Thank you for being with us on this journey. Let us stand together and stand for truth, compassion, kindness and tolerance. Let us serve together side by side.
Please be generous as you donate to SikhNet this year. All gifts come from the Guru, and some of them flow through your heart and your hands.
Thank you.
Guru rakha.
Guruka Singh Khalsa
Chief Executive Officer, SikhNet, Inc.
Please take a few moments right now to support this mission of Light by giving a portion of your Dasvandh to SikhNet. We need to raise $350,000 by the end of the year in order to fund SikhNet’s growth, and to continue serving hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
On Nov. 17th 1995, Gurumustuk Singh posted the first web page, while still living with his parents in Brooklyn, New York. This web page was likely only seen by a small number of people in those early days of the “world wide web.” However it was the seed which later transformed into what we now know as “SikhNet” - which is a lighthouse for millions of people.
SikhNet has become an integral part of the life of so many Sikh families. We look forward to seeing what the next 20 years will bring. Our service only happens because people like YOU give and support the work that Guru has blessed us to do. This year, please give generously. Sharing your Dasvandh with SikhNet will help us reach and serve even more people into the future.
The below screen capture is the web page "Spirituality And Life" that led to SikhNet. Learn More
In the Guru’s court we exist as one family, and the purpose of family is to support each other, listen to each other and take care of one another.
In 2015, we all saw a lot of urgent issues unfold in Punjab. In response to these issues, SikhNet helped galvanize the worldwide Sikh community through two initiatives.
Working with the Chardi Kalaa Foundation and the Sikh Gurdwara in San Jose, California, SikhNet promoted and participated in the 4th Annual Siri Guru Granth Sahib Conference which took place on September 19, 2015. This conference focused on the Timeless, Universal Message of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Over 300 people attended this educational conference with video available online for the worldwide Sikh community. Click here to view videos of the presentations.
This extraordinary event brought together over 10,000 people from various faith traditions to dialogue about critical issues facing the world today. SikhNet participated in the Parliament, documenting the Sikh presence there with unique photos, interviews and stories.
Gurumustuk Singh joined in the the annual Guru Gaddi Divas Nagar Kirtan Celebrations in Yuba City, California where an estimated 80,000 people came to participate in one of the largest gatherings of Sikhs in the USA. Gurumustuk Singh was invited to participate in the Sikh Conference as part of the weekend events. He shared a message of Universal Sikh Values and how Sikhi is spreading to all corners of the world along with suggestions on how to support the youth.
SikhNet’s Harijot Singh was invited to a camp near Brampton, Canada hosted by the local Sikh Youth Federation. Thanks to Jasdeep Singh along with SYF organizers like Gurjiwan Singh, Harijot Singh presented and served this blessed camp of young adults. Later in the summer, thanks to Sangeet Kaur and camp organizers like Bhupinder Singh, he also attended a Sikhi camp in Bradford UK, followed by another camp with over 200 children at the Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Harijot Singh said, “What I remember from these camps is the spirit of the young kids and the understanding that they are only young now. They will be important people in the future. God bless the children.”
One of the most important projects that SikhNet produced this year was the original short film KAUR. kaur.sikhnet.com.
In honor of International Women’s Day, SikhNet released this all-original animation, retelling the story of Mai Bhago through the eyes of a modern Sikh girl, Saibhang Kaur, who struggles with bullies at school. Over a hundred thousand people downloaded the video or watched it online. KAUR also aired on Sikh Channel and Sangat TV.
Volunteers translated the animation, so KAUR launched with subtitles in multiple languages, including Punjabi, Hindi, Chinese and Spanish.
The feedback we received about the animation was phenomenal. Young children wanted to watch it over and over again. Girls told their parents that they wanted to become Mai Bhago when they grow up. Teachers of Khalsa schools wrote and told us they showed the animation to their classes and used it to teach about gender equality and Sikh history. KAUR had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the minds and imagination of those who saw it. Even people who are not Sikhs watched the animation with their families and felt inspired.
It took years of work to produce KAUR, and this project could not have happened without YOUR support. We would like to especially honor the anonymous donor who provided the seed funding to begin this animation project some years ago.
What Impact Did the KAUR Film Have?
The Inspiration Behind KAUR
The Gurbani Media Center on SikhNet is without a doubt the most popular service we offer. This year, more people than ever accessed this incredible online library of Gurbani kirtan and katha. Our free Gurbani Media Center smartphone apps have made this resource available to Sikhs around the world. Over 56,000 people downloaded the GMC App so far in 2015. These apps allow tens of thousands of people to stream the Guru’s kirtan, right at their fingertips.
SikhNet continued to produce Inspiration Videos this year, and also did interviews with notable Sikhs while on the road. Besides the ever-popular videos with Guruka Singh, SikhNet recorded video interviews with Bhai Sukha Singh, Jagmeet Singh, who is an MPP in Ontario Canada, and artists Rupi Kaur and Kirn Rai Kaur. Future videos will feature Baljit Singh from Basics of Sikhi, Giani Sukha Singh (Sikh Helpline & SNA), Harbinder Singh Rana (Sikh historian) and Harjinder Singh Lallie (Kirtan professor.) Creating original, inspiring content created by Sikhs helps to protect the Sikh identity and document the good work that Sikhs continue to do in the world. This work is possible only possible because of you.
Resisting the Razor originally published on KaurLife
Mai Bhago - The Story You Know vs. The Story You’ll Hear
Sikh Taxi Driver Responds to Racism Like a Hero
Harman Singh Receives a Big Surprise
Sir Ben Kingsley Praises Sikhs on Tonight Show
Three Tips to Improve your Gurbani Pronunciation
The REAL founder of the Indian National Army [INA] - Giani Pritam Singh Ji Dhillon
Mixed Marriages in Our Gurdwaras
Anita Rani Learns of Shocking Family History
Sikhs Set Up Langar In ISIS Territory Syria
Navneet Singh Bains: New Minister of innovation, Science and Economic Development
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In 2015 SikhNet celebrated its 10th year of hosting the Sikh Youth Online Film Festival. The theme for the festival was Sikhs - Agents of Change.
Over the years, we have received ever more submissions from the Sikh youth in India. They do a fantastic job creating original, inspiring Sikh films in Punjabi. If you have not yet had a chance to see this year’s movies, you can watch them here: SikhNet.com/FilmFestival
View the winning films.
Special thanks to the MBSK Foundation for sponsoring this year’s SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival.
Remember, your donation to SikhNet funds a powerful and effective global initiative for the world-wide Sikh community. Your money helps Sikhs in so many different countries maintain a spiritual connection to their faith, their history and their roots.
In last year’s Annual Report, we talked about SikhNet getting ready to make a quantum leap. Our 2014 SikhNet user survey gave us a lot of valuable data about what you, our end user, care about most. Even though it may not be visible on the surface of the SikhNet website this year, we have focused on creating the blueprints for SikhNet’s reinvention and updating our infrastructure to support our new design. Some projects simply take time to think through and research, and we definitely want to get this reinvention right! When SikhNet launches its new interface, we want you to feel excited about it.
Here at SikhNet, we recognize that every single donation which comes to us, belongs to the Guru and is to be used for the Guru’s work. In 2015, we continued to implement a much more sophisticated accounting and donor management system. This back-end system gives us a more precise way to track expenses across various projects. It also allows us to serve you, our donor, even better. These types of projects remain pretty much invisible to the SikhNet audience, yet they do take time, expertise, and money to implement, providing a foundation for SikhNet’s growth into the future.
Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs from so many different countries receive inspiration and hope from the services provided by SikhNet. In a world filled with so much pain and darkness, the Guru’s Light is shining online. But none of this is possible without YOU. Your generous support gives Sikhs around the world an open, tolerant forum to experience the beauty and grace of the Sikh tradition; and to find peace and the Divine within themselves. Help SikhNet grow into our next 20 years. Please give generously today.
Please take a few moments right now to support the work that SikhNet is blessed to do by giving a portion of your Dasvandh to SikhNet. We need to raise $350,000 by the end of the year to keep SikhNet 'on the air' and serving the cyber-sangat.
If you come to SikhNet regularly, consider becoming a monthly donor. Thank you.
SikhNet, Inc is a tax-exempt IRS registered 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization.