~ An Enlightened Soul, Light of the Universe, a Lion: My mind cannot fully fathom, nor can my words possibly describe, The rare Light that graced our world that was Guru Gobind Singh ~
Guru Nanak is regarded by the Sikhs and many others as a Messenger of God, an enlightened Teacher, a champion of human dignity and peace among faiths, and a brilliant spiritual Light for all humanity.
He talked about, "America's foundation of diversity, land of many faiths- strains of thread that connects all these faiths." In the spirit of the moment, Congressman Carson was made an honorary "Singh" with a resounding Jakara.
Before presenting the Award to KP Singh, the official introduction read as "Since his arrival in Indiana 46 years ago, KP Singh has emphasized the importance of learning about other cultures and faiths so that we can become better neighbors and citizens.
The evening celebrated life, hope, and promise: to make a difference to the lives of children thousands of miles away. One can imagine many more people such as Christel DeHaan committed to life-transforming opportunities for others and pursuing endeavors to uplift humanity.
It all begins with learning, meeting at common crossroads, and exploring ideas that have the power and mandate us to work together for greater good, creating an environment that answer our shared values and prayers.
Each day, every Fourth of July, gives me pause to reflect on my life-journey, people that I have met, the blessings that I have enjoyed since the nightmare of the Partition of India, and the prayers that have been answered.
Signature event, 500 Festival parade, boasts celebrity and political involvement. The full color procession delighted the over 300,000 enthusiastic spectators and featured Punjabi and Sikh pride.
We were greatly impressed by Congresswoman Brooks’ candor, friendliness, knowledge of Sikh American concerns and her willingness to support their commitment and struggle to discover a rightful place for their faith, culture, and community in America.
Beyond the commemorations, celebrations, and proud recounting of glorious legacy and legends of the historic Baisakhi of 1699, the struggles and sacrifices since, and the unimagined achievements of the Sikhs on the world stage in recent decades, there remain formidable challenges of Sikhs knowing so little about their own faith.