Group	Sikhs
Flag
Population	30,000,000 (30 million)
Region1
Pop1	19,215,730
Ref1
Region2
Pop2	760,000
Ref2
Region3
Pop3	700,000
Ref3	}}

|region4= |pop4 = 600,000 |ref4 = |region5= |pop5 = 100,000 |region6= |pop6 = 100,000 |ref6 = |pop7 = 100,000 |ref7 = |region8= |pop8 = 70,000 |ref8 = |region9= |pop9 = 800,000 |ref9 = |region10= |pop10 = 50,000 |ref10 = |region9= |pop9 = 30,000 |ref9 = |region11= |pop11 = 20,000 |ref11 = |region12= |pop12 = 15,000 |ref12 = |region13= |pop13 = 15,000 |ref13 = |region14= |pop14 = 12,000 |ref14 = |region15= |pop15 = 9,733 |ref15 = |region16= |pop16 = 9,507 |ref16 = |region17= |pop17 = 8,000 |ref17 = |region18= |pop18 = 5,890 |ref18 = |region19= |pop19 = 5,000 |ref19 = |region20= |pop20 = 4,674 |ref20 = |region21= |pop21 = 3,000 |ref21 = |region22= |pop22 = 3,000 |ref22 = |region23= |pop23 = 2,794 |ref23 = |region24= |pop24 = 1,200 |ref24 = |rels=Sikhism |scrips=Guru Granth Sahib |langs= ;Punjabi (Gurmukhi): Among the Sikh diaspora English, Sindhi, Hindi, Urdu, Swahili, Malay, Thai and others. |footnotes = † ''Estimated figure as of 2004.'' }}

A Sikh ( or ; , '''' ) is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term ''शिष्य ()'', meaning "disciple, student" or ''शिक्ष ()'', meaning "instruction". A Sikh is a disciple of the Guru.

According to Article I of the "Rehat Maryada" (the Sikh code of conduct and conventions), a Sikh is defined as "any human being who faithfully believes in One Immortal Being; ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Sri Guru Gobind Singh; Sri Guru Granth Sahib; the teachings of the ten Gurus and the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru; and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion". Sikhs believe in the equality of humankind, the concept of universal brotherhood of man and One Supreme God (Ik Onkar).

Most male Sikhs have Singh (lion) and most female Sikhs Kaur (princess) as their surname. Baptised Sikhs can also be recognized by the Five Ks: a distinctively wrapped turban; uncut hair (Kesh), beard and mustache; an iron/steel bracelet (kara); a Kirpan, a small sword in a gatra strap; Kashera, a type of special shorts that are all white; and a Kanga, comb under turban.

The greater Punjab region is the historical homeland of the Sikhs, although significant communities exist around the world.

Philosophy[link]

The basis of the religion is the union of soul with God. A Sikh disciplines his thoughts and actions so that the five obstacles—lust, anger, greed, materialism and ego—are dispelled and the soul is united with God. Sikhs believe that the cycle of reincarnation is escaped by this union.

Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism. Guru Nanak summed the basis of Sikh lifestyle as: ''Naam Japo'', ''Kirat Karni'' and ''Wand kay Shako'', which means meditate on the holy name (Waheguru), work diligently and honestly, and share one's fruits. The guiding principles of the Sikh faith are Truth, Equality, Freedom, Justice, and Karma.

The Sikhs revere Sri Guru Granth Sahib as their supreme teacher. The tenth Guru appointed Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the final and eternal Guru of the Sikhs. Sri Guru Granth Sahib is revered by Sikhs as their supreme guide. Non-Sikhs can take part fully in Sikh ceremonies, prayer meetings, and social functions. Their daily prayers include the well-being of all of mankind.

Sikhism can be considered one of the more universal religions. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib, in addition to the revelations of the Sikh gurus, contains revelations of various saints and sages of that period. The opening hymn of the holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib expounds the nature and attributes of God:

Sikhs are not required to renounce the world. They aspire to live the life of a householder. Seva (selfless service) is an integral part of Sikh worship, very easily observed in the Gurdwara. Visitors of any religious or socio-economic background are welcomed, where langar (food for all) is always served to people of all origins, the same (vegetarian) food, while sitting together on the same level of the floor.

Protecting the religious and political rights of all people and preventing discrimination is an integral part of the Sikh faith. The 5th Guru Arjan Dev was martyred by the Mughal ruler Jahangir on 16 May 1606 for refusing to convert to Islam. The martyrdom of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji 9th Guru to protect Hindus from religious persecution, in Delhi, on 11 November 1675 AD, is another example of upholding minority religious freedom; he gave his life to protect the right of Kashmiri Hindus to practise their own religion when they were being forced to convert to Islam by Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor at the time.

People revered by Sikhs also include:

Bhai Mardana: one of the first followers and lifelong companion of Guru Nanak

Bhai Bala: one of the first followers and lifelong companion of Guru Nanak

Baba Buddha: Sikh saint, held the position of high Granthi in the Sikh religion, conducted the ceremony of guruship of the second guru up to the sixth guru, oversaw the construction of the Akal Takht

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur: fought and defeated the Mughal Governor of Punjab, Wazir Khan, and established a Sikh force in Punjab

Baba Deep Singh: Sikh saint, defended Golden Temple with his head in his hand, first head of the Damdami Taksal

Bhai Mani Singh: Sikh scholar, compiled the Dasam Granth

Bhai Taru Singh: a patron of the poor

Bhai Subeg Singh: known for sacrificing his life for the right of faith

Bhai Shahbaz Singh: son of Bhai Subeg Singh, also known for sacrificing his life for the right of faith

Bhai Gurdas: known for his interpretation of Bani and his works (vaars)

Bhai Kanhaiya: known for starting the first action of Red Cross

Bhai Mati Das: known for sacrificing his life for the right of faith

Bhai Sati Das: known for sacrificing his life for the right of faith

Bhai Dayala: known for sacrificing his life for the right of faith

Bhai Bachittar Singh: known for sacrificing his life in battle in bravery, by putting a spear through an intoxicated elephant which was covered in armour

Early Sikh scholars included Bhai Santokh Singh, Bhai Vir Singh and Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha.

Teachings[link]

Sikhism believes in one supreme being which is real and immanent and only experienceable in this creation; technically there is nothing in this creation which is devoid of it and distinct of it.

It teaches that the God is omnipresent, transcendence, omnipotent, and omniscient. It also revolves around the belief in reincarnation. Emphasis is on ethics, morality, and values; the Sikh faith does not accept miracles. The Sikh school of thought believes in a form of reincarnation similar to Karma. The concept of hell and heaven in Sikhism is metaphorical and is said to be experienced by those who chose (or not) to live in the 5 thieves.

Sikhism also believes in an omnipresent Onkar, the one constant in the Universe.

Devout Sikhs are recommended to say five prayers in the morning between 1 and 6 am (the five prayers can be said in succession within one hour for the well-versed): Japji, Anand Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai and Ardas; one prayer in the evening from 5 to 7 pm: Rehras and Ardas; and one before sleeping, around 8 to 10 pm: Kirtan Sohila and Ardas.

Sikh scriptures teach the concept of moderation. Sikhism teaches a person to remove the Five Evils: kaam or kam (lust), krodh (wrath), lobh (greed), moh (materialism), and ahankar (egotism), and to oppose hedonism.

Guru Nanak sought to improve the status of women by spreading this message: "From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad when she gives rise to nobility? From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all. O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman." (page 473). In so doing, he promoted women's rights and equality, a remarkable stance in the 15th century which was actually put into practice by Guru Nanak and the following 9 Gurus. Sikhism professes democratic institutions such as Guru Paanth (literally the teacher's followers), and decisions about the community are made collectively by the Guru Paanth.

Sikhism teaches that all of humanity was created by the Onkar, which is addressed by many names and understood differently. Sikhism teaches to respect all other religions (tolerance) and that one should defend the rights of not just one's own religion but the religion and faith of others as a human right. At the end of every Sikh prayer is a supplication for the welfare of all of humanity.

Sikhism believes in the concept of a human Soul (Self (spirituality) or consciousness or spirit or astral body). Sikhs believe they can unite and become one with God in this life (Gurmukh), as the consciousness merges with God (Supreme Consciousness) through truthful living and actions and is only a matter of realization. Sikhs always greet each other with the words "Sat Sri Akaal" which literally means "Truth is Time-less being". Truth, truthful living, equality, freedom and justice are the core principles of Sikh philosophy.

Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and final living Guru, gave Sikhs their outer physical forum and established a new order called the Khalsa. Khalsa Sikhs do not cut their hair kes and as a form of respect cover it with an elegantly tide turban. To keep ones hair is a commitment to accept your body in the natural form it was born and to get rid of vanity relating to outward appearance. Wearing a turban forms a distinct identity and also made the Sikhs very easily recognizable. Sikh history is built on examples of brave men and women who defended an ideology built on the fundamentals of human rights and equality of all human beings. This belief often led to conflict with oppressive forces. For more than 300 years the Sikhs were persecuted endlessly. The Sikh human rights struggle morphed into a political struggle which was one of the dominant causes of the fall of the Mughal empire in India and led to the formation of a Sikh kingdom before being annexed by the British in 1849. At the peak of their political power the Sikhs under Maharaja Ranjit Singh controlled a large kingdom centered in Lahore which was also secular and egalitarian. This kingdom had Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs in prominent cabinate positions.

An example of Sikhism's commitment to tolerance is the fact that the foundation stone of one of the most prominent shrines of the Sikhs—Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar also known as the Golden Temple—was laid not by the many eminent Sikh leaders or the 4th Sikh Guru Ramdas, who was the leader of the Sikhs at that time, but by a Sufi Muslim by the name of Sain Mian Mir.

The Sikh code of conduct strictly forbids the use of intoxicants, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, narcotics and any other foreign substance which disrupts the body, sexual relationship out of marriage, consuming sacrificial meat (Kutha meat), and cutting of hairs.

The Sikh religion also teaches that human life is very precious, described as more precious than a diamond which comes after great spiritual deeds and merits are done and Sikh teachings are filled with guidance on how to one should conduct oneself in order to find peace in this live and unite with God.

Five Ks[link]

thumb|left|[[Kanga (Sikhism)|Kanga, Kara and Kirpan—three of the five articles of faith endowed to the Sikhs.]] The Five Ks, or ''panj kakaar/kakke'', are five articles of faith that all ''baptized Sikhs'' (also called Khalsa Sikhs) are typically obliged to wear at all times, as commanded by the tenth Sikh Guru, who so ordered on the day of Baisakhi Amrit Sanskar in 1699. The symbols are worn for identification and representation of the ideals of Sikhism, such as honesty, equality, fidelity, militarism, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny. The five symbols are:

Kesh (uncut hair, usually tied and wrapped in the Sikh Turban, Dastar)

Kanga (a wooden comb, usually worn under the Dastar)

Katchera (specially made cotton underwear as a reminder of the commitment to purity)

Kara (an iron bracelet, which is a symbol of eternity)

Kirpan (a curved sword, which comes in different sizes; for example in the UK Sikhs would wear a small sharp dagger, whereas in the Punjab Sikhs would wear the traditional curved sword, from one to three feet in length)

History[link]

Sikh history, with respect to Sikhism as a distinct political body, can be said to have begun with the death of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev in 1606. Sikh distinction was further enhanced by the establishment of the Khalsa (ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ), by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The evolution of Sikhism began with the emergence of Guru Nanak as a religious leader and a social reformer during the 15th century in the Punjab. The religious practice was formalised by Guru Gobind Singh on 30 March 1699. The latter baptised five people from different social backgrounds to form Khalsa. The first five, Pure Ones, then baptised Gobind Singh into the Khalsa fold. This gives Sikhism, as an organized grouping, a religious history of around 400 years.

Generally Sikhism has had amicable relations with other religions. However, during the Mughal rule of India (1556–1707), the emerging religion had strained relations with the ruling Mughals. Hindu Hill rajahs fought frequent battles against Guru Gobind Singh because they were largely opposed to Guru Gobind Singh's casteless principles of religion. Prominent Sikh Gurus were killed by Mughals for opposing Mughal persecution of minority religious communities. Subsequently, Sikhism militarized to oppose Mughal hegemony. The emergence of the Sikh Empire under reign of the Maharajah Ranjit Singh was characterised by religious tolerance and pluralism with Christians, Muslims and Hindus in positions of power. The establishment of the Sikh Empire is commonly considered the zenith of Sikhism at a political level, during which time the Sikh Empire came to include Kashmir, Ladakh, and Peshawar. Hari Singh Nalwa, the Commander-in-chief of the Sikh army along the North West Frontier, took the boundary of the Sikh Empire to the very mouth of the Khyber Pass. The Empire's secular administration integrated innovative military, economic and governmental reforms.

The months leading up to the partition of India in 1947 were marked by heavy conflict in the Punjab between Sikhs and Muslims. The effect was the religious migration of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus from West Punjab, mirroring a similar religious migration of Punjabi Muslims in East Punjab.

The 1960s saw growing animosity and rioting between Sikhs and Hindus in India, as the Sikhs agitated for the creation of a Punjab state based on a linguistic basis similar to that by which other states in India had been created. This had also been promised to the Sikh leader Master Tara Singh by Nehru in return for Sikh political support during the negotiations for Indian Independence. Sikhs obtained the Punjab but not without losing some Punjabi speaking areas to Himachal Pradesh and Harayana; worst of all, Chandigarh was made Union Territory and the joint capital of Haryana & Punjab Punjab on 1 November 1966. Communal tensions arose again in the late 1970s, fueled by Sikh claims of discrimination and marginalisation by the Hindu dominated Indian National Congress ruling party and the "dictatorial" tactics adopted by the then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Frank argues that Gandhi's assumption of emergency powers in 1975 resulted in the weakening of the "legitimate and impartial machinery of government", and her increasing "paranoia" of opposing political groups led her to instigate a "despotic policy of playing castes, religions and political groups against each other for political advantage". As a reaction against these actions, the Sikh leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale vocalised Sikh sentiment for justice and advocated the creation of a Sikh homeland, Khalistan. This accelerated in Punjab a state of communal violence. Gandhi's 1984 action to defeat Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale led to the attack of the Golden Temple in Operation Bluestar and ultimately led to Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. This resulted in an explosion of violence against the Sikh community in the anti-Sikh riots which resulted in the massacre of thousands of Sikhs throughout India; Khushwant Singh described the actions as being a Sikh pogrom in which he "felt like a refugee in my country. In fact, I felt like a Jew in Nazi Germany". Since 1984, relations between Sikhs and Hindus have moved towards a rapprochement helped by growing economic prosperity; however, in 2002 the claims of the popular right-wing Hindu organisation the RSS that "Sikhs are Hindus" angered Sikh sensibilities. Many Sikhs still are campaigning for justice for victims of the violence and the political and economic needs of the Punjab espoused in the Khalistan movement.

In 1996 the Special Rapporteur for the Commission on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, Abdelfattah Amor (Tunisia, 1993–2004), visited India in order to compose a report on religious discrimination. In 1997, Amor concluded, "it appears that the situation of the Sikhs in the religious field is satisfactory, but that difficulties are arising in the political (foreign interference, terrorism, etc.), economic (in particular with regard to sharing of water supplies) and even occupational fields. Information received from nongovernment (sic) sources indicates that discrimination does exist in certain sectors of the public administration; examples include the decline in the number of Sikhs in the police force and the military, and the absence of Sikhs in personal bodyguard units since the murder of Indira Gandhi".

Sikh music and instruments[link]

Sikhs have developed their own instruments: Rabab, Dilruba, Taus, Jori and the Sarinda. The Sarangi was also encouraged by Guru Har Gobind. The Rabaab was first used by Bhai Mardana as he accompanied Guru Nanak Dev on his journeys. Jori and Sarinda were both designed by Guru Arjan Dev. The Taus was made by Guru Har Gobind; it is said that he heard a peacock singing and wished to create an instrument that could mimic its sounds. Taus is the Persian word for peacock. The Dilruba was made by Guru Gobind Singh at the request of his Sikhs. They wished for a smaller instrument, since the Taus was hard to carry and maintain, due to constant battles. After Japji Sahib, all of the shabd in the Guru Granth Sahib are written in raag. The shabd is typically played in accordance with that particular raag. This style of singing is known as Gurmat Sangeet.

When marching into battle, the Sikhs would use drumming to boost their morale and increase excitement. This was called the Ranjit Nagara (Drum of Victory). Nagaras are large war drums that make a thundering sound and measure about 2 to 3 feet in diameter; they are played with two sticks. The special or original Ranjit Nagara, used in past battles, are up to 5 feet across. The beat of the large drums usually meant that the army was marching into battle. They were also taken into the battle sometimes; the Sikhs would raise the Nishan Sahib high, and the opposing forces would know the Singhs were coming. While the Sikhs' spirit was being boosted, the opposing forces would lose morale.

Distribution[link]

Numbering approximately 27 million worldwide, Sikhs make up 0.39% of the world population, of which approximately 83% live in India. Approximately 76% of all Sikhs live in the northern Indian State of Punjab, where they form a majority (about two thirds) of the population. Substantial communities of Sikhs, i.e., greater than 200,000, live in the Indian States/Union territories of Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.

Sikh migration from the then British India began in earnest from the 2nd half of the 19th century when the British had completed their annexation of the Punjab. The British Raj preferentially recruited Sikhs in the Indian Civil Service and, in particular, the British Indian Army, which led to migration of Sikhs to different parts of British India and the British Empire. During the era of the British Raj, semiskilled Sikh artisans were also transported from the Punjab to British East Africa to help in the building of railways. After World War II, Sikhs emigrated from both India and Pakistan, most going to the United Kingdom but many also headed for North America. Some of the Sikhs who had settled in eastern Africa were expelled by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 1972. Subsequently the main 'push' factor for Sikh migration has been economic, with significant Sikh communities now being found in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, East Africa, Australia and Thailand. thumb|right|Map showing world Sikh population areas and historical migration patterns (Est. 2004). While the rate of Sikh migration from the Punjab has remained high, traditional patterns of Sikh migration that favoured English-speaking countries, particularly the United Kingdom, have changed in the past decade due to factors such as stricter immigration procedures. Moliner (2006) states that as a consequence of the 'fact' that Sikh migration to the UK had "become virtually impossible since the late 1970s", Sikh migration patterns altered to continental Europe. Italy has now emerged as a fast-growing area for Sikh migration, with Reggio Emilia and the Vicenza province being areas of significant Sikh population clusters. The Italian Sikhs are generally involved in agriculture, agro-processing, machine tools and horticulture.

Due primarily to socio-economic reasons, Indian Sikhs have the lowest adjusted decadal growth rate of any major religious group in India, at 16.9% per decade (est. 1991–2001). Johnson and Barrett(2004) estimate that the global Sikh population increases annually by 392,633 Sikhs, i.e., by 1.7% p.a. on 2004 figures, this growth rate takes into account factors such as births, deaths and conversions.

Representation[link]

Sikhs are represented in Indian politics by the current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is the head of the government (the nominal head is the President of India) and wields the supreme authority, including the nuclear button, and the Deputy Chairman of the Indian Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The current Chief-minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, is a Sikh. Past Sikh politicians in India have included former President Giani Zail Singh, India's first Foreign Minister Sardar Swaran Singh, Dr. Gurdial Singh Dhillon, Speaker of the Parliament of India. Pratap Singh Kairon, Union minister, Sikh Indian independence movement leader and former Chief-minister of Punjab (India).

Prominent politicians of the Sikh Diaspora include the first Asian American to be elected as a Member of United States Congress Dalip Singh Saund, the former mayoress of Dunedin Sukhi Turner, the current UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Parmjit Dhanda MP and the first couple to ever sit together in any parliament in the history of Commonwealth countries Gurmant Grewal and Nina Grewal, who sought apology by the Canadian Government for the historical Komagata Maru incident, and the Canadian Shadow Social Development Minister Ruby Dhalla MP. Vic Dhillon is a Sikh Canadian politician and current member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Ujjal Dosanjh was the New Democratic Party Premier of British Columbia from July 2004 until February 2005, and currently serves as a Liberal frontbench MP in Ottawa. In Malaysia, two Sikhs were elected as MPs during the 2008 general elections; Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor) and his son Gobind Singh Deo (Puchong). Two Sikhs were elected as assemblymen: Jagdeep Singh Deo (Datuk Keramat) and Keshvinder Singh (Malim Nawar).

Sikhs make up 10–15% of all ranks in the Indian Army and 20% of its officers, while Sikhs form only 1.87% of the Indian population, which makes them over 10 times more likely to be a soldier and officer in the Indian Army than the average Indian. The Sikh Regiment is one of the most highly decorated and is believed to be the most courageous, powerful and skilled regiment of the Indian Army, with 73 Battle Honours, 14 Victoria Crosses, 21 ''first class'' Indian Order of Merit ''(equivalent to the Victoria Cross)'', 15 Theatre Honours and 5 COAS Unit Citations besides 2 Param Vir Chakras, 14 Maha Vir Chakras, 5 Kirti Chakras, 67 Vir Chakras and 1596 other gallantry awards. The highest-ranking General in the history of the Indian Air Force is a Punjabi Sikh Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh. Advanced plans by the MOD to raise an Infantry UK Sikh Regiment were scrapped in June 2007 to the disappointment of the UK Sikh community and Prince Charles of Britain.

Historically, most Indians have been farmers, and even today 66% ''(two-thirds)'' of Indians are farmers. Indian Sikhs are no different and have been predominately employed in the agro-business; India's 2001 census found that 39% of the working population of Punjab were employed in this sector ''(less than the Indian average)''. The success, in the 1960s, of the Green Revolution, in which India went from "famine to plenty, from humiliation to dignity", was based in the Sikh-majority state of Punjab, which became known as "the breadbasket of India". The Sikh majority state of Punjab is also statistically the wealthiest ''(per capita)'', with the average Punjabi enjoying the highest income in India, 3 times the national Indian average. The Green Revolution centered upon Indian farmers adapting their farming methods to more intensive and mechanised techniques; this was aided by the electrification of Punjab, cooperative credit, consolidation of small holdings and the existing British Raj developed canal system. Swedish political scientist, Ishtiaq Ahmad, states that a factor in the success of the Indian green revolution transformation was the "Sikh cultivator, often the Jat, whose courage, perseverance, spirit of enterprise and muscle prowess proved crucial". However, not all aspects of the green revolution were beneficial; Indian physicist Vandana Shiva argues that the green revolution essentially rendered the "negative and destructive impacts of science [i.e. the green revolution] on nature and society" invisible; thus having been separated from their material and political roots in the science system, when new forms of scarcity and social conflict arose they were linked not to traditional causes but to other social systems e.g. religion. Hence Shiva argues that the green revolution was a catalyst for communal Punjabi Sikh and Hindu tensions; despite the growth in material affluence.

Punjabi Sikhs are prominent in varied professions, such as scientists, engineers and doctors; notable Punjabi Sikhs include nuclear scientist Professor Piara Singh Gill who worked on the Manhattan project; optics scientist ''("the father of fibre optics")'' Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany; physicist and science writer/broadcaster Simon Singh

In the sphere of business, the clothing retailers/brands of UK based New Look and Thai based JASPAL were started by Sikhs. India's largest pharmaceutical company, Ranbaxy Laboratories, is headed by Sikhs. UK Sikhs have the highest percentage of home ownership, 82%, out of all UK religious communities. UK Sikhs are the 2nd wealthiest (after the Jews) religious community in the UK, with a median total household wealth of £229, 000. In Singapore, Kartar Singh Thakral has built up his family's trading business, Thakral Holdings/Corp, into a commercial concern with total assets of close to $1.4 billion. Thakral is Singapore's 25th richest person. Bob Singh Dhillon, a Sikh, is the first Indo-Canadian billionaire. Perhaps no Sikh diaspora group has had as much success as those who migrated to North America, especially the Sikhs who migrated to California’s fertile Central Valley. The farming skills of the Sikhs and their willingness to work hard ensured that they rose from migrant labourers to become landowners who control much agriculture in California. American Sikh agriculturists such as Harbhajan Singh Samra and Didar Singh Bains dominate California agriculture and are known colloquially as the "Okra" and "Peach" kings respectively.

Prominent Sikh intellectuals, sportsmen and artists include the veteran writer Khushwant Singh, England cricketer Monty Panesar, former 400 m world record holder Milkha Singh, and Harbhajan Singh, India's most successful off spin Cricket bowler, actors Parminder Nagra, Namrata Singh Gujral, Archie Panjabi and director Gurinder Chadha.

The Sikhs have migrated to most parts of the world, and their vocations are as varied as their appearances. The Sikh community of the Indian subcontinent comprises many diverse sets of peoples, because the Sikh Gurus preached for ethnic and social harmony. These include different ethnic peoples, tribal and socio-economic groups. Main groupings (i.e., over 1,000 members) include: Ahluwalia, Arain, Arora, Bhatra, Bairagi, Bania, Basith, Bawaria, Bazigar, Bhabra, Chamar, Chhimba, Darzi, Dhobi, Gujar, Jatt, Jhinwar, Kahar, Kalal, Kamboj, Khatri, Kumhar, Labana, Lohar, Mahtam, Mazhabi, Megh, Mirasi, Mochi, Nai, Rajput, Ramgarhia, Saini, Sarera, Sikligar, Sunar, Sudh, Tarkhan and Zargar.

In India, the six largest ethnic groups among the Sikh population include:

Jatts at a population of 11,855,000

Mazhabis at 2,701,000

Tarkhans totaling 1,091,000

Rajputs numbering 769,000

Sainis totalling 661,400

Khatris totalling 290,000

The Ahluwalias, Gujjars, Jatts, Kambojs, Khatris, Lubanas, Lohars, Rajputs and Ramgarhias are related to each other and are of Indo-Scythian origin as well as mythological Aryan race origin.

There has also emerged a specialised group of Punjabi Sikhs calling themselves Akalis, which have existed since Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time. Under their leader General Akali Phula Singh in the early 19th century, they won many battles for the Sikh Empire.

Sikh paintings[link]

Sikh painting is a direct offshoot of the Kangra School of painting. In 1810 Maharaja Ranjeet Singh (1780–1839) occupied Kangra Fort and appointed Sardar Desa Singh Majithia as his Governor of the Punjab Hills. In 1813 the Sikh army occupied Haripur Guler and Raja Bhup Singh became a vassal of Sikh Power. With the Sikh Kingdom of Lahore becoming the paramount power, some of the Pahari painters from Guler migrated to Lahore to enjoy the patronage of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh and his Sardars.

The Sikh School of paintings is the adoption of the Kangra Kalam to Sikh needs and ideals. Its main subjects are the ten Sikh gurus and anecdotes from the Janam Sikh. The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, left a deep impression on the adherents of the new faith because of his unmatched bravery and unparalleled sacrifices. Hunting scenes and portraiture are also common in Sikh painting.

Digital library[link]

Launched in 2003 under Nanakshahi Trust, the Panjab Digital Library was a result of the early phase of the digital revolution in Punjab. While most saw the Nanakshahi as a small digitisation organisation, or as an assemblage of some unknown youth working towards capturing some manuscripts on their digital cameras, its founders saw it as a cornerstone of a fundamentally new approach to preserving Punjab’s heritage for future generations. In the shadow of search engines, a Semantic Web approach thought of in the early 2003 reached maturity in 2006. This was when the organisation planned to expand its operations from a mere three employee organisation to one of the leading NGO’s working in the field of digital preservation all over India.

Digitised collections include manuscripts held by the Punjab Languages Department, items from the Government Museum and Art Gallery Chandigarh, Chief Khalsa Diwan, SGPC, DSGMC and manuscripts in the Jawahr Lal Nehru Library of Kurukshetra University. It also include hundreds of personal collections. With over 5 million pages digitised it is the biggest repository of digital data on Punjab.

Sikhs in the Indian and British Armies[link]

By the advent of World War I, Sikhs in the British Indian Army totaled over 100,000, i.e. 20% of the British Indian Army. In the years to 1945, 14 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Sikhs, a per capita record given the size of the Sikh Regiments. In 2002, the names of all Sikh VC and George Cross winners were inscribed on the pavilion monument of the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill next to Buckingham palace, London. Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Singh Dhillon was instrumental in campaigning for the memorial building.

During World War I, Sikh battalions fought in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and France. Six battalions of the Sikh Regiment were raised in World War II, and served at El Alamein and in Burma, Italy and Iraq, winning 27 battle honours. Across the world, Sikhs are commemorated in Commonwealth cemeteries.

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Sikhism in the Western world[link]

As Sikhs wear turbans (although different from Middle Eastern turbans) and due to the relatively small number of Sikhs, there have been incidents of Sikhs in Western countries being mistaken for Middle Eastern Muslim men. This has led to mistaken attitudes and acts against Sikhs living in the West especially with respect to the 9/11 terrorist attack and recent Iraq War. Sikhs are neither Muslims nor from the Middle East. Sikhism is a religion of India. The roots of Sikhism lie in Punjab (India). Sikhs make up 60% to 70% of the total population of Punjab, which is the only region in the world where Sikhs are in the majority.

After the 11 September 2001 attacks, some people associated Sikhs with terrorists or members of the Taliban. A few days after the attack, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was gunned down by Frank Roque, who thought that the victim had ties to al-Qaeda. CNN suggested that there has been an increase in hate crimes against Sikh men in the United States and the UK following the 9/11 attack.

Sikhism has never actively sought converts; thus, the Sikhs have remained a relatively homogeneous group ethnically. However, mainly due to the activities of Harbhajan Singh Yogi via his Kundalini Yoga focused 3HO (Happy, Healthy, Holy) Organisation, Sikhism has witnessed a moderate growth in non-Indian adherents. In 1998 it was estimated that these 3HO Sikhs, known colloquially as ‘gora’ (ਗੋਰਾ) or ‘white’ Sikhs, totaled 7,800 and were mainly centered around Española, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. A law in Oregon was passed banning the wearing of turbans by teachers and government officials. Sikhs and the Council on Sikhi Swag worked together in successfully overturning the law.

In an attempt to foster strong Sikh leaders in the Western world, many youth initiatives have been begun by various organisations. For example, the Sikh Youth Alliance of North America annually organizes the Sikh Youth Symposium, a public speaking and debate competition held in gurdwaras around America and Canada.

Art and culture[link]

Sikh art and culture is synonymous with that of the Punjab region. The Punjab itself has been called India’s melting pot, due to the confluence of invading cultures, such as Greek, Mughal and Persian, that mirrors the confluence of rivers from which the region gets its name. Thus Sikh culture is to a large extent informed by this synthesis of cultures.

Sikhism has forged a unique form of architecture which Bhatti describes as being "inspired by Guru Nanak’s creative mysticism" such that Sikh architecture "is a mute harbinger of holistic humanism based on pragmatic spirituality". The reign of the Sikh Empire was the single biggest catalyst in creating a uniquely Sikh form of expression, with Maharajah Ranjit Singh patronising the building of forts, palaces, bungas (residential places), colleges, etc., that can be said to be of the ''Sikh Style''. Characteristics of Sikh architecture are gilded fluted domes, cupolas, kiosks and stone lanterns with an ornate balustrade on square roofs. The "jewel in the crown" of the ''Sikh Style'' is the Harmindar Sahib.

Sikh culture is heavily influenced by militaristic motifs, with Khanda being the most obvious; the majority of Sikh artifacts, independent of the relics of the Gurus, have a military theme. This motif is again evident in the Sikh festivals of Hola Mohalla and Vaisakhi, which feature marching and displays of valor respectively.

The art and culture of the Sikh diaspora has merged with that of other Indo-immigrant groups into categories such as 'British Asian', 'Indo-Canadian' and 'Desi-Culture'; however, there has emerged a niche cultural phenomenon that can be described as 'Political Sikh'. The art of prominent diaspora Sikhs such as Amarjeet Kaur Nandhra & Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh ('The Singh Twins'), is informed by their Sikhism and the current affairs of the Punjab.

Bhangra and the Giddha are two forms of indigenous Punjabi folk dancing that have been appropriated, adapted and pioneered by Punjabi Sikhs. The Punjabi Sikhs have championed these forms of expression all over the world, resulting in Sikh culture becoming inextricably linked to Bhangra, even though "Bhangra is not a Sikh institution but a Punjabi one."

Notable Sikhs in the modern era[link]

Abhinav Bindra – first Indian to win Olympic Gold medal individually (shooting)

Abtar singh cheema- sinar mas group

Ajit Saini – Punjabi author, journalist, Indian National Army veteran

Alexi Singh Grewal – first American to win an Olympic Gold Medal in cycling

Amarinder Singh – Punjab congress leader, former Chief Minister of Punjab

Amrita Shergil – Eminent Indian painter

Angela Saini – British science journalist and author

Ashbeer Saini – Indian junior golfer

M S Banga (Saini), Ex-CEO – Hindustan Lever, Director on Board- Maruti Suzuki India Limited

Ajay Banga (Saini), President & COO- Mastercard, Ex CEO- Citi Group- Asia Pacific

Jessie Singh Saini, founder of BJS Electronics and notable American industrialist of Indian decent

Gurbachan Singh Salaria (Saini), winner of the Param Vir Chakra

Arjan Singh – Marshal of the Indian Air Force, former Chief of the Air Force Staff

Baldev Singh – Indian independence movement leader, first Defence Minister of India

Baltej Singh Dhillon – first turbaned member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Baljeet Singh Saini - Indian hockey player and Olympian, Gold Medalist (Asian Games)

Balwant (Bal) Singh Saini, British hockey international player

Barjinder Singh Hamdard – Editor-in-Chief of newspaper ''Ajit'', novelist, ex-Rajya Sabha member

Bhagat Singh – Indian independence movement revolutionary leader and martyr

Bishan Singh Bedi – former Indian cricket captain

Bobby Deol: Bollywood Actor

Dara Singh – wrestler and Punjabi Bollywood actor

Dharam Singh Hayatpur – prominent member of the Babbar Akali Movement in India

Dharmendra Singh Deol: Bollywood Actor

Fauja Singh – 100-year-old Sikh marathon runner

Gurbaksh Chahal – American Punjabi entrepreneur and world's youngest self-made multimillionaire

Gurdas Maan – Punjabi writer, singer and actor

Gurdial Singh Dhillon – Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament)

Gurpareet Bains – chef, food writer, pioneer of the 'Indian Superfood' culinary concept

Harchand Singh Longowal – Sikh leader of non-violent movement for human rights and the rights of Punjab in the 1970s and 80s

Harbhajan Singh – Indian cricketer and India's first hat-trick bowler in Test matches

Harbhajan Singh Yogi – teacher of the holistic doctrine of Sikh teachings, founder of 3HO Foundation, peace activist

Hardeep Singh Kohli – Sikh writer, broadcaster and presenter from Scotland

Indarjit Singh – British journalist and broadcaster

Jagjit Singh – Indian ghazal singer

Jay Sean (real name: Kamaljit Singh Jhooti) – British singer/songwriter

Jeev Milkha Singh – golfer and son of Olympian Athlete Milkha Singh

Jinder Mahal (real name: Yuvraj Dhesi) – Professional wrestler for WWE

Joginder Jaswant Singh – Indian Army Chief of Army Staff

Kartar Singh Sarabha – Indian revolutionary executed in November 1915 for his role in the Ghadar Conspiracy

Karpal Singh – Malaysian prominent opposition leader (Democratic Action Party)

Khushwant Singh – Indian novelist and journalist, Punjabi

Kulbir Bhaura - British hockey player, Gold Medalist in Seoul Olympics 1988

Manjot Singh – Actor

Manmohan Singh – Prime Minister of India and economist

Milkha Singh ("the flying Sikh") – winner of Padma Shri, former 400 m track record holder, Gold medal (440 yards) at 1958 Commonwealth Games, Gold medal (200 and 400 m) at 1958 Asian Games and Gold medal (200 m) at 1962 Asian Games

Mohan Singh – owner and original franchise owner of Coca Cola, Delhi and builder/contractor

Mohan Singh Deb – founder of Indian National Army

Montek Singh Ahluwalia – economist, Chairman of Planning Commission, India

Monty Panesar – English cricketer

Narinder Singh Kapany – optics scientist and philanthropist

Neha Dhupia – Bollywood actress

Nikki Haley – Governor of South Carolina, a convert to Christianity but the daughter of Sikhs.

Parkash Singh Badal – Indian politician, current Chief Minister of Punjab

Piara Singh Gill – nuclear scientist

Pratap Singh Kairon – Sikh and Indian independence movement leader

Preet Bharara- U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Pritam Saini – Punjab historian and journalist

Ranj Dhaliwal (Randheer Singh Dhaliwal) – crime-fiction author from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Rabinder Singh QC, English Barrister and High Court of Justice Judge

Ravi Bopara – English cricketer

Sadhu Singh Hamdard – Punjabi journalist, founder of Ajit Group, Padma Shri

Sardar Swaran Singh – Indian politician, former cabinet minister

Sardar Hukam Singh – former speaker of Lok Sabha

Sardul Singh Caveeshar – Indian independence movement leader

Sardar Ujjal Singh – Indian politician, Governor of Tamil Nadu (1966–1971)

Satinder Sartaaj (Born as Satinder Pal Singh Saini) - Punjabi singer and poet

Snatam Kaur – American singer and songwriter

Sunny Deol – Bollywood actor

Swati Mia Saini – Forbes Video Network anchor/reporter

Tara Singh Malhotra – Sikh and Indian independence movement leader in the first half of the 20th century

Tarsame Singh Saini - British singer, composer and actor

Talvin Singh – British electronic musician and tabla player

Udham Singh - Freedom fighter during the British raj of India

Zail Singh – former Indian President

Sikhs in the military[link]

Bana Singh – awarded the Param Vir Chakra

Gian Singh – awarded the Victoria Cross

Lt.Col HARJIT SINGH SAJJAN-has become the first Sikh in Canada to take command of a British Columbia regiment. In a historic ceremony, a change of command in the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) took place on September 11, 2011, at the Beatty Street Armoury in Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada.

Harbaksh Singh – warrior, saved Srinagar 1947, won the Battle of Khemkaran defying orders from Gen. J. N. Chaudhary, repulsing a major Pakistani attack, 1965 war. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Vir Chakra.

Major General Hardev Singh Kler – Indian Army. Was one of few officers directly responsible for Indian victory in liberating Bangladesh.(awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for role in 1965 Indo-Pak war, and then Maha Vir Chakra in 1971 war. Notable for leading the Defence of KamalPur and the liberation of Jamalpur.

Ishar Singh – first Sikh to receive the Victoria Cross

Jagjit Singh Arora – supervised the surrender of more than 90,000 Pakistani personnel in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the 1971 India-Pakistan war

Gurmukh Singh Saini – awarded the Cross of St. George

Joginder Singh Sahnan – awarded Param Vir Chakra

Jagindar Singh Saini - Subedar-Major Jagindar Singh Saini, a Sikh officer from the Sappers, received the Indian Order of Merit and the Order of British India for 'conspicuous bravery' and 'striking leadership'; (See Battle of Loos)

Gurbachan Singh Salaria, winner of the Param Vir Chakra

Karamjeet Singh Judge – awarded the Victoria Cross

Karam Singh – awarded the Military Medal in World War II and awarded the Param Vir Chakra (the second person to receive the decoration)

Mohan Singh Deb – founder of the first Indian National Army in WW2

Nand Singh – awarded the Victoria Cross

Nanu Singh Saini, jagirdar and Sikh military commander

Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon – the only officer of the Indian Air Force to be awarded the Param Vir Chakra

Parkash Singh – awarded the Victoria Cross

Kartar Singh Taunque – awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, first air man of the Royal Indian Air Force to be decorated for gallantry

Uday Singh Taunque – awarded Purple Heart and Bronze Star, first Indian to die in Iraq War as part of the US Army

Paul Singh Pabla - In 2006, Sgt. Paul Singh Pabla of Fort Wayne, Indiana, another Sikh soldier serving in US Army laid down his life in Iraq and gained a posthumous Purple Heart.

Kuldip Singh Chandpuri- awarded Maha Vir Chakra for leading his company of consisting only 120 men against a strong 2000+ Pakistani force

References and notes[link]

Further reading[link]

''The Sikhs In History: A Millennium Study '' by Sangat Singh, Noel Quinton King. New York 1995. ISBN 81-900650-2-5

''A History of the Sikhs: Volume 1: 1469–1838'' by Khushwant Singh. Oxford India Paperbacks (13 January 2005). ISBN 0-19-567308-5

''The Sikhs'' by Patwant Singh. Image (17 July 2001). ISBN 0-385-50206-0

''The Sikhs of the Punjab'' by J. S. Grewal. Published by Cambridge University Press (28 October 1998). ISBN 0-521-63764-3.

''The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society'' by W.H. McLeod. Published by Columbia University Press (15 April 1989). ISBN 0-231-06815-8

''The Sikh Diaspora: Tradition and Change in an Immigrant Community (Asian Americans — Reconceptualizing Culture, History, Politics)'' by Michael Angelo. Published by Routledge (1 September 1997). ISBN 0-8153-2985-7

''Glory of Sikhism'' by R. M. Chopra, Sanbun Publishers, 2001, ISBN 783473-471195.

External links[link]

Sikhs.org — general resource site introducing the main concepts of Sikhism

The BBC page on Sikhism

SikhMuseum.com

SikhPhilosophy.net —An Interactive Resource on Sikh Philosophy

Sikhism Guide

Sikh Kara

All About Sikhs

Sri Granth — Guru Granth Sahib search engine with additional scriptural resources

Sikh-History.com

SikhNet — Sikh community website

About Sikhism

SikhsOnnet Comprehensive Sikh Information

Category:Punjabi words and phrases Category:Ethnoreligious groups Category:Ethno-cultural designations

az:Siqh bn:শিখ bg:Сикхи ca:Sikh ga:Saíceach gu:શીખ hi:सिख ml:സിഖ് nl:Sikh ja:シク教徒 ka:სიქები no:Sikher nn:Sikhar pa:ਸਿੱਖ pnb:سکھ ta:சீக்கியர்கள் ur:سکھ zh:锡克人

{{infobox musical artist |name	BOHEMIA |Img BOHEMIAthepunjabirapper.jpg |Background solo_singer |Birth name Roger David | birth_place Lahore, Punjab |Live California, USA |Location California, USA |Genre Desi Hip Hop / Rap |Years_active 2002–present. |Associated_acts Akshay Kumar, Pritam, Bally Sagoo, Malkit Singh, Mika Singh, Snoop Dogg |Label Universal Music Group Pvt. Ltd. India |URL Bohemia's Official Site }}

Known world wide as the creator of Punjabi rap music, Bohemia is a Pakistani American Punjabi rapper and a music producer from California, Bohemia quickly gained popularity in 2003 with his independent debut album, ''‘Vich Pardesan De (In The Foreign Land)’'' which hit the Top 10 on BBC Radio 1 UK. The following album, ''‘Pesa Nasha Pyar’'', became the first full-length Punjabi-rap album released by a major label in history. It brought Bohemia increased popularity, including his recent multi-record deal with music mogul Universal Music Group Pvt. Ltd. India. It also brought his creation of ''Punjabi rap'' to mainstream recognition making Bohemia known as pioneer of a new genre of music: ''Desi-Hip-Hop'' or ''Desi-rap''. In 2006 ''‘Pesa Nasha Pyar’'' hits #2 on Maxim magazine’s Top 10 downloads, and #3 on Planet M chart. Bohemia appears in XXL magazine New York. He enters Bollywood in 2009 with the title track for Warner Bros. feature film ''‘Chandni Chowk to China’'', Bohemia appeared in the film with Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone.. He most recently lends his voice for the film Desi Boyz. Bohemia raps to set the scene for Sanjay Dutt's cameo along with, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Chitrangda Singh . ''‘Da Rap Star’'', his third album receives 4 nominations at the UK Asian music awards and PTC Punjabi music awards, including ''‘Best Punjabi Album’'' and ''‘Best Music Director’''. ''‘Da Rap Star’'' also remains #1 on Planet M chart India for several weeks. Bohemia then went on touring for the rest of 2009 performing all over Europe, Asia and America. He has appeared on many of Universal India’s mega-compilations including ''"The Chart busters"'' where he appears on three tracks. Universal called this compilation ''The biggest hits in Punjabi on one massive album!'' Bohemia is one of the best-selling artists of the year, making him the flagship artist of Universal Music Group India.

Bohemia was ranked 25th on Desiclub.com’s list of the ''50 Coolest Desis''. ''“Ek Tera Pyar”'', his second single from ''‘Da Rap Star’'' entered the B4U Top 10 chart, becoming the first none film track to do so. Bohemia was amongst the top 100 most searched Asian artists on yahoo.com. He has been featured on over 30 major label compilations and collaborations to date.

Bohemia is #3 on the Top 15 Desi Artists of the Decade. "This list is like no other" says Urban Desi radio. The list features artists that came onto the urban Desi scene and changed it forever. He is currently preparing his 4th solo studio album for a release in 2012.

Bohemia Biography[link]

Born in Lahore Pakistan, he moved to the United States during his teen years. He started learning music at a very young age from his father. He started writing Punjabi poetry around then as well. After moving to San Francisco Bay Area California, USA at about 14 years of age, Bohemia was introduced to America that was much the opposite of palm trees and green grass. The town was infested with drugs and violence. About a year later being in the states, he lost his mother to cancer. At that time, Bohemia left home and survived as a local musician. He started working as a instrument|keyboard]] player/music arranger while living at local studios with other musicians. After a few years of success, the local group of musicians fell apart and Bohemia left to pursue music on his own. Bohemia soon started putting his poetry to the music he composed and gave birth to a new genre of music. He is now the most successful Punjabi rappers of all time. His music has changed the Desi music scene forever and has spread all over the world. A number of up and coming artists consider Bohemia as there biggest inspiration as they embrace the genre of Urdu/Punjabi Rap. Bohemia has mentioned numerous times in his interview that he does not belong to any cultures, or represent any religions. He considers himself to be someone who came from the streets, struggled with the world, and made it to where most people die before reaching.

Making of a Pioneer[link]

About Bohemia the Punjabi rapper. The term ''“Bohemia”'' suggests flouting traditional mores. And rap is all about personal angst or feelings. So what is Bohemia the man all about? “Well, I lost my mom when I was just 14 or 15, and I was quite a momma’s boy. That made me mad and I was kind of pushed into negative things. I have to thank God for music, for that’s what finally made me wake up and gave a reason to live. Dad played the harmonium and I learned the keyboard.”

He goes on, “When we moved to the U.S., and after losing my mom, I left home. I was virtually living in recording studios and sleeping in cars. And when a friend of mine who was also a musician was murdered and replaced by another musician just as easily as if he was a broken instrument, I was mad again. I told the studio engineer that I was through with being a keyboard player who could go into anonymity if he died tomorrow. I wanted to leave my own music behind”.

Bohemia’s first album was ''Vich Pardesan De'' 2003, which was about coming to a foreign land. Hip Hop was then limited to the underground. But with this album, he pioneered Punjabi rap. Then came ''Pesa Nasha Pyar'' (Money, Intoxication, Love) 2006, the first-ever full-length Desi rap album to be released worldwide on a major music label (Universal Music Group).

''Da Rap Star'', his new album he says, “is all me, without any samples used other than my tribute track to Malkit Singh. I am showing off how good a producer I am! I have played all the instruments keyboards, drums and did all the sequencing. There are tracks that describe my journey. To sum up, it’s me saying, ‘I’m me! Look, I’m still here!’”

Through his experiences, come raw raps depicting not just California street life, but a life many south Asians lead in America. Bohemia looks up to artists such as late Jagjit Singh and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and rapper's like Nas and KRS-One.

After having burnt up music charts with his Bollywood songs, Bohemia's highly awaited album ''Da Rap Star'' has finally released. ''Da Rap Star'', written and produced entirely by Bohemia hit #1 on the Planet M chart India and is nominated as the ''Best Punjabi Album'' at the UK Asian music awards.

Bohemia India Tour 2011[link]

A game-changing musician and an impervious artist, Bohemia started his career as a near-novelty, a Desi teenager from California, delivering, hardcore rap music, a style of music which was unheard of at the time. But within a few years he has pretty much reinventing the Desi pop music scene and influenced not only youth to start rhyming Punjabi lyrics to hip-hop beats, but the Bollywood superstars as well. According to press releases and twitter updates, Bohemia is currently visiting India for a month and a half long tour. The tour started March 11th. in Delhi with Bohemia headlining at Amity International University and will take Bohemia through Delhi with events planned in Mumbai and Punjab as well. The tour is being handled by YS Events, Bohemia's official management for the past two years in the South Asian countries.

Bohemia India Tour 2012[link]

"The New year's Eve bash at The Parkland Retreat New Delhi saw a power packed performance by international Punjabi sensation Bohemia, with over 1000 fans who were left asking for more. The crowd, which comprised mostly youngsters was seen grooving to the foot-tapping music at the Magic Moments Remix Night, which went on well into the wee hours with guests in no mood to return". HTC

Bohemia Confilict and Controversy[link]

Bohemia's music shakes Bollywood producers[link]

Anu Malik, Pritam even Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy upset when Bohemia composed music for Chandni Chowk to China. According to Times of India,"... a source said, There is no denying that Bohemia give good music but it is unfair to the music directors of the films if any other group is asked to compose music at the eleventh hour. Anu and Pritam's annoyance is justified. Even Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy were miffed when Bohemia composed music for Chandni Chowk to China, but they let it pass..."

Bohemia and Bally Sagoo[link]

Chandigarh, Nov 28 2010 (IANS) Calling Britain-based musician Bally Sagoo a 'joker', American Punjabi rapper Bohemia Sunday accused him of taking undue advantage of his popularity and making wrong statements in the media.

Bohemia was visibly irritated with the recent statement of Bally in which he had claimed to bring the rapper into the limelight.

'It is wrong to say that Bally Sagoo brought me to the limelight. I am here only because of my own talent and creativity. In fact Bally used me to gain audiences and to create hype during his own shows. He is telling a lie. He is not a musician or a lyricist, he has not even written a single line till date,' said Bohemia, while talking to reporters here Sunday.

'But yes, he brought musicians from different countries to the forefront. Bally had money and he could do this. But I was only 16 when I left my home. I had no money and I was on the streets but today I am charging three times money as compared to Bally for a show.'

Bohemia was in this union territory to perform on the concluding day of the three-day Chandigarh carnival Sunday evening

'Bally is a joker, he wanted to use me as hype. He never made music and people like him are always afraid of me. Initially, I thought all of them were like me but nobody can compare me with them,' Bohemia said.

'I scrapped my relations with Bally during a show in the US. I was just over with my power-packed performance in which I had actually screamed my heart out. Immediately after it, Bali wanted me to go on stage because he was not confident about his own performance. I refused and ended my relationship with him.'

The controversy increased when Bohemia also condemned the Universal Music Group Pvt. Ltd. India.

'Universal music also tells people that they have made Bohemia, it is again wrong. I cannot give any credit to Bally or to Universal. I have 100 percent rights on my music, concept and lyrics; even the graphics and fonts on the CD cover are also decided by me. I only needed them to distribute my music,' Bohemia said.

Bohemia's Albums[link]

2002: Vich Pardesian De (In the foreign lands)

2006: Pesa Nasha Pyar (Money Addiction Love) UMG India Pvt. Ltd.

2009: Da Rap Star UMG India Pvt. Ltd. (Nominated for 4 Int'l Music Awards)

Bohemia in Bollywood[link]

Chandi Chowk to China

Bohemia wrote and produced the title track for Warner Bros. Chandni Chowk to China is a Hindi film directed by Nikhil Advani. Bohemia appears in the film for the title track along with stars Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone. The soundtrack of CC2C was launched by T-Series known as the #1 music company of India.

8 x 10 Tasveer

Akshay teams up with Bohemia for a song in 8 x 10 Tasveer of Percept Picture Company, says, ''"...Bohemia is a very popular rap artist and we are very happy that he has given his music for our film. The Name Of the Song is "I got the picture"''8 x 10 Tasveer, starring Julian S. Low, Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Javed Jaffrey, and Anant Mahadevan is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The music for the film 8 x 10 Tasveer is launched by T-Series.

Speedy Singhs

Speedy Singhs (also known as Breakaway) is an 2011 Sports film directed by Robert Lieberman, starring Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Camilla Belle, and Anupam Kher. Akshay Kumar, Drake ,and Ludacris make cameo appearances. The film is produced by Paul Gross and Akshay Kumar.

Desi Boyz

In Desi Boyz, Bohemia raps to set the scene for Sanjay Dutt's cameo as he walks in the courtroom. Film also stars Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Chitrangda Singh. Music by Pritam.

References[link]

External links[link]

Official Website

/ Bohemia at Universal Music Group

Bohemia on Twitter

Bohemia on Facebook

Bohemia on Youtube

Official Website

Category:American people of Pakistani descent Category:Punjabi music Category:People from Oakland, California Category:Living people Category:Pakistani rappers Category:Rappers from California Category:Punjabi people Category:American rappers of Asian descent

name	Sajjan Kumar
birth date	September 23, 1945
birth place	Delhi
residence	New Delhi
constituency	Outer Delhi
office	MP
party	INC
spouse	Ram Kumar
date	September 16 |
year	2006 |
source	}}

Sajjan Kumar (born 23 September 1945) is an Indian politician belonging to the ruling Indian National Congress party. He was a member of 14th Lok Sabha representing Outer Delhi constituency.

In 1977, sworn as Delhi Councillor by prominent social activist Guru Radha Kishan, congressman Sajjan Kumar is a mass leader of high following in Delhi. He was first elected to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 1977 when only few congressman were able to manage a win in Delhi. Sajjan Kumar is one of the prime accused in the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots. Eye-witnesses have testified how Sajjan Kumar incited mobs to kill Sikhs in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination. In 2012, the Central Bureau of Investigation prosecutor told a Delhi court that riots targeting the Sikhs had the "patronage" of Sajjan Kumar.

References[link]

External links[link]

Official Website

Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Indian politicians Category:Indian National Congress politicians Category:People from Delhi Category:14th Lok Sabha members

Name	Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Order	19th
Office	Governor of Texas
Term start	1887
Term end	1891
Lieutenant	Thomas Benton Wheeler
Predecessor	John Ireland
Successor	Jim Hogg
Birth date	September 27, 1838
Birth place	Bentonsport, Iowa Territory
Death date	January 03, 1898
Death place	Brazos County, Texas
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Tinsley
Profession	Farmer, Soldier, Governor of Texas, Texas A&M; University President
Portrait	in the Texas Capitol Building
Signature	Lawrence Sullivan Ross Signature.svg }}

Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (September 27, 1838January 3, 1898) was the 19th Governor of Texas (USA), a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M; University.

Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, which was later annexed to the United States. Much of his childhood was spent on the frontier where his family founded the town of Waco. As a teenager, Ross attended Baylor University and Florence Wesleyan University. On one of his summer breaks he suffered severe injuries while fighting renegade Comanches. After graduation Ross joined the Texas Rangers, and in 1860 led troops in the Battle of Pease River, where he rescued Cynthia Ann Parker, who had been captured by the Comanches as a child.

When Texas seceded from the United States and joined the Confederacy, Ross joined the Confederate States Army. He participated in 135 battles and skirmishes and became one of the youngest Confederate generals. Following the Civil War, Ross briefly served as sheriff of McLennan County before resigning to participate in the 1875 Texas Constitutional Convention. With the exception of a two-year term as a state senator, Ross spent the next decade focused on his farm and ranch concerns. In 1887, he became the 19th governor of Texas. During his two terms, he oversaw the dedication of the new Texas State Capitol, resolved the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, and became the only Texas governor to call a special session to deal with a treasury surplus.

Despite his popularity, Ross refused to run for a third term as governor. Days after leaving office, he became president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M; University). He is credited with saving the school from closure, and his tenure saw a large expansion in college facilities and the birth of many school traditions. After his death, the Texas legislature created Sul Ross State University in his honor.

Early years[link]

Lawrence Sullivan Ross was born on September 27, 1838 in Bentonsport, Iowa Territory. He was the fourth child and second son of Shapley Prince Ross and Catherine Fulkerson, the daughter of Missouri legislator Isaac Fulkerson. Ross was jointly named for his paternal uncle, Giles O. Sullivan, and his father's grandfather and brother, both named Lawrence Ross. The senior Lawrence Ross had been captured by Native Americans as a child, and lived with them from the time he was six years old until he was rescued at 23. To differentiate Ross from his uncle and great-grandfather, he was called "Little Sul" when he was a child, and later "Sul."

Shortly after Ross's birth, his parents sold their Iowa property and returned to Missouri to escape Iowa's cold weather. In 1839, the family moved to the Republic of Texas, where they settled in the Robertson Colony on the lower Brazos River. Two years later, they joined seven other families under Captain Daniel Monroe and settled near present-day Cameron, where they received 640 acres (260 ha) of land along the Little River. Their land adjoined Comanche territory and was raided several times.

In 1845, the family moved to Austin so Ross and his older siblings could attend school. Four years later, they relocated again. By this time Shapley Ross was well known as a frontiersman, and to coax him to settle in the newly formed community of Waco, the family was given four city lots, exclusive rights to operate a ferry across the Brazos River, and the right to buy of farmland at US$1 per acre. In March 1849, the Ross family built the first house in Waco, a double-log cabin on a bluff overlooking the springs. Ross's sister Kate soon became the first Caucasian child born in Waco.

Eager to further his education, Ross entered the Preparatory Department at Baylor University (then in Independence, Texas) in 1856, despite the fact that he was several years older than most of the other students. He completed the two-year study course in one year. Following his graduation, he enrolled at Wesleyan University in Florence, Alabama. The Wesleyan faculty originally deemed his mathematics knowledge so lacking that they refused his admittance; the decision was rescinded after a professor agreed to tutor Ross privately in the subject. At Wesleyan, students lived with prominent families instead of congregating in dormitories, thus giving them "daily exposure to good manners and refinement". Ross lived with the family of his tutor.

Wichita Village fight[link]

During the summer of 1858, Ross returned to Texas and journeyed to the Brazos Indian Reserve, where his father served as Indian Agent. The United States Army had conscripted Indians from the reserve to help the "Wichita Expedition" of 2nd Cavalry in a search for Buffalo Hump, a Penateka Comanche chief who had led several deadly raids on Texas settlements. Fearing that Shapley Ross was too ill to command them on the expedition, the Indians named Sul Ross their new war chief. With his father's approval, the younger Ross led the 135 warriors to accompany 225 troops led by brevet Major Earl Van Dorn. Ross was given the courtesy title of "Captain" during his command.

Native scouts found approximately 500 Comanches, including Buffalo Hump, camped outside a Wichita village in Indian Territory. Early in the battle, Ross and his men successfully stampeded the Comanche horses, leaving the Comanche warriors at a disadvantage when facing the mounted troops. When many Comanche tried to flee the area, Ross, one of his scouts, Lieutenant Cornelius Van Camp of the 2nd Cavalry and one of his troopers chased a party of noncombatants that appeared to contain a white child. On Ross's orders, his man grabbed the child; as the four turned to rejoin the battle, they were confronted by 25 Comanche warriors. Van Camp and the private were killed with arrows, and Ross received an arrow through his shoulder. A Comanche picked up the trooper's carbine and fired a 0.58 caliber bullet through Ross's chest. His attacker, Mohee, was a Comanche brave Ross had known since childhood. Mohee was killed by buckshot fired by Lieutenant James Majors of the 2nd Cavalry as the warrior approached the temporarily paralyzed Ross with a scalping knife.

After five hours of fighting, the troops subdued the Comanche resistance. Buffalo Hump escaped, but seventy Comanches were killed or mortally wounded, only two of them noncombatants. Ross's injuries were severe, and for five days he lay under a tree on the battlefield, unable to be moved. His wounds became infected, and Ross begged the others to kill him to end his pain. When he was able to travel, he was first carried on a litter suspended between two mules, and then on the shoulders of his men. He recovered fully, but experienced some pain for much of the rest of the year.

In his written report, Van Dorn praised Ross highly. The ''Dallas Herald'' printed the report on October 10, and other state newspapers also praised Ross's bravery. General Winfield Scott learned of Ross's role and offered him a direct commission in the Army. Eager to finish his education, Ross declined Scott's offer and returned to school in Alabama.

The following year, Ross graduated from Wesleyan with a Bachelor of Arts and returned to Texas. Once there, he discovered that no one had been able to trace the family of the young Caucasian girl rescued during the Wichita Village fight. He adopted the child and named her Lizzie Ross, in honor of his new fiancée, Lizzie Tinsley.

Texas Rangers[link]

Enlistment[link]

In early 1860, Ross enlisted in Captain J. M. Smith's Waco company of Texas Rangers, which formed to fight the renegade Native Americans. Smith appointed Ross his second lieutenant. When Smith was promoted, the other men in the company unanimously voted to make Ross the new captain. In conjunction with several other Ranger companies, Ross led his men to retaliate against a Kickapoo tribe which had murdered two white families. The tribe had been warned of the Rangers' approach and set the prairie ablaze. The Rangers were forced to abandon their mission when confronted with the massive wildfire.

Smith disbanded Ross's company in early September 1860. Within a week, Governor Sam Houston authorized Ross to raise his own company of to protect the settlements near Belknap from Native American attacks. Ross and his men arrived at Fort Belknap on October 17, 1860 to find that the local citizens they were sworn to protect had passed a resolution asking Ross to resign his commission and leave the frontier. The citizens erroneously believed that the raiding was committed by Native Americans from the reservations, and they feared that Ross's friendship with those on the reservations would make him ineffective.

Battle of Pease River[link]

In late October and November 1860, Comanches led by Peta Nocona conducted numerous raids on various settlements, culminating in the brutal killing of a pregnant woman. On hearing of these incidents, Houston sent several 25-men companies to assist Ross. A citizen's posse had tracked the raiders to their winter village along the Pease River. As the village contained at least 500 warriors and many women and children, the posse returned to the settlements to recruit additional fighters. Ross requested help from the U.S. Army at Camp Cooper, which sent 21 troops.

Immediately after the soldiers arrived on December 11, Ross and 39 Rangers departed for the Comanche village. On December 13 they met the civilian posse, which had grown to 69 members. After several days of travel, the fast pace and poor foraging forced the civilians to stop and rest their horses. The Rangers and soldiers continued on. When they neared the village, Ross personally scouted ahead. Hidden from view by a dust storm, he was able to get within of the village and saw signs that the tribe was preparing to move on. Realizing that his own horses were too tired for a long pursuit, Ross resolved to attack immediately, before the civilians were able to rejoin the group. Ross lead the Rangers down the ridge, while the soldiers circled around to cut off the Comanche retreat.

After fierce fighting, the Comanches fled. Ross and several of his men pursued the chief and a second, unknown, rider. As the Rangers neared, the second rider slowed and held a child over her head; the men did not shoot, but instead surrounded and stopped her. Ross continued to follow the chief, eventually shooting him three times. The chief refused to surrender, even after falling from his horse. Ross's cook, Anton Martinez, who had been a captive in Nocona's band, identified the fallen chief as Nocona. With Ross's permission, Martinez fired the shot that took Nocona's life. Nocona was the only Comanche male to die in the fighting; thirteen Comanche women were also killed. Ross's men suffered no casualties. The civilian posse arrived at the battleground as the fighting finished. Although they initially congratulated Ross for winning the battle, some of them later complained that Ross had pushed ahead without them so that he would not have to share the glory or the spoils of war.

When Ross arrived back at the campground, he realized that the captured woman had blue eyes. The woman could not speak English and did not remember her birth name or details of her life prior to joining the Comanche. After much questioning, she was able to provide a few details of her capture as a child. The details matched what Ross knew of the 1836 Fort Parker Massacre, so he summoned Colonel Isaac Parker to identify her. When Parker mentioned that his kidnapped niece had been named Cynthia Ann Parker, the woman slapped her chest and said "Me Cincee Ann." Parker never returned to the Comanche people, but was not happy to have been rescued by Ross.

In contrast, Ross's intervention was welcomed by a nine-year-old Indian boy found hiding alone in the tall grass. Ross took the child with him, naming him Pease. Though Pease was later given the choice to return to his people, he refused and was raised by Ross.

The Battle of Pease River cemented Ross's fame. His "aggressive tactics of carrying the war to the Comanche fireside, (as it had long been carried to that of the white) ended charges of softness in dealing with the Indians." After Ross's death, however, Nocona's son Quanah Parker maintained that his father was not present at the battle, and instead died three or four years later. Quanah Parker identified the man Martinez shot as a Mexican captive who was the personal servant of Nocona's wife, Cynthia Ann Parker.

Resignation[link]

When Ross returned home, Houston asked him to disband the company and form a new company of 83 men, promising to send written directives soon. While Ross was in the process of supervising this reorganization, Houston appointed Captain William C. Dalrymple as his new aide-de-camp with overall command of the Texas Rangers. Dalrymple, unaware of Houston's verbal orders, castigated Ross for disbanding his company. Ross completed the reorganization of the company, then returned to Waco and resigned his commission. In his letter of resignation, effective February 1861, Ross informed Houston of his encounter with Dalrymple, and noted that he did not believe a Ranger company could be effective if the captain did not report solely to the Governor. Houston offered to appoint Ross as an aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel, but Ross refused.

Civil War service[link]

Enlistment[link]

In early 1861, after Texas voted to secede from the United States and join the Confederacy, Ross's brother Peter began recruiting men for a new military company. Shortly after Ross enlisted in his brother's company as a private, Governor Edward Clark requested that he instead proceed immediately to Indian Territory to negotiate treaties with the Five Civilized Tribes so that they would not help the Union Army. One week after his May 28 wedding to Lizzie Tinsley, Ross set out for Indian Territory. Upon reaching the Washita Agency, he discovered that Confederate commissioners had already signed a preliminary treaty with the tribes.

Ross returned home for several months. In the middle of August he departed, with his company, for Missouri, leaving his wife with her parents. On September 7, his group became Company G of Stone's Regiment, later known as the Sixth Texas Cavalry. The other men elected Ross the major for the regiment. Twice in November 1861 Ross was chosen by General McCulloch, with whom he had served in the Texas Rangers, to lead a scouting force near Springfield, Missouri. Both times, Ross successfully slipped behind the Union Army lines, gathered information, and retreated before being caught. After completing the missions, he was granted a 60-day leave and returned home to visit his wife.

Active duty[link]

In early 1862, Ross returned to duty. By late February, he and 500 troops were assigned to raid the Union Army. He led the group behind the enemy lines, where they gathered intelligence, destroyed several wagonloads of commissary supplies, captured 60 horses and mules, and took 11 prisoners. The following month, the regiment was assigned to Earl Van Dorn, now a Major General, with whom Ross had served during the battle at the Wichita Village. Under Van Dorn, the group suffered a defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge; Ross attributed their loss solely to Van Dorn, and blamed him for over-marching and underfeeding his troops, and for failing to properly coordinate the plan of attack. In April, the group was sent to Des Arc, Arkansas. Because of the scarcity of forage, Ross's cavalry troop was ordered to dismount and send their horses back to Texas. The unit, now on foot, travelled to Memphis, Tennessee, arriving two weeks after the Battle of Shiloh. Ross soon caught a bad cold accompanied by a lingering fever, and was extremely ill for eight weeks. By the time he considered himself cured, his weight had dwindled to only 125 lb (57 kg).

Over Ross's protests, the men of the Sixth Regiment elected him colonel in 1862. He did not want the responsibility of the position and had not wanted to embarrass a friend who wanted the job. Their brigade commander, General Charles W. Phifer, was often absent, leaving Ross in charge. Ross's actions impressed other officers, and several times during the summer of 1862 he was nominated for promotion to brigadier general. Although he was not promoted at that time, his unit was the only one of the 8–10 dismounted cavalry units in the area to be promised the return of their horses.

While still afoot, Ross and his men participated in the Battle of Corinth. Under Ross's command, his Texans twice captured Union guns at Battery Robinett. They were forced to retreat from their position each time as reinforcements failed to arrive. During the battle, Ross, who had acquired a horse, was bucked off, leading his men to believe he had been killed. He was actually unharmed. The Confederate Army retreated from the battle and found themselves facing more Union troops at Hatchie's Bridge. Ross led 700 riflemen to engage the Union troops. For three hours, his men held off 7,000 Union troops, repulsing three major enemy assaults.

The Sixth Cavalry's horses arrived soon after the battle, and the regiment was transferred to the cavalry brigade of Colonel William H. "Red" Jackson. Ross was permitted to take a few weeks leave in November 1862 to visit his wife, and returned to his regiment in mid-January 1863. Several months later, his unit participated in the Battle of Thompson's Station. In July, Major General Stephen D. Lee joined the Sixth Texas Cavalry with Colonel R.A. Pinson's First Mississippi Cavalry, creating a new brigade with Ross at the helm. Near the same time, Ross received word that his first child had died, possibly stillborn.

Ross fell ill again in September 1863. From September 27 through March 1864, he suffered recurring attacks of fever and chills every three days, symptomatic of tertian malaria. Despite his illness, Ross never missed a day of duty, and in early 1864 he was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the ninth-youngest general officer of the Confederate Army. Following his promotion, unit morale improved, and every one of his men re-enlisted.

In March 1864, Ross's brigade fought against African American soldiers for the first time at Yazoo City, Mississippi. After bitter fighting, the Confederates were victorious. During the surrender negotiations, the Union officer accused the Texans of murdering several captured African American soldiers. Ross claimed that two of his men had likewise been killed after surrendering to Union troops.

Beginning in May, the brigade endured 112 consecutive days of skirmishes, comprising 86 separate clashes with the enemy. Though most of the skirmishes were small, by the end of the period injuries and desertion had cut the regiment's strength by 25%. Ross was captured in late July at the Battle of Brown's Mill, but was quickly rescued by a successful Confederate cavalry counterattack.

Their last major military campaign was the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of November and December 1864. Ross and his men led the Confederate advance into Tennessee. Between the beginning of November and December 27, his men captured 550 prisoners, several hundred horses, and enough overcoats and blankets to survive the winter chill. Only 12 of Ross's men were killed, with 70 wounded and 5 captured.

Surrender[link]

By the time Ross began a 90-day furlough on March 13, 1865, he had participated in 135 engagements with the enemy and his horse had been shot out from under him five times, yet he had escaped serious injury. With his leave approved, Ross hurried home to Texas to visit the wife he had not seen in two years. While at home, the Confederate Army began its surrender. He had not rejoined his regiment when it surrendered in Jackson, Mississippi on May 14, 1865. Because he was not present at the surrender, Ross did not receive a parole protecting him from arrest. As a Confederate Army officer over the rank of colonel, Ross was also exempted from President Andrew Johnson's amnesty proclamation of May 29, 1865. To prevent his arrest and the confiscation of his property, on August 4, 1865, Ross applied for a special pardon for his treason against the United States. Johnson personally approved Ross's application on October 22, 1866, but Ross did not receive and formally accept the pardon until July 1867.

Farming and early public service[link]

When the Civil War ended, Ross was just 26 years old. He owned of farmland along the South Bosque River west of Waco, and in town. For the first time, he and his wife were able to establish their own home. They expanded their family having eight children over the next seventeen years. :{| class="wikitable" |- |Mervin |born January 2, 1866 |died 1883 |- |Lawrence Sullivan, Jr. |born July 25, 1868 |- |Florine |born October 3, 1870 |- |Harvey |born March 5, 1873 |- |Frank |born April 27, 1875 |- |Elizabeth |born April 24, 1878 |- |James Tinsley |born December 30, 1880 |died 1881 |- |Neville P. |born March 23, 1882 |}

Despite his federal pardon for being a Confederate general, Ross was disqualified from voting and serving as a juror by the first Reconstruction Act of March 2, 1867. This act, and the Supplementary Reconstruction Act passed three weeks later, disenfranchised anyone who had held a federal or state office before supporting the Confederacy.

Reconstruction did not harm Ross's fortune, and with hard work he soon prospered. Shortly after the war ended, he bought of land in town from his parents for $1,500. By May 1869 he had purchased an additional of farmland for $400, and the following year his wife inherited of farmland from the estate of her father. Ross continued to buy land, and by the end of 1875 he owned over of farmland. Besides farming, Ross and his brother Peter also raised Shorthorn cattle. The two led several trail drives to New Orleans. The combined farming and ranching incomes left Ross wealthy enough to build a house in the Waco city limits and to send his children to private school.

By 1873, Reconstruction in Texas was coming to an end. In December, Ross was elected sheriff of McLennan County, "without campaigning or other solicitation". Ross promptly named his brother Peter a deputy, and within 2 years they had arrested over 700 outlaws. In 1874, Ross helped establish the Sheriff's Association of Texas. After various state newspapers publicized the event, sheriffs representing 65 Texas counties met in Corsicana in August 1874. Ross became one of a committee of three assigned to draft resolutions for the convention. They asked for greater pay for sheriffs in certain circumstances, condemned the spirit of mob law, and proposed that state law be modified so that arresting officers could use force if necessary to "compel the criminal to obey the mandates of the law."

Ross resigned as sheriff in 1875 and was soon elected as a delegate to the 1875 Texas Constitutional Convention. One of three members appointed to wait upon convention president-elect E.B. Pickett, Ross was also named to a committee that would determine what officers and employees were needed by the convention. He sat on many other committees, including Revenue and Taxation, the Select Committee on Frontier Affairs, the Select Committee on Education, and the Standing Committee on the Legislative Department. Of the 68 days of the convention, Ross attended 63, voted 343 times, and missed or abstained from voting only 66 times.

When the convention concluded, Ross returned home and spent the next four years focusing on his farm. In 1880, he became an accidental candidate for Texas State Senator from the 22nd District. The nominating convention deadlocked between two candidates, with neither receiving a two-thirds majority. As a compromise, one of the delegates suggested that the group nominate Ross. Although no one asked Ross whether he wanted to run for office, the delegates elected him as their candidate. He agreed to the nomination in order to spare the trouble and expense of another convention.

Ross won the election with a large majority. Shortly after his arrival in Austin, his youngest son died. Ross returned home for a week to attend the funeral and help care for another son who was seriously ill. On returning to the state capital, he was assigned to the committees for Educational Affairs, Internal Improvements, Finance, Penitentiaries, Military Affairs (where he served as chairman), State Affairs, Contingent Expenses, Stock and Stock Raising, Agricultural Affairs, and Enrolled Bills. Ross introduced a petition on behalf of 500 citizens of McLennan County, requesting that a prohibition amendment be placed on the next statewide ballot; the legislature did agree to place this on the next ballot.

Although the Texas Legislature typically meets once every two years, a fire destroyed the state capitol building in November 1881 and Ross was called to serve in a special session in April 1882. The session agreed to build a new capitol building. Near the end of the special session, the Senate passed a reapportionment bill, which reduced Ross's four-year term to only two years. He declined to run again.

Governor[link]

Election[link]

As early as 1884, Ross's friends, including Victor M. Rose, the editor of the newspaper in Victoria, had encouraged Ross to run for governor. He declined and asked his friend George Clark to attend the 1884 state Democratic convention to prevent Ross from being named the gubernatorial candidate. Clark had to produce written authorization from Ross to convince the delegates to nominate someone else. Ross changed his mind in late 1885, announcing his candidacy for governor on February 25, 1886. During the campaign he was variously accused of pandering to the Greenbackers, the Republicans, and the Knights. Ross spent no money on his campaign other than traveling expenses but still handily won the Democratic nomination. He won the general election with 228,776 votes, compared with 65,236 for the Republican candidate and 19,186 from the Prohibitionist candidate. Much of his support came from Confederate veterans.

Ross became the 19th governor of Texas. His inauguration ball was held at the newly opened Driskill Hotel, a tradition followed by every subsequent Texas governor. Under the 1876 Texas Constitution, which he had helped write, the governor was granted the power to be commander-in-chief, to convene the legislature, to act as executor of the laws, to direct trade with other states, to grant pardons, and to veto bills. His campaign had focused on land use reform, as most of the frontier issues now resulted from disagreements over the use of public land, especially between farmers and ranchers concerned with water rights and grazing issues. At Ross's urging the legislature passed laws to restore the power of the Land Office Commissioner, provide punishments for those using state lands illegally, and to catalog existing public lands.

Second term[link]

In May 1888, Ross presided over the dedication of the new Texas State Capitol building. Later that year, Ross ran relatively unopposed for a second term. His platform included abolishing the national banking system, regulating monopolies, reducing tariffs, and allowing the railroads to regulate themselves through competition. No other Democrats placed their names in contention at the nominating convention, and the Republicans chose not to select a candidate, as they were happy with Ross's performance. His sole competition was a Prohibitionist whom Ross defeated by over 151,000 votes. In his second inaugural address, Ross, a true Jeffersonian Democrat, maintained that "'a plain, simple government, with severe limitations upon delegated powers, honestly and frugally administered, as the noblest and truest outgrowth of the wisdom taught by its founders.'"

During his second term, Ross was forced to intervene in the Jaybird-Woodpecker War in Fort Bend County. Sheriff Jim Garvey feared that there would be armed battles between the white supremacist Democrats (the Jaybirds) and the black men who had retained political power (who, with their white supporters, were known as Woodpeckers). At Garvey's request, Ross sent two militia companies, which managed to impose a four-month peace. In August 1889, Ross sent four Texas Rangers, including Sergeant Ira Aten, to quell the unrest. Violence erupted, leaving four people dead and injuring six, including a Ranger. Aten wired Ross for help. The following morning, the Houston Light Guard arrived and instituted martial law; that evening, Ross arrived with an Assistant Attorney General and another militia company. Ross fired all the local civil officials and called together representatives from both factions. On his suggestion, the two groups agreed to choose a mutually acceptable sheriff to replace Garvey, who had been killed in the firefight. When they could not agree on a candidate, Ross suggested Aten; both groups finally agreed, thus halting the conflict.

In March 1890, the U.S. Attorney General launched a suit in the Supreme Court against Texas to determine ownership of a disputed plot of land in Greer County. Determined to meet personally with the Attorney General, Ross and his wife traveled to Washington, D.C., where they visited President Benjamin Harrison at the White House. Following that visit, they traveled to New York, where they met with former president Grover Cleveland. While in New York, Ross was extremely popular with journalists. He was interviewed by several large northeastern newspapers, which recounted in detail many of his exploits along the frontier. According to his biographer Judith Brenner, the trip and the resulting exposure for Ross, "excited much interest in Texas among easterners, an interest that would eventually bear fruit in increased investment, tourism, and immigration".

Ross declined to become the first Texas governor to run for a third term and left office on January 20, 1891. During his four years in office, he vetoed only ten bills, and pardoned 861 people. Compared to other Texas governors, these are small numbers; Governor Miriam A. Ferguson granted 1161 pardons in just two years.

Major legislation[link]

During his time in office Ross proposed tax reform laws intended to provide for more equitable assessments of property—at that time people were allowed to assess their own belongings with little oversight. The legislature passed his recommendations, and approved his plan to exert more control over school funds and to require local taxation to support the public schools. He also encouraged the legislature to enact antitrust laws. These were passed March 30, 1889, a full year before the federal government enacted the Sherman Antitrust Act. His reform acts were beneficial for the state, leading Ross to become the only Texas governor to call a special session of the legislature to deal with a treasury surplus.

During his term, the legislature agreed to allow the public to vote on a state constitutional amendment for the prohibition of alcohol. Ross vehemently opposed the measure, saying "'No government ever succeeded in changing the moral convictions of its subjects by force.'" The amendment was defeated by over 90,000 votes.

When Ross took the governor's oath of office, Texas had only four charitable institutions—two insane asylums, an institute for the blind, and an institute for the deaf and dumb. By the time he left office, Ross had supervised the opening of a state orphan's home, a state institute for deaf, dumb, and blind black children, and a branch asylum for the insane. He also convinced the legislature to set aside near Gatesville for a future open farm reformatory for juvenile offenders.

Ross was the first governor to set aside a day for civic improvements, declaring the third Friday in January to be Arbor Day, when schoolchildren should endeavor to plant trees. He also supported the legislature's efforts to purchase the Huddle portrait gallery, a collection of paintings of each governor of Texas. These paintings continue to hang in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol.

Ross felt strongly that the state should adequately care for its veterans. During his first term, the first Confederate home in Texas was dedicated in Austin. Within two years, the facility had run out of room, so Ross served as chairman of a committee to finance a relocation to a larger facility. By August 1890, the home had collected enough money to move to a larger location.

Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham was the last governor of Texas that also served as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, January 20, 1903 to January 15, 1907.

College president[link]

Arrival[link]

By the late 1880s, rumors abounded of "poor management, student discontent, professorial dissatisfaction, faculty factionalism, disciplinary problems, and campus scandals" at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M; University). The public was skeptical of the idea of scientific agriculture and the legislature declined to appropriate money for improvements to the campus because it had little confidence in the school's administrators. The board of directors decided that the school, known as Texas AMC, needed to be run by an independent administrative chief rather than the faculty chairman. On July 1, 1890, the board unanimously agreed to offer the new job to the sitting governor and asked Ross to resign his office immediately. Ross agreed to consider the offer as well as several others he had received. An unknown person informed several newspapers that Ross had been asked to become Texas AMC's president, and each of the newspapers editorialized that Ross would be a perfect fit. The college had been founded to teach military and agricultural knowledge, and Ross had demonstrated excellence in the army and as a farmer. His gubernatorial service had honed his administrative skills, and he had always expressed an interest in education.

Though Ross was concerned about the appearance of a conflict of interest, as he had appointed many of the board members who had elected him, he announced that he would accept the position. As the news of his acceptance spread throughout the state, prospective students flocked to Texas AMC. Many of the men Ross had supervised during the Civil War wanted their sons to study under their former commander, and 500 students attempted to enroll at the beginning of the 1890–1891 school year. Three hundred sixteen students were admitted, even though the facilities were only designed for 250 scholars. When Ross officially took charge of the school on February 2, the campus had no running water, faced a housing shortage, was taught by disgruntled faculty, and many students were running wild.

Improvements[link]

The board of directors named Ross the treasurer of the school, and he posted a $20,000 personal bond "'for the faithful performance of his duty'". In the break between school years Ross instituted a number of changes. When students returned for the 1891–1892 school year, they found a new 3-story dormitory with 41 rooms (named Ross Hall), the beginning of construction on a new home for the president, and a new building to house the machine and blacksmith shops. The minimum age for enrollment decreased from 16 to 15, and Ross now personally interviewed all prospective students to determine if they should be admitted. Fees and expenses rose by $10 per session, and the number of hours required for graduation increased, including additional hours in English grammar, sciences, mathematics, and history. Additionally, Ross would now appoint the officers for the Corps of Cadets, and the name of the company of best-drilled cadets in the Corps would change to the Ross Volunteers (from Scott Volunteers). Finally, Ross enacted an official prohibition against hazing, vowing to expel any student found guilty of the practice. Although Ross professed to enjoy his new position, he wrote to several people that directing the college "'made me turn gray very fast.'"

Enrollment continued to rise, and by the end of his tenure, Ross requested that parents first communicate with his office before sending their sons to the school. The increase in students necessitated an improvement in facilities, and from late 1891 until September 1898 the college spent over $97,000 on improvements and new buildings. This included construction of a mess hall, which could seat 500 diners at once, an infirmary, which included the first indoor toilets on campus, an artesian well, a natatorium, four faculty residences, an electric light plant, an ice works, a laundry, a cold storage room, a slaughterhouse, a gymnasium, a warehouse, and an artillery shed. Despite the expenditures on facilities, the school treasury held a surplus in 1893 and 1894. The 1894 financial report credited the surplus to Ross's leadership, and Ross ensured that the money was returned to the students in the form of lower fees.

Impact on students[link]

Ross made himself accessible to students and participated in school activities whenever possible. Those around him found him "slow to condemn but ready to encourage ... [and they] could not recall hearing Ross use profanity or seeing him visibly angry." Every month he prepared grade sheets for each student and would often call poorly performing students into his office for a discussion of their difficulties. Under his leadership, the military aspect of the college was emphasized. However, he eliminated many practices that he considered unnecessary, including marching to and from class, and he reduced the amount of guard time and the number of drills that students were expected to perform.

Although enrollment had always been limited to men, Ross favored coeducation, as he thought the male cadets "'would be improved by the elevating influence of the good girls'". In 1893, Ethel Hudson, the daughter of a Texas AMC professor, became the first woman to attend classes at the school and helped edit the annual yearbook. She was made an honorary member of the class of 1895. Several years later, her twin sisters became honorary members of the class of 1903, and slowly other daughters of professors were allowed to attend classes.

During Ross's tenure, many enduring Texas A&M; traditions formed. These include the first Aggie Ring and the formation of the Aggie Band. Ross's tenure also saw the school's first intercollegiate football game, played against the University of Texas. Many student organizations were founded in this time period, including the Fat Man's Club, the Bowlegged Men's Club, the Glee Club (now known as the Singing Cadets), the Bicycle Club, and the College Dramatic Club. In 1893, students began publishing a monthly newspaper, ''The Battalion'', and two years later they began publishing an annual yearbook, known as ''The Olio''.

Personal life and death[link]

Ross continued to be active in veteran's organizations, and in 1893 he became the first commander of the Texas Division of the United Confederate Veterans. He was re-elected president several times and served one term as commander-in-chief of the entire United Confederate Veterans organization. During that time, a Daughters of the Confederacy chapter was established in Bryan and named the L.S. Ross Chapter.

In 1894, Ross was appointed to a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas. While Ross pondered whether to resign his position and accept the appointment, letters and petitions poured into his office begging him to remain at Texas AMC. He declined the appointment and remained president of the college.

Ross had always been an avid hunter, and he embarked on a hunting trip along the Navasota River with his son Neville and several family friends during Christmas vacation in 1897. While hunting he suffered acute indigestion and a severe chill and decided to go home early while the others continued their sport. He arrived in College Station on December 30 and consulted a doctor. Ross remained in pain for several days, and in the early evening of January 3, 1898, he died, aged 59 years and 3 months. Although no death certificate was filed, "evidence points to a coronary heart attack as the probable cause of death." The entire Texas AMC student body accompanied Ross's body back to Waco, where Confederate veterans in gray uniforms formed an honor guard. Several thousand people attended Ross's burial at Oakwood Cemetery. To further memorialize him, students at Texas AMC held the first Silver Taps ceremony, a tradition still followed when a member of the Texas A&M; community dies.

Legacy[link]

The morning after Ross's death, the ''Dallas Morning News'' published an editorial, quoted in several biographies of Ross:

It has been the lot of few men to be of such great service to Texas as Sul Ross. ... Throughout his life he has been closely connected with the public welfare and ... discharged every duty imposed upon him with diligence, ability, honesty and patriotism. ... He was not a brilliant chieftain in the field, nor was he masterful in the art of politics, but, better than either, he was a well-balanced, well-rounded man from whatever standpoint one might estimate him. In his public relations he exhibited sterling common sense, lofty patriotism, inflexible honesty and withal a character so exalted that he commanded at all times not only the confidence but the affection of the people. ... He leaves a name that will be honored as long as chivalry, devotion to duty and spotless integrity are standards of our civilization and an example which ought to be an inspiration to all young men of Texas who aspire to careers of public usefulness and honorable renown.

Within weeks of Ross's death former cadets at Texas AMC began gathering funds for a monument. In 1917, the state appropriated $10,000 for the monument, and two years later a 10 foot (3 m) bronze statue of Ross, sculpted by Pompeo Coppini, was unveiled at the center of the Texas AMC campus. In more recent years, students began the tradition of placing pennies at the feet of statue before exams for good luck. School legend states that Ross would often tutor students, and as payment would accept only a penny for their thoughts. At exam time his statue, located in Academic Plaza, is often covered in pennies.

At the same time they appropriated money for the statue, the legislature established the Sul Ross Normal College, now Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. The college opened for classes in June 1920.

Notes[link]

References[link]

Category:1838 births Category:1898 deaths Category:Baylor University alumni Category:Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Waco, Texas) Category:University of North Alabama alumni Category:Confederate States Army generals Category:Governors of Texas Category:Members of the Texas Ranger Division Category:People from Waco, Texas Category:People of Texas in the American Civil War Category:Presidents of Texas A&M; University Category:Texas A&M; University faculty Category:Texas State Senators Category:Texas Democrats

de:Lawrence Sullivan Ross fr:Lawrence Sullivan Ross la:Laurentius Sullivan Ross ja:ローレンス・S・ロス pt:Lawrence Sullivan Ross sv:Lawrence Sullivan Ross

name	DJ Nihal
birth name	Nihal Arthanayake
birth date	June 01, 1971
birth place	Harlow, Essex
occupation	DJ, Radio and Television Presenter
status	married, with two children
religion	Buddhism
website	}}

DJ Nihal (born Nihal Arthanayake on 1 June 1971 in Harlow, Essex) is an English radio and TV presenter, as well as club night promoter and DJ, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio 1, BBC Asian Network and since August 6, 2010 BBC Radio 5 Live. He currently resides within Notting Hill London where he lives with his wife and two young children, one son and one daughter.

Career [link]

Before radio [link]

Nihal, born 1 June 1971, to Buddhist Sri Lankan parents, began his involvement in the music industry as a promoter of rap shows in his native Essex while studying at Burnt Mill School, Harlow.

After graduating university, he began an unsuccessful career as a recording artist. He was briefly a member of alternative hip-hop outfit Collapsed Lung. Nihal attempted to find fame as a rapper and worked with Fun Da Mental and Punjabi MC (in 1995), Badmarsh & Shri, Mentor, Sona Family, and DJ Sanj and has worked as a freelance music journalist, having written for Asiana, Eastern Eye, The Face, Mixmag, Hip Hop Connection, Attitude, Bear magazine, Cage And Aviary Birds and The Observer. After failing badly as an artist, in the late 90s, he turned to music promotion working for artists as diverse as Nitin Sawhney, Judge Jules, Mos Def, and Elton John and it was while working for the groundbreaking Asian Beats record label Outcaste Records he promoted, amongst others Badmarsh & Shri's seminal 'Signs' album.

Radio career [link]

Nihal joined BBC Radio 1 in 2002, to become co-host of a night time ''Asian Beats'' show with DJ Bobby Friction coming under the specialist DJ category. The show went on to win a Sony Radio Award in 2003 - achieving Gold standard in the Specialist Music Category for their show: ''Bobby Friction & Nihal Present''. At the end of 2004, they released a compilation album as a reflection of the music they play on the show. After an initial high profile start, the show was re-scheduled to the early morning 'graveyard' hours. Eventually Bobby Friction left the show, leaving the title as "Asian Beats with Nihal"

Nihal became the presenter of the Weekend Breakfast Show on Radio 1, in October 2007, currently the only one of two DJs to present both a mainstream and a specialist show on the channel, the other being Annie Mac, and infrequently provides holiday cover for other Radio 1 colleagues. In September 2008 he was moved from weekend breakfast to weekend afternoons 1pm-4pm on Radio 1. On 21 September 2009, Nihal was moved from weekends to a brand-new review program, named ''BBC Radio 1's Review With Nihal''. The weekly show reviews the latest music, films and games. He also became the sole presenter of the specialist Radio 1 Asian Beats show after Bobby Friction left. His former weekend slot has been filled by Jo Whiley.

In May 2007, Nihal left ''Kicking Off...'' to become the host of the daily phone-in talk show from 9am-12pm on the Asian Network. In April 2009 his show moved to 1pm-3pm as part schedule changes.

In 2010, he won "Best Radio Show" at the UK Asian Music Awards (UK AMAs) for his show on Radio 1.

Club promotion [link]

Following on from the success of the Radio 1 show, he launched his own club night called ''Bombay Bronx'' in May 2004 as an opportunity to showcase his love of rap music - but with a distinctly Asian perspective. Since its creation, Bombay Bronx has seen some of the biggest artists on the 'Asian Beats' scene perform live, such as Swami, Raghav, Jay Sean, Belgian Ben, Skiddy McGee and The Mentor Kolektiv, as well as giving a platform for unsigned artists such as Sunit, Raxtstar and Serese.

As well as DJing at a variety of events up and down the country, Nihal has DJed the Isle Of Wight Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Bestival in the UK. Internationally, he has performed in Bangladesh, Dubai, Germany, India, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, and toured the U.S. with Bobby Friction and Raghav.

Television [link]

Nihal's TV appearances began in 1999 alongside Emma B on BBC2's ''Webwise''. Since then he hosted his own rap show ''The Drop'' on MTV Base, and three hours of live TV every Saturday for digital television channel CBBC entitled ''The Saturday Show: Extra''.

Nihal has co-presented three series of BBC2's flagship Asian music arts and culture show - ''Desi DNA'' alongside Adil Ray and Anita Rani since 2004 and it is through this show that Nihal has interviewed Karsh Kale, Padma Lakshmi, Nerm, Outlandish, and DJ Pathaan, as well as presenting special features on Jay Sean, Ms Scandalous and Freeform Five. In August 2005, he appeared on BBC2's ''Art School'', alongside celebrities Ulrika Jonsson, and Keith Allen, to spend two weeks at the Chelsea School of Art and learn about modern art.

In 2010, Nihal appeared on BBC2's Celebrity Masterchef, but was eliminated in the first round, after cooking a Thai chicken curry on rosti for the Invention Test, only identifying 3 ingredients on the Taste Test, having timing issues in the professional kitchen and having Gregg Wallace describe his own dish as "closest I’ve ever seen to a dessert in a savoury dish".

With inside knowledge of the music industry he is regularly asked provide talking head commentary on various music and culture related topics from the BRIT Awards, ''The Culture Show'' and Five's ''The Wright Stuff'' to MTV Base's ''Hip Hop Candy'' and has appeared as a guest panellist on music comedy quiz ''Never Mind The Buzzcocks'' twice and on BBC4's ''We Need Answers''.

Other projects[link]

In 2005, Nihal and former colleague Bobby Friction represented London as members of a team of cultural ambassadors during the successful 2012 Summer Olympics London bid.

He is the voiceover for the ''Slumdog Millionaire'' album. In 2010, he undertook a sponsored walk around the coast of Northern Ireland to raise money for the Battersea Dog's Home.

Nihal also appeared on the BBC Radio 5 Live show ''Fighting Talk'' on 1 May 2010 alongside Tom Watt, John Rawlings and Kevin Bridges. Here he showed his support for north London football club Tottenham Hotspur.

Additionally, Nihal has been responsible for the music accompanying the London New Year's Eve fireworks display for 2011 and 2012.

References[link]

External links[link]

(BBC Radio 1) (BBC Radio 1) (BBC Asian Network)

Nihal interview with Destitunes4U

Category:1971 births Category:BBC Asian Network Category:British Buddhists Category:British people of Sri Lankan descent Category:British radio DJs Category:English Buddhists Category:English people of Sri Lankan descent Category:English television presenters Category:Living people Category:People from Harlow Category:2012 Summer Olympics cultural ambassadors