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
,
26
June
2023

Guru Nanak Sahib: The Revolutionary - Q&A and Reflections

Santbir Singh explores the relevance of the Guru’s revolution in today’s world.

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Wednesday
,
21
June
2023

Guru Nanak Sahib: The Revolutionary - Introduction

Enhance your relationship with IkOankar through Guru Nanak Sahib: The Revolutionary, a virtual Sidak event featuring presentations that focus on Guru Nanak Sahib’s vision and revolutionary impact.

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Thursday
,
13
April
2023

Countdown to Vaisakhi 2023: Santbir Singh

“Vaisakhi is a time for gathering, for the Sikh Panth to come together; to learn from each other, to be inspired by each other, and to gain wisdom and inspiration from the Guru. To come to the path of the Guru for personal and Panthic transformation,”

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Friday
,
20
August
2021

Session 3 - Tavarikh: Religious-Political Historical Subtext

Dr. Jaspreet Kaur and Santbir Singh look into the religious-political historical subtext of Tavarikh-history to better understand the Gurmukh-Guru-oriented. Can just being a spiritualist or an activist be enough?

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Sunday
,
25
April
2021

Khalsa Scholar-Martyrs: Bhai Mani Singh & Baba Dip Singh

Bhai Mani Singh and Baba Dip Singh were leaders, scholars, and warriors. They played significant leadership roles in the community post-Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, keeping the Panth united under challenging circumstances. They were master scholars, some of the greatest in Sikh history, and created a scholarly tradition that still resonates in the community to this day. They were great warriors, fully living up to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s standard of the Warrior-Saint. And both sacrificed themselves for the Panth, becoming martyrs whose Shahidi has inspired generations of Sikhs. Watch as we explore the lives and legacy of these two preeminent Khalsa Scholar-Martyrs.

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Tuesday
,
13
April
2021

Countdown to Vaisakhi 2021: Santbir Singh

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

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Podcasts

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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Friday
,
6
November
2020

Genocide

How do we remember? How do we advocate? How do we survive? In this episode we feature three leading voices in the November 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms study.

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Articles

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 life, there is more to life and the universe than mere suffering. No, life is so much more than suffering.

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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. Then, in university and after, I started going from the West Coast to the East, attending conferences and retreats.

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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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Thursday
,
24
April
2014

Where Do We Go From Here?

We are not strangers to random acts of violence and discrimination. Although mass shootings have become far too common in America in recent years, rarely have these horrific crimes been targeted at one community.

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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Sat
,
Apr 27

Fear None. Frighten None.

This Sidak event provides participants aged 18-39 a 2.5-hour glimpse into the 2-week Sidak summer leadership program.

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