[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6663-S6664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING DIDAR SINGH BAINS

 Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to recognize Didar Singh 
Bains, a community leader in California, who passed away on September 
13, 2022, at the age of 84.
  Didar embodied the pioneer spirit of the Golden State. He left a 
small village in his native Punjab, India, for America with almost no 
money to his name. Didar found agricultural work in the Imperial Valley 
before eventually working his way to Yuba City in the northern part of 
the State.
  Through hard work he tapped into California's fertile soils and rich 
agricultural bounty to build a farming empire that spanned California, 
Washington, and British Columbia. His particular gift for cultivating 
peaches earned him the moniker of ``Peach King.''
  But Didar was much more than a farmer; he was a philanthropist, a 
pillar of his community, and a beacon of hope for Sikh immigrants 
across the country who were often fleeing violence in search of a 
better life.
  A man of great faith, Didar raised money to build a Sikh temple in 
Yuba City, and he became the youngest president of the Stockton 
Gurdwara Sikh temple in 1965. He also founded the World Sikh 
Organization in 1984, which has donated millions of dollars to 
philanthropic causes around the world. After Sikhs became targets of 
discrimination and violence following the September 11 terror attacks, 
he worked with community leaders to meet with President George W. Bush 
in hopes of educating the Nation on the Sikh community.
  The nearly 100,000 Sikh Americans who travel from across the country 
each year to Yuba City's annual Nagar Kirtan festival have Didar Singh 
Bains to thank. Didar was a champion for Yuba City and the surrounding 
region. His legacy is felt to this day by the businesses that now line 
the largely rural area. It can be seen in the political gains for Sikh 
Americans, exemplified by his nephew winning mayoral office in 2009 and 
becoming the first Sikh

[[Page S6664]]

American elected to lead a city in United States history. And it can be 
told by the countless number of immigrants whom he helped achieve the 
American dream.
  My deepest condolences to his family, community, and Sikh Americans 
everywhere.

                          ____________________