KISAAN
By Dr. Simarjeet Kaur Sandhu
Co-Author Mia Kaur Sandhu
Dateline: MONROVIA, MARYLAND, AUGUST 24] — Kisaan, or farmer, is a very special book. It is a story about Simran and Sehaj, the two main characters, who tell a story about farmers from Punjab and Haryana. They do this by telling a story about their great-grandfather, who in real life was the grandfather of author Dr. Simarjeet Kaur Sandhu, and great-grandfather of co-author Mia Kaur Sandhu. Readers will also learn about this very special Kisaan, Mr. Maluk Singh Sandhu.
This book is intended to raise awareness for farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Many people outside of India do not know about farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Farmers help feed the billions of people in India and also around the world.
We wrote this story because we wanted to be the voice for the Kisaan. We see our own grandparents in the elderly men and women sitting at the protest sites. We decided to write a book to raise awareness of farmers in Punjab and Haryana, who have been amongst the most vocal protestors. It is our hope that children from all over the world will learn about farmers and will help advocate for them.
All proceeds from the story go to non-profit organizations. From May 27th to August 31st, 50% of the proceeds go to 5 Rivers Heart Association and Khalsa Aid India, and 50% go to Hands2Inspire to continue spreading awareness about the farmers protest. Beginning September 1st, all proceeds will continue to go to Hands2Inspire to host events in the United States. Since July, we have been hosted by Barnes & Noble where we have been able to spread awareness through Storytime and Book Signing events. On September 19th, a local coffee house in Frederick, Maryland, Dublin Roasters Coffee, will be hosting a book signing, storytime and discussion to help raise awareness.
Through donations collected, we have been able to donate 40 books to the children residing at the Ronald McDonald House of Charities in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. We also were able to donate 48 new backpacks and copies of Kisaan for scholars at a local elementary school.
Kisaan can be purchased on Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com
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Dr. Simarjeet K. Sandhu is an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) educator by profession. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. She later completed her Master of Arts in Instructional Systems Development from University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from Towson University. She completed her doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. She has worked as a high school and elementary school ESOL teacher. She has also been a visiting professor and college instructor at various universities, including Notre Dame of Maryland University and the National Defense University in Washington, DC. Aside from her career and education, she studies yoga and meditation. She has started the Simran and Sehaj series in hopes of diversifying bookshelves with books on Gurbani and social justice issues. Dr. Sandhu is also the director of Hands2Inspire. All proceeds from her books go directly to her non- profit organization which does various community projects with a focus on Giving Back, Sharing Knowledge & Raising Awareness.