Surinder Dhillon in Chesapeake, VA

CHESAPEAKE, VA (TIP): Rich tributes were paid to Harkesh Chhabra of Nakodar, Punjab on his death anniversary at Gurdwara Guru Nanak Foundation here on November 26. Late Harkesh Chhabra was an eminent social activist, dearly loved and respected. He was an institution in himself who shaped the fortune of many from Punjab. Many Punjabis abroad owe their present career to Mr. Harkesh Chhabra.

Treading the path shown by his illustrious father, Paul Chhabra who lives and owns his restaurant business in Virginia, has earned goodwill, love and respect of the Indian American community, besides being a popular person with the local administration and the mainstream Americans. The large presence of people from far and near was a good enough indicator of the goodwill Chhabra family enjoys.

Devotional hymns singing, and prayers marked the major part of the event. The head priest of the Gurdwara Giani Hushnak Singh recited hymns from Gurbani with elaborate expostulations which brought the congregation close to the Divine for a while.

Paying tributes to late Harkesh Chhabra ji, Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama,  Prof. Indrajit S Saluja recalled his meetings with him in Jalandhar in 1997 and observed that he found Chhabra ji an admirable and  loving person. It was the time when his son Paul Chhabra who is a close friend of Prof. Saluja was neck deep in organizing the Punjab NRI Sabha with the founder Chairman and Commissioner of Jalandhar Division, B. K. Srivastava. The vast real estate and travel agency business needed Paul to be around to assist his father, but Harkesh Chhabra ji allowed Paul the freedom to be away from business for some months, keeping in view the interest of his son in bringing up a great institution. And, surely, Punjab NRI Sabha became the first organization in India for NRIs.

Eminent Sikh scholar Dr. Baljit Singh Gill described the family’s strong ties with Chhabra family and recalled how genial and sweet natured Harkesh Chhabra ji was. He was a treasure house of information on real estate and NRIs trusted him for getting them good deals. Dr. Gill also spoke about the message of Sikhism and exhorted parents to instill the values of Sikh religion in their children. He reminded congregation of the supreme sacrifice the Ninth Master of the Sikhs Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji made.

Mrs. Jagdish Singh, a prominent community leader and a friend to Paul Chhabra’s family also paid tribute to Harkesh Chhabra Ji.

The gathering included Guru Nanak Foundation Chairman Raj Singh Rahil, Punjabi Society President Neelam Grewal, Lal Singh Kahlon, Nishan Singh Sidhu, Baljit Dulea, Rakesh Kampania and many more, besides the family members Paul Chhabra, his wife Kiran Rani and children.

Langar followed the prayers in the memory of Harkesh Chhabra Ji. Family members lovingly served langar and earned Guru’s blessings as also the congregation’s.

(Text and photos by Surinder Dhillon, journalist. He can be reached at sdhillon@hotmail.com)