Source: NewKerala.com

http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=26512

On March 16, 2006 NewKerala.com reported, "The Sikh community in America celebrated the beginning of [the Sikh] New Year on March 14 at various Gurdwaras. Reports... from Freemont, California said that Canadian national Pal Singh Purewal, the author of the Sikh’s own calendar, was honored at the Gurdwara in Fremont. Pritpal Singh, the convenor of the American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee [reported] that American sangat had adopted the Nanakshashi Calendar right after its introduction in 2003 and had been observing Sikh festivals, including birth and death anniversaries of Sikh guru’s strictly according to Nanakshashi Calendar. Developed by Canadian Sikh scholar Pal Singh Purewal, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had implemented Nanakshashi Calendar, a solar calendar, [in] 2003... The first year of the Nanakshahi Era is 1469, the year of birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak."