Ready to resolve Nanakshahi calendar row: Pak Sikhs

Ready to resolve Nanakshahi calendar row: Pak Sikhs

Even as the SGPC is following the amended Nanakshahi calendar, Sikhs in Pakistan as well as New Delhi today observed the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev as per the original version of the calendar.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) member Swaran Singh offered a platform to resolve the differences among the community members over the calendar issue. "We are ready to host a gathering of Sikhs from around the world in Pakistan so that misunderstandings can be removed and a strong appeal can be made to the Akal Takht to implement the original calendar in letter and spirit," he said.

PSGPC chief Sham Singh, who was also present, endorsed his views. Pleading to the Akal Takht to implement the original calendar, released by the Sikhs' highest temporal seat in 2003, American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) coordinator Pritpal Singh said if there was any amendment to be made, it should be done after holding consultations with Sikh leaders from across the world and calendar's architect Pal Singh Purewal.

Pakistan refuses to attend flag meet; LoC trade halted

ammu, June 16
In a setback to efforts for maintaining peace along the Line of Control, the Pakistani Army today refused to attend a crucial flag meeting with its Indian counterpart at Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district. The trans-LoC trade remains suspended for the past two days – first time since it was started four years ago.

Jammu-based traders say they have already suffered a loss of about Rs 1 crore.

Three days ago, Pakistani soldiers targeted forward Indian posts in the KG Sector. Lance Naik Harvinder Singh was killed and three other Indian soldiers were injured. In the same area, the Pakistani troops had shot dead a BSF jawan, PK Mishra, of the 94 Battalion.

“A flag meeting was scheduled between Army officers of the two sides at 11 am today at Chakan-da-Bagh trade point. We had to take up the ceasefire violations and cross-LoC firing by the other side in Poonch’s KG Sector,” said an Army source.

“Pakistani Army officers sent us a message expressing their inability to attend the meeting. They said they would inform us in due course of time,” said the source. The Pakistani side neither assigned any reason for the abrupt cancellation nor did they give any fresh dates, said the source.

The recalcitrant attitude of the Pakistani authorities has abruptly halted the cross-LoC trade via Chakan-da-Bagh. Cross-LoC Traders’ Poonch Association chief Pawan Anand said on June 14-15, the Jammu-based traders had dispatched 22 trucks carrying bananas, chilli and tamarind, but the Pakistani authorities did not open the gates. “The trucks returned, causing a loss of Rs 1 crore,” he said.

“Ceasefire violations are common, but these had no impact on trade,” said Anand. This is the first time the trade route has been shut down.

child labour in India

Child labour in India is the practice where children engage in economic activity, on part time or full time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are considered as the most important causes of child labor in India.^[1][2]
The 2001 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 5–14, to be at 12.6 million.^[3] Child labor problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 215 million children work, many full time.^[4]
In 2001, out of the 12.6 million, about 0.12 million children in India were in a hazardous job.^[5] UNICEF estimates that India with its larger population, has the highest number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age, while sub-saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as child labour.^[6][7][8] International Labour Organization estimates that Agriculture at 60 percent is the largest employer of child labor,^[9] while United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 70 percent of child labour is deployed in agriculture and related activities.^[10]
The Constitution of India guarantees free and compulsory education to children between the age of 6 to 14 and prohibits employment of children younger than 14. Nevertheless, child labour is observed in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy.^[11][12][13] Companies including Gap,^[14] Primark,^[15] Monsanto^[16] and others have been criticised for child labour in their products. The companies claim they have strict policies against selling products made by underage kids, but there are many links in a supply chain making it difficult to police them all.^[16]
Article 24 of India's constitution prohibits child labour. Additionally, various laws and the Indian Penal Code, such as the Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act-2000, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act-1986 provide a basis in law to identify, prosecute and stop child labour in India

dara singh: champion wrestler turned bollywood star

Dara Singh, who has died aged 83, was a champion wrestler turned Bollywood star who became famous for his depiction of the monkey god Hanuman in the hugely popular Indian television series Ramayan, an adaptation of the Hindu epic the Ramayana.The Ramayana, one of the two great epics of India (the other being the Mahabharata), tells the story of Rama, Prince of Ayodhya (an incarnation of the God Vishnu) and his quest to rescue his beautiful wife Sita (an incarnation of the goddess Laxmi) after she is abducted by the evil 10-headed Ravana from Lanka (modern-day Sri Lanka). Rama gathers an army of monkeys to search for her and together they track down Ravana, kill him and rescue Sita. The couple's triumphant return to Ayodhya marks the beginning of a Golden Age for mankind. Hanuman is the resourceful monkey general who helps Rama defeat Ravana and rescue Sita. With the elephant deity Ganesh, he is one of Hinduism's best-loved gods.

When Ramanand Sagar's 78-part television series was broadcast in India in 1987-1988, it drew more than 100 million viewers, bringing the country to a virtual standstill every Sunday morning.
Streets were empty; trains and buses stopped running; religious services (Hindu and non-Hindu) and political meetings were postponed. In villages, hundreds of people would gather around a single screen to watch the show, while in millions of Indian homes incense burners were lit on top of the television set.
Singh's broad shoulders and wrestler's physique suited the character of the simian action hero perfectly, and he played the role with such conviction that many Indians thought he must be the real Hanuman.
Dara Singh was born Deedar Singh Randhawa on November 19 1928 into a Jatt Sikh family in a village in the Amritsar district of the Punjab, then under British rule. The Jatt Sikhs comprise about half of the Sikhs in the Punjab and are known for their fine physiques and their fondness for wrestling and weightlifting. Historically they have always proved a fruitful source of recruits for the Indian Army.
As a young man Singh trained in the Indian style of wrestling, known as Pehlwani, taking part in tournaments and displays for Indian princes, and performing at fairs and carnivals.
Subsequently he learnt American-style wrestling and made his name on the international stage, winning the Commonwealth title for India in 1959 and the World Wrestling Championship in 1968. In some 500 fights as a professional wrestler, he remained unbeaten.
In 1952 Singh starred in his first film, Sangdil, and he went on to appear in more than 115 films, both Hindi and Punjabi. He was said to have started the practice, now something of a cliche in Bollywood films, of the hero removing his shirt to reveal finely-toned pectorals. The Bollywood sex symbol Mumtaz appeared with him in several films.
Singh also directed films and, in 1978, founded his own studios at Mohali in the Punjab. In later life, from 2003 to 2009, he was a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament, the Rajya Sabha, for the Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party.

Singh was twice married and had three sons and three daughters.

Dara Singh, born November 19 1928, died July 12 2012.