Sikh and Annoy

Ping Pong Player Distractions - Religious Misunderstandings & Fatal Fashion Choices - Paul Inder Singh

2007 US Open Table Tennis Tournament

July 4-7, 2007 - Las Vegas, NV

Hilton Las Vegas Convention Center

Sikh Player Pushes - And his index finger is slightly to high on the paddle for me to enjoy.  It's annoying.  Why am I bothered?  Many World Class players  have their finger even higher.

He doesn't look very happy.  He's playing ping pong -- he should smile.

The way his head twists and hand is held in the air looks somewhat aloof.

This position is fine.  He looks focused on the task at hand.  Plus, I can't see his black socks.

His finger is bothering me.

His legs look nice, but I'm not fond of the buttock.

After years of the 1970's US Bicentennial Year white tube sock indoctrination - I'm unable to accept black socks with shorts - or even black tennis shoes. It's just wrong.

Looks like his quadriceps are strong.  Why does he push so much and not loop? Pushing is frowned on and pushers are referred to as chiselers.

That beard and mustache could use a trim.  If he can't trim it for religious reasons, why don't they cover their faces as well?

I do like the way he stands out in this US Open Table Tennis crowd -- His overall look, while annoying in some parts gets a thumbs up for bold originality.

Copyright © 2007 - Robert Trudell

Common Sikh American Head Coverings -  US Department of Justice

http://sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Turban

Pammi Bai - Pugg Patiala - Symbol of the Pride wearing of the Turban in through out of the world in all religions

Turban Music Video

http://www.pammibai.com/video.htm

Knoxville Table Tennis Club http://www.kttc.us/index.html

http://www.kttc.us/dog_arts/Dogwood2007/

http://www.kttc.us/dogwoodpics.html

http://www.usatt.org/events/2003usopen/day3.shtml

Under 1800/Over 40 Finalist Paul Singh and Champion Alex Voronin. Photo by Larry Hodges ©2003.

Under 1800/Over 40 was won by Alex Voronin over Paul Singh in a close 9,-7,10,9 battle.

Singh, Paul Inder

U.S. Open Championships 

Rating before tournament: 1744

Rating after tournament: 1731

Rating change: -13

Subject: Final chance for Larry Hodges to apologize for his racist comments

Newsgroups: rec.sport.table-tennis

Srivinias View profile writes:

More options Dec 3 2000, 1:00 am

Larry,

What amazes me is your defiant arrogance in that you are willing to goto extreme lengths to cover up a mistake that you made.
 Why not just admit that you were ignorant about the hair  of Sikhs & apologize & move on ?  Because I am sure many people have read the same artcile that I am referring to in the USATT's Official magazine. It is all right there in print. You can run & but you cannot hide. (It may not be the exact issues that you try to misdirect readers to but it is in there in the magazine & in one of Larry's articles.)

As far as I am concerned it is not a big deal. You are a little more ignorant & insensitive than most people thought & it upsets you I understand that.
I brought this up just to show what a liar & coward you are. Why are you making it much worse for yourself ? On the other hand we can troll till end of time if you want & you can help me bring teh newsgroup down as you usually do. You just can't let go..........& I love it.

Berndt ...,

....

It may not be exactly the US Open or it may not eb teh US Open between 91 & 95 (could be US Open 90) or it ccudl eb one of those US Open Teams, but I will bet a pretty penny that Larry Hodges ridiculed an Indian Sikh kid who was visiting the US to play one of these tournaments. It may not be exactly word to word as to what I said but Larry did say that and to teh effect that the (Sikh) kid lose his hairdo. I am assuming you have all those magazines and I suggest you check them thoroughly

...

Subject: Re: More hat stuff

Hi Sjan!

But for other readers, I was accused of making insensitive remarks to a religious sikh when the remarks were to a person wearing an American style knit cap, and were in response to that person's jokes about it himself. It was an inside joke that, eight years later, an obsessed psycho is now trying to twist around. I have a good rapport with the junior players I work with and the ones they meet at tournaments (including this one), and the statement was an inside joke that came out of this. (When this all came up, I didn't even remember this incident, since it had nothing to do with the incident involved.)

The case that I think you were originally referring to was when an umpire or referee ***did*** ask or require a religious person (I believe a sikh) to remove a hat that was worn for religious reasons. From there, your muddled thinking and one-track mind put the two together and presto! More gist for your obsession. But you have sunk to a new low with this one, with the obscene language. The irony is incredibly thick - using obscenity after obscenity that offends many people, you complain about a person being offended when you have no evidence the person was offended!

Further irony: it's sjan's memory of an event he wasn't at vs. my memory of an event I was at. Hmmmm.

Next on the agenda: Let's attack Terry Bell for requiring Paul Matkovic to remove his hat. Paul, of course, wears his baseball cap for religious reasons, as do all hat wearers.

http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12879&PN=1

Debraj (Dave) Ganguly writes:

 asr1990 replies:

alfie says:

asr...it might be just banter like in the UK people make fun of scousers and cockneys and jordies etc etc

asr returns:

Arthur Lui  adds:

also find it quite offensive. "Sikh and Annoy"? Saying that someone's religious clothing annoys you is quite insensitive.

Rob responds:

I like it on the whole. 

wawaicetea123 comments:

Rob expands:

loopy sidetracks:

Rob explains:

aeoliah suggests:

If you meant no offense, then perhaps it is the way of presenting it that gives the wrong impression, because if I were a Sikh seeing this post, I would feel offended.

loop+loop confirms:

That's the way I read it too, like you were picking on him and his religion.

Rob notes:

Rob clarifies:

I took the gentlemans photos because I liked the way he stood out in the crowd.

When I made the webpage I knew their were some previous controversies with Sikhs and their head dress in Table Tennis events as well as some Sikhs being shot by being mistaken for Muslims.

Arthur Lui says:

Even your explanation is offensive, finding things about him that annoy you. In the future, I recommend a more respectful approach to the photos you take and post online for everyone in the world to see (which is somewhat of a privacy issue already since you don't have their consent).

The photos/comments about Laura Xiao's boyfriend were also offensive. If you're going to post photos of people (very stalker-like photos I might add, frame-by-frame candid shots), at the very least present them respectfully, not making fun of them.

I know if the Sikh gentleman saw your page about him he wouldn't be happy.

Rob allows:

People are allowed to be offended if they want to be.

 --Rob

loopy defends:

asr1990 expounds:

alfie ducks for cover:

Rob furthers:

Arthur Lui thinks:

I don't think, Rob, that you're trying to offend, nevertheless it's time to start thinking about the effect of your posts before posting them and consider how the target of your photos/comments would feel about them. As a person who runs a website that has pretty good traffic, you have a responsibility because what you do will be seen by more people than any regular Joe Blow who posts on their blog.

All this gentleman did was go to a tournament and play. He doesn't deserve to be ridiculed on the Internet for thousands of people to see. He didn't do anything wrong to anybody, he just went to play. His only crime was not dressing in North American fashion.

Rob replies:

Actually, I'm trying to demonstrate a title is more offensive than the material.

loopy defines:

asr1990 confirms:

loopy states:

So if I wore a Pope Robe and someone posted it. Should I take offense for Catholics or Laugh with the others. "America", FREEDOM OF SPEECH. And when I say that I am defending "BOTH" sides! All I am saying is Rob is not Hating the man, the religion(he did say the Sikhs were honerable people), Just the clothes.He can say that (dressing like Jack Black) more than anyone. Jokes are not funny to everyone, case in point, some like the movie " Balls of Fury". In My Opinion those people should not be given the right to vote

Arthur Lui focuses:

• "The way his head twists and hand is held in the air looks somewhat cocky and unprofessional at the same time."
• "That beard and mustache could use a trim.  If he can't trim it for religious reasons, why don't they cover their faces as well?"
• "His legs look nice, but I'm not fond of the buttock."

loopy agrees:

ppgear (Arthur),

I apologize.

I agree wiyh your firt 2 examples as being offensive. The third really just questions Rob"s manhood. Nothing offensive to the sikhs.

Rob responds:

agni states:

I think it is a matter of ignorance from Robert . There is a thin line between making fun & becoming offensive specially when it is on religion. I hope this type of article do not get attention in the Indian media otherwise this forum & the post owner will get immediate publicity as this is quite sensitive .

I think moderator should ban this post .

loopy responds:

agni explains:

For a sikh , a turban is mandatory . It is one of the five important symbol of religion . In India sikh army personal are allowed to keep the turban .

Real Freedom comes when people are not ignorant & are aware of the cultures , values in the whole world . Then they will not create rules which will be biased against any culture . In India a sikh or any other religion is free to practice their faith & the tolerance & knowledge of different faith is widespread .
But even countries in europe or even america do preach about this freedom , but in practice arent .

Rob acknowledges:

varghesep expounds:

Rob confirms:

aeoliah recommends:

Why don't we stop now and let the issue fade as time passes ? I believe that the gentleman concerned would prefer it so, rather than having this subject being discussed continuously.

Famous Sikh Table Tennis Player Article

Manjit Singh Dua

     The player who had dominated the Indian table tennis for the longest ever period is Manjit Singh Dua, the stylish left-handed from New Delhi were he was born and raised. There has hardly been any player in the annals of Indian table tennis who has enjoyed such a long innings.

     Embarking on the international scene, Manjit Dua has left a long trail of personal glory with achievements galore in his career. He carved out many notable victories with his close-to-the table fast attacking game. His variety of'serves' backed by nimble footwork, accurate and sharp anticipation upset the apple cart of many a heavyweight in the game.

     Early in his life Manjit might have derived some inspiration from his elder brother Rajinder Singh Dua who played the game. But it soon became obvious that young Dua was destined to scale greater heights. Forgetting other frivolities which occupy sometimes a growing mind, Manjit put his heart and soul in the game and concentrated on it in the right earnest.

     Slowly Dua built up his game on a sound footing. Now he started executing good strokes. He developed accuracy on both backhand and forehand. His drives were powerful and his blocks perfect, leaving the ball dead on the table in some obscure corner.

     Dua soon caught the public eye. In 1967 he was selected in the Delhi table tennis team. This was the first recognition of his talent. From then on Dua went on from strength to strength, bringing in more depth to his strokes, polish and power. The result was that now Dua was that now Dua was considered a star on the national table tennis circuit.

     He got the real break in 1973 when he was chosen to lead Delhi for the first time. The honour perhaps inspired the young star so much that he steered himself to success after success. He first captured the North Zone table tennis title at Jalandhar with sparks of brilliance. But more was yet to follow that year. Following up his North Zone success, he caused a flutter when he overpowered Mir Kasim Ali, the reigning champion, to crown himself as the new table tennis champion. Dua was the first Sikh player to have achieved that honor.

     It would be safe enough to say that from that year onwards, Dua went on to win name and fame in the field of table tennis both at home and abroad.

     Next year although Dua failed to retain the national title, he on account of his good performance throughout the year was ranked number one in the country. Dua failed still next year despite speculation in table tennis circle that he would emerge champion. And he became the champion in 1976.

     Dua kept leading Delhi in all the major tournaments .In 1974 and 80 under his captaincy, Delhi won the team title in the National Table Tennis Championships.

     In 1979 Manjit once again wrested the national table tennis title for the third time. All through the years, he had been defeated only in the semis or final. Never throughout his life defeated only in the semis or final. Never throughout his life has he been upset in the earlier rounds. For instance, in 1981 when the country once again expected him to win the title for the fourth time, he succumbed to Kamlesh Mehta in the semis that later easily lost to V. Chandershekhar in the final.

     Since 1973 when Dua became the national champion for the first time, he has been representing India in all the major table tennis tournaments all over the globe. In the Commonwealth T.T.      Championship at Bombay (India) in February, 1982, Dua won a bronze medal in the men's singles event. He has taken part in all Waterloos for his country, in the Asian, the Commonwealth and the world Table Tennis Championships. People have often wondered at his peak form,
     psychological built-up with extreme physical fitness which he has maintained for an incredibly long time. Declared as the best sportsman of Delhi 1974 besides ranked number one in the country, Dua was also awarded the Arjuna Award the same year.

     Manjit Dua's performance at a glance:

     1. National champion in 1973, 76 & 79.      Ranked Number one in 1974 in the country.

     2. Had been representing Delhi since 1967.      Captained Delhi in the National T.T. Championships in 1974 & 80 which won the team title.

     3. Had won all major tournaments of the country.

     4. Captaining Delhi in all the major championships since 1973.

     5. Represented India in the Asian T.T. Championships at china, DPR Korea, Malaysia, Japan,      Calcutta and Indonesia and the Commonwealth T.T. Championship at Cardiff (Wales), Melbourne      (Australia), Edinburg (Scotland) and Bombay (India) and the World Championships at Calcutta      (India) and the world Championships at Calcutta (India). Brimingham (U.K.), Jarajevo      (Yugoslavia), Pyongyong (DPR Korea), and Novisad (Yugoslavia).

     6. Played in international tournaments in the USA, Canada, Germany, Iran, Swedan, Nepal, Japan      and South Korea.

     7. Best Sportsman of Delhi in 1974.

     8. Winner of Arjuna Award in 1974.

     9. Bronze medal winner in the men's singles in the commonwealth T.T. Championship at Bombay      in 1982.

http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special14/articles/0707coldcase0707.html

2003 shooting of Sikh unsolved

Jul. 7, 2006 12:00 AM

"I heard that voice say, 'Go back to where you belong to,' and at the same time I heard that shot," Cheira said Tuesday (May 20, 2003) at a Valley hospital, where he winced with pain each time he moved his legs.

When and where: The night of May 19, 2003, near Ninth Street and Bell Road in Phoenix.

Summary: Cheira, now 55, said that the shooting put him in the hospital for about 10 days and that he was unable to work for nearly three months. He relied on friends, family and the Valley Sikh community to lend him money to cover truck and house payments while he was out of work.

"If they weren't there, I don't think I could stand up again (financially)," Cheira said.

Cheira incurred more than $100,000 in medical expenses from the attack and carries nearly $3,000 in debt after the majority of the expenses were forgiven because of his inability to pay.

Cheira has since moved to a gated community for more safety, and said to this day he worries about his family's safety.

With no arrests in the joint Phoenix police-FBI investigation and a $20,000 reward for information still uncollected, Cheira said he feels that the case has been forgotten.

Cheira was the second Valley Sikh attacked after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the experience had a chilling effect on the nearly 2,000-member community.

Frank Silva Roque was sentenced to death in 2003 for fatally shooting Balbir Singh Sodhi, a 49-year-old Sikh man, four days after the terrorist attacks.

GuruRoop Kaur Khalsa, a Valley Sikh community leader, said Sikhs wear turbans as an expression of their faith and can be confused with Islamists because of their appearance.

"Really, to this day, you can tell by how people treat you in the grocery store, you can tell what they saw on the news the night before," Khalsa said.

Investigators: FBI Special Agent Deborah McCarley and Phoenix police Detective Jerry Oliver.

What bothers McCarley most about the case: "These types of crimes don't affect just one individual," she said. "This also has an impact on that community, that minority group."