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.
"Hair in Sikhi is part of the protocol, as well as part of the tradition...You emulate the modalities you believe in of the ones you love."
Join us in conversation with Harinder Singh, Jasleen Kaur, and Manvinder Kaur as we try to understand Women & Gender in Sikhi from a Gurmat (Guru’s Way) perspective, as inferred from Bani (wisdom), Tavarikh (history), and Rahit (lifestyle).
“Everything starts in the Sikh culture from Guru Nanak Sahib. And when Guru Nanak references the word Vai-sakhi, he actually brings it out of nature. Sak is a branch. If you look at humanity as being the tree symbolism..."
"In this episode, we cover topics like the Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev Ji's teachings, Guru Angad, the 10 Sikh Gurus, understanding the 5K's, and much more."
"In this episode, we cover the history of Sikhism and its basic principles. They also discuss the importance of meditation and the need to understand the native terms of Sikhi like Sicky and Saki."
Join Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur as they discuss the larger Sikh context around the latest events in Panjab.
The Sikh Cast is taking a close look at the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). The United States is in a moment of turmoil following the death of Minnesota resident George Floyd, leading to an outpouring of protests across the country. Manpreet Singh holds a spirited conversation with special guests Corey Winchester, Harinder Singh, SikhRI’s Senior Fellow on Research and Policy and, Asha Marie Kaur SikhRI’s Researcher on what the BLM movement means in education, policy and much more. Corey Winchester is a public educator in Evanston, Illinois with an MEd in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies. You can watch his TED talk on education and identity here: https://bit.ly/2MLToE8
The Sikh Cast Host has a one on one dialogue with Harinder Singh on how the Guru would deal with the Black Lives Matter Movement. They ask how can Sikhs around the world go beyond the protest and how do we explore it from the Sikhi lens.
This episode of The Sikh Cast is from a live webinar recorded on June 29th, 2020. It features Senior Fellow Harinder Singh and The Sikh Cast host Manpreet Jassal, together they discuss the controversial sikh motto "Raj Karega Khalsa." They get into its usage from the 1700's to a modern context, discussing the how and the what of its meaning.
73 years ago, two nation-states were carved by the British mapmaking: Hindustan and Pakistan. The historical Sikh Homeland in The Panjab was divided by the Radcliffe line. In now truncated Indian Panjab, a proportion of the Sikhs led many campaigns to fight for economic, political, state, human, and religious rights. What’s next to secure the Sikh aspirations and the Panjab’s autonomy?
73 years ago, two nation-states were carved by the British mapmaking: Hindustan and Pakistan. The historical Sikh Homeland in The Panjab was divided by the Radcliffe line. In now truncated Indian Panjab, a proportion of the Sikhs led many campaigns to fight for economic, political, state, human, and religious rights. What’s next to secure the Sikh aspirations and the Panjab’s autonomy?
The principle of Miri-Piri is often encapsulated with the two crossed swords in today's Sikh consciousness, one representing the political spirit of the Sikhs and the other representing the spiritual.
Every Sikh has the right to raise questions about the process that led to the recent Sarbat Khalsa. It lacked transparency or an open discussion about the Jathedar qualifications. But this is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems that plague the Sikh governance.
On November 8, Americans will elect either the corruption-laden, policy-driven first female President or the sexual-assaulter, power-driven forty-fifth male President.
Panjab Kaur can’t decide what to consume to satisfy her sweet-tooth. Beaver Tails from Ottawa, where she was born, or Phirni (kind of rice pudding) from Panjab, her ancestral homeland? It’s a metaphor for this Sikh woman’s identity and also for a people who for more than 165 years have been stateless and scattered.
This composition by Bhagat Ravidas is in Rag Siri, an ancient musical mode sung at dusk. Its mood is majestic, reflective, and meditative.
This composition by Guru Nanak Sahib is in Rag Siri, an ancient musical mode sung at dusk. Its mood is majestic, reflective, and meditative. The reflection: The Creator is in the creation. Everything is brimming with love, operating in love.
In current times, the world is full of abundant images, pictures, portraits, artworks, and illustrations availing stocks and libraries as well as producing films and animations. What are the most appropriate images of the Guru Sahibs?
Join Harinder Singh as he discusses Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Medicine For Life.