Imagining Guru Nanak – Portraiture from Four Centuries

INDICA NEWS
By Sonia Dhami

Fig.6: Detail of Rumaala, Embroidery on Silk, 19th century, China, Bhalla Family Collection

Guru Nanak is not a prophet from ancient times. He is someone whose impact on world history is recent and whose message is fresh and contemporary. Today, 550 years after the birth of Guru Nanak, we sadly find that the Guru has become largely associated with Sikhs and their faith, to the extent that we somehow think Sikhs have an exclusive right on him. I recently visited Pakistan and was humbled to witness for myself the deep devotion that the Nanakpanthi (the Nanak Nam Leva community) has for Baba Nanak (“Baba” is a term used for older men). Its members constitute a large part of the Hindu community throughout Pakistan. It is they who have done years of seva (voluntary service) at the scores of gurudwaras (temples) left abandoned after the departure of the Khalsa Sikhs in 1947 when India and Pakistan were brutally sundered. [More]

18 people to be charged with misdemeanors in Sikh temple brawl

INDIANAPOLIS STAR
By Vic Ryckaert

Members of the Gurdwara Sikh Temple standing outside the Greenwood building on Sunday evening

INDIANAPOLIS---Two suspects face an additional charge of battery causing bodily injury, Cooper said. A battery charge carries up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. The investigation into the fight stalled days after the brawl occurred because witnesses were not cooperating. But apparently those obstacles have since been resolved. "I'm pleased that the leadership of the temple and the national organization was very cooperative in helping us identify the people who were the aggressors," Cooper said Monday. Surveillance video from inside the temple showed more than 100 people crowded together when a few started fighting. One man smashed a tea pot over another person's head. About 40 people may have been involved in the fight. Some faces were obscured by the turbans Sikhs wear as a symbol of their faith. [More]

Phoenix Art Museum showcases rare Sikh objects from Arizona collection for the first tim

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Unknown, "Portrait of Guru Arjun, the Fifth Guru" (1581-1606), `9th century. Ink and color on paper. The Khanuja Family.

PHOENIX– Since April, Phoenix Art Museum has showcased a broad range of objects related to Sikh religion and history in an exhibition entitled "Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage." From portraiture and photographs to implements of war, the exhibition draws exclusively on featured items from the Khanuja Family Collection, a local Arizona family. Organized thematically, the items in "Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage" traverse a visual journey of Sikh religion and history. With more than 23 million followers, Sikhism is now the fifth-largest religion in the world. "Virtue and Valor" will be on view in the Art of Asia Gallery through September 10, 2017. Admission is free for Museum Members and included with general admission.

Two men are sentenced to 3 years for attack on Sikh man

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Maya Salam

Maan S. Khalsa after he was attacked in September. Credit The Sikh Coalition

Two men were sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison for attacking a Sikh man in California last year, repeatedly punching him through his car window and cutting off his hair. The men, Chase B. Little and Colton T. Leblanc, both of Texas, each pleaded no contest to felony assault with a hate crime enhancement in the beating of Maan S. Khalsa, 41, in Richmond, Calif., near San Francisco, on Sept 25, 2016. Mr. Khalsa, an information technology specialist, was dressed in traditional Sikh garb, including a turban, while heading to a religious ceremony. [More]

Arts, Culture, and Legacy of the Sikhs organized by the Asian Art Museum.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Saints and Kings: Arts, Culture, and Legacy of the Sikhs is organized by the Asian Art Museum.

SAN FRANCISCO---Celebrate the artistic and cultural heritage of the Sikhs in "Saints and Kings Arts, Culture, and Legacy" at the Asian Art Museum. With nearly 27 million adherents worldwide, Sikhism is among the world’s largest religions, and also one of the youngest. A diverse selection of 30 paintings, prints and textiles celebrates the artistic and cultural legacy of the Sikhs and the community’s longstanding connection to California. This exhibition explores the artistic and cultural creativity that flourished under the patronage of India’s Sikh kingdoms, established in the 1800s by the dynamic warrior Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), which was continued by later Sikh rulers.

Bronze deity doorstopper becomes a showstopper after making £85,000 at auction

ANTIQUES TRADE GAZETTE
By Laura Chesters

This bronze figure of Mahakala was being used as a doorstop in a Gloucestershire cottage. It sold for £85,000 at Mallams’ Chinese art sale in Cheltenham last week.

UNITED KINGDOM---A bronze figure of the fierce four-armed deity Mahakala that was being used as a doorstop in a Gloucestershire cottage sold for £85,000 at Mallams’ Chinese art sale in Cheltenham. Interest at the October 26 auction started at £1000. After fierce bidding from seven parties, it was knocked down to a Hong Kong buyer on the phone at £85,000, beating the underbidder who was online from China. The figure, which is on a later pine wood base, represents the Hindu and Sikh deity clutching a Vajra and skull bowl and wearing a crown of severed heads surrounded by a background of flames. [link]

Turban-Wearing Sikh American Actor Is Barred From Mexican Airplane

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Christine Hauser

Waris Ahluwalia said Aeroméxico prevented him from boarding a flight to New York because he refused to remove his turban affiliated with his Sikh faith. Credit via Waris Ahluwalia

MEXICO---An American actor and designer said he was barred from boarding a plane in Mexico on Monday for a flight home to New York because he refused to remove his turban during a security check. The actor, Waris Ahluwalia, who follows the Sikh religion and wears a turban, said he checked in at the Aeroméxico counter at Mexico City’s international airport about 5:30 a.m. and was given his first-class boarding pass with a code that he said meant he needed secondary security screening. [link]

Sikh soldier allowed to keep beard in rare exception by U.S. Army

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Dave Phillips

Cadet Singh had grown up a Sikh. As part of his faith, he had never cut his hair or beard. But his faith also encouraged protection of the oppressed, which inspired him to join the Army. On his first day at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Simratpal Singh sat in a barber chair where new cadets get their hair buzzed short, forced to choose between showing his faith and living it. Last week, the Army finally granted now Captain Singh, 27, a religious accommodation that allows him to grow his beard and wrap his hair in a turban. [link]

What is the Diwali festival and how is it celebrated?

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
By Ismat Sarah Mangla

Hindu devotees light oil lamps during the Diwali festival, on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern Indian city of Allahabad on November 6, 2014. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash

INDIA---Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is the five-day Indian festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists around the world. While the holiday is observed by people of different faiths for different reasons, they all acknowledge its underlying theme: the victory of good over evil and the triumph of light over darkness. People clean and decorate their homes with oil lamps and strings of lights, light fireworks, give each other gifts and sweets and construct elaborate rangolis, a type of folk art created on the floor with colored sand, rice or flower petals. This year, Diwali starts on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and ends the following Sunday. [link]

Faith Festival brings diverse groups and cultures together in Indy

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Mike Berg Raunick and his wife Cara Berg Raunick, both of Indianapolis, jumped into the middle of the group that broke out in dance as the 65th Street Klezmorim Ensemble after performing a mock Jewish wedding.

INDIANA---The crowd fills the Veteran's Memorial Plaza during the Festival of Faiths in downtown Indianapolis on Sunday, August 30, 2015. Demonstrations and vendors representing all types of faith were on display for people to see, hear and experience. [Pictures]

Jagdev Singh captures Sikhism's Hola Mohalla

BLOUIN | ARTINFO
By Hemani Bhandari

People travelling to Anandpur to celebrate Hola Mohalla (Jagdev Singh)

Every year, first day of the lunar month Chet (first month of the Nanakshahi calendar which governs the activities within Sikhism; mostly coincides with March) marks the celebration of Hola Mohalla, a three- seven day event celebrated at the shrine of Keshgarh Sahib in Anandpur, Punjab. It was here in 1699 that the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, baptized five men and founded the Khalsa Panth, which is the modern day Sikh faith. Hola Mohalla was first celebrated at Anandpur in February, 1701. This year, a Delhi-based photographer Jagdev Singh captured the essence of the festival on his camera and will put it on display at India International Centre from May 22-28. [link]

Sikh religion founder film screenings cancelled

BBC NEWS
By Peter Wilson

UNITED KINGDOM---A major cinema chain has cancelled all screenings of a film about the founder of the Sikh religion, after protesters in the West Midlands caused a cinema to be evacuated over concerns for safety. Hundreds of movie-goers were asked to leave on Sunday night after a sit-in protest at Cineworld in Bentley Bridge, Wolverhampton. Some people said the film Nanak Shah Fakir was blasphemous to the Sikh religion. [link]

Meet the newest comic book hero fighting the Taliban. He's a Sikh secret agent

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
By Justin Rocket Silverman

NEW YORK---This crimefighting superhero doesn’t have secret powers, a magical past or a cape. But he does have a turban. Meet Secret Agent Deep Singh, the Taliban-hating, Elvis-loving, Indian techie nerd hero of the new comic book series “Super Sikh.” Created by a Taliban-hating, Elvis-loving Indian techie, Supreet Singh Manchanda, Deep Singh is intended not only to be the Sikh superhero, but a role model for an ethnic group whose members are still often mistrusted because of their headwear. Order “Super Sikh” at www.supersikhcomics.com. To check out the rival version, visit www.supersikh.com. [link]

Super Sikh Comics Need A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action

BLEEDING COOL
By Rich Johnston

Created by Eileen Alden and Supreet Singh Manchanda & Illustrated by Amit Tayal. Kickstarter through Feb. 4th, Publishing March 2015. Super Sikh: loves Elvis, hates bad guys!

Come meet our new superhero – Secret Agent Deep Singh, aka “Super Sikh”, in his first comic book series. At night, he’s on undercover missions destroying the plans of evil villains. By day, he’s working a technology job as a cover. What’s a Sikh? Well, badassoftheweek.com describes Sikhism as “one of the most badass religions this side of Valhalla.” It’s the 5th largest religion with 20+ million followers not just in India but all over the world. Its values are equality and justice for all people, regardless of gender, race, caste, or creed. So it sounds like a perfect setting for a superhero backstory, right? We think so! [link]

British Socialite Splits From Sikh Warrior, And Clings to Her Indian Dream

DAILY MAIL
By Helen Weathers

Miss Aitken's father told the Mail she remains a devoted Sikh despite separating from her Indian 'husband'

INDIA---The report in a Punjabi newspaper does not mince words. It talks of a ‘crazed’ Englishwoman arousing concerns for her safety in the Sikh holy city of Anandpur Sahib in India. It claims that in the confines of a Sikh temple, she has been seen bathing in sacred pools ‘without clothes’ — which, if true, is an outrageous act in such a conservative, deeply spiritual society — and keeping her underwear near the holy book, akin to sacrilege. So who is this woman, the source of such worrying gossip? None other than former socialite Alexandra Aitken, daughter of disgraced former Tory minister Jonathan Aitken and Sikh convert who now goes by the name of Uttrang Kaur Khalsa. [link]

Fine Art: InterFaith Council Provides ‘Sacred Treasures' for Exhibit

MACOMB DAILY 
By Stephanie Preweda, Special to Digital First Media

The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center in Birmingham is hosting the exhibit ìSacred Treasures: Religious Traditions, Rites & Rituals,î from Jan. 24 to March 27. Courtesy Nancy Thayer

MICHIGAN---A popular bumper sticker that combines different religious symbols to spell out the word “Coexist” is a good metaphor for an upcoming art exhibition. The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center in Birmingham is hosting the exhibit “Sacred Treasures: Religious Traditions, Rites & Rituals,” from Jan. 24 to March 27. The exhibit, organized by the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit. [link]

Sikhs celebrate Guru Govind Singh’s prakash utsav

AVENUE MAIL

The devotees also chanted numerous prayers while walking along the chariot.In daredevil acts to depict victory over evil, Sikh martial art forms like the ‘Gatka’ were also performed by trained professionals.

INDIA---Devotees across the city lined up at Gurudwaras today to immerse themselves in the colours of devotion on the occasion of 347th ‘Parkash Purab’, the birth anniversary of 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Born in Patna, on December 22, 1666. In 1699 he created the Khalsa (Pure), a community of the faithful who wore visible symbols of their faith and trained as warriors. Today the Khalsa comprises all practicing Sikhs. [link]

40 artists transform hate literature into art in Tulsa, Oklahoma

TULSA WORLD
By James Watts

Clarissa Sligh turned pages from white supremacist books into origami
birds for her piece in the exhibit "Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate." Courtesy

OKLAHOMA---In December 2003, the Montana Human Rights Network was approached by a member of a white supremacist group called the World Church of the Creator. The man had become disillusioned with the organization and offered to give access to more than 4,000 volumes of racist literature that the group had stockpiled. The result is “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate,” an exhibit of works by 60 nationally known artists, which debuted in 2008 at the Holter Museum. A touring version of the exhibit will open Friday at Living Arts of Tulsa, featuring works by 40 artists. For Knight, who continues to serve as curator and manager of the exhibit, “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate” is something of a culmination of her life’s work. [link]

Sikhs use Rose Parade to defuse bias against their beards and turbans

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
By Jeff Gottlieb

CALIFORNIA---When Minu Kaur Singh walks down the street with her husband and children, she hears the comments as people pass by. Her husband is a doctor but what people notice first is the long beard and turban he wears, following the tenets of their Sikh religion. Several Sikh groups are hoping to fight that fear Jan. 1, when their float rolls through the streets of Pasadena as part of the Rose Parade. The float is directed less at the more than the 700,000 people lining the streets on New Year's Day than the 55 million or so people who will watch it on television in the U.S. [link]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Photo taken by Amit&Naroop for The Singh Project

The self-styled "turbaned fashion-blogger" Pardeep Singh Bahra was featured in The Wall Street Journal this week. Singh is a photographer and founder of Singh Street Style, a menswear fashion blog. He is also a "Sikh" who believes that the meticulous care of his beard and his clothing are a reflection not of fashion but his faith. In October, he was even awarded a "Sikh Award" for his example. Why don't more of us seize opportunities to reflect our faith in our hair and clothing? That inspiration makes Singh's turban and beard, my NEWS OF WEEK.