HSD1 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Far from communication being limited to smiles and gestures, Aitken was relieved to discover that Inderjot speaks fluent English having finished his education at the Holmes Institute in Sydney, Australia. At the time he did not wear a turban or a beard for Inderjot, like Aitken himself, has been on a relatively recent spiritual journey - though not with the threat of prison hanging over him. My bad. No more Daily Mail for me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdsingh80 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/8320904/Alexandra-Aitken-her-Sikh-husband-and-what-his-friends-and-family-really-think-about-their-marriage.html Alexandra Aitken, her Sikh husband, and what his friends and family really think about their marriage Alexandra Aitken, her Sikh husband, and what his friends and family really think about their marriage When former 'It girl' Alexandra Aitken married a Sikh 'warrior' from the Punjab, it was regarded by many as an unlikely union. Image 1 of 2 Alexandra and Inderjot Photo: BARCROFT By Gethin Chamberlain in Ludhiana and Patrick Sawer in London 7:30AM GMT 13 Feb 2011 Following a spectacular ceremony near Amritsar – organised at such short notice that her father, Jonathan Aitken, the disgraced former Cabinet minister, and her mother were unable to attend – the former society hell-raiser declared her intention to live a life of humble simplicity with "the most beautiful man I've ever seen". But while most cross-cultural marriages are likely to bring their own particular strains and difficulties, the union of Alexandra Aitken and Inderjot Singh may have to bear more than most. Already, some of Mr Singh's relatives have stepped in to denounce the marriage as contravening Sikh traditions, saying that it threatens to dilute the family's bloodline. Members of his family have also cast doubt on Alexandra's widely publicised claim that her husband is a member of a devout Sikh warrior sect and that dozens of holy men left their caves to attend the wedding. Furthermore, there are question marks over quite how religious Mr Singh actually is, with friends coming forward to point out that he used to be quite happy living a party lifestyle. Related Articles Jonathan Aitken on his daughter's marriage 02 Feb 2011 Alexandra Aitken's marriage to Mr Singh is the culmination of a tortuous journey, from party girl to yoga devotee and Sikh convert, that has seen her dabble in Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Kabbalah along the way. She told how their wedding was attended by 150 holy men who took the unusual step of leaving the "caves" where they spend much of their time meditating. Alexandra, 30, who, after her conversion, calls herself Harvinder Kaur Khalsa, described her husband as a pious man who spends much of his time helping to feed and clothe the poor. "Inderjot is incredibly kind and gentle, but at the same time very powerful, a real man," she told Hello magazine. "He's one of the easiest men in the world." She also proudly asserts that 27-year-old Mr Singh is a member of the Nihang, an armed order of the Sikh faith which she calls "the SAS of the religion". The reality, however, may be more complex. Friends of Mr Singh have told this newspaper that far from being particularly pious, he used to enjoy more of a party lifestyle and only became devout in his mid-20s. Like many young men, he drank, smoked cigarettes and flirted with girls. Mr Singh was brought up in the industrial city of Ludhiana, the largest in India's Punjab state and home to more than 1.4 million people. His father, Brahmjit Singh, a civil servant, and his mother, Rajinder Kaur, a senior clerk with the local electricity board, own property and agricultural land in the state and run a clothing factory supplying larger manufacturers. The business is overseen by Mr Singh's brother, Amanjot, known as Jyoti. While Mr Singh's parents appear to be happy with their son's choice of bride, not everyone in the family shares their delight. His uncle, Nacchator Singh, said: "I was decidedly against the marriage. It is the mixing of races and races should not be mixed." He claims Mr Singh has polluted their pure bloodline by marrying a British girl. "No foreigner should marry a Punjabi. We had another foreign woman come and marry a boy here and she stayed for a couple of years and then left him and took a lot of money," he said. There are fears Alexandra may soon tire of living amid India's poverty, contrasting as it does with her privileged upbringing. Nacchator said Mr Singh had no obvious means of supporting himself or his new wife. "Every 15 to 20 days, he comes home to take money from his mother," he said. "How long can his mother support him? Once the mother stops supporting him the mem [short for memsahib, a slightly derogatory term for a foreign woman] will run away." There are also doubts over Mr Singh's claim to be a member of the Nihang. In the city of Anandpur Sahib, where Mr Singh and Alexandra were staying with friends last week, several members of the order approached by this newspaper failed to recognise him from his wedding pictures. One, Fateh Singh, was unimpressed with the way Mr Singh wore his metal Khanda, symbol of Sikhism, hidden among the folds of his turban rather than proudly displaying it on the front as they do. "He's a fake Nihang," he muttered. One of Mr Singh's cousins, Baljot Singh, insisted he is not a member of the order. He said: "When he was in Australia, he came back with all the attire. But Inderjot is certainly not a Nihang Singh. Nihang are a specific sect and he does not belong to them. He is not registered with the Nihangs. He has just adopted the attire." He also dismissed the claim that 150 of the wedding guests were "cave-dwelling Nihangs". He said: "His friends came to the wedding wearing the Nihang clothes but they are not Nihang either. And they don't live in caves. They all belong to good families." Gagandeep Sandhu, who lives in Anandpur Sahib and knows Alexandra's husband, said: "He used to be a wild boy. He cut his hair [forbidden in Sikhism], went to parties, chasing girls, smoking and drinking. It would be fascinating to know what changed him." Bikramjit Singh, a 27-year-old lawyer who shared a room with Mr Singh when they studied together at Rayat-Bahra college of law near Chandigarh city, and in whose parents' house the couple have been staying, admitted that his friend had not always been so devout. In 2007, Mr Singh dropped out of college and went to Australia, where he attended the Holmes Institute in Sydney. Bikramjit Singh said: "He wanted to start a new life there like many people who go abroad from Punjab. "He went to a college there, but came back after a year. While he was in there, he met a saint and became very religious. Before that, yes, he was not so religious; he did like parties." The couple have already made thousands of pounds from selling the story of their marriage to newspapers and magazines, something which has alarmed members of the Sikh establishment. They are also concerned about Alexandra's commercial activities, which include a yoga business in California and the sale of yoga mats at $85 (£53). Her Blue Light Yoga website contains appeals for donations for the creation of a school in Amritsar, the location or existence of which is not made clear. "If you are with our religion, you don't do it for business; it is for a better life," said Mr Sandhu. "If someone is using the Sikh religion for business that is wrong. Before her marriage, she can do business, but not after." Alexandra's father, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 1999 after being found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice, defended Mr Singh, telling The Sunday Telegraph: "He is a Nihang and a teacher. He is a very spiritual man with a deep religious commitment. People come up to him in the street and ask his advice." Mr Aitken, who recently returned from a four-day visit to see his daughter and son-in-law, said that Mr Singh spends at least an hour a day working in a soup kitchen for the poor in the precincts of the Golden Temple. "Inderjot has made my daughter blissfully happy. They are wonderfully happy together and I rejoice in that," he said. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silence Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 They just lack an understanding of sikh traditions. clearly he follows nihang lifestyle but just isn't part of the dal and so for all purposes is in fact a nihang. they can't under stand finer points like this. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithar Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 The way the British media tries to dig dirt from this story is disgusting to say the least. Aggar mia bibi ho raazi, to kiyaa karega kaazi. If both the couple are happy, what's their bloody problem? would the media be acting like this if she had married a white man? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 The way the British media tries to dig dirt from this story is disgusting to say the least. Aggar mia bibi ho raazi, to kiyaa karega kaazi. If both the couple are happy, what's their bloody problem? would the media be acting like this if she had married a white man? Are you kidding me? Our lot don't hesitate to resort to murder over cross caste marriages let alone cross cultural ones. Anyway, did anyone really expect anything else from conservative goray? You know what makes me laugh is that despite this, you'll still get hordes of apnay who still think establishment goray are our 'jigari yaars'... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) The way the British media tries to dig dirt from this story is disgusting to say the least. Aggar mia bibi ho raazi, to kiyaa karega kaazi. If both the couple are happy, what's their bloody problem? would the media be acting like this if she had married a white man? Are you kidding me? Our lot don't hesitate to resort to murder over cross caste marriages let alone cross cultural ones. Anyway, did anyone really expect anything else from conservative goray? You know what makes me laugh is that despite this, you'll still get hordes of apnay who still think establishment goray are our 'jigari yaars'... Fact is, they hate this because she has 'gone native'....as they used to put it and the truth is that really, deep down, they often view Sikhs as beneath them. Useful idiots yes, but still beneath them. Edited February 14, 2011 by dalsingh101 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithar Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Are you kidding me? Our lot don't hesitate to resort to murder over cross caste marriages let alone cross cultural ones. The only way a murder occurs is if one of the parents are unhappy of the marriage this can happen in both inter caste and within caste. But the parents of both the boy and girl are okay with this marriage. So that is not even the issue. The British media is digging up dirt from the past of these two to imply somehow that both of them are double faced, abnormal and even opportunists, otherwise a normal white woman or man cannot even do something like this. They are making this into something that seems very very wrong and weird. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdsingh80 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Are you kidding me? Our lot don't hesitate to resort to murder over cross caste marriages let alone cross cultural ones. Anyway, did anyone The so called honour killings are over hyped by Media and feminists.We are community of 25 million and how many cases occur in 1 year 50-100 all over the world.Now you cannot say that everybody behave same in the world 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) What strikes me is how excited some apnay have got at this. It's like they are ecstatic at the idea that a gori would want to marry an apna. Edited February 14, 2011 by dalsingh101 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithar Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 What strikes me is how excited some apnay have got at this. It's like they are ecstatic at the idea that a gori would want to marry an apna. It's not the part of a gori marrying an apna that has people ecstatic. I think that it is the fact that a woman who comes from a rich family and lived a sinful life(from Gurmat point of view) has chosen to leave all that behind and become a Gursikh that brings a smile to people's face. She does seva all day long at Gurdwaras with her husband. She dresses up modestly. Guru Jee has blessed them both with a great lifestyle. I know that western influenced people may not approve of this but may more women and men all over the world follow her example. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) I know that western influenced people may not approve of this but may more women and men all over the world follow her example. I hope so too. I hope some apneean in the west take note too. Edited February 14, 2011 by dalsingh101 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.Kaur Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Their Anand Karaj pictures which are public on bhootha-kitaab http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?id=150251951695081&pid=298987#!/album.php?id=509189201&aid=368643 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 lol@bhootha-kitaab 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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