The Sikh history of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries is replete with atrocities impinged on the Sikhs by the Mughal and Afghan invaders and their descendants who ruled India. In the blood-stained pages of Sikh history (i) Chhota Ghallughara (Minor Holocaust) which occurred during March-June 1746 and (ii) Vadda Ghallughara (Major Holocaust) which took place on February 5, 1762, in each of which 40,000 Sikhs were killed present examples unparalleled in world history.

 With the multi-party system gaining momentum in Indian politics, novel and innovative methods are invoked by the political parties to attract the attention of the gullible voters. In the latest trend, political parties are trying to show that they belong to the ideological lineage of freedom fighters and they are portraying leaders of the past as their vanguard, thus twisting the narrative in their favour, to misguide the young generation that they (parties) have contributed in the national struggle for independence.

The Aam Aadmi Party has nominated five candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on March 31 — Delhi AAP MLA Raghav Chadha, IIT associate professor Sandeep Pathak, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal and industrialist Sanjeev Arora. These nominations from Punjab have been received with a barrage of criticism. The nominees are said to have been rewarded by the party for their contribution, whatever it might be. This is precisely the problem that plagues Rajya Sabha nominations from across the country.

 Among many interesting things to witness during the ensuing Punjab assembly election, the fight over Amritsar East segment would be the most enthralling event, as it dwells direct confrontation of Navjot Singh Sidhu with all other political parties and leaders, including Indian National Congress, thus making political pundits and observers to show keen interest at this high-profile assembly segment.

 Any right-thinking person should support Muslim woman’s right to wear Hijab! The common belief is that it is their religion that expects them to be dressed like that. One can see in most of the democratic countries of the West -- USA, Canada, or UK and Germany in Europe -- Muslim women, if not all but a good number, wearing Hijabs while they are out on shopping, visiting schools, colleges, or Universities for study. Hijab is a common sight at places for entertainment or recreation -- restaurants, cinema halls, theatres, and parks. It is a matter of one's choice!

Another day, another scene of intimidation for the hundreds of Muslim girls and women across Karnataka who find themselves locked out of schools and colleges, threatened, isolated, and even segregated into classrooms. They face a challenging route in the courtroom as well, with the Karnataka High Court placing an interim stay on all religious clothing in classrooms.

 Punjab farmers and farm mazdoors unitedly created world history by organising a 380-day long peaceful and successful stir on the Delhi border demanding repeal of three contentious Farm Acts. There is no other example of such a peaceful and long protest by farmers anywhere in the world.  This success became possible as no leader of the 33-farm unions of different shades and ideology involved in the protests betrayed the other.

 The Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar’s generosity showered on a condemned “hardened criminal” Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim chief of Dera Sacha Sauda by granting him 21-day furlough appears to be influenced by political urgency necessitated to impact the results of hard-fought elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. His identity is Qaidi  (Prisoner) No. 8647.

Ahmad Shah Abdali was a poor pathan who by enhancing his power after conquering Kandhar, brought Balkh, Sindh, Punjab, and Kashmir under his control. He invaded India eight times during 1747 to 1767 and his sixth invasion which he undertook on February 5, 1762, was to annihilate the Sikhs. Du ring this invasion his Afghan army joined by Mughal army of Sirhind and Malerkotla killed approximately 40,000 Sikhs in a single day i.e., February 5, 1762.

Holding a khanda (double-edged sword) in his right hand and his severed head in his left hand Baba Dip Singh Ji (1682-1757) sacrificed his life fighting against oppression for the liberation of Sri Harimandar Sahib, Amritsar. He was born on January 26, 1682 in Pahuwind village, which is 40 kms south-west of Amritsar and falls in District Tarn Taran of Punjab. His parents Bhai Bhagta Ji and Mata Jiuni Ji were very religious minded. They nick-named him as ‘Deepa’. His father belonged to Kharra sub-caste of Jat Sikhs and was a farmer. 

Berlin: On January 20, 1942, 15 high-ranking officials of the Nazi bureaucracy met in a villa on Lake Wannsee on the western edge of Berlin. Nibbles were served and washed down with cognac. There was only one point on the agenda: “The organisational, logistical and material steps for a final solution of the Jewish question in Europe.” Planning the Holocaust took of 90 minutes. Eighty years after the infamous Wannsee Conference that meticulously mapped it out, the bureaucratic efficiency of it remains as unnerving as ever. The minutes took that day and typed up on 15 pages do not explicitly refer to murder. They use phrases like “evacuation” and “reduction” and “treatment” — and divide up the task among different government departments and their “pertinent specialists”.

 Since the past couple of weeks, discussion on Punjab politics is trending, wherein entry of new political parties is the peg. People of all walks of life are making their opinions about upcoming assembly elections, especially baiting upon the face of the Chief Minister. It is apparent that the entry of new political parties in Punjab has thrown open floodgates of speculations for 2022 Punjab Assembly Elections, making it a multi-cornered contest, thus making it challenging for the conventional parties, who are yet to announce their chief ministerial face.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1708) the Tenth Master of the Sikhs, reverently known as 'Sarbans Danee' i.e., a person who sacrificed his 'sarbans' (whole family) for helping the oppressed and protecting a person's right to profess the religion of his own choice. He was born the only son of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib and Mata Gujri Ji on Poh Sudi 7 (23 Poh) Saturday, 1723 Bikrimi i.e., 22 December, 1666 at Patna Sahib, Bihar. At this site now stands the sacred shrine Takht Sri Harimandir Sahib

At the time of Partition, I was 15 years old and living with my parents at Peshawar Cantonment. I was to appear in the board matriculation examination in March 1947. Riots against Hindus and Sikhs erupted in the region, the northwest Frontier Province, at that time. The exams could not be held. When the situation did not improve, the exams were canceled.

The word “eureka”, though wrongly assigned in legend to Archimedes, came from the older Greek term heurisko, a sudden outburst of frenzy in discovering ways of solving problems. Archimedes stepped into a bathtub and figured out how to accurately measure the purity of the golden crown belonging to Hiero of Syracuse.

 Bhagat Sadhna Ji is respected by the Sikhs because he is among the 15 Bhagats whose hymns Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji included in Sri Adi Granth Sahib compiled by him. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji in addition to his own hymns and the hymns of his four predecessor Gurus included the hymns of 15 bhagats, 11 bhatts and four others closely associated with the Sikh Gurus. 

Once believed to be a tall politician of Punjab and a stalwart Congress leader, Captain Amarinder Singh has suddenly started exhibiting repressive and inconsequential political shrewdness by resorting to name-calling and issuing certificates of nationalism. Despite having political acumen, Captain lost his temperament soon after resigning from the post of chief minister of Punjab, but pragmatically this behaviour is leading him nowhere.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the main historical Gurdwaras were under the control of mahants. It may be added that originally the superior of a  religious establishment was called a mahant. In earlier days the word mahant referred to the leaders of Nath deras. But during the 18th and 19th centuries many  Gurdwaras were occupied by hereditary controllers who became virtual owners of their respective Gurdwaras and came to be known as mahants.

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji (1670-1716), a brave Sikh warrior and founder of the Sikh Rule in Punjab was born on October 27, 1670 at Rajauri in Punchh District of Jammu and Kashmir. His early name was Lachhman Dev.

Sri Guru Har Krishan Sahib (1656-1664) the eighth Guru or prophet teacher of the Sikhs was the younger son of Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib (1630-1661) seventh Guru of the Sikhs and Mata Sulakkhani Ji. He was born on 7 July 1656 at Kiratpur Sahib which falls in the present-day Ropar district of Punjab. Since his very childhood, he had a religious bent of mind and interests. 

          Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib (1595-1644) the Sixth Guru (prophet teacher) of the Sikhs was the only son of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the Fifth Guru of the Sikhs and Mata Ganga Ji. He was born on Har Vadi 7, 1652 Bikrimi i. e. June 19, 1595 at Vadali (now called Vadali Guru) about 8 kms from Amritsar. 

Fr. Stan Swamy is an apt candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. I appeal to my readers to support my call to the Swedish Academy that chooses the winners to consider his case posthumously. If the prize is awarded to this martyred Jesuit priest from India, a representative of the Adivasi people whose rights he fought for during his now shortened life, should accept the honour for him.

It seems we are all broken and wounded. As we pass through psychic bewilderment, existential uncertainty and fear of death, a question confronts us: How do we live? Is there nothing more in living than following a set of Covid-appropriate guidelines — wearing masks, using sanitisers, avoiding large gatherings, and getting ourselves vaccinated as early as we can?

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) has urged the Modi government to honourably include Sikh representation in the ongoing all-party talks over the restoration of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kabir is universal. He is a state of the liberated mind which is pure and natural. Kabir demands everyone to be a part of everyone. For him nobody is untouchable. How can anyone remain untouched when the touch of two creates the universe?

The second wave of COVID-19 and its agonising consequences, prompting the country to accept foreign aid after a gap of 17 years, is bound to have far-reaching strategic implications for India. While the world realises that India is too important to ignore, which perhaps explains the rush to help, there is little doubt that the country will not be the toast of the western world until it is able to get back on its feet.

Kolkata: A Punjabi poem by Swarajbir, poet, editor of the Punjabi Tribune and a former Meghalaya DGP, was widely shared on social media on Monday. An English translation from the political blog, Kafila, is reproduced with permission below:

 Holla Mahalla, which is sometimes termed as ‘Holla’ is a Sikh  festival. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1708) the tenth prophet-teacher  of the Sikhs started Holla Mohalla a kind of March on Chet vadi 1 (the  day after the full moon day), 1757 Bikrami of the lunar month of chet,  the first desi month in the lunar calendar i.e. 22 February 1701 from  Quilla Holgarh Sahib, Sri Anandpur Sahib, which now falls in Ropar  District of Punjab.  

Online video streaming platforms have marked a new dawn for the Indian entertainment industry, providing choices beyond soap operas and formulaic storylines characteristic of traditional mediums like cinema and television that was designed for more public and family-oriented forms of consumption.

It won’t be perhaps wrong to say that communal harmony in India is witnessing a great threat and expectantly it would not be a sweeping statement to claim that the entire government machinery is instrumental in encouraging those elements who are hell bent to dissuade the nation's diversity. The government is apparently not putting any efforts in identifying such elements, thus invariably reinforcing them.