In 1992, the Indian community made contributions for an India chair at University of California, Berkeley. At the same time, Prof. Thomas Kailath established Sara Kailath Chair in India Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Narpat Bhandari, a co-founder of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) in Santa Clara, California, endowed the Chandra Bhandari Chair in India Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1997. The Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Talat and Kamil Hasan established the Kamil and Talat Hasan Endowed Chair in Classical Indian Music with their donation at University of California, Santa Clara. Navin Doshi donated funds to create Doshi chair of Indian History in University of California, Los Angeles, and an annual Bridge Builder Award of $10,000 at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. Uka Solanki funded the Yadunandan India Center at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Prem Sagar Reddy, a cardiologist in Victorville donated $1 million to Victor Valley Community College District Foundation to support School of Allied Health and Nursing in 2003. He has also donated about $8 million to various health care causes. Bhupesh Parikh and his wife Kumud contributed $1 million for the Bhupesh Parikh Health Sciences and Technology building at Glendale Community College, California.
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Darshan Singh Dhaliwal who operates over 1000 gas stations has donated $2.5 million to Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, $1 million for a chair at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, $200,000 for Modern Language Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, $100,000 for a soccer park and the list of his beneficiaries runs long |
Dr. Mohinder Sambhi, Professor Emeritus at David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California donated $2 million in 2007 to John Hopkins University in Washington for setting up the Centre of India Studies in memory of his wife Minno. Dr. Sambhi who was born in Ludhiana, had donated $1 million for a chair in Indian classical music in UCLA in memory of his late wife. Drs. Amrik Singh Chattha and Jaswinder Kaur Chattha of West Virginia endowed a chair of Sikh Studies at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the memory of their parents. Dr. Awtar Singh established a fully funded annual fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley for a top student from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh for graduate studies. He also established a fully endowed fellowship with the University of Colorado, Boulder that pays $5000 annually to a graduate or an undergraduate student with a parent or grandparent of Indian Origin. Lajpat Rai Munger of California donated land worth Rs 20 crores to the Punjab University in 2006 for setting up law and nursing institutes. Jagdish Khangura, an electrical engineer turned businessman, started “Baba Kartar Singh Dukki Higher Secondary School in village Larata, district Ludhiana, Punjab. He created “Baba Kartar Singh Dukki Educational Trust with endowment of Rs. 30 lakhs to meet the needs of students for books, bikes, clothes, scholarships, etc.
Darshan Singh Dhaliwal who operates over 1000 gas stations has donated $2.5 million to Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, $1 million for a chair at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, $200,000 for Modern Language Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, $100,000 for a soccer park and the list of his beneficiaries runs long. Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany established the Kundan Kaur Kapany Chair of Sikh Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998. He also has established Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery of Sikh Art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies has been set up at University of California, Riverside, with donation from Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Trust. California native Hardit Singh Aurora has gifted an endowed chair in Sikh and Punjabi studies at the History Department of the University of California, Santa Cruz in memory of his son Sarabjit Singh Aurora. Ishar Singh Bindra and family have established the Sardarni Kuljit Bindra Chair at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, to promote the study of Sikh religion, culture and history. The Bindra family has also established “The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize” for an individual or organization that promotes harmony and peaceful coexistence. In the same university, Dr. Hakam Singh of Los Angeles, a scientist and a scholar, has established the Sardarni Harbans Kaur Chair in Sikh Musicology (Gurmat Sangeet).
There are many more Indian Americans who continue to give their charitable donations to support various causes.
To be continued...
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