Late Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu (9 June 1930 to 26 August 2012)

Founder Member of the Sikh Missionary Society UK.

Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu MA; FIL (London) departed for Sach Khand on Sunday 26 August, 2012.

He was born on 9 June 1930 in village Kaonke, District Ludhiana, Punjab. His parents went to Malaya before World War II, while he stayed on with his family in Panjab to complete his school and university education.

He arrived in the UK in 1965. In 1967, he was in Nottingham University when he first conceived the idea of starting The Sikh Missionary Society. His main concern was the religious education of Sikh children. At that time there was very little literature available on Sikhism in the UK.

He had started writing articles on Sikh religion and tradition, which were published regularly in “The Sikh Courier”. In 1969, together with some colleagues, he founded The Sikh Missionary Society UK, which was registered as a charity. The present building was purchased by the Society in Southall in 1978-79 and was further developed in later years.

Religious education for children was the main concern of the Society. As a first step Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu wrote literature for Primary school children. He then produced other educational publications for the Society to cater for the needs of older age groups.

Over the years, his well researched comparative studies of religion and other books on Sikhism, have been gratefully received by the Sikh diaspora.

From 1968 to 1979 he worked for the Pingalwara (Amritsar).

Later, when he moved to Nottingham he set up Sikh Sewa International. This organisation has been actively engaged in free social service since 1979. Services include, free eye operations, aid to Pingalwara, free artificial limbs to limbless people, care for orphans and elderly people, education for poor children, drug de-addiction, producing Gurmat literature for free distribution and Sikhi education in villages

Books authored by Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu include:- Brief Introduction to Sikhism, Sikh Religion and Christianity, Sikh Religion and Islam (Co-authored with S. Gurmukh Singh UK), Sikh Religion and Hinduism, Sikh Religion and Women, Sikh Religion and Science, Sikh Religion and Hair, Panjab and Panjabi, Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, A Challenge to Sikhism (edited by S Gurmukh Singh UK), Concepts of Sikh Religion, and Sikh Marriage Ceremony.
(Most publications are available on the Sikh Missionary Society website under “publications”: http://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org/

Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu’s life is aptly summed up by his colleague, Sardar Gurmel Singh Kandola, Secretary General, The Sikh Council UK, as follows:
“Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu was a prolific writer and speaker. Like a true Sikh he never tired of searching for truth. He published a whole string of well researched book on a voluntary basis and did a great deal of charity work in India in areas such as eye camps and provision of artificial limbs and mobility aids. His legacy will live on through the library of published books he leaves behind and the inspiration he provided to so many, including myself.”

The management and membership of The Sikh Missionary Society UK pay tribute to late Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu for his dedicated and selfless community seva, and for his scholarly contribution to Sikhi literature.
He has truly earned a place of honour in Sach Khand.

Gurmukh Singh
for Advisory Panel
The Sikh Missionary Society UK.
E-mail: sewauk2005@yahoo.co.uk)

©Gurmukh Singh
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