From the streets of Canada to the valleys in Jammu and Kashmir in India, it is not unusual for us to come across selfless works by members of the Sikh community in cases of humanitarian crises. In fact, several voluntary Sikh organisations have been at the forefront of providing humanitarian relief in cases of flood and droughts. At the individual level too, there is no dearth of exceptional examples.?
But despite all the good work they do, Sikhs have been subjected to numerous instances of humiliation and racial discrimination in many Western countries, although most of them have now made strict laws to curb such instances. In India, the 1984 riots thrust them at the receiving end of what has been described by contemporaries as a "state-sponsored massacre".?
Barely two decades later, India got its first Sikh Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh＊s entry into 7 Race Course Road (now Lok Kalyan Marg), in many ways, sought to affirm that they enjoyed an equal place in India. It was also a way of atoning for the historical wrongs.?
However, India＊s neighbour Pakistan has been accused of ill-treating its Sikh community since the very beginning of its existence and yet the international community, as well as the United Nations, has failed to take a serious note of it.
Indian leaders cutting across party lines and various outfits have condemned the recent mob attack on the historic Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Lahore, terming it as "cowardly" and "shameful", while hundreds of protesters thronged the streets near the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi demanding that the neighbouring country provide adequate security to Sikh shrines and community members there.?
Some videos and pictures that have surfaced on social media point to the misery that surfaced in Lahore. According to agencies, an angry group of local residents pelted stones at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on Friday evening, plunging the community in fear for their lives.?
And yet, it would be almost unimaginable to imagine the community being targeted if we were to consider all the good work being done by Sikhs all over the world.?
As India and the world calls upon Pakistan to ensure the safety and dignity of the Sikhs living there, here＊s a flashback of 21 defining moments from recent times that made the world a better place:?
Thousands of people, including many tourists, have been evacuating Australia's wildfire-ravaged eastern coast as the situation worsens every minute. Amidst the chaos, some good Samaritans are lending a helping hand to the people dealing with the crisis, like Sikh Volunteers team who took to distributing free food for the needy. The owners of an Indian restaurant in Bairnsdale offered free food to firefighters and victims of the bushfires in the East Gippsland area.
Kanwaljit Singh and his wife Kamaljit Kaur have lived in the area for six years now and they felt it was their responsibility to help those who were suffering. The restaurant says it can cook for up to 1000 people a day and has been stocking up on rice, flour and lentils, in this time of crisis.????
The whole country has united against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act with people, mostly students, protesting against the new bill. Jamia Millia Islamia University students vehemently protested against the bill. Protestors even thronged India Gate in central Delhi and what caught the eye of netizens was two Sikh brothers who had arranged tea and langar for the protestors.?
A Twitter user had posted the short 15-second video captioning, "This is why we call Singh is King... Here is video of Sikh brothers who arranged chai langar in India Gate for protestors... Truly Heroes".
At a time when the Earth at large is facing severe threats from climate change and global warming, a Sikh-American organisation in Washington has pledged to support the plantation of 100 forests in Punjab and other parts of India as part of their efforts to combat climate change.
Climate change has emerged as one of the greatest and most piercing threats to the survival of humanity, and life on the planet we call home. Although it is a very vast subject, there is little denying the fact that plantation of more and more trees are perhaps the most impactful way of combating this crisis.?
Described as ＆war to end all wars＊, World War I and II were one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of the world. Several Indian soldiers also fought the war and laid down their lives. And, to honour those thousands of Sikh soldiers, a statue was unveiled at a West Yorkshire park, UK.
The statue was unveiled at the Greenhead Park in Huddersfield, UK and the 6-ft statue was unveiled at Huddersfield because of its ＆vibrant＊ Sikh community, BBC reported. Kalvinder Bhullar, of the Sikh Soldier Organisation, told BBC, "It is a stunning sculpture and an emotional piece.§
To commemorate the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak which is celebrated as Gurpurab, a street in Canada was named after the Sikh guru. A section of the street in Brampton city of Canada was named after the Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, according to a report in The Indian Express.?
The ceremony inaugurating the new street was held on Sunday and the whole city came together to mark the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikh guru.?The mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown took to Twitter and posted the message on his official account.
More often than not religious animosity and communal tension are a result of the political gimmicks at the hands of a select few. People, in their day to day lives, have more love to give to each other, than is projected. Take, for instance, this Sikh man donating a piece of land for a mosque, in UP's Muzaffarnagar.
PTI had reported that a 70-year-old Sikh man has donated a piece of land for a mosque, during the month of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
For weeks now, bush fires have been raging across New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, leaving a trail of destruction.
The Guru Nanak Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple on Turramurra＊s Kissing Point Road, offered free food and water, to Hornsby firefighters working round the clock to contain the fire. Dozens of local Sikhs brought food and water to residents and firefighters, before worshipping in a nearby temple.
Although rain in October last year brought relief to some parts of India, it had also left many areas waterlogged. Gurugram was also dealing with flooded roads and traffic, which came to a standstill after heavy downpour.?
People in Gurugram avoided going out of the house, but those who did, faced inconvenience due to the traffic congestion. But, amidst the flood-like situation, three Sikh men came to the rescue a couple who were stranded in the waterlogged Mahipalpur area. The men - Jagjit, Satnam and Gurmeet - saved the couple and pushed their car to safety. Their act of kindness was shared by a Facebook user Gurpreet Wasi. She wrote in her post about how these complete strangers helped the couple.?
Indian and American Army soldiers participating in Exercise-"Yudh Abhyas" in America were served langar prepared by local Sikh volunteers.
"Sharing of cultural values create timeless affinities. Indian Army & US Army Soldiers were served langar prepared by local Sikh volunteers. It was hosted at the Raptor facility on JBLM. The group has been part of the last three iterations in the US, providing traditional langar," the Indian Army said in a tweet on September 10.
In a video that went viral last year, an old Sikh man could be seen standing with cans of cold water on his scooter, by the side of the road while patiently waiting for people. He then handed over the drinking water to whoever approached him.
People like him are a rare breed and is very hard to find those who＊d go out of their way to help others. Notably, large swathes of the country remained under the grip of a relentless heatwave at that point in time. In Delhi, the mercury touched a high of 41.5 degree Celsius and it＊s only predicted to get worse. Despite this, one Sikh man set a goal to help out fellow pedestrians.
There is no dearth of hate messages in the name of religion but humanity wins every time. The Sikh community of Kashmir threw an Iftaar party for local Muslims in Chandigram village of Tral town in South Kashmir. A large number of local Muslims participated in the celebrations.
The Sikh community made all the arrangements for their Muslim friends in the village. The village elders and the youth broke the fast together.?