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{{short description|British journalist and broadcaster (born 1932)}}
⚫
'''Indarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon''' [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (born 1932, [[Rawalpindi]], [[British India]]), sometimes [[transliteration|transliterated]] '''Inderjit Singh''', is a British [[journalist]] and [[Presenter|broadcaster]], a prominent [[British Asian]] active in [[Sikh]] and [[interfaith]] activities, and a [[member of the House of Lords]]. He is editor of the ''[[Sikhism|Sikh Messenger]]'' and widely known as a frequent presenter of the "[[Thought for the Day]]" segment on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Today Programme|Today programme]]'', and [[BBC Radio 2]]'s ''Pause for Thought''. He also contributes to British and overseas newspapers and journals including ''[[The Times]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[The Independent]]''.
{{Other people5|Inderjit Singh (disambiguation){{!}}Inderjit Singh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lord Singh of Wimbledon
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}}
| image= Official portrait of Lord Singh of Wimbledon crop 2.jpg
|caption = Official portrait, 2018
| office = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br />[[Lord Temporal]]
| term_start = 24 October 2011<br/>[[Life peer]]age
| term_end =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1932|09|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Rawalpindi]], British India
| party = [[Crossbench]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Birmingham]]
| occupation = Journalist, engineer, politician
⚫
}}


'''Indarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|CBE}} (born 17 September 1932), sometimes [[transliteration|transliterated]] '''Inderjit Singh''', is a British [[journalist]] and [[News presenter|broadcaster]], a prominent [[British Indian]] active in [[Sikh]] and [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]] activities, and a [[member of the House of Lords]].
⚫
Born in Rawalpindi in 1932, Singh came to England in 1933. He studied [[engineering]] at [[Birmingham University]]. Between 1955 and 1975 he worked in [[mining]] and [[civil engineering]] for the [[National Coal Board]], for construction company [[Costain]] as a mine manager in India, and in local government in London.


⚫
He is editor of the ''Sikh Messenger'' and known as a presenter of the ''[[Thought for the Day]]'' segment on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme, and [[BBC Radio 2]]'s ''Pause for Thought''. He also contributes to British and overseas newspapers and journals including ''[[The Times]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[The Independent]]''.
⚫
Since 1993 he has worked for the Sikh community and is probably its best-known representative in Britain.<ref>[http://connect.in.com/indarjit-singh/biography-123353.html ''Indarjit Singh: Bio, Connect.in biograpjy, Undated].Accessed: 24 December 2010.</ref> He has advised, or been a member of, official bodies, including the [[Commission for Racial Equality]] and the [[Home Secretary]]’s Advisory Council on Race Relations. He is Director of the [[Sikhism|Network of Sikh Organisations (UK)]] and regularly represents the Sikh community at civic occasions such as the [[Remembrance Day|Commonwealth Service]] and the [[Remembrance Day|Remembrance Day Service]] at the [[Cenotaph]] in [[Whitehall]], London. [[Prince Charles]], [[Anglican]] bishops and the [[Metropolitan police]] have consulted him. He is prominent in the national and international interfaith movement, a patron of the [[Interfaith dialog|World Congress of Faiths]] and an executive committee member of the [[Interfaith dialog|Inter Faith Network UK]]. He was invited to the [[wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton]] as a representative for the Sikh faith.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13175842 | work=BBC News | title=Royal wedding guest list | date=23 April 2011}}</ref>

==Biography==
⚫
Singh was born in 1932 at [[Rawalpindi]], then in the British Indian province of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], and came to England with his parents in 1933. His father was a medical doctor. After attending Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield, he studied [[engineering]] at [[Birmingham University]]. Between 1955 and 1975, he worked in [[mining]] and [[civil engineering]] for the [[National Coal Board]], for construction company [[Costain Group|Costain]] as a mine manager in India, and in local government in London.

⚫
He has advised, or been a member of, official bodies, including the [[Commission for Racial Equality]] and the [[Home Secretary]]’s Advisory Council on Race Relations. He is Director of the [[Sikhism|Network of Sikh Organisations (UK)]] and regularly represents the Sikh community at civic occasions such as the [[Remembrance Day|Commonwealth Service]] and the [[Remembrance Day|Remembrance Day Service]] at the [[Cenotaph]] in [[Whitehall]], London. [[King Charles III]], [[Anglican]] bishops and the [[Metropolitan police]] have consulted him. He is prominent in the national and international interfaith movement, a patron of the [[Interfaith dialog|World Congress of Faiths]] and an executive committee member of the [[Interfaith dialog|Inter Faith Network UK]]. He was invited to the [[wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton]] and the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla]] as a representative for the Sikh faith.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13175842 | work=BBC News | title=Royal wedding guest list | date=23 April 2011}}</ref>

His participation in the ''[[Thought for the Day]]'' feature on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme lasted from around 1984 to 2019. He left after editorial disagreements with the BBC.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Dominic|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/sikh-peer-leaves-bbc-radio-4-show-with-swipe-at-thought-police-m3vcjg77w?ni-statuscode=acsaz-307|title=Sikh peer leaves BBC Radio 4 show with swipe at 'thought police'|work=The Times|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} {{subscription required}}</ref>


==Awards and honours==
==Awards and honours==
In 1989 he received the Templeton Award for services to spirituality. In 1991 he received the [[Interfaith dialog|Inter faith Medallion]] for services to religious broadcasting. In 2004 he joined [[Benjamin Zephaniah]] and [[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]] in being awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] ([[Doctor of Laws]]) from the [[University of Leicester]]. He came second to [[Bob Geldof]] in the BBC Radio 4's 2004 ''People's Lord'' poll<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thought/documents/t20050105.shtml People's Lord] on ''Thought for the Day''</ref> An [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) since June 1996, Singh was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the 2009 [[New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=58929 |date=31 December 2008 |startpage=8 |supp=yes }}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/31_01_08_honours.pdf Honours List]</ref>
In 1989, he received the Templeton Award for services to spirituality. In 1991 he received the [[Interfaith dialog|Inter faith Medallion]] for services to religious broadcasting. In 2004, he joined [[Benjamin Zephaniah]] and [[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]] in being awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] ([[Doctor of Laws]]) from the [[University of Leicester]]. He came second to [[Bob Geldof]] in the BBC Radio 4's 2004 ''People's Lord'' poll.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thought/documents/t20050105.shtml People's Lord] on ''Thought for the Day''</ref> An [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) since June 1996,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54427 |date=15 June 1996 |page=13 |supp=y}}</ref> Singh was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the 2009 [[New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=58929 |date=31 December 2008 |page=8 |supp=y }}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/31_01_08_honours.pdf Honours List]</ref>


On the recommendation of the [[House of Lords Appointments Commission]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk/news/11-09-05-appointments.aspx |title=New non-party-political life peers |publisher=House of Lords Appointments Commission |date=5 September 2011}}</ref> he was created a [[Crossbencher|Crossbench]] (independent) [[life peer]] on 12 October 2011 and was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced]] in the [[House of Lords]] on 24 October 2011.<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201012/minutes/111025/ldordpap.htm#minproc House of Lords Minute of Proceedings], 24 October 2011.</ref> He is the first member of the [[House of Lords]] to wear a [[turban]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2430340.ece |title=Lords to have first turbaned Sikh peer |last=Suroor |first=Hasan |publisher=The Hindu |date=7 September 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref>
On the recommendation of the [[House of Lords Appointments Commission]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk/news/11-09-05-appointments.aspx |title=New non-party-political life peers |publisher=House of Lords Appointments Commission |date=5 September 2011 |access-date=8 September 2011 |archive-date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303144952/http://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk/news/11-09-05-appointments.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> he was created a [[Crossbencher|Crossbench]] (independent) [[life peer]] on 12 October 2011 taking the title '''Baron Singh of Wimbledon''', of [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]] in the [[London Borough of Merton]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59940 |date=17 October 2011 |page=19793}}</ref> He was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced]] in the [[House of Lords]] on 24 October 2011,<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201012/minutes/111025/ldordpap.htm#minproc House of Lords Minute of Proceedings], 24 October 2011</ref> being the first member of the [[House of Lords]] to wear a [[turban]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2430340.ece |title=Lords to have first turbaned Sikh peer |last=Suroor |first=Hasan |work=The Hindu |date=7 September 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> In the introduction ceremony, his Senior Supporter was [[The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws]] and his Junior Supporter was [[The Lord Carey of Clifton]]. Singh received a [[coat of arms]] with a [[Baron#Coronet|baronial coronet]] and, notably, the [[Khanda (Sikh symbol)|Khanda]] as his crest.


Lord Singh was chosen to present the Royal Glove to the King at the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|2023 Coronation]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Coronation order of service in full |work=BBC News |date=5 May 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65503950 |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref>
==Footnotes==

{{Infobox COA wide
|image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|150px]][[File:Singh of Wimbledon Escutcheon.png|centre|200px]]
|escutcheon = Azure a representation of the Golden Temple at Amritsar Proper and in base two Sikh Swords crossed in saltire Argent surmounted at the intersection by a quill pen palewise Or.
|crest = The Khandra Azure
|supporters = Dexter a lion armed Or resting the interior foot on a miner's lamp enflamed Proper sinister a lioness Armed Or resting the interior foot on a closed book Azure edged Or.<ref>{{cite book|title=Debrett's Peerage |date=2019 |page=4388}}</ref>
|notes = The coat of arms displays two mottos: "Manas ki jat sabhe eke paichanbo" and its English translation, "Recognise the oneness of our human family".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/85c3155c-1291-11e6-91da-096d89bd2173 |title=Interview: Indarjit Singh, Crossbench life peer |last=Calian |first=Sara |publisher=Financial Times |date=26 May 2016}}</ref>}}

==Personal life==
Lord Singh is married to Kawaljit Singh OBE. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.faithandmedia.com/Biogs/IndarjitSingh.htm Profile]
* [http://www.faithandmedia.com/Biogs/IndarjitSingh.htm Profile at Faith and Media]
* [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-singh-of-wimbledon/4251 Profile at Parliament website]
* [http://www.le.ac.uk/press/press/poetpianistand.html Honorary doctorate]
* [http://www.le.ac.uk/press/press/poetpianistand.html Honorary doctorate]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/wtwtgod/3472595.stm "What God thinks of the world"] (BBC News website)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/wtwtgod/3472595.stm "What God thinks of the world"] (BBC News website)
{{s-start}}
{{s-prec|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Baron Blencathra|The Lord Blencathra]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|Gentlemen]]'''<br />''Baron Singh of Wimbledon'' '''}}
{{s-fol|after=[[Baron Curry of Kirkharle|The Lord Curry of Kirkharle]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Singh, Indarjit
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1932
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Indarjit}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Indarjit}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1932 births]]
⚫
[[Category:British journalists]]
⚫
[[Category:English Sikhs]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
⚫
[[Category:British male journalists]]
⚫
[[Category:English Sikhs]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:British broadcasters]]
[[Category:British broadcasters]]
[[Category:Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission]]
[[Category:Life peers]]
[[Category:Crossbench life peers]]

[[Category:People from Rawalpindi]]
{{UK-reli-bio-stub}}
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
{{Sikh-bio-stub}}
[[Category:British people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:British people of Punjabi descent]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]]

Latest revision as of 04:07, 17 December 2024

For other people with similar names, see Inderjit Singh.

The Right Honourable
The Lord Singh of Wimbledon
CBE
Official portrait, 2018
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 October 2011
Life peerage
Personal details
Born (1932-09-17) 17 September 1932 (age 92)
Rawalpindi, British India
Political partyCrossbench
Alma materUniversity of Birmingham
OccupationJournalist, engineer, politician

Indarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon, CBE (born 17 September 1932), sometimes transliterated Inderjit Singh, is a British journalist and broadcaster, a prominent British Indian active in Sikh and interfaith activities, and a member of the House of Lords.

He is editor of the Sikh Messenger and known as a presenter of the Thought for the Day segment on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, and BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought. He also contributes to British and overseas newspapers and journals including The Times, The Guardian and The Independent.

Biography

[edit]

Singh was born in 1932 at Rawalpindi, then in the British Indian province of the Punjab, and came to England with his parents in 1933. His father was a medical doctor. After attending Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield, he studied engineering at Birmingham University. Between 1955 and 1975, he worked in mining and civil engineering for the National Coal Board, for construction company Costain as a mine manager in India, and in local government in London.

He has advised, or been a member of, official bodies, including the Commission for Racial Equality and the Home Secretary’s Advisory Council on Race Relations. He is Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations (UK) and regularly represents the Sikh community at civic occasions such as the Commonwealth Service and the Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. King Charles III, Anglican bishops and the Metropolitan police have consulted him. He is prominent in the national and international interfaith movement, a patron of the World Congress of Faiths and an executive committee member of the Inter Faith Network UK. He was invited to the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton and the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla as a representative for the Sikh faith.[1]

His participation in the Thought for the Day feature on BBC Radio 4's Today programme lasted from around 1984 to 2019. He left after editorial disagreements with the BBC.[2]

Awards and honours

[edit]

In 1989, he received the Templeton Award for services to spirituality. In 1991 he received the Inter faith Medallion for services to religious broadcasting. In 2004, he joined Benjamin Zephaniah and Peter Donohoe in being awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Laws) from the University of Leicester. He came second to Bob Geldof in the BBC Radio 4's 2004 People's Lord poll.[3] An Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) since June 1996,[4] Singh was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.[5][6]

On the recommendation of the House of Lords Appointments Commission,[7] he was created a Crossbench (independent) life peer on 12 October 2011 taking the title Baron Singh of Wimbledon, of Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton.[8] He was introduced in the House of Lords on 24 October 2011,[9] being the first member of the House of Lords to wear a turban.[10] In the introduction ceremony, his Senior Supporter was The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws and his Junior Supporter was The Lord Carey of Clifton. Singh received a coat of arms with a baronial coronet and, notably, the Khanda as his crest.

Lord Singh was chosen to present the Royal Glove to the King at the 2023 Coronation.[11]

Coat of arms of Indarjit Singh
Notes
The coat of arms displays two mottos: "Manas ki jat sabhe eke paichanbo" and its English translation, "Recognise the oneness of our human family".[12]
Crest
The Khandra Azure
Escutcheon
Azure a representation of the Golden Temple at Amritsar Proper and in base two Sikh Swords crossed in saltire Argent surmounted at the intersection by a quill pen palewise Or.
Supporters
Dexter a lion armed Or resting the interior foot on a miner's lamp enflamed Proper sinister a lioness Armed Or resting the interior foot on a closed book Azure edged Or.[13]

Personal life

[edit]

Lord Singh is married to Kawaljit Singh OBE. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Royal wedding guest list". BBC News. 23 April 2011.
  2. ^ Kennedy, Dominic (4 October 2019). "Sikh peer leaves BBC Radio 4 show with swipe at 'thought police'". The Times. Retrieved 4 October 2019. (subscription required)
  3. ^ People's Lord on Thought for the Day
  4. ^ "No. 54427". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1996. p. 13.
  5. ^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 8.
  6. ^ Honours List
  7. ^ "New non-party-political life peers". House of Lords Appointments Commission. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  8. ^ "No. 59940". The London Gazette. 17 October 2011. p. 19793.
  9. ^ House of Lords Minute of Proceedings, 24 October 2011
  10. ^ Suroor, Hasan (7 September 2011). "Lords to have first turbaned Sikh peer". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  11. ^ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  12. ^ Calian, Sara (26 May 2016). "Interview: Indarjit Singh, Crossbench life peer". Financial Times.
  13. ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 4388.
[edit]
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Singh of Wimbledon 		Followed by
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