ILLINOIS: The Mayor Rita L.Mullins and the board of trustees of the village of Palatine, Illinois proclaimed April 18, 1993 the Vaisakhi celebration day as “Sikh American Heritage Day” in the village of Palatine a suburb of Chicago with a population of 40,000.
Sikh community of Metropolitan Chicago has a Gurdwara in Palatine which was opened in 1979 under the Administration of Sikh Religious Society of Chicago.
On Vaisakhi Day in 1699 the 10th Guru of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh bestowed the ceremonial “Amrit” upon his followers and baptized them to be Khalsa, meaning the pure ones.
“The Sikh American community was cited for maintaining their own cultural traditions and for playing distinctive roles in social, cultural and economic arenas of the village of Palatine,” said, Rajinder Singh Mago, a member of the society. Proclamation Whereas, the Sikhs constitute a well-established religious, social and ethnic group among the people who have immigrated to our country; and Whereas, Sikh immigrants have added to the cultural richness of America and continue to maintain their own culture, traditions and family values; and Whereas, the Sikh Americans in the Village of Palatine have notably played distinctive roles in the social, cultural and economic arenas of the Village of Palatine. Now, Therefore, I, Rita L.Mullins, Mayor of the Village of Palatine, do’ hereby proclaim Sunday, April 18, 1993 the Vaisakhi celebration day as “Sikh American Heritage Day” in the Village of Palatine.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 16, 1993
