Sikh and Hispanic Heritage Month By:Nitin Mahay What is Sikhism?

• Sikhism comes from the word “Sikh” which is to become a learner • Sikh’s believe in a Waheguru which is derived from the words Gu(dispeller of ignorance) and Ru(bringer of englightenment) • WaheGuru is one of the names of God • Sikh’s worship in a Gurudawara(House of Worship) • The Sikh Holy Scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Beliefs

• One god/creator- All humans were created equal • Men and Women have equal rights • All a carry a spark of divine light;consequently no race,pigmentation,gender is superior to others • Freedom and Liberty for all • Only those who practice Love btain God • Respect for All Religions

The Khanda

• The universal symbol for Sikhs is the Khanda. • The Khanda is the symbol of the Sikhs, as the Cross is to Christians or the Star of David is to Jews. It reflects some of the fundamental concepts of Sikhism. • The symbol derives its name from the double-edged sword (also called a Khanda) which appears at the center of the logo. This double-edged sword is a metaphor of Divine Knowledge, its sharp edges cleaving Truth from Falsehood. • The circle around the Khanda is the Chakar. The Chakar being a circle without a beginning or and end symbolizes the perfection of God who is eternal • . The Chakar is surrounded by two curved swords called Kirpans. These two swords symbolize the twin concepts of Meeri and Peeri - Temporal and Spiritual authority introduced by Guru Hargobind. • They emphasize the equal emphasis that a Sikh must place on spiritual aspirations as well as obligations to society. •

Values and Practices

• Sarbat da Bhalla- Welfare unto All • Seva:Daily selfless service to humanity • Vand Chakna:sharing with the needy • Kirat Karniyee:Honest Labour • Daily Prayes & Meditation • Sat Sri Akal is a Sikh Greeting

Practices & Dress Code

• No magic:antidote for evil is to remember God • No rituals • No superstitions • Sikh Men and Women keep their hair uncut • Dress code was given by the tenth Guru :Guru Gobind Singh Ji as a form of identity ad uniqueness • Sikhs wear the 5 K’s – Kesh (uncut hair),Kanga(small comb),Kara (iron bangle),Kirpaan( symbolic sword),Kachera(underpants) Sikhism and Women's Rights

• The Guru Granth Sahib mandates that women must be respected and treated as equal to a man • Sikh followers are instructed not to associate with those who discriminate against women • Sikh women can do everything Sikhs in action

• From the blood soaked trenches of Flanders, the Somme and Gallipoli, to the deserts and heat of Africa and the Middle East, thousands of Sikh troops fought and died alongside their European and colonial counterparts, including for and Australia in the Great War of 1914-1918. • The contribution of Sikhs, and that of their Indian brothers in arms, proved critical in the early months of the fighting on the Western Front, helping save the allies from an early and catastrophic defeat. • By the end of hostilities, Sikh combatants saw active service in Europe, and beyond, in many of the war`s forgotten fronts. • In Mesopotamia, Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, German East Africa, Russia and China, Sikhs gained an international reputation as fearsome and fearless soldiers fighting for the common good.

Manmohan Singh

• Manmohan Singh is an Indian politician who was the thirteenth Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. • Considered to be one of the most influential figures in India's recent history, because of the economic liberalization he started in 1991 when he was Finance Minister. • The first Sikh to become Prime Minister of India. • Manmohan Singh has a doctorate from Oxford University. He is the most educated Indian Prime Minister in history.

Milkha Singh

• Former Indian track and field sprinter. • He is nicknamed The Flying Sikh. • Milkha Singh represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. • As of 2013, he is the only Indian male athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at a Commonwealth Games. • He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in recognition of his sporting achievements. • The movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is based on Milkha Singh's life.

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany

• Widely acknowledged as the father of fiber-optics. • Dr. Kapany has over one hundred patents. His research and inventions have encompassed fiber-optics communications, lasers, biomedical instrumentation, solar energy and pollution monitoring. • He is a Fellow of numerous scientific societies including the British Royal Academy of Engineering, the Optical Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. • Named one of seven 'Unsung Heroes' by Fortune magazine in their 'Businessmen of the Century' issue.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh

• Ranjit Singh lost sight in his left eye after, as an infant, he contracted smallpox • He was adept in martial arts and was well groomed in the Sikh tradition of fighting. • He fought his first battle at the age of 10, alongside his father and went on to fight many battles against the Afghans. • On 12 April 1801 - which was Baisakhi day - Ranjit Singh won the title of 'Maharaja' after uniting many fringe Sikh groups into one state. Ranjit Singh never wore a crown when he sat on his throne since everyone is considered equal before God in Sikhism.

JusReign

• Jus Reign. Jasmeet Singh Raina (born November 4, 1989), professionally known as Jus Reign or JusReign, is a Canadian comedian of Punjabi Sikh descent. • He is most prominently known as a YouTube personality, and one of Much Digital Studios' original creators. ... He has one of the largest followings on Snapchat in Canada. Lily Singh

• Known for her YouTube channel IISuperwomanII, which has earned over 13 million subscribers, she also performs stand-up comedy, raps, hosts events, acts, and has appeared as a motivational speaker. She won the Streamy Award in 2017 for First Person. Migration of Hispanic

• Migrations have occurred throughout human history and it affects population’s social and cultural patterns, the economy and physical environments. As people move, their culture and ideas diffuse along with them, creating and modifying cultural landscapes.

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• According to data extracted from the last Canadian Census, Statistics Canada calculates that there are more than 520,000 Hispanics residing in Canada; this number might soon reach one million.

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• The definition of "Hispanic" includes people linked to a Spanish-speaking country or whose first language is Spanish; this definition excludes Brazilians. The category "Latin American", on the other hand, includes Brazilian immigrants, but excludes people from Spain.

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• The majority of Hispanic immigrants have come from El Salvador, Mexico and Chile, followed by immigrants from Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina and Ecuador. More than half of Hispanic immigrants reside in and Montreal or in locations close to these two cities.

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• According to a recent article that appeared in the Toronto Star, Spanish is one of the most-spoken languages in the city of Toronto in 2016. Let’s celebrate all the Hispanic-Canadians and their contributions.

Shakira Isabel

• Born: February 2, 1977 • Occupation: * singer • * song writer • * instrumentalist • * record producer • Outside of her busy career, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children in her native Colombia receive a quality education. • She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and was honored by the United Nations Christina Aguilera

• Born: December 18, 1980 • Occupation: * singer • * song writer • Outside of her performance career, Aguilera has showed her compassionate side, working with AIDS awareness campaigns and affiliating herself with the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. In early 2010, she took on the role of Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Program—a responsibility that led her to Haiti, where she helped earthquake victims. Piedad Córdoba

• is an Afro-Colombian Senator who was born in Medellin, Antioquia on January 25, 1955. She is also a lawyer. She is famous for being a strong advocate for social justice and constant supporter of legislation that addresses all the ‘isms’ so that Colombian minorities can have better opportunities for a better future. • • Piedad is the also known for leading a peace movement that has helped free civilian hostages that were caught up in the conflict between the Colombian government and guerilla forces. Senator Piedad Córdoba has been forced into exile in Canada because she has been a victim of many attempts against her life for criticizing the conflict with the guerrilla in Colombia. Let’s celebrate Senator Piedad Cordoba’s contributions. Rigoberta Menchú

• was born on January 9, 1959 in the village Laj Chimel in Guatelmala, Central America. Her family were poor peasants. She is an Aboriginal woman descendant from the ancient culture Maya- Quiché • During Guatemala's bloody civil war, her father, mother, and younger brother were killed by Guatemalan soldiers because they protested against human-rights abuses.

Mercedes Sosa

• Mercedes Sosa, known as ‘La Negra Sosa’ or ‘The Voice of America’, was a singer of Argentine folk music well known throughout Latin America and internationally. • • She was born on July 9, 1935, in Tucuman, Argentina, She was of mestizo, French and Quechua ancestry. Mercedes is considered the founder of the “Nueva Cancion” (New Song) movement. • • She defined herself as "cantora" instead of a "cantante" (both words translate to “singer” in English), which was the defining element of the Latin American “nueva canción.” "Cantante” is one who CAN sing, but “cantor” is one who MUST sing. • • That was the ideal expressed by Mercedes Sosa in the titles of her albums such as Canciones con fundamento (Songs with Fundaments) or Yo No Canto por Cantar (I Do Not Sing Just Because) and by giving voice to songs written by both Brazilians and Cubans. • • Mercedes was best known as the "voice of the voiceless ones". She worked with performers across several genres and generations, folk, opera, pop, rock, including Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes, Caetano Veloso, Joan Manuel Serrat, Joan Baez, Luciano Pavarotti, Shakira, Julieta Venegas, and Sting. •

Ernesto “Che” Guevara

• was a leader in Latin America who was born the 14th of June 1928, in Rosario, Argentina. • When he was young, he travelled through South America on his motor bike and while travelling, he was saddened by how poor people were treated wherever he visited. He decided that he would give all his time and energy to work to change that. After studying medicine at the University of Buenos Aires he worked as a doctor. • While in Guatemala in 1954 he witnessed the socialist government of President Jacobo Arbenz overthrown by an American backed military coup. Disgusted by what he saw, Guevara decided to join the Cuban revolutionary, Fidel Castro, in Mexico. • He also served in the government of Cuba after the communist takeover, before leaving Cuba to try to aid other countries in Africa and South America. He was captured and executed by Bolivian security forces in 1967. • His philosophy as a man of medicine was expressed by the following: "The life of a single human being is worth a million times more than all the property of the richest man on earth... Far more important than a good remuneration is the pride of serving one's neighbour. Much more definitive and much more lasting than all the gold that one can accumulate is the gratitude of a people.” Let’s celebrate the contributions of Ernesto Che Guevara.

Victor Jara

• Victor Jara was a Chilean actor, singer, poet, theater director and member of the Communist Party. He was born to a poor, rural family in 1932. • • His mother was a singer and she introduced Victor to music and taught him how to play the guitar. Victor sang about social justice, life and love. He campaigned for the “Unidad Popular” (Popular Unity) coalition candidate, Salvador Allende, who was later elected president. • • On September 11, 1973, the military overthrew the government of President Allende. He was killed by a new dictator, Augusto Pinochet, and one of the first people arrested was Victor Jara. • • The Toronto City named a public lane, South of Davenport Road, between Ossignton Avenue and Shaw Street-The “Victor Jara Lane” in honour of this symbol of rebellion and freedom from Chile. "And in the world a heart of darkness, a fire zone where poets speak their heart then bleed for it. Jara sang his song, a weapon in the hands of love, though his blood still cries from the ground." U2 (“One Tree Hill,” The Joshua Tree). •

Thank You For Listening

Sat Sri Akal

Gracias