Bhai Gurdarshan Singh Honored With InterFaith Bridge Builders’ Award
Bhai Gurdarshan Singh of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, a Sikh spiritual center in Rockville, MD, has been honored with the InterFaith Bridge Builders’ Award for 2011. The other honorees for this year’s award are Mr. D. Randall Benn, a lawyer and Presbyterian; Fr. John Crossin, former Executive Director of the Washington Theological Consortium; and Prof. Sulayman Nyang, Professor of African Studies Department at Howard University in Washington, DC.
The award is bestowed every year by InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (IFC) to a few distinguished personalities for their contribution in building community, advancing justice, and nurturing mutual understanding. This year’s ceremony was the 7th in the series and was held recently in a capacity filled Founders’ Hall, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC.
Bhai Gurdarshan Singh’s specific contributions cited at the ceremony were his ability to articulate the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib in a manner for all to understand and spreading worldwide awareness of Sikhism, a universal faith with a message of love for all. Moreover, he was commended for reaching out to youth on whose shoulders lies the responsibility of establishing global peace, truth, and justice.
The presentation of the awards ceremony proceeded with panel discussions with the honorees and audience questions. In this session, each of the award recipients was given a chance to elaborate their views on religion. The common theme in everyone’s contribution was that while we do not have to believe in other’s faith, one can learn to respect it. In this regard, it was also mentioned that better interfaith understanding will create workable degree of unity among all religions.
As Bhai Sahib walked across to receive his award, a large number of Sikh gentlemen having colorful dastars and Sikh ladies with bright duppatas, felt an amazing sense of pride. The audience clapped and cheered warmly when Bhai Gurdarshan Singh in his award acceptance speech humbly said that he does not deserve this award since every Sikh is a bridge builder; every Sikh home is a bridge builder; and every Sikh place of worship is a bridge builder. In this regard, he also emphasized that Guru Granth Sahib is the only Holy Scripture in the world which contains hymns of even non-Sikhs. The audience also appreciated when the Sikh honoree said that though acknowledged as a spiritual leader, he is just a humble servant doing his duty in conveying the Guru’s message of love, benevolence, mutual understanding, and respect for all religions. The concluding remarks of Bhai Gurdarshan Singh’s response following his award presentation included a reference to Bhagat Puran Singh, a man known in Sikhism for service to the needy, as mother Teresa is in Catholicism, under whose influence Bhai Sahib grew up in his teen years.
Rajwant Singh leading all those assembled in the IFC's responsive reading, "To Our Common Cause."
Besides Bhai Gurdarshan Singh, another personality who brought a sense of additional delight on this memorable and spiritually stirring event is Dr. Rajwant Singh, a prominent Sikh leader. An honoree of the IFC’s second annual Bridge Building Awards, Dr. Singh is the First Vice President of IFC Executive Committee. Immediately after remarks of Bhai Sahib, Dr. Rajwant Singh led responsive reading titled “To Our Common Cause.” The principal idea contained in this reading was the same as enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib that we are all children of one God.
 |
 |
| Bhai Gurdarshan Singh | Bhai Gurdarshan Singh responding to a question. Dr. Phil Wogaman behind him. |
 |
 |
| Bhai Gurdarshan Singh receiving the award with IFC Assembly member Marjorie Ackerman who presented it | Bhai Gurdarshan Singh with Fr. John Crossin, another honoree |
 |
 |
| Most of the Sikhs who came! |
Interestingly, the speech delivered on the occasion by Rev. Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness, President of IFC and a well known Human Right Activist as well as the key note address by Dr. Phil Wogaman, an ordained United Methodist minister also centered around inter-religious concept advocated in Sikhism. Thus, the event established that Sikh religion is a true reflection of the interfaith spirit and Bhai Gurdarshan Singh, an enlightened preacher with long time of community service to his credit, well deserved the award.
The general mood of the attendees conveyed their feeling that the event was not be missed. It was an evening of learning experience and realization that God is one who brings everyone together. The departing warm handshakes among persons of different faiths at the conclusion of the event were enough to establish that the message of IFC on universal brotherhood is bearing its fruit.
In the midst of departing expressions of warmth and interfaith acceptance, I had the privilege of interviewing Bhai Gurdarshan Singh. This quick and brief interview aimed at basically eliciting information as to how did he come in contact with IFC and more importantly on his command of English language which is extremely rare among Sikh preachers. Bhai Sahib unhesitatingly admitted that he had practically no knowledge of English language prior to immigrating into the United States. It was only in the late 1980s after joining Guru Gobind Singh Foundation that he commenced taking lessons in the language. “I am especially indebted to Dr. Rajwant Singh who inspired and encouraged me enormously to learn English”, said Bhai Sahib. In regard to his involvement with IFC, besides crediting Dr. Singh, Bhai Sahib mentioned the name of Bibi Amrit Kaur, the onetime president of IFC and Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, who unfortunately had to leave us a couple of years ago because of her untimely death. Finally, Bhai Sahib expressed his gratitude to his supportive fabulous family and Washington metropolitan area Sangat for their love and cooperation in spreading interfaith tolerance and understanding which are Guru Granth Sahib’s essential ingredients.