Sikhs from across the country gathered in the White House earlier this month to celebrate the 545th birth-anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Ashley Allison, the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, welcomed the group with a traditional Sikh greeting. The celebration, included kirtan and langar which began with ardas from Sulakhan Singh, a press release issued by the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) said.
Tina Tchen, special assistant to the President and chief of staff to the First Lady, conveyed the greetings from the First couple. President Obama had also issued a statement on Nov. 6, the day of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary congratulating the Sikh community. “During his lifetime in the 15th and 16th centuries, Guru Nanak traveled throughout the region and world promoting equality, diversity, compassion, and tolerance, which became the core principles of Sikhism,” the statement read. “The Sikh American community enriches the United States every day with its embodiment of these values, which are shared not just by Sikhs but by all Americans.”
California Congressman Mike Honda reflected on the importance of the day. “What Guru Nanak taught is very much relevant today,” he said. “Your community has a glorious history in America and you have contributed immensely to this nation.”
Honda also spoke about issues of bullying that Sikh youth experience and his efforts to make sure no child is discriminated against. “We need to make sure that we hire Sikh teachers in the school systems to increase diversity which would also help in creating awareness about Sikh faith and Sikh culture,” he told the gathering.
Simran Jeet Singh, a PhD candidate at New York’s Columbia University and senior fellow at the Sikh Coalition delivered the keynote speech. Singh spoke about the influence Guru Nanak’s words has had on his own life and how the teacher’s wisdoms on equality and service to others ring true today. “The values that Guru Nanak imparted closely mirror some of our most basic American values. Sikhism, like America, places immense emphasis on freedom, equal opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness.
In addition to the keynote, two panel discussions were organized. The first focused on school bullying and was paneled by Alice Yao from the White House Initiative on Asian-American and Pacific Islanders and Rajdeep Singh of The Sikh Coalition. The panelists spoke on their organizations’ efforts to combat bullying of young Sikhs in school.
The next panel included EcoSikh President Dr. Rajwant Singh and Dr. Rucha Kavathe of United Sikhs. Dr. Singh acknowledged the landmark agreement between the U.S. and China, which outlines a track for the world’s largest polluting nations to reduce their greenhouse emissions over the next 20 years.
Kavathe spoke on issues of wellbeing, the Affordable Care Act, and universal healthcare.
The evening was brought to a close with remarks from Indra Kaur Alhuwalia, member of the Board of Directors for the Sikh-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF).
Other attendees included Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Gurwin Singh Ahuja from the White House Trade office, as well as representatives from EcoSikh, SCORE, Sikh Coalition, SALDEF, National Sikh Campaign, United Sikhs, and members of the Sikh community from Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, the press release said.