Creative reawakeningWe are living through a Sikh Renaissance, a reawakening of Sikh creativity that has lain dormant since 1849. Exhibitions celebrating Sikh art (that you can read about here), music (that you can read about here), history (that you can read about here), and philosophy are extremely popular, particularly among the diaspora, and are providing a connection with the non-Sikh world in a manner not seen since the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In this article I cover the latest popular exhibition - 'Unstruck Melody'.
List of GurdwarasGurdwaras - the doorway to the Guru - serve multiple functions. Primarily, they exist to provide a place for the Shabd Guru to reside, allowing people to visit the Guru, gather learnings, and exchange these learnings with other members of the community and wider afield. Over the years they have grown to include social and political functions, playing a central part in the important life milestones of Sikhs, as well as serving as a shelter and refuge for the most vulnerable.
Gurdwaras have evolved from simple Dharamsalas, into multimillion-pound projects covered in gold and marble - far removed from their original simplicity. More recently, many Gurdwaras have evolved again to serve and host important community and charity projects, feeding local communities regardless of race and religion. From having a single custodian, to committees that cause as much harm as they bring stability, the story of the Gurdwara is as fascinating as it is important in Sikhi. In this series, I explore Gurdwaras around the world and discover how communities have integrated local differences into Gurdwaras, from architecture, to ways of worship. Part 1: Gurdwaras in the Midlands Part 2: (More) Gurdwaras in the Midlands Part 3: Gurdwaras in London & the South East Part 4: Gurdwaras in Europe Part 5: North America The Sikh RenaissanceIf you've read my blog, you'll know that I don't always 'get' art. I grew up in a council estate, first world poor, and interpreting art was the last thing on my mind. However, recently, I've attended some art exhibitions and my appreciation for art is growing. Additionally, over the past few years the growth of interest in Sikh art has helped plug me into the importance of art as an effective medium for story telling and sharing important messages. It's into this renaissance of Sikh art, and a growing awakening of the importance of art within me, that I visited the Art of Punjab exhibition in Birmingham,
Solving an old problemEver since I started this blog 6 years ago, I didn't just want to share problems or issues at airports, but I also wanted to find a way of solving them. One of the biggest problems I have time and time again is getting my salai through my hand luggage and it's something that I finally decided to try and rectify by designing a travel friendly salai. You can purchase one of these salais here, or, if you want to save money or design your own, read this article to find out how to make one yourself.
El ResumenEn los últimos meses, los agricultores de la India han estado protestando y esta semana las protestas se han vuelto más difíciles. En este breve post intentaré hablar sobre qué son las protestas y por qué están sucediendo.
A journey through Sikh Musical HeritageMusic is a core part of Sikhi, and having learned the harmonium from a young age, it's something that fascinates me. However, the vast majority of Sikh music you hear today uses neither the traditional instruments of the Sikhs, nor is it sung in the way the Gurus intended the compositions to be sung. This point, as well as the evolution of Sikh music, is beautifully explored in a new documentary on Amazon Prime called the Sikh Musical Heritage - the untold story. This article is my review of this award winning documentary.
Currently in India, we are witnessing the largest protests in human history. These are economic protests by farm workers against billionaires, a nationalist government and corporate exploitation. On a human level, these protests are for the individual livelihoods of millions of farmers in Panjab, Haryana and across India.
I've previously written about the cause of the protests (and you can read about them here), so today, as the protests develop, I want to clear up three misconceptions; (1) the farmers are illiterate and don't know why they are protesting, (2) these new bills are beneficial, and (3) Panjab is the only state protesting. The farmer's (kisaan) protests in Northern India are reaching a climax, and I'm going to try and summarise a complex movement as simply as possible in 500 words for audiences outside of India that might be curious as many have families back in Panjab that might be affected.
The Travelling Singh on podcastI recently did a podcast on understanding cultures and travel with Australian travel and lifestyle show Priya's Heart. I spoke about my experiences travelling the world, the places I enjoyed - and those that I'd rather forget. I also spoke about some of the issues I've experienced as a Sikh in parts of the world where Sikhi isn't so well known, including getting taken to a police station in Peru, having a sniffer dog go through my luggage in Bangkok and having an argument with a security guard in the airport in Madrid. It's the most in-depth discussion I've done so far, as I talk a little about my background and beliefs, as well as describing why I started this blog almost 5 years ago and why I think it continues to serve an important purpose. You can listen to the full podcast here. Don't forget to follow The Travelling Singh on Instagram @thetravellingsingh and you can also follow Priya Sharma (who conducted the interview) on Instagram @priyasheart. This weekend, 4 sikh men in turbans were kicked off a plane in the US, and if Sikhs can just be kicked off planes for wearing turbans, it's a dangerous precedent.
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AuthorBritish Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures. Archives
September 2023
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