By Dr. JASWANT SINGH SACHDEV
POMONA, CA – On December 25, several thousand Sikhs - more than in any previous celebration of Darbar-E-Khalsa – thronged the grounds of the LA County Fairplex here. The massive religio-social annual gathering in Southern California, on the day of Christmas, was the brain child of Captain Harbhajan Singh, the founder of the International Institute of Gurmat Studies. 

​BY A STAFF REPORTER
IRVINE,CA - About 200 guests attended the annual Christmas program hosted by Sri Yeshu Jayanthi here on  Dec 1. The Turtle Rock Community Park Multipurpose Room was decorated to reflect the theme of Christmas. The multicultural program began with a classical Bharatanatyam dance, followed by a children’s skit to convey the story of Jesus’ birth. 

IJ NEWS SERVICE
BUENA PARK,CA- A signing ceremony for yet another Professorship in Jain Studies was held at the Jain Center of Southern California here on November 25.The Bhagwab Mallinath Endowed Professorship was  set up at Loyola Marymount University. Raksha and Harshad Shah and Drs. Meera and Jasvant Modi from Los Angeles are the main donors of the Endowment of $800,000...

​BY KALYANI VASAN
LOS ANGELES, CA:  Hollywood Sikh Temple Celebrated the 549th Parkash Utsav of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at the -Friendship Auditorium here.  An estimated 3,000-5,000 Sikhs attended the all-day event.  The day began at 7 am with prayers  or Shabads followed by Kirtans rendered by children.  The Friendship Auditorium reverberated with the sounds of faith, prayer and love.  

​BY A STAFF REPORTER
IRVINE,CA - After Diwali, a rare event with rituals and chanting of Vedic mantras took place on Nov 10 at the Mandir here. The ‘invocation of divinity’ ceremonies were conducted by the priests and the 4 feet black stone deity of Bhagwan Kartikeyaswami was installed on the pedestal. All customary rituals, daily homam and pujas were performed by participating families in authentic

BY GINA DARGAN
ORANGE, CA - SikhLens hosted its 16th annual Sikh Arts and Film Festival  from Nov 15- 18 , showcasing the culture of Sikhism through different mediums of art from creators all around the world. The four-day cinematic festival was dedicated to highlighting Sikh awareness on a global scale, while also touching upon social issues within communities.

BY A STAFF REPORTER
LOS ANGELES, CA - Lights, flames and candles are often used as religious symbols of hope and truth. These symbols radiated very brightly on the occasion of Diwali  celebrated as Bandi Chor Diwas on Nov 7 at many Gurdwaras in SoCal. Celebrations were held at Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Buena Park, the Sikh Center of Orange County in Santa Ana, Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Walnut and...

BUENA PARK,CA – Over 300 people gathered at the Jain Center of Southern California to kick off Diwali on Nov 2. ”ROSHANI” – A Diwali program was jointly organized by JCSC and Sankara Eye Foundation and was raised.  The evening started with Navkar Mantra, recited by longtime supporters of JCSC and SEF Ramesh and Prafulla Shah, Harshad and Nitu Shah and their family members. Emcee Rupa Shah said that JCSC has stood here for all these years as a guiding light to the Jain community and...

BY A STAFF REPORTER
IRVINE, CA – The India Association of Southern California celebrated Diwali on Oct 28 at Haveli Mandir  here by hosting a Ram Leela cultural show. Guests were treated to tea and delicious snacks and entertained with live music by Subhash Tolia. The formal program started with the traditional prayer to Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi. Puja was performed by Prakash Pancholi...

PRINCETON,NJ - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy held a special Diwali celebration at Drumthwacket, the Governor’s Mansion here on the evening of Nov 8. “Tammy and I are pleased to open the people’s house to the rich and diverse celebrations representative of New Jersey, like Diwali,” said Governor Murphy. “It’s been a long eight years since Drumthwacket was lit with divyas and bright colors to wish the Indian and South Asian community a Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak.”