G. B. Singh is the author of '' Gandhi Behind the Mask of Divinity'', a biography of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and '' Gandhi Under Cross Examination''.

Career

Singh, shortly after immigrating from India, applied to serve in the U.S. Army in 1979. Although there had been Sikhs who had enlisted in the U.S. Military previously, Singh was the first to go the officer route with his turban and beard intact. A periodontist, Singh served in the U.S. Army as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, one of a small number of

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s allowed to retain articles of faith, grandfathered in after a change in policy in 1984 forbidding soldiers from exhibiting their religion with "conspicuous" clothing or style of hair or beard. He is the highest-ranking Sikh to have served active duty with a turban in the U.S. Army, alongside Colonel Sekhon who served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Although Singh retired from the U.S. Army in 2007, he is still actively involved in supporting rights for future Sikhs to keep their articles of faith in the military. In an interview Singh said that he became interested in studying

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

while a student of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

. In 1983, while watching the film '' Gandhi'' and after reading an article "The Gandhi Nobody Knows" by Richard Grenier, he began his investigation into Gandhi's life, which led to the book '' Gandhi Behind the Mask of Divinity''.

Selected writings

*'' Gandhi Behind the Mask of Divinity'' *'' Gandhi Under Cross Examination''

Personal life

Singh has two daughters and a son. His family currently resides in Colorado. One of his daughters, Serene Singh, is a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

at the University of Oxford, the founder of the National Sikh Youth Program, and former Miss Teen Colorado. In 2020, his other daughter, Naureen Singh, joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, making headlines as one of the first second-generation of Sikh-Americans to join the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, G. B. Living people American biographers Periodontists American political writers American male non-fiction writers American Sikhs Sikh writers Year of birth missing (living people) United States Army colonels University of Oklahoma alumni American male writers of Indian descent Indian emigrants to the United States