‘My pind is where I belong’: Ludhiana’s Angad Singh Dhillon named Canada’s Ambassador to UAE - The Indian Express
With his roots in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, the 35-year-old Indian-origin Sikh man — Angad Singh Dhillon — was recently named Canada’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a significant political appointment by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand in the Liberal Party-led Canadian government, Dhillon has been announced as “ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary” — the highest-ranking diplomatic representative sent by one sovereign state to head a mission in another host country.
Angad told The Indian Express over the phone that his “pind (village) is where he still belongs, no matter the top diplomatic post that he now holds in Canada”. His paternal family’s roots are in Ghungrana village in Punjab’s Ludhiana, and his parents still live in Chandigarh — where he was born.
Angad, who moved to Canada in 2010 for higher studies, said, “Nothing can really take Punjab out of me… I still eat Indian food at least five days a week. But of course, my loyalties are all with the country where I now live and serve, Canada.”
According to Global Affairs Canada, “Angad Singh Dhillon was one of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s closest advisers,” and “he supported the Prime Minister in re-engaging Canada’s diplomatic relationships with key bilateral partners, including India and China, by helping restore high-level channels of communication and cooperation.” Global Affairs is the federal department that manages the country’s diplomatic relations.
Angad completed his schooling at Yadavindra Public School (YPS), Mohali. He completed his 12th from the pre-university international relations school, Mahindra United World College, Pune. When he was 19, he moved to Canada in 2010 for his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.
Angad entered Canadian politics in 2015. He served as one of the closest advisers to PM Mark Carney. He joined the party as a field organiser in the Peel region during the federal election campaign. He then moved to Ottawa and joined the Liberal Research Bureau, where he contributed to policy-related work involving South Asian and East European communities.
During his visits to India, his village Ghungrana is always on his itinerary. “It is simply not possible that when I am in India, I don’t visit Ghungrana. We have our ancestral house and farm in the village. This year in March, when PM Carney was on a visit to Mumbai, I also visited my village.”
Angad said his long stays at the village with his grandparents connected him to rural Punjab. “We used to visit our village for summer and winter vacations to spend time with my grandparents. My grandfather was in politics, so we used to have rallies in the village… So, whenever I am in India, even for two days, I visit my pind where I belong. My pind is where I feel a sense of belonging… that’s where I am from… My pind is a constant reminder of where I come from.”
Angad has also previously served as Chief of Staff to two federal cabinet ministers in the small business and transport portfolios. He supported Canada’s engagements at the G7, G20, UN General Assembly, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), International Transport Forum, and Conference of the Parties (COP), Global Affairs Canada said.
His paternal great-grandfather, Gurnam Singh, was a member of the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) in 1937 and also a close associate of SAD veteran and reformist Master Tara Singh. His grandfather, Jagjit Singh Dhillon, was also a senior Akali Dal leader. Jagjit Singh was a progressive farmer and served as a member of the High Powered Committee on Agriculture constituted by the Government of India, led by the then Prime Minister, V P Singh. Angad also said his paternal grandmother, late Dhanwant Kaur, had a great impact on his life and was a constant inspiration.
His father, Chandigarh-based Naininder Singh Dhillon, worked with several MNCs in the agriculture sector. His mother, Harpreet Kaur Dhillon, is an advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Angad’s maternal grandfather, Avtar Singh Gill, was an additional sessions judge and a writer on Sikh history.
Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Ludhiana (Punjab). She is widely recognized for her human-interest storytelling and in-depth investigative reporting on social and political issues in the region. Professional Profile Experience: With over 13 years in journalism, she joined The Indian Express in 2012. She previously worked with Hindustan Times. Education: A gold medalist in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi. Core Beats: She covers a diverse range of subjects, including gender issues, education, the Sikh diaspora, heritage, and the legacy of the Partition. She has also reported on minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Awards and Recognition Divya has earned significant acclaim for her sensitivity toward gender and social disparities: Laadli Media Award (2020): For her investigative report "Punjab: The Invisible Drug Addicts," which exposed the gender disparity in treating women addicts. Laadli Media Award (2023): For a ground report on the struggles of two girls who had to ride a boat to reach their school in a border village of Punjab. Signature Style Divya is known for "humanizing the news." Rather than just reporting on policy, she often focuses on the individuals affected by it—such as students dealing with exam stress, farmers struggling with diversification, or families impacted by crime. Her work often bridges the gap between West (Pakistan) and East (India) Punjab, exploring shared heritage and common struggles. X (Twitter): @DivyaGoyal_ ... Read More
