Lord and Lady Singh

Lord Indarjit Singh was born in Rawalpindi. His father, a young doctor blacklisted by the British for supporting the Guru ka Bagh Morcha freedom movement, brought the family to Britain when Indarjit was an infant. Growing up with a little Gurdwara at home, he taught himself Punjabi from an old dictionary to write to his mother in India.

After qualifying as a mining engineer, he was told he couldn't manage miners because they wouldn't accept him. There was no Race Relations Act to turn to. He went on to become the first non-Christian, non-Jewish broadcaster on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day in 1983, holding the role for over 35 years. He became the first turbaned member of Parliament across both Lords and Commons.

Lady Dr Kamaljeet Kaur Singh came to Britain from Amritsar in 1965. She became the first non-white teacher in Wimbledon and the first Asian head teacher. She served as an inspector of schools for 32 years and successfully fought to have Sikhism recognized as an independent religion in the 1988 Education Act. She is now President of the Global Sikh Council.

Together, their lives tell a story of faith, persistence, and service to both the Sikh community and Britain.