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

Monday
,
5
December
2022

The 150th Birth Anniversary of Bhai Vir Singh

To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Bhai Vir Singh, Harinder Singh shares 5 notions with 5 seeker personalities prevalent in today’s world culture.

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Friday
,
28
October
2022

What Candle to Light this Divali? | Omni Punjabi & Harinder Singh

Divali is celebrated every year with massive parties and social events globally. People of Hindu and Sikh communities celebrate this day according to their religious and cultural traditions.

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Monday
,
10
October
2022

How to Develop a Sikh Response?

How to curate a Sikh response? Why is a framework necessary? What is Gurmat? How do Bani, Tvarikh, and Rahit consitute Gurmat? Which sources can be classified as primary and secondary?

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Monday
,
15
August
2022

1947: South Asia, Panjab & Sikhs

After 75 years of the Partition, why are the significant sections of Panjabis and the Sikhs feeling estranged? What are the historical, cultural, geopolitical, trade, and economic contexts and realities?

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Thursday
,
4
August
2022

Harinder Singh & SanjhaTV: What is Sodhna?

Is “Sodhna” to test, examine, correct, punish, or kill?What is “sudhosu” in the Guru Granth Sahib?How did Guru Nanak Sahib live it?Why Sikh leadership must re-learn o

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Friday
,
20
May
2022

Our Relationship with The Guru Granth Sahib

Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur speak about a Sikh's relationship with The Guru Granth Sahib.

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Podcasts

Tuesday
,
19
December
2017

Enticer Enticed My Mind

The Sabad opens with the Guru's profound declaration of being a "maiden-slave" of the Divine Ruler, symbolizing complete surrender and dedication.

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Tuesday
,
26
December
2017

Ep65 - “On the platter are placed three things...”

Sabad is Infinite; we are very finite. This is our understanding at the moment, which was different yesterday and may evolve tomorrow, as we deepen our relationship with the Sabad.

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Tuesday
,
28
August
2018

Words of Faith - Ik Oankar

IkOankar (1Force, The One, Divine, Creator) is Guru Nanak Sahib’s offering to humanity, and the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib.

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Tuesday
,
28
August
2018

Words of Faith - Har

Did you know that "Har" is the most used word in Guru Granth Sahib?

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Tuesday
,
4
September
2018

Words of Faith - Nam

Words of Faith: a new series explaining the recurring words in Guru Granth Sahib. Nam is Identity. Nam is the culture of Sikhs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O_rtTswxyM --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-cast-sikhri/support

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Tuesday
,
11
September
2018

Words of Faith - Guru

Words of Faith: a new series explaining the recurring words in Guru Granth Sahib Is Guru perfection? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnx400HuVxU&t=25s --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-cast-sikhri/support

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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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