Word: sikhs
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...merely precise but elegant and memorable, full of acerbic wit and unusual metaphor. The writing illuminates not only the landscape and the people in general, but also a succession of unforgettable characters that illustrate the range of issues confronting modern Africa. One essentially tragicomic figure is the Sikh whom Naipaul meets on the plane to Nairobi; on the one hand, the author is repelled by the bumbling, garrulous man, overeager to befriend a stranger who is similarly of Indian origin. Yet Naipaul writes with uncharacteristic feeling for the Sikh’s profound predicament as a British Asian going...
Amritsar lives in many centuries at once. This holiest city of the Sikhs is home to their most revered shrine, the mystical and awe-inspiring Golden Temple, where nihangs - members of an armed Sikh order - live on in traditions dating back centuries, sporting distinctive electric-blue tunics and a panoply of weapons, even speaking a unique martial dialect of the Punjabi language. Other parts of this prosperous merchant city wear Levis, hang out at cafés, follow the latest diet fad or carry the latest iPod. And since May this year, Amritsar has also been home to India...
...about 4,600 sq m), it is almost tiny by U.S. standards, and there are fewer than 50 vehicles in the parking lot outside - mostly passenger cars, with a handful of small commercial vehicles, SUVs and some motorbikes. A blue-turbaned, elderly Sikh with a flowing white beard kick-starts his scooter while balancing a small knapsack of shopping on the seat behind him. (Read about Walmart's big plans for getting even bigger...
...Around the same time, the Ravidasias, a lower-caste community who are not considered Sikhs though the groups share some similarities, including worship in gurdwaras, swelled in numbers among Austria's Indian diaspora. Disgruntled lower-caste youths from an increasingly prosperous Punjab - where the landed castes have been reaping the benefits of the Green Revolution since the 1950s and 1960s - were making their way to Europe in droves. "What we see now is a result of rising Dalit assertion," says Vinayak. "The lower castes set up their own gurdwara, splitting the congregation and the [revenue from the] offerings...
...When news of the killing began to trickle into Punjab, state authorities went on alert. Although there is no specific history of Ravidasia-Sikh violence in Punjab, violence has taken place between followers of various sects across the state, mostly with support of lower castes among both the Sikhs and non-Sikhs. By Monday afternoon, large-scale rioting spread to six districts, leading Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself a Sikh, to issue a televised appeal. "Invoking the teachings of the Gurus, I appeal to all sections of people in Punjab to maintain peace," he said. The situation has spun...