[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15777]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF SARDAR GANGA SINGH DHILLON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 14, 2014

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I, along with my colleague Mr. Honda, rise 
today to commemorate the distinguished life of Sardar Ganga Singh 
Dhillon, who passed away on September 24, 2014 at the age of 86.
  Ganga Singh Dhillon was born in the Sheikhupura area of West Punjab. 
He received his early education at Chak 19 and the Guru Nanak Khalsa 
High School Nanakana Sahib. He later joined the Sikh National College 
Lahore.
  This was a time of great political and religious turmoil throughout 
the Indian sub-continent. The region was on the verge of being divided, 
and the interests of the Sikh community were not being addressed. S. 
Dhillon became one of the foremost original leaders of the Sikh 
struggle. In 1947, he was arrested in Lahore along with several other 
students for promoting Khalistan, a Sikh nation. That same year, his 
father was shot and killed by the Pakistani army while trying to 
resolve an issue between the Sikhs and Muslims.
  Ganga Singh Dhillon then moved with his family to India where he was 
mentored by S. Joginder Singh Mann, an old family friend. While in 
India, S. Dhillon began his battle to preserve Sikh holy sites, 
especially the birthplace of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev, and 
to allow Sikh pilgrims the right to visit these sites. However, his 
cause was considered far too radical, and he was taken into custody and 
held in the Nabha jail for a year and a half. It would take fifty years 
for this battle to be won; in 1999 the President of Pakistan finally 
granted the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee the right to 
maintain Sikh shrines and began granting more visas so that Sikhs 
abroad can visit them.
  With the help of S. Mann, Sardar Ganga Singh Dhillon moved to the 
United States in the 1960s where he continued his advocacy on behalf of 
Sikh concerns. S. Dhillon was committed to improving relationships and 
understanding between Sikhs and other cultures and religions. He 
discussed issues with patience, logic, and advocacy for peaceful 
solutions, even with his most bitter adversaries. In 1965, S. Dhillon 
founded the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hockey Tournament. The core 
mission of this tournament was to build friendship and stronger bonds 
through sport, and to develop better understanding and mutual respect 
for people of all countries, rich and poor, through competition and 
sportsmanship. This tournament is now one of the largest international 
hockey tournaments in the United States.
  In 1981, S. Dhillon returned to India to deliver a Presidential 
Address entitled ``Sikhs Are a Nation'' at the 54th All India Sikh 
Educational Conference. Reaction to his speech was overwhelmingly 
hostile, forcing him to leave India immediately. He was banned from 
ever travelling to India as a result.
  S. Dhillon was also a leader on other issues of importance to the 
international Sikh community. He along with others established the 
Nanakana Sahib Foundation, the purpose of which was to bridge the gap 
between Sikhs and their Pakistani Muslim brothers. This foundation is 
jointly funded and run by Muslim and Sikh private individuals, to 
support a library, a guest house, and hospital where free medical care 
is provided to the poor.
  Mr. Speaker, we ask that our colleagues join us in commemorating and 
celebrating the life of our friend, Sardar Ganga Singh Dhillon and in 
expressing sincere condolences to his family. Sardar Ganga Singh 
Dhillon rightfully belongs in a select group of very rare individuals 
who, through peaceful means, have truly changed the world. His efforts 
on behalf of the international Sikh community and the improvement of 
relationships between cultures will be his enduring legacy.

                          ____________________