12

Sep

When Overseas Indians Do Their Bit

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Prabhjot Singh

A person wearing a red turban Description automatically generated

Punjab | Thursday | 12 September 2024

France, where Sikh boys and girls, like their counterparts from other religious or ethnic minorities, are still not allowed to go to their schools with headwear, two Sikh sportsmen chose the Olympic podium to  send a strong message that turban was not a head wear but a part of Sikh identity that an event like Olympics could not take away.

For the first time in the history of Olympics, a Sikh – Sarabjot Singh - sporting a beautiful “Dastaar” (Turban), was on the podium to receive a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event. And a couple of weeks later, another Sikh sportsman, Harvinder Singh, replicated Sarabjit Singh’s historic feat. He became the first ever Sikh Paralympian sporting a turban to be on the podium as a gold medal winner in Individual Recurve event in archery.

Not many in France are still aware about Sikhs and Sikhism. As a city that played host to the summer Olympic Games for the third time and Paralympics for the first time, many Parisians were pleasantly surprised to find many “Turbaned Sikhs” who came to watch the mega sporting event, not only from all over Europe but other continents, including Americas, Australia, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

 

Article at a Glance
For the first time in Olympic history, a Sikh athlete, Sarabjot Singh, wore a turban on the podium to receive a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event. Two weeks later, another Sikh athlete, Harvinder Singh, won a gold medal in the Individual Recurve event in archery, becoming the first Sikh Paralympian to do so.
This milestone event sent a strong message that the turban is an integral part of Sikh identity. Many Sikh sports fans from around the world, including Europe, Americas, Australia, Africa, and Asia, traveled to Paris to watch the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Indian diaspora in Paris, including business owners and sports enthusiasts, were thrilled to see Indian athletes excel and proudly represented their community.

 

“We travel with sports. We are there not only for Olympic games but also for other major sporting events, including FIFA, Hockey, and  Cricket World Cups, says Jatinderpal Singh, who after watching the Euro Cup games in Germany in early July, was back in Europe to watch Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Accompanied by both his family members and friends, Jatinderpal Singh, has been to Asian Games and World Cup Hockey before.

“We are delighted to see Sarabjit Singh on the podium. He has brought honour to the Sikh community by becoming the first ever Sikh wearing turban on the podium to receive a medal. Though Sikhs have a long history of finishing on the podium in hockey and other sports, but Sarabjot Singh has been an exception as he took part in his event and went to podium sporting a turban,” adds Jatinderpal Singh. Accompanying him in Paris was his brother-in-law, Maninder Singh. They did not miss even a single match of Indian hockey team.

Two weeks later when Paralympics started, it was the turn of Harvinder Singh, to replicate Sarabjit Singh’s historic deed. Harvinder Singh incidentally became the first ever Indian to win a gold in archery in Paralympics.

Tarlochan Singh Panesar, Jarri Singh, Jass Phlora,  and Olympian Harwinder Singh Sibia – all from England – are part of a larger group of veteran sportspersons who travel everywhere to watch Indian hockey team play. Another member of their group, Olympian Avtar Singh Sohal, could not make it to Paris because he could not get visa for France in time. Based in Nairobi, Avtar Singh Sohal has been to six Olympics as a participant – four times as a player, once each as a Coach and the FIH Technical Delegate and next six Olympics as a supporter of Asian hockey.

Many hockey lovers missed Dr Joginder Singh Sahi of Germany. An orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Jogi, was synonymous with Indian hockey. For more than 30 years, he would voluntarily accompany Indian hockey teams visiting and playing anywhere in Europe. He would come with his bag full of medicines. Originally from Mustafabad in Haryana, Dr Joginder Singh, popular in hockey circles as Dr Jogi, had settled  in Schweinfert in Germany. Hockey veterans remembered him in Paris.  Dr Jogi, who after retiring from his active practice, had made Panchkula, near Chandigarh, his second home where he died some years ago.

Paris is a home to many Indian settlers. A vast majority of them are either from Punjab or Gujarat.

“We are so excited that our sports stars have done so well in Paris Olympics and Paralympics,’ says Mr Arvind Ahir, a member of Indian Diaspora, who runs a restaurant in the French capital for last more than 30 years.

“I made an open offer that any member of the Indian contingent or any family member of Indian players are welcome to enjoy our hospitality. We would do whatever best we can do to make sure that our players do their best. Their excellent performance makes us hold our head high in the society we live in. Unfortunately, because of tight security arrangements and restrictions, not many members of Indian contingent for summer Olympic Games could visit our restaurant for food. They had problems with the quality and variety of food that was made available to them in the Olympic village. Only once I got a chance to deliver some food packets to our athletes in the Olympic village,” reveals Arvind Ahir.

After the conclusion of the Paralympics, he invited the entire Indian contingent to his restaurant and felicitated all players and officials.

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