517.The Man in Blue – Sikhí VI

If you go back to my previous column you will notice that I have not given any specific reasons for having uncut hair, steel bangle, cotton boxer short or wooden comb. This is because authors of books about Sikhí all give different reasons for wearing these 4 Ks, which do not seem to be based on authentic pronouncements of Guru. The Kirpan of course stands for the fight against injustice.

To me the main reason for wearing my 5 Ks is because Guru asked me to offer my head and wear the 5 Ks and the turban. I also see the value of being a visible Sikh. It reminds me that I have committed myself to Guru’s path, and is a signal to others that here goes a Sikh who promised to serve all.

Many religious traditions have rules about not cutting or shaving all body hair, part of the body hair and also of course about having bold heads or shaving part of the head. To me all these have in common that they are signs of commitment.

Rings or bangles are often symbols of unity, unity within marriage, within a group, with God or with God and all humanity.

Guru’s fighters often wore a number of heavy steel bangles from their elbow to their hand to protect the sword arm.

Cotton boxer shorts are very comfortable when worn underneath a traditional long wide shirt (chola), underneath an Indian style pijama or any wide type of trousers. Cotton clothes keep you warm in winter and cool in summer and absorb perspiration, which avoids prickly heat (rash) during the monsoon time.

The wooden comb is useful to comb your hair and pulls out less of it than modern western combs. If you tie you hair in a topknot, as many Sikhs do, you can stick the comb in your topknot, which helps to stabilise it.

The outer five Ks and the turban should go together with a Sikh way of life. The way of life is often associated with the five qualities. They are: Sat (Truth), Santokh (Contentment), Diá (Compassion), Nimratáh (Humility) and Piár (Love).

God is Truth, and Her/His followers should strive to live in Truth. We should be ‘content’, we should accept what is given to us and not constantly look for more, more, more. We should have compassion and care for the poor, the discriminated, the ill etc and we should also be willing to forgive those that have hurt us.

Humility is very important for a Sikh, and even more for an amritdhari (initiated) Sikh. It is so easy to become proud of the fact that you wear the 5 Ks and have given up habits that most people take for granted. Pride leads to ego and where there is ME there God is not !

Just like God is Truth, God is also Love, real Love, unconditional Love. We who claim to be God’s followers should try and nurture this Love, also when those we try to truly Love do not respond with even ordinary human love.

If you thought walking in God’s will would be easy I have to disappoint you, God puts many challenges on our way, but also gives us the strength to overcome them.

The Tribune – Gurdaspur on alert as radicals plan protest

Ravi Dhaliwal, Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, June 19. Barely 24 hours before the scheduled protest march by Sikh radicals against police “inaction” against those responsible for the death of 20-year-old engineering student Jaspal Singh in police firing here on March 29, the the entire district has been put on alert.

Security has been tightened. Ravcharan Singh Brar, SSP, and Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha are monitoring the situation even as a three-tier security apparatus has been put in place.

Former Khalistan Commando Force chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, will not participate in the protest. He was taken into preventive custody just before violence rocked the city in March this year.

What is unnerving the police are intelligence reports that suggest that known Sikh radicals may join the protest march from the victim’s native village Chor Sidhwan to the DC’s office in the heart of the town. Those likely to be part of the protest are Simranjit Singh Mann, SAD (Amritsar) chief, Daljit Singh, SAD (Panch Pardhani), Harcharanjit Singh Dhammi, Dal Khalsa chief, Lakhwinder Singh of the Damdami Taksal, Baljit Singh Daduwal and Ram Singh Sangrawa.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120620/punjab.htm#13

The Tribune – Operation Bluestar memorial; Split in Youth Cong over protest

Jaswant Shetra

Jagraon, June 19. Differences have cropped up in the state Youth Congress over the issue of opposing the construction of a memorial at the Golden Temple in memory of those killed during Operation Bluestar.

State Youth Congress chief Bikram Choudhry had declared to hold a protest on June 20 against the construction of the memorial. But the announcement has not gone down well with some Youth Congress leaders who have openly declared to boycott the protest.

Raising his voice against the protest, Kamaljit Singh Brar, Punjab Youth Congress general secretary and son of former Congress MLA from Baghapurana Darshan Singh Brar, said, “This issue is connected to the religious sentiments of the Sikh community and therefore, the state Youth Congress should not appose the construction of the memorial.”

Brar said, “No political party should mix politics with religious issues as this could disturb the communal harmony and peace in the state. He added that the Youth Congress should raise its voice against injustice being done to people and other social evils prevailing in the state.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120620/punjab.htm#9

The Hindu – India has reasons to smile after G-20 summit

T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan

Los Cabos, 20 June 2012. India has reason to come away feeling pleased with the outcome of the seventh G-20 summit, which concluded in Los Cabos on Tuesday.

First, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ticked the Europeans off for landing themselves and the world economy in such a big mess and then expecting handouts from even poor countries. Second, the Prime Minister’s consistent stand, that growth and austerity have to be combined, has also finally found favour. The 14-page declaration strongly emphasizes the need for growth because, by itself, austerity will not solve the debt problem of the eurozone. Britain and Germany have been insisting on austerity first to set eurozone in order.

Third, the Summit declaration included, for the first time, investment in infrastructure in developing countries in the preamble. India has been pushing for this at the last three summits.

The Declaration has also called for ending what it calls mechanistic reliance on credit rating agencies and encourage transparency and competition amongst them. Fifth, although no one is saying it openly, there is a distinct sense amongst the officials that the developing countries have improved their clout this time. This is evident from, amongst other things, agreement that IMF quota reform should be speeded up from 2013.

Overall, the non-European members of the G-20 have succeeded in sending a strong message to Europe that enough is enough and that it has to end its nationalistic bickerings so that the eurozone’s finances can be supervised by a triumvirate comprising the European Central Bank, the IMF and the EU.

Key to this is the acceptance by European countries to subordinate their financial institutions to an outside agency.

The G-20 has also explicitly recognised the progress made by China in market-determined exchanged rates and the gradual appreciation of the Renminbi. The U.S. will now stop targeting China’s exchange rate policies.

The next G20 Summit is in 2013 with Russia as the new chair.

Reacting to the Communique, the Prime Minister has said, “Eurozone leaders… recognize the need to move beyond the present monetary union towards unified banking supervision and adoption of common and enforceable fiscal rules.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3548826.ece?homepage=true

Vilvoorde Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan, 20 May 2012

Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, langar in downstairs divan hall

Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, langar in downstairs divan hall

Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, langar in downstairs divan hall

Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, on the left pardhan Jarnail Singh

Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, bowing to the Guru, upstairs divan hall

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji
14 Lange Molen Straat
B-1800 Vilvoorde (Vlaams-Brabant)
Vilvoorde is just north of Brussel and near to Brussel Airport

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Belgium pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Pakistan troops again open fire along LoC

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria & Darshan Bharti, Tribune News Service

Jammu/Poonch, June 19. After a brief lull, Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire for the fifth time since June 13 targeting Indian forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the KG sector of Poonch district today morning. No troops were injured. Pakistani troops targeted Indian posts with small and medium arms. Official sources said that firing lasted for nearly an hour.

“Around 10 am, Pakistani troops again resorted to unprovoked and unwarranted firing in the KG sector. They used small arms fire that lasted around 15 minutes,” Jammu-based Defence PRO Col RK Palta said.

The Indian Army said it exercised restraint to de-escalate the situation.

“Since this time their fire was ineffective, we didn’t retaliate in a bid to de-escalate the situation,” said Colonel Palta. He denied reports of air space violation by Pakistan in the KG sector this morning.

The Army has dashed off a detailed note to Ministry of Defence and Army Headquarters at New Delhi about unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops in the KG sector and its fallout on cross-LoC trade and travel. The Indian Army repeated its message via hotline to Pakistan to hold the flag meet at the earliest to bring the situation back to normal. “No response has been received from Pakistan,” said Colonel Palta.

Sources said the 653 Mujahid Regiment of the Pakistan Rangers, a battalion of local PoK Mujahideens, had been assigned the task to push Pakistan militants into India.

Fresh flag meeting sought

The Army has now sought a Brigade Commander-level flag meeting with its Pakistani counterpart to discuss the spurt in ceasefire violations. Pakistan’s response is awaited.

Brigade Commander-level meetings are sought only when the situation on the border escalates and starts showing no signs of a let-up Pakistan had on June 16 cancelled a Commandant (Colonel)-level meeting without assigning any reason.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120620/main4.htm

BBC News – Pakistan Supreme Court bars PM Gilani from office

Tuesday, 19 June 2012. Pakistan’s top court has disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from holding office, two months after convicting him of contempt of court.

The Supreme Court ruled he had “ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan”.

In April, the Supreme Court convicted Mr Gilani of failing to pursue corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The legal case is part of a bitter feud between Pakistan’s civilian government and the judiciary.

In April, Mr Gilani was given only a token sentence and spared a jail term.

Tuesday’s court ruling disqualified him from office and from parliament.

“Since no appeal was filed [against the 26 April conviction]… therefore Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stands disqualified as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora [parliament],” Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry told a packed courtroom.

He added: “He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan… the office of the prime minister stands vacant.”

The court backdated the disqualification to 26 April, raising questions over decisions Mr Gilani has made in office since then including the budget.

Within hours of the order, the country’s electoral commission announced that Mr Gilani had been disqualified from the National Assembly, with effect from 26 April.

Amid the uncertainty, Pakistan’s main stock market fell slightly by close of business on Tuesday.

The ruling effectively dismisses Mr Gilani’s cabinet as well. It is not clear what next steps Mr Gilani may take – or whether his removal means the government will fall.

The party and its allies should have the necessary majority in parliament to elect a successor to Mr Gilani.

Senior leaders of the governing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and coalition partners spent much of Tuesday locked in emergency talks with Mr Gilani and President Zardari.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, PPP information secretary Qamaruz Zaman Kaira said the leadership had “sent a strict call to the party rank and file to exercise restraint and not to hold protest demonstrations”.

He said the party would “decide on the next course of action after consulting coalition partners, who are meeting tonight”.

Mr Kaira said the PPP had “reservations” about the court order but acknowledged that Mr Gilani “was no longer prime minister”.

Ruling ‘unlawful’

The BBC’s Orla Guerin in Islamabad says there will be great political uncertainty following the ruling.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Attorney General Irfan Qadir accused the court of behaving unlawfully.

He said the prime minister was not answerable to the court in regard to his professional duties and that justices had violated an article of the constitution in their ruling.

But most observers expect the PPP to avoid confrontation with the judiciary over the Supreme Court order.

“I don’t see this as a major constitutional breakdown unless the PPP ignores this decision,” one legal expert Salman Raja told Reuters news agency.

Mr Gilani has always insisted only parliament can remove him from office.

He decided not to appeal against the contempt conviction in April – his lawyer saying he feared a more unfavourable decision from the court if he did so.

The pursuit of the contempt case by increasingly assertive Supreme Court judges is widely seen as an attempt at meddling in the country’s politics. Many believe the judiciary is being backed by the military.

The charges against President Zardari date back to the 1990s when his late wife Benazir Bhutto was prime minister. They were accused of using Swiss bank accounts to launder bribe money.

President Zardari has always insisted the charges against him are politically motivated.

The Supreme Court ordered Mr Gilani’s government to write to the Swiss authorities to ask them to reopen the cases against Mr Zardari.

But Mr Gilani refused, saying the case had been closed by a Swiss judge “on merit” and the president had constitutional immunity.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18506728