Sikh community celebrates 100th anniversary in US

Stockton's Sikh Temple

Stockton's Sikh community celebrated its 100th anniversary on American soil on September 22. Hosted by Gurdwara Sahib, the organization is the oldest Sikh American establishment. "This is a grand celebration with a lot of history" said Bhajan Bhinder, the event coordinator.

The purpose of Saturday's event was not only to celebrate but to inform people of who the Sikhs are, and where they come from. "Some people think we are from Iran, some people think we're from Afghanistan," says Lathrop City Council member Sonny Dhaliwal.

Northern California has a few farms, and that is what attracted the Sikhs to Stockton, where they purchased the first real estate on American soil back in 1912. An estimated 700,000 Sikhs now live in the United States, 250,000 of them in California.

[ BY VRN ]