Noted South Asian pioneer, Dr. Raghbir Bains, passed away at the age of 80 in Ludhiana, Punjab after suffering from a cardiac arrest that occurred about two weeks ago.
He was on a visit to India when the tragedy happened. Dr. Bains has been recognized for his activism that stretched beyond the South Asian community and is also revered for creating the Sikh Encyclopedia on multimedia technology.
The Sikh encyclopedia was released by former Prime Minster of Canada, Jean Chrétien on December 10, 1996.
“In all, it took me 16 years to write it. Once a friend of mine discouraged me by saying, ‘the encyclopedias are not grown on trees, don’t dream even.’ It was a booster for me. When I was working on it, I spent eight hours working for my livelihood and the rest on the encyclopedia, sleeping for 2-3 hours a day for years,” Dr. Bains said.
The Sikh Encyclopedia serves as a reference tool detailing the Sikh faith, history, culture, heritage and the Sikh way of life.
One of his major contributions, the six ‘Multimedia Sikh Museums’ on robotic and touch screen technology are a world record holding creation. The first such museum was inaugurated for public at Khadur Sahib on April 16, 2004.
As a prominent Sikh personality in Canada, Dr. Bains has done extensive research on HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and has initiated numerous seminars, youth camps and community campaigns on the subject of AIDS Awareness.
His extensive work has bestowed this pioneer with prestigious honours, some of which include Order of BC, Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, The Sikh Award in Education and more than 60 local, national and international awards.
In Canada and beyond, his work has impacted the lives of many as a volunteer, activist and educator. “I started volunteering by cleaning the smelling streets of my village at the age of 10. These days I am not cleaning the smelling streets, but cleaning the smelling societies,” he stated in his 2015 interview.
Whether it be senior citizen issues, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, trafficking or poverty, Dr. Bains contributed his life in the rescue and rehabilitation of those in need and worked tirelessly towards various social causes.
During the last years of his life, Dr. Bains was working on a cyber school that would give free coaching to students on topics such as English and Maths as well as drug addiction.
Dr. Raghbir Singh Bains, born 1936, died November 2, 2016