My Malice and Bias

Sikh Tarkhan from Punjab Punjab had a traditionally rich collection and treasure trove of handicrafts. The work of Punjabi craftsmen was rich in craft, material, skill, aesthetics and exquisite sartorial tastes. The artisans of Punjab were highly skilled and dexterous. Historical evidence of Punjab's craftsmen can be traced to the Vedic period with association to Vishvakarma , the Hindu god of the craftsmen. According to the Rigveda , he is considered to be the architect, divine engineer of universe from before the advent of time. These craftsmen are referred to as Tarkhans , Dhimans , or  Ramgarhia . Disclaimer : As a practicing Sikh, I consider all castes as equal and DO NOT believe in the outdated  and divisive caste system. The purpose of this blog is to honor the spiritual, military, and service contributions of the valiant Ramgarhia community and try to understand their family history purely from historical perspective. Tarkhans Tarkhan (Old Turkic: 𐱃𐰺𐰴𐰣‎, Mongolian: дарх

Badh Khalsa Village in Sonipat, Haryana The small village of Badh Khalsa in Sonepat district of Haryana has its name inscribed in the Sikh history in golden letters. The village is proud of the supreme sacrifice of their ancestor, Bhai Kushal Singh , a follower of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. Bhai Kushal Singh Dahiya Badh Khalsa village is located 13 miles from Sonipat and about 50 miles from Delhi. The total geographical area of village is 257 hectares. Badh Khalsa has a total population of 2,642 people with about 529 houses belonging mostly to the Dahiya clan of Haryanvi Jaats.  Badh Khalsa Village, Haryana Background Guru Tegh Bahadur , the ninth Guru of the Sikhs is revered as the Hind di Chaadar,  literally means the "Honor of India". The period from 1658 to 1707 is considered a dark period in India's history when Aurangzeb , the Mughal emperor ruled India enforcing Sharia law with ruthless fanatical zeal.  He authorized compilation of

My Connection Dalvir Pannu is a friend and a well known dentist who runs multi-specialty dental practices in San Jose, Fremont, Cupertino, and Dublin, California. I have something in common with Dalvir, both of our families came from West Punjab and migrated to East Punjab in India after the partition of British India into Republic of India and Islamic Republic of Pakistan.  Dalvir mailed me a hard copy of his book to review. It took me a long time to accomplish this task but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had some time that I could dedicate to reading his book. Like many generations of Sikhs growing up in India, our ancestral home is now in a foreign country and we have lost connection with our ancestral heritage. Dalvir's Dad and Grandmother with His book Background The emergence of these two nations is built upon an unprecedented ethnic cleansing and mass genocide.  At the time of partition, around 10 million Sikhs and Hindus were living in West Punja

An important part of Indian culture is an expectation of “display of respect” from those who are younger or are considered socially inferior (subordinates, lowers castes, or anybody who might appear less powerful, etc.). We express this respect in a huge variety of subtle and obvious ways. Punjabi Sikh Family Within the family, We use these terms everyday to call our mothers, fathers, older siblings, and other relations.  In order to understand the meaning of these terms, we have to learn about their linguistic origin and regional affiliations. Punjabi is an ancient language and has its origin in Prakrit , the precursor to the grammatically structured Sanskrit . These terms are deeply rooted in Prakrit and Sankrit languages and has a lot of commonalities with Latin , the mother of all European languages. Honorary Titles for Mother The terms used to honor the mother traces its origin to the hypothetical, reconstructed Proto Indo-European language, of which Sanskrit is the best

Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa I knew that my cousin is married to the direct descendant of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa but I admit that I did not know much about this great Sikh general. My research found interesting articles in India, Pakistan, and Britain.about Hari Singh Nalwa. I am sharing all those as collage of topics referenced from previous publications. Background Hari Singh was born into an Uppal Khatri family, in Gujranwala, Punjab to Gurdas Singh and Dharam Kaur . Hari Singh's ancestors were early adopters of Sikhism and took part in the Sikh struggles against Mughals and Afghans. His grandfather, Hardas Singh was martyred in the "Wadda Ghallughara" in 1762, defending the Sikh families from genocidal goons of Ahmad Shah Abdali at Jandiala, 11 miles east of Amritsar. His father, Gurdas Singh joined Sukarchakia Misl and fought alongside Maharaja Ranjit Singh's grandfather Charat Singh and father Maha Singh. He was the the Jagirdar of Balloki, a village in K