Hardayal Singh Of United Sikhs Receives Prestigious 'International Sikh Of The Year' Award

Genia Chadha

Jul 5, 2023 - 00:16

Hardayal Singh Of United Sikhs

Hardayal Singh, the Program Director of United Sikhs, has been honored with the prestigious International Sikh of the Year award at the 2nd British Sikh Awards 2023 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event aims to recognize outstanding Sikhs and their remarkable achievements in various fields, with awardees selected from a pool of hundreds of nominations. Collecting the award on behalf of Hardayal Singh was Palwinder Kaur, the Director of United Sikhs' United Kingdom chapter.

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It is important to acknowledge that Hardayal Singh's achievements are intertwined with the collective efforts of thousands of donors and volunteers who have supported the organization's principles and actions. In 1997, a group of young Sikh professionals, including Hardayal Singh, came together to address the advocacy and socio-economic needs of marginalized communities in Queens Borough, New York City. This initial endeavor laid the foundation for the establishment of United Sikhs as a registered non-profit organization in 1999. Little did its founders anticipate that this organization would go on to positively impact millions of lives through its chapters across five continents.

Hardayal Singh reminisced, "In 2004, we embarked on our first large-scale humanitarian aid mission, setting up langar camps and distributing relief supplies in India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia following the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. From 2004 to 2006, our legal teams secured several landmark victories pertaining to the civil and human rights of Sikhs in France, Belgium, and the United States, thereby shaping the field of International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA)."

United Sikhs' tireless efforts over the years have earned it recognition as a community-driven humanitarian aid organization, leading to its affiliation with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in 2007.

In response to the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake, United Sikhs launched one of its most significant emergency aid missions. Another noteworthy milestone occurred in 2017 when, thanks to their efforts, Sikh American history and culture were introduced as part of the general curriculum for 5th and 6th graders in New York City schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, United Sikhs distributed over four million meals worldwide.

Singh humbly acknowledged, "None of this would have been possible without the support of the people. We are honored to share the British Sikh Award with our supporters and donors."