Damanpreet Singh is a Research Associate at the Sikh Research Institute.
He holds a B.A. in History from Tufts University and an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School. He is currently completing his PhD at Yale University. His dissertation examines the history of American Presbyterian missionary presence in colonial-era Panjab to investigate how ideas about Sikh sovereignty were reshaped during the colonial period. He held a pre-doctoral fellowship at MIT's History department in the 2024-2025 academic year. His scholarship has been supported by grants and fellowships from Yale's Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration, the Houghton Library, and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. He is based in the United States.
In this episode of the Sikh Cast, join researchers Santbir Singh and Damanpreet Singh as they explore the writings of Sirdar Kapur Singh, one of the leading Sikh thinkers of the twentieth century.
In this episode of the Sikh Cast, join Researchers Santbir Singh and Damanpreet Singh as they reflect on Vaisakhi and the principle of sovereignty. The two discuss Santbir Singh’s article, titled: Sovereignty in Motion: Sikh Governance Models.
Follow Damanpreet and Inni as they discuss their learnings and challenges while engaging with the words of Bhai Nand Lal.
Follow Damanpreet and Inni as they discuss their learnings and challenges while engaging with the words of Bhai Nand Lal.
Follow Damanpreet and Inni as they discuss their learnings and challenges while engaging with the words of Bhai Nand Lal.
Follow Damanpreet and Inni as they discuss their learnings and challenges while engaging with the words of Bhai Nand Lal.
Bhai Nand Lal’s twenty-fifth ghazal is an intimate love letter composed of whispered questions addressed to the Beloved. Each couplet begins with the recurring question “what would happen,” inviting speculation and yearning for reunion.
In his twelfth ghazal, Bhai Nand Lal ‘Goya’ emphasizes the journey toward the Divine, expressed through the recurring phrase “tavān raft” (“one may proceed”). This phrase invites possibility rather than prescription.
In his eighth ghazal, Goya refers to the Divine as haq (Truth-Divine), exploring its omnipresence and profound forgiveness. Shifting from direct address to descriptive reverence, Goya reflects on the futility of piety and hypocrisy in the face of...
In his second ghazal, Bhai Nand Lal ‘Goya’ intimately explores his relationship with the Guru as his Beloved. He describes the Beloved’s angelic perfection, where even a single glance sustains him, and celestial and temporal realms pale in comparison...
In his first ghazal, Bhai Nand Lal ‘Goya’ reflects on his relationship with the Guru as one of bandigī (reverence-bondage), a state of surrender and liberatory love. This paradoxical moment of bondage and freedom brings Goya into existence.
The team utilizing multiple sources of knowledge and references explores the deeper meanings of selected ghazals of Bhai Nand Lal. The meanings they derive from the text transcend generations while holding tight to the underlying wisdom and eternal...