Street Help homeless shelter gets a helping hand from the local Sikh community

 According to AM 800 “ A helping hand for a homeless organization in the city from the Windsor Sports and Culture Centre and the Windsor Sikh Community.

The two organizations on Friday delivered over $4,000 worth of food, clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, and toiletries to the Street Help Homeless Centre at 964 Wyandotte Street East.

President of the Windsor Sports and Culture Centre Jatinder Rai says they want to make sure no one has an empty stomach.

"We've got enough from the community thanks to Canada, who brought us here. We're really happy with the whole process here, and now we're donating back into the community what we have earned, thanks to everybody else," he says. For the past 20 years, the two organizations have been collecting and delivering items of need several times a year to Street Help to support those in the community in need.

The recent donations included all-day pizza deliveries at Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day to the shelter.

Street Help Administrator Christine Wilson-Furlonger says it's such a great donation and they've come to rely on it.

"These are all things I will not have to go and buy for a while, so that helps enormously," she says.

Wilson-Furlonger says Street Help serves around 500 people every day. 

Jamshedpur Sikhs to Get Identity Cards Through Gurdwaras, CGPC Announces

 According to Avenue mail “ The Central Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (CGPC) has announced that identity cards will be issued to Sikhs residing in Jamshedpur through their respective gurdwara management committees. The initiative will cover all age groups, from infants to senior citizens, enabling community members to avail benefits whenever required. The announcement was made during a felicitation programme organised by the Mango Sikh Women’s Satsang Sabha to honour CGPC President Bhagwan Singh following his re-election for a three-year term. The event was attended by prominent Sikh leaders and members of the Sangat.

On the occasion, CGPC Chairman Sardar Shailendra Singh stated that all gurdwara management committees would soon begin the process of issuing identity cards to Sikhs living in their respective areas through the concerned gurdwaras. Mango Sikh Women’s Satsang Sabha President Sukhwant Kaur, along with Chairperson Lakhwinder Kaur, Surender Kaur, General Secretary Gurpreet Kaur, and other members of the Sabha, felicitated President Bhagwan Singh and his wife Karamjit Kaur by presenting them with a ceremonial saropa and a bouquet.

Saropas were also presented to CGPC office bearers, including Vice President Chanchal Singh, General Secretaries Amarjit Singh and Gurcharan Singh Billa, Treasurer Gurnam Singh Bedi, and advisors Parvinder Singh Sohal, Sukhwinder Singh Raju, Sukhdev Singh Bittu, Sarabjit Grewal, and Sukhwant Singh Sukku, General Secretary of the Central Sikh Naujawan Sabha. Addressing the gathering, Bhagwan Singh thanked the Sangat of Jamshedpur, especially the Mango Sangat, for their continued trust and support. He also appreciated the cooperation extended by the Sikh Women’s Satsang Sabha and the Sikh Naujawan Sabha, saying the community has always stood by him during challenging times.   As a mark of appreciation, a memento and a shawl prepared in memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur, dedicated to his martyrdom, were presented to the office bearers of the Mango Sikh Women’s Satsang Sabha for their support in religious programmes organised by the CGPC.

The programme was conducted by Amritpal Singh Meena and Jaswant Singh Jassu. Several community members, including Harvinder Singh Pappu, Raghuvir Singh, Hardeep Singh DP, Hira Singh, Kulwant Singh, Gurbachan Singh Raju, Jasveer Singh, Babbu Singh, and Raghuvir Singh, were present on the occasion.

The identity card initiative is expected to strengthen community organisation and provide Sikhs in Jamshedpur with a reliable form of identification through their local gurdwaras. 

Book Review: The Unfinished Struggle Of the Sikhs In Kashmir

 According to Outlook India “ Who am I in the long and contested history of Kashmir? Where does my community stand in a region that has so often spoken through the voices of its majorities? These deeply personal and unsettling questions shape the opening of Komal JB Singh’s Book, “An Invisible Minority: The History, Society and Politics of Sikhs in Kashmir”(2025). The Sikhs have lived in Kashmir for generations, sharing its land, labour, and history, yet their presence has remained persistently overlooked. Komal begins by placing herself within this silence, questioning her own existence and future as a Sikh in a region where recognition is uneven, and belonging is fragile.

The book powerfully highlights how academic and political attention in Kashmir has long centred on dominant communities such as the Muslims and Hindus, whose histories and identities have been repeatedly documented, analysed, and normalised. In contrast, the Sikhs have endured decades of social marginalisation, economic hardship, and cultural erasure, even as they continued to survive and resist. By confronting this imbalance, Komal’s work is not only an academic intervention but also an act of moral courage that aims to restore visibility, dignity, and voice to a community long pushed to the margins of Kashmir’s history. Komal Singh significantly advances the scholarly discourse by constructing a meticulous historical ethnography of the Sikhs in Kashmir. The author’s central contribution lies in reframing their contemporary narrative not as a sudden tragedy, but as the culmination of a longitudinally documented “history of suffering.” Komal rigorously situates Sikh identity within a deep historical continuum, effectively arguing that their collective consciousness is forged through time. She situates Sikh identity within a deep historical framework, tracing its foundations to the legacy of Sikh Gurus and examining its subsequent political and social articulation under the Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule (1819–1846) in Kashmir.

The author offers a sustained critical reading of how this period of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s governance has been persistently cast in unfavourable terms by European travellers and Kashmir historians, narratives that were rarely neutral and often informed by specific political agendas and ideological anxieties. Rather than accepting these accounts at face value, the book interrogates the conditions under which such representations were produced and circulated. At the same time, the author resists any romanticisation of Sikh rule, openly acknowledging that the period was marked by internal factionalism, contested authority, and documented instances of coercion and social control. The narrative then examines the systematic repression of the community under Dogra rule and the gradual transfer of various Sikh gurudwaras into the hands of the Kashmiri Brahmans. This process, the author argues, not only dismantled the Kashmiri Sikh community’s institutional power but also deeply undermined its spiritual sovereignty, signalling a broader transformation in the relationship between religion, state authority, and communal identity in Kashmir. One of the most distressing chapters the book revisits concerns the consequences of partition, an event that disproportionately affected the Sikh community in Kashmir. Komal provides a detailed account of the massacre of 1947, during which raiders, identified as Qabalis, targeted Sikh settlements, resulting in widespread destruction of property, violations of personal dignity, and profound human suffering. Rather than treating this episode as a closed historical moment, Komal underscores its enduring psychological impact, emphasising how the violence produced a deep and unresolved collective trauma. The memory of this brutality, she argues, continues to reverberate within the community, lingering as an unhealed wound embedded in its shared historical consciousness. Komal further traces the recurring cycles of violence that have repeatedly driven Kashmiri Sikhs to the edge of survival. Focusing on the genocide of 1984 and the assassination of the then-Prime Minister of India, she shows how these moments once again subjected the community to collective punishment. The protests that followed the mass killings in Delhi, organised as acts of moral resistance and solidarity, were met with further violence, costing many their lives. Komal reads this period as a decisive historical rupture, one in which Kashmiri Sikh identity stood at a fragile crossroads, threatened by both physical destruction and political erasure. She further laments the gradual fading of these traumatic memories within the community, suggesting that forgetting itself has become another quiet form of loss. The book then turns to a more recent and deeply unsettling tragedy that unfolded in March 2000, when thirty-six (36) Kashmiri Sikhs were brutally massacred in a remote village of the Anantnag district in Kashmir. This episode, the author argues, marked a profound rupture in the community’s sense of safety, dismantling any remaining hope in protection or stability in the region. The violence not only claimed lives but also generated a renewed atmosphere of fear, grief, and collective vulnerability that extended far beyond the immediate site of the massacre. Together, these tragedies underscore the fragile condition of Sikhs in Kashmir—marked by resilience, yet continually scarred by loss, uncertainty, and the persistent struggle to assert dignity and survival.

Taken together, these historical and contemporary traumas reveal the depth of marginalisation that has come to define the Sikh community’s experience in Kashmir, as Komal compellingly shows. Despite generations of presence on Kashmiri soil, Sikhs have been pushed to the edges of political life, denied meaningful representation, and rendered socially peripheral within a regionallandscape dominated by two powerful majority groups. Their minority status—numerical, political, and cultural—has confined them to a fragile existence in which visibility itself becomes a struggle. Over time, this enforced silence has eroded public recognition of Kashmir’s Sikh history, weakening the transmission of language, memory, and identity, and allowing dominant narratives to overwrite their lived realities. 

As dominant narratives continue to shape political legitimacy and historical memory, a pressing question remains: what becomes of Sikh identity, existence, and security in a region that persistently renders them marginal?

Healing Hands: UNITED SIKHS' Medical Camp at Nankana Sahib

 According to Dev Discourse “ On the occasion of Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Parkash Utsav, UNITED SIKHS led a successful One-Day Free Medical Camp at Gurdwara Sri Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib. Over 400 individuals received essential healthcare services, marking a significant contribution to Seva and community well-being.

Specialized medical professionals, including general medicine practitioners, gynecologists, and pediatricians, offered comprehensive care. Their voluntary efforts provided preventive screenings and immediate treatments to address urgent health concerns, highlighting the need for accessible healthcare in underserved areas.

The medical camp was praised by Dr. Mimpal Singh and other community members as a vital expression of Seva and a reinforcement of community health. The initiative by UNITED SIKHS underscores their mission to build stronger communities through humanitarian efforts rooted in compassion and equality.

‘Time doesn’t matter here’: A Golden Temple restoration, and a 200-yr-old Kangra link

 According to Indian Express “ Two hundred years after Maharaja Ranjit Singh commissioned the Guru Gobind Singh painting that hangs inside the Golden Temple, hiring an artist from Kangra, the shrine has turned to the same Himachal Pradesh district for its restoration and a second copy.

A PhD in Pahari miniature painting, Balbinder Kumar has been working on the Guru Gobind Singh fresco since August last year. Kumar, who is employed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Indian Institute of Himalayan Studies, Himachal Pradesh University, and belongs to Kangri village in Kangra, was first contacted for the restoration of old paintings of the 9th Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur, at the historical Baba Bakala gurdwara near Amritsar in 2021.

Then came the Golden Temple assignment. Says Kumar: “I usually come on the weekends from Shimla to do this work. I am not doing it for money. I feel lucky that the Guru chose me.”

For the duration of the work, Kumar has decided to keep unshorn hair as per the Sikh code. “I decided not to cut my hair after I was assigned the seva. Nobody asked me, there was no condition. It was my own decision, as the Guru guided me.”

The UK-based Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, which takes care of the goldplating of Golden Temple, contacted Kumar for the restoration work. Its representative Inderjit Singh said, “We hired Balbinder Kumar as he comes from the same region, Kangra, from where the first artist who made the painting of Guru Gobind Singh came. We thought he would be the best person to restore the old one and remake the new one.”

The work is painstaking, Kumar says. “The fresco secco masterpiece created during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s era has weathered centuries, its natural pigments flaking due to natural reactions. I am using the same painting techniques and natural pigments for restoration.”

The stress is on using the same techniques “without any changes”. “There are two types of fresco (mural painting on plaster) – fresco secco (on dry plaster) and fresco buono (on wet plaster). In this case, the work was done in secco, which means that colours are prepared and then their layers applied. With passage of time, layers tend to come off the wall due to dampness or climate issues,” says Kumar.

In her book on the Golden Temple, Madanjit Kaur wrote about the fresco: “In this painting, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Master of the faith, is shown on horseback in the company of five beloved ones (Panj Pyaare), with an attendant holding a chauri (flywhisk) behind the horse. One of the leading persons holds a falcon in his right hand, whereas the second one is carrying the Sikh standard. We find some typical motifs of weapons depicted on this flag. A running dog has also been painted near the horse.”

Kumar, who calls his mother Rooma Devi who used to make paintings of Sikh Gurus as his first teacher, says he was inspired to take up higher studies in Kangra style of painting by Samuel Gill, the late student of artist Phulan Rani. He attributes his unique interest to belonging to the same region as Kangra King Maharaja Sansar Chandra, who is credited with patronising the painting style. Kumar’s village Kangri lies about 15 km from what is considered the birthplace of Sansar Chandra.

After he won Kangra, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had found what is considered the first and only “realist” painting depicting Guru Gobind Singh in the collection of Sansar Chandra. The latter declined to give the painting to Ranjit Singh, and so the Maharaja hired an artist from the family of the painter of the original one for a replica at Darbar Sahib.

While the original painting is estimated to have been built in the period between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th, Maharaja Ranjit Singh got the replica made in the first half of the 19th century.

Kumar says he is cognizant of the legacy he is carrying forward. “The other two artists were from Kangra. It is the blessing of the Guru that I have got this opportunity… I cannot exactly say when my work will be completed, perhaps it will take a couple more visits and I will be done by March… Time doesn’t matter here.”

Global Sikh Delegation Tours Punjab To Build Unity And Form Independent Committee For Akal Takht Financial Autonomy

 According to Times of India “ Amid growing allegations of undue influence by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over Sikh high priests—raising serious concerns about impartiality in their decisions and directives—a global initiative is taking shape.

A delegation of prominent Sikh businessmen and intellectuals from across the world is touring Punjab to engage with key Panthic bodies, with an aim to build unity and establish an independent international committee. Its foremost mandate will be to ensure the financial independence of the Akal Takht Secretariat, followed by the transparent and autonomous election of Sikh high priests, freeing them from reliance on the SGPC for honorariums and safeguarding the moral and institutional independence of Sikh high priests.

Rajwinder Singh of Switzerland, who is leading the delegation, said the Sikh diaspora is deeply distressed by recurring media reports alleging that certain decisions of Sikh high priests are influenced by the SAD-backed SGPC. He said such allegations caused widespread disappointment and anguish among Sikhs worldwide.

“Even at present, the issue of the 328 missing saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib brought the Akal Takht and the Punjab govt into direct confrontation—something that should never have occurred. This situation is extremely concerning for Sikhs across the globe,” Rajwinder Singh said.

He added that the delegation already held meetings with several Panthic organisations in the Malwa and Doaba regions and is currently touring Majha to engage with more Sikh bodies.
“Our objective is to identify Panthic organisations that enjoy the highest level of trust and credibility among Sikhs. These organisations will then collectively form an international committee comprising Sikh businessmen, intellectuals, and respected religious personalities,” he explained, adding that they are open to taking representatives from the SGPC on the committee.

Further elaborating, Rajwinder Singh said the delegation deliberated extensively and concluded that making the Akal Takht Secretariat financially independent is essential adding that foreign-based Sikh businessmen have expressed their readiness to make substantial donations for the cause and have committed to doing so.

Dr. Sonia Kaur from Sweden said that there have been allegations that decisions of Sikh's supreme temporal authority are allegedly influenced by SGPC or the SAD, so it is crucial to uphold the independence of Akal Takht including transparent process of processes of honorariums and administration . "Forming an international committee of Sikh intellectuals, scholars, and businessmen could provide guidance and oversight while respecting Sikh traditions" said she.

Surinder Singh from Austria said, “If the Akal Takht Secretariat becomes autonomous, Sikh high priests will no longer need to depend on the SGPC for their honorariums. The income generated from the estates and properties owned by the Akal Takht Secretariat would be sufficient to meet all operational and administrative expenses.”

Darbar E Khalsa Draws Thousands For 40th Anniversary Gathering

 According to India West “ Darbar E Khalsa once again brought together the Sikh community in a powerful display of faith and unity, with this year’s gathering becoming especially memorable for the Sangat due to circumstances that unfolded against all expectations.

Weather forecasts had predicted a 95 percent chance of rain throughout December 25, with an estimated two to three inches of rainfall. However, as the morning of Darbar E Khalsa arrived, the rain stopped entirely. What followed was a clear and radiant day that many attendees described as nothing short of a blessing.

As members of the Sangat arrived at the Darbar, many shared that they had been praying for clear skies. Their collective ardaas, devotees said, was answered by Guru Sahib’s kirpa. While large parts of Southern California experienced steady rainfall, Pomona remained sunny from morning until evening, allowing the Sangat to gather in joy, devotion, and gratitude. In preparation for the forecasted weather, organizers had moved the entire program indoors. Babaji’s hall was arranged with care and reverence, and a red carpet welcomed the Sangat into the venue. Along the walkway, artwork and cutouts depicting the Chaar Sahibzaade greeted attendees as they made their way inside.

The program began promptly at 6.15 a.m. with Asa Di Vaar by the Akhand Kirtaniya Jatha. Over the course of the nine hour program, several youth groups and kirtan jathas, including the IIGS Jatha, participated in seva through shabad kirtan.

Dedicated sewadaars worked throughout the day to prepare refreshments and langar for the Sangat. Attendees also visited various vendor stalls set up along both sides of the hall. To ensure safety and ease of access, special trams and buses transported Sangat members from parking areas to the venue. As the weather continued to remain clear later in the day, a Gatka team performed, adding to the celebratory and spiritual atmosphere of the event.

The program concluded with a Nagar Kirtan, during which thousands of devotees chanted Satnam Waheguru and carried Babaji’s Swaari in a special palki to a waiting helicopter. As the helicopter lifted off, the Sangat offered a heartfelt farewell, marking the close of another Darbar E Khalsa filled with devotion and remembrance.

Darbar E Khalsa was established in 1986 by the International Institute of Gurmat Studies with Waheguru Ji’s grace. The annual event commemorates the life and Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj and honors the supreme sacrifices of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Ji, Mata Gujri Ji, and the Chaar Sahibzaade.

This year’s gathering marked the 40th anniversary of Darbar E Khalsa, reinforcing its enduring significance for the Sikh community.

A First Of Sorts: A Tamil Song For A Sikh Guru; Party Pays Tribute To Humanity Protector Guru Tegh Bahadur

 According to Times of India “ In what is likely the first Tamil song dedicated to Sikh history, the Bahujan Dravida Party (BDP) has released "Srishti-Ki-Sadar – Guru Tegh Bahadur" — a homage to the ninth Sikh Guru on the 350th anniversary of his martyrdom.

The song opens with the line, "Our Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, who followed the sacred way of Guru Nanak," and goes on to mention "you tore apart caste tyranny and won the righteous battle." Jeevan Singh, BDP founder and the song's lyricist, explains that the composition portrays Guru Tegh Bahadur not merely as a defender of a single faith, but as a protector of all humanity. He describes the Guru as a revolutionary who challenged religious tyranny and the "Sanatan hierarchical order". "The song asserts a timeless truth: true peace exists only where the weak and marginalised are embraced," he adds.

Released by filmmaker Pa Ranjith at Chennai's Margazhiyil Makkal Isai (People's Music in Margazhi) festival on Dec 27, the song highlights the Guru's commitment to egalitarianism and his stance against caste hierarchy and discrimination.

Sung by Pudhuvai Sithan Jayamoorthy, M Faridha, and P Samanaraja, the track's music video features AI-generated visuals alongside clips of the singers. It opens with footage of a langar at the ‘School of Miri Piri Tamil Nadu,' showing children sharing a community meal. The video highlights the Guru's travels across India and shows both Tamil and Punjabi Sikhs.
The launch event was attended by senior BDP leaders and representatives from the Sikh community, including national treasurer Raj Gopal and United Sikhism Tamil Nadu director Surjit Singh.

This initiative follows the BDP's political engagement in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they fielded seven candidates of Tamil Sikh origin. All of them were part of a group of around 200 who participated in the 2021 farmers' protests at the Singhu border. A few of them embraced Sikhism.