On Tuesday 14^th October 2008, a distinguished collection of the British peerage and the Asian community assembled in the Cholmondeley Room, one of the most beautiful areas at Westminster with the nicest view, under the auspices of the Viscount Slim, a great friend of India with family ties and a special interest in the country.

After a tea reception with snacks, samosas and cakes, guests took their seats in the main room with its marvellous view of the Thames river across the terrace.

The occasion was to mark the fourth centenary celebrations of Sri Granth Sahib, and the release of the Sikh Achievers book written by Ranjit Singh, OBE, the President of the Sikh Forum. Speaking afterwards, he said his reason for writing the book was because,

‘I wanted to highlight the name of the late Lieutenant General Arora so people can read about him in the future.’

“The GrantH As the Eternal Guru” written by Mr Malkiat Singh Rahi was also distributed on the night.

After an introduction by Viscount Slim, Ranjit Singh, OBE, spoke, and then H H Justice Mota Singh (Retd) QC, who is also a patron of the Sikh Forum, addressed the audience.

After that, HE Governor General JJ Singh (Retd) India, talked in an entertaining way, he was in London with his wife Anupama as part of an international tour.  The Governor is in charge of Arunachal Pradesh, a scenically strategic part of North East India.

Bhai Mohinder Singh spoke before the Reverend Peter Broadbent read a message from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a message from HRH the Prince of Wales was read by SS Bhullar. Viscount Slim then announced the release of the Sikh Achievers Book.

Later on, Ranjit Singh said that one of his missions was to encourage youngsters to join the Sikh Forum ‘To guide us- these youngsters are the way forward and they can teach us things we don’t know.’

He then oversaw special awards being made to the Lord Sheikh, a most popular member of the House of Lords who attended with his lovely wife Lady Sheikh at his side, by Mohan Singh, and another to Lord Peter Imbert by Ishvinder Singh, and finally Indy Aujla presented an award to Bhai Mohinder Singh, and Gurpal Singh gave an award to Lord Swraj Paul.

Jaspal Singh Bhogal, General Secretary to the Sikh Forum, gave an enthusiastic and articulate vote of thanks, in which he expressed gratitude to Viscount Slim, and the various members of the Houses of Lords and Commons who were present

Jaspal Singh Bhogal then appreciated General JJ Singh and Sukhdial Singh Bhullar, former Inspector General of the Punjab Police force, for their attendance. He thanked all the guests and members of faith and media groups. He also appreciated members of the British police force, as well as the executive committee of the Sikh Forum present.

After the event, Ranjit Singh said, ‘You know, money will come and go, but my message to everyone is that equally important is endorsement, moral support, and encouragement. These are valuable to us too.’

Among the many guests in attendance were Baroness Uddin, Baroness Greenfield, Lord Stone of Blackheath, and Slough councillors.