Our Events – 2025SF https://sikhfoundation.org Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:11:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://sikhfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/favicon.svg Our Events – 2025SF https://sikhfoundation.org 32 32 Sikhs in Action: Sarbat da Bhala – From Values to Action https://sikhfoundation.org/sikhs-in-action-sarbat-da-bhala-from-values-to-action/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:24:59 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3705 What does it mean to bring Sikh values into public life today?

Join Delegate JJ Singh in conversation with Preetmohan Singh as they explore how Seva and Sarbat da Bhala shape leadership, policy, and public service. From advancing equity and representation to navigating the realities of governance, this conversation reflects on what it takes to translate values into action and sustain a commitment to the collective good.

This webinar is a part of the Sikhs in Action webinar series co-presented by the Sikh Foundation and UC Santa Cruz Sarbjit Singh Aurora Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies.

Details

Speakers

Delegate JJ Singh

Delegate JJ Singh represents Loudoun County in the Virginia House of Delegates and is the first Sikh elected to the body. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, he has dedicated his career to public service, including work in the Peace Corps, the White House Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Senate, and local economic development. JJ is also a business leader and community advocate, currently serving as President of Retreat Hotels & Resorts. He lives in Loudoun County with his wife and two daughters.

Preetmohan Singh

Preetmohan (“Preet”) Singh is founder of Preet Singh & Partners, advising startups, nonprofits, and major organizations on marketing, media, and political strategy in the AI era. He has worked with companies including NVIDIA and Google, and serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Sikhlens, the world’s leading Sikh film festival network spanning 10 countries. A Silicon Valley native, Preet is a graduate of Georgetown University and has also studied at Oxford. He is currently on leave from the MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. His work focuses on Sikh American history, racialization, and mission-driven storytelling.

Flyer

]]> Daastaan-e-Guru Nanak https://sikhfoundation.org/daastaan-e-guru-nanak/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:09:22 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3713 Experience Guru Nanak’s story through a classical tradition of storytelling, poetry, and performance by the Atelier Theatre Co.

Presented by the Sikh Foundation International, this special evening brings the acclaimed Atelier Theatre Company to the Bay Area for a moving retelling of the life and legacy of Guru Nanak.

Daastaan-e-Guru Nanak is a 70-minute performance in the daastaangoi tradition, blending live narration, poetry, music, and Janamsakhi-inspired storytelling. Performed in Hindustani with musical interludes, it offers an accessible introduction to Guru Nanak’s message of compassion, equality, humility, and oneness.

We hope you will join us for this special evening. This is a donation-based event, and guests are welcome to contribute at whatever level feels meaningful. Your support helps make programs like this possible.

Details & Registration

About the Performance

Created and performed by the Atelier Theatre Company in New Delhi, Daastaan-e-Guru Nanak has been presented internationally to audiences interested in Sikh history, storytelling traditions, and South Asian performance.

Performers:

  • Ishmeet Narula
  • Kuljeet Singh
  • Chanpreet Singh

Script and Direction: Kuljeet Singh
Creative Producer: Chanpreet Singh

Part of Atelier Theatre Company’s 2026 U.S. tour, the performance has also been featured at the San Diego International Fringe Festival and other venues across California.

Rather than a conventional lecture or stage play, the performance combines spoken word, live music, poetry, and oral storytelling to create an intimate and immersive experience.

Flyer

]]> Sikhs in Action: Beyond Seva- Trust, Mentorship, and the Next Generation https://sikhfoundation.org/sikhs-in-action-beyond-seva-trust-mentorship-and-the-next-generation/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:11:49 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3693
This conversation brings together Sunny Gurpreet Singh and Sampreet S. Goraya to explore how seva can build trust, strengthen communities, and shape the next generation of leadership in Punjab and the global Sikh community. The discussion will touch on mentorship, youth engagement, and what it takes to create lasting systems of care and community.

This webinar is a part of the Sikhs in Action webinar series co-presented by the Sikh Foundation and UC Santa Cruz Sarbjit Singh Aurora Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies.

Details

Flyer

]]> Nirbhau Nirvair: Courage, Compassion, and Sikh Women’s Leadership https://sikhfoundation.org/nirbhau-nirvair-courage-compassion-and-sikh-womens-leadership/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:35:40 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3675 Join us for a special session in the Sikhs in Action webinar series featuring Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra, Kiran Kaur Gill, and Mallika Kaur. This one-hour conversation explores how the Sikh principles of Nirbhau (fearlessness) and Nirvair (compassion without enmity) shape Sikh women’s leadership in public life. From policy and advocacy to community care and justice work, our speakers will reflect on how these values become lived seva within institutions and public spaces.

This webinar is a part of the Sikhs in Action webinar series co-presented by the Sikh Foundation and UC Santa Cruz Sarbjit Singh Aurora Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies.

Details

  • Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • 12:00 pm PST / 3:00 pm EST
  • Location: Zoom
  • Register Here

Flyer

]]> Sikhs in America: Why History Matters Now https://sikhfoundation.org/sikhs-in-america-why-history-matters-now/ Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:29:52 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3647 This conversation, a part of our Sikhs in Action series, will reflect on early Sikh migration and settlement in the United States and consider how these histories continue to shape Sikh American identity today. Why does history feel especially urgent in the current moment? What role do archives, public memory, education, and storytelling play in strengthening community advocacy and belonging? And what happens when Sikh contributions and experiences are left out of the public record? Join us as we explore how recovering and engaging our history can help inform and guide our collective future.

This webinar is co-presented by the Sikh Foundation and the UC Santa Cruz Sarbjit Singh Aurora Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies.

Details

Speakers

Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal

Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal is a scholar, educator, and community leader dedicated to preserving Sikh American history. He co-founded the Sikh American History Project and serves on the board of Asian & Pacific Islanders in Historic Preservation. His research and community-centered work explore Sikh identity, representation, and activism, advancing public understanding through education, preservation, and community engagement.

Harpreet Singh

Harpreet Singh is an Instructor and Scholar of Sikh Studies at Harvard University, specializing in Sikh textual traditions in Mughal South Asia. His work examines the formation of Sikh authority through foundational texts and manuscript scholarship, and he is the author of The Ẓafarnāma of Guru Gobind Singh (Harvard Oriental Series, 2025). He co-founded the Sikh Coalition and established the Harvard Sikh Center.

Flyer

https://tinyurl.com/y63kh3zt

]]> Punjabi Classes https://sikhfoundation.org/punjabi-classes-2025/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 01:03:15 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3579 Register for upcoming Punjabi Classes here! Read below for more details.

Course Overview

  • Every Wednesday – 18 classes online
  • January 14 – May 13 @ 7PM – 8PM PST
  • Beginning Punjabi, Gurmukhi Script, Basic Grammar, Everyday Vocab
  • Taught by Professor Arshinder Kaur (UC Santa Cruz)

Prices

  • $100 if bought by 12/20/25
  • $150 if bought by 01/04/26

Registration closes 01/04/26

Register below!

]]> Anhad Nad, Oneness, and Everyday Ethical Action https://sikhfoundation.org/anhad-nad-oneness-and-everyday-ethical-action/ Sat, 22 Nov 2025 01:23:08 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3583 Join us for a conversation with Inderjit Kaur on the concept of Anhad Nad in Gurbani and its significance for Sikh ethical life. The discussion will be moderated by Anna Schultz.

Details

  • December 5, 2025
  • At 12:00 PM PST / 3:00 PM EST
  • Free Webinar

Click the link below to register & learn more!

Speakers

Inderjit Kaur – Associate Professor of Music

Inderjit Kaur is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, where she also serves co-editor of the journal Music & Politics. An ethnomusicologist specializing in Sikh Kirtan and South Asian music, her research examines the affective and sensory dimensions of musically amplified devotional experience. She is the author of Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable: Ethical Affects in Sikh Sabad Kīrtan (to be released December, 2025, Oxford University Press).


Anna Schultz – Professor of Music and Humanities

Anna Schultz is Professor of Music and Humanities at the University of Chicago, where she also serves as Department Chair and Chair of Performance Studies. Her research explores how music activates religious experience and shapes identity across contexts, including Hindu devotional performance in India, Jewish song traditions, and Indo-Caribbean diaspora communities. She is the author of Singing a Hindu Nation (Oxford University Press, 2013) and Echoes of Translation: Audibility and Relationality in Indian Jewish Women’s Songs (forthcoming 2026).

]]> Finding Freedom: Uncovering Sikh American Experiences of the Past and Present https://sikhfoundation.org/finding-freedom-uncovering-sikh-american-experiences-of-the-past-and-present/ Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:58:30 +0000 https://sikhfoundation.org/?p=3526 This conversation explores Sikh American experiences of migration, identity, and belonging, connecting early community-building efforts with ongoing advocacy and civic life today.

Details

Date/Time: Friday, November 14, 2025 • 12:00 pm PST / 3:00 pm EST
Location: Online via Zoom
Registration: tinyurl.com/355mvcsz

Speakers

Amrit Deol – Assistant Professor, Asian American Studies & Anthropology, CSU Fresno
Kiran Kaur Gill – Executive Director, SALDEF

]]>