Friday 11 November 2011

Lest We Forget

Today is Remembrance Day, a date in the diary we are unlikely to forget.

An occasion to remember those that have laid down their lives in service of their country - and continue to put themselves in harms way to defend our liberties.

The events of the past week, surrounding the way the England football team should be allowed to pay their respects by wearing a poppy on their shirts, has highlighted our rather British sense of ensuring proper respects are always paid on this of all occasions.

In the past it has been TV presenters not appearing with poppies that attracted the ire of the public, and more recently protests by groups such as the now banned Muslims Against Crusades (who burned poppies in protest in London last year).

Leaving aside the acts of publicity and hatred; such debate about how we remember our fallen heroes brings up strong emotions, even as we near a century since Flanders where so many fought and lost during the Great War. And rightly so - it should not be deemed an easy act to fight and if needed, make a sacrifice in service of ones country.

Today of all days we should salute those that paid the ultimate sacrifice - and have in our minds serving troops at home and abroad who face daily hardships working to bring peace in harsh environments.

The wearing of a poppy is a simple way of remembering our fallen heroes and supporting the Royal British Legion, an act that in some small way can make a big difference to the lives of those hurt in war, in particular those currently serving in Afghanistan where 365 British troops have been killed over the past 10 years.

Historically it brings with it thoughts and recognition for those who enabled us to live our lives the way we do today, and in the present a sign of support to those currently serving that their actions too will not be forgotten.

As a Territorial, I'll be taking great pride in wearing my uniform and remembering those who have fallen for our country at a Remembrance Day parade this Sunday.

They gave their today for our tomorrow.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

HMS Sikh book - release 11th November.

The HMS Sikh research book will be released on 11th November 2011 (Armistice Day).

It is the culmination of a years research into the Naval Destroyer, and is the first self-published booklet I am releasing under my 'Dot Hyphen Publishers' label.

The book gives a general history of the ship and its actions at sea - an excellent insight for historians and researchers.

To order visit Amazon.co.uk and type HMS Sikh

Feel free to share on Twitter/FB ... and please leave a review too!

Back to blogging 2

... so updated my browser from IE to Google Chrome - and it's done the trick! My posts are now being published ... so watch this space for more ...

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Back to blogging

So a busy few weeks in the day job - but you can follow @SkyNewsSingh for that.

On here, I'm writing about Sikh involvement during the Great War & World War 2.

And with the HMS Sikh book nearly ready and Remembrance Day upon us, I wanted to share this thought with you - for discussion so please your comments.

How many Sikhs today are willing to sign up and fight for Great Britain?

No doubt we have a long historic tradition of doing so, but sadly in 2011 our numbers have dwindled to less than 100 in the British Army.

Perhaps the example of those from yesteryear can inspire British Sikhs to see the virtue of serving our country and do so in memory of those that fought to liberate Great Britain.

Monday 29 August 2011

Book on HMS Sikh 1939-42

Curiosity leads you to uncover amazing things in life.

That's the way it's always been for me - perhaps a fitting quality for a journalist.

It was curiosity that led me to enquire about a Royal Navy ship called HMS Sikh that served during the 2nd World War.

That made me take time out from busy work days to travel to the British Library and National Archives to dig into it's history.

The result of a year's research, writing and reading is a new booklet I'm printing later this year.

HMS Sikh 1939-42 is a short research paper about the Destroyer and will be available for a modest fee on Amazon.co.uk

While the work I've put into this has been somewhat removed from my main research interests of the Great War period; I've learnt lots of new skills from the process.

My curiosity certainly got the better of me!

I'll put a direct link to the sale page here when it's ready.

Sunday 17 July 2011

While We've been Away...

So it's 6 months since I last blogged, but lot's has happened since then.

For one, we've launched an Arts Council Exhibition based on my "TURBANOLOGY" documentary from 2009. This exciting touring project has had lots of media and is wooing crowds with colourful Turban-art. You can find out more via:

FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com/turbanology.sikhs.unwrapped.exhibition
WEB - www.turbanology.info
TWITTER - TurbanologyTour

Secondly, the "S@W" project is continuing and I've been putting lots of research into a series of titles that'll be self-published in the forthcoming few months.

While lots of work has been done by Anglo-Sikh related groups, there is still a general lack of good research productions. So our research into Sikhs/Indians during WW1 and 2 will be released - it'll hopefully help those who want to delve into the subject matter as well as serious academics and historians.

We begin with a research book about HMS SIKH (1939-42) ... more details soon...

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Official Launch - in HD!

So our website now hosts the Official Launch in Parliament film, hosted by the Attorney General ... check it out here:

http://www.dothyphen.co.uk/sikhs@war/play/sikhs-at-war-official-launch.html

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Feedback

There's been fantastic feedback about the launch from all over the world - thanks for all your emails and text messages.

This film is being resourced by schools, religious groups, historic associations and individuals in India, UK, Australia and North America.

If you want to get in touch with us email me "hardeep AT dothyphen.co.uk".

In the mean time, our next production is currently in the research phase - watch this space! And don't forget to share this blog with your friends