A visionary, a social activist, a well-respected community leader and a lecturer, he has relentlessly worked to make the community and the world at large more aware of the nuances of Sikhism. Be it through guest lectures and discourses at various gurudwaras and other interfaith places of worship, or then be it publishing, buying or distributing books on Sikhism to everyone, all on his own dime, he has dedicated his life to spreading the word.
He says, “We as a whole society need to read about God and understand Karma.”
He has been the President and Chairman of Sikh Study Circle Inc in Los Angeles, a member of the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle National Committee, Pacific West College of Law, Orange, California, Federal Managers Association and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Advisory Council.
Piara has, throughout his illustrious life and career, worked to serve the country he adopted as his own and people, earning his recognition as a dynamic brand ambassador for his religion and a community leader, who always champions causes of the less fortunate and those struggling for civil and human rights.
Punjab’s Son
Piara was born in 1939 to Nand Kaur and Chanda Singh in a small village, Sowaddi Kalan. They were nine siblings in all, seven sisters and two brothers. “My sisters have all passed away. My brother still lives in our ancestral village,” he says as he stops to reminisce about his childhood days.
“Living in a joint family was bliss. We all lived together in a three-storey house. My father and his brother ran a business supplying shoes to the Army. I have seen good days. Though my parents were illiterate, they ensured that all of us had a good education. In those days, educating girls was not a priority but he persisted. We all went to a school that was a couple of miles away.”
India was under the British regime then. There neither was a hospital in the village nor any proper cremation facilities. However, Piara ensured that his village had a functioning hospital, a school and a community center. He still contributes toward the development of his village, which, he says, is well taken care of by his nephew. “It is on us to help develop the place that helped us develop. Be it my school, my village or my current city in the US, I have a responsibility toward all these places. Everyone who is blessed by God with plenty has this responsibility to see to the development around them – which is possible only if people around them are well-off enough. Education, health, food, housing, etc, are the basics that many lack, and we all should aim to provide at least these to our level best.”
Piara’s predisposition for such selfless goodwill stems from his parents, who, he says, taught him the values of kindness, reverence and more. “My mother was a generous and pious lady. She ensured we went to the gurudwara and did our share of sewa. She taught us to bow down and touch the feet of elders.”
He sits back to ponder… and agrees that whatever he learnt as a child are things that he still follows. “Science has also proven that children’s minds are fully developed by the time they are five and anything you learn then on, often influences and shapes your personality.”
A New World with the American Dream
Immigration opportunities opened his doors to the US, and Piara arrived on a student visa to study at the prestigious Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, in 1970. “My degree would give me five credit hours. A professor advised me to get an American BS degree. I took his advice and got seven credit hours. I have two BS degrees, an MS degree and I also managed to obtain a PhD.”
In those days, one could apply for citizenship of the US after having lived there for five continuous years and he took advantage of that opportunity and obtained his US citizenship. The citizenship was approved in 20 days and soon enough, he found himself a job in Bechtel, a leading engineering company.
While in Bechtel, he refused a posting in the Middle East and was offered another in Arizona after having waited a considerable time, twiddling thumbs.
One day, Piara received a call from a professor friend, who was probably the only other Punjabi in Chicago, about openings in the US Navy. A few tests later, he made it to the Navy but unfortunately, his friend did not. He recalls his friend calling him up to deliver the results and says, “He expressed regret that he did not clear the tests, but congratulated me and said, ‘now you have become the king’.”
Singh is King
Piara joined the US Navy in 1977 and served almost 23 glorious years as a Civil Engineer but not before passing the usual hurdles that included appearing before a panel. “I was the only one selected from the batch who appeared for the interviews and was given an appointment with a 90-day probation period, which would be used to investigate and vet my background. They visited my village and made all sorts of enquiries including some very awkward questions to my father that totally angered him. He wanted me to return, and I had to explain that this was just due diligence on the US Navy’s part.”
He had two years of service left when he was offered a posting in San Diego or early retirement. Having served the Navy for most of his life, he decided it was time to hang up his boots to spend time with his wife, Kamla, who was an outstanding psychiatrist and was working in Norwalk at the time.
For Family and Faith
Kamla had completed her MS in Gynecology from the best institute to study medicine in India, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). She moved to the US after their marriage and began with completing her MD in Psychiatry in New York. One of the best in the region, she was a California Board Certified Psychiatrist. There is a distinct sense of pride in his voice as he recalls her formidability. “There was a difficult time for the hospital she was working at, the California State Metropolitan Mental Hospital. She had dedicated her 30 years to this hospital. I believe, she played a crucial role in negotiating to save the hospital from closing down and, thus, the livelihood of other doctors as well. She was one brave and dedicated lady.” She passed away on March 1, 2017.
The duo were active members of the Gurdwara Sahib at Vermont. They found themselves an 80-acre strawberry farm to grow old in and made their home of love. Their daughter, Harpreet Kaur, is a doctor in Amritsar with her doctor husband, Dr Jaspreet Singh, Professor at the Guru Nanak Medical College, Amritsar, and two children, Tej and Isha. Piara says his daughter’s wedding day is a special one as it was on the same day a book close to his heart, Excellence of Sikhism: Non Sikhs’ Views by Dr Sasrup Singh Alag, was released.
While none of his siblings has survived, Piara is surrounded by his nieces and nephews and their children. “Though they are all settled in different parts of the world, we stay in touch with their children too. We are still that one large family spread across!”
The teachings of Guru Nanak ji and Sikhism were always ingrained in him. Kamla and Piara continue to spread goodwill through various activities. Harpreet too follows the path her parents have set.
He was the President of Hollywood Gurudwara for 12 years. He recalls the opposition from the surrounding community when he started working there. But with God’s grace, they managed to circumvent all challenges and raise awareness of what Sikhism was all about. Since its opening in 1969, the gurudwara and community center has become a great place for the Sikh community to gather and also for people of other faiths to experience what Sikhism is all about.
From bringing communities together, to helping refugees and offering medical and immigration advice, Piara has been using his own experiences and the wisdom of Sikhism to give back wherever he goes.
Even at the ripe old age of 84, Piara continues to conduct lectures and talks about religion and does his bit to bring different worlds together to coexist in harmony.
It is almost as if all the roles he played in life have prepared him to be the community leader and inspiration that he is today. A civil engineer who built sturdy foundations and a dedicated soldier who flew the US flag high, Piara is indeed a true warrior of peace, harmony and goodwill.