Amongst the Sikhs

When some of the Sikhs left their homeland, an uncertain future stared them in the face. The antidote to this incertitude was their determination to make a name for themselves wherever their destiny would propel them. And so they did. Some spread Guru Nanak's message in the western hemisphere, while others went on to become members of parliament in their adopted countries. Yet others sang the gurbani in the west or were invested with the Order of the British Empire. They entertained the high and mighty at their chain of Indian hotels, and even regaled the world during wrestling bouts. Neither the lack of funds nor the feeling of cultural alienation could dwarf their will to succeed. Amongst the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars is a celebration of Sikhs, especially diaspora Sikhs who came, who saw and who conquered.

Dr Surjit Kaur is a professional counsellor in Virginia in the US. Educated first in Jalandhar, Punjab, she taught in Punjab for some time before leaving for the US for higher studies. She received a master's degree in education from the University of Idaho, and a doctorate in counselling from Washington State University. After a stint with the American embassy in India, in the United States Agency for International Development, she became a senior research fellow at the Council for Social Development. She worked briefly with the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Planning as a consultant. She is the author of Foundation and Counseling - a revised version of her doctoral thesis, Family Planning in Two units, and Wastage of Children - a study of infant and child mortality. She has recently been selected to participate in Leadership Fairfax, Class of Leadership Fairfax, Class of 2003, in Fairfax, Virginia, US.