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The Sikh Forum International, led by the community activist and philanthropist Ranjit Singh OBE, held a prestigious event at the Carlton Club to commemorate the presentation of a portrait of the first Sikh to live in England, Maharaja Dalip Singh. This is the very first portrait of Maharaja to be unveiled to the public.
Maharaja, son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Punjab, led a colourful existence. He was born a son of fortune but this led to hardship early in his life. After the death of his father, he was exiled from his own kingdom and thus converted to Christianity. This must have been a humbling experience for the young Maharaja, but he made his own destiny. As a result is one of the most revered Sikhs in the history of the religion.
Ranjit Singh, President of the Sikh Forum International, graciously gave thanks to the distinguished guests and luminaries who attended the event in particular, His Excellency General JJ Singh who had flown in especially from India to unveil the portrait, The Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, the Right Honourable Lord Cope of Berkeley and The Lord Slim.
Ranjit Singh said, “It is a great honour to witness the unveiling of this portrait of a man whom I greatly admire. Although he was forced to abandon his culture he returned to Sikhism. He should serve as a lasting example of triumph over adversity. I have authored a book titled, ‘Sikh Achievers’, which lists all of the prominent Sikhs in the world who have made a lasting contribution to our culture.”
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