The next significant task of the organisation was to hold a conference at Berkeley in 1976, wherein a number of Sikh scholars were invited to find out the means and ways to make the Sikh religion known to the people. It was decided to explore the potential of launching Sikh studies at US University. As the foundation was planning to go ahead with its programme, the situation in Punjab deteriorated after Operation Blue Star as the Sikh genocide followed death of Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The foundation directed its efforts to make the people of USA and other countries know about the ground reality in Punjab. It organized a group of 20 US senators who were willing to make a fact-finding trip to Punjab, but the group was refused visas by the Indian Government. Undeterred and pursuing every opportunity to make the American people aware of Sikhs and the injustices met out to the community, Dr. Kapany confronted the Indian Ambassador on American television about the tragic events.
The Sikh Foundation published full-page advertisements in leading newspapers in major cities across the US educating the public about Sikhs and the heinous crimes committed against the community and its sacred spaces. Dr. Kapany even travelled to Canada to represent to the Canadian House of Representatives on the situation in Punjab. As apart from the loss of thousands of Sikh human life, a great damage was also done to Sikh Reference Library and Toshakhana, it made the organisation all the more determined to preserve Sikh art and culture which are critical part of who we are. Not only does this apply to paintings, manuscripts, sculptures, coins, stamps, but also to our monuments and architectural space, which are in grave peril even today, both in India and Pakistan.
Perhaps these events played a role in encouraging the Kapanys to actively start looking for and collecting Sikh art, which today is renowned, the world over. It includes masterpieces like the portrait of Rani Jind Kaur, illustrated books like Emily Eden’s “Portraits of Princes and people of India”, personal articles of Maharaja Ranjit Singh like his spectacular emerald ring, miniature paintings of the Gurus and much more. This splendid art was shown to the world by organising exhibitions at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco and holding a conference on Sikh art and literature at the centre for south-Asia studies at UC Berkeley. In 1986 a Punjabi language programme was started at Stanford. In 1997, when Dr. Kapany established ‘Kundan Kaur Kapany Chair’ in Sikh studies at UC Santa Barbara, the dream to introduce Sikh studies in US universities became true. When in the year 1999, when the 300 years of creation of Khalsa was being observed this organisation did a marvellous works by organising an International exhibition under the name ‘Arts of the Sikh Kingdom’ at London and got the exhibition inaugurated by the Prince of Whales. In this exhibition opened on 22 March 1999. Nearly 300 works of art from a sleekly smoothed cannon and turban-shaped helmets of damascened steel to rippling silks, Kashmir shawls, gem-encrusted jewellery, a golden throne, the earliest portraits to the Gurus, and court paintings of Sikh maharajas and noble warriors were displayed. Sikhism at its best excluded no one. The exhibition was brought to the Asian Art Museum (Sept. 1999) under the sponsorship of the Sikh Foundation and its third and final destination became the Royal Ontario Museum (Oct. 2000). Over 5000,000 people have seen this exhibition in London, San Francisco and Toronto. In the literary field also, the organisation has done a wonderful work by getting the valuable books written by the authors. These works provided useful information along with artistic illustrations. Thus, Amrit and Ravindera, the Singh Twins could produce their classical work ‘Bindus Wedding’ in 1999 and Nikky-Gurinder got its works of translating Guru’s verses completed with the title “The name of My Beloved: Verses of the Sikh Guru”. Warriors Saints, the Boy with Long Hair and Baba Ditt’s Turnip were also published during that period. Achievements made by the organisation since the turn of this century till today are also marvellous. The starting of an annual art calendar entering into a partnership with UNESCO for preserving a 16th Century Mosque built by Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib, setting up of The Satinder Kaur Gallery at the Asian Art Museum at San Francisco and contributing some significant art works to Smithsonian institute in Washington D.C. for exhibiting ‘Legacy of the Punjab’ (This exhibit was not only shown in Washington D.C., but also travelled to Santa Barbara in 2008, Fresno in 2012 and Dallas in 2015).
Setting up of Chairs in Universities
A unique way of promoting Sikh values is enlightening the people by setting up Chairs in the Universities. This helps in research and interaction with the scholars of other religions. That is why, even SGPC has declared as a part of the 550th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji that it will setup research chairs in the name of Guru at GNDU, Amritsar and in other countries like U.K. and Canada. A chair in the name of Guru Nanak Dev Ji to mark the great occasion has also been setup by the Punjabi University, Lahore in Pakistan. In this respect also The Sikh Foundation International has played a vital role. We have eight chairs of Sikh studies at various US campuses. Four of these chairs have been setup by/with the support of this leading Sikh organisation (The Sikh Foundation). Further, they have proved inspirational for many more chairs setup in the Universities and many more conferences, talks and presentations. To make a mention Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies – UC Riverside (2006), the Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Chair in Sikh & Punjabi Studies-California State University-East Bay (2007), the Sarbjit Singh Aurora Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies at UC Santa Cruz (2010) were set up by various families with the support of the community and the Sikh Foundation. Recently Sikh Studies Program was initiated at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley in 2015. Similarly, the M.S. Kohli Memorial Conference on Sikh Education at Stanford University (March 2015) engaged scholars, museums, schools and Sikh organizations on ways to impact Sikh education. All these achievements in the field of education and promotion of heritage of Sikh religion as made by the organisation were highly appreciated at the time of the 50th Anniversary of the organisation celebrated in May 2017. This celebration from 5th to 7th May started with a glorious gala at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California. On this occasion, a publication ‘Sikh Arts from the Kapany Collection’ co-published with the Smithsonian Institute was released. This milestone publication documents the unrivalled Collection of Sikh Art, put together by Satinder Kaur & Narinder Singh Kapany. Deeply inspired by the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, their collection displays the entire range of Sikh artistic expression over its 500 year history, including beautiful portraits of the Sikh Gurus, illustrated manuscripts, spectacular paintings of Golden Temple, royal arts and treasures of Sikh Maharajas, arms and armaments, coinage, stamps, textiles and contemporary arts. The contact details of this organization are, address: 580 College Ave, FI 1, Palo Alto, California 94306, Contact no. +1 650-496-2222 & Email: Sonia@sikhfoundation.org.
United Sikhs Mission
United Sikhs Mission is an American organisation which had figured in the news relating to the opening of corridor of Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. When S. Navjot Singh Sidhu went to Pakistan at the time of swearing-in-ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the issue of opening of this corridor gained momentum, this organisation offered to meet the expenditure of the entire project. Further, when the Indian cabinet approved it and a hope arose on the agreement between both the Governments, the said organisation again stated that they have the blue print for the corridor ready with them. This US based organisation was earlier known for its main project of sending a Sikh float in the Rose Parade. In 2018, this float had projected Harmandir Sahib. In addition to this project, this organisation had been taking up many health care programmes in Punjab. It runs successful eye camps and gives financial help to the needy patients. Its contact details are address 10656, Cliantro CT Fontana, CA 92337, Phone: +1-909-241-7449.
Sikh Resource Society
Sikh Resource Society, located at 1280, Wynnetka Street, Palatime IL in USA is another organization which figured in news by participating in Johnson Country Old Settleras Fair. The Sikh Resource Society, Schaumburg, IL represented by S. Davinder Singh (IL Representative) and Ishwinder Singh Chattha (Kansas Representative), in conjunction with the many volunteers of the Gurdwara Nanak Darwar Sahib, Olathe, KS set up an exhibit and a food stall at one of the largest county fairs in the nation. The ‘Old Settlers Fair’ is held in Johnson County once a year and this year around 200000 people attended it over a period of three days from Sept 7th – 9th, 2017.
Sikh Resource Society is a not for profit organisation dedicated to providing Sikh resources for anyone interested in learning more about Sikhi. The organisation collects and creates resources for the basic understanding of the Sikh faith, Sikh ideology, Gurbani and philosophy. This society is located in the Midwest and offers services such as free tours for public/private schools, colleges and universities as well as individual tours to those that would like to understand better their global Sikh neighbour. The Sikh Resource Society also has speakers who are willing to give a presentation on the Sikh faith.
Tours are mainly held at the Palatine Gurdwara Sahib that is located at 1280 Winnetka Street, Palatine, IL; on a campus spread over fourteen acres of land at a prime location in Chicago’s metropolitan area. The Palatine Gurdwara is the oldest Gurdwara in the Midwest, started in 1972. IN a seven day a week religious program, devotees visit the Gurdwara Sahib to make prayers, listen to the Sikh religious hymns (kirtan), and discourses on spirituality. Tours are conducted at a nearby Gurdwara, including Palatine (Sikh Religious Society – Palatine Gurdwara), Wheaton (Illinois Sikh Community Centre), Devon (Devon Gurdwara Sahib), and other Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) in the region.
The organisation activities are looked after by a Board of Directors who are elected or appointed. Presently S. Pradeep Singh is the President of the organisation whereas Irwinpreet Singh is the Executive Secretary. The Trustees look after their portfolios like religious affairs, social welfare, Langar, library and Gurmat School run by the organisation. The contact details of this organization are, address: 1280 Winnetka St. Palatine, IL 60067, contact no. 8473581117, Email: contactus@srcchicago.org.
Sikh Relief
Sikh Relief is a registered charity in England and Wales, Registration No. 1125370. Originally, this organisation was started for the help of the prisoners and was known as Sikh Organisation for Prisoner Welfare (SOPW). The various projects taken at that time were related to the welfare of prisoners and their families. Later on the scope of charity was expanded and the organisation becoming “Sikh Relief”, focussed upon the help and assistance to the poor, needy and destitute all over the world, predominantly in India. Thus, the organisation has since then worked on disaster relief work, medical aid for poor and needy, children education, supporting the environment, promoting and maintaining Sikh values and welfare of Sikh political prisoners and their families. Their services at the time of Jammu & Kashmir flood disaster were prominently noticed when they not only provided necessary items including medicines to the needy persons, but also helped them in household and home repairs and rebuilding. Sikh Relief has also done considerable work in the ‘learn to earn’ project called ‘Kirat Kamai Project’. They have accomplished the task of sourcing raw material from Mumbai, Maharashtra and had it delivered to the six ‘Learn to Earn’ Centres currently training the first batch of 200 lady apprentices. The ladies of the Madhya Pradesh Sikligar community are being schooled in the arts of tailoring and sewing for garments. The course lasts six months and upon completion each graduate receives a sewing machine and is able to immediately begin earning to help feed and house their family. The delivery of materials has ensured that the students of the first batch will be able to complete the course satisfactorily. It may be mentioned here that an article published by outlook India in February 2018 had criticised this organisation describing it an indirect support for terror. In response to that, the organisation had explained their position. It seems that the observations made against Sikh Relief are mainly because of the fact that one of the objects of the organisation is to help the Sikh Prisoners. However, there are many other objects of the organisation which are purely humanitarian. Further, even in the cases of many prisoners, the help may be on humanitarian grounds as all the prisoners cannot be treated as terrorists. In our humble view, any organisation should be judged on totality of circumstances and if any segment of the society is being benefited by their acts, the same should also be considered. We hope that the organisations will not indulge in any act of omission or commission which will be against the law of any country or against humanity.
Sikh Council of Religion and Education (SCORE)
Dr. Rajwant Singh, a prominent Sikh personality of USA, has been participating in Sikh Community Affairs since when he was in Dental School in year 1980. He has been associated with many organizations and was the first Sikh leader who was invited to the White House in 1993 by President Clinton. One of the organizations with which he is associated as the founder and the Chairman is the Sikh Council of Religion and Education (SCORE). This organization was founded in 1998, and based in Washington, it serves as a think tank and represents Sikhs in various forums and venues. It is dedicated to creating awareness of the Sikh religion and the Sikh people; promoting the positive role of Sikhs in America as well as globally; and upholding the values of religious freedom, civil rights, human dignity, justice, and nature preservation from the perspective of Sikhism. SCORE’s mission is to represent the Sikh viewpoint in public forums, interfaith discussions and throughout governmental agencies to promote community understanding and a just society for all. Inspired by the Sikh values, SCORE pursues harmony and mutual respect among different religious communities and people through interfaith dialogue and joint work in an increasingly diverse society.
This council is active not only in USA, but also in other countries. In India, it is active in communities with Sikh minorities to encourage their participation in society and the preservation of Sikh identity. The council also advocates for solidarity between faiths through interreligious dialogue.
Unique Service of Preparing Directories
While dealing with the subject of strengthening the Sikh community in foreign countries, the role of two dedicated Sikhs who started bringing out Directories for providing information to the people of Sikh community about others and linking them through the columns of the Directories, cannot be ignored. The first person in this regard is S. Nirpal Singh Shergil. A journalist from Ludhiana, who went to U.K. in 1996 where he not only studied, but also did his business and acted as overseas special correspondent for Ajeet Newspaper. He became popular when he brought out his first international Directory of prominent Indians, especially Punjabis, settled in various parts of the world. The 20th Edition of this Directory titled as “Indian Abroad and Punjab Impact” was released during this year. This edition is a special Canada edition. Regarding this edition, S. Shergil has elaborated its coverage in the editorial in the following words –
“The enhanced 20th edition of this international annual gives the readers direct access to thousands of well-established NRIs, Gurdwaras, Sikh organisations, and Punjabi NRIs worldwide. The listings range from businesses, media, law, immigration, education, health services, organisations and religious and cultural institutions. Details of Indian diplomatic missions throughout the world along with addresses of foreign missions in New Delhi and International telephone codes have also been added.
Additionally, this informative reference guide has investigative and analytical articles from established writers specialising in the Indian Diaspora including articles on subjects such as the significant development and growth of Punjabi newspapers as global Punjabi media since the establishment of the Ghadar newspaper, development of Punjabi businesses all over the world and the dominating role in various fields by Punjabi NRIs not only in their newly adopted countries but also in their motherland, India. This international directory of NRIs has been compiled to help promote and develop their businesses in India and abroad.”
As S. N.S. Shergil is a renowned journalist, and with his publications including special souvenirs and his lectures, particularly on Sikh related issues like importance of turban (he is worldwide campaigner for the Sikh turban), he has become an organisation in himself.
