Harinder Sikka

Some Lesser Known Facts About Harinder Sikka

• Does Harinder Sikka smoke?: No

• Does Harinder Sikka drink alcohol?: Yes

• After graduating from Delhi University in 1979, he had joined the Indian Navy in the same year.

• In January 1981, Sikka was commissioned into the Indian Navy.

• In 1993, he took premature retirement from Indian Navy as Lt. Commander.

• In 1994, Sikka joined Piramal Group, and since then, he has worked with the group in various capacities.

• Since 1999, he has been leading a campaign against spurious drugs in the country and has also filed PIL against the then Union Health Minister for his alleged inability to control the fake drugs menace.

• When 34 farmers committed suicide in Telangana, Sikka, along with a TV crew, camped in Telangana and gave financial and other aid to the widows. 

• To highlight the problems being faced by farmers, Sikka had also started a project titled ‘Cultivating Hope.’ The project has been supported by Kailash Sathyarthi, A. R. Rahman, Gulzar, Uttam Singh (Music Director), Akshay Kumar, and Piramal Foundation. 

• In 2008, Sikka released his debut novel titled “Calling Sehmat,” brought out by Konark Publishers. The 2018 film “Raazi” is an adaptation of “Calling Sehmat.” During an interview with The Hindu, Harinder Sikka explained how he unearthed the story of a forgotten undercover spy from India. Stumbled by the existence of any such woman, Harinder Sikka decided to pen down her story and named her Sehmat Khan, to allow her to remain in anonymity. It took Sikka 8 years to fictionalise her story. “It was important to fictionalise it as it would have been dangerous for her family,” Sikka says. 

• He has also produced a Punjabi language film titled Nanak Shah Fakir. The film won acclaim at the Cannes, Toronto and Los Angeles. However, the film had to face regional protests in India; on the pretext of manipulating the life of the First Sikh Guru- Nanak Dev.