"cuts through the rhetoric and helps you get to the Truth."
- Sundeep Singh, Brooklyn, NY. Gurmukhi 101
"wonderful/educational/professional program with emphasis on intellectual and spiritual Sikhi development in a non-biased/ critical thinking approach with concurrent leadership/personal development."
- Jasmeet Kaur, Austin, TX. Sikhi 101
"I will take with me a lot of new gained knowledge about Sikhi, a wonderful experience overall and a lot of love."
- Anoop Kaur, Abbotsford, BC Sikhi 201
Very few learning experiences invoke this type of reaction from students, however Sidak “ Faith Courage. Discipline" is a unique program that did just that. Participants from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom attended the sixth annual, 2-week summer program run by the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI), which concluded on 26 July 2008.
This year's program was the largest to date, with 30 participants, including school students, college students, and young professionals. "SikhRI offers three separate programs: Sikhi 101, Sikhi 201, and Gurmukhi 101. Participants in all three tracks partake in lectures, presentations, workshops, and group discussions to explore Sikhi thru the confluence of bani (scripture), tvarikh (history), and rahit (lifestyle)," explained Lakhpreet Kaur, this year's Sidak Coordinator, "We try to diversify the instructors, modes of learning, and content to keep Sidak engaging and interactive."
Sikhi 101 participants studied an overview of Sikh history and theology, while Sikhi 201 students delved deeper into the same subjects thru rigorous reading and discussion. Gurmukhi 101 focused on composition, structure, and language of Guru Granth Sahib.
Sikhi 101 focused on the Bani of Asa Ki Var, along with investigating a range of Sikh topics. The explication and interpretation of Asa Ki Var was taught daily by Inderpreet Singh (Director of Emerging Technologies, Siemens). Santhia classes were taught by Gurmeet Singh and Sukhwinder Kaur, in which students practiced the proper pronunciation of the Bani. History classes were taught by Darshpreet Singh, a graduate of the Sidak program. Angad Singh Chadha, a high school student of Placentia, CA shared his thoughts on Sikhi 101, "I thought the program was thoroughly eye-opening. It exposed me to aspects of Sikhi that I had never known about. The program (and the institute) also urges practicing Sikhi on an extensive, personal level, which I really appreciate."
Comparable to college seminars, Sikhi 201 participants were assigned extensive readings on topics such as Gurus and Revolution, Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Khalsa Panth, Conduct of Life, Operation Bluestar, November 1984 Pogroms, and Post 1984 Punjab. Students thoroughly read notable Sikh writers including Puran Singh, Teja Singh, Kapur Singh, and Jagjit Singh. Tying together readings, participants' personal thoughts and Sikh history, Harinder Singh (Executive Director, SikhRI), and Gunisha Kaur (Medical Student and a former Sidak participant) moderated group discussions and activities. When asked what she would take away from this experience, Rupinder Kaur, a Sikhi 201 participant says "a total life experience, tools to help me with my future, with Gurbani and an open mind and heart. A new view for Sikhi, and hopefully get more involved with Sikh community."
Students in the Gurmukhi 101 track concentrated exclusively on developing skills necessary for the self-study of Guru Granth Sahib. This involved learning Gurmukhi, building vocabulary, and observing linguistic and grammatical patterns. Simran Singh taught classes on Language (Phonology, Suprsegementals, Inscribed Elegance, etc.) and Grammar (Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Postpositions, Interjections, Conjunctions, etc.) in Guru Granth Sahib. Inderpreet Singh taught classes on Secondary Texts in Sikhi, including Gurbilas, Sakhi/Parci, Janamsakhis, and the Viakhia tradition. To strengthen their reading and writing skills, Gurmukhi 101 students had a learning lab (reading, writing, and comprehension) each day with Jasmeet Kaur and Gurpreet Kaur.
Angad Singh, a professional from New York, was a Gurmukhi 101 student and found his classes to be motivating, "I feel like I've developed a closer relationship with the Guru by learning how to transcribe and translate gurbani, while learning about panthic issues. I now have an itch to start being more active at my local gurduara. Sidak has also inspired me to continue reading the Guru Granth Sahib and hopefully increase my spiritual maturity."
Participants facilitated morning divans completely by themselves, and sung Asa ki Var, interpreted and sang Gurbani, and concluded by collectively interpreting the hukam of the day. Following divan, participants attended four classes a day. All three tracks attended workshops on leadership development and community building conducted by successful and ethical corporate leaders from the San Antonio area, including Larry Mills (Senior Executive, Spurs Organization), and Dr. GP Singh (former CEO of Karta Technologies, Inc). Evening divan (Rahiras Sahib) was followed by either personal time and playing Ultimate Frisbee. Additionally, Sidak included some notable features such as required speeches facilitated by Harvinder Singh, and a Degh making lab with Parvinder Kaur.
New this year, Sidak was held at the Concept Therapy Institute. Set in the hill country of San Antonio, Sidak participants enjoyed the many trees, beautiful peacocks, and fleeting deer. This venue provided participants with well-kept facilities, sports fields, a barbeque site, two-room dormitories, and a central eating facility.
The success of Sidak and the ability of the Institute to continually improve its programming lie in the support of the San Antonio sangat and volunteers at large who are the backbone of Sidak. Sangat members hosted meals, helped with transportation, and served as mentors for the participants. "The Institute sincerely thanks the sangat for opening up their hearts for this program and serving the participants," expressed Jasmine Kaur, SikhRI's Director of Education. Further reflecting on the sangat Bandana Kaur, a Masters' student at Yale, highlighted its supportive nature, "Sidak was the first time I'd been to a program and didn't known majority of the people, but I quickly found that the sangat here is beautiful. They were an important part of my learning and their company, interests, personalities, and knowledge allowed me deepen my understanding of gurbANI."
Harinder Singh, SikhRI's Executive Director, expressed "gratitude to all the facilitators who volunteered their time and shared vast knowledge in the areas of their expertise with the attendees. As each participant learned about their faith, they developed lifelong friendships. We are greatly appreciative of their trust and support, which has allowed us to provide a Gurmat-based learning environment that is intellectually challenging, fun, and provides a social network for young Sikhs."
Contact Person: Jasmine Kaur [email protected] - 210.757.4555
