Saldef
Sikh
Coalition
United
Sikhs
Columnists
How Did We Select
The Chic Sikhs of 2008?
EDITORIAL
It was a daunting task, albeit a most pleasurable one.
How does one choose a winner from 110 e-mails and 54 extraordinary names of individuals - men, women and children - and groups, organizations and institutions?
Here are the 54, in rough alphabetical order:
Waris Singh Ahluwalia
Kavneet Singh Alag
Reema Kaur Anand
Sandeep Singh Caberwal
Jagjit Singh Dardi
Ishpreet Singh Devgun
Sgt. Baltej Singh Dhillon
Bhai Bhagwant Singh Dilawari
International Institute of Gurmat Studies
The Kaur Foundation
Gurmeet Kaur
Harpreet Kaur
Valarie Kaur
Guruka Singh Khalsa
Amandeep Singh Madra
W.H. McLeod
Barack Obama
Harvinder Singh Phoolka
Sardarni H.S. Phoolka
Gurmeet Kaur Rai
Sharat Raju
Harbinder Singh Rana
Major Harjit Singh Sajjan
SALDEF
Bhai Balbir Singh Seechewal
Rabbi Shergill
Jasmeet Kaur Sidhu
Sikh Coalition
Sikhnet.com
Amrit Kaur Singh
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
Rabindra Kaur Singh
Angad Singh
Bhai Baldeep Singh
Prof. Darshan Singh
Dya Singh and Group
Fauja Singh
Gurumustuk Singh
Capt. Harbhajan Singh
Harinder Singh
Dr. I.J. Singh
Baba Iqbal Singh
Ishmeet Singh
Jasdeep Singh
Khushwant Singh, Chandigarh
Khushwant Singh, New Delhi
Manmeet Singh
Bhai Manmohan Singh
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Bhagat Puran Singh
Saran Singh
Bhai Vir Singh
United Sikhs
The Widows of 1984
The task looked an impossible one because we soon realized that even if we chose one at random with eyes shut, we simply couldn't go wrong by selecting any one of the fifty-four. Each has made his/her/their/its positive mark on society in an extraordinary way.
It was obvious that our readers from around the world had been meticulously diligent in their nominations, and the least we owed them was an equally thorough study of each nominee's bio and work and a selection that would meet all our criteria.
Dr. Birinder Singh Ahluwalia of Toronto, Canada and Sardarni Manjyot Kaur of New York City, U.S.A. joined the Editor of sikhchic.com in sifting through the names to arrive at the necessary decision.
The three were in agreement that we needed to look for the following:
- Seva above and beyond the call of duty
- Selfless, consistent, ongoing and meticulous service
- Ground-breaking and far-reaching impact
- Commensurate with the highest ideals of Sikhi
- Of benefit to people of all faiths and races
- Have made a mark on society in the Year 2008
- Of a nation-building nature for their home-countries
- Deserving wide recognition, encouragement and support
Not a scientific process, certainly ... but one that needed much thought and would be quite dependant on divine guidance and inspiration.
A number of names easily fell within these criteria.
But somehow, we had to and managed to wade through the list, knowing that, though the final choice would not necessarily be a perfect one, it would certainly have the backing of most people at home and across the diaspora.
And that is how we came up with:
SALDEF
THE SIKH COALITION
UNITED SIKHS
It was impossible to choose between the three. Each has done phenomenal work, both in conjunction with the other two, and independently of them, as well. We are simply in awe of what they have done and achieved in such a short time.
As we reviewed their list of achievements, we collectively felt - and hoped and prayed - that each of these organizations would soon be able to set up operations in each of the major centers of Sikh settlement across North America and the U.K., but also in India and elsewhere around the world.
We have asked key players within the three organizations as well as others in the know - such as Dr. I.J. Singh, who is ever our guide, and has been one to them, as well, from their very inception - to fill us in, through a series of articles, on the historical context to the activities of these "Three Amigos", if you will. These pieces will appear in rotation as lead articles on our homepage during the next week and more, as we present to you a special edition of sikhchic.com to celebrate "The Chic Sikhs of 2008".
Most importantly, in sharing with you our joy of naming these Chic Sikhs and celebrating their success, we urge you with all the moral weight that we can muster to open your hearts and wallets to help these three institutions to grow and flourish.
The work they do requires incredible energy, dedication, concentration and resources; we will make it far easier for them to do what they do so well, if we untied their hands and freed them from constant fundraising.
Let's not wait for them to ask ... let us all send them our dasvandh cheques, regularly.
We can't think of anything else that could give a bigger bang for our buck!
December 31, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Baljit Singh (Boston, U.S.A.), December 31, 2008, 10:16 AM.
Wow! Great choices! I agree wholeheartedly with your choosing these three, and naming them jointly. CONGRATULATIONS to each one of them ... they deserve every bit of it. And thank you for all your work.
2: Ryaz Kaur (Manchester, U.K.), December 31, 2008, 10:19 AM.
Congratulations to the Chic Sikhs of 2008! Great picks! May the new year give you all more strength and endless success ... and all the support you need from the community!
3: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.A.), December 31, 2008, 1:15 PM.
Lakh, Lakh, Vadhaaian to the sangat. We are truly blessed to have these three organizations. These organizations are our future - let's open our hearts and wallets and support them. Sikhchic - thanks for your vision!
4: Ajit S.Shergill (Dublin, Ireland), December 31, 2008, 3:08 PM.
An inspired choice! Hope this inspires many in the diaspora to open their dasvandh wallets and support these wonderful organizations.
5: Navjeet Singh (Chandigarh, India), January 01, 2009, 10:43 AM.
Great! There's nothing else to say. Now, the need is to strengthen these organizations and not to make new ones. These are enough to represent the Sikhs anywhere in the world, the need is only to make them larger and stronger. So that we do not have to shout to make ourselves listen but ... others can hear even our whispers.
6: The Singh Twins (U.K.), January 02, 2009, 6:34 AM.
Congratulations to all the winners - they really do lead the way in showing us all what being a Sikh in today's world should truly be about.