contract to play in an Australian league. She donned the Sydney Thunders jersey to compete in the Women’s (BBL), Australia’s domestic T-20 cricket league.
On 20 July 2017, the India women’s team all- rounder again created history for Indian cricket when she scored an unbeaten 171 runs from 115 balls with 20 fours and seven sixes coming in her rapid fire inning that thumped the Australian attack and created a big ask for them while batting second at Derby.
She also became just the second Indian woman to record a score of over 150 runs in ODIs.
Harmanpreet now has the highest score by an Indian in Women’s World Cups as she edged Mithali Raj’s 109 runs – which stood for just six days – against New Zealand in the crucial encounter that helped qualify the team for the semi-finals.
After news broke about about her Aussie debut, her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, told The Indian Express from her home in Moga: “Main shabda ch byaan nahi kar sakda apni khushi (I cannot describe my feelings on this achievement).”
“When she was born, had brought a suit with cricket words on it. Some years later, she started playing the game with boy trainees at the college ground. Initially, it was tough for us as the bats were costly and we could not afford them. But later, she would play for Punjab at a young age and also made her debut for the India while in high school.”
Harmanpreet was spotted by coach Kamaldeesh Singh Sodhi and would train under him at the Guru Nanak Public School, Moga, the report added. The cricketer would travel 20 km from her Basant Singh Road residence to Barapur Pind to practice and would later also travel to Ferozepur to play for the district in the Punjab state Championships. A fine performance in 2009 Challenger trophy meant she broke into the Indian women’s team for 2009 World T-20 Championships.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Press Release | Melbourne, Australia | 26 July 2017 | Asia Samachar |
TURBAN ISSUE: Father Sagardeep Singh Arora with his son Sidhak Singh Arora. – Photo / Supplied
Melbourne, Australia – The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) will decide at the end of the ongoing hearing if 5 year old Sidhak Singh was discriminated against by the Melton Christian School, when they refused to enroll him last year because he wore a patka, a religious head covering.
Sidhak Singh’s legal representation is through the reputed international law firm of Herbert Smith Freehills and Counsel Eliza Holt, who were arranged, on a pro bono basis, by UNITED SIKHS, when it was learnt that Sidhak Singh’s father, Sagardeep Singh, was fighting his case alone.
On Monday the Tribunal Member, Julie Grainger, heard evidence from Sidhak’s parents that in March 2016 they were informed by the school principal that Sidhak Singh will have to follow the school’s uniform rule and sport short hair and he will not be allowed to wear the patka. They had explained to the principal that Sidhak Singh was a Sikh and was religiously mandated to have his hair unshorn and covered by a patka.
The Tribunal has to decide if the school’s reasons for refusing enrolment to Sidhak Singh are justified on the two exceptions raised by the school – that the school was implementing a uniform rule under section 42 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 and/or that it was a Christian school that is wholly or mainly a school for Christians and may exclude students of other religious beliefs under section 39 of the same Act.
Elizabeth Benning, Counsel for the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission that has filed an amicus brief in this case, will argue when the hearing resumes on Wednesday, 26th July, that the s42 and s 39 exceptions do not apply to the school.
“This case may not end at the VCAT. The party that loses the case at VCAT may appeal to the Supreme Court of Victoria on a question of law. Hence we must launch a community-led campaign so that resources may be made available to defend Sikh articles of faith,” said Mejindarpal Kaur, International legal Director of UNITED SIKHS, who has travelled to Melbourne to attend the hearing.
UNITED SIKHS directors met today the Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council and the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria to discuss the Right To Turban campaign in Melbourne.
For a start, UNITED SIKHS and the Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council, Supreme Sikh Council of Australia and the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria are hosting a conclave in Melbourne city titled: Freedom and Peace – Is there a Conflict? Religious Freedom will be one of the freedoms discussed at the conclave.
[The statement was received via email]
CONCLAVE DETAILS:5 Aug 2017 | Saturday, 3pm-5pm | The Victoria Room, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, Melbourne | Contact: +61-433455922
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, here, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
Dr Kuldip Singh receives Datukship from Penang – Photo /Supplied
Dr Kuldip Singh, an active Sikh social worker in Penang, received a Datukship from the Penang state today.
The 56 year old medical practitioneer – son of a police officer who was born and bred in Penang – was bestowed Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri which carries the Datuk title.
Dr Kuldip had served at the Bukit Mertajam Hospital before moving into private practice.
The title was bestowed at the investiture ceremony to mark Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas’ 79th birthday.
Dr Kuldip is serving a third term as president of the Penang Sikh Association, which he first assumed in 2013. From 2011 to 2013, he was its secretary.
He is also the immediate past president of the Penang Club, one of the oldest clubs in the country.
He is the second of four siblings of K Sohan Singh and Jogindar Kaur, all of whom were born and bred in Penang, except for Kuldip who was born in Pahang.
Sohan was the Deputy OCPD of Rawang from 1969 to 1975 before being transferred to Bukit Aman. He passed away in 1994.
At present, Kuldip is also the Vice President of the Malaysian Singapore Sikh Sports Council (MSSSC), Deputy President of the Malaysian Sikh Education Aid Fund (MSEAF), and committee member of Muhibah Council Penang and Private Medical Practitioners Society Penang.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, here, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
TURBAN ISSUE: Father Sagardeep Singh Arora with his son Sidhak Singh Arora. – Photo / Supplied
An Aussie school that disallowed a five-year old Sikh boy bearing a child’s version of a turban, called a patka, from joining the school argued that it did so on the grounds of ‘neutrality’.
The school’s principal told a tribunal that he was proud of the “neutrality” of the uniform, and said the case was similar to a situation where a Year 11 student was not allowed to wear a hat from sportswear brand New Balance.
“He’s identifying himself as something other than the identity of the college and that creates a difference, that takes away the level playing field for himself and other students in the school,” said Gleeson from Melton Christian College in Melbourne’s west, reports The Age.
The child’s father, Sargadeep Singh Arora, won’t take it sitting down. The incident involving his son, Sidhak Singh Arora, is now being heard at Aussie’
They are taking an issue with the school’s insistence that it has the right to set the uniform its students wear.
The arbitrator of the case will be the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but it will be closely watched as a test case by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the Aussie newspaper reported.
Sagardeep says the school is breaching the Equal Opportunity Act and is discriminating against his son, by not allowing him to wear the patka – an essential part of his religious practice. He wants his son, Sidhak, to attend the Christian school because of its good reputation.
Sidhak’s cousins already attend the school, although they do not wear turbans.
“The police and the army allow Sikhs to wear the turban … why not in the classroom?” Arora was wouted in the report. “If you’re enrolling a student from a different community, you should allow them to practice their religious beliefs … they should not be forced to abandon their faith.”
In their defence, the school’s principal said racial and religious differences between students “have no relevance to the classroom, in the playground, at school events, and that’s because differences are invisible”.
“I see our students in the playground and I see them totally oblivious to one another’s racial or religious background,” he said.
“They play foursquare together, and if I picture that I have to call to mind that some of them are African and some of them are Indian and some of them are white Aussies … as a school we tend to be oblivious to that and I think that is a strength … that comes from … [the] neutrality of the uniform.”
The school argued that an exemption in the Equal Opportunity Act, Section 42, allows schools to set and enforce “reasonable” standards of dress for students, the report added.
The matter has been viewed by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission as a test case for Section 42.
The school has also relied on another exemption, that allows a school that is “wholly or mainly for students of a particular sex, race [or] religious belief” to turn away students of a different group, the report added.
Lawyer for the commission, Elizabeth Bennett, told the tribunal this exemption was designed to be inclusive, not exclusive.
For instance, the exemption would allow a school for students with disabilities to exclude students without disabilities but it did not allow for the inverse.
“It is intended to allow a group to include those it seeks to advance,” she said, arguing that even if the school enrols other Sikh students it was discriminatory to exclude Sikh students who wore turbans.
“It’s an attempt to rely on the exemption selectively.”
Ms Bennett said the school was in effect saying that “we’re happy to have Sikhs who don’t make any trouble, who don’t manifest their religion in any way that makes me feel uncomfortable … we’re happy to have Sikhs as long as they stay at the back of the classroom and don’t make any trouble.”
Sidhak currently attends a state school, where he is allowed to wear the turban.
The hearing continues.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
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TOP 20: Dalvin Kaur (standing, fourth from left) and Trinisha Kaur Thaliwal (standing, right most) among the finalists at the Miss Universe Singapore 2017 – Photo / MUS
At least two Punjabi girls are among the 20 top finalists at the Miss Universe Singapore 2017.
Dalvin Kaur Tarnjeet Singh, 28 and Trinisha Kaur Thaliwal, 22, have made it to the next round of the beauty pageant.
The winner, to be crowned on Oct 11, will walk away with the title, S$10,000 cash, S$45,000 worth of prizes and services and the chance to represent Singapore in the international finale.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
| Pattaya, Thailand | 24 July 2017 | Asia Samachar |
EVENING SPLENDOUR: Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Pattaya – Photo / ChaetanSaheb Singh Sethi (Aekarak Sethi)
A beautiful Sunday evening at the Pattaya gurdwara framed by a local Thai-Sikh.
“The gurdwara is in a street in South Pattaya surrounded by local houses and a market, a bustling area actually….It’s my hometown,” ChaetanSaheb Singh Sethi (Aekarak Sethi) tells Asia Samachar when we spotted the photograph he shared on the social media.
A few hundred Sikhs, mostly into tailoring and real estate, live in the Thai city.
In 2015, Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Pattaya, the sole gurdwara in Pattaya, celebrated its silver jubilee. It was opened on 28 Oct 1990.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
ਤਿਲੁ (til)
Parliament Sikh Task Force
