Khalistan Calling newsletter dated July 28, 2004.

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Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann - to his eternal credit - writes to

Smithsonian's History Museum of Natural History's Sikh project

about 'Quisling' Tarlochan Singh's past

Seven-member Sikh-American delegation visits

the Museum of Natural History to protest

the Tribune-reported July 24 inauguration by Tarlochan Singh

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Protest called off after Museum Director reassured Sikhs in writing

that there is no 'chief guest' for the July 24 opening events

for the 'Sikhs; Legacy of the Punjab' exhibition

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See picture of July 24 Opening ceremony of the

'Sikhs; Legacy of the Punjab' exhibition below;

'It is worth a thousand words'

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"Where are the Sikh heritage treasures stolen from

By

Dr. Amarjit Singh

Khalistan Affairs Centre

956-National Press Building, Washington D.C. 20045 USA

Tel: 202-637-9210 :: Fax: 202-637-9211

INTERNET SITE INFORMATION:-

kacwashdc@yahoo.com

The July 24, 2004, Smithsonian event, organized under the Sikh Heritage Project, (Director; Dr. Paul M. Taylor) is a research and outreach component of the Asian Cultural History Programme of the Department of Anthropology. The exhibition showcases more than one hundred pieces of Sikh artwork like miniature paintings, arms and armour, traditional textiles and dresses, ancient coins, musical instruments, jewellery, sacred texts and modern works of Sikh art etc. A Sikh gallery in one of the world's top museum's has made every member of the half million strong Sikh-American community proud to be a Sikh and has aroused a sense of gratitude for these great United States and its people which made the Smithsonian's Sikh Gallery possible in one of the world's greatest museums.

Despite the fact that every Sikh-American supports Smithsonian's noble and historical Sikh Heritage endeavor, a July 18, 2004, written appeal from Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, President Akal Dal (Amritsar) addressed jointly to the Smithsonian Institution and Sikh-Americans, exposed the modus operandi of the Quisling-like Tarlochan Singh. Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann's appeal struck a cord and triggered a wave of resentment, among the members of the half million strong Sikh-American community at the shameless audacity of an infamous discredited man, Tarlochan Singh, who was trying to represent the Sikh nation at an unprecedented major cultural event in Washington DC.

Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann's appeal about the Sikh Gallery exhibition also rekindled the unforgotten pain and memory of the June 1984 destruction, by the Indian Army, of the Sikh religion's sanctum sanctorum, the Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib ) and state-arranged looting of the centuries old Sikh Heritage Library and removal by the Indian state of truck-loads of priceless and historical objet d`art, documents, gold coins etc., from the Toshakhana (treasury) located there which have not been returned to this day. Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann's appeal reminded the elders of the community about Tarlochan Singh's outrageous pandering role as press secretary to roving-eyed President Zail Singh and his do-nothing behavior (along with President Zail Singh) during the horrible 1984 state-sponsored Sikh pogroms, when thousands of Sikhs were murdered in Delhi alone while these two frolicked in the British-built President's palace in New Delhi. Tarlochan Singh's latest anti-Punjab pro-Haryana stand on the SYL canal issue, which will deprive the Punjab of its river waters, has earned this horrible man the universal contempt of everybody in the Sikh Homeland of Punjab. Tarlochan Singh could not get elected as a dog-catcher or monkey-catcher in the Punjab even if he tried. That was the reason why the right wing Hindu-fundamentalists arranged for his 'election' from Haryana state to the Rajya Sabha - the upper house of the Indian parliament - so he could play the role of agent provocateur among the Sikhs.

A letter (appended below) by Dr. Amarjit Singh, Director Khalistan Affairs Center, Washington D.C., delivered to Dr. Paul M. Taylor, Director of the Sikh Gallery at the Museum of Natural History, and telephone contact by Mr. Preetham Singh resulted in a Saturday morning (July 24, 2004) meeting of the Director with a seven member Sikh delegation from the Washington tri-state area - details are in the Khalistan Affairs Center's Press Statement appended below. It was charged in the Khalistan Affairs Center's letter to Dr. Taylor that Tarlochan Singh is privy to the whereabouts, and 'travels' of the priceless treasures removed, by the attacking Indian Army, from the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, in June 1984, which objet d`art, books, historical documents, gold coins, scuttlebutt has it, are being smuggled abroad and sold to auction houses, private collectors and museums.

The provocative story in the TRIBUNE mentioned above, the written public appeal from Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann from the Punjab, Dr. Amarjit Singh's letter from Washington DC, hundreds of protesting E-mails from all over the United States to the museum and a meeting of a seven member Sikh delegation from the Washington DC tri-state area with Dr. Paul M. Taylor, cut Mr. Tarlochan Singh to size.

The famous Chinese saying that, 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is applicable to what happened on the inauguration of Smithsonian's Sikh Gallery, at the National Museum of Natural History on Saturday, July 24, 2004. The following photograph published, on July 26, 2004, in the DAILY AJIT, a Punjabi language newspaper published from Jalandhar, Punjab, says it all:-

'Quisling' Chairman of India's Minority Commission

missing

from July 24, 2004 opening ceremony

of Smithsonian's Sikh Gallery in Washington DC

which he claimed he was going to inaugurate

Photograph per courtesy of Daily Ajit, Jalandhar, published on July 26, 2004

click on NEWS section - national & intn'l link

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956 - National Press Building

Washington DC 20045

Tel: 202-637-9210 :: Fax: 202-637-9211

July 24, 2004

As a result of the outrage voiced by Sikh-Americans, this office and Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, at Mr. Tarlochan Singh's reported presence as a VIP, Dr. Paul Michael Taylor, the Director of Smithsonian's Sikh Heritage Project ("Sikhs - Legacy of the Punjab") graciously responded in writing, on July 22, 2004, by reassuring Mr. Preetham Singh as follows:- "To follow up on our telephone conversation, I am writing to confirm that there is no 'chief guest' at the Smithsonians's opening events for the exhibition SIKHS: LEGACY OF THE PUNJAB."

As a consequence of Dr. Taylor's July 22 letter and a later visit on Friday, July 23, 2004, by a seven member delegation, led by Khalistan Affairs Center Director, Dr. Amarjit Singh, which met Dr. Michael Taylor (at the National Museum of Natural History) the planned protest, against Tarlochan Singh's presence, was called off. The following were part of the delegation:-

1. Devinder Singh of Akali Dal (Mann).

2. Bakshish Singh of American Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.

3. Kashmir Singh of Sikh Youth of America.

4. Narinder Singh of Voices for Freedom.

5. Balwinder Singh Sahi , President, Sikh Gurdwara of Greater Washington.

6. Jassa Singh of Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Virginia.

Contact Dr. Amarjit Singh

Tel: 202-637-9210

Fax: 202-637-9211

Above photographs show seven member Sikh-American delegation led by Dr. Amarjit Singh

at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.

meeting Dr. Paul M. Taylor, Director of Sikh Heritage Project

on Saturday July 24, 2004

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956 - National Press Building

Washington DC 20045

Tel: 202-637-9210 :: Fax: 202-637-9211

Thursday July 22, 2004

To:

Dr. Paul Michael Taylor

Director, Sikh Heritage Project

Smithsonian's Asian Cultural History Program

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC 20013 USA

Dear Dr. Taylor:

We Sikh-Americans salute and admire you for organizing the Sikh Heritage Gallery where Sikh art, manuscripts and history will be exhibited. But, the presence of one, Mr. Tarlochan Singh, at the opening, (July 23rd & July 24th) as an invited VIP guest rekindles the unforgotten pain of the June 1984 destruction, by the Indian Army, of the Sikh religion's sanctum sanctorum, the Golden Temple' (Darbar Sahib) and looting of the centuries old Sikh heritage library and Toshakhana (treasury) located there.

2. In June 1984 Mr. Tarlochan Singh, as Press Secretary to the Indian President, was deeply involved in the government's masquerader exercise which saw the removal, for 'safe keeping', of truck loads of priceless and historical objet d'art, books, documents, gold coins etc., pertaining to five hundred years of Sikh history, from the Golden Temple, Amritsar. While the Indian Defence ministry has acknowledged that its minions did remove the Sikh heritage artifacts but, twenty years have elapsed and not even a piece of paper of our patrimony has been returned. Mr. Tarlochan Singh is privy to the whereabouts of that looted Sikh heritage treasure. Just a few days ago Mr. Tarlochan Singh, who dresses to look like a Sikh, had the shameless audacity to publicly endorse a conspiracy by non-riparian Haryana state to hijack the river waters of the Punjab, via the proposed SYL canal, which would turn the Sikh Homeland into a desert - genocide by denying river water.

3. Dr. Taylor, inviting Mr. Tarlochan Singh, or allowing him to attend, or speak at the Sikh heritage functions, organized by the prestigious Smithsonian Institution in these great United States, is shocking and offensive to say the least. It is like the Jewish Holocaust Museum inviting Joseph Goebbels or V. Quisling! Mr. Tarlochan Singh's invitation should be cancelled.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Amarjit Singh

Director

CC: Ms. Sheila P. Burke, CEO, Smithsonian Institution,

P. O. Box 37012, Washington DC 20013-7012

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Khalistan Affairs Centre

956-National Press Building, Washington DC 20045 USA

Tel: 202-637-9210 :: Fax: 202-637-9211

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