BALBIR SINGH RAGI was born in the District of Jullundur, Ragi moved to Coventry, England in 1958. Ragi was initiated into the Sikh Community work at a very early age. His parents Sardar Dharam Singh Ragi and the late Sardarni Nasib Kaur Ragi started the work of building the Gurdwara in Coventry. This was to be the first Gurdwraa in Europe that was built from ground up. He was involved in local politics and was an active member of the young labor party. He was also involved in race relation work. Ragi was awarded the Certificate of Merit in 1965 by the Coventry Citizen’s Bureau. He received his formal education in England as an electronic engineer. Ragi is also proficient in Punjabi, a writer and a speaker in his own right in Punjabi. Although he received no formal education in Punjabi, he attributes his command of Punjabi to his early links to community work within the Sikh community.
He migrated to the United States in 1972, and was amongst the founding members of the Freemont Gurdwara. He has served as its vice-president and president. Ragi is currently one of the international delegates to the World Sikh Organization. He is also a member of the prestigious Rotary International. Ragi is Director of Manufacturing for a major telecommunications company. He lives in Union City with his wife Parminder and their three children, Amrit, Aman, and son Omar.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 8, 1987
