Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

He co-founded the Sikh Research Institute and the Panjab Digital Library, envisioned the Kaur and Singh Academy, and organized the Free Akal Takht campaign.

He appears on radio and television programs and speaks at universities, parliaments, museums, conferences, and civic institutions. He has authored several books and numerous articles integrating the political and the spiritual. He consults on curriculums, exhibitions, and films and is featured in many documentaries on the Sikhs, the Panjab, and South Asian matters.

His current focus is on developing critical thinking for Sikh institutions via the State of the Panth report series and developing open-source decoding of Guru Granth Sahib in contemporary Panjabi and English for a global audience.

He has served on the National Conference on Community and Justice boards, The Fellowship of Activists to Embrace Humanity, The Nanakshahi Trust, among others. He looks for culturally-specific things to experience and a light roast pour-over coffee to sip during travels, reads and binge-watches to stay in touch with what the world is up to, and listens to sabads, poetry, Hir, jazz, and political rap.

Harinder Singh resides with his family in the United States.

Videos

Sunday
,
30
June
2013

Guru Granth - Guru Panth

Harinder Singh of SIkh Research Institute speaking in Melbourne on Guru Granth-Guru Panth.

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Sunday
,
9
June
2013

Guru Arjan Sahib: Shabad to Shahadat

Harinder Singh talk about Guru Arjan Sahib's life at the Guru Nanak Mission Centre in Brampton.

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Friday
,
26
April
2013

"Vaisakhi" on OMNI TV

Harinder Singh discusses Vaisakhi on the OMNI TV Sitdown on 24 April.

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Tuesday
,
5
March
2013

Sikhi: Faith & People

Recording of a presentation for the Leicestershire Sikh Association to local community members and decision makers on Saturday.

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Wednesday
,
20
February
2013

India, Bharat or Hindostan: A Minority Report

Harinder Singh dives into the cultural clutter of India and how its not everything everyone perceives it to be.

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Saturday
,
16
February
2013

How Do I Become Panthic Today: Lessons from Gurmat Traditions

Presentation at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, Park Avenue.

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Podcasts

Tuesday
,
7
February
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 05: Creator Ruler

In this sixth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s utterances on the Creator Ruler, and his guidance of considering IkOankar as the only true Ruler.

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Tuesday
,
31
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 04: Divine Protector

In this fifth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s many invocations of divine names and attributes and their contexts in larger Indic systems.

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Tuesday
,
24
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 03: Mentor Specified

In this fourth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss what it means to attach to the feet of the Supreme Being, the poisons we are collecting, and the remembrance we are being asked to collect instead.

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Monday
,
16
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 02: Yoga Disrupted

In this third podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore what it means to earn union in comparison to transactional relationships with the divine. 

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Tuesday
,
10
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 01: Renunciation Redefined

In this second podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore the context of Indic paradigms, rituals, systems, and popular understandings that the Guru addresses in his reframing of renunciation and non-attachment.

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Wednesday
,
4
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Introduction

Introducing Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 (Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10), new translations, and commentaries of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's composition. This podcast is an introduction to the series.

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Articles

Saturday
,
22
February
2014

NarSinghs

The Sidak Retreat, San Antonio, Texas, USA Guru Granth Sahib is replete with references to the mythical tyrant-oppressor Harnakash and his arch-enemy and victim, his own infant son Prahlad.

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Thursday
,
24
April
2014

Are You Ready to Be a Decision-maker for Sikhs?

I heard as recently as last Sunday at a Baltimore gurduara, that Sikhs don't know how to make their own decisions. True, and false.

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Tuesday
,
13
May
2014

Mata-e-Panth: Sahib Kaur

Four days ago, my daughter Gani’s teacher at The Preschool Place invited my wife for the mother’s day celebration. Gani “carefree” Kaur was entrusted to us by the Divine to “grow” and “care” over four and half years ago. To Gani’s surprise, her ma (mom), her dadi (paternal grandmother), and pardadi (paternal great grandmother) showed up; her teacher had to arrange for three “diamond” necklaces and few more brownies with ice cream given the pleasant surprise. Gani sang, created, shared, thanked, and enjoyed; three moms loved it too.

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Wednesday
,
5
November
2014

Wanted – A New Sikh

In the struggle to solve the crisis facing the Sikhs today, I believe the tide is finally shifting. We are beginning to win the fight, but there is much more work to do and the clock is ticking away.

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Wednesday
,
8
April
2015

Punjabi in Me

Did I ever leave Panjab? Growing up in the west, my earliest memory of Panjab is taking a train ride from Jhansi (UP) to Ludhiana (Panjab) during summer breaks to visit my nanke (maternal grandparents). There are also fond memories of trips with my family to mostly Eastern Panjab, and one to Western Panjab in June 1984.

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Tuesday
,
27
October
2015

I Am a Sikh

How come you are asleep? Wake up, fool! You think your life in this world is the truth. – Guru Granth Sahib, p. 793 I am disenfranchised. Is it because they are afraid we’ll vote to return to Sarbat Khalsa? Self-governance bestowed by Guru Gobind Singh that will once again represent the values that the rest of South Asia looked up to us for? Sikhs are rising globally, renewing their allegiance to the Guru Granth-Panth.

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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Wed
,
Jan 8

Guru Nanak's Medicine for Life

Penrith Gurdwara

Join Harinder Singh as he discusses Guru Nanak Sahib's Medicine For Life.

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Sun
,
Jan 12

Guru Nanak's Medicine for Life

Deakin University, Building LC

Join Harinder Singh as he discusses Guru Nanak Sahib's Medicine For Life.

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