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
,
28
March
2021

Guru Teghbahadar Sahib: The Benevolent Warrior

Watch the entire conference as SikhRI celebrated the 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Teghbahadar Sahib!

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Sunday
,
14
March
2021

Nanakshahi: Calendar & ‘Era of Nanak the Sovereign’

For the Sikhs globally, 1 Cet 553 is the Nanakshahi new year’s day. Cet or Chet is the month. 553 is the Nanakshahi year. Do you know about Nanakshahi? Manpreet Singh and Harinder Singh discuss Nanakshahi 553!

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Saturday
,
20
February
2021

Nankana Sahib Massacre

Harinder Singh and Manpreet Singh talk about what happened 100 years ago at Nankana Sahib. Today it's known as Saka Nankana or Nankana Sahib Massacre. Why did the Sikhs protest, what happened and how does it relate to what's going on today with the Farmers Protest in India? 

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Saturday
,
16
January
2021

Farmers Protest: Mainstream, Media, & Morcha

Watch the entire conversation with Nimrat Kaur, and Sandeep Singh on the farmer protests moderated by Harinder Singh. This webinar discusses the protests as a pan India movement beyond the 3 Farm Bills. They focus on the Indian and International media coverage and the Sikh historical context of Morcha in Delhi and Panjab.

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Friday
,
18
December
2020

#FarmerProtests with Harinder Singh

Harinder Singh and Manpreet Singh talk about the current farmer protests happening in India and it's impact on the Sikh Diaspora. They talk about langar, Diljit, Modi, social media, what to expect next and much more!

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Saturday
,
5
December
2020

Bhai Vir Singh: Consciousness Streams Beyond Eras

Who was Bhai Vir Singh, and why is he called the "sixth river of Panjab"? A century ago, Bhai Vir Singh profoundly influenced Panjab—then a unified region in South Asia, now divided between India and Pakistan.

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Podcasts

Tuesday
,
24
October
2023

Why does it seem that only men lead Sikh prayer services?

In Sikhi (commonly known as Sikhism), women's fundamental equality exists in both private and public spheres and within personal and corporate relationships. Women possess the freedom to lead in any capacity without predefined roles.

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Tuesday
,
10
October
2023

What is Nam Simran?

Nam Simran holds significant importance in Sikhi, extending far beyond mere identification with the Divine. ‘Nam’ goes beyond identification, and ‘Simran’ signifies remembrance.

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Friday
,
6
October
2023

Understanding Canada-India Disharmony in the Sikh-Panjab Context

Listen as Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss the larger context around the latest events in Canada. 

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Tuesday
,
26
September
2023

Why do Sikhs recite the same daily prayers?

“…it really has nothing to do with whether it is less or more. It has everything to do with that these are the aspirations of the community. When we come together as a community, we do a minimum of these recitations.

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Tuesday
,
12
September
2023

What is the significance of hair for Sikhs?

"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." In this podcast series, we dive into the community's greatest questions asked by people like YOU.

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Thursday
,
18
May
2023

Women & Gender in Sikhi

Listen as Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Women & Gender in Sikhi from a Gurmat (Guru’s Way) perspective, as inferred from Bani (wisdom), Tavarikh (history), and Rahit (lifestyle).

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Articles

Thursday
,
5
January
2012

My Sovereign: Guru Gobind Singh

The Guru (perfection) dwells where the morality-ethics is beyond sins and virtues, deeds are not measured by world standards, thoughts on birth and death are not shadowed, time-movements of previous lives end,...

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Saturday
,
8
December
2012

It is the Season of Lights: Guru Nanak Purab

It was about 5:30 in the evening on Wednesday, the 28th of November, 2012. My wife, Gurpreet Kaur, collected our two kids from the Preschool Place & Kindergarten. Our evening supper ritual was hurried as we had to get our son, Jodha Singh, to his Tai-Kwon-Do class by 6:30.

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Wednesday
,
12
December
2012

Did I Light Up?

Reflections

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Thursday
,
4
July
2013

Re-born in the U.S.A.

It was July 4, 1986. PanAm’s Boeing 747 landed in New York City, connecting me to a flight the same evening to a very rainy Des Moines, Iowa. Thus, my American journey started with a glimpse of Lady Liberty and took me to the warm heartland, where I discovered both freedom and Sikhi. They remain synonymous for me to this day.

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Sunday
,
3
November
2013

The Sikh ‘Game of Thrones’

The true rulers are connected with the Truth. The earth-owners are not rulers for they suffer in other love. Is it worth praising, perishable, momentous reality? Perfection-oriented realizes and becomes the One who is eternal.” – The Fifth Sovereign, Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1088 The Akal Takhat Sahib is the Sikh world’s oldest political throne. Instituted by the Sixth Sovereign and carved by his two entrusted emissaries, “Timeless Throne” emerged as a parallel to the Delhi and Lahore Darbars. It was an implementation of Guru Nanak Sahib’s (the first Sovereign) vision to champion people’s rights over imperial rights with the sword-wisdom. It is also, by many measures, its most successful universally recognized authority.

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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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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Sun
,
Jan 12

Guru Nanak's Medicine for Life

Deakin University, Building LC

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

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