Jasleen Kaur is a Research Associate at the Sikh Research Institute. She has received a Religious Studies B.A./M.A. from the University of Virginia, focusing on South Asian Religions through the lens of literature and poetry.
She is one of the commentators and transcreators of The Guru Granth Sahib Project. She is passionate about projects that create comfortable spaces for community members of all ages and backgrounds to engage in dialogue and learn from one another. She also loves singing in her free time, whether on stage with her friends or alone in her kitchen.
She hopes to go back to school to pursue a Ph.D. in either religious ethnography or history and fulfill her dream of teaching and learning from others.
Jasleen Kaur resides with her family in the United States.
Thiti refers to a lunar calendar day—a count from the first to the fifteenth day based on the moon's phases. As a poetic form, Thiti is based on the fifteen lunar days of the Indic calendar months.
The poetic form ‘Var Sat’ (a composition based on the seven days of the week) is commonly called ‘Satvar’ or ‘Satvara.’ It is a unique literary style that connects each day of the week with a specific idea, emotion, teaching, or reflection.
The essence of this composition is revealed in the stanza of rahau (pause). In it, worldly accounting (entanglements) is described as useless.
Patti is a poetic form based on the Gurmukhi alphabet. Historically, students used a wooden tablet, known as patti in Panjabi, to practice writing the alphabet. The Guru Granth Sahib includes many compositions based on the alphabet.
Chaubole is typically described as a poetic form governed primarily by meter and lines, usually four, as a song with four segments, or as a verse containing four languages.The theme of the Chaubole composition by Guru Arjan Sahib is love.
Explore some of the major themes of Guru Teghbahadar Sahib’s bani as contained in Guru Granth Sahib.
Rag Asa is a musical mode that evokes hope, yearning, and the desire to move from darkness toward light. In this composition, our attention is turned inwards, and we are offered not just a moment for reflection but the possibility of transcendence.
2-time Sidaker Manmit Singh joins Jasleen Kaur to reflect on connection, community, and their deepening relationship with Asa ki Var, a guiding light through threads of hope and hopelessness.
Rag Ramkali evokes compassion, and Rag Maru is associated with enthusiasm and zeal.
Join Gurpartap Singh, Harinder Singh, and Jasleen Kaur as they discuss Gurpartap’s reflections on his interaction with Gandhi. How can we understand the context Gurpartap centered in his questions? How does Gurpartap feel about Gandhi’s response?
SikhRI researcher, Jasleen Kaur discusses the value of Sidak with alumni, Poznma Kaur.
In this composition, Guru Amardas Sahib highlights that IkOankar (the Divine) is the Creator of all existence. It portrays how individuals who cling to temporary possessions and relationships remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death.
Akal Takht Sahib (Timeless Throne Sovereign) commands the worldly moral authority of the Sikhs, functioning as the institutional manifestation of the Miri-Piri (Political-Spiritual) doctrine as envisioned by the Gurus.
In 2006, Tarana Burke founded the #MeToo movement to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly young women of color from low-income communities find the language to talk about their experiences, build systems of support, start conversations...
In SikhRI’s new monthly blog series, Sabads previously transcreated for the Sabad of the Week podcast will be revisited, with the offering of an individual understanding and perspective on the application of the Sabad’s message in daily life.
The National Sikh Campaign's slogan is one of assimilation and nationalism in an aim to combat the negative impact a post-Trump America has had on the Sikh community, but at what cost?
In this series, Sabads previously transcreated for the Sabad of the Week podcast will be revisited, with the offering of an individual understanding and perspective on the application of the Sabad’s message in daily life.