Current Events
Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize 2010
by PRABHJOT SINGH
The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize for 2010 will be given jointly to Rabbi Arthur Schneier and the organiztion, Religions for Peace, next month in New York, U.S.A. The prize of $50,000 is awarded biennially to an individual or organisation chosen by a distinguished panel of judges.
Rabbi Schneier is President of the Appeal for Conscience Foundation and Religions for Peace, a worldwide multi-religious coalition
The Dalai Lama was the winner of the inaugural prize in 2008 in recognition of his lifelong efforts to promote interfaith dialogue. The goal of this award is to enhance awareness of the critical role of religious dialogue in the pursuit of peace and to provide direct support for the furtherance of such activities.
Stuart Rabinowitz, President, Hofstra University, New York, said the prize, established with a donation from S. Ishar Singh and Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra, would be awarded in April, 2010 on the Hofstra University campus on the occasion of Vaisakhi. A selection committee comprising members from various faith traditions chose Rabbi Schneier. More than 60 individuals and groups were nominated for getting the award from different countries.
A Holocaust survivor, Rabbi Schneier has devoted his life to promoting religious tolerance and freedom. He is a spiritual leader of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan and founder and President of the Appeal for Conscience Foundation. He has led interfaith delegations to Cuba, China and the former Soviet Union and was the first Rabbi to get the Presidential Citizen's Medal, the second-highest civilian award in the U.S.
Religions for Peace is the largest multi-faith coalition for peace in the world, with 70 inter-religious councils across the globe. The organisation brings together leaders from different religions to promote human rights, reduce poverty and end sectarian violence. Its most recent world assembly, in 2006, drew more than 800 religious leaders from nearly 100 countries.
Hofstra University located in Long Island, New York, has a Chair on Sikh Studies and another Chair on Sikh Music.The first was made possible by funds contributed by The Ishar Singh and Kuljit Kaur Bindra family of Long Island, New York, U.S.A., and is headed by Dr. Balbinder Singh Bhogal.
The second - The Chair on Sikh Music - was endowed by Dr. Hakam Singh of Murietta, California, U.S.A., in fond memory of his late and dear wife, Sardarni Harbans Kaur. This Chair is currently vacant; however, a search is underway for a suitable professor to fill it.
March 25, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: A. H. S. (Richmond Hill, New York, U.S.A.), March 25, 2010, 11:50 AM.
It's nice to learn about this. 'O kayra boota e jo har thaa(n) tay ug re-ha hai? ... O hai Sikhi da boota!"
2: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), March 25, 2010, 2:19 PM.
A correction: The Chair of Sikh Studies, headed by Balbinder Singh Bhogal, is funded by the Bindra family. The Chair on Sikh Music, independent of the one on Sikh Studies, is being funded by Dr. Hakam Singh of California, and at this time there is an active search process in place for an appropriate person to head it.
3: Dr. Hakam Singh (Murrieta, California, U.S.A.), March 25, 2010, 7:25 PM.
A Correction: The Chair on Sikh Musicology was endowed by me in the memory of my late dear wife, Sardarni Harbans Kaur. A search for a suitable professor is currently going on to fill this chair, which currently remains vacant. [EDITOR: Our apologies - it is our error. We have corrected the article. Thank you for taking the trouble to direct our attention to the mistake.]
4: Irvinderpal Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), March 25, 2010, 9:54 PM.
The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize is in the spirit of Guru Nanak's whole life and mission. That the second winner is also a non-Sikh consolidates that it was Guru Nanak who spread Waheguru's word among the believers and the faithful of other religions. From the Dalai Lama to Rabbi Schneier is a continuing success story of this Award.
5: Ajit Singh Randhawa (Lexington, South Carolina, U.S.A.), March 26, 2010, 1:00 PM.
The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize is truly a befitting tribute to Guru Nanak's unifying message to the world. These awards reflect the genuine search and recognition of deserving persons focusing on their contribution to humanity at large. I hope global youth rises above the discrimination and bias of diversity and embraces unity of mankind and preserve sanctity of faiths and a clear conscience. Faiths portray the underpinnings of the Divine. Congratulations for the wonderful contributions.
6: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), March 26, 2010, 10:49 PM.
This is very good to give every second year: the Guru Nanak Interfaith prize. But all of these good deeds are wasted by keeping the news only within Sikhs and the Sikh/Punjabi media. After spending so much money, in this world of media, these awards should be publicized so that the massage of Guru Nanak is spread out. Otherwise this is a waste just like 'jungle mai more naacha, kissi ne dekha?" (The peacock danced in the jungle; did anyone see it?) The organizers should propagate this world-wide before and after the prize is given.
7: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), March 27, 2010, 4:14 PM.
Gurjender, you have a point. In this case, however, the New York Times carried a quarter-page announcement of the prize in its "The Week in Review" on Sunday, March 21st. The prize will be awarded at a Hofstra University sponsored gala on April 12; that will have many non-Sikh attendees and is sure to garner much attention.