The Maritime Sikh Society

10 Parkhill Road, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3P 1R3

Ph : (902)-477-0008

A Philanthropist Visits Our Gurdwara

S. Baljit Singh Chadha

By

Jagpal S Tiwana

 

 S. Baljit Singh Chadha, a Montreal-based philanthropist and business tycoon,was the guest of the Maritime Sikh Society, Halifax, Canada on Sunday, July 14, 2002. Mr. Chadha,, along with his wife Roshi Chadha and two children,  was in town to attend a business convention when he learned that the Sikhs have a Gurdwara in Halifax. He canceled his engagements and decided to spend the day with us.

In his brief address to the Sangat at the Gurdwara, he suggested  the Management Committee  occasionally hold part of the services in English so that children could follow.  He advised our senior member, Mrs.Satpal Kaur Sodhi, to interpret Japji Sahib in English also.  She has videotaped an interpretation of Japji Sahib which is being aired on Vision TV, pauri by pauri, every Saturday.  He expressed the need to collect and produce in book form the work and contribution of Sikh men, women, institutions, and societies all across Canada.

In thanking the guest speaker for addressing out assembly, President, Dr. Dalip Singh Chehil, pointed out that the Maritime Sikh Society had already completed one of the endeavors  The MSS has recorded all the contributions of Sikh families in this area in a book, " The Maritime Sikh Society : Origin and Growth", 2000.  He then formally presented a copy of the book to our guest.

 S. Chadha remarked on  the spirit of service and friendliness amongst the members of the Society.  He was impressed to see women treated with respect, having equal status with men.  Our Secretary,Mrs. Gurinder Kaur Dhillon, managed the stage while Mrs. Satpal Kaur Sodhi recited the Ardas.  He was informed that in 1992-93 all members of the Executive were women,  He was pleasantly surprised to know that the executive of the Society has always been elected unanimously every year since its inception in 1968.  

Incidentally we had another guest today, S. Avtar Singh Sandhu . who  came to Halifax 15 years ago with a group of 174 Sikh refugees.  On early morning on July 12, 1987 the refugees were dropped on a beach in Charlesville , Nova Scotia by a Chilean ship, Amelie. The refugees were arrested by the RCMP. The MSS took up their case with immigration authorites and with the help famous immigration lawyer, Mendel Green, got them free on bail. The incident got extensive media coverage and the MSS suddenly became a part of the International Sikh community. The details of the incident are given in our book, " The Maritime Sikh Society : Origin and Growth " . In his brief speech. S. Sandhu  profusely thanked the MSS for the help and hospitality  at the time. He is now happily settled in Toronto and runs a construction business. S Baljit Singh Chadha was quite happy to know the role of the MSS in looking after the refugees.

In the evening, a reception was held in S. Chadha's honor at the Metro's prestigious Indian restaurant, The Taj Mahal.  Here S. Chadha advised us about the basic principles of a successful business man, while he ascribed the secret of his success to his deep faith in Guru Ram Das and the support of his family.  He was touched by the respect and affection shown him, and said that this was one of the best receptions he had ever attended in his honor.  

Thanking the guest for his kind words, Jagpal Singh Tiwana, Master of Ceremonies for the evening, pointed out in humorous vein that fortunately the mortgages of our Halifax Gurdwara and Mandir were all paid up and assured S. Chadha that they  were not soliciting donations. 

S. Baljit Singh started his business by borrowing $5000. and a desk from a cousin about 25 years back, but now he is the Chairman of a multi-million dollar corporation, Balcorp Limited with annual sales of 50 to 100 million dollars. Despite his wealth and affluence  he is extremely humble, modest, and unassuming.  He is a Gursikh who leads his life according to the true teachings of his Gurus.  He avoids all references to his own achievements and philanthropic projects, and advised me to keep his introduction modest and short.  He talks less, but conveys more .

Following are a few of his outstanding contributions to Canadian life in general and to Sikhs in particular.  He, however, did not supply me with a single fact himself as he does not believe in self praise and publicity.  Very few of MSS members knew or had read much about him, or remembered the interview he gave to Raghbir Singh Samagh on Vision TV about a year ago.  Most of the information about him we gained from the Internet.  A mosr admirable aspect of his character is that he does not confine his helping hand to Sikhs and Sikh institutions: Hindus, Christians, Tamils, Greeks - all  benefit from his generosity.

 Sikhism :

Mr. Chadha  underwrote and guaranteed fifty percent of the $6000,000 budget of the " Art of Sikh Kingdom", a much praised exhibition held at the Royal Ontario Musuem in Toronto during 2000.

 He proposed and gave financial support for a course on Sikh Studies, now running at McGill University, Montreal, with an enrolment of 22 students (60% non-Sikhs) as of January, 2002.  Prof. Manjit Singh, a Sikh Chaplain at McGill, teaches the undergraduate course, "Introduction to Sikhism". Our visitor has also started talking to the University of Toronto about their establishing a course in Sikhism. 

Canadian Sikh Council

He established Canadian Sikh Council (CSC) in 2001 to look after various issues and problems which face the Sikh community from time to time.  Within a short period, its achievements have been quite impressive.  CSC directors successfully represented the case of a Sikh boy who wears a patka but was denied admission to a private school in Quebec, specifically because of his Sikhi Roop.  With CSC assistance, a 14 year old Amritdhari boy, Gurbaj Singh from Montreal, won the case in court on his right to wear a small kirpan to his school.

In keeping with Sikh tradition, and in order to build a positive image of Sikhs, the CSC requested that Gurdwaras and communities across Canada hold a candlelight vigil and Akand Path on the one week's anniversary of 9/11. Media coverage was extensive in cities where these ceremonies were held.This also proved to be a good exercise in building solidarity with other communities.  More information on the CSC can be read from its web site:  www.sikhcouncil.ca

Education :

Following a family tradition, S. Chadha and his wife Roshi Chadha created the Chadha Family Foundation.  To mark and celebrate one hundred years of Sikhs in Canada, and the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa, the Foundation established at Concordia  and McGill Universities in Montreal  permanent endowments totaling half a million dollars which will give, in perpetuity, ten bursaries totaling $25,000 a year for each university.  The goal is to setup scholarships to 50 universities all across Canada.

Awards and Recognition

All of this selfless service has not gone unnoticed ; numerous  honors and awards have come his way.

On Board of Governors, Concordia University.

At the final meeting of the academic year, held June 19, 2002, Concordia's Board of Governors elected three new members to represent the community-at-large.  One of them is S. Baljit Singh Chadha with the following citation:  

"Baljit Singh Chadha is President of Balcorp Limited, an international trading house he founded in 1976, with offices in Montreal and in India. He has been very active in community and philanthropic affairs, and is a strong supporter of the principles of a multicultural and intercultural Canada. Among other positions, Mr. Chadha is on the Board of Directors of the Quebec Association of Export Trading Houses, and on the Advisory Board of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce."

The Centenial Foundation Award :

The Centennial Foundation was formed in 1997 in commemoration of the centenary of Sikh settlement in Canada.  Every year, the Centennial honors individuals who have truly excelled in all walks of life.  The  2001 award for philanthropy was given to S. Baljit Singh Chadha.

Besides these honors, there have been numerous institutions and societies such as  Sikh Community of Montreal,(2000), Hellenic Community of Montreal (2000), International Punjabi Society, New York (2000), Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (2000), City of Montreal (1998), National Association of Canadians with Origins in Canada, and India-Canada Association of Montreal (1997), which have received financial support from him and have honored him in the year given in brackets.

Didar Singh Bains, Narinder Singh Kapany, and Darshan Singh Dhaliwal have helped in building Sikh institutions and profile with their bountiful hands across the border in the USA.  We Sikhs in Canada are proud of our own wonderful benefactor, S. Baljit Singh Chadha.

References  

Canadian Sikh Council :
        http://www.sikhcouncil.ca/eng/index.htm 

Understanding Sikhism- the Research Journal, V.4 #1 
            http://www.dsuper.net/~dchahal/

Concordia's Thursday Report April 29, 1999 
        http://pr.concordia.ca/ctr/archives/is290499/art6.html

The Centennial Foundation
http://www.centennialfoundation.org/awards_philanthropists.html

Concordia University Announcements 
        http://www.concordia.ca/announce/73010995.shtml

Course in Sikh Studies - McGill
        http://ww2.mcgill.ca/religion/ba.htm

Balcorp Limited
    http://www.oita-fta.jp/vtrade/e/company/oe002.html

Sikh Refugees Detained
        http://www.bmhs.ednet.ns.ca/tourism/sikh.htm

Sikhs Honor Saviour
        The Tribune July 26, 2000 

Sikhs Honor woman who offered help
        Halifax Herald July 19, 2000

       

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