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The Legend of Tejinder Singh Sibia
Dr. Amrik Singh
Sacramento
 Isabel
Garcia, 73, was expecting a phone call from Tejinder Singh Sibia
(Ted Sibia) when she noticed his obituary in Sacramento Bee on
March 9,
2008. “I hated him to go and leave us profoundly shocked.” Daughter
of Mr. Memel Singh, a Punjabi Pioneer who came to the US in 1906,
Isabel Singh Garcia acknowledged that she was enriched with history
because “Ted restored our Mexican Punjabi identity to us and
researched on the narrative of the lost race. I am afraid the new
generation of Punjabis isn’t interested in us any more.” Mrs.
Garcia regretted that Ted didn’t live to see the museum to honor
Punjabi pioneers in Sutter County. Sibia was advisor to Punjabi
American Heritage Society that according to Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang,
is in the fourth of five phases of Museum’s completion.
Tejinder Sibia
will be known as one of the stalwarts who modeled core values of
Punjabi culture during his most rewarding career in the
US. A strong
gathering of more than 400 in North Sacramento Funeral Home at El
Camino and at Sikh Gurdwara, West Sacramento on March 9, 2008 was
unanimous in recognizing Mr. Tejinder Sibia’s monumental
contribution in enhancing historical, cultural and linguistic
awareness of Punjabis in American society. He loved his circle of
friends as much as he loved his family. He touched hearts of young
men and women who looked upon him as their mentor and perennial
source of inspiration. As a boss, he is remembered as the most
benevolent, appro achable and entertaining. Irwin Weintraub
(Brooklyn, NY) reminisces the time at Virginia Tech during 1973-77
as “blessed to have Ted as my supervisor.” Charlie Priore (Kengon,
MN) recalls Mr. Sibia during 1980-84 at UC Davis, “His wisdom and
mentoring have followed me all of my many years after leaving.”
Similar messages
have been recorded by David Washburn and Carrie Rushby (Cascade, ID)
who happened to work under Ted’s supervision.
Mr. Sibia
migrated to the
US in 1960 after
graduating from PAU Ludhiana. Born in August, 1937 in Kila Raipur,
Ted seemed to have imbibed the spirit of sportsmanship in the serene
environments of his village, known as the site of historic rural
Olympics.
He
worked hard to earn master's degrees in horticulture at
Kansas State
University and library science at Emporia State University in
Kansas. Mr. Sibia headed Shield Library, Research Unit of Biology
and Agriculture at the University of California, Davis. Community
events were vital source of his high-spiritedness. One month before
his death, on February 3, 2008, Ted made sure that he didn’t miss
honoring of Dr. David Hosley, Emeritus President and General Manager
of PBS/KVIE TV Channel 6 for the production of “Sikhs in America.”
The picture of the event at Gurdwara West Sacramento was taken by
him and widely published in various newspapers.
 His
article “Immortal Komagata Maru” in Pioneer Asian Immigration
to the Pacific Coast throws light on his profound
psychological bonding with Punjabi pioneers who in spite of
unbearable sufferings kept the flame of India’s freedom burning.
His
website
www.sikhpioneers.org makes accessible to researchers rare
documents of historical importance. How he collected artifacts from
now isolated Mexican Punjabi families, is subject of another story.
As a member of Kohinoor Club, Mr Sibia was an asset to the
institution.
Mr. Sibia
supported efforts of the community to introduce Sikh history in
California school textbooks. He often accompanied Dr. Onkar Singh
Bindra for lobbying to introduce teaching of Punjabi in schools and
colleges. Ted was instrumental in starting Punjabi at Sacramento
City College. Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang remembered that Mr. Sibia was
the first to organize cultural events under the banner of Punjabi
Cultural society in 1970-80. Mrs. Manjit Sibia, wife of Mr. Sibia
said that he established liaison with Asians like Vietnamese,
Japanese and Chinese to build a senior center for the community. He
loved counseling young boys and girls to make them proud of their
identities.
Sukh Chain Singh
one of his closest friends shared with the community his last
meeting with Ted that touched everybody’s heart. Mr. Singh told that
his last wish was that since he had had a wonderful life and enjoyed
love and gratitude of his friends, he wanted that his funeral and
memorial service (Bhog) should take place on the same day. Tejinder
didn’t want his friends to put to any inconvenience. He got ready
for his death the way he would get ready with a smile for attending
social events. Ted appeared to be fully in control of events that
were related with his last rites.
26
March 2008
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