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425

Love Pyar / Valentine's Day

« on: February 05, 2011, 07:12:39 AM »

Valentine's Day

   
Victorian Valentine's Card
Also called   Saint Valentine's Day
Valentine's
Observed by   Many countries
Type   Cultural, Christian, commercial
Significance   Love and affection celebrated between lovers
Date   February 14
Observances   Sending greeting cards and gifts, dating


Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[4]


Historical facts
Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.[5] The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).[6] Valentine of Rome[7] was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. His relics are at the Church of Saint Praxed in Rome,[8] and at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.
Valentine of Terni[9] became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) about AD 197 and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).[10]
The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him.[11]
No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. By the time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the 14th century, distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni were utterly lost.[12]
In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feastday of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14."[13] The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Second Vatican Council calendar.


Romantic legends


Saint Valentine of Terni and his disciples.
The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were expounded briefly in Legenda Aurea.[14] According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.
Since Legenda Aurea still provided no connections whatsoever with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail.
There is an additional modern embellishment to The Golden Legend, provided by American Greetings to History.com, and widely repeated despite having no historical basis whatsoever. On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he would have written the first "valentine" card himself, addressed to a young girl variously identified as his beloved,[15] as the jailer's daughter whom he had befriended and healed,[16] or both. It was a note that read "From your Valentine."[15]


Modern times
In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called “mechanical valentines,” and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.[30]
Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century.[31] In the UK, just under half the population spend money on their Valentines and around 1.3 billion pounds is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent.[32] The reinvention of Saint Valentine's Day in the 1840s has been traced by Leigh Eric Schmidt.[33] As a writer in Graham's American Monthly observed in 1849, "Saint Valentine's Day... is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday."[34] In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828–1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.[35][36]


Child dressed in Valentine's Day-themed clothing.
Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English Valentine she had received from a business associate of her father.[37][38] Intrigued with the idea of making similar Valentines, Howland began her business by importing paper lace and floral decorations from England.[38][39] The English practice of sending Valentine's cards was established enough to feature as a plot device in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mr. Harrison's Confessions (1851): "I burst in with my explanations: '"The valentine I know nothing about." '"It is in your handwriting," said he coldly.[40] Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary."[36]
Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[4] The mid-19th century Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.[41]
In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry.
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines.[35] In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange cards, and are given sweets. The greeting cards of these students sometimes mention what they appreciate about each other.
The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010


India
In India, in the antiquity, there was a tradition of adoring Kamadev, the lord of love; exemplificated by the erotic carvings in the Khajuraho Group of Monuments and by the writing of the Kamasutra treaty of lovemaking.[60] This tradition was lost around the Middle Ages, when Kamadev was no longer celebrated, and public displays of sexual affections became frowned upon.[60] Around 1992 Valentine's Day started catching in India, with special TV and radio programs, and even love letter competitions.[60][61] The economic liberation also helped the Valentine card industry.[61]
In modern times, Hindu and Islamic[62] traditionalists consider the holiday to be cultural contamination from the West, result of the globalization in India.[60][61] Shiv Sena and the Sangh Parivar have asked their followers to shun the holiday and the "public admission of love" because of them being "alien to Indian culture".[63] These protests are organized by political elites, but the protesters themselves are middle-class Hindu men who fear that the globalization will destroy the traditions in his society: arranged marriages, hindu joint families, full-time mothers (see Housewife#India), etc.[61][62]
Despite these obstacles, valentine's day is becoming increasingly popular in India.[64]
However, leftist and liberal critiques of Valentine's day remain strong in India. Valentine's Day has been strongly criticized from a postcolonial perspective by intellectuals from the Indian left . The holiday is regarded as a front for Western imperialism, neocolonialism, and the exploitation of working classes through commercialism by multinational corporations.[65] Studies have shown that Valentine's day promotes and exacerbates income inequality in India, and aids in the creation of a pseudo-westernized middle class. As a result, the working classes and rural poor become more disconnected socially, politically, and geographically from the hegemonic capitalist power structure. They also criticize mainstream media attacks on Indians opposed to valentine's day as a form of demonization that is designed and derived to further the valentine's day agenda.

431

Pics / kadhni wala dudh

« on: February 04, 2011, 12:12:18 AM »

lao g sab lai special kadhni wala dudh, pai chalo te pe chalo...

432

Lok Virsa Pehchaan / Alop Ho Riha Punjabi Virsa !

« on: February 04, 2011, 12:00:03 AM »

Picz jo ajj v sanu apne pind di yaad liyondia ne !


Ihna vichon kuch te hega aa ajje v punjab de pind vich !


te bahut kuch change ho chukka aa!


Sarriya di pind di yaad fresh karn layi


main ih picz share kar riha !


Hope thuanu pasnad aoun !

PIND DI SATTH !



CHARKHA !



HATH NAL CHALOUN WALA HAL /PLOUGH




BAZIGAR DI BAZI !



NURSES IN YELLOW !
A AA JI BUUND TE OHNA DA GHAR JAANI KI KHAKHAR



KACCHE GHAR !



LOHRI CELEBRATION !




GURRH KADHNA !



HATHI SAAG KUTRNA !



REHDA !



MELA !



BABBE !




Rabb karre mera punjaab sada hassda wassda rahe

433

Pics / PJ LOGO

« on: February 03, 2011, 09:50:52 AM »

SAT SHRI AKAL JI......................


AA LAO JI..........PJ

434

Religion, Faith, Spirituality / Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

« on: February 03, 2011, 08:46:37 AM »

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
       
Born   Jarnail Singh Brar
February 12, 1947
Rode, Faridkot, Punjab (British India)
Died   June 6, 1984 (aged 37)
Akal Takht Complex, Amritsar, Punjab (India)
Nationality   Indian
Ethnicity   Punjabi (Brar)
Occupation   Head of Damdami Taksal
Religion   Sikhism
Spouse   Bibi Pritam Kaur
Children   Ishar Singh and Inderjit Singh[1]
Parents   Joginder Singh and Nihal Kaur


Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (Punjabi: ਜਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲੇ [dʒəɾnɛl sɪ́ŋɡ pɪ̀ɳɖɾɑnʋɑɭe], born Jarnail Singh Brar[2] (Punjabi: ਜਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਰਾੜ)) (February 12, 1947 – June 6, 1984) was the controversial leader of the Damdami Taksal, a Sikh religious group based in India,[3] who supported implementation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution.[4][5][6][7] He tried to spread his perceived values of Sikhism. In 1981, Bhindranwale was arrested for his suspected involvement in the murder of Jagat Narain, the proprietor of the Hind Samachar Group. He surrendered to police but was later released due to lack of evidence, however, Bhindranwale was kept on close watch by Indian police officials. Bhindranwale is more notable for his involvement in Operation Blue Star in which he and his supporters, most of them radicalized Sikhs who believed in Bhindranwale's objectives, occupied the Akal Takht complex, including the Golden Temple, in Amritsar.[8][9] He was killed by the Indian Army, who had orders from Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to remove all armed militants inside the temple. Since his death, Bhindranwale has remained a controversial figure in Indian history. While Sikhs highest authority Akal Takht describe him a “great martyr” of the Sikh community, who made “supreme sacrifice” for the sake of “faith”, other view him as a misguided militant.

                 
Early life

Bhindranwale was born in the village of Rode, in the Faridkot District located in the region of Malwa (Punjab). His father, Joginder Singh, was a farmer and a local Sikh leader.[1] Jarnail Singh was the seventh of eight brothers. He was brought up as a strict vegetarian.[10] In 1965, he was enrolled by his father at the Damdami Taksal, a religious school, near Moga, Punjab, then headed by Gurbachan Singh Khalsa.[1] After a one year course in Sikh studies he returned to farming again. He continued his studies under Kartar Singh, who was the new head of the Taksal. He quickly became the favourite student of Kartar Singh.[11] Kartar Singh was fatally injured in a car accident and nominated Bhindranwale as his successor, in preference to his son Amrik Singh. Amrik Singh later became close associate of Bhindranwale.[12]
He married Pritam Kaur, daughter of Sucha Singh of Bilaspur.[1] His wife bore him two sons, Ishar and Inderjit Singh, in 1971 and 1975, respectively.[1] Pritam Kaur died of heart ailment at age 60, on September 15, 2007 in Jalandhar.[13]
Rise to popularity

In Punjab, Bhindranwale went from village to village as a missionary and asked people to live according to the rules and tenets of Sikhism. He preached to disaffected young Sikhs, encouraging them to return to the path of Khalsa by giving up vices like sex, drugs, alcohol and tobacco.[14] His focus on fighting for the Sikh cause made appealed to many young Sikhs. Due to his religious background[dubious – discuss] as a preacher, his followers formally called him Bhindranwale Mahapurkh, which meant "The Great Man from Bhindran". Bhindranwale became the new leader of the Damdami Taksal when Kartar Singh Khalsa, the successor to Gurbachan Singh Khalsa, who died in a road accident on August 16, 1977, nominated Bhindranwale.[1] Bhindranwale was formally elected at a bhog ceremony at Mehta Chowk on August 25, 1977.[1]
Bhindranwale participated in some behind-the-scenes political work. In 1979, when Bhindranwale put up forty candidates in the SGPC elections for a total of 140 seats, he won only four of the seats.[15] A year later, Bhindranwale campaigned actively for Congress in three constituencies' during the general elections.[16] Due to his lack of success in election politics, he later claimed he did not personally seek any political office. According to a 1984 Time Magazine article, Bhindranwale's popularity reached such a peak that he overthrew the authority of the Shiromani Akali Dal, a Punjab-based Sikh political party.[17] In any event, Bhindranwale did wield a great deal of power, and the political factions within Punjab could not commit any major action without considering Bhindranwale's reaction.[18]
Bhindranwale was widely perceived to be a supporter of the creation of a Sikh majority state of Khalistan. In a BBC interview, he stated that if the government agreed to the creation of such a state, he would not refuse. Other quotes attributed to Bhindranwale on Khalistan include "we are not in favour of Khalistan nor are we against it". Responding to the formation of Khalistan he is quoted as saying, "I don't oppose it nor do I support it. We are silent. However, one thing is definite that if this time the Queen of India does give it to us, we shall certainly take it. We won't reject it. We shall not repeat the mistake of 1947. As yet, we do not ask for it. It is Indira Gandhi's business and not mine, nor Longowal's, nor of any other of our leaders. It is Indira's business. Indira should tell us whether she wants to keep us in Hindostan or not. We like to live together, we like to live in India."[19] To which he added, "if the Indian Government invaded the Darbar Sahib complex, the foundation for an independent Sikh state will have been laid."[20] The BBC reported that he was daring law enforcement to react to his actions of fortifying the Golden Temple in order to bolster support.[21]
Role in the militancy

On April 13, 1978, a group of Amritdhari Sikhs of Akhand Kirtani Jatha went to protest against Nirankaris. The confrontation led to the murder of thirteen of demonstrators. The killing of the protesters disturbed many Sikhs. The Nirankari leader, Gurbachan Singh was even escorted to the safety of his home in Delhi by the Punjab police. When a criminal case was filed against him, the Baba had his case transferred to neighboring Haryana state, where he was acquitted the following year. The Punjab government of Akali Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal decided not to appeal the decision.[22] Among Sikhs there was a great frustration at this perceived sacrilege and the legal immunity of the perpetrators. This gave rise to new organizational expressions of Sikh aspirations outside the Akali party. It also created an unfortunate sentiment amongst some that if the government and judiciary would not prosecute perceived enemies of Sikhism, taking extrajudical measures could be justified.[23] The chief proponents of this attitude were the Babbar Khalsa founded by the widow, Bibi Amarjit Kaur of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, whose husband Fauja Singh had been at the head of the march in Amritsar; the Damdami Taksal led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had also been in Amritsar on the day of the outrage; the Dal Khalsa, formed with the object of demanding a sovereign Sikh state; and the All India Sikh Students Federation, which was banned by the government.
When the Nirankari Baba who was allegedly responsible for the thirteen deaths in Amritsar was himself shot to death on April 24, 1980, Bhindranwale openly celebrated the development, which put him under suspicion. The FIR named nearly twenty people involved in the murder, most of whom had ties to Bhindranwale.[24] A member of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Ranjit Singh, surrendered and admitted to the assassination three years later, and was sentenced to serve thirteen years at the Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Lala Jagat Narain, the editor of a widely circulated paper in which he had campaigned against Punjabi being adopted as a medium of instruction in Hindu schools, urged Hindus of Punjab to reply to government census that Hindi and not Punjabi was their mother tongue and decried the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. He had also been present at the clash between the Nirankaris and the Akhand Kirtani Jatha.[25] Jarnail Singh had often spoken against him, so when the well-known editor was found killed on September 9, 1981, once again, his involvement was suspected. Two days after the assassination, police issued warrants for the arrest of Bhindranwale. A police search in Chando Kalan, a Haryana village, failed to produce an arrest. Upon seeing this, Bhidranwale publicly announced that he would surrender on September 20.[26] On September 20, 1981, Bhindranwale surrendered to the police at a function held in a Gurudwara Gurdarshan Parkash.[27] Over the next twenty-five days while Bhindranwale was held in custody, sporadic fights erupted in areas where Bhindranwale's accomplices had gathered. Bhindranwale was released on bail on October 15 as India's Home Minister, Giani Zail Singh announced in the Parliament that there was no evidence against Bhindrawale.[28] He left the Ferozepur jail a hero.[29]
Sanctuary in the Golden Temple

The law and order situation started to deteriorate. While the Akalis pressed on with their two-pronged strategy of negotiations and massive campaigns of civil disobedience directed at the Central Government, others were not so enamoured of nonviolence. Communists known as “Naxalites”, armed Sikh groups – the “Babbar Khalsa” and “Dal Khalsa (International)”, criminal gangs and the police clashed, and sometimes worked hand in hand. A covert government group known as the Third Agency was also engaged in dividing and destabilizing the Sikh movement through the use of undercover officers, paid informants and agents provocateurs.[30] Bhindranwale himself always wore a pistol belt and encouraged his followers to be armed.[31]
In July 1982, Sant Longowal invited Jarnail Singh Bindranwale to take up residence at the Golden Temple compound. He called the tough-minded Sant “our stave to beat the government.” [32] Bhindranwale subsequently took shelter with a large group of his armed followers, in the Guru Nanak Niwas (Guest house), in the precincts of the Golden Temple.[10]
Bhindranwale himself always wore a pistol belt and encouraged his followers to be armed.[31] In late July 1983, finding an increasing number of his followers arrested day by day, Bhindranwale left his base in Chowk Mehta to start a peaceful campaign for their release from the Golden Temple complex. From there, he joined his campaign to the Akali campaign for their political, economic, cultural, and religious demands.[33] In the chaos of Punjab, Bhindranwale developed a reputation as a man of principle who could settle people's problems about land, property or any other matter without needless formality or delay. The judgement would be accepted by both parties and carried out. This added to his popularity.[34]
On December 15, 1983, finding himself in danger of being arrested for threats he had made against some nationalist organizations, Jarnail Singh and his entourage moved to the holy Akal Takhat over the objections of Giani Kirpal Singh, the head priest of the place. Bhindranwale used his political connection with Gurcharan Singh Tohra, president of the Gurdwara committee and the man responsible for keeping the peace in the Golden Temple complex, to overrule the indignant head priest.[35] He fortified the temple with light machine-guns and sophisticated self-loading rifles were brought in.[24] Mark Tully and Satish Jacob wrote, "All terrorists were known by name to the shopkeepers and the householders who live in the narrow alleys surrounding the Golden Temple. ...The Punjab police must have known who they were also, but they made no attempt to arrest them. By this time Bhindranwale and his men were above the law."[36]
Death

On June 3, 1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi initiated Operation Blue Star and ordered the Indian Army to surround the Golden Temple complex to remove armed militants from the complex. Bhindranwale reportedly did not survive the operation...[37][38]
According to Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar, who commanded the operation, the body of Bhindranwale was identified by a number of agencies, including the police, the Intelligence Bureau and militants in the Army's custody.[37] Bhindranwale's brother is also reported to have identified Bhindranwale's body.[39] Pictures of what appear to be Bhindranwale's body have been published in at least two widely circulated books, Tragedy of Punjab: Operation Bluestar and After and Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle. BBC correspondent Mark Tully also reported seeing Bhindranwale's body during his funeral.
People who maintain that he survived the operation include Dilbir Singh, the Public Relations Advisor at Guru Nanak Dev University.[38] He stated that Bhindranwale was injured on the right side of his temple. He stated, "a government doctor verified he was captured alive. He was tortured to death."[40][41] R.K. Bajaj, a correspondent for Surya magazine, claimed to have seen a photograph of Bhindranwale in custody.[42] This claim is strongly contested, especially by Bhindranwale's son who has now become a prominent figure within Sikh politics. Some within the Damdami Taksal claimed he is still alive.[3][38]
Legacy

Cynthia Keppley Mahmood wrote in Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants that Bhindranwale never learned English but mastered Punjabi. He was adept at television, radio and press interviews.[43] Keppley further stated that "those who knew him personally uniformly report his general likability and ready humour as well his dedication to Sikhism".[43] The author further states that "Largely responsible for launching Sikh militancy, he is valorized by militants and demonised by enemies and the accounts from the two divergent sources seem to refer to two completely different persons."[43]
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was praised by many Sikhs as a martyr of our times,[44] but by others he was considered a militant.[3] Though famed Indian novelist, journalist and historian Khushwant Singh believed himself to be on Bhindranwale's hit list, he allowed that the Sikh preacher-become-activist genuinely made no distinction between higher and lower castes, and that he had a restored thousands of drunken or doped Sikh men, innured to porno films, to their families,[45] and that Operation Blue Star had given the movement for Khalistan its first martyr in Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.[46] In 2003, at a function arranged by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Joginder Singh Vedanti, former jathedar of the Akal Takht made a formal declaration that Bhindranwale was a "martyr" and awarded his son, Ishar Singh, a robe of honor.[47] Harbans Singh's The Encyclopedia of Sikhism describes Bhindranwale as "a phenomenal figure of modern Sikhism."[48]
Vir Sanghvi, one of India's leading political commentators said, "[Bhindranwale] remains a martyr in the eyes of many Sikhs. "[49] Bhindranwale is also criticised as being directly responsible for the instigation of Operation Blue Star after he intentionally turned the Akal Takht into a fortress.

435

Religion, Faith, Spirituality / Joginder Singh Sahnan

« on: February 03, 2011, 06:16:56 AM »

Joginder Singh Sahnan
September 26, 1921 – October 23, 1962 (aged 41)

Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan, PVC
Place of birth   Moga, Punjab
Place of death   Unknown(Died as a POW in Chinese Custody)
Allegiance   India
Service/branch   Indian Army
Years of service   1936-1962
Rank   Subedar
Battles/wars   Sino-Indian War
Awards   Param Vir Chakra
Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan (26 September 1921 - 23 October 1962), a Saini [1] Sikh , born in Moga, Punjab was a Subedar in the Indian Army who distinguished himself by wining Param Vir Chakra, the highest war time gallantry award of Indian Army that any soldier can aspire for. On 28 September 1936, he was enrolled in the 1 Sikh Regiment. His father's name was Sher Singh Sahnan who belonged to an agricultural Saini Sikh family which had relocated to village Mahla Kalan near Moga from village Munaka of district Hoshiarpur.[1] His mother's name was Bibi Krishan Kaur Bhela. He married Bibi Gurdyal Kaur Banga, who was from a Saini family of village Kothay Rara Singh near Kot Kapura. He went to primary school in village Nathu Ala and to village Daroli for his middle school.

Military Action

During the 1962 Indo-China War, Subedar Joginder Singh commanded a platoon in the Tawang sector of NEFA (North East Frontier Agency). While holding a defensive position on a ridge in Tongpeng La area on Bum La axis, the platoon noticed heavy Chinese concentration opposite Bum La across the McMohan Line on October 20. This was indeed a preparatory to the Chinese advance on Bum La axis on October 23.
At 0530 hours on October 23, the Chinese launched a heavy attack on the Bum La axis. The intention was to achieve a breakthrough to Tawang. The Chinese attacked the Ridge in three waves, each about 200 strong. The attack was supported by artillery and mortar fire, besides other weapons. The fierce resistance of the Sikh platoon, however, compelled the Chinese to fall back with heavy losses. But they regrouped quickly and launched a fresh attack under the cover of an artillery barrage.
However, Subedar Joginder Singh and his platoon stood firm like a rock before the advancing enemy. In this fierce action, the platoon lost half of its men but not the will to fight. Subedar Joginder Singh, despite a wound in the thigh, refused evacuation. His platoon also refused to yield any ground to the Chinese. The last wave of the Chinese attack, which was more determined and more forceful followed next. Now the platoon had very few men left to fight. Subedar Joginder Singh, therefore, manned a light machine gun and killed a large number of enemies.
But he could not stem the tide of the Chinese advance single-handedly. The Chinese Army continued advancing with little concern for the casualties. By now all ammunition with the platoon had been exhausted. When the situation became desperate, Subedar Joginder Singh and his men emerged from their position with fixed bayonets, shouting the Sikh battle cry, "Wahe Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji ki Fateh." They fell upon the advancing Chinese and bayoneted many to death.
Finally better weapons and numerical superiority of the Chinese prevailed and Subedar Singh was captured after this epic battle. He died from his wounds and frostbite as a PoW in Chinese custody. One of his fellow soldiers later recalled that when his Chinese captors wanted to amputate his frostbitten foot, he told them that it would affect his chances of promotion after release and refused to undergo the operation. For his inspiring leadership, steadfast courage and devotion to duty beyond all odds, Subedar Joginder Singh was awarded the highest wartime gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.
[edit]Citation

The citation for the Param Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:
SUBEDAR JOGINDER SINGH
1 SIKH (JC 1547)
Subedar Joginder Singh was the commander of a platoon of the Sikh Regiment holding a defensive position at a ridge near Tongpen La in NEFA. At 0530 hours on 23 October 1962, the Chinese opened a very heavy attack on the Bumla axis with the intention of breaking through to Towang. The leading battalion of the enemy attacked the ridge in three waves, each about 200 strong. Subedar Joginder Singh and his men mowed down the first wave, and the enemy was temporarily halted by the heavy losses it suffered. Within a few minutes, a second wave came over and was dealt with similarly. But the platoon had, by then, lost half its men. Subedar Joginder Singh was wounded in the thigh but refused to be evacuated. Under his inspiring leadership the platoon stubbornly held its ground and would not withdraw. Meanwhile the position was attacked for the third time. Subedar Joginder Singh himself manned a light machine-gun and shot down a number of the enemy. The Chinese however continued to advance despite heavy losses. When the situation became untenable Subedar Joginder Singh and the few men that were left in the position fixed bayonets and charged the advancing Chinese, bayoneting a number of them before he and his comrades were overpowered. Throughout this action, Subedar joginder Singh displayed devotion to duty, inspiring leadership and bravery of the highest order.
[edit]Memorial in Moga, Punjab

Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan (PVC) received highest civilian commemoration in his native town of Moga in 2006 when his statue adorned in battle fatigue was inaugurated near district DC office.[2]
[edit]Other honours

The shipping corporation of India has honoured this great man by naming one of the vessels by the name Subedar Joginder Singh PVC.

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Religion, Faith, Spirituality / Fauja Singh

« on: February 03, 2011, 06:07:07 AM »

Fauja Singh

Born   April 1, 1911 (age 99)
Bias Pind, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
Occupation   Farmer, marathon runner
Fauja Singh (born April 1, 1911) is a Sikh marathon runner in his nineties from India who is a world record holder in his age bracket. His current personal best time for the London Marathon (2003) is 6 hours 2 minutes,[1] and his marathon record, for age 90-plus, is 5 hours 40 minutes, at the age of 92, at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2003.[2][3]
Fauja Singh has stated, "I won't stop running until I die. The next target, God willing, is to be the oldest marathon runner ever."[4] and, "At the time when people start retiring, I thought of running at the age of 63...and today I won the marathon at 93 years of age."[citation needed]
In 2004, he was featured in an advertising campaign for sportswear manufacturer Adidas alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
He is a vegetarian.[5]
He also holds UK records for the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, mile and 3000 m for his age group, records all set within a single 94 minute period

Achievements

Running Career
Rediscovered at age of 81
Marathons run: London (5), Toronto (1), New York (1)
Marathon debut: London, 2000, aged 89
London Flora Marathon 2000: 6:54
London Flora Marathon 2001: 6:54
London Flora Marathon 2002: 6:45
Bupa Great North Run (Half Marathon) 2002: 2:39
London Flora Marathon 2003: 6:02
Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2003: 5:40
New York City Marathon 2003: 7:35
London Flora Marathon 2004: 6:07
Glasgow City Half Marathon 2004: 2:33
Capital Radio Help a London Child 10,000 m 2004: 1:08
Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon 2004: 2:29:59