Deep Roots New Heights
A Message From the CEO
Waheguru ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji Ki Fateh!
The seeds that got planted 26 years ago have created deep roots in our global sangat. Roots that reach from South America to Australia, from the United Arab Emirates to Japan, from Canada to India – and everywhere in between.
And – all of this happened because of your generous support over the years.
With Gurumustuk Singh’s departure, one chapter for SikhNet has closed but another one has just begun. As SikhNet’s Interim Executive Director, I am committed to protecting and nurturing the precious work that SikhNet does every day.
Today, nearly one million people visit SikhNet each month through our website and apps. Our plan is to double our reach within the next 3-5 years, as we develop more original content and share more avenues for Sikh authors, musicians and artists to express themselves through this platform. With your continued support, SikhNet will keep and expand its ranking as one of the leading online sources of Sikh inspiration for everyday life.
Please peruse our Annual Report to see what you have helped make happen!
Thank you for all you have done to keep SikhNet growing and thriving for 26 years. With the grace and blessings of the Guru, YOU help make our work possible.
Ek Ong Kaar Khalsa Michaud
Executive Director, SikhNet, Inc.
Over the years, SikhNet has grown deep roots in the world because of YOUR seva, YOUR Dasvandh, YOUR donations! Please help us reach our fundraising goal this year, as we continue the legacy and take SikhNet to new heights.
Your Donations at Work
Lives touched: 8 million
8+ million people come to the website every year
Livestream of events and celebrations around the world.
Your Donations at Work
Lives touched: 8 million
8+ million people come to the website every year
Darbar-e-Khalsa
A live stream event in celebration of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Prakash.
Virtual Vaisakhi Kirtan Darbar 2022
Livestream of events and celebrations around the world in collaboration with the Sikh Community of Southern California.
GURBANI MEDIA CENTER
Your Donations at Work
Fund the ongoing upkeep, maintenance and improvement of the Gurbani Media Center.
Lives touched: 1.7 million
People tune in to the GMC every year, including Curated content, SikhNet Radio, podcasts and Katha for over 10 million sessions.
In 2022 over 50,000 people downloaded the GMC app. 2 million people used the website version of the GMC (Approx 330,000 people per month). 17 Million Gurbani audio tracks were played by our Sangat.
Many of you write to us and tell us how important the Gurbani Media Center is to your life. One user wrote and said
“There is no local sangat, no Gurdwara, no people like me where I live. This (GMC) is the primary source of my media for my spiritual life.”
For nearly two decades, SikhNet has quietly focused on creating one of the largest online collections of Gurbani Kirtan, Nitnem, Akhand Paths, mantra and katha in the world. It takes a team of people to maintain this service for the global community. We do this without charging for use of the Gurbani Media Center and without selling any advertising.
Your donations make this possible.
Audience Served
In 2022, 2 million people searched for Gurbani Kirtan online and landed on the SikhNet Gurbani Media Center. The GMC currently has nearly 37,000 tracks yet there were 17 million “plays” of those tracks this year. Our Gurbani Media Center App continues to grow, with over 50,000 unique downloads of the app this year alone.
Diamonds of Eternity: 6 Volume Series
One of our most important accomplishments this year was the publication of an archival series titled Diamonds of Eternity. The project began when we discovered a box of old cassette tapes. Some of these tapes dated back to the 1970’s and had live recordings of ragis who are no longer on the earthly plane.
Our Content Manager, Jagjeevan Singh, went through these tapes and selected the artists and tracks for this series. He digitized and re-mastered the live recordings. The result was a beautiful, precious and unique series of albums that SikhNet released over a six month period.
The artists featured in the Diamonds of Eternity series include:
- Volume 1: Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharan Singh
- Volume 2: Bhai Gurmail Singh (Amritsar)
- Volume 3: Bhai Surjit Singh (Amritsar)
- Volume 4: Bhai Harbans Singh
- Volume 5: Bhai Sadhu Singh
- Volume 6: Bhai Baldev Singh
Tens of thousands of people have enjoyed these “new” old recordings to date. Because of the nature of the Gurbani Media Center, people will have access to these recordings for many years to come.
If you have not had a chance to listen to these albums, please take some time to do so. They are special gems that will soothe your mind and uplift your spirit.
You can also enjoy a few tracks from these albums as Gurbani Music Videos.
play.sikhnet.com — coming February of 2023
In addition to producing the Diamonds of Eternity series, this year our team was hard at work on the next incarnation of the Gurbani Media Center: play.sikhnet.com.
What is play.sikhnet.com? It’s a new platform for the Gurbani Media Center guaranteed to be:
- Faster
- More streamlined and attractive
- More supportive of the artists
- More interactive than ever before
We won’t be ready to unveil this next version of the Gurbani Media Center until early 2023. But here is a sneak preview.
Faster
You can expect a more responsive system when it comes to loading and playing audio tracks.
More Streamlined & Attractive
Our new user interface will be a joy to interact with online.
More Supportive of the Artists
When kirtanyees play in Gurdwara, they never ask for anything except the Guru’s blessing. Yet sometimes members of the sangat will make donations directly to the ragis to support their beautiful seva.
Our next incarnation of the GMC takes this approach and adapts it for an online environment. Artists will have a chance to share more information about themselves through their artist pages – whether it be social media links or a link to their patreon account where sangat can donate directly to them, helping to support their music.
In this day and age when streaming music is everywhere, it’s important for us at SikhNet to give a way for the artists to connect with and be supported by the people who listen to their music. We hope this model will inspire more artists to share their kirtan through the Gurbani Media Center.
More Interactive Than Ever Before
You have told us for years some of the features that we need to add to the Gurbani Media Center and WE LISTENED. Starting in February and continuing throughout 2023, we will add exciting new features to the Gurbani Media Center based on your requests – such as sharing artists and albums with others, searching by any line in a shabad, and synching playlists and search history across multiple devices.
Developing new features and adding them to the Gurbani Media Center takes a lot of time. We have a small development team who do heroic work to keep these services functioning smoothly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Yet because of your generous and continued support, SikhNet can take the time to invest in the future of these services. To be strategic and build the next incarnation of the Gurbani Media Center – something that can serve the future generations.
Diamonds of Eternity: Gurbani Classics
Live Gurbani Classics – Digitized for the FIRST time
This six-volume collection, featuring rare and precious, live Gurbani recordings from the 70’s–90’s, has been carefully selected from the SikhNet archives by our dedicated team. Each recording has been enhanced in sound quality, and digitized for preservation.
Travel back in time with us and imagine you are sitting with the sangat of bygone years, while you listen to these beautiful Gurbani Shabads from legends such as Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharan Singh and other eminent ragis of their time including Bhai Gurmail Singh, Bhai Surjit Singh, Bhai Harbans Singh, Bhai Sadhu Singh and Bhai Baldev Singh.
Thank you thank you thank you… this is the best, most awesome creation, remedy for all ailments, soothing balm, truth and guide.. I have no words to express my gratitude. Thank you most humbly.. I have reconnected with my Guru..
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!!!
Share Your Original Music on the Gurbani Media Center
Now you can once again upload your original tracks directly to SikhNet’s Gurbani Media Center.
SikhNet offers a safe and easy way for you to share your own Gurbani kirtan recordings with friends, family and loved ones.
Many people play kirtan for their local communities without ever recording a music album. Other people create professional recordings but may struggle with how to market them.
In 2022, we re-introduced the ability for sangat members to upload their own Gurbani Kirtan recordings directly to the Gurbani Media Center. This wonderful and unique service gives kirtanyees a chance to share their music with the global community and to inspire each other.
Your donations make services like this possible.
Try it for yourself! Create an account at “My Gurbani Center”, agree to the terms and conditions, and upload your music. It’s that simple!
SikhNet Radio
Listen to Gurbani Live from Gurdwaras around the World
All Gurdwaras are invited to contact SikhNet to have their broadcasts included in the SikhNet Radio Channels. Get in touch.
Downloads & Users
SIKHNET LEARNING CENTER
Your Donations at Work
Fund the creation of courses and webinars serving the Sikh panth around the world. This area has funds slated for growth in the next 1-3 years.
Lives touched: 13,900
12,000 are enrolled in courses, 1,100+ enrolled in live webinars, 800+ watched replays.
Over 12,000 students are enrolled in SikhNet Learning Center courses.
The last couple of years have been very difficult. COVID-19 has created a lot of personal loss in many people’s lives. The turmoil of global political and economic affairs have also created a lot of challenges.
Grief is a real and present companion for so many today.
In order to give people tools to cope with grief, SikhNet introduced a special, self-paced, six part series titled Normalizing Grief with Sikh Chaplain, AmarAtma Singh Khalsa.
AmarAtma Singh is a Board Certified Chaplain, Ordained Sikh Dharma Minister and Grief Coach. He created this mini-series especially for SikhNet. The online course is divided into 6 episodes, each one dedicated to a key topic — from our attitude to emotion as an individual and society, to the many myths that pervade our culture with regards to grief and how those myths or beliefs can actually limit our ability or the ability of others to support us in the process.
The aim of this mini-series is to give people the opportunity to look at grief from an empowered perspective. In this way, as people face loss now or in the future, they will feel better equipped to go through the grief process with loving care.
Grief is something that every person will experience multiple times in their lives. Online courses like this, which provide emotional tools rooted in an understanding of Gurbani, serve the global community for years to come.
What our students are saying…
Honestly, I received my first exposure to the notion of “grief” as anything more than a word. It’s like I’ve been driving aimlessly and someone very kindly and calmly offered me a map. I deeply appreciated the presenter’s multi-facted multi-disciplinary knowledge and facility, and the incredibly basic and pragmatic nature of the information.
I had never thought about how not addressing loss of grief can turn into addictions and mental health over time, so that was new learning for me and I feel that I am just scratching the surface when it comes to learning about the process of grieving.
Courses & Enrollment
Deepening Your Personal Relationship with the Guru
Enrolled: 2,696
Finding Peace: Healing Trauma and Loss
Enrolled: 1,272
The Universe is Your University
Enrolled: 1,810
Enrolled: 2,631
Enrolled: 1,775
Enrolled: 340
Enrolled: 310
Enrolled: 267
SIKHNET STORIES
Your Donations at Work
Fund animation work on existing stories and the creation of new stories.
Lives touched: 662,000+
600,000+ views each year and growing; 62,000+ app downloads
Stories are one of our most popular services. We are often humbled by hearing the effect they have on people, especially children, many of whom listen every day and memorize the words of their favorite stories. In 2021-2022, SikhNet produced 6 animations, 1 audio story and 2 animated video books.
9 New Stories
Audio Stories
Animated Story Books
SikhNet and Brave Lion Books present two new Storybook Animations!
My daughter listens to them (SikhNet stories) on our iPad for literally hours during this isolation period and it’s been a savior for me that she has something to entertain her that doesn’t make me feel guilty about. She absorbs it all and starts conversations about deep meaningful things with me because of the things these stories make her think about.
Stories User Statistics
- Youtube Lifetime Views – 2 Million+
- Youtube 2021-2022 Views – 600,000+
- Facebook Lifetime Views – 7 Million+
- Facebook 2021-2022 Views – 300,000+
- Total Lifetime Views – 9 Million+
- Total 2021-2022 Views – 1 Million+
SikhNet Stories for Children Podcast
Listen to your favorite kids stories via Podcasts. They are available on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Google Podcasts and Spotify. You can also listen on the Gurbani Media Center.
The SikhNet News
Your Donations at Work
Fund upkeep and maintenance of the news area. This area is funded for expansion in the next 1-3 years
Lives touched: 1 million+
Over 1 Million People from 50+ countries read the articles and news stories that SikhNet share on a regular basis
Over 1 Million People from 50+ countries read the articles and news stories that SikhNet shares on a regular basis.
From its inception, SikhNet has focused on creating a safe, inclusive online space for people to experience the Guru’s wisdom in ways that make their everyday lives better.
As the rules of the Internet continue to change, SikhNet must keep evolving our model. Our goal is to be viewed as the most authoritative online source for original content on the Sikh way of life.
We live to inspire. That purpose drives us forward. Besides what we have already described above, here is a summary of the Inspirational Media that SikhNet created in 2022.
Inspirational Articles
This year, we made a decision to focus on original articles. From this point forward, new articles published on SikhNet will mainly be available only on SikhNet. Our wonderful volunteer contributors focus on Sikh history, philosophy, art and current events.
We are especially grateful that Sardar Tarlochan Singh,Ex-M.P. and Former Chairman of The National Commission Minorities of India, contributed columns to SikhNet this year. His writing offers a fascinating first-person account of historical events, as they unfolded.
An example:
https://www.sikhnet.com/news/reminising-dramatic-moment-when-pundit-nehru-was-shouted-down
Here are a few of our other contributors whose unique articles help make Sikhnet an invaluable resource for the global community. These are just a sample of the wonderful original writers who volunteer their time and wisdom.
A Nottingham (UK) based amateur historian with a keen interest in Punjab and Sikh history.
A US based Sikh historian, author and philosopher.
A native of Kashmir, Independent historian, poet, Journalist.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at Trinity University and Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition.
I live here in the south west of England where Sikh Dharma hardly exists. Sikh Net IS my sangat and lifeline, and I value all articles, news and information relating to all things Sikhi.
Daily Hukamnama
Your Donations at Work
Fund the Daily Hukamnama
Lives touched: 50,000+
Over 50,000 people from all over the world receive the Daily Hukamnama from the Sri Harimandir Sahib daily.
Every day over 50,000+ people receive inspiration from the Daily Hukamnama from Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar, delivered via our website, on Facebook, Twitter, via email or through the Daily Hukamnama smartphone app, and even by a telephone call.
Thank you so much for Daily Hukamnama. I’m suffering from depression, but when I read this I feel god teach me. Thank you so much.
Inspirational Videos
Your Donations at Work
Fund the creation of inspirations videos. This area is funded for changes in the next 1-3 years.
Lives touched: 21 million+
Over 21 million views and climbing on YouTube; over 120,000 subscribers.
Our YouTube Channel is a powerful way we reach, inform and inspire our global sangat. SikhNet was one of the first organizations out there making videos for Sikhs across the globe.
Since 2006 we have produced close to 900 videos which have nearly 25 million views!
In December of this year, we have a very special surprise. SikhNet will launch the first episode of a new six-episode video series featuring one of SikhNet’s founders, the beloved Guruka Singh Khalsa. Keep an eye out!
SikhNet is also diving into the next generation of video content with our cool new TikTok channel! This channel is just beginning so become a follower and share your short videos with us.
SIKHI WIKI
With almost 6,300 articles on Sikhism, the Sikh people and their culture and over five million users, SikhiWiki.org remains the top research and resource site for Sikhs on the Web. Since it is a WIKI, anyone can contribute and/or edit information on SikhiWiki. Our moderator, Hari Singh oversees all SikhiWiki articles.
Users & Visits
Total Users – 2 Million+
Total Pageviews – 5 Million+
Total Sessions – 3.5 Million+
Top 5 Countries (Total Sessions)
- India – 1.7 Million
- Canada – 500,000+
- UK – 400,000+
- US – 400,000+
- Australia – 100,000+
VISITS & PAGE VIEWS
VISITS BY COUNTRY
LEARNING CENTER
SOCIAL MEDIA
APPS
Gurbani Media Center, Daily Hukamnama & Kids’ Stories
INCOME
Total Grants Collected, but moved into Unearned: (Future Projects)
Total Grants $330,400 moved into Unearned
(grants for future projects)
Total other Income & Expenses: Net loss $4,838 0.5%
Loss from Investments -$23,992
Currency Exchange $19,149
EXPENSES
At SikhNet, our job is to serve. We serve the worldwide Panth 24/7/365. We are here for you! Your donations support our work, and we are very thankful.
Will you take a moment now to support SikhNet? Our goal is to raise $500,000 this year. This covers our core work within expanded areas with additional team members producing even more content for our global sangat. To help even more, please become a sustaining donor!
We are grateful to serve you!
SikhNet, Inc is a tax-exempt IRS registered 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization.