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{{short description|British journalist and broadcaster}}
{{Other people5|Inderjit Singh (disambiguation){{!}}Inderjit Singh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name=The Lord Singh of Wimbledon
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
| image= Official portrait of Lord Singh of Wimbledon crop 2.jpg
| office = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br>[[Lord Temporal]]
| term_start = 24 October 2011<br/>[[Life peer|Life Peerage]]
| term_end =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1932|09|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Rawalpindi]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]]
| party =[[Crossbench]]
| alma_mater = [[Birmingham University|University of Birmingham]]
| occupation = Journalist, engineer, politician
}}

'''Indarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} (born 17 September 1932), sometimes [[transliteration|transliterated]] '''Inderjit Singh''', is a British [[journalist]] and [[News presenter|broadcaster]], a prominent [[British Indian]] active in [[Sikh]] and [[interfaith]] activities, and a [[member of the House of Lords]].

He is editor of the ''[[Sikhism|Sikh Messenger]]'' and known as a presenter of the ''[[Thought for the Day]]'' segment on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme, and [[BBC Radio 2]]'s ''Pause for Thought''. He also contributes to British and overseas newspapers and journals including ''[[The Times]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[The Independent]]''.

==Biography==
Singh was born in 1932 at [[Rawalpindi]], then in the British Indian province of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], and came to England with his parents in 1933. His father was a medical doctor. He studied [[engineering]] at [[Birmingham University]]. Between 1955 and 1975, he worked in [[mining]] and [[civil engineering]] for the [[National Coal Board]], for construction company [[Costain Group|Costain]] as a mine manager in India, and in local government in London.

He has advised, or been a member of, official bodies, including the [[Commission for Racial Equality]] and the [[Home Secretary]]’s Advisory Council on Race Relations. He is Director of the [[Sikhism|Network of Sikh Organisations (UK)]] and regularly represents the Sikh community at civic occasions such as the [[Remembrance Day|Commonwealth Service]] and the [[Remembrance Day|Remembrance Day Service]] at the [[Cenotaph]] in [[Whitehall]], London. [[Prince Charles]], [[Anglican]] bishops and the [[Metropolitan police]] have consulted him. He is prominent in the national and international interfaith movement, a patron of the [[Interfaith dialog|World Congress of Faiths]] and an executive committee member of the [[Interfaith dialog|Inter Faith Network UK]]. He was invited to the [[wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton]] as a representative for the Sikh faith.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13175842 | work=BBC News | title=Royal wedding guest list | date=23 April 2011}}</ref>

His participation in the ''[[Thought for the Day]]'' feature on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme lasted from around 1984 to 2019. He left after editorial disagreements with the BBC.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Dominic|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/sikh-peer-leaves-bbc-radio-4-show-with-swipe-at-thought-police-m3vcjg77w?ni-statuscode=acsaz-307|title=Sikh peer leaves BBC Radio 4 show with swipe at 'thought police'|work=The Times|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
In 1989, he received the Templeton Award for services to spirituality. In 1991 he received the [[Interfaith dialog|Inter faith Medallion]] for services to religious broadcasting. In 2004, he joined [[Benjamin Zephaniah]] and [[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]] in being awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] ([[Doctor of Laws]]) from the [[University of Leicester]]. He came second to [[Bob Geldof]] in the BBC Radio 4's 2004 ''People's Lord'' poll<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thought/documents/t20050105.shtml People's Lord] on ''Thought for the Day''</ref> An [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) since June 1996,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54427 |date=15 June 1996 |page=13 |supp=y}}</ref> Singh was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the 2009 [[New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=58929 |date=31 December 2008 |page=8 |supp=y }}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/31_01_08_honours.pdf Honours List]</ref>

On the recommendation of the [[House of Lords Appointments Commission]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk/news/11-09-05-appointments.aspx |title=New non-party-political life peers |publisher=House of Lords Appointments Commission |date=5 September 2011}}</ref> he was created a [[Crossbencher|Crossbench]] (independent) [[life peer]] on 12 October 2011 taking the title '''Baron Singh of Wimbledon''', of [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]] in the [[London Borough of Merton]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59940 |date=17 October 2011 |page=19793}}</ref> He was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced]] in the [[House of Lords]] on 24 October 2011,<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201012/minutes/111025/ldordpap.htm#minproc House of Lords Minute of Proceedings], 24 October 2011</ref> being the first member of the [[House of Lords]] to wear a [[turban]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2430340.ece |title=Lords to have first turbaned Sikh peer |last=Suroor |first=Hasan |publisher=The Hindu |date=7 September 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> In the introduction ceremony, his Senior Supporter was [[The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws]] and his Junior Supporter was [[The Lord Carey of Clifton]]. Singh received a [[coat of arms]] with a [[Baron#Coronet|baronial coronet]] and, notably, the [[Khanda (Sikh symbol)|Khanda]] as his crest.

{{Infobox COA wide
|image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|150px]][[File:Singh of Wimbledon Escutcheon.png|centre|200px]]
|escutcheon = Azure a representation of the Golden Temple at Amritsar Proper and in base two Sikh Swords crossed in saltire Argent surmounted at the intersection by a quill pen palewise Or.
|crest = The Khandra Azure
|supporters = Dexter a lion armed Or resting the interior foot on a miner's lamp enflamed Proper sinister a lioness Armed Or resting the interior foot on a closed book Azure edged Or.<ref>{{cite book|title=Debrett's Peerage |date=2019 |page=4388}}</ref>
|notes = The coat of arms displays two mottos: "Manas ki jat sabhe eke paichanbo" and its English translation, "Recognise the oneness of our human family".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/85c3155c-1291-11e6-91da-096d89bd2173 |title=Interview: Indarjit Singh, Crossbench life peer |last=Calian |first=Sara |publisher=Financial Times |date=26 May 2016}}</ref>}}

==Personal life==
Lord Singh is married to Kawaljit Singh OBE. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.faithandmedia.com/Biogs/IndarjitSingh.htm Profile at Faith and Media]
* [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-singh-of-wimbledon/4251 Profile at Parliament website]
* [http://www.le.ac.uk/press/press/poetpianistand.html Honorary doctorate]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/wtwtgod/3472595.stm "What God thinks of the world"] (BBC News website)
{{s-start}}
{{s-prec|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Baron Blencathra|The Lord Blencathra]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|Gentlemen]]'''<br />''Baron Singh of Wimbledon'' '''}}
{{s-fol|after=[[Baron Curry of Kirkharle|The Lord Curry of Kirkharle]]}}
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{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Indarjit}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British male journalists]]
[[Category:English Sikhs]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:British broadcasters]]
[[Category:People's peers]]
[[Category:Crossbench life peers]]
[[Category:People from Rawalpindi]]
[[Category:British politicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:British Sikhs]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]

Indarjit Singh - Revision history

UpdateBot at 19:27, 21 June 2022