Manpreet (Monica) Singh

United States of America

Manpreet (Monica)

Singh is the first elected female Sikh judge in the US, having been sworn in as a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4 in Texas, earlier this year. Filled with utmost gratefulness, she considers this a win for the entire community.

Born and raised in Houston, Singh now lives in Houston with her husband and two children.

Growing up, Singh’s family was one of the first Sikh families in the Houston area. She grew up around a Sikh communal circle and remembers getting together on Fridays and doing Kirtan on Sundays with the diaspora. Of course, the community’s parents did whatever they could to ensure that their kids excelled and connected with Sikhi. Reflecting, Singh realizes that most of her connections from the time grew up to become engineers and doctors. Although Singh herself also did well in Math and Science at school, it was really History that intrigued her.

“I started realizing how revolutionary our religion was as compared to American history. I was quite interested in exploring the concept of “othering” and how it impacts minorities.”, shares Singh. As such, Singh was always super interested in debate during her school days, confident that she’d want to pursue the field of law as a profession.

At the time she got admitted to the bar, Singh became the first Sikh to practice law in Houston. When first practicing in 2001, most of the faces she’d see among her colleagues were predominantly that of white men. Singh recalls, “You’d think law would be progressive, but it was very backwards. People would often ask me where I’m from, probably looking for India as the answer, but I got myself into the habit of saying ‘North Houston’.” Fast forward to today, Singh says that the profession has become quite diverse, with more female law school graduates than males.

Embarking words of wisdom, Singh reminds young professionals that money isn’t enough of a driver for a career, “Whatever profession you choose, it has to be that you can’t see yourself doing anything else. If you’re truly passionate about it, you’ll find success.”

Navjot Sawhney United Kingdom

Navjot Sawhney is the Founder of The Washing Machine Project (TWMP), a grassroots social enterprise dedicated to empowering women in displaced and low-income communities by alleviating the burden of handwashing clothes, a crucial form of unpaid labor, through an accessible, off-grid washing solution. Having lost his father at a young age, Sawhney was single-handedly raised by his mother and sisters, becoming privy to the sacrifices of women. Upon graduating as an engineer, Sawhney joined Dyson, which at the time was nothing short of a dream come true. Yet, he felt unfulfilled, leading him to quit. Tapping into his instilled values of sewa, Sawhney then decided to go work for free in South India, where he helped make clean, efficient cooking stoves.

There, Sawhney became friends with his next door neighbor, Divya. Divya’s life was an everyday struggle; she would wake up super early for unpaid labor, including cooking, cleaning, and fetching wood, spending upwards of 20 hours each week washing clothes and exposing herself to health risks like infections and water-borne diseases. The passionate volunteer promised he’d find a way to help. Even- tually, the Divya 1.5 was born, a manual, off-the-grid washer-dryer machine that can help save up to 50% of water and 75% of the time compared to hand-washing clothes.

By partnering with NGOs and distributing free machines, Sawhney has positively impacted close to 30,000 people around the world. Given that 70% of the world’s population does not have access to an electric washing machine and infrequent electricity and water supplies mean they are often not a sustainable option, TWMP is a lifesaver. Sawhney shares a story, “At a Ugandan primary school and orphanage, we met 14-year old Patricia, who dreams of becoming a surgeon. She handwashed clothes so much that she’d faint. With only two uniforms, she had to choose between lunch, homework, and washing clothes. Thanks to TWMP, she now saves 90 minutes a day, avoids backaches, and, most importantly, focuses on her education.”

Pritpal Singh

Pritpal Singh is lovingly known as The Dutch Sikh for a reason! Although Singh now stays in the UK with his family, his journey traces back to his acceptance in the Netherlands as a refugee from Afghanistan. Longing for a sense of community in Southall, Singh created for himself a distinct, unique online identity, The Dutch Sikh. His most popular project entails a documentary called Mission Afghanistan, boasting almost million views on YouTube. Singh documented the suffering of fellow Afghan Sikhs and Hindu communities in Afghanistan, portraying the life and hardships of minorities in the war-torn region. Fluent in Farsi and Hindko, the once local filmmaker was able to merge and mix with communities, all while keeping a low profile in a highly dangerous environment.

Singh returned from the dangerous mission with, in his words, the unprecedented treasure of well over 1500 photographs and films of key historical gurdwaras, mandirs, and mosques of Afghanistan! Singh brought out the truth about the desperate condition of his fellow Sikhs in a country where their forefathers lived for thousands of years. In his second documentary, Singh spent over a year putting together a depiction of the struggling lives of Sikhs as an embattled minority in Afghanistan, despite being one of the oldest communities of the country. Today, the plight of his beloved Afghanistan gravely disheartens him. “There were about 100,000 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan at the time of my birth. When I went about a decade ago, there were approximately 3,000. Now, there are close to none.”, disappointingly details Singh.

To highlight the accomplishments of the global Sikh community around the world, Singh still continues to provide direction and mentorship to passionate Sikh journalists and activists. As a message, Singh urges youth leaders to include the martyrs and Sikhs of Afghanistan in their prayers and future accounts of history, vowing not to forget the Sikhs who have sacrificed their lives protecting the Gurdwaras of Kabul and beyond. He reminds the world that even though our community doesn’t survive in Afghanistan currently, we must remember that at one point in time in Afghanistan, Sikhs truly flourished.

True role models, these eight Sikhs are a testament to the resilience, talent, and diversity of the Sikh community. From studying law to fighting legal battles, from academia to activism, from filmmaking to modeling, they have excelled in their chosen fields and inspired others along the way. Their stories demonstrate that with hard work, dedication, and a positive mindset, anything is possible. Navigating our own journeys in life, let us remember the importance of following our hearts, pursuing our dreams, and bringing our own unique light to the world. As we celebrate Vaisakhi this year, let us reflect on the values that unite us as Sikhs and as human beings, and let us continue to strive for excellence in all that we do.