National
Thanks to influential diaspora, world leaders converge on Golden Temple
By Jaideep Sarin
Chandigarh, Jan 28 (IANS) When Canada’s young Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits the Golden Temple complex, which is home to the holiest of Sikh shrines, next month, he will carry a political message to a big constituency back home.
With a big Punjabi, especially Sikh, population settled in countries like Canada, Britain and the United States, a visit to the temple by leaders from these countries is becoming a must on their travel itinerary in India.
Trudeau is not the first top Canadian leader to visit the shrine.
Earlier, then Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the Golden Temple in November 2009. He offered prayers and spent nearly an hour inside the complex. Harper deviated from his itinerary to make sure he visited Amritsar.
Harper followed it up with a visit to Takht Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib, the second-most important shrine for Sikh religion and the birth place of the Khalsa Panth (April 1699; founded by the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh), in November 2012.
Premiers (equivalent to a Chief Minister) of Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario, federal ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs) and other leaders have visited Sikh shrines in Punjab in the past.
The Canadian government has recognised Punjabi an official language.
“Countries like United States, Britain and Canada have big populations of migrants from Punjab, especially Sikhs, settled there. Many of them have done well in these countries and carry political clout over there,” Rashpal Singh, an educationist based in Amritsar, told IANS.
Prime Minister David Cameron became the first British Prime Minister to visit the Golden Temple in February 2013. In October 1997, the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, and her husband, Prince Phillip, visited the Golden Temple.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited the shrine as recently as December 2017. Ken Livingstone visited the shrine in November 2007 when he was the London Mayor.
US President Barack Obama came close to visiting the Golden Temple in October 2010 during his visit to India. His proposed visit ran into a controversy over the headgear he would wear to enter the shrine. Under Sikh religious traditions, every devotee to the shrine has to keep his head covered.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had visited the Golden Temple in December 2016 along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi became the first Prime Minister to serve devotees “langar” (community food) at the Golden Temple.
Leaders from several other countries have visited the Golden Temple complex that houses the Harmandir Sahib, Sikhism’s holiest shrine that gets millions of visitors annually. The numbers cross 100,000 on weekends and holidays.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had, in April 2016, shot off an angry letter to Trudeau, protesting against the Canadian government’s denial of permission for his interactive meetings with Punjabis in the cities of Toronto and Vancouver. He was forced to cancel his political rallies following objections raised by Sikh hardliners with the Canadian government.
An annoyed Amarinder had publicly refused to meet Canada’s first Sikh Defence Minister, Harjit Singh Sajjan, when he visited Punjab last April. It is not certain if Amarinder will play host when Trudeau visits Amritsar next month.
(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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