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 Mr. Avtar Singh Sadhar formally retired as manager at India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in Richmond

Surrey, Vancouver,May. 17, 2019
Balwant Sanghera//-NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
Grewal     

       Mr. Avtar Singh Sadhar formally retired as manager at India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas (#5 Road) in Richmond, on April 28, 2019. As recognition of his long time service to this place of worship Mr. Sadhar was honoured by Chairman Asa Singh Johal and the Gurdwara Management Committee with a plaque, a shawl and some other gifts. This also happened to be the day when the Gurdwara Management decided to pay special tribute to Guru Nanak Dev ji to mark 550 th anniversary of his Parkash Divas. As such, the Diwan Hall was overflowing with devotees and elected officials.  To mark this occasion there were a number of dignitaries including Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Harjit Singh Sajjan, Steveston- Richmond East Member of Parliament Joe Peschisolido, BC’s Minister of Labour Harry Bains, Richmond East-Queensborough M.L.A. Jas Johal, India’s Consul General Mrs. Abhilasha Joshi , Richmond RCMP chief ,Superintendent Will Ng and many others. This made the occasion to be even more special for Mr. Sadhar.
Mr. Avtar Singh Sadhar
 

                                Though he has formally retired ,yet it is the sincere desire of the Gurdwara Management Committee to see Mr. Sadhar continue to serve at the Gurdwara at his convenience. His presence at the Gurdwara is much appreciated not only by the Gurdwara management but also by the congregation and everyone else. Mr. Sadhar is a true gentleman and a scholar in the real sense. His ever pleasant smile, his willingness to help and his polite and pleasant demeanour is very appealing to anyone who has ever met Mr. Sadhar. Mr. Sadhar’s command over Punjabi  language and deep knowledge of Gurbani has made him resident scholar at the Gurdwara. All of us always look forward to learning from him something new every day.


                                Avtar Singh Sadhar, a natural and consummate poet and writer, was born in Roopowal village in Hoshiarpur District. After obtaining his primary and high school education in the village schools, Mr. Sadhar obtained his B.A and B.T. and began his career as a teacher in 1958. Later on, he also completed his M.A. As a teacher, and administrator Mr. Sadhar taught and worked at various schools throughout Punjab. After an illustrious career as an educator Mr. Sadhar moved to Canada in 1991.After spending some time in Vancouver, he moved to Edmonton to join his daughter Ranbir Kaur (aka Shammi). However, his heart was still in Metro Vancouver. Thus, Mr. Sadhar moved back to Surrey/Delta in 1995 to join his eldest son Satwinderpal Singh (aka Jangi) and his family. Jangi’s younger sister Lakhbir Kaur Sra and her family also call Surrey their home. Mr. Sadhar’s youngest son Vijay Pal Singh is well settled in Australia.


                                Here, in Metro Vancouver  , Mr. Sadhar  met his former friend/colleague, old pal and fellow educator Mr. Chain Singh Batth. Mr. Batth was actively involved in India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in Richmond. The Gurdwara needed some one of Mr. Sadhar’s calibre as manager. Mr. Batth and the Gurdwara Management convinced Mr. Sadhar to take on this challenge. He never looked back . Chairman Asa Singh Johal and the entire Gurdwara Management are very thankful to Mr. Sadhar for his very valuable service to the Gurdwara and the community.


                                In addition to being a kind and wonderful human being ,Avtar Singh Sadhar is also a renowned poet and writer. His book of poems- Sadhran Da Sarmaya (Wealth of Sadhars ), is a very popular book of beautiful poems. Subjects of his  poems range from folk songs to religious ,social, cultural and historical subjects. Each of these poems touches a person’s heart in a very unique manner. He has dedicated this book to his late wife Mrs. Harbhajan Kaur Sadhar. In dedicating this book to her Mr. Sadhar wrote : “Dedicated to a very special person whose love, dedication, motivation and encouragement have enabled me to write something like this .”
                                Over the years , Mr. Avtar Singh Sadhar has become a very valuable member and an integral part of the India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas community. All of us at the Gurdwara appreciate his very valuable contribution to the Gurdwara , its management and congregation. We are pleased to learn that he will continue to be a very valuable resource to all of us at the Gurdwara.


Balwant Sanghera
(Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist. He is also a member of the Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Management Committee)

 

 

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