Gurcharan Singh

Professor Gurcharan Singh Sindhar was born in 1943 at Chak 172/9-L, Montgomery (present-day Sahiwal District), Punjab, Pakistan, to retired Honorary Captain Partap Singh Sindhar and Sham Kaur. Because of his father's military service, his family was allotted land in Pakistan a few years earlier, and they moved from their ancestral village of Sindhar in India. In 1947, when the partition occurred, like millions others, "we left our village with a heavy heart and moved to East-Punjab." The journey and the bloodshed it entailed left a deep mark on him. In India, they were eventually able to get their land re-allotted to Mulewal Araian, a village approximately 5 kilometers from their ancestral village.

Prof. Sindhar had always been a visionary individual. Motivated by his father, he pursued higher education at DAV College in Jalandhar after matriculation in 1959. Because of his poor schooling background, he "felt as though a small mouse had entered a big hole." He held his college lecturers in great awe and reverence. For his Faculty of Science (FSc.), non-medical, he joined the local Khalsa College. He quickly switched from Science to Arts and took up theater and journalism, for which he won awards. After his graduation in 1963, he briefly thought of joining the armed forces, but then decided to study further. He joined the government college in Hoshiarpur for Masters in English, where he had the opportunity to study English Literature, and specifically Shakespeare, from an Oxford graduate. Around this time, a tragedy befell him when his father passed. He consoled himself with this Shakespearean line: "Men must endure their going hence even as their coming hither. Ripeness is all."

He graduated in 1965 and became a lecturer at Khalsa College, Mahilpur (Hoshiarpur), followed by Ramgarhia College, Phagwara, and eventually Lyallpur Khalsa College in Jalandhar, his alma mater.

He married Mohinder Kaur in 1969. The following year, he gave birth to his eldest daughter, Kamaljit.

Prof. Gurcharan Singh Sindhar's life was defined by strong character, high moral principles, and service to others. Due to this, he left his comfortable job in Jalandhar to teach at a college in Nakodar, so that he could dedicate himself to public service. His contributions led to the furthering of educational opportunities for many poor children in nearby villages. He was soon elected to be the Sarpanch of Mulewal Araian in 1972. He continued his service and contributed to many developmental projects in his village, including building schools, roads, water pumps, drains, and other crucial infrastructure. He also worked to expose and eradicate corruption in his local area. He wrote, "in my life, one thing I hated the most was corruption, as it is the root cause of all evil and in the comity of nations, India could never hold a place of pride."

He was overjoyed at the birth of his second daughter, Parwinder, in 1973. Around that time, he joined Khalsa College, Sultanpur Lodhi. His work popularized him, and he won the Block Samiti elections in 1975 and became president of the Land Mortgage Bank at Nakodar in 1976. He was blessed with the birth of his third child and only son, Harpreet, in 1976.

In 1984, he was approached, as many other Sarpachs were, by the Indian army to expose the names of any "terrorists" in his village. He stayed mum despite threats to his life and those of his family, as he knew the suspected terrorists were, in reality, innocent youth.

He was chosen as a director of the sugar mill in Mehatpur, Nakodar in 1986, and a member of the Education Recruitment Committee in 1987. He became the offprincipal of the Khalsa College, Sultanpur Lodhi in 1993. That year, he decided to end his career as Sarpanch after 20 years of service.

After a long career in education, he resigned from his government post in 2003 in hopes of retirement. However, he was asked to return to become the principal of a private college in Dhandowal, which through his efforts, became affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University. He eventually retired in 2007.

His retirement consisted of alternating between India, where his son lived, and the United States, where his daughters had been married. On January 19, 2014, he left India, once and for all, and the entire family settled in the United States.

Ever since, he enjoyed a quiet life, filled with gardening, reading, listening to Hindi music, watching cricket, keeping up with Indian politics, and watching his grandchildren grow up.

On August 18, 2026, he entered eternal rest at his home in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his loving wife, Mohinder; devoted children, Kamaljit, Parwinder, and Harpreet; adored grandchildren, Pritpal, Jasmeen, Anroop, Simran, Safitaj, and Ashmeen; and his precious great-grandson, Aneel.

His final viewing and funeral will be held on August 21 at Snyder Funeral Home in Lititz, followed by Antim Ardaas. Bhog Shri Akhand Path Sahib on August 23, 2026 at Gurudwara Sahib of Lancaster County.