Polar Bear Sardars
NEWS REPORT
No, it wasn't a scene from Hardwar of brahmins sending water to their ancestors who were supposedly ensconced on the Sun. Nor was it anyone emulating Guru Nanak's tongue-in-cheek response of watering His fields in distant Punjab by splashing water in the opposite direction.
With the snow starting to fall and the temperatures already below zero, a group of young Sardars were simply ringing in the New Year by making waves, polar bear like, in freezing Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada early in the early hours of Friday, January 1, 2010.
The Khalsa Kanucks were lead by "Captain Kanada" Gill who, at the tender age of 60, proved that you can have fun at any age.
Not to be outdone, Jas "The-Great-One" Singh Jagpal lead the Khalsa Kanucks individually raising $949 and the team as a whole fundraising $2933 towards Habitat for Humanity Toronto, to support local families in need.
Kulvir "Flaming" Singh Gill says, "I cannot think of a better way to bring in the New Year than doing something to benefit others and having a little fun in the sun ... or, should I say, fun in the cold!"
Kicking off the dip and warm-up was the Dhol Circle, entertaining all participants with amazing dhol rythmns and beats. The Khalsa Kanucks were out in full Canadiana Hockey gear including Kuljit "I-am-off-the-sidewalk" Singh sporting a Winnipeg Jets Jersey and Rana "The-Polar-Bear" Singh Bassi sporting the Quebec Nordiques.
"That really got my adrenalin pumping." said Pardeep 'Double-Dipping" Singh Nagra, "it actually made the water feel hot, so hot that I had to take a second dip only to realize the water was freezing."
Making the biggest splashes were Shamsher "Super-Fly" Singh, Kulbir "Splashing" Singh Dhillon and Harpeet "Dholi" Singh Bajwa who all can't wait to do it again next year. A few of the Sardars were so excited they forgot to take off their shirts, they included the Gurmit "I-am-not-cold" Singh twins and Harry "Dancing" Singh Mann.
Many family and friends were on hand to join the over 400 participants and supporters as they shouted "Eh O Khalsa Kanucks, Go!
[You can visit the Khalsa Kanucks Facebook page for wonderful pictures and videos of the Polar Bear Dip.]
January 2, 2009
NEWS REPORT
No, it wasn't a scene from Hardwar of brahmins sending water to their ancestors who were supposedly ensconced on the Sun. Nor was it anyone emulating Guru Nanak's tongue-in-cheek response of watering His fields in distant Punjab by splashing water in the opposite direction.
With the snow starting to fall and the temperatures already below zero, a group of young Sardars were simply ringing in the New Year by making waves, polar bear like, in freezing Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada early in the early hours of Friday, January 1, 2010.
The Khalsa Kanucks were lead by "Captain Kanada" Gill who, at the tender age of 60, proved that you can have fun at any age.
Not to be outdone, Jas "The-Great-One" Singh Jagpal lead the Khalsa Kanucks individually raising $949 and the team as a whole fundraising $2933 towards Habitat for Humanity Toronto, to support local families in need.
Kulvir "Flaming" Singh Gill says, "I cannot think of a better way to bring in the New Year than doing something to benefit others and having a little fun in the sun ... or, should I say, fun in the cold!"
Kicking off the dip and warm-up was the Dhol Circle, entertaining all participants with amazing dhol rythmns and beats. The Khalsa Kanucks were out in full Canadiana Hockey gear including Kuljit "I-am-off-the-sidewalk" Singh sporting a Winnipeg Jets Jersey and Rana "The-Polar-Bear" Singh Bassi sporting the Quebec Nordiques.
"That really got my adrenalin pumping." said Pardeep 'Double-Dipping" Singh Nagra, "it actually made the water feel hot, so hot that I had to take a second dip only to realize the water was freezing."
Making the biggest splashes were Shamsher "Super-Fly" Singh, Kulbir "Splashing" Singh Dhillon and Harpeet "Dholi" Singh Bajwa who all can't wait to do it again next year. A few of the Sardars were so excited they forgot to take off their shirts, they included the Gurmit "I-am-not-cold" Singh twins and Harry "Dancing" Singh Mann.
Many family and friends were on hand to join the over 400 participants and supporters as they shouted "Eh O Khalsa Kanucks, Go!
[You can visit the Khalsa Kanucks Facebook page for wonderful pictures and videos of the Polar Bear Dip.]
January 2, 2009
