Rajinder Bir Singh Mago
Socio-Cultural Awakening
Former Engineering Senior Manager, Navistar Inc
Co-founder & Board of Governors, Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago | Palatine, IL (USA)
Ancestry & Birthplace
Mandi Bahauddin (undivided British India)
Adopted
Ludhiana, Punjab (India)
Residence
Chicago, IL (USA)
MACHINES AND MUSIC: CREATING SYMPHONY OF ONENESS
An engineer engaged in cultural and interfaith understanding among diverse communities through display of Sikh and Indian traditions in the USA.
For the last 40 years, I have helped bridging the gap that exists between the various faith communities of the Chicago metropolitan area. As my guru ji poignantly stated, “Na ko bairi, na hi begana, sagal sang, humko ban aayee” (there are no foes, nor strangers, we get along with all). We are all one and should act as one because God sees no difference.
After finishing Mechanical Engineering programme from Guru Nanak Engineering, Panjab University, in 1968, I had two things going for me: a degree and my first look at a possible American dream story. I didn’t know how difficult it would be, but I did know I wanted to better mine and my families lives. I came to the USA during a time when there were very few people who looked like me, talked like me, even dressed like me and instantly knew I had to represent my community so that future generations of our community would have it easier.
Fast forward 48 years and the culmination of my efforts have come to a head. I have retired four years back, all my three children are leading happy lives, I have the pleasure of playing with my three beautiful grandchildren. We have seen my state governor sign into law a designation for the month of April, which will forever be known as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month in Illinois. I also had the privilege to be the first Sikh to open the state of Illinois senate delivering a Sikh prayer. The sky is the limit for our community but I saw a time when that wasn’t the case and to say we’ve come a long way but still have a long way to go is perhaps the most accurate way to describe it.
I am but a shadow of my ancestors
I had no shortage of role models, one of which was my Dada ji, Sardar Punjab Singh Mago. He was the only boy with five elder sisters and was a steady presence in my life. Though he was once a member of the British-Indian Army, he soon turned Indian independence supporter; at that time, he chose to till the family land in our native Mandi Bahauddin. Gradually, he became the gurudwara leader and was later chosen the president of the Municipal Committee (Mayor). He immensely valued education and was the influence I needed to prioritise my studies but he was also the one who was forced to sacrifice for us. The partition affected us all. Dada ji never planned on leaving but had to, he understood that the alternative of staying would be worse than leaving everything he knew, and in the turmoil he accidentally shocked himself on an exposed electrical current that left half his body paralysed.
I was born on 15 September 1945. Although I was just two during the partition, I have very few memories from then. I credit my Dada ji, Dadi ma and especially my mother, Gunwant Kaur, and my father, Kuldip Singh, for keeping my child-like innocence intact. My family received 10 paise to every rupee we owned in the newly formed Pakistan and to call us poor would do a disservice to how desperate we truly were. I never knew this as we were only poor in material wealth, our emotional and spiritual wealth was abundant. We knew the hard times of our initial migration to Shimla wouldn’t break us; Dad fell into the right business in Patna, Bihar. He leased a brick kiln to supply bricks for a gurudwara expansion and then owned a trucking company. Dada ji in the meantime setup a factory in Ludhiana, Punjab, which manufactured spare parts for agricultural tractors. Things started to look up for the family.
When I turned 10, it was decided I would move to Ludhiana to be raised by my Dada ji and Dadi ma. The schools were better and I was the child my parents bet on, but little did they know this simple act would cause me to dream bigger than even they could have predicted.
Opportunity comes to those who look for it
I did well in my studies but while my classmates often spent their evenings window shopping, watching cinema or playing cards, all I needed was a good old-fashioned dance off to unwind. I found it shocking that our college didn’t actually have a Bhangra team, so I decided to start my own. In 1965, I helped found the first ever Bhangra team at the college and realised in helping create a community for myself, I was also able to help so many others that needed such groups.
After graduation, I started working for the Punjab agricultural department. It paid me well, it kept me occupied but I yearned for more. An opportunity arose for Asians educated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to apply for a Green Card, which I thought was the right opportunity to head towards my ‘more’. Dad, however, didn’t want me to go; he feared losing me. He hid my residency acceptance letter for months. Moving half way across the world to a man who has never had a passport up until this point in his life might as well mean you are gone for good. I assured my parents against all such inhibitions, and I was lucky to fall true on my words. I borrowed $600 to pay for my visa costs, got the lowest-costing flight ticket and after four changes, I landed in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA on 25 March 1971.
Success is not final and failure not fatal
The only reason I was in Cincinnati was that one of the alumni from my alma mater was there. I knew it would be hard but 25-year-old me had no idea what ‘hard’ could mean here. I was walking 6 miles every day to earn $10 a day, yet I couldn’t get the job I was qualified for, because of my turban and sounding like a foreigner. Back then, I have had so much of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, since they were rather inexpensive, that I hate it today. I wondered what wrong did I do to deserve this.
What I didn’t know is this too was just a cog in a larger wheel of my life.
A year later, I moved to Chicago for Junior Engineer’s position, which was a job if nothing else. Two years later, an unemployed roommate asked me to give him a ride to his job interview at International Harvester Co (now Navistar Inc), where I also got hired as a mechanical engineer. I continued education for professional certifications and retired 42 years after.
Benignity and fun: Passion
Bhangra was something I found amiss here again. I and a few friends got together, made a team of friends and students from India to represent India at International Cultural Festivals. It brought me recognition and popularity as an instructor, performer, organiser and an active community-service man in the Chicago area.
Sikh awareness is of huge importance to me, I’ve been involved in Sikh sensitivity training. My daughter, Amrith, works as the legal head for the Sikh Coalition and I am the liaison at Gurudwara Sahib for many interfaith gatherings. I was on the board and later a vice president for Apna Ghar, a Chicago-based South Asian charity that helps female victims of domestic violence. I’m also a trustee emeritus of the council for the Parliament of World Religions. It’s a busy life but also rewarding.
After 9/11, it became clear that my concerns weren’t just my community’s betterment, but a more basic examination of safety for every Sikh who wore turbans, including my son, Satnaam, and other Sikhs who wore turbans. We had needs that were different to other communities and as much as I spent time away from my family, it was amazing to see the difference I was making in many families, including my own.
A family doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be united
Navinder and I got married on 19 December 1974. It is her hard work love and compassion that our family is standing tall together. It is her courage and ability to be the rock for our family. We have two daughters, one son and three grandchildren. Simeren is a customer service professional married to Gregory Silverstein a payroll manager; they both have a beautiful daughter, Ava Kaur. Amrith Kaur is a civil rights lawyer married to Johann Aakre, a structural engineering manager; the duo have a son, Anders Singh, and a daughter, Anjali Kaur. Satnaam, is a freight broker.
Philosophy
Work hard, live honestly and share your good fortunes with the needy. Health is wealth.
I love…
Bhangra! And keeping my culture alive.
Success Mantra
Have dreams. Believe in hard work, perseverance and yourself. Accept failures to achieve success. Have an iron will and velvet heart.
I’d suggest the youth…
To remember who they are and always give back to the community. Family is important!
The world doesn’t know that…
I have been conducting basic Sikh awareness sessions for many non-Sikhs since 2001.
AKA
Co-anchor of an Indian TV show Chitarhaar in Chicago
Gallery
ISBN : 9788193397695