Sikh Dharma Joins the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Sikh Foundation

Group Photo

The Sikh Foundation was established in 1967 to promote and preserve Sikh art, heritage, education, culture, and religion. Since its beginning, the Sikh Foundation has done amazing work.  Their list of accomplishments includes a long tradition of supporting museum exhibits about Sikhs around the world and sponsoring Sikh Studies in American universities.

May 5th was their 50th Anniversary Golden Gala and Sikh Dharma International joyfully participated in the festivities honoring the work of the Sikh Foundation and their Trustee and Founder Dr. Narinder Kapany, the father of fiber optics, who was the inspiration behind 50 years of seva and service.  It was a beautiful evening at the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco beginning with a viewing of the Art Exhibit “Saints and Kings” from the Kapany Collection, followed by a beautiful reception and fine dining with inspiring global Sikh leaders.  Distinguished guests included the Honorable Harjit Singh Sajjan, Minister of National Defense of Canada, Honorable Tarlochan Singh, Ex Minister of Parliament, India and five women honored with the Nirbhau Award in recognition of their service to the community: Dr. Nikky G.K. Singh (Author), Arpana Caur (Artist), Valarie Kaur (Activist), Anarkali Kaur Honaryar (Senator Afghanistan), Susan Stronge (Curator).

Attending from Sikh Dharma was Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, Bhai Sahiba of Sikh Dharma, and her son Kulbir Singh and daughter Kamaljit Kaur; SS Gurujodha Singh Khalsa, President of Siri Singh Sahib Corporation; SS Dr. Harjot Kaur Singh, Chairperson of the International Khalsa Council; MSS Kirtan Singh Khalsa, Chairman of Sikh Dharma International; SS Sada Sat Simran Singh Khalsa, Director Dharmic Office of Public Affairs; and SS Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa, CTO and Founder of SikhNet and Hargobind Singh Khalsa who played tabla with Professor Surinder Singh. Dr. Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa also attended with Sikh Dharma, representing Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

The weekend continued with a conference at Stanford University – “Advancing Sikhs through Education.” Dr. Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa presented the topic “Learning through Experience: Teaching Sikh Practices in a Catholic University,” presenting the benefits of “engaged learning.” She narrated her first-hand experience of teaching Sikhism to students who have had no previous understanding and the process of evolving their views from tolerance towards mutual respect and understanding.  Dr. Harjot Kaur presented “Public Service: Role Models for Change,” an engaging presentation about the seva role of Sikh Dharma International around the world and her own interfaith work as a champion for “religious literacy” in Canada. Click here to view a PowerPoint of her presentation.

Sikh Dharma expresses our sincere gratitude for the work of the Sikh Foundation and to all the sevadars who made the Gala and the conference a resounding success!

Here is a slideshow of photos from the event:

 


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