Pawan Singh Arora is a public relations officer in the Office of the Governor of Punjab, Pakistan, where he also serves as a coordinator for Minority Affairs. Pawan is widely published in Punjab. He broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first gazetted officer from the Sikh community in Pakistan. In his promotion of religious and heritage tourism, he collaborated with WCLA to design the first Yatra-guided tour of Sikh heritage in the walled city of Lahore. Pawan holds a bachelor's in business communication and commerce, a master's in communication and a master's in philosophy in gender studies and human rights from the University of the Punjab. For his social action project, he was recognized by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Human Rights and by the British Council. He is a Humphrey Fellow. Pawan has also produced creative writing, theater plays, television programs, articles, radio broadcasting and YouTube videos on religious freedom, diversity and socio-cultural awareness.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Promoting Heritage Tourism in Pakistan

The project opened doors to the potential for religious and heritage tourism in Pakistan and digitally preserved Pakistan's Sikh heritage and legacy. Pakistan is the origin of the Sikh faith. An educational heritage website for children was created that covered 40 heritage sites (one for each letter of the Gurumukhi alphabet, the religious language of the Sikh faith). The geographical touchpoints were mostly in the Punjab and KPK provinces. The project also included photography, content writing,  and publications about the sites.

"I was amazed by the amount of hidden heritage in our country; the pictures will be a huge contribution to my journey also. Thank you for providing me the chance." - Project Photographer

IVLP Exchange Experience

Pawan participated in the IVLP Project Promoting Tourism to Historic Religious Sites, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development in partnership with World Partnerships, Inc., World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana and WorldChicago.

Pawan's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "In the lowest point of COVID-19 isolation, the IVLP experience lifted me out of the depression and trauma resulting from the loss of so many wonderful people. The IVLP journey gave me hope to knock on many doors and open some gracefully. I am excited that I am working on a project right after becoming part of the IVLP family."

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually 

Washington, DC; Tampa, FL; Chicago, IL; Louisville, KY

Country: Pakistan

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