Ravi Singh

Ravi Singh is an American entrepreneur, writer and a preacher of Sikhism. His parents had shifted from India to United States in the 1960s. Ravi was born in USA. He was only 14 years old, when he was not allowed with his turban to participate in army drills at Marimon Military Academy in Aurora, Illinois. However, the effort made by his family, brought a legislation which allowed him to graduate from the academy with his turban. He came out with full honour as a Second Lieutenant. Then he attended Valparaiso University, a Lutheran university located in Valparaiso, Indiana. During this time as student body president, he spoke at the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. He went on to Northwestern University where he earned his Master’s Degree in Political Science in 1995. This qualification lead him to take interest in politics. First, he worked as a legislative Assistant to then Illinois Lt. Governor Bob Kustra. A year later he went to work for Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and served as liaison to the Asian Pacific American Community.

At 25, he ran for the State Legislature for the Illinois’ 42nd Assembly District. The district’s population was only 2% Asian American at the time. Singh lost the election and attributes the loss partially to his refusal to remove his turban during the campaign. He was quoted in the Outlook Magazine as stating, “If I do that, I will not be true to my faith and my work…If I give up my identity and values, I’ll not be Asian or an American. I’ll be nobody.” His love and honour for his turban makes him a role-model. Further, when he found that he may not be able to win election, he founded election mall technology in 1999 with a view to provide technology solutions for election campaigns. This kind of innovation made him quite well known. When he published the first e-book marketed in India named as “Leadership by Turban”, it again raised the glory of the Sikh crown in the form of turban. He is associated with Sikh organizations and events so deeply that his views are often solicited on important matters. He was widely quoted in the media after 2012 Wisconsin Sikh Temple shooting. His services in the technical and religious fields have brought him numours awards throughout his career including being recognized in 2010 as one of the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business, receiving the 2010 Sikh in Media Award, and being recognized by Campaigns & Elections Magazine in 2007 as a Rising Star, a prestigious award given in politics. All these facts leave no doubt that the person propagating leadership by the turban is a role-model for all who love and honour this unique identification of the Sikhs.