White by Birth, Sikh by Choice!

Sword-carrying Sikhs roaming the Indian cities are a normal sight; but white people wearing turbans definitely are not. The strangeness lies in the fact that they are non-Indians who converted to Sikhism.

Below are some photos and videos of non-Indian Sikhs:

 Sardar Martin (Jarnail) Singh

Martin Singh, son of Eric and Shirley Hill, was raised on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. Martin Singh’s mother’s side of the family has been living on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia for the last 200 years. Martin was interested in both politics and religion while growing up. He is now quite active in the New Democratic Party. 

Read more: http://www.unp.me/f15/maritime-sikh-society-1415/#ixzz2bbu74HOS

 Cornelis Harjinder Singh Heule: Man in Blue

Cornelis Harjinder Singh Heule was born in 1947 in Roermond in the Netherlands as Cornelis Heule. He is known as Harjinder Singh, names given to him when he became an initiated Sikh in 1996. 

Check out these two videos (there are a lot more!) on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woxJfpon01I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlZHN2AAMjI

Some facts on Sikhism in Canada

The World Sikh Organization of Canada and Norman Buchignani, a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Lethbridge, points out some facts about Sikhism in Canada. Some of these facts are:

• In 1867, Canada’s first Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald wrote: “War will come someday between England and the United States and India can do us a yeoman’s service by sending an army of Sikhs …”.
  
• Canadian Sikhs are one of Canada's largest non-Christian religious groups forming Canada's largest South Asian ethnic group.
• More than half of all Sikhs live in Asia and approximately 17% live in North America.
• Census figures suggest that there were 278 410 Sikhs in Canada in 2001 (almost double the 1991 population estimate of 145 000).
• Today there are approximately 500,000 Sikhs in Canada.
• Sikhs accounted for approximately 5% of the 1.8 million new immigrants who came to Canada during the 1990s.
• Canada’s 2011 Census showed Punjabi to be the most spoken immigrant language in the country.
  
• There are Sikh communities in every Province in Canada.
  
• Today almost half of Canada's Sikh population lives in British Columbia.
  
  
  References:
  Buchignani, N. (2012). Sikhism. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/sikhism
  
  
  World Sikh Organization of Canada. (n.d.). Sikhs in Canada: The Facts. Retrieved from  http://worldsikh.ca/page/sikhs-canada-facts 
  
  
  http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/sikhism in the Departm

Can you guess where the very first Sikh temple in North America was located?

                Through the support of Khalsa Diwan Society, the first Sikh establishment in BC, the very first Sikh temple in North America located in 1866 West 2nd Avenue (yes, in Vancouver!) was built.

                The Second Avenue Gurdwara had became a hub for Vancouver's growing Sikh community from 1908-1970. According to Naveen Girn, a South Asian-Canadian cultural historian, "the gurdwara was the centre for spiritual, political and social life for Indians of all faiths and stood at the forefront of social justice campaigns for immigration reform and regaining the right to vote in 1947".

                 Recently, it was commemorated with a plaque as part of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation Places That Matter project! I couldn't have said it any better than what the people who nominated the site for the award have said. It is, indeed, a "living proof of the living history of other culture in BC history", one that has shaped our city.

 

The first Sikh temple in North America

 

 

The Khalsa Diwan Society, on the other hand, which has greatly helped newly migrated Sikh families in need of communal ground to share their collected experiences, and of assistance and support emotionally and financially, has spread to areas, such as Abbotsford. There, they built the Gur Sikh Gurdwara in 1911 which is the oldest existing Sikh Temple in North America and a National Historic Site Canada - making it the only Sikh temple outside of India and Pakistan that is designated as national historic site.

            The Khalsa Diwan Society of Abbotsford, BC. Parks Canada’s news release in 2002 stated: “The Sikh Temple is the oldest surviving example of the temples which formed the religious, social and political centre of pioneer Canadian Sikh communities. Architecturally, it is an adaptation of traditional Sikh forms to Canadian conditions which nevertheless embodies the fundamental beliefs of Sikhs and their early experience as immigrants in Canada”.



The Five Thieves: Lust

Dear journal :)

Me and my baby had the best date ever last night! Not “my baby” with the shag cut and high-tops from the Zulu on West 4^th that I met at the Starbucks near Vine (Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble, extra chocolate syrup, extra whip, yum!) last week. I’m SO over him! He has been replaced with Hutch, the bodybuilder from Spartacus Gym on The Drive. I met him while getting teppanyaki on Broadway (steak and lobster was to DIE for!). I need to fill my time since Jimmy went off to Toronto for work. We said we would stay together but a girl has needs, ya know? I think I should cut him loose, but what if I get bored one weekend and my guys are busy and I want to go back East? So frustrating…

Where was I? Oh, right, Hutch :) :) We went to Theatre Under The Stars on Beach and then back to his place for drinks and dessert. He has a HUGE… apartment!

I hope my date with Maxim tonight is just as awesome! Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Café on Alberni, how could it not??

Tootles!

xoxo

Bimbo Barbie

Khalsa Credit Union - A credit union by Sikhs for the whole community

With the opening of the first branch in Vancouver on April 1, 1986, Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) strives to be the most successful Sikh credit union in Canada. The founders of KCU were presented with some obstacles and challenges, but their faith was never wavered. Their desire for a religious bond credit union serving the financial needs of the Sikh community became a reality. From those early struggles, KCU emerged as stronger and more energized and is a model of efficiency for the credit union system of British Columbia in the present day.

The Credit Union’s first branch was opened in Vancouver, British Columbia followed by a branch in Surrey, British Columbia on October 11,1987 and Abbotsford, British Columbia on January 30,1989. Another Surrey branch, this one in Guildford- now relocated to Newton, opened on September 27,1993 and Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island, became the fifth branch office to open on August 19,1990. From these locations and its Head Office on Scott Road in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, KCU serves both retail and business members throughout the province and is very proud of its real estate holdings.

The founders of KCU believe that growth for the sake of growth has never been their motto. Instead, their values are deeply rooted in Sikh heritage that motivates them to do the right thing for the members, employees, and the community out of an uncompromising desire.

As a faith based institution, KCU participates in many religious activities including, but not limited to, the annual Vaisakhi parade held in Surrey, Vancouver, and other smaller communities like Abbotsford & Kelowna in British Columbia. Whereas many financial institutions focus on national and international sponsorship activities, effectively ignoring their local markets, KCU has a much deeper connection with its local community where it awards thousands of dollars to worthy recipients through scholarships and bursaries and other incentives every year.

http://www.khalsacreditunion.ca/Home/

Birds of a feather flock together

 

Many of you have probably heard that people who are similar will associate with each other, well this is certainly true for Sikhs according to National Household Survey done in 2011. 30.2% of the people who live around Moberly Park and Ross Park in Vancouver are Sikh (See the green area outlined in the photo above). There are 80,135 Sikhs living in North Surrey which makes up 67.1% of the population in the area. Is it a coincidence that the Sikh Academy is located in the same area in North Surrey?

See what religion is dominant in your area

 

SIKH ACADEMY - learning about other cultures while not forgetting their own

Sikh Academy is  a private school located in Surrey teaching students - from Kindergarten to Grade 7 -  about embracing other cultures while ensuring they are knowledgeable about Sikhism. Coming from a different religious background, this surprises me as I'm only familiar with a few of the private Catholic/Christian schools in Greater Vancouver and didn't know about the Sikh Academy which was established in 2008. I think parents' sending their kids to a Sikh school is a great way for the latter to learn not only about cultural diversity (the school itself is a perfect example - READ: 50% of the school staff is Caucasian!!!), but also, more importantly, the equality of all people which is one of the basic beliefs of Sikhism - Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God; Sikhism teaches the full equality of men and women.

Watch the news about Sikh Academy posted on BCIT Broadcast News website