The Finale....End Of Year Langar

This weekend will be The WesternSSA End of Year Langar, which will end off the years major events. If you are in need of a ride please email us back, along with you name and phone number and we will make arrangements. The following is a schedule for the weekends events. If you have any further questions, please email us!

Saturday Night ... 6-9pm

On Saturday Night, we the students from UWO will be gathering at the local Gurdwara to begin preparing Langar for Sunday Morning Diwan. If you are interested in attending on Saturday and offering your help, please email us asap! For those of you that need some incentive....local aunties have offered to prepare some mattar paneer for students to eat at the end of the night!!!!

Sunday Morning ... 10am-1pm

On Sunday morning students will be running the show at London Gurdwara! The WesternSSA has taken the seva of running regular Sunday Diwan for the local Sikh community. If you are interested in doing keertan on this day, please notify us ahead of time as we have been given from of 10:30-12pm to be specifically designated to students for keertan. On this day, langar will also be served and again as incentive all langar is often packaged and given to students to take back to campus!

CD Recordings and T-shirts will be available for purchase!

Sikh Awareness Day: Radiating The Light of Sikhi

March 14 2006 was a great day for the University of Western Ontario. On this date, the WSSA held their annual Sikh Awareness Day (SAD). Although the initials for this day are an emotion that we prefer not to associate ourselves with, Sikh Awareness Day was anything but that.

The day began around 11:00 am. Vast arrays of posters which WSSA members had worked very hard on and put a noble effort into were on display throughout the atrium of the University Community Center. They consisted of a range of topics from something as simple as the history of the 10 Gurus to the haunting events that took place in 1984. Like the cherry on top of a sundae, kesri and royal blue coloured balloons further adorned each of the exhibits which would make an individual not help but come and visit.

Along with the WSSA exec, there were a number of individuals who had volunteered to answer any inquiries of the passers by. Raviraj was the first to answer the questions of inquiring minds. There was no doubt that he had made the individuals belonging to the Christian faith feel quite comfortable as they had been discussing faiths for quite some time and came out with exchanging e-mails. The ball got rolling after this point and as the day progressed, so did the number of individuals who wanted insight into our beautiful faith.

Then came the second highlight of this day. The arrival of the Sahibzadas belonging to the Baba Deep Singh Gatka Akhaara. They would be displaying the Warrior aspect in Sikhi with a display of Gatka- a distinguished and valiant Sikh martial art used from the time of our Gurus. These innocent souls’ abilities would be further tested by the blistering cold- an unexpected opponent since the day before it had seemed as if spring had knocked on our doorstep and decided to settle. Nonetheless, this was all our Waheguru’s hukum and something as petty as cold weather would not be an issue for the little Singhs. As the demonstration began, they showed the courage of lions battling it out in only their cholay and kacheras. The upbeat music and jaikaras were able to attract a humble crowd in awe of this display of courage by mere children. Near the end of the demonstration, another obstacle was faced by one of these warriors since the apparatus that he was using seemed to get caught in the wind. However, that was not an obstacle for long-our very own Amarjot Singh was able to save the day by modestly taking the apparatus and making its usage seem effortless while disappointing the wind’s alleged victory and leaving those of us who thought we knew him in awe.

Following this demonstration, the day continued with visitors belonging to all faiths come by giving WSSA members the opportunity to discuss faith. Not to mention, they were able to have individuals belonging to SSAs of other universities come by and share this experience.

Another notable visitor who showed a great amount of interest in the Sikh faith was an individual who went by the name of Matthew. He compared notes with several members and mentioned that the Rastafarian and Sikh religion share many similar viewpoints. The level of admiration that he showed for Sikhism gave members yet another reason to be proud to belong to this faith and was a reminder to us that we have a lot more in common with one another than we think…

It was then time to put the displays away as the second part of this experience would begin following a short break. Parents joined the WSSA on this evening- (a sincere thanks goes out to all of those who came by the way :D). The movie did not deal with the spiritual aspects of Sikhi, but without a doubt touched on the sensitive cultural issues Sikhs and other minorities deal with on a daily basis in western society. The moving established basic platform for discussion on which Sikhs and Non-Sikhs could engage in as it transcended any racial, gender or religious boundaries.

The WSSA had the pleasure of being joined by a guest speaker- former boxer and active member of the community, Pardeep Nagra. He was among the few Sikh speakers who were able to maintain the attention of the youth since he himself was a youth not too long ago and more importantly since he discussed issues that have a significant affect upon young adults belonging to all minority groups. One interesting point that he brought up was how Sikhs are still not completely accepted into society. We are constantly asked where we are from- not meaning what city in Canada- but meaning what country in the world we are from since we do not appear to fit the typical Canadian prototype. He gave us pointers on how to present ourselves in the society of today.

For those of you who were not able to be part of Sikh Awareness Day, hopefully this will give you somewhat of a picture as to what went on.

Lastly, the WSSA would like to express gratitude to all those Sikhs non-sikhs and MSA for coming out and expressing interest. A warm, whole-hearted thank you is the least that can go out to the WSSA exec and all of those who were part of the preparations to make this day a success. Needless to say, your hard work and long nights sacrificed towards this cause have clearly paid off.

Evidently, with Guru’s Kirpa, the exec continues to do a remarkable job to spread the word about Sikhi and give the Sikh Community a reason to be filled with pride. It is hoped that events like this can continue to flourish in the years to come.

Here are comments on what some individuals thought of Sikh Awareness Day:

Ameena Saeed
Visual Arts/French I

As a Hijabi Muslim student, I thought it would be really beneficial to show my support at the Sikh Awareness Day. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many similarities there are with Sikhism and Islam. As well, the movie & lecture opened my eyes to see how universal racism is, whether Sikh or Muslim. In the future, I hope to see some Sikh-Muslim events.

Umair Malik

Political Science I

The Sikh Awareness Day was to me a tremendous success, as a Muslim guest, I could easily follow the discussion on racism as it happens to everyone. The movie taught a very good lesson, that if the pleasures of life are taken away from humans, they too begin to act like animals. The survival of the fittest. Pardeep Singh Nagra was a great host, he did an excellent job of making the audience of different religions and backgrounds understand racism in more depth and how to tackle it efficiently.

Ruth Beyene

Sociology Major II

The Sikh awareness day was a great event, although I was unable to attend the movie, I had the chance to see the martial arts demo. The group is extremely talented putting on a great performance and did not let the weather slow them down! I would love to see them perform at Western again.

Chardi Kalaa will be showing clips from this day in early April. Keep checking the blog for more details!!

Sikhs For Social Justice

The following post is in regards to a protest being put on by the "Toronto Coalition to Stop the War" The protest will take place:

SATURDAY, MARCH 18@1PM
U.S. Consulate, 360 University Avenue, Toronto
For more information please visit
www.nowar.ca

INFORMATION

The Sikh path advocates both temporal and spiritual responsibilities. We as Sikhs have a responsibility to speak out against injustice and oppression. It is for this reason that the Sikh youth sangat are organizing, to participate in the 3rd annual peace protest against the invasion into Iraq and Afghanistan. Our plan is to meet up and go together to protest the war. Furthermore, we hope to demonstrate to the community that the Sikhs are an active and socially aware community.

TRANSPORTATION

For Sikh Youth Interested In Attending We Will Be Gathering at 10:15 in Dixie Langar Hall Saturday March 18th To Carpool To The Protest

VOLUNTEERING

We are looking for participation and volunteers on all levels. If you are interested please email: sikhsforsocialjustice@gmail.com

Thank you, and hope to see you all out.

Tribute To A Hero

We had earlier posted an Mp3 Track, that poetically described the Historically Touching Sakhi of Bhai Mati Das

(if you didn't catch it for the first time Click Here).

With the seva of a few individuals the composition of the lyrical content as well as translations have been completed.

We would like to thank the following individuals for their seva...

Sardar Jai Singh
Sardar Yogi Singh
Sardar Amarinder Singh

Enjoy...

Tribute To A Hero

Sirho ban ke tatteeree khoon cho gaya
Droplets of blood formed a stream and started flowing;

Sirho ban ke tateeree khoon cho gaya
Droplets of blood formed a stream and started flowing;

Chowk Chandini da Delhi (naal)laal ho gaya
Chandni Chowk’s Delhi became sanguine(red) with his blood;

Roya umber dekh kay nazara
Watching this grim scene, the sky wept;

Mukho Sat Nam bol da
From his mouth he spoke (the eternal lyric) The True Name; the only true name we know is of The Lord;

Bhai Mati Das, Guru Da Piyara
Bhai Mati Das, the beloved of the Guru;

Mukho Sat Nam bol da
From his mouth he spoke (the eternal lyric) The True Name; the only true name we know is of The Lord;

Aara khichda jalaad sun doliya
Working the saw; the executioner on hearing Gods Name from Bhai Sahibs mouth; he was shocked/amazed

Mukhon Gaj Ke see Mati Das boliya
From his mouth, Mati Das courageously roared;

Mera nibh javay sidak piyaara
Go on so that I may prove how strong my Gurus discipline (rehnee;rehat) is; or how dear my Gurus sikhi is to me;

Mukho Sat Nam bol da
Bhai Mati Das, Guru Da Piyara
Mukho Sat Nam bol da

Aara karda hai do par shareer noon
The saw splits the physical body into two halves;

Lokee dekh ke vagaunde akhon neer noon
As they watched, those that looked on, wiped away the tears that flowed.

Dol gaya see Moghul hathiyara
The Moghul emperor himself was stunned.

Mukho sat nam bol da
Bhai Mati Das, Guru Da Piyara
Mukho Sat Nam Bol da

Singh ant noon shaheedi jaam pee gaya
At the very end, our Lion, drank the nectar of martyrdom;

Sher mar-ke tareekay vala jee gaya
Transcendently(in-a-way), our lion, even in death lived on (Even when hes dead the legend still lives on).

Sher Mur-Ke tareekay vala jee gaya
Transcendently(in-a-way), our lion, even in death lived on (Even when hes dead the legend still lives on).

Gun gaunda hai dev jag sara
The whole world sings the praises of his sacrifice.

Mukho sat nam bol da
Bhai Mati Das, Guru Da Piyara
Mukho Sat Nam Bol da

Sikh Heros

The Khalsa Panth has a legacy of those who laid down their lives for the very rights we take for granted today. Rather than going to a barber our martyrs gave their heads to an executioner. Instead of cutting a hair, they had their entire heads removed in a show of defiance for their Guru. We all grow up being told these stories, but it seems that we quickly forget. So how do we reach out to the youth in their teens and 20's? A recent phenomenon has been Dharmik Songs and Albums. We all know about Shaheedi Immortality 1, 2 and 3 (if you don't please visit shaheedi.com) which have given insight to the martyrs of the 70-90's revolutionary movement...

But let's go back a few hundred years and listen to a track about the great Bhai Mati Das who sacrificed his body for the Guru and religious freedom...

1. Bhai Mati Das Dharmik MP3
2. More Info on Bhai Mati Das

Sikh Awareness Day ...

Click the above flyer to see details about Sikh Awareness Day !!!

Canadian Supreme Court - Kirpan Ruling

On a congratulatory note, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in Favor of the appeal as presented by the Multani Family of Quebec. Sikhs in Canada have struggled and fought to maintain their Sikh Identity at every corner. First the battle for the right to wear the turban was won and today the right to wear the kirpan in the school system.

“It seems as if we are always thrown into the lions den, in order to preserve our identity”

Pardeep Nagra (Mar 2nd, 06)

Congratulations to Sikhs and Human Rights advocates around the world. The Western Sikh Students Association and COSS will continue to bring reactions from various individuals on this matter and others. A Media Release will also be released shortly.

Please see the entire Factum at http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/pdf/FactumMultani_en.pdf

For more information and timeline on the case please visit http://www.sikhs.ca/kirpan/thekirpancase.html

Kaurs Toronto is Here!!

Our Mission Statement:

Graced with the treasures, strength and wisdom bestowed upon us by our Gurus, Kaurs Toronto aims to find creative ways to empower its members to empower others. Friendship and compassion are precious threads in the fabric of our lives. With compassion and candor, seva and simran Kaurs Toronto hopes to inspire women to love life, to persevere through its challenges, and to share our gifts with others.

We invite you all to take part in a fun filled afternoon of bowling, sharing a few laughs and meeting new people.

Date: Sunday March 12th, 2006

Time: Meet and Greet: 2:00-3:00pm

Bowling: 3:00-4:30pm

Location: Trans-World Bowling (905) 453-9571

273 Glidden Rd, Brampton (Between Rutherford Rd & Kennedy Rd)

Cost: $10/person
All are welcome, but RSVP would be preferred

416-525-7094 OR email:kaurstoronto@gmail.com

Bring your friends, mothers, sisters and daughters
If you are interested in becoming more involved with this newly formed organization or joining our mailing list please send an email to kaurstoronto@gmail.com. We hope that this group can be a medium for women of the GTA to share stories, ask questions, make friends, and develop themselves further in order to "empower ourselves to empower others"