[Photograph of Sunil Dutt among a group of individuals at the Sikh temple in Vancouver]

Photograph of Sunil Dutt among a group of unidentified individuals at a gurdwara (Sikh temple) located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The gurdwara is governed by Khalsa Diwan Society.

Sunil Dutt (born June 6, 1929, Jhelum district, Pakistan – died May 25, 2005, Mumbai, India) was an Indian actor, producer, director, social activist, and politician. While he continued to act until the time of his death, he assumed other offscreen roles in the film industry and also became involved in politics and with various social issues. Dutt debuted in Hindi cinema with Railway Platform (1955), and his major success came six movies later with Mother India (1957). Dutt acted in some 100 films, produced 7, and directed 6. Also keenly interested in politics, Dutt became the sheriff of Mumbai in 1981. In 1984 he joined the Congress (I) party (so named for its descent from the Indian National Congress party and its leadership by Indira Gandhi) and was elected a member of parliament from north west Mumbai for five terms (1984, 1989, 1991 [resigned in 1993 in protest over religious violence], 1999, and 2004). He worked actively for the cause of slum dwellers. In 2004 he was appointed India's Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, a post he held until his death. In 1981, he founded the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation in memory of his wife, Nargis, who had succumbed to cancer that year. In 1987 Dutt led a 1,250-mile (2,000-km) peace march from Mumbai to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, to pray for peace when Sikh militancy was at its height in Punjab. In 1988, to appeal for global disarmament, he went to Japan and walked from Nagasaki to Hiroshima (both cities were targets of U.S. atomic bombs during World War II). Among Dutt's many awards was the Padma Shri, which he received in 1968. He twice received the Filmfare Award for best actor, in 1964 and in 1966.

The Khalsa Diwan Society is a pioneer Sikh society, one of the oldest in Vancouver, formed on July 22, 1902 in British Columbia, Canada, formally established in 1906. In 1908, the Society purchased and built the first Sikh temple in Vancouver, which was located on West 2nd Avenue. This is believed to be the first Sikh temple in the whole of the American continent. This temple served the Sikh community until a new temple was occupied on April 25, 1970. The original temple was sold to build a bigger (present) temple located on Ross Street. The Khalsa Diwan Society has been a pioneer in raising Sikh related issues and getting recognition for Sikhs in Canada. It continues to build a strong community based on Sikh values and principles. Every year the society organizes sports activities, including soccer and wrestling tournaments.