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.
In Sikhi, karma is the idea that our actions shape our outcomes. We need to learn to own our actions, and we need to make good mental decisions. If we are thinking clearly, our behaviors will be better.
In this episode of Ask SikhRI, we go deeper into the meaning, the choice, and the everyday practice of wearing a turban.
Sikhs cover their heads when they feel the presence of the Divine. The larger idea is that we feel the Divine is in every place, but we may not feel that presence all the time.
In April, Indian National Congress (INC) party member Rahul Gandhi stopped at Brown University for a speaking engagement. During the Q&A, Sidak Alumni Gurpartap Singh asked him what the INC is doing to reconcile with the Sikhs, and their interaction...
Harinder Singh is the Co-Founder & Innovation Director at SikhRI. He appears on radio and television programs and speaks at universities, parliaments, museums, conferences, and civic institutions.
There is a deepening crisis within the Sikh community—centered on the control and integrity of Akal Takht Sahib. On March 22, 2025, at Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society (Bradshaw), Harinder Singh delivered a powerful and timely talk—in Panjabi—on what must
In this seventh podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss the popularly known composition uttered by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in the forests of Machhiwara in late December.
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.
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.
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.
In this third podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore what it means to earn union in comparison to transactional relationships with the divine.
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.
In the tenth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib declares that identifying with the attributes and existence of the 1 eliminates fear.
In the ninth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib declares that the One Divine will remain fully capable of destroying and creating.
In the eighth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib questions how That One can be said to be in one human form.
In the seventh composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib locates the Creator as the Death; there is no god or messenger of death to fear.
In the sixth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib calls on his 1-Beloved-Friend on behalf of the Khalsa in the forests of Machhiwara.
In the fifth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib emphatically declares that anyone created or formed by the 1 cannot be confused with the 1 and...
This presentation explores Guru Ramdas Sahib’s Vanjara, situating it within its cultural framework and lived experience. We will reflect on the composition's foundational themes and their relevance to our daily...
Join Harinder Singh as we refamiliarize ourselves with historical texts, including primary and secondary texts that shape our understanding of Sikh thought and tradition.
Sidak is a transformative educational experience designed for young Sikh adults aged 18 to 39. It brings together seekers from all over the world to learn, grow, and lead with purpose.