I came back this morning from San Francisco after presenting a paper Extending Gurmukhi Script to Twenty First century and beyond at Sikholars – First Graduate Sikh Conference held on February 20, 2010 at Stanford University Campus. I had coauthored the paper with Amanpreet Singh Brar.

The manuscript pdf of the paper can be downloaded here. Schedule pamphlet can be downloaded from here and here

I am back from a trip to Toronto, Canada after attending Spinning Wheel Film Festival. I was there on the invitation of Mr T. Sher Singh of SWFF International.

I first got aquatinted with Mr T Sher Singh, when I submitted one of my post-debate articles to SikhChic.com.

I’ll post more on the details of my journey later. However, I have put up a web album of the pictures I took while traveling to Toronto.

A post-debate article, on my take on the experience of being the only turban wearing Sikh at the first US presidential debate, has been published at Sikhchic.com. If the front page link is not working anymore, here is the permanent link.

July 4th and I’m heading to Canada to see my siblings. I haven’t seen my eldest sister and her family in years.

The day is sunny and beautiful. At the moment, we are flying over Tennessee.

At Memphis airport while checking in, I was asked by the security officer that I needed to step out for additional checking. No scanners beeped, no other reasons, except the fact that I was wearing a turban.

It was one of the very few moments in the last three years that I have been in the United States, (I would suppose very few compared to Biharis in Punjab or Haryana would have to deal with), that I felt that congress still makes racist laws. I wonder why TSA does not check for a women’s bra or men’s undergarments, if the sole concern is that some chemical might be hidden in the clothes. Why target only turbans? Simple – Because congress has been known to use scare tactics throughout the history.

My take on the whole thing -

1. Dumb politicians and idiot right wings responsible for selecting them exist in every country – doesn’t matter how democratic it is.
2. Racism and regionalism is often painted as patriotism.
3. Few random incidents should not change your opinion about anything or anyone.

I still believe US is one of the most free nations in the world – definitely more than India is. And I hope to retain this view unless something happens that drastically changes it. In the latter case, I am moving to “ANTARCTICA”!!