Former Akal Takht chief wins US award

Professor Darshan Singh, former head, Akal Takht, the seat of Sikh religious authority, was the recipient of this year's Lifetime Service Award instituted by the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation in the United States.

The Sewa (service) award is given annually to an individual or organisation 'which shows an exemplary work for the betterment of the Sikh community or does some significant thing to create a good name for the Sikhs.'

Professor Singh was presented the award during a special programme organised to launch year-long celebrations to commemorate the 300 anniversary of Guruship of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptures.

He was being honored 'for his life-long commitment and dedication to spread the word of the Guru through Gurbani kirtan,' said Ranjit Singh, chairman, Rockville, Maryland-based GGSF.

At the award ceremony, Bhai Gurdarshan Singh, the granthi of the GGSF, presented a robe of honour (siropa) to Professor Singh. Ranjit Singh presented him with a Lifetime Service Award.

Last year, the Smithsonian Institution and Sikh Heritage Foundation got the award for setting up a Sikh exhibition at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC.

At a large gathering of Sikhs in the Washington metropolitan area, assembled to launch the tercentenary celebration, Professor Singh sang hymns on shabad (the guru). He exhorted the Sikhs to celebrate 300

years of Guru Gadi divas by reading the scriptures and understanding it. As part of the celebrations, he told them to read Guru Granth Sahib daily, with the help of translations.

Professor Singh 'has popularised the Sikh kirtan among the masses and his preaching style has created high literacy about the Sikh scriptures among the Sikhs,' according to Dr Rajwant Singh, executive director, GGSF. 'He is still an authority on scriptural understanding,' he told the gathering.

GGSF Secretary Amrit Kaur said, 'We are honoured in presenting this token of appreciation to Professor Darshan Singh. Singh Sahib Darshan Singh has inspired many with his analytical explanation to follow the path laid down by the guru.'

He chose to speak fearlessly against the attack on Sikhs after the 1984 riots after Sikh guards killed Indira Gandhi, then India's prime minister, and was jailed for months then. Thanks to that effort, he has won admiration from Sikhs all over the world. He has recently established an academy to propagate Gurbani's message in Toronto, Canada and his kirtans are available on the Internet.

The GGSF, founded in 1985, represents the Sikh community at various fora, and works to create awareness among Americans regarding Sikhs and Sikhism, among other things. It also conducts youth camps and classes through its Gurmat School.