“Vaisakhi is a celebration made holy and special by Guru Gobind Singh. He exemplified to the max the characteristics of courage, sacrifice, selflessness, and shedding blood in the service and protection of others. Guru Gobind Singh is a hero of mine, and helps me as a lawyer and a human being to be better.

In fact, my substantive heroes, other than my late great parents and our miracle daughter Angela (natured by a loving mother, Ranju), Thomas Becket and Edmund Burke have provided the compass for my “moral imperative” to act fearlessly to do justice. Guru Gobind Singh’s heroic fearless courage is an example mere mortals such as I find both supremely attractive as well as difficult to emulate; but the joy is in the trying, and by so doing, answer the question Descartes never dared ask: why do I exist.

The Sikh community in general, and the American Sikh community in particular, is special and honored, be they a taxi driver or an Ajay Banga. I pause to acknowledge Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri and his cousin, Amb. Manjeev Puri, who collectively won for India a Security Council seat – which victory was preordained due to Delhi, but the nearunanimous electoral win, a UN First, belongs to Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri. Sikhs are special – like Sparta, they know how to fight well.

But, unlike terrorists, they fight to defend and die for the benefit of others. May I close with wishing everyone a Happy Vaisakhi, even if it’s spelled with a “B,” and pay tribute to our dear friend Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Secretary of Defense Gates, Oak Creek’s Hero Brian Murphy, and every Sikh who is worthy of being Sikh – a person of honor and courage. Of course, worthy of mention is the Sikh Coalition and United Sikhs. All those who act to cause self-satisfying media attention or a better seat, it time for continuing reading of the 11th Guru, Guru Granth Sahib!”