KHOJGURBANI turns 1 year old
Ravinder Singh (Editor)
When KHOJGURBANI was launched a little over a year ago – Vaisakhi of 2014 to be exact – its ambitious goal was to be the “go to” online destination for Sikhs – and non-Sikhs alike – who wished to deepen their personal engagement with the Guru Granth Sahib.
The KHOJGURBANI project rested on the conviction that Sikhi is a life-long apprenticeship to the Guru. Indeed, Gurbani instructs Sikhs to adopt a holistic, collaborative and social model of learning that includes inquiry, thought, contemplation and discernment.
ਹਰਿ ਪੜੁ ਹਰਿ ਲਿਖੁ ਹਰਿ ਜਪਿ ਹਰਿਗਾਉ ਹਰਿ ਭਉਜਲੁ ਪਾਰਿ ਉਤਾਰੀ ॥
Har paṛ har likẖ har jap har gāo har bẖaojal pār uṯārī. (Dhanasari, p.669)
Read, write, reflect and sing and you will be ferried across
KHOJGURBANI sees the emergence of digital and mobile technology as an opportunity and a challenge to our traditional Guruduara based mode of Gurbani transmission – both in terms of developing content and delivery.
We believe that online platforms like KHOJGURBANI can serve effectively as a supplement to the Guruduaras by leveraging technology and “crowd sourcing” techniques to create online resources such as: a contemporary commentary on the Guru Granth Sahib, digital archives of online Gurmat Vichaar discussions, compilation of a modern dictionary of Guru Granth Sahib.
Our first pilot - an online discussion (vichaar) of Japji Sahib – drew participants from across the world every Wednesday evening. With a wide range of different perspectives represented, the discussions were lively. An archive of over 50 discussions around the Japji Sahib is available.
Beyond the creation of this content, however, is the more important melding of the minds that occurred. When surveyed, all participants said that dialogue taught them to step out of their own paradigms and accept the diversity of thought, that the discussion invariably shifted their understanding of Gurbani and caused them to spend more time in the study of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Above all, a sense of family feeling and elevation has ensued from these sessions.
KHOJGURBANI has just begun. Let’s hope it will be around long after us.