London, UK—A pageant of more than 1,000 boats led by the red and gold-leaf bedecked royal barge Gloriana, carrying Queen Elizabeth II and her family, sailed down the majestic Thames on Sunday to mark the diamond jubilee celebration of the Queen’s coronation. Many of those watching the event live across the globe were happily supprised after spotting a striking royal-blue turban visible right behind the members of the royal family.
Messages and queries flashed feverishly on twitter and the internet, trying to guess the identity of the lone turbaned Sikh among the chosen few who got the chance of a lifetime to sail along with the Queen, leading the 1,000 strong ship flotilla. However, those familiar with the UK’s NRI Sikh community instantly recognized the bespectacled, middle-aged gentleman in the camera frame as Harbinder Singh Rana, the director of much appreciated Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail (ASHT), an organization which is connecting the dots between shared heritage of Sikhs and the UK.
Harbinder Singh Rana was extended the invitation to join the first family of UK on the royal boat by the office of the Prince of Wales about three weeks back. He happened to be among the 30 odd select few, including former Indian high commissioner Kamlesh Sharma, who enjoyed making history on the Thames with the royal party on the jubilee pageant.
“For me, it was personally poignant to be there as in 1952 my father attended the Queen’s coronation soon after he arrived in Britain,” Harbinder Singh Rana told a correspondent from London. His 22-year-old daughter Kamalpreet accompanied him on the trip while his wife attended a garden party at Buckingham palace at the beginning of the diamond jubilee celebrations.
His phone hasn’t stopped ringing and his voice mail has been flooded with congratulatory messages from friends and relatives ever since the cameras panned on him during the royal sail. “I wasn’t there as representative of Sikhs or any religious representation, but my being there and the very conspicuous turban did help build the cause of Sikh identity,” concedes the NRI, who came in contact with the Prince of Wales in 1999 during Khalsa tercentenary celebrations.
Harbinder Singh Rana’s organizations have been supporting several trusts and foundations being managed by Prince Charles ever since. In fact, he accompanied the Prince during the latter’s visit to one of Sikhs’ five temporal seats, Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib in Ropar in 2006. The Prince of Wales has also shown lot of interest in a documentary being made by ASHT on the battle of Saragarhi.
Harbinder Singh Rana, a management consultant by profession, in fact, cut short his Chandigarh trip soon after dinning with a friend, Gurpreet Singh of Kendri Singh Sabha, on Friday, to join the celebrations in London. “He did tell me that he had to be there for the event, but he kept it a surprise that he would be joining the royals,” Gurpreet said.
“As British Sikhs, it is important that we appreciate and add to the canvas of history that the sovereign represents. Responsible citizenship in a plural secular society is the call of the day and we need to respond to it with enthusiasm and dedication,” says the Sikh from Walsall, who is also director of Maharaja Dalip Singh Trust and honorary director of ASHT.
Harbinder Singh Rana has also been visiting India frequently in connection with annual Saragarhi Challenge Cup, organised by ASHT. It is an annual polo event which is held alternatively in UK and India and played between Indian team of Sherdills and UK Army, to commemorate the historic battle.
More than one million rain-soaked people watched the event as the boats weaved their way along the Thames, organisers said.
The Queen’s barge travelled among the flotilla of tugs, steamers, pleasure cruisers, dragon boats and kayaks.
As part of celebrations m
ore than 4,000 beacons were ignited across the Commonwealth.
Beacons in Tonga and New Zealand were the first to be lit and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard set off the fire in Canberra.
It’s interesting that this article doesn’t mention anything about his past and the reality that he is a convicted sex offender. If he had turned into a better man, he should have turned the invitation down yet he did no such thing and levied such a shame on the whole sikh community.
Harneet Kaur
yea it should have those banners to stop people that have been to jail over sex crimes look how close he was to the queen….
The article which portrays him in such a positive light should be removed from this website. You should have an article like the mainstream press and other websites which warn the public that this man is a known sex offender. How painful do you think it must be for his victims to see him next to the Queen. By publishing articles which praise him, like the one on this website, must be intolerable for his victims. Name and shame this disgrace to our society.
There are plenty of hardworking, inspirational UK sikhs that could have been picked to go aboard the vessel . Inderjeet Singh would have been my preference. Why was a convicted Sex offender choosen to represent us? He knows his background is sullied therefore he should have turned down the invite. Silly arrogant man.
I think his invitation does raise questions on what society feels is a suitable punishment for a crime and whether once that debt has been paid to society, that individual may return as a fully fledged member of society. One shouldn’t forget that since his crime and punishment he has done good work in setting up the Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail. In regards to Lord Indarjeet Singh, he was present in the Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday.
This man is a sex offender who has served a custodial sentence. You could argue he has paid his sentence and rehabilitated with the work he has done, but this scandal has put the image of Sikhs back years. Disgusting, makes me feel sick. Nothing changes, it’s always the crooks at the top representing Sikhs, whether it’s the old boys running the Gurdwara’s a diverting funds without accountability or this sex offender representing the Sikh nation at a national level seen by the world. Disgusting, makes me feel sick
Thus man is a sex offender who has served a custodial sentence. You could argue he has paid his sentence and rehabilitated with the work he has done, but this scandal has put the image of Sikhs back years. Disgusting, makes me feel sick. Nothing changes, it’s always the crooks at the top representing Sikhs, whether it’s the old boys running the Gurdwara’s a diverting funds without accountability or this sex offender representing the Sikh nation at a national level seen by the world. Disgusting, makes me feel sick
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/sex-offender-royal-barge-071753149.html
he is also a sex attacker that pretended to be a doctor in the 80’s and went to jail for it for 4 years and even admits to it. he is a shame for the sikh society!
It should be noted that Harbinder Singh Rana is a convicted sex attacker:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9315777/Guest-on-Royal-Barge-at-Diamond-Jubilee-pageant-was-sex-offender.html#
Wow have you read this story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155645/Sex-attacker-Harbinder-Singh-Rana-invited-Royal-barge-alongside-Queen.html?ito=feeds-newsxml