by We Are Sikhs — December 18, 2016
Meet Ranbir Singh Sandhu
My name is Ranbir Singh Sandhu. You could say being a farmer is in a Sikh’s blood and our belief in hard work is a result of it. In India, all my relatives were farmers and it was a huge part of my early life.
When I arrived in the United States, at the age of seventeen, almond farming was already part of the family farm here in Fresno. Almonds are easy to grow and it is very similar to what we were growing in India, mainly sugar, beets, ride, and corn. In fact, 95% of the world’s almonds are grown here in the Sacramento Valley – where together, my extended family farms almost 2,000 acres of almonds.
Our farm was started by my started by my uncles who came first, then my father and the rest of my family. My favorite aspect about living in America is the freedom, yet it’s not the country a Sikh lives in that makes life easier. Rather, it’s the quality of life that Sikhism brings to each of us and empowers us to contribute positively to society.
Hard work, honest living, and sharing with others is what Sikh will bring with them wherever they go – something I hope my children continue to bring here in America.
