Diwana Singh

learning from the past and aspiring to live in the same spirit.

[diwanasingh-blog]

Im wayy too excited about this.lol. music video? Started from the Turban now we Beard. #saintsoulja #startedfromtheturbannowwebeard #startedfromthebottomnowwehere #hiphop #friday #feelgoodmusic #comingsoon #yubacitynagarkirtan #yuba2013 @rootsgeardotcom #rootsgear #sikh #rap #punjabi

[diwanasingh-blog]

Started from the Turban now we Beard. More t shirt ideas! @rootsgeardotcom is going to have a super dope collection this fall. #tshirts #rootsgear #startedfromthebottomnowwehere #sikh #punjabi #turban #beard

[diwanasingh-blog]

Our family portrait. #nimjeet @sunmits @rootsgeardotcom @sumits87 @maneet17 @jeetopeeto @satinderpalk @sahib1191 @superkhalsa92

[diwanasingh-blog]

The host of #juspunjabi 's #khididupehar show is rocking #rootsgear 's Gabroo Punjab Da shirt. @rootsgeardotcom #punjabi #gabroopunjabda somebody should call and say I like your shirt.lol. @rootsgear

[diwanasingh-blog]

Date Night with @satinderpalk . #dc #nationalmonument

[diwanasingh-blog]

Gursean would be proud. @singhstreetstyle #singhstreetstyle #suitandtie #sikh

[diwanasingh-blog]

Wedding Speech

Months leading up to my wedding, people would ask me questions like "when did you know you were ready to get married?" "how did you know she was the one?" "how did you propose?" etc.

I usually tell them that a few years back I was lying in bed, it was late at night, I went to turn off the lamp, glanced at the clock that read 9:00 PM and automatically knew it was time to get married. 

But all jokes aside, there have been many moments in the past few years that have led me to marry her. I can vividly remember one of those moments now.  

It was march of 2012. Tensions were high in Punjab with Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana's hanging set for march 31, 2012. Sikhs took to the streets and protested the execution. Punjab Police took advantage of this open opportunity to beat, arrest, humiliate and even kill whoever fit the profile they created in the 80s and 90s. Radical Hindu organizations such as the RSS and Shiv Shena also saw this as a prime opportunity to do the same. It wasn't as if the police was going to stop them, if anything they'd probably lend a hand. Real time updates were coming in from all social media sites and for the first time in my life, I got a glimpse of what our parents and grandparents went through almost 30 years ago. And then, all of a sudden, everything stopped. Twitter went blank, Youtube went blank, Facebook went blank, the little news coverage that was coming from Punjab was also gone. It was a total media blackout, the kind of thing we read about in books about the the attack on the Akal Takht in 1984. It was scary. 

No words can describe what a Sikh feels watching all of this from the comfort of his North American home. Anger, frustration, sadness, fear for the unarmed Sikhs that bravely took to the streets, and just an overall emotional nightmare.

That week, I remember calling some of my close friends, some Singhs that I consider to be leaders of our Panth and asking them "what can we DO?". We need to DO SOMETHING. ANYTHING. How can we just sit around and watch this happen? Someone tell me what I can do and I will do it. Things got so frustrating that the only solution that made sense was to book a flight and go stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters. I told her this earlier that day.    

And it was THAT NIGHT...that every confusing, emotional and frustrating night that I spoke to her. She shared my pain, we talked for hours about things and at the end of our conversation she said to me...."if you ever feel like you can't take it anymore and you need to book a flight, make sure you book two".

It was then and there, that exact moment, that I knew she was the one for me. She was the one I needed by my side, the one I wanted to raise a family with, the one who was going to be my anchor, my partner for life, my strength, my love and my Sangat. 

With that being said, the both of us are SOO overwhelmed with all the LOVE, care, compassion and kindness everyone has showed us. We can't express how grateful we are to have such amazing family, friends and sangat in our life. Everything from start to finish, in terms of the wedding, was an extremely beautiful experience. Our parents, our siblings, our family members and our friends went WAY out of their way to make sure everything went smoothly and in doing so, have given us a lifetime of memories of our special day. No gifts, thank you cards, hugs or kisses will ever suffice in expressing our gratitude. We love you all very much and we wholeheartedly thank you for being so kind and loving to us. It is because of family, friends and sangat like you that we are who we are today. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do. A big thank you to everyone the came from near and far to attend the wedding, we were overwhelmed at the number of people that attended the wedding in LA and at the number of people that flew across the country! Thank you so much for blessing us with your sangat at our Anand Karaj.

Photo Credit: Amrit Khalsa

[diwanasingh-blog]

the assistant manager from #suitsupplydc just hand-delivered my suit to my office. i feel pretty fancy. can't wait to break this thing out this weekend. #suitsupply #satindermit #tanminderpal

[diwanasingh-blog]

the #tanminderpal festivities are beginning! looking forward to seeing everyone. big shout out all my boys for an amazing weekend! special shout out to @sumits87 for building this mural! @satinderpalk @jagjit86 @jashonsinghb @labarbaroja @gursean @sunmits #satindermit

[diwanasingh-blog]

vaheguru...no words.

[soulful-faces]

I was walking thru the Castro district when this man asked me, “Hey, we’re visiting from Pennsylvania. Can you tell me where there are buddhist temples here?” “Yeah, there’s one in Hayes Valley. Are you buddhist?” “I’m Sikh.” “What are the tenants of being a Sikh?” “They’re the same as another religion. It’s above love, compassion, kindness. The ways we practice are different but the core is the same.” “What’s unique about your practice?” “We don’t cut our hair, or alter our body in any way. In our view the body is sacred. It’s a gift from God. And God is not a man in the sky. It’s a level of consciousness. It’s an energy you take in when you eat food, a fragrance you take it when you smell a flower, an energy you breathe in and out when you are true harmony. I don’t know what happens when you achieve that level of harmony, but that’s the goal.”

By Garry Bowden 

[coloringmymind]

Today I awoke suddenly, unsure of where I was, and for a brief moment I panicked. But as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, familiar forms began to take shape—the hand-stitched tapestry draped on the wall, my luggage on the floor, my aunt snoring softly beside me. I am in my grandparents’...

[campsantsipahi]

Camp Sant Sipahi is gearin up for the summer! Registration is now OPEN! Limited spots are available, so register quickly! 

visit www.dcsikhyouth.org to register.

[diwanasingh-blog]

counting down the days. @satinderpalk . photo by @singhg83 #sikh #wedding #engaged #dastarvalibibiyanftw #dumalla #polkadots #pocketsquare #fear #waitwhat

[diwanasingh-blog]

I want to know about you and how you are related to Captain Jawala Singh and where his predecessors are settled now.

I would like to know who's asking. You can send me your email address and we can have a conversation over email. Captain Jwala Singh is my Great Great Grandfather. Thanks

[diwanasingh-blog]

our.newest addition to the #rootsgear line. follow @rootsgeardotcom and join the #paghsnotdrugs movement. #sikh

[babbarsherni]

Beautifully created ♥ 

BTW. im in here somewhere :D