Karan retweeted
I retweeted this earlier today and received some hostile comments, so I thought I'd share a story.
The photo on the left shows Constable Sukhvinder Singh Sunger, a Canadian Sikh police officer who recently led the Vancouver Police Pipe Band at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The event is held at Edinburgh Castle, and it celebrates military bands from around the world. Thus, for the event, Constable Sunger wore traditional Highland dress with a ceremonial dastār (Sikh turban).
I think he looks resplendent for all the reasons I've mentioned in my previous threads: the use of "shape and drape," texture, and the semiotics of clothing.
But some were less enthused about a Canadian man of South Asian descent wearing Scottish clothing.
So I thought I'd share a story about Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, an adventurer and mercenary born in 1785 in what would become modern Wisconsin. By his own account, his father was Scottish, and his mother was Anglo-Spanish, although at least one of his contemporaries thought he was Irish. Either way, he would be considered "white" today.
At the age of 24, he traveled to Europe and, shortly after, began exploring Russia and Central Asia. It was in Central Asia, he claims, that he started to adopt the local customs and mores, often presenting himself as Muslim. Although one wonders how easily he was able to blend in, as he stood six feet tall and had a penchant for drinking.
According to him, he was captured in Afghanistan in 1824, but ended up joining a rebel force, commanding 180 horsemen, and marrying a local woman, with whom he fathered a child near Parwan. His wife and child were later killed after his patron's defeat, which drove him to Punjab.
It was in Punjab, he claims, where he joined the Sikh Army, eventually rising to the level of Colonel. He claims to have been present at Lahore, then the capital of the Sikh Empire, and says he killed 300 men during a fierce clash.
Much of Gardner's life is hard to verify, as many of his fantastical claims come from his much-contested memoir, which has little to no third-party corroboration. However, one thing is certain, if only because we have photographic evidence. Later in life, he had a striking style of self-presentation. In the photo on the right, you can see him in a tartan suit and Sikh turban. His facial hair is long because many Sikhs believe not cutting your hair shows respect for God's perfect creation.
Gardner was a man of American descent, European lineage, and Central/ South Asian cultural identity. He died with the name Gordana Khan. This complex form of diasporic identity goes back to 1785, shortly after the United States declared independence from Britain. In my opinion, it goes to show that culture is porous and identities can be complex, not as clear and "pure" as many would like to pretend.
Karan retweeted
Second Sons Canada had a meetup in Alberta and from the images collected by CBC, it’s clear their recruitment has been successful.
We tend to point to the U.S. when it comes to hate groups, but Canada has birthed, morphed and exported hate for decades.
cbc.ca/news/canada/large-whi…
Karan retweeted
An IDF soldier traveled to a University in Toronto and physically assaulted students and is now suing the local newspaper that reported on it
The Grind is being sued for defamation. We intend to defending our reporting.
We need your support to be able to fight this case and to continue publishing essential journalism in Toronto.
See the full announcement for more info. thegrindmag.ca/the-grind-is-…
Karan retweeted
Last night I took my daughter for a walk so she could say goodnight to the neighborhood stray cats, and that one thirty minute period of my life was more meaningful and valuable than every minute of Kevin O'Leary's life put together
Kevin O’Leary says he wept when Rolex gave him a watch even its own staff had never seen.
“Grown men weep just looking at pictures of this mystical beast. Does it exist? I got on my knees and begged for it.”
“The morning before the Oscars, the phone rings. They gave me an address and said, ‘Be there.’ And there it was.”
“The entire Rolex staff had never seen it. All the dealers from around LA came to see it.”
“For an hour we looked at it. We didn’t touch it. We just looked at it and said, ‘It’s real.’”
“I did, and I wore it. I was weeping. It was mine. I own it. Do you know how many people have that piece? Maybe nobody.”
Hey man, we don’t even piss on your dirty country and lineage. You are a 100 years behind the world wtf are you talking about lol
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They want a revolution and to get rid of BJP. They say they are liberal but nothing changes for Sikhs - “every Sikh who disagrees with me is a lassi and Khalistani”.
If you are capable of introspection, maybe you could realize that you’re the same as them but 78 average iq so…
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Karan retweeted
ਝੂਠੁ ਨ ਬੋਲਿ ਪਾਡੇ ਸਚੁ ਕਹੀਐ ॥
Jhūṭh na boli pāḍe, sach kahīai.
Utter no falsehood, O Paṇḍit; speak only that which is True.
- Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Rāg Rāmkalī, Aṅg 904, Srī Gurū Granth Sāhib Jī.
This Hindu Arya Samaji account rests on a single source: an Arya Samaji newspaper called Sat Dharm Pracharak, dated 6 July 1900 - over three years after Pandit Lekh Ram’s death. This notorious ਗੁਰੂਦੋਖੀ ਅਨਯਮਤੀ, who insulted Sikhism and the Gurus, was repeatedly countered by multiple Singh Sabhaite luminaries during his lifetime.
No contemporary Muslim or Sikh source corroborates the claim, which is clearly a figment of the editor’s imagination - pure fanfic dedicated to the long-dead Pandit.
This pandit was a follower of Mool Shankar Tiwari, better known as Dayanand Saraswati, whose Satyarth Prakash he revered. The book itself was so rife with errors that it had to be republished multiple times, abridged, after Tiwari’s death.
“Ehsaan of Sanatan on Sikh Panth”- That rarely gets voice.
Imagine the bustling streets of old Punjab in the late 1800s. Debates raged like summer storms with words sharper than swords. The Ahmadiyya movement, led by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, stood tall as masters of debate.
Skilled in logic, Arabic texts, and clever storytelling, they traveled villages and towns challenging sikhs. By the 1880s and peaking in 1895, they published books like “Sat Bachan”. In it, they claimed Baba Nanak was not starting something new but was a Muslim at heart.
They pointed to the Chola Sahib, saying it carried only Quranic verses proving his faith. Many Sikh scholars stepped up to argue back, but the Ahmadis pressed hard with relics, revelations, and confident replies. Sikh intellectual in the community felt the pressure; a large section of sikh population leaned their way or converted after tough exchanges. It looked like the Sikh side was clearly losing ground in these public battles of ideas.
Worried leaders from the Sikh Panth knew they needed help. They turned to Pandit shree Lekh Ram ji, The bold warrior from Arya samaj with folded hands and eyes full of hope. Arya Samaj had earned respect across Punjab for winning debates against missionaries and reformers. Rooted in ancient Sanatan Vedic wisdom, they fought with clear facts and fiery spirit. Pandit shree Lekh Ram ji, already locked in fierce arguments with Mirza over bigger questions of faith, agreed to join the debate. This moment became a true ehsaan of sanatan dharam on sikh panth.
The debate unfolded with passion. Ahmadis argued: “Nanak followed Islam fully. Look at the cholla with Quran words, his travels, and monotheism like ours. He builded masjids no mandirs. Sikhism started as part of true Islam.” They used divine claims and selective stories from old texts pointing Nanak as “sufi saint”.
Pandit Lekh Ram ji hit back strong and simple. He said the relics were being twisted and don’t change a person’s path. Nanak’s real message came from Vedic-Bhakti roots: karma, inner light, equality without strict rituals. He exposed how the claims ignored Nanak’s independent voice against empty rules in any faith. With sharp questions and Vedic logic, Pandit shree Lekh Ram ji dismantled the arguments piece by piece. No tricks worked. The Ahmadi side could not hold firm.
Victory tasted sweet Pandit Lekh Ram ji won the day through clear thinking and courage. Sikhs, filled with joy and respect, lifted him on their shoulders. They carried him in love from Lahore toward Amritsar a proud procession showing unity and gratitude. Without this stand, Sikhs of punjab could have seen changes like jalidaar topi replacing the dastaar, long beards without mustaches becoming the mark, and ladies covering with burqa instead of graceful chunni.
The unique Sikh identity- Proud dastaar, flowing beard with mustache, and distinct traditions would have faded under pressure. But thanks to this great Arya Samaji scholar, who kept the pride of sikh Panth. Sikhs continued wearing the dastaar with head held high, Must allways remmember him every time they wear turban without him things would have been sour.
This was the power of Sanatani Pandit Lekh Ram ji who saved respect for the Sikh Panth at a critical time when every sikh scholar failed and gave them renewed strength to shine in their identity. In simple words, he stood like a wall when the storm came.
Today, I request the @SGPCAmritsar to recognise this favour/ehsaan of Pandit shree Lekh Ram ji on Sikh Panth. Honour him with “Panth Rattan” a fitting award for a defender who helped protect the community’s soul regardless of his faith. I also encourage school education boards to add this chapter in History books to shows how one strong voice from Sanatan lifted everyone. May such unity and gratitude always guide Punjab’s dharmic traditions and unity.
“Pandit shree Lekh Ram ji sikh dastaar da rakha!!”
#SanatanEhsaan #SikhPanth #AryaSamaj #PanthRattan #Punjab
RT @SinghJunger: Complete fabrication. Exact opposite happened.
During the eleventh annual Arya Samaj session in Lahore on November 24 and…
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Karan retweeted
Just saw SATLUJ and it is not a film , but a deep wound that will never heal. It stirs up the sludge in one of the darkest chapters of our history
This is cinema used as confrontation , where @diljitdosanjh acts with a quiet fury with no chest thumping heroism.. His only weapons are a ledger and a conscience. @rampalarjun adds layers of moral rot in the institutional complicity that feels chillingly realistic
Director @honeytrehan instead of sensationalising the horror unfolds the film like a slow burn investigative thriller through bureaucratic files, cremation records, and hushed conversations
This restraint makes the brutality of the subject matter hit that much harder because it explodes with the force of truth and not exploitation.
The philosophical core of the film about how a democracy devours its own citizens and then tries to erase the evidence is explored without any preachiness and that’s no normal
achievement .
The various issues surrounding its exhibition and publication prove that any art which makes the powerful uncomfortable has done its job, and that is the true purpose of true art , which SATLUJ is .
It is highly courageous essential filmmaking because it unsettles, educates, and lingers . In the times where main stream chases spectacle and popcorn cinema , SUTLEJ shoots out a hard reminder of what cinematic medium can truly achieve when it takes on truth and honesty
SATLUJ is a film that has to be seen , shown, discussed, debated and not ENCOUNTERED like the victims in the film
My appeal to all the powers is , please don’t do to SATLUJ what has been done to JASWANT SINGH KALRA 🙏🙏🙏
TRUTH HITS HARDER when one tries to HIDE IT .
— AYN RAND
Karan retweeted
$1.4 billion in federal loans, your money, subsidized this Sen̓áḵw project. They called it 'affordable housing.' Now three-bedrooms are renting for over $9,000 to $12,500 a month.
Pure NDP-style fraud: subsidize luxury with taxpayer cash and pretend it's helping regular families. Enough of this garbage.
Karan retweeted
The World Lives Here.
Canada is all together different. Truly unique. And so is our relationship to the beautiful game. This is our opening to the 2026 World Cup. Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland. #FIFAWorldCup