Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa

American Sikh leader

Stephen J. Oxenhandler (Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa)
Khalsa at Governor's Prayer Breakfast in 2012
Born	St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America

Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa is Chief of Protocol for the American Sikh group Sikh Dharma.^[1] In 2000 he was convicted on fraud charges, receiving the nickname "Toner Bandit." He is a member of the Grammy award-winning New-Age musical group White Sun.

Khalsa (born Stephen Oxenhandler^[2]) was born September 29, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri, to a well-to-do real estate development family. He was raised in a Reform Jewish community with whom he spent his youth between St. Louis and Palm Springs, California.^[3]

Career

In connection with one enterprise, Sweet Song Corporation, Khalsa and his associates were sued by the FTC for a telemarketing scam in which they falsely representing the value of gemstone investments, and in 1998 were barred from engaging in any business related to collectibles investments.^[4]

In 2000 Harijiwan was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his involvement in a different telemarketing scam. The scam involved sending companies fraudulent invoices for toner,^[5] as a result of the crime Khalsa received the nickname "Toner Bandit."^[6]

Harijiwan has defended Kundalini master Yogi Bhajan against multiple allegations of rape and child abuse that emerged following his death.^[7]^[8] A 52-minute video titled “The Futile Flow of Fate” released on his website, and shared by Guru Jagat, begins, “Someone, I think, needs to speak on behalf of Yogi Bhajan.”^[9] In the video, Harijiwan claims that the accusations were made for financial gain.^[10]

Khalsa is a member of the musical group White Sun, they make New Age music inspired by the Sikh tradition. Their 2016 album White Sun II won a 2017 Grammy award in the New Age category.^[11]^[12] In 2018 they released another album, White Sun III.^[13] In 2023 their album Mystic Mirror won a Grammy in the same New Age category.^[14]

References

↑ "Stephen J Oxenhandler (Hari Jiwan Khalsa)". Retrieved 20 November 2024.
↑ "FTC v. Sweet Song Corporation". 18 August 1998. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
↑ Meyer, Nancy (March 1984). "Meet the Sikhs". Los Angeles Magazine: 174–180.
↑ "Last Defendant Named in a Gemstone Telemarketing Case Banned from Telemarketing Activities" (Press release). Federal Trade Commission. 1 February 2000. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011.
↑ "Colorado News and Denver News: The Denver Post". extras.denverpost.com. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
↑ PHELAN, HAYLEY. "The Second Coming of Guru Jagat". vanityfair.com. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
↑ "Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power". The Guru Magazine. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
↑ Stuart, Gwynedd (2020-07-15). "Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
↑ "The Legacy of Guru Jagat on Instagram: "This tale is no truer than any other tale — the Truth as always lies in the eye of the Beholder . . . A Film by #mandev . . #linkinbio #ageofaquarius #harijiwan #yogibhajan #teacherstudent"". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
↑ Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. "Before the sudden death of its leader, Ra Ma Yoga Institute was accused by some former members of being a cult. What happens now?". Insider. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
↑ Kainth, Shamsher. "Group wins Grammy award for Sikh Gurbani album". sbs.com.au. SBS. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
↑ Singh, IP. "White Sun's Grammy Win Puts Glow on Sikh Faith". indiatimes.com. Times of India. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
↑ "WHITE SUN RELEASE NEW LP 'WHITE SUN III'". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
↑ Singh, Harmeet Shah. "The journey of Sikh spiritual music – from rabab to Grammys". indiatoday.in. India Today. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cases/1998/08/final_or.010.htm

Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa

Career

See also

References

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