Guneet Monga Kapoor

If there was ever an extraordinary journey to encapsulate, a chronicle to record, a story to be inspired from, it is that of Guneet Monga Kapoor.   It was the summer of 2004, about three years before the release of the Indian-born Canadian-American filmmaker Vic (Victor) Sarin’s film, Partition. As young journalists, we were a …

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Dr. Mohinder Grewal

The GPS Man   Early Life The headline above perfectly encapsulates the exact thought that came to my mind when someone asked me if I had heard about Professor Mohinder Grewal – one of the most important men who steered navigation to where it stands today. Truthfully, I could have never imagined that there would …

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Rabbi Shergill

Whispers of The Strings: Rabbi Shergill’s Lyrical Odyssey.   Do we really have to do this? At first, there were signs of hesitation to indulge in a conversation of which he was the subject. When one has been written, interviewed, and talked about over and over again, the idea of striking up yet another ‘up …

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Gurujot Singh Khalsa :Sultan of Outsourcing and Off-shoring

This interview with Gurujot S Khalsa is from 2005 when I was working on my book, Sikhs Unlimited. This interview holds significant historical importance in the context of Offshoring and Outsourcing, and it should be shared on The Global Sikh Trail, despite many changes that might have occurred since then.   Sterling, Virginia , USA …

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From Rangwalas to Berger Paints

The Remarkable Journey of Kuldip Singh and Gurbachan Singh Dhingra “This is where it all started,” says Kuldip Singh Dhingra, pointing to a black and white 1941 photograph on the wall of his study. It is a photograph of a well-to-do Sikh family gathered in the front courtyard of their haveli, clearly dressed in their …

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King of Bhangra Pop- Channi Singh (OBE)

  This interview was conducted in 2005 when I was working on my first book,  “Sikhs Unlimited.” Although significant changes may have transpired in the life of the protagonist since then (was conferred with the Order of the British Empire in 2011), it remains a pivotal interview due to its invaluable contribution to understanding the …

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PRITHVI RAJ SINGH OBEROI aka BIKKI OBEROI

The Legacy of the Luxury Hotelier It is a sunny winter afternoon when my taxi rolls into the sprawling seventy-acre Oberoi Farms in Delhi-Gurgaon’s Kapashera area. After a long and winding tree-lined drive, I am courteously led into a well-appointed study; the study of a man whom the world knows as, and calls, the last …

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Dr. Manmohan Singh

Renowned as an esteemed economist and statesman, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the 13th Prime Minister of India, has firmly established himself as a prominent figure in the global economic and political arena. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential personalities worldwide. Throughout his career, Dr. Singh has dedicated himself to serving his country and consistently …

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Dr Gagandeep Kang

Sprightly microbiologist and virologist, Dr Gagandeep Kang, also known as the ‘Vaccine Godmother of India’, led the nation’s fight against Covid-19. At the forefront when crisis was rife, she believes education is the route to progress A lifetime dedicated to research for the betterment of public health sector, Dr Gagandeep Kang is known as the …

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Narinder Singh Kapany

Art collector, engineer, entrepreneur, farmer, innovator, inventor, philanthropist, and physicist are many of the labels used to describe Dr Narinder Singh Kapany. Yet, he was much more than even being a sum of all these. Singularly responsible for revolutionising modern communications, lasers, biomedical instrumentation, solar energy, even pollution monitoring, Kapany amassed patents and turned them …

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Hardev Singh

Hardev Singh is a man who has turned lights into sagas, hotels into romantic journeys and pictures into art. In a career spanning close to forty years, he has neither lost focus nor the passion. Neither complacent nor arrogant, he views success as a result of sheer love for what he does.

Arpana Caur

Self-effacing and humble, Arpana Caur can take anyone by surprise. Artists oftentimes create an aura about themselves but Arpana lives by old-world ideas. A lady who spends months painting layer by layer, she is passionate about huge canvases and life-like portrayals of the world around her.

Avtar Singh Sohal Tari

If one were to ask the question: Who is the greatest Sikh sportsman outside India, the answer undoubtedly would be: Avtar Singh Sohal, affectionately know as ‘Tari’. At six feet tall, a sturdy physique, and now eighty years of age, Tari is known all over the hockey world for his stupendous achievements in the sport. He has represented Kenya at four Olympic games: 1960 (Rome), 1964 (Tokyo, captain), 1968 (Mexico, captain), and 1972 (Munich, captain).

Amrit Kaur and Rabindra Kaur

You’ll be in trouble if only one of the twins were to turn up at the bus stop,’ said the English lady sitting alongside me as the National Express coach pulled up at the Liverpool bus depot. Sharp thinking I thought, as I gazed through the large glass panes on a gloomy July day, trying to spot the famous British-Asian contemporary artists, Amrit and Rabindra K.D. Singh—the ‘Singh Twins’

Gurutej Singh Khalsa

‘Have a good flight, mate,’ called out the passenger sitting next to me with his wife. His bushy moustache reminded me of the Australian pace bowler Merv Hughes. ‘And you, sir,’ I replied as the Frontier airline aircraft took off from Denver on way to Albuquerque in New Mexico. ‘If you have one, so shall we,’ he said, and I looked at him, astonished at the remark.

Gurinder Chadha OBE

Want to take a guess what film director Gurinder Chadha — of Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice fame—would have been if she were not a filmmaker? Well, in her own words and admission, she would have been driving long distance trailers under the banner ‘Chadha Transport’ on English motorways! Yes, that is correct.

Tony Singh MBE

The setting: a fourth-floor terraced seating, a view of Edinburgh Castle and the Pentlands on the left, Firth of Forth on the right, with Charlotte Square sitting pretty in the middle. Cool airbrushing your face; the sun playing hide and seek; a busy Castle Street down below, and tourists with happy faces walking up and down, enjoying the Edinburgh summer festival. As much as it may seem this is no scene from a Scottish picture book.

Milkha Singh

While growing up my introduction to Milkha Singh, better known the world over as the ‘Flying Sikh’, was exclusive via jokes. I did not have the slightest idea about his track achievements, as Milkha Singh for me was some speedy village peasant who, while chasing thieves, had left them far behind and become the butt of every ‘Sardar’ joke.

Amarinder Singh

When one has written a full-bodied 392-page biography of an individual as diverse, vibrant and eclectic as Captain Amarinder Singh, scaling his story down to a short biography really does get the tough going. This is the story of a man who was born into utter privilege but transcended it to become an undeniably successful public and political figure.

Bishan Singh Bedi

Bishan Bedi is probably the finest left-arm spinner to have played cricket. He had qualities that went beyond mere wicket-taking, the essential elements that add up to not just greatness but something approaching the ideal.

Gurdeep Singh Pall

‘No one goes to Medina village. Why this particular village?’ asked the immigration officer intriguingly at the Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, USA, as he peered through his window, trying to get a closer look at me.
‘I have no idea, Officer, except that this was the address given to me by my host to fill on the arrival form,’ I replied, and distinctly remember wondering what was it about Medina that no one visited it.

Manjit Singh Gill

Through the nineteen eighties and the nineties, ITC’s Maurya Sheraton hotel on New Delhi’s Sardar Patel Marg was arguably one of the most iconic and towering addresses of the city. A reason being its Indian gourmet kitchen that rolled out some of the most delectable Indian food recipes. It was only natural that I met Chef Manjit Singh Gill at the Maurya, one of the main forces behind giving the hotel this kingly and elevated status.