Dr. Balwant Singh Hansra was born and raised in the northern Indian state of Punjab. In 1959 he moved to the United States to continue his education. A teacher of chemistry and physical sciences, Dr. Hansra retired from Daley College of the City Colleges of Chicago in 2000. Dr. Hansra is a member and past president of the Sikh Religious Society of Chicago. He is married and the father of three adult children.