Events included talks contextualizing and processing the anniversary of the 1984 attacks, drawing inspiration from Guru Arjan Sahib’s Shahidi. You can watch footage of the talk “Guru Arjan Sahib: From Shabad to Shahadat” here.

There were also workshops on “Community Activism and Mobilization,” and “Institution Building.” Sharan Kaur of Brampton, Ontario, attended the Community Activism presentation.She commented, “Today I am leaving with a clearer mind of what I, at my level, need to do to get involved and make changes to reach greater heights.” Inderjit Khand of Malton, Ontario, added that the program was very informative and encouraged work toward furthering the cultural values in the community.

The schedule was also packed with talks at local gurduaras, kirtan Darbars, Nagar Kirtans, and seminars focused on various commemorative events. Interviews aired on radio (Fulkari, Manzil, Nagara) and on TV (Omni, Sur Sagar TV, PTC Punjabi). You can watch the Omni TV coverage here. It is humbling to have such great partnerships with community organizations and media.

The weekend concluded with a sold-out evening presentation on“Sikhi Inspired Leadership” held at the law offices of Fasken Martineau. “This was an amazing lecture to attend and helped me to really understand myself better and gave me renewed energy to continue to incorporate Sikhi into my everyday life in a unique and exciting way,” said Vicki Brar who came to attend from Markham, Ontario.

SikhRI has long been active in the BC-area, and in 2011 the organization became a registered charity in Canada. SikhRI has been gradually expanding programming in the GTA area for several years, but the addition of programming staff and Kulvir Singh’s energy to the board set the stage for a more formal launch this weekend. “Establishing a formal Canadian presence allows us to really engage with local communities and offer programming tailored for Canadian Sikhs,” said Kulvir Singh,GTA coordinator and board member for SikhRI Canada. “With the hiring of Santbir Singh as an instructor for SikhRI, we now have critical mass to also become regularly active in Ontario.”

SikhRI appreciates the organizers and coordinators who put effort into making the launch a great success and looks forward immensely to regularly engaging with the GTA community. Santbir Singh spoke to this enthusiasm: “Over the last several months we had the privilege of offering educational resources to a wide section of the local Sikh community here, and we’re very excited to move forward with consistent programming that will help to build a Guru-oriented culture speaking to the needs of this community.”

Contact person: Santbir Singh | ON@sikhri.org | +1-416-890-9422