29 Jan 2009

"bhangra goes global"

While reading ET, i found an interesting article about Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), SAD-B making inroads in canada. North America (ie US and Canada) alone house 2.37 % of world sikh population and about 65.4% of NRPs (non-resident punjabis). Canadian sikhs are one of the largest Non-chriatian religious groups in canada and form country's largest South Asian ethnic group.
The first sikh immigration in canada is believed to be in 1897. The need for labourers led to an increase in sikh immigration, The immediate fallout was the 1907 riot and the infamous Komagata Maru incident . According to century of struggle and success the Sikh Canadian experience , With the advent of World War II and the internment of Japanese Canadians, Sikhs were able to prosper. But they were still devoid of the fundamental right to vote, which came into inforcement in 1947. The sikh population considerably increased in post 1960s when the immigration laws were changed.
Now Sikhs have become an integral part of Canada's economy and culture.
 At present, in Canada there are nine sikhs elected to the house of commons. This being the largest number of Indians into the House of commons. And SAD-B is heard to be planning to foray into Canadian politics. It depends on the legalities of the canadian system. It is an  irony on their part that they could never become a national party in India. Informally they have been a group in canada with long list of followers. And if they succed in doing so SAD-B will be in a very good mood as it being the first international party.

18 Jan 2009

good bye 2008

  The year 2008 passed by... even i think of any date in particular it seems so far ... yet so near. some beautiful days beyond imagination... some sorrows deep as abyss... by and large a year of mixed feelings.  I dont remember but i read it somewhere where the book starts with the sentence " life is difficult", and once u accept this fact it becomes so easy... easy that what u went through is just a small phase in a difficult world-the real world. The world we live in, is just not the world we use to hear in fairy tales from dadi;  it's a real tough world. You need to stay strong, otherwise people might crush u and move on as if nothing has happened. And no surprises, the world is full of these kinds of people. Hardly i had seen this face of life... but what ever I've been through it wasn't good.
  It isn't a story of a single man but every one on this real world. They have to compromise with so many things so many times, only to 'live'... ' life goes on". And u don't even know, when u overcome these feelings of joy and sorrow. 
 This year had been eventful to me.  I achieved sth which i desired( atleast the second best)... lost something which i loved (i am not sure now).  But the year has left me with some beautiful and haunting memories.  And if people count their years with the number of friends they have...then  this year was a successful year to me... i came in contact with so many people and some of them have become- my friends for ever.  I came to see different facets of people, the oppurtunistic relations, the true friendships,  and how it all changes with time.  even met some friends who backed me at my worst times ... so on. 
 Saw some crisis which only fortunate(rather unfortunate) people live to see and tell the tale. Fortunately in this period i am engaged in studies and not drawn in this weird market. This year shall remain in my memory for the giant fall of sensex from 22ooo to some weird figure of 8000, for the crash of some biggies of finacial world lay man brothers ,  the magic of 8 ( it being 10th warmest year). year saw the first non white to rise to the whitehouse and some of the weirdest attack on indian soil. 
 Despite all this people continue to hope for a better tomorrow. Hope is all what people got now. It feeds them to do things, which perhaps makes extra ordinary people differentite from the  ordinary ones. 
 so dream and try to realise dream ... that's what i gonna do... let's hope, all others fall in line to realise dream of each one of us...
 have a wonderful (sarcastically) year ahead !





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