Sri Hemkunt Foundation was founded in 1980 in New York. It was established by 11 dedicated visionaries, under the initiative of S. Shamsher Singh. His vision was not only to educate, but also to instill a sense of pride and belonging among young Sikhs across the world. The idea was to connect the Sikh youth living in the Western countries, who were lacking the connection and the knowledge of the high ideals of their religion were therefore losing their unique Sikh identity and moving away from it. In an effort to improve the situation, the Foundation created an environment where children could learn the spiritual, moral, and religious teachings of Sikhism, as well as to hone their public speaking skills. Since then, the promotion of learning Punjabi, Kirtan, Gurbani, Philosophy, History and Sikh culture has been the cornerstone of the Foundation. The foundation has expanded its footprint all over USA, Canada, Kenya, and UK etc. Presently, 69 Gurdwaras in the western hemisphere participate in the programs under its aegis. The details of the events held under Hemkunt International 2025 program are under:
Information of Formal Programs
Symposium
The purpose of these symposium presentations by the youth are not just to impart knowledge of Sikhism but also to share with others thereby gaining vital confidence in public speaking. This was the 36th year of the international Symposium. These offer a platform for thought leadership and professional development, contributing to the advancement of knowledge, practice and deeper connection with the faith of their birth. The participants read the assigned book and prepare their own answers to five assigned questions. They have specifically allocated time to share their thoughts and understanding as well as to make impactful speeches. There are 3 to 4 judges assigned to judge the presentation and grade those, along with timekeepers to ensure the speeches are within the allocated time frame. The evaluations of judges are tabulated, collated and results of the performances are announced. There are three categories of winners – gold, silver and bronze medals. Other details are:
Groups Age Bracket (Yrs) Prescribed Book Title & Author
1 6 -8 The Fifth Nanak, By Sri Hemkunt Foundation
2 9-11 The Tenth Nanak, By Sri Hemkunt Foundation
3 12-14 Sikhism - An Introduction, By: Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
4 15-17 Hijacking of Sikhi (Ch: 1 & 3), By: Dr. Karminder Singh Dhillon
5 18-25 Concept of Afterlife, Reference Books SGGS and SRM
Gurbani Kirtan Darbar
A Gurbani Kirtan Darbar is a devotional gathering centered around the recitation and singing of Gurbani, the sacred hymns from the Sikh scriptures. This was the 17th year of the annual Kirtan Darbar. The kirtan competition was also for the 5 Groups as mentioned above. The performers are required to perform the Shabad in prescribed Raag (musical scale) with the aid of traditional string instruments. It is held in a Gurdwara creating an environment for spiritual reflection and connection, as participants and audience engage with the divine messages of the Guru Granth Sahib. These gatherings foster communal worship, deepen understanding of Sikh teachings, and offer a space for collective prayer and meditation. The atmosphere is one of reverence, devotion, and spiritual enrichment.
Panthic Digital Voice (PDV)
There is a lack of Sikh story tellers in entertainment media, films, journalism and the digital information world etc. and PDV was conceived to address it. This is the 8th year of the annual PDV program. Because of absence of Sikhs representation, our voices remain unheard by the world. This program was initiated as a joint venture with Sikhlens, a CA based organization, and is an effort to create interest in these vital fields in the youth. The idea behind the initiative is to get Sikh voices in the media, who knowledgeably can prevent Sikh misrepresentation and of lack of awareness. Panthic Digital Voice programs would tap on the students at an early age and infuse them with the interest of digital media and giving them the tools to decide if they want to pursue it as a hobby or even consider it as their future professional career.
Programs Schedules
July 24 – The board meeting of Sri Hemkunt Foundation was held at Hilton Houston North Hotel from 8 AM to 9:30 AM. Separate meetings were held by the participants, parents, coordinators to suggest ideas for improvement and to make the programs more effective. While the children participants in the Keertan Competition had their practice session in the morning. In the afternoon there was a Kirtan Darbar (for Group 1) from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Sikh National Center Gurdwara.
July 25 - This was a dedicated day for Kirtan. Kirtan Darbar (for Group 2, and 3) were held from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM at the Sikh National Center Gurdwara. Meals and snacks to all the participants, parents and connected staff were provided to them over there.
July 26 – The morning session was a dedicated day for speeches. Before the start of the speeches program there were meetings of coordinators, time keepers, MCs, and Judges from 8 to 9 in the morning.
The speeches were held from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. The speeches took place in the following venues in the Hilton Hotel:
Group/Room Speakers No. In Punjabi Gold Silver Bronze
1 – Salon 1 19 8 3 2 2
2 – Salon 2 19 6 4 1 3
3 – Salon 3 22 8 3 2 3
4 – Donatello 17 8 1 5 2
5 – Campobello 8 4 1 1 1
There were total of 85 Participants and out of those 34 spoke in Punjabi. The details of speakers Groupwise and winners has been shared above. At the conclusion of speeches lunch of Pizza, and sandwiches were served. In the afternoon from 12:45 to 3:00 there was a presentation on PDV videos of children. The PDV programs encourages children to make their own short movies on a selected theme. This year the theme was Humility (Nimrata). The short videos submitted are reviewed and based on selection criteria qualified for screening at the International. There were 6 submissions from Houston area which were selected for the International. The screened videos and the winners for the PDV segment were:
Group (Position)Title Participants
1 Nimrata Di Jitt Ganeev Singh, Sartaaj Singh, Rabtej Singh
1 (Bronze) Class President Clash Nameh Singh, Manraj Singh, Gurjas Singh
1 (Bronze) Nimrata Angad Singh Johar, Kabir S. Arora, Kohinoor Kaur Momi
1 (Silver) Humility - The Surest Sign of Strength Daani Kaur
1 (Silver) The True Trophy Jujhar Singh, Harman Singh
1 (Gold) Sikh Value of Humility Noor Kaur Narang, Hargun K. Virk, Sangam S. Dhaliwal
2 (Bronze) Billo Singh and the Talking Jutti (KCF) Agampreet Kaur
2 (Bronze) Mitti Harsimrat Singh, Manvir Singh, Gurchet Singh
2 (Silver) The Treasure of Nimrata Anhad Singh, Abhayvir Singh, Ekam Kaur
2 (Silver) The Importance of Nimrita Ishmeet K. Khakh, Amrit K. Sidhu, Gurnoor K. Khakh
2 (Gold) Nimrata - Humility Sahiba Sethee, Taarika Sethee, Adhara Sethee
The evening program was a special for the kids called Rodeo night in the Raphael Ballroom which started at 5:30 PM. The appetizers and dinner food were Tex-Mex food, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the kids and adults alike. There were a lot of activities and cowboys on site to entertain the kids and make it a memorable day for them. There were special backdrops where everyone was taking pictures for keepsakes.
July 27 - This was a finale with Kirtan Darbar for Group 4 being conducted at Sikh National Center Gurudwara from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The conclusion of the Kirtan Darbar was followed by a vote of thanks, Local Presentation, Declaration of Results, prize distribution to all the winners and recognition of volunteers. A special 99 page souvenir was also issued to commemorate Houston International.
The Kirtan Group details are as under:
Group No. Assigned Raag No. of Jathas Medals & Certificates Awarded
Group 1 Thukhari 5 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Group 2 Maalee Gaurhaa 11 4 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze
Group 3 Maroo 8 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze
Group 4 Nat Naaraain 5 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Participation
Every group had to pick a Shabad and sing it in that assigned Raag. In the International there were 29 Jathas who had qualified from the 83 Jathas after the Regional in June. Each Jatha had around 5 members. All the Jathas that reached International were recognized for their efforts to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the musical aspect of Gurbani and a clearer understanding of the spiritual message embedded in the Shabads. This year's success was a testament to the hard work, dedication, and sincerity of everyone involved with it - from participants, parents, trainers, judges, coordinators, volunteers and the management with their own teams over the last one year. The program concluded with Langar after the awards ceremony. Every participant was given a gift bag, T-Shirt, Souvenir and a certificate. The participants were enthusiastically taking pictures with backdrop of the International mascot.
Acknowledgement for pictures: Courtesy of S. Amrit Singh, Houston.
