(soft music) - I'm first Sikh, East Indian guy.

first one in Whatcom County.

When I moved here, nobody, first year buy fruit, I don't know why.

(soft music) To feel better, to do your farming, it's like nature to grow, to sell.

Then I moved here in Washington 1983 I start farming.

I live here for hard work.

I living pretty good here, myself.

Last 30 years I do farming.

Good life!

In the evening time, take shower, and go to change the irrigation.

Me feel good all the time, living farming.

With berry farming, when I came here to Washington, my brother, he told me, "better grow raspberry."

"It's good for farming, good income."

Last five or six years now there's a lot of blueberry in this area.

I think it's good for health, and also for medication, And that's why I think people growing a lot of blueberry.

(light music) Difficulty was, when I started farming in 1983 I can't have a place to sell.

The people buy fruit, don't take my fruit.

I think that I'm new here, and a different color.

I buy same place for fertilizer, all the chemicals the same spray or whatever, but I told everybody, "Hey, I do same thing."

That difficulty first year, with no money, I spent all the money.

Until my neighbor helped me.

He said "No no no, next year, don't worry, I can help you."

It's good people.

Good people, give everybody opportunity.

(soft music) In this area last 35 years, I buy over 40 to 45 properties.

Buy farm, buy house, buy land to sell.

I'm pretty deep here now, this area.

(Laughs) '93 or '94, we're gathering one day, we need a temple.

'94 there are about 30 Sikh people around here in this area.

Not many!

We buy 5 acres of land here.

We started in '99 we built a temple here.

I'm the first one to start that.

(soft music) Now, there's around 100 East Indian Sikh farmers.

Our guru and our teacher all the time explains to us that God has made everything for you.

That's why I pray, when I eat, pray for everybody, not for us, pray for everybody.

At temple, once a month we take food for the poor people on the street.

There's not a Sikh community, different community, no, it's all one community.

I'm not seeing any difference in each other, to me, everybody same.

I don't say that I'm leader of this community, I'm a hard worker for this community.

This is our area.

This is my country.

This our people living in this area, all of Whatcom County, all America, that's our people.

Not any different, everybody have different culture.

I have different culture, but no, I'm same as all the people, I live here in this area, I don't see any difference in each other.

(light music)