Faith and friendship: Outgoing Indian Ambassador lauds UAE’s religious harmony

Dubai: Sunjay Sudhir, the outgoing Indian Ambassador to the UAE, has lauded the UAE’s religious harmony, saying the Sikh Gurudwara in Dubai and the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi are shining examples of this, as well as the shared values of India and the UAE.

He was speaking to Gulf News at a farewell organised by the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara in Jebel Ali on Monday evening.

The envoy also praised the community service rendered by the Gurudwara, especially during difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The management and members of the Gurudwara honoured Sudhir and his wife Vandana Sudhir, an acclaimed artist and motivational speaker, at the event.

Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of the Gurudwara, and his wife Bubbles Kandhari, who is also the vice chairperson of the Gurudwara, presented the outgoing diplomatic couple with a Siripao and Siri Sahib.

Special honour

“We confer it only on very special people. It is a monumental ornament,” Kandhari said.

Siripao, sometimes spelled Siropa, is a robe of honour or ceremonial shawl, while Siri Sahib is a special ceremonial sword presented as a mark of deep respect and recognition.

Praising the Ambassador for his kindness, honesty, and community service, Surender Singh Kandhari said the Gurudwara has presented the Siri Sahib only to extremely special people of honour. Previous recipients include the late Pope Francis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Navdeep Singh Suri, who was Indian Ambassador to the UAE from 2017 to 2019.

Sudhir, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1993 batch, who is also India’s Permanent Representative to IRENA, assumed office in 2021. He will retire from his diplomatic career at the end of this month. He will be succeeded by Dr Deepak Mittal, a 1998-batch IFS officer who currently serves as Additional Secretary to the Indian Prime Minister.