Weblog of Dashmesh Pictures [V.1.1]

"Golf Digest" Magazine made Guru Arjan Dev Ji into a Golfing Guru.

2008-05-07T21:52:00.005-05:00

Recently the good ol' family was in town for my Cousin's wedding, which were good times had by all. I always enjoy times like this as it allows for all my uncles/aunts and cousins to get together and just forget about our worries. I especially enjoy watching my Parents interact with their brothers and sisters, as they too in ways become like children again enjoying each others company.

However, I was presented one worry during this time that I was totally not expecting. And this worry came from the weirdest place of all… the May 2008 Golf Digest magazine.

My Masi Ji's son, Harjit Singh Sandhar, presented a thought to me after he landed in the DC area from his air trip from Tulsa. While killing time on the plane ride, he decided to open up the latest addition of Golf Digest as he is an avid golfer. While flipping through the pages, he started to read one article called the "Golf Guru." This article allows for readers, like Harjit, to write and pose their various golfing questions. Then the authors then answer the various questions as if they are the gurus to the game of golf, hence the whole "Golf Guru" article a play on
words.

However at the conclusion of the "Golf Guru" article on page 66, Harjit noticed something strangely familiar but couldn’t figure out what. As seen in the scanned image below of page 66, the pictorial image of what is suppose to represent the "Golfing Guru" seemed strangely familiar:

Page 66 of the May 2008 Golf Digest magazine, at the conclusion of the “Golf Guru” article.

A closer look…

Harjit and I kept thinking that this image was familiar from somewhere. If you took away the golf club and the golf glove it appeared to represent a Sikh Guru, but we could not pinpoint which one. Harjit kept thinking the image was of Guru Ram Das Ji, but I wasn’t convinced.

So after some thought, I started to think as if I was part of the graphics art team of Golf Digest. Here’s an article on the “Golf Guru,” and they want me to make an image for it? Hmmm… maybe Google images can help out?

With that thought in my mind, I went to Google images and did a search on “guru.” After doing a search, take a look at the far right most image. It appears to be a “guru” like character, as seen in the image below:

“Hmmm, that looks like a guru to me,” thought the graphics arts department at Golf Digest.

However when you click on the image, it becomes very clear where Golf Digest got their inspiration for the “Golfing Guru.” It is none other than the Sikh’s Fifth Religious Prophet, Guru Arjan Dev Ji:

Guru Arjan Dev Ji, who is not a “Golfing Guru.”

And for fun, let’s just do a side by side comparison:

Sorry Golf Digest, you are guilty.

So clearly Golf Digest didn’t do their homework when selecting an image of a “guru” for their article. They went with their stereotypical gut of what appears to be a “guru” like figure without doing any homework to who Guru Arjan Dev Ji is.

If they had done their homework, they would have realized that Guru Arjan Dev Ji is a major figure for the Sikh religion. They would have realized how he stood for civil and human rights for all people regardless of faith, creed, or gender. They would have realized that Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the principle architect for both the city of Amritsar and Harimandar Sahib, which is popularly known as the Golden Temple. Furthermore they would have realized how he was the Sikh Guru who created the first compilation of Sikh scriptures known as the Adi Granth, which laid the foundation for its current compilation known as the Guru Granth Sahib (the 11th and immortal Guru for the Sikh faith) and consists of almost half of his teaching. Furthermore if they did their homework, they would have realized that Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled a special prayer known as Sukhmani Sahib which calls for universal world peace.

And finally if Golf Digest did their homework, they would have realized that Guru Arjan Dev Ji was martyred for his beliefs that worked to benefit all of society, whether it was a Sikh or Non-Sikh.

But they didn’t do their homework. So what do we get? A doctored image of Guru Arjan Dev Ji as a “Golfing Guru.”

Totally pathetic and sad.

Unlike followers of Islam, Sikhs have allowed for artistic works to represent their Gurus and major historical events. It allows for their adherents to remember the message of Sikhism through artistic portrayals. But unlike some other religions who may verbally scold individuals for doctoring their faith (like Kanye did to Jesus on Rolling Stone), Sikhism has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to desicration of their religious figures. Anyone remember that idiot Gurmeet Ram Rahim?

Sorry Editor in Chief Jerry Tarde of Golf Digest, looks like you got a whole lot of hurt coming your way.

Oh yeah, you can email Jerry here.

Obama the Turbanator, say it ain't so!!!

2008-02-25T22:48:00.004-05:00

So in today’s US Political News today, The Drudge Report posted a picture on their website of Senator Barrack Obama in 2006 wearing a cultural headdress and clothing representing the people of Wajir on a visit to Kenya. Both the Obama and Clinton camps are going back and forth with the “he said/she said game,” with ultimately a sense of dirty politics being played.

What’s worse is that image is causing people to “question” Barrack as to why he donned this attire:

Is this a sign of loyalty to Kenya?
Is Barrack a Muslim?
Is he anti-American?
Is he already loosing the War on Terror by dressing like the “enemy?”
Hmmmm turbans scare me, so should I be afraid of Barrack Obama?

… and bingo Houston. We have identified the problem. Mr. Obama is seen wearing something that looks like a turban and everyone goes nuts. It’s sad to see that it just takes a man in a turban to cause fear in people as if the individual is crazy, a monster, or a terrorist.

So Mr. Obama, welcome to the club. Now you too know how it feels to be looked at differently in the modern world, and it is not because of your skin color but for what you have on your head.

It really does surprise me how shallow people can be to make a news item of something that is not… and that goes for the media and those who are eating this story up thinking that Senator Obama is suddenly different because he has a turban (gasp!) on his head.

Sometimes I feel people just need to realize that the world is diverse and due to the post 9/11 world, it has forced to recognize this diversity if we like it or not.

It just proves to me that those who wear head coverings, whether it is for religious purposes (like Sikhs) or not, there is a distinct need to continue to educate people that we are not weirdos or crazy people.

The freakin’ world is diverse and there is more to it than you think. So get over it and don’t let xenophobia take you back to 1952.

Hell, the world should look at Canada. They got a whole lot of Politicians who wear turbans, and their Sikhs too (Navdeep Bains, anyone?)!

Sorry for the rambling, but I really was pissed when I saw this news break. I’m not necessarily a Barack or Hillary supporter yet, but I do think either candidate would be a good Candidate for the Democratic ticket so it’s a win/win.

However my Father-in-Law likes to remind me that Mr. Obama did write that Senator of Punjab slanderous paper (link1, link2).

Hopefully his thoughts will truly change and can sympathize how it feels to wear a turban in today’s world.

Maybe I should just walk down the streets going “boooooooooo” like a ghost. I bet some people will shriek and run.

Hmmm, maybe a new video project idea coming….

Air your security gripes on TSA blog

2008-01-31T22:40:00.000-05:00

Air your security gripes on TSA blog

By DAN CATERINICCHIA, AP Business Writer
Thu Jan 31, 7:40 AM ET
Via Yahoo News

Frustrated by long airport-security lines? Certain those screeners aren't paying attention? Wondering why your grandma always gets frisked? The federal government wants to hear — or at least read — your gripes at the "Evolution of Security" blog the Transportation Security Administration introduced Wednesday. And it promises those complaints and suggestions won't vanish into thin air.

The blog, at http://www.tsa.gov/blog, is getting a rather "blah" response from aviation analysts and passengers advocates who say it will do little to improve process or perception.

"This will just make it easier for them to receive complaints for them to ignore in the name of national security," said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.

In the blog's initial post, TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said the goal is to provide a forum for the agency to explain why travelers must go through certain steps at checkpoints since interaction at airports is often harried and halted, resulting in "feedback and venting ... circulating among passengers with no real opportunity for us to learn from you or vice versa."

"We will incorporate what we learn in this forum in our checkpoint process evolution," Hawley wrote. "Our postings from the public will be reviewed to remove the destructive, but not touch the critical or cranky."

Terry Trippler, a Minneapolis-based airline expert, applauded the idea but said TSA "was in the right church, just not the right pew yet."

And that church could become anything but sacred. Trippler said he envisions the blog quickly degenerating into an online vacuum where a handful of habitual complainers force TSA officials to respond to them, while other self-appointed security "experts" pontificate on the best ways to improve the process.

Even worse, he said some travelers will avoid the blog for fear of retribution from the government.

The TSA already is fighting an uphill battle in the court of public opinion.

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted last month found that only the Federal Emergency Management Agency, still dealing with its mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina, ranked below the TSA among the least-liked federal agencies. TSA tied with tax collectors in the ranking of a dozen executive branch agencies.

The AP poll found that the more people traveled, the less they liked TSA, but also that 53 percent of air travelers though the agency did a "very" or "somewhat" good job. Their top complaint: the inconvenience of security.

By late Wednesday there were 29 comments on the blog, mostly from TSA employees and moderators. One anonymous poster asked why some airport body scanners stop him due to a hip replacement while others do not.

The response from "Christopher," identified as an "evolution blog team member," said answering those kinds of questions in future posts was why the site was started and added: "Come back on Friday to check out our post on the top three questions security officers get from passengers."

Bhai Sahib Gurdarshan Singh Rules!!!

2008-01-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year… and all that good stuff. =)

The end of 2007 was good to me, as I had some time off from work. With this time off, it allowed me to do something that I had been putting off due to wedding planning. I finally got to update the Inspiration section to RestoringThePride.com, which features kirtan and gurmat recordings of Bhai Gurdarshan Singh of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation.

Lovingly referred to as Bhai Sahib here in the DC area, he is true multi-talented individual with skills rarely seen among Sikh Granthis. As a graduate of the Sikh Missionary College, Bhai Sahib is well versed in Sikh history, gurmat, gurbani , and the ability to sing beautiful kirtan. But his one true skill that sets him apart from others is his ability to fluently talk both in Punjabi and English.

Although I'm born and brought up in the States, I have not met any Sikh Granthi, or traveling kirtan jatha, to be able to clearly communicate in both of these languages when sharing the message of Sikhism. Probably this is the case (and I do hope so) for Sikh Diaspora elements in the United Kingdom and Canada, but I haven’t seen this in America. Throughout being raised in the DC area and spending some "sabbatical" at most of the Gurudwaras here, I haven’t seen no other Giani other than Bhai Sahib who has the ability to connect with the Sangat regardless where they are raised (east or west), let alone share Sikhism clearly and concisely to Non-Sikhs (generally Americans who have no idea of the Sikhs at all).

What's best about Bhai Sahib is that when you listen to his recordings, he easily intertwines both Engligh and Punjabi when discussing passages from the Guru Granth Sahib. This ability allows Western based Sikhs (like me) to capture the same message and scope being offered to their parents.

Furthermore, he has a great sense of expressing both his thoughts and emotions to truly show that he is compassionate about his faith of Sikhism, as well as firm believer that he demonstrates with ease. At my wedding, many of my American friends were struck by Bhai Sahib’s frank discussion on the purpose to marriage. However to my delight, they were "upset" at him through his talk. It appears that just when Bhai Sahib was about to make his point when speaking in English, he would switch over to Punjabi leaving them confused yearning for what he was saying.

Bhai Sahib has a great ability to be a Granthi within the Gurudwara and be your friend outside of his profession. This is a talent that must have been hard for him to master, but he has done so wonderfully. If you are ever up to a game of Volleyball, Table Tennis, or to watch a sporting event, Bhai Sahib is a great companion to have tag along… assuming that he does not have a Granthi duty to do which can happen at the spur of the moment.. He has helped me in many ways when I have ever had questions about Sikhi, but more so as a friend.

A couple years back, I was approached by one of my good friends who was adamantly stating that a MP3 recorder needs to purchased in order to record all of Bhai Sahib's kirtan records or audio lectures. He, along with several other friends and me, decided to pitch in and get a device to do this duty. However we quickly learned how audio editing can be a pain in the butt. So as time passed, I agreed to do this work and I try to get whatever recordings I have online as fast as I can. But you can see how "fast" I work, as I just uploaded all 2007 recordings at the end of the 2007 year.

So in short if you are looking for good discussions on Sikhism or wish to better understand the message when kirtan is performed, check out the work of Bhai Gurdarshan Singh. The data transfer for all these recordings has been extremely high since I posted it online, which is a good positive sign that people are enjoying the content.

Recently Bhai Sahib just returned from Houston Sikh Youth Camp (he goes every year) and the Campers there were so inspired by his talks, that they created a Facebook group called Bhai Gurdarshan Singh Rules!!!!!!

And I'm quite happy to say that yes, I do agree with this thought. Bhai Gurdarshan Singh my friend, you do rule.

Bhai Sahib Gurdarshan Singh (right), he's one cool dude.

Nigerian Scammers target Sikh Community (and everyone else in between)

2007-12-18T16:28:00.000-05:00

Well it was only a matter of time before this internet scam would target the Sikh community. Recently I got an email from an individual who I did not know, who informed me that a huge inheritance was awaiting for my withdrawal. The emailer also thought that I was part of some Sikh Gurudwara management board (ha!). Here’s a snapshot of the email below:

Mr. Muna Gborie, I presume?

Now I’m sure you’ve seen many types of these emails in your inbox as well, hopefully it is picked up by your email spam blocker. These “I want to give you a bajillion dollars, so contact me right away” emails are all part of large of fraudulent email scam operation based out of Nigeria.

Known as Nigerian Letter scam (or 419 – link1, link2), individuals in Nigeria run intricate email extraction systems in order to find your email. From there, they send a bombardment of emails to you, and any body else they find, promising millions of dollars if you contact them back. To make the emails interesting, these individuals act as they are some type of rich king/queen/ambassador/billion dollar widow who can only trust you to hold their money in secret. In return, they will cut you a portion of the wealth… so long as you provide your bank account and some upfront money to take care of “administrative items.”

Recently ABC News show 20/20 did a special on these Nigerian scammers and all the people they have caused harm to. Most of the people were individuals who allowed their greed to take over them to fall into this scam. However, one group surprised me.

As you’ll see in the documentary, these scammers targeted a Christian church in New Jersey and twisted their spin a bit to state. The scammers disguised themselves as fellow Christians and stated that since they admired the Church’s work, they wished to pay off their mortgage in full. The scammers would go on to say that they wished to give the Church even more money to help promote their future projects.

Regrettably, this Church gave into this fraud and lost thousands of dollars, all because they trusted these “God-fearing people" in disguise.

And now, as seen in the email above, these Nigerian email scammers are targeting Sikhs and their Gurudwara establishments as well in the same manner.

So check out this video below as it is well worth the watch. This is good information for you, whether you watch it as an individual or as someone who may be affiliated with any type of organization.

20/20 investigation on Nigerian Email Scammers

It's about damn time.

2007-11-29T23:32:00.000-05:00

News Source: ANI, via Yahoo News
Publish Date: 11/29/07

=====
Bhindranwala's portrait installed at Golden Temple's Sikh Museum

By ANI
Thursday November 29, 09:27 PM

By Ravinder Singh Robin

Amritsar, Nov 29 (ANI): The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday installed a portrait of slain rebel Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala at a Sikh museum situated in the premises of the Golden Temple.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar had earlier announced to install the portrait of the controversial religious leader on November 30. However, it went ahead to install the portrait a day earlier.

Addressing the gathering during the installation ceremony, Makkar said that the SGPC has always been honouring martyrs who have fought for the Sikh community, and it was a moment of pride to install the portrait of one of the great martyr of the 20th century.

Speaking on the occasion Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, hailed the SGPC for taking a 'historic step'.

He described Bhinderanwale as an "epitome of martyrdom".

A rob of honour "sarpao" was given to Isher Singh, son of Bhindranwala, on the occasion by Vedanti.

In 2003, the SGPC, an apex body controlling Sikh places of worship, had declared Bhindranwala as a "martyr".

Bhindranwala was killed in 'Operation Blue Star' launched by the Indian Army to flush out separatists from Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. (ANI)

CNN/YouTube Presidential Debate... did my question make the cut?

2007-11-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

On November 28th, CNN will host the second YouTube Presidential Debate. This time around, it will feature the Republicans in the hot seat as they are questioned by American citizens on the hot Presidential Election topics.

Close to 5,000 people submitted questions to this event, but only 40 will be chosen and aired at the debate.

A couple months ago, Supreet and I decided to make a quick video for a question to this event. We knew that asking a totally Sikh based question would not make the cut. So we had to pose a legitimate question to the Presidential candidates while trying to interweave who Sikhs are. With some thought, here is the question that was submitted:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VmMRpM2pdDM

My question to the CNN/YouTube Presidential Debate.

So there you have it. Only time will tell if this question get posed to the Republican candidates or not. But one thing for sure is that the CNN debate screening team who reviewed the question didn't know who Sikhs were, they sure do now.

Think these guys know who Sikhs are now?

See you at the debates.

Thank Waheguru for Guru Nanak Dev Ji

2007-11-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today, the Sikh nation celebrates the 538th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh faith.

Without the gift of his divine knowledge, the word Sikh would have never gained its new definition as the world knows it as today. Without Guru Nanak Dev Ji, we all would continue to sink among all other obstacles in the worldly ocean.

Without Guru Nanak Dev Ji, I would have no pride.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as depicted by Sobha Singh

As I start to study the actual words of the Sikh Gurus, their is one line that has hit me very hard of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. In the very last passage (or Salok) of JapJi Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev Ji says the following powerful line:

Salok from Guru Nanak Dev Ji's JapJi Sahib

As I dwell on this line, I think how wise Guru Nanak Dev Ji is even in our time today. Here Guru Sahib shares how those who try to live a life of truth and commitment may or may not continue to do so. How some may stray from his unique way of life that he is proposing, while others except it and walk with him.

Now think of it in today’s time. Many people ponder in our community why some reject Sikhism’s great message, its way of life, and the identity that shows all Sikhism’s way of life? While others openly choose to do so saying that the identity, or the Sikh way of life, is no longer needed in the 21st century.

And yet here, Guru Nanak Dev Ji states that some choose to engage his new way of life called Sikhism, while others hide from it.

Truly, Guru Nanak Sahib was a mortal man who had the gift from the divine. And that divine power, God, gave the strength to Guru Nanak Dev Ji to share its message and its name, Waheguru.

May Waheguru bless us all so that we come closer to Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s message, and no longer attempt to hide from it.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as depicted by Sobha Singh

In loving memory of the 538th birthday of Sikhism’s founder and First Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539).

A happy Gurpurab to all on this most auspicious day!

Air travel tips that work for me

2007-11-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

With the Thanksgiving Day travel starting here in the States, I’m sure much is on the Sikh air traveler’s minds as they go through the various security checkpoints with other passengers in airports. Security surveillance in airports is at its maximum, with many air passengers expecting long lines and delays to and from their destinations.

In recent months with Sikhs facing unwanted (and personally, un-needed) ridicule when traveling by air due to new TSA guidelines, many Panthic organizations have stepped up and assisted in sharing Sikh viewpoints to work towards the common goal of maintaining security without compromising religious sensitivities.

During my marriage a month back, TSA was at the height of providing additional scrutiny to those wearing religious head coverings (such as us Sikhs). I spoke with many of my relatives who traveled by air to attended the wedding festivities. Many stated that they were not singled out for secondary inspection, but my Mama Ji was. When talking to him about his secondary screening, who is a hardcore Taksali, he stated that he personally had no issues with the questioning by the TSA.

As I asked him to recall specifically what happened, he stated that after he completed the metal detection screening process, TSA security officers asked if they could check his turban for any type of item that may be concealed. He personally agreed to this, and the TSA security officer touched his turban lightly on the top within vicinity of other passengers at the metal detector location. He did not carry his kirpan with him on his flight over.

I then asked him if he objected to this process and he said no not at all. However his response was unique and brought a smile to both of our faces. He went on to say when that you have no sovereignty for people to identity who you are or where you belong, people will continue to encounter issues like these.

Upon reading all the various reports of Sikhs having their turbans inappropriately touched, or in some cases removed, there is one common theme that I see over and over in each reported case via media outlets: The lack of Sikh air passengers potentially not understanding their rights, nor the enforcement of those rights by TSA security officers.

I only came to this conclusion after reviewing the TSA guidelines before Supreet and I headed off to our honeymoon. During our honeymoon trip we traveled back and forth from the continental United States to Hawaii, all the while making several travel stops on various Hawaiian islands by airplane.

On each day of air travel, I encountered no issues from the TSA while traveling even with their heightened screening of anyone with a head covering.

Maybe it was my luck (such as potentially dealing with TSA security officers that were not power hungry), but I carefully reviewed specific sections of the TSA website and my specific airliner to know what rights I was entitled to. Sadly in some cases where Sikhs were forced to remove their turbans in public, my guess is that they did not have a clear understanding of their rights as their reactions in the various reports did not show this.

So here on some tips in regards to air travel that has worked for me, especially during TSA’s extra surveillance:

1. Know your rights. Read and understand your rights on the TSA website. Check out this link of prohibited items as well as this link discussing how the TSA screens passengers with religious sensitivities. Did you know that at the start of the screening process you can request for a private screening if need be?

Knowing this information, as well as specifically understanding the terminology used by the TSA, can be part of a great defensive strategy when going through the airport screening process. Furthermore, it can defuse any potentially unwanted situation by demonstrating that you are a knowledgeable air passenger who is not violating any security protocol.

2. Check out various Sikh advocacy groups (SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, and United Sikhs) for their own references on how to travel with minimal scrutiny within the United States. Many of their air travel guideline advisories differ slightly from each other, but all basically state the same thing.

3. Pack bags accordingly. Know exactly how many checked-in baggage and carry-on bagger or your air carrier will allow. Basic rule of them is two checked-in baggage, one carry-on baggage, and one personal bag. However this might vary from airliner. Supreet and I flew on American Airlines and they have a section devoted to baggage restrictions. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to get the approved TSA lock for travel within the United States. I’ve seen TSA officers welcome these locks when they see them on luggage.

4. Get to the airport well in advance. Compensate for the security process, especially if you request to go to a private screening room for whatever reason.

5. Have all appropriate paperwork in hand at all times. To have your boarding pass and identification in hand even before meeting the first security checkpoint will streamline your process. Furthermore, keep it in hand once going through the metal detectors as security officials will see it again.

6. Welcome the security process at all times. This goes hand-in-hand with Step 4 above. When the time is appropriate, be sure to take off shoes and follow instructions as needed. If you welcome the process and follow instructions, this will defuse any potential unwanted situation.

When going through the metal detectors, verbally ask the guards if they are ready before you enter even if they flag you in. By starting a dialogue before this process starts lets them know you are ready to comply and again, it can help to potentially defuse unwanted situations. This in particular worked well for me.

7. Don’t bring any unwanted attention. I know this is hard when having kesh and a turban, especially when it is very visible. So you know you are already being watched, so don’t make things any harder than it needs to be. If you comply and welcome the security process, you hopefully will not encounter any negative experiences. While at IAD one time to see one of my friends off, I waited outside the security line to verify that my friend passed security with no issues. While waiting, a Muslim woman wearing a hejab standing next to me passed some water to her family or friends who were in the actual flight security line. By doing this, Dulles Security was all over the place trying to identify what the woman passed into the security line as it was a violation. I felt bad as the woman was being ridiculed, but it was obvious that security knew of her presence due to her identity hence she had even further unwanted attention.

8. Keep your cool at all costs. No matter how much cultural or sensitivity training a TSA security official receives, I still believe that many of them will not be able to identify who a Sikh is as well as understand the religious sensitivity of the turban. With that said, there is no need to get upset or visibly agitated if they ask inappropriate questions or wish to commence with a pat-down of the turban. If this option does arise, you should know your rights and not give into any type of touch/feel in public vicinity. Request that you know your rights and demand to be taken to a private screening room.

Being a Punjabi, I know it is in our nature to get upset first and ask questions later. At SCORE’s Capitol Hill Dinner this last year, this Uncle got so upset at Capitol Police because they would not let a Giani Ji enter the facility due to his kirpan. I literally had to yell at the Uncle to keep his cool, as he kept shouting to the police officers that they should know who Sikhs are after all their cultural training they should have received. After removing this Uncle and rationally talking to the police officers, they let in the Giani Ji after several minutes after talking to their superiors.

9. Smile. It’s amazing what a smile and having patience can do for you. It has worked wonders for me, and works well in any stressful situation… like going through airport security.

I’m out. Happy Turkey Day!

Alive and well, and married!

2007-11-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

So it has been months since I actually wrote a post to this blog, whether it be my thoughts or items in the news that is of interest to me.

I do however have good excuse. I got married.

Yep, my biggest project that I have taken over the last eight months has been planning my marriage to the wonderful Supreet Kaur. From my side of the family, I was the one on point to plan and execute the the whole shebang. So whether it was meeting with various vendors or planning the actual reception, yours truly had many long nights to get the whole fun item created and up and running.

So I’m sure you can forgive me for my tardiness. Below are some photos from the Anand Karaj event and lunch reception on the day of the wedding for you to enjoy. I’ll be sure to send the link out of all the photos once Mr. Glenn Barnett posts all of them online on Pictage.

Getting on the horse was half the battle.

Ahh yes, a moment of bliss.

The fish eye shot makes the hall look packed... well, it was though.

The newly weds. Hey... that's me on the right! =)

If I have time, I’ll devote one whole blog post to my ordeal on getting on the horse that was used for the Bharat. That damn thing was huge and it had no stirrups what so ever.

I do want to give a big shout out to my boy Shane Gill of Jeeta Jatt and Where Not to do Bhangra fame who hooked up an awesome comical video that we played in the Sunday night reception. I’m in process to get it online so that you can see it, as it was another film project completed this year, along with the notoriously seen Nihang Singh promo videos on the SikhNet website for their Youth Film Festival. I’ll have to create two new web pages to showcase these.

If you haven’t seen, all the video projects that I had on YouTube were pulled offline. I guess in the last couple of months, YouTube had a big crack down on videos that they felt violated copyright rules.

I know for a fact that the parent company that creates Indian Idol complained over the video segment that I posted online of when they went to Punjab which showcased Punjabis dancing and singing near the grounds of Harimandar Sahib (Golden Temple to you Goras).

Oh well, I’ll just start to looking for new alternatives for posting videos. Recently I’ve done a lot of research on SwishZone technology. Cheap man’s alternative to the Adobe Flash line.

So that’s about it. In the next post, I’ll share some of the honeymoon pictures of Supreet and my trip to Kauai which was beautiful.

Is there a way to embed pictures from Flickr into websites? I guess I’ll have to research that.

Alright, I’m settled and ready to get back to more fun projects. I recently helped Ish and her team promote her new Sixth River project here in DC, and good ol’ Gurumustuk wants me to brainstorm some Blabber projects for the SikhNet online fund raiser.

Man, it’s good to be back. Hopefully I can finally update Bhai Sahib’s website sometime soon.

Wedding Planning Information

For all of you who are in stages of wedding planning, these are the only vendors you need to have a kick booty event… especially if you are in the DC area. Thanks to my bro Kabir, he’s schooled me on getting the following top knotch photo and video team:

Video – Blue Sky Films. Check out there section on Indian weddings and be sure to work through Mr. Neil Benjers.

Photo – Glenn Barnett. Check out his website as his team has covered a slue of Sikh weddings. Great team to work with and they will make you look good (they even did it for me).

As for other items, here’s what my family and I went with:

Cards – UniversalWeddingCard.com. Their staff did a good job with a very quick turn around.

Venue for Gurudwara Ceremony - Guru Nanak Foundation of America

Venue for Reception – Sheraton Primere of Tysons Corner. Ask for Shaier Heidar. I know many Indians who wish to choose the Hilton at Dulles. Personally, I’d avoid it all costs.

DJing/Lighting – EventEQ. Simply the best team in the DC area for all lighting and DJing. You will not be disappointed when they make your whole reception look like a private concert. I worked through DJ Jag, but their whole team is great. DJ Lucky at Platinum Productions was used for our Saturday lunch reception, and his team rocks as well. Two excellent vendors to work with.

Decorations – L’Ambiance in DC did a nice job for our Sunday reception.

Later.

Open Letter to Minister Conor Lenihan

2007-08-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

Minister Conor Lenihan T.D.
Leinster House, Dublin 2
Phone: 459 6285
Fax: 451 2002
conor.lenihan@oireachtas.ie

August 16th, 2007

Sartaj Singh Dhami
Washington, DC

Minister Lenihan:

Thanks to the power of the Internet, recently I read in the news how a Sikh male in your country (link 1, link 2) of Ireland wished to volunteer as a reserve in your police force of Garda Siochana. Unfortunately, this Sikh was not allowed to due to his distinctive identity of wearing a turban which is mandate of the religion Sikhism.

Furthermore, news reports have stated your comment about social integration that “If we are to take integration seriously, people who come here must understand our way of doing things.” You went on to add that “When the president and ministers travel to the Middle East, they accept cultural requirements of the country and the culture they are operating in. It is a vice versa situation with regard to Ireland.”

I wanted to share with you some thoughts as you potentially work towards resolving this matter positively:

1. The literal translation of Garda Siochana, as I understand it, means the Guardians of the Peace of Ireland. As you learn more about the Sikh history and culture, which I’m sure you’ve had some experience as you were a reporter in London for some time, one of its core essence is to promote peace and social harmony throughout society. As both Canada and the UK have learned, having Sikhs in the police force can be an asset (whether it be cultural understandings or language translations) especially when targeting areas that have a high population concentration of Indian/Pakistani descent.

2. On your comments of Middle East cultures, you should understand that Sikhs are not from that area of the world. Although some still continue to confuse this, Sikhs originate from Punjab which is now a portion of land split between Pakistan and India. Many Sikhs migrated to East Punjab and now call India their home. So it is a bit unfair to impose the cultural influences of the Middle East to Sikhs who are not from that area. If anything, you’ll come to learn that a strong Punjabi cultural trait is to welcome and love guests as if they family members. Another trait of Punjabis, and strongly embraced by Sikhs, is to promote good will wherever they go. This trait has benefited many countries as Sikhs have formed their own Diaspora around the World.

3. Indeed the Sikh population of Ireland has made great strides to understand Ireland’s way of life as well as accept the cultural requirements of your Country. In particular, Sikhs have participated in various high profile parades in Ireland demonstrating their love for your Country as well as their cultural pride. Under the banner of the Irish Sikh Council, Sikhs have participated in both the Saint Patrick’s Festival Ireland and the Festival of World Cultures. In both of these events, Ireland is promoting its duty towards integration by highlighting its unique diversity. You can see photos of the Irish Sikh Council’s participation at the following web link:

http://news.restoringthepride.com/2007/03/sikhs-in-ireland-cool.html

4. Final thought: I’d argue that a central theme that Ireland has shared with the world is to promote good will and harmony for all. One of Ireland’s greatest Sons is Paul David Hewson, better known as U2’s singer Bono, who shares this theme with the world with his various humanitarian and social goodness based efforts.

Personally I feel that as we start to learn about various world cultures, democratic establishments need to work towards integration efforts versus easily accepting ideals of assimilation. Unfortunately as experienced by this sole Sikh who wanted to participate in Ireland’s civil service by volunteering, the incorrect principles of segregation cannot be tolerated in this new modern era.

As Integration Minister, I encourage you to find a proactive solution that will make the Sikh Diaspora feel even more welcomed in Ireland.

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts. Although I am not a citizen of Ireland, I felt inclined to share my thoughts thanks to the digital email revolution that we live in.

Very Respectfully,

Sartaj Singh Dhami
Washington, DC

Sikhs love Ireland. Why not love them back?

From Sarna to Snake

2007-08-01T18:18:00.000-05:00

Well the last couple of weeks have been interesting and busy for me. Hopefully by now, you are in the process of making a video for this year's SikhNet Online Film Festival. I've been busy with fun, fun, fun wedding planning (wow!), however here are two quick items that I wished to comment on that recently hit the news waves.

I want to applaud the efforts of Paramjit Singh Sarna and DSGMC for taking a stand in enforcing simple traditional Sikh marriages that are not elaborate and not cash excessive. Although his stance is hard line against the dowry system (which Sikhism is against but for some silly reason still practiced by some Sikhs), this type of measure is needed to jolt people especially with newly coined term of "Big Fat Sikh Weddings" (thank you Mr. Chatwal). And with the silly "Indian mentality," people are too ego driven and try to show off by outdoing one another.

You wouldn't believe how many times I have refrained from talking to vendors that I'm a Sikh of Punjabi descent. Once they know that, they have one stereotype in mind: Vast amounts of alcohol, big decorations, flamboyant and huge. Worst part, this is coming from Non-Sikhs who have come to learn this by catering to previous customer needs.

My folks were curious to do my wedding reception at this one Hilton location near my home. Once the wedding planner asked me if I was of Indian descent, she pressed me to share more where I'm from in India. She went on even to say "People from Southern India are reserved and have boring parties. People from the North, especially Punjab, have big huge bashes."

Luckily this was done over the phone because my face had a really funny looking frozen expression because of how shocked I was listening to this. So when I finally broke down (I still don't know why to this day) and told her that my origins are from Punjab, she told me this:

"Oh, so what you want is a big, fat, huge, Punjabi bash for your wedding reception."

Really? Is this what I want?

I quickly ended the phone conversation and told my parents that the Hilton was a no go.

Just the other day, I met with a decorator to see what type of decorations we can do for the wedding reception. The Desi decorator quickly knew I was of Punjabi descent with my distinctive turban and beard, and proceeded to tell me that Punjabi receptions are huge and big on visual decorations. Then she proceeded to ask me what my budget potentially would be to meet the decoration request.

I simply gave a one sentence reply: "Simple and beautiful."

I went on to explain my rationale to this and she was presently shocked and happy. "Wow." she said, "Your personality and style is of the Anti-Punjabi nature. I like it."

Anti-Punjabi. Yes that's me, and I'm proud of it. Hopefully the next generation of Singhnees and Singhs can lead the way and remove this horrible stereotype towards the principle and values behind Sikh weddings. It small steps, as Mr. Sarna has done, which will hopefully take us in this much needed direction.

Okay, enough babbling. Time for fun. Time for Snake.

I'll have to devote about one-two weeks once Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots comes out. When the following trailer below was shown at E3 a couple weeks back, I watched it like four bajillion times driving my Mom crazy as I quoted the lines of Solid Snake. This is the game that will make me buy a PS3, but only when it comes out.

I'm no hero. Never was.
God Bless you Solid Snake!

Quick nerdy observations to the trailer if their are any other Metal Gear fans out there:

- Naomi Hunter is seen with Liquid Ocelot in the beginning and is in the chopper that he is about to board at the end.

- No one is effected by the "mind control" that is invoked on all the various soldiers by Ocelot except for Snake and the masked guy with the glasses who is with Meryl. This type of mind control, as shown by Gene in Portable Ops, had no effect either on Big Boss. I'm curious to see who the masked guy is, and how he may potentially continue the Metal Gear series.

Solid Snake is my video game hero.

That's it. I'm out. Time to wash my hair.

Later.

It's that time again... for the annual SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival!

2007-07-05T21:56:00.000-05:00

Big ups to my man Mr. SikhNet for always of thinking of new ways to promote Sikh youth to take an active role in their community.

I had the pleasure to hang out with Gurumustuk when he was in DC a couple weeks back. Within one day, we shot five quick promo videos for this year's film festival. It took me about another week to edit all five.

The neat part of this challenge was to use a very simple camcorder, pretty much like the one in your home, and shoot these quick promos.

So... you have no excuse not to make a video! =)

Take a look at the five promos shorts below. The Nihung Singh's are my favorite ones.

Check out these five promos, plus the last one made by Ambrosial Motion Pictures. Enjoy.

The deadline for this year's film festival is August 31st, 2007. Cash prizes are being awarded, and any age group can enter the competition. Check out the logo below for more information.

So what are you waiting for you bama? Make a movie for the festival this year before Nihung Singh comes after you!

I'm pooped. Later.

Ladies and Gentlemen.... meet Natasha Bedingfield

2007-07-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

... I don't even want to know.

Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten," by jesse6i

By the way, check out the promo videos that I did with my good ol' buddy Mr. SikhNet for the 2007 SikhNet Online Youth Film Festival. Two are posted below.

Make a movie for the SikhNet Online Youth Film Festival!

I don't have time to use the computer Sir.

Be sure to make a video this year for the film festival you BAMA! More awesome promo videos to come soon! Here's a hint: "He He Heeeeeeeee, WAAAAAHHHHHEEEEEEEGUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!"

That will be the theme for the summer.

Enjoy the 4th if you are in the States. If you aren't here, go back to work.

Chris Benoit. 1967-2007

2007-06-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

Well what is turning out to be potentially bizarre and sad story, one of the best technical wrestlers of current time passed away.

Chris Benoit was found dead in his home, along with his wife and young child.

Who knows about his personal life, but as a wrestler Benoit was a true beast. He was one of the toughest wrestlers out there whose career spanned across ECW, WCW, and WWF.

This dude was so tough, he is probably one of the few guys who could really beat the crap out of any wrestler if they really went toe to toe. Trained in Stu Hart's Dungeon, Chris "The Crippler" Benoit was a pleasure to watch in wrestling. Benoit is known for doing several german suplexes in a row on his opponent, which would be sure to drive anyone senseless.

I actually fear one of his finishing moves, the Crippler Crossface.

Too bad that the news of his death, and his family, have all the makings of being a sad one.

May Waheguru bless you Chris Benoit. I'll sure miss watching you wrestle.

Rabbi Shergill - The Man!

2007-06-17T00:45:00.000-05:00

Rabbi Shergill - He is the man!

For those of you who are not familar with Rabbi, check out a quick bio of him on Wikipedia. Furthemore, check out the music video Bulla Ki Jaana Main Kaun.

I'm a fan of his. He's one cool dude that I'd like to meet.

I'm out.

23 years later, the wounds are not healed.

2007-06-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

Some wounds though may never heal, especially this one.

In remembrance of 23rd anniversary of the sacrilege, destruction, and desecration of Harimandar Sahib complex.

Artistic painting of the destruction of the Akaal Takhat in June 1984.
My Dad snapped this picture when he visited Toronto two years ago.

For those of you, who don't know what happened 23 years ago, check out the following video below. It's a documentary called Storming the Temple as it was aired on The History Channel some years ago.

Storming The Temple

If you want, you can download the video here.

I was six years old when 1984 happened, and that is the day I woke up and realized who I am.

What about you?

They messed up Megatron!

2007-05-31T21:36:00.000-05:00

OK... Time Out. Flag on the field. Red Card.

I think I’m pissed.

I think they messed up Megatron in the upcoming live-action Transformer’s film.

I mean, they royally screwed up.

While reading up on the new movie coming out this July, I came across some interesting revelations:

1. Reporting indicates that Megatron will not transform into a gun, but rather a stealth alien ship.
2. They are bringing back the guy who did Optimus Prime’s voice, but not the dude who did Megatron’s voice.
3. The design of Megatron doesn’t even look like him.

So they went from the classic bad-ass Megatron of this...

The really cool design of Megatron

... to this new design.

The alleged live action version of Megatron in the upcoming live action movie.
Megatron, is that you?

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

IT’S NOT EVEN MEGATRON!

Come on man, how are you going to screw up with something that is already established and respected. I mean, you can’t start calling a banana an orange, you can’t start calling your car a train, and you can’t start dressing up and acting like Guru Gobind Singh like that idiot Gurmeet Ram Rahim did!

Man... I think I’m pissed.

For real.

I really hope the images leaked are not the real Megatron and just an early preliminary design. For those of you who do not know who Megatron is, he’s the ultimate bad boy in the Transformers universe. He was the leader of the Decepticons, and he was ruthless.

I’d put Megatron up there with other great villains like Cobra Commander, Mumm-Ra, M. Bison, The Rock, and even Karl Rove.

Worst of all Megatron is suppose to transform TO A GUN, NOT A PLANE! After all, that's why you have Starscream and crew.

Please Transformers live action team, prove me wrong.

So for those of you who never experienced the wrath of Megatron, here are some quick videos to bring you up to speed.

We shall rise again!

Megatron spares no one. Not even the legend Ironhide!

Awesome sequence from the Animated movie. Decepticons, attack!

The Megatron we all love.

I’d take Megatron any day over the upgraded Galvatron version.

OK, that’s it. Back to whatever it is I do.

Happy Memorial Day

2007-05-28T15:35:00.000-05:00

So here in the United States, every last Monday in the month of May is observed as Memorial Day. I’ve been meaning to post these pictures for some time, and I can’t think of a better day to do it than today.

Sgt. Uday Singh was a member of the United States Army, who unfortunately perished while serving in Iraq in December 2003. I take a trip on his birth and death anniversary every year, per request of his parents, and place flowers on his memorial grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).

The United States wished to honor Sgt. Singh since he was the first person of Indian decent to die serving this Nation. He was cremated in Punjab and a ceremonial grave marker was placed at ANC. Since he was a follower of the Sikh faith, a Khanda was etched on his marker. This year my main man, and cousin, Bhavan rolled with me to pay respects.

Sgt. Uday Singh
United States Army
Combat casualty of Operation Iraqi Freedom
1982-2003

My main homey, Bhavan, paying respects to Sgt. Singh and all others at ANC.

While placing flowers, Bhavan and I spent some time looking at the new grave markers placed in front of Sgt. Singh. We came across Sgt. Alessandro Carbonaro of the United States Marine Corps, who was native to the Washington DC area.

Sgt. Alessandro Carbonaro
United States Marine Corps.
Combat casualty of Operation Iraqi Freedom
1978-2006

As seen in the picture below, his Mother left a touching message for her fallen Son.

A Mother's love towards her Heroic Son.

May Waheguru bless Sgt. Singh, Sgt. Carbonaro, and all those who seek your guidance.

Whenever you are visiting in Washington, take some time to see Sgt. Singh’s marker at ANC. Just go to the visitor center and state that you wish to visit his marker. They’ll take care of you from there.

Sorry dude, you asked for it.

2007-05-27T14:01:00.000-05:00

So for those of you who have been following the Dera Sacha Sauda turmoil in Punjab, I wonder what lesson we all can learn through this unfortunate situation. And this lesson, or the moral of the story, is actually quite easy to understand.

It’s not good to mock, or make fun of, of anyone’s religion. If you do, you’ll be asking for a whole lot of trouble, just like Gurmeet Ram Rahim did in Punjab.

As the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, Rahim dressed up similarly to the Sikh’s last living Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and acted out key actions of him as seen in historical paintings. Rahim would go on to release these photos in a newspaper advertisement, as seen in the pictures below:

Gurmit Ram Rahim dressed like Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Gurmit Ram Rahim copying the distribution of Amrit,
as orchestrated by Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Hmmm….. bad idea.

Looks like Dera Sacha Sauda leader asked for all the trouble he encountered, as seen in this video.

But the Sikhs are not guilty for their fierce reactions, as it can be easily understood why. If you taunt anything that society holds respect for, such as religion or religious figures, you’ll get unwanted backlash. Recent history shows us that:

Making offensive cartoons of Mohammed, leads to world wide protests.

Intertwining sexually explicit symbolism of Ganesh’s trunk causes outrage.

And finally dressing up like Jesus creates controversy (poor Kanye).

So in conclusion, it might be best to stay away from making fun of religion.

Sorry Gurmeet Ram Rahim, but you asked for it.

Wedding planning continues. I’m around.

Later.

The Lions of Punjab

2007-05-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

I hope all is well out there in TV land... or something like that.

Here's a news article from Time in October of 1984 that covered Indira Gandhi's death. I've been meaning to post it for some time, but that silly thing called life gets in the way alllllllllll the time.

But enjoy the article, as it is a good read regarding the true characteristics to who the Sikhs are.

"The Lions of Punjab."
Time Magazine, 11-12-1984.

If you got some free time on June 12th, check out the upcoming Sikh American Capitol Hill Dinner hosted by the Sikh Council On Religion & Education. Some good planning is underway with a series of high-level personalities being honored at the event.

Later...

Waheguru, bless those who need you at Virginia Tech

2007-04-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

As a graduate from Virginia Tech (BS E.E. '02), it just breaks my heart to know of the massacre that happened at campus today. It truly hurts to see the Campus where I stayed at under siege as seen in the images below:

An unidentified person is carried out of Norris Hall at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. on Monday, April 16, 2007, after a shooting incident. A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom on the campus, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman is killed but it's unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Alan Kim)

In this photo provided by the Collegiate Times, Sheriff's officers patrol near Burruss Hall on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va., after multiple shootings, Monday, April 16, 2007. At least 30 people have been reported killed. (AP Photo/Collegiate Times, Teodora Erbes)

Blacksburg police officers run from Norris Hall on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, April 16, 2007. Multiple shootings occurred at the engineering building on Monday. A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus Monday, killing at least 30 people. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Matt Gentry)

Students walk on campus after being released from their classes on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, April 16, 2007. Burris Hall is shown in the background. A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus Monday, killing at least 30 people. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Eric Brady)

An injured occupant is carried out of Norris Hall at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, April 16, 2007. A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people before he was killed, police said. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Alan Kim)

It's just sad to see a place where I had so much joy suffer on the World's stage.

Waheguru, bless those who seek your guidance in their time of need.