US Army gives a waiver to Sikhs to wear turbans.

The US Army gives special waiver to the first Sikh soldier to complete basic training without giving up the right to wear a turban or shave his off beard. Capt Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist graduated on 22 March 2010. Another Sikh, Dr Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, has also been allowed the exemption. Here is the full story!

By MICHELLE ROBERTS, Associated Press Writer Michelle Roberts, Associated Press Writer – Mon Mar 22, 8:33 pm ET
SAN ANTONIO – Amid lines of soldiers, one after the other in standard-issue fatigues and combat boots, was one in a turban and full beard on Monday — the first Sikh in a generation allowed to complete U.S. Army officer basic training without sacrificing the articles of his faith.
Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a 31-year-old dentist, graduated Monday at Fort Sam Houston after the Army made an exemption to a uniform policy that has effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984.
"I'm feeling very humbled. I'm a soldier," he said, grinning after the ceremony as other members of the Sikh community milled about nearby. "This has been my dream."
Rattan had to get a waiver from the Army to be allowed to serve without sacrificing the unshorn hair mandated by his faith. An immigrant from India who arrived in New York as a teenager, Rattan said it was important for him to serve a country that has given him so many opportunities.
The Army in 1984 eliminated an exemption that had previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their articles of faith while serving, but officials can issue individual waivers to the uniform policy after considering the effects on safety and discipline, said Army spokesman George Wright. Only a handful of such individual religious exemptions are ever granted.
Rattan and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, who will attend basic training this summer after completing an emergency medicine fellowship, are the first Sikhs to receive exemptions in more than 25 years.
Rattan and Kalsi both offer health care skills that are in high demand in an Army stretched by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
1st Sgt. Jeffrey DeGarmo said he made sure the officers-in-training in his unit understood that Rattan wasn't a foreign national and had received the Army's permission to maintain his beard and turban. Once the other soldiers understood that, there were no issues, he said.
"It went pretty well," DeGarmo said. "I think he did an outstanding job adjusting."
For Sikhs, the unshorn hair wrapped in a turban and beard are required to keep adherents in the natural state in which God made them, said Amardeep Singh, director of the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy group that helped Rattan and Kalsi push for Army admittance.
During training, Rattan wore a helmet over the small turban, which he doesn't remove, and was able to successfully create a seal with his gas mask despite the beard, resolving the Army's safety concerns, said Harsimran Kaur, the Sikh Coalition's legal director.
Rattan worked with an Army tailor to create a flash, the insignia patch worn on soldiers' berets, that could be affixed to his black turban, she said.
Singh said allowing Sikh adherents to serve in the Army is an important part of ensuring they are an integral part of American life. He said it also could counter prejudice.
"If government can say to someone 'You can't serve, not for any reason that has to do with your abilities,' that sends the wrong message," he said. "We don't want to be perpetual outsiders."
The Sikh community has a long tradition of military service in India, from where most adherents originally emigrated, and in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada.
Sikhs represent 2 percent of India's population but make up about 30 percent of that country's army officers, Singh said.
An estimated 300,000 Sikhs live in the United States.
Before the Army's regulation change in 1984, Sikhs served in the U.S. military during every major armed conflict going back to World War I. Those who joined before the change were allowed to serve with their beards and turbans, but the policy effectively prevented new enlistment of Sikhs, Kaur said.
She said her group will continue to push for a change in Army policy.
"We're still working toward a day when Sikhs don't have to check their faith at the door," she said.

HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

I want to wish all those who have chosen to follow this blog and those who may be occasional peekers a very happy 2010. May the New Year bring peace, joy and prosperity to all…

I hope to bring greater energy to the blog, raising issues of concern and interest to all ‘thinking’ Punjabis so that together we may raise awareness on social issues that cap our potential as a community. It won’t be always serious stuff though– for what good is it being a Punjabi if you can’t enjoy a hearty laugh even if it is at your own expense.

So, let’s ring in the New Year with hope for a better world….remember we can help make it a better world.

Punjabi Jingle Bells

A very Punjabi Xmas to all!

Christmas is becoming a universal holiday – because of its serenity, present-giving good cheer. And who loves good cheer more than a Punjabi so here is a very Punjabi Santa with a very Punjabi Xmas greeting.

Dreams end when fate, poverty and corruption collide

Today as I walked back from the HDFC Bank in Bathinda, I saw two urchins sitting outside and scribbling on a piece of paper. I asked what they were writing and were shy at first but then showed me a discarded receipt from which they were trying to copy numbers. I asked them if they went to school though I knew the answer already. No they did not go to school. One of them said "hamari kismat nahin hai" - a line obviously learnt from their parents. Further conversation revealed that their father had tried to get them enrolled several times but the school wanted Rs 5000 for enrollment. The boys had been sent out to beg but were too busy trying to write on the back of a discarded receipt. They said they were beggers, their names Aman and Happy (they were maybe 10 or 11 years old). They showed me the pictures of gods in thalis which they had in their laps as their begging tool. They said they were hungry - I asked what were they hungry for, The answer was for 'roti'- I told them I would buy them a half dozen bananas (since I didn't want to give them money)- they walked with me to the old bus stand where I bought them bananas. On the way Aman, by way of conversation, mentioned that he had no slippers. Sure enough he was barefoot. I asked them to stay exactly where they were and went to a Liberty showroom close by and bought him a pair of slippers. When I walked back to give them to him, they were where I had left them, having finished their bananas and still totally engrossed in writing on their scrap of paper. That's how I left them, feeling helpless that I could do nothing for them since it was my last day in the city. If I had more time I would have liked to go to the school where they were supposedly refused admission and tried to do something to see if they could attend school. I felt helpless and angry that I could do nothing. But the story of Aman and Happy on the streets of Bathinda is less than a drop in the ocean of dreams that are lost to povery and corruption in India....

Is there anything we can do at an individual level to help even one child have a better life?

Enjoy the Punjabi zest! - Bhangra Empire @ Bruin Bhangra 2009

Watch this stunning performance of the Bhangra by the group Empire!

(For some reason I couldn't post it as a clickable link so please cut and paste in your browser)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BxMMQs-6nQ

In a Lighter Vein ....for the computer savvy Punjabi !

If your computer starts working in Punjabi these would be the commands!


Send = Sutto
Insert = Wich Paao
Attachement = Naal Laao
Edit = Sidda Karo
View = Waikhee Jaao
Forward = Aggay Sutto
Inbox = Undar Da Daak Khaana
Outbox = Bahar Da Daak Khana
Trash = Mitti Paao
Sent Items = Bheji Gayee Dak
Address Book = Patay Wali Kaapy
Delete = Daffa Karo
Download = Thallay Laao
Properties = Jaidaad
Connect = Naal Milaao
Paste = Thook Naal Chipkaao
From = Bhejan Walaa Banda
To = Door Betha Hoya Banda
Subject = Khaas Gall
Carbon Copy = Koelay Walee Naqal
High priority = Waddee Takleef

and finally
Ctrl+Alt+Delete = Sara Syapa Mukao.

Model schools in Punjab under public-private partnerships!

Here is a news item submitted by wym -one of our active blog followers - as part of a discussion under The State of our Schools. I am placing it here because its an important bit of information that will be of interest to all of us ..

Chandigarh, Sep 24 (IANS) The Punjab government has exempted Adarsh (model) schools, coming up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model in the state, from various taxes.

‘This decision was taken at a meeting headed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,’ a government spokesperson said here Thursday.

The draft agreement and the lease deed between the government and the private partners were also finalised in the meeting of the Punjab Education Development Board (PEDB), the official said.

PEDB has finalised five private partners and approved 15 sites for setting up these modern and well-equipped schools in the state.

Adarsh schools would impart free education from pre-nursery to 12th class. Presently, there are nine Adarsh schools in the state.

As per the agreement, if the private partner fails to run the school according to the set terms and conditions, the board would take over its control.

Similarly, if the government fails to discharge its obligations, the private management could take over the school, with a condition to charge fees on 75 percent students and impart free education to the rest.

For each school, PEDB is providing 10-15 acres for 99 years lease, which could be renewed with mutual consent of both parties. The operational cost of the school would be shared on 70:30 basis between the board and the private partner.

The capital cost for the construction of school building would be around Rs.4-5 crore, and it would be shared on 50:50 basis.

‘We have suggested that students’ strength should be increased from 1,000 to 1,200 in Adarsh schools,’ Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said here Thursday.

I hope this partly answers your question. I think the Punjab Education Development Board can provide more information.