Sikh bodies hailed US Congress' resolution to observe Vaisakhi on April 14 every year as 'National Sikh Day'.
Prominent Congressmen including the members of the American Sikh Congressional Caucus introduced resolution 1007 in the house on March 28.
Sikh caucus committee, Sikh coordination committee, and American Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (AGPC) thanked the congressmen for introducing the resolution.
The resolution recognizes the contribution of the Sikh community which originated in India and began immigrating into the US over 100 years ago and which has played an important role in developing the US.
Appreciating the Sikh community's role in the US, the Congressmen said that the people of the US feel obliged to honour the Sikh community's important role in supporting and enriching the social fabric of the Nation.
The resolution also says that Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion with nearly 30,000,000 adherents, roughly 1,000,000 of whom call the United States home.
The resolution's main sponsor is Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon while the co-Sponsors include, Karen Bass, Paul Tonko, Brian K Fitzpatrick, Daniel Meuser, Eric Swalwell, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Donald Norcross, Andy Kim, John Garamendi, Richard E Neal, Brendan F Boyle, David G Valadao.
Among them, John Garamendi and David Valadao are Co-Chairs of the Sikh Caucus. Dr Iqtidar Cheema helped draft the resolution.
Pritpal Singh coordinator of AGPC said that this will not only help in generating awareness about Sikh Religion, culture, and customs in the US but also help in bringing down the cases of hate crime.
Harpreet Singh Sandhu an executive director and Yadwinder Singh of the Sikh caucus committee said that they were glad that the US understands the importance of recognizing communities living in the US and contributing to its growth.
"Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi on the first day of the month of Vaisakh in the Sikh calendar, which typically falls on April 14; Whereas Vaisakhi is a special occasion in which Sikhs remember the founding in 1699 of the Order of Khalsa, a fellowship of devout saint-soldier Sikhs, by the 10th Sikh Guru to fight tyranny and oppression, which played an important role in shaping the religion's history and identity; and whereas it is altogether fitting and proper to celebrate the day of Vaisakhi alongside Sikhs throughout the world", says the resolution.
Himmat Singh and Harjinder Singh from the Sikh coordination committee and Jugraj Singh, a prominent Sikh activist said that the resolution recognizes the distinct identity of the Sikhs in the US.
( With inputs from ANI )
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