The meeting opened with Ardas and a reflection on the hukamnama, setting the tone for the day’s proceedings. Dr. Jaswant Singh, Project Director, addressed the team and highlighted the significance and pressing need of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib for humankind in today’s world. Participants then moved into structured sessions that combined team introductions, editorial reviews, and collaborative discussions. The first session focused on team share-outs, during which contributors reflected on their roles, motivations, and challenges within the project. The discussion highlighted both the significance of the work and the need for sustained collaboration across editorial layers.

The second session focused on observations and suggestions related to content development. Surender Pal Singh, joining virtually from Canada, Sukhmann Kaur, joining from the US, and Jasleen Kaur, joining from the UK, shared their learnings and ongoing contributions to the project. Their inputs emphasized process discipline, clarity in language, and the importance of distinguishing between editorial layers while maintaining consistency in tone and meaning. A special contribution also came from Phera Singh, who joined from Chicago, US. They stressed the need to preserve the art and elegance of language, ensuring the freshness and spirit of the Gurbani remain intact in English renderings. Their remarks reinforced the project’s broader aim of balancing simplicity with literary quality.

Feedback from project leadership was also shared. Harinder Singh and Inni Kaur provided written inputs acknowledging improvements in translation quality, particularly in capturing metaphor and poetic nuance. They also identified areas for continued development, including concision, consistency, and stronger quality assurance practices. Reading translations aloud during editing was suggested as a method to refine tone and flow.

The final session was a workshop, where participants engaged with practical aspects of translation and commentary writing. Discussions also covered ongoing dictionary work by Jagtej Singh, Dictionary Lead, focusing on contextual meaning, grammatical variation, and the challenges of maintaining consistency across interpretations. Other team members included Inderpreet Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Harvinder Singh, Rohini Batra, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Japleen Kaur.

The meeting concluded with a summary of key observations and next steps. Overall, the discussions underscored the project’s continued focus on strengthening editorial rigor while making the Guru Granth Sahib accessible to a wider English-speaking audience.

Media Contact:
‍Japleen Kaur
Manager – Marketing & Communications, SikhRI
Email: japleen.kaur@sikhri.org
Phone: +91-9356562043