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Two days after 9/11, Swaranjit Singh was walking in Queens, New York, when a young girl aged six or seven came to him and asked, 'Are you going to bomb today?'
Aghast, Singh, a resident of the US since 1982, tried to speak to her when her mother appeared and told the daughter, 'Don't talk to this man, he is not a good man.'
"Many such incidents followed, and the 9/11 profoundly changed my life," said Singh, who has announced his candidacy for New York City Council from District 23, said.
Recalling another occasion, he said he tried to shake hands with a young man who merely flipped his middle finger at him and walked away. On another occasion, he was walking in Queens when all of a sudden several policemen descended on the scene and asked him what he was doing there. He asked if it was illegal to walk in the neighborhood. They told him it was for his own safety.
After these incidents, Singh quit his job, which brought in a six figure annual salary, and devoted his time to educating people about the Sikh identity. By way of livelihood, he co-founded and runs a successful realty business, Goldwin Realty, in Queens.
District 23 includes areas such as Bellerose, where the South Asian population is concentrated. About 35 percent of the 65,000 voters is South Asian, making the community the single largest and most influential block of voters. The district is predominantly Democratic; thus, whichever candidate from that party wins the primaries is apt to win the elections.
Incumbent David Weprin will be termed out this year. Four people from the Jewish community have announced their candidacy. Singh, the only Asian in the fray, said he was buoyed by the tremendous support he has been getting from people. When he told a gas station worker that he was running, the attendant immediately gave him a $100 bill as his contribution, and when Singh told him $20 was enough, the attendant insisted he take the bill. A cab driver wrote a check for $500, he adds.
Singh says he has thus far collected $9000 without doing much publicity, and expects to spend about $160,000 on the primary. If he wins the ticket, he will need another $160,000.
The demographics in the district have changed, and it now favors a South Asian candidate, he noted. People from all over the world settle in the district, making it one of the most diverse communities.
His election platform includes better education, smaller classrooms, instilling values in children and a community center for the Indians in the district. "Though the city spends $15billion for 1.1million school children, many do not know how to multiply or do the basic things. There should be a change to this," he said. He further noted that many are approaching the age of retirement, and will need special programs to deal with their needs.
He said the community has a duty to share the Indian value system, "which is our greatest asset", with mainstream America.
It is important, he says, for the community to get involved in the political system. "Unless we get involved, we will not get our rightful share," he noted.
Singh, 55, is a graduate of Delhi University class of 1976. He is a motivational speaker, chairs a committee at Queens Borough Community College Holocaust Center, and is a member of Community Board 13. He also serves as the third chair of Queen's Hospital Center board, and works as a director for Red Cross's Queens chapter.
The founding president of World Sikh Peace Foundation, Singh has received several community service awards and been profiled in mainstream newspapers such as New York Times, Daily News, Newsday and others.
Other South Asians running for the city council this election cycle are Rajiv Gowda from Staten Island, and Stanley Kalathara and Dilip Nath, both from Queens.