Above: Rana Singh and wife Sukhbir Kaur flank U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
People
White House Honours Balbir Singh Sodhi's Memory
by JIM WALSH
Mesa restaurateur and Gilbert (Arizona, U.S.A.) resident Rana Singh Sodhi didn't donate money to President Barack Obama's campaign. He didn't work on the campaign, either.
But he ended up shaking hands with Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Tuesday's state dinner for India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"This is the biggest honour I can ever have," Rana said.
He said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a former Arizona governor, threw her arms around him and said, "Rana, you are here in the White House. I can't believe it."
Rana Singh Sodhi and his wife, Sukhbir Kaur, could hardly believe it, either. The exclusive dinner was attended by 338 people, mostly high-rollers and celebrities, including movie director Steven Spielberg.
The honour was bestowed upon the East Valley couple after Dr. Rajwant Singh, a Maryland dentist and chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, recommended them for an invitation and supplied an administration aide with a copy of "A Dream in Doubt," a PBS documentary shown a year ago across the nation.
"I think they feel deeply about all minorities, especially a conspicuous minority like ours," Rajwant Singh said. "It was a kind gesture extended to the Sodhi family and the Sikh community."
"A Dream in Doubt" documents how Rana and his three brothers immigrated to the United States from India in 1985 because the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion. Two of his brothers ended up being murdered.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, 49, an east Mesa gasoline-station owner, was gunned down on Sept. 15, 2001, only four days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, by an angry gunman who wanted to retaliate against "Arabs."
Balbir Singh Sodhi was from India and wore a turban as a requirement of his Sikh faith. Frank Roque was sentenced to death by jurors, but his sentence was later reduced by the Arizona Supreme Court to life in prison without parole because of evidence he was mentally ill.
Suhkpal Singh Sodhi, 50, a cabdriver in San Francisco, was shot to death nearly a year later. Police never made an arrest and speculated that he may have been caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting.
"They invited me because my family got hurt, and they respect my family," Rana Singh Sodhi said. "You feel like you are in a wonderful country that people, after nine years, still remember."
He said the invitation was especially gratifying because he was born and raised in India and has great respect for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but has carved out a life in the U.S. He and his wife have three children, all born in the U.S., and also owns some independent gas stations.
"These are my two mothers, and I'm standing there having dinner with both of them," Rana Singh Sodhi said about the two countries he has called home. "One mother gave me birth, and one mother gave me my life."
　
[Courtesy: The Arizona Republic]
November 28, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), November 28, 2009, 11:16 AM.
I salute President Obama for acknowledging Balbir Singh Sodhi, victim of the backlash of 9/11 by inviting his brother Rana Singh to the State dinner at the White House. This is a complete contrast to how the victims of 1984 are being treated.
2: Jagbeer Singh Khalsa (Birmingham, United Kingdom), November 28, 2009, 4:52 PM.
The real honour is that the Sikh community honours and remembers Sardar Balbir Singh ji, his brothers and his family, in what they suffered, and in what they stand for.
3: I.J Singh (New York, U.S.A.), November 28, 2009, 5:06 PM.
Excellent gesture. We need to remember history; only then is progress possible.
4: Harinder (Bangalore, India), November 28, 2009, 9:53 PM.
This shows that Americans are a cultured people - unlike, say, India, which is still in the barbarian era.
5: Ravinder Singh Khalsa (Sydney, Australia), November 29, 2009, 1:39 AM.
Obama, you're my hero - what an amazing humanitarian gesture! Now, please help us bring to justice the perpetrators of the mass crimes in India between 1984 and the late 90's. We need your help.
6: Sandeep Singh Brar (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), November 30, 2009, 10:34 AM.
I can't think of a more appropriate couple to have as guests at such an event. Certainly more worthy than your typical 'social butterflies' and 'photo-op' opportunists. Rana and his family and what they have been through represent both the worst of human nature and the best parts of the American dream. I wish Rana and his family the best.
7: Jassi (Phoenix, Texas, U.S.A.), November 30, 2009, 2:34 PM.
My congratulations to Rana Singh and his family. But, if I am not mistaken, Sardar Balbir Singh's widow and son are here in the U.S. Hope they are also being included in the honour.