Santbir Singh

Research Associate

Santbir Singh is a Research Associate with SikhRI. He is currently doing his Ph.D. in Sociology at York University. His graduate research focuses on Sikh activism and the inherent relationship between Sikhi and anarchism explored through historical and contemporary Sikh movements, such as the Kisān Morcha (Farmer’s Protests) of 2020-2021. 

Santbir Singh has served as an educator and activist in the Sikh community for over two decades. He continues cultivating a deeper relationship with Sabad Guru while focusing on Sikh inspirations for social activism, feminism, and decolonization through a multifaceted critical analysis using different schools of thought and tradition.

Santbir Singh is a facilitator at Sidak and an alumnus of Sidak 2012. He lives on Wendat, Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, Hiawatha, Alderville & Métis Territory on Williams Treaties land (colonially known as Toronto), Canada, with his wonderful wife, incredible children, and wild dog.

Videos

Monday
,
13
July
2026

Aftermath, Unintended Consequences, and Modern Critiques

How did ordinary Sikhs organize one of the largest nonviolent movements in Sikh history?

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Monday
,
13
July
2026

Mass Mobilization in the Gurduara Reform Movement

How did ordinary Sikhs organize one of the largest nonviolent movements in Sikh history?

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Monday
,
13
July
2026

Aftermath of the Massacre: Beginnings of the Reform Movement

The events of 1919 transformed Sikh political consciousness. But how did they lead to the Gurdwara Reform Movement?

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Monday
,
13
July
2026

Corruption & Discrimination: Sikh Institutions Under Colonial Rule

How did Sikh institutions come under the control of hereditary mahants during British rule? What conditions gave rise to one of the most significant reform movements in Sikh history?‍

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Tuesday
,
16
June
2026

Kirpan: Panthic Accountability & Developing Inner Grace

In this episode, join Jasleen Kaur, Harinder Singh, and Santbir Singh for a reflective and nuanced conversation about what this case has brought up about the Kirpan, Khalsa identity, masculinity, and our responsibility to one another.

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Friday
,
12
December
2025

Sikhi & Death: A Gurmat-Based Understanding

Death comes for all of us. Yet we live in a culture that endlessly tries to escape this reality—through our obsession with youth, medical interventions to delay aging, or the way death is sensationalized in popular media.

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Podcasts

Friday
,
28
June
2024

Why Was Bhindranwale There?

Santbir Singh delves into the complex and sometimes controversial legacy of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale during the events of June 1984.

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Wednesday
,
12
June
2024

Sant Jarnail Singh: The Man, the Myth, the Truth

Listen as Santbir Singh delves into an in-depth conversation with Harinder Singh about Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a pivotal figure in 20th-century Sikh history.

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Sunday
,
9
June
2024

No More Blue Stars

Santbir Singh joins Manvinder Kaur to discuss his recent article, “No More Blue Stars.” They delve into the evolving terminology surrounding the events of 1984 and explore ways the community can reclaim and reshape the narrative of these events.

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Monday
,
18
March
2024

Getting to Know Rani Jind Kaur: Episode 2

Tune in to Santbir Singh and Sean Holden as they delve into the captivating tale of Rani Jind Kaur, the last queen of Panjab, in the inaugural episode of this podcast series. But why is it crucial for us to unravel her narrative?

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Monday
,
18
March
2024

Getting to Know Rani Jind Kaur: Episode 1

Tune in to Santbir Singh and Sean Holden as they delve into the captivating tale of Rani Jind Kaur, the last queen of Panjab, in the inaugural episode of this podcast series. But why is it crucial for us to unravel her narrative?

watch now ⟶
Tuesday
,
13
April
2021

Countdown to Vaisakhi 2021: Santbir Singh

Santbir Singh, Sidak Facilitator at Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) shares his reflection on Vaisakhi.

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Articles

Tuesday
,
4
June
2024

Why Was Bhindranwale There?

Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale is a pivotal figure in the events of 1984. There is much consternation and confusion over his actions and choices in the lead-up to the June 1984 Ghallughara.

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Tuesday
,
26
March
2024

No More Blue Stars

In recent years, diasporic Sikhs have been moving to consciously avoid using the terms Operation Blue Star or Holocaust and instead use terms like the Battle of Amritsar, genocide, or Ghallughara when speaking about June and November 1984.

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Tuesday
,
13
February
2024

The Attack on Political Sikhi

What did Indira Gandhi hope to achieve in the June 1984 attack on the Harimandar Sahib Complex and Gurduaras around Panjab? What was the goal of the Indian National Congress (I) party’s brutal and genocidal pogroms against Sikhs across the country in...

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Monday
,
18
June
2012

The Messiah Is Here

We all suffer at times, weighed down with personal traumas, disappointments and regrets. According to the Buddhists, the primary truth of all of human existence is suffering. But in Sikhi, while our Guru acknowledges that there is much suffering in...

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Friday
,
22
February
2013

Sidak 2013: Why I'll be There

Like many young Sikh-Canadians and Sikh-Americans, I've done the full circuit.I started as a kid at the Punjabi Sunday School, moved on to the day camps run by the gurdwaras during school holidays.

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Friday
,
7
February
2014

Crafting The Tools of Sikh Sovereignty

For many Sikhs today, there is little difference between being Punjabi and being Sikh. But this was not always the case. 

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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Sun
,
Jul 26

Sidak 2026

Khalsa Centre

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.

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