Exploring the Feminine Voice in Bani

SikhRI connects people with the teachings of Sikhi and strengthens the bonds of the Sikh community around the world by offering courses and seminars in a variety of mediums.

Sukhmann Kaur graduated from the University of Washington with a MA in International Studies: South Asia and a graduate certificate in Feminist Studies. She also holds a BA in History with a Minor in Ethnic Studies from Central Washington University.

She is passionate about learning, public scholarship, and making knowledge more accessible to broader audiences. When she's not sewing, Sukhmann enjoys reading all genres of literature and listening to podcasts.

She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Gender and Women Studies and produce knowledge on, by, and for women like her.

Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh is a Crawford Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Colby College in the United States. Her interests are centered around poetics and feminist issues.

Born in India, she originally came to America to attend Stuart Hall, a Girls’ Preparatory school in Virginia, USA. She then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, a Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. from Temple University. She is the Vice-President ΦBK, Beta Chapter of Maine.

Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh has served on the editorial board of several journals including the History of Religions, the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and Sikh Formations.

She has lectured widely in North America, England, France, India, and Singapore, and her presentations have aired on television and radio in America, Canada, Bangladesh, Australia, Ireland and India.

She has published extensively in the field of Sikh studies.

Manvinder Kaur Gill is a researcher and social worker whose work is centred on culture, colonialism, and health. She holds a BSc. and a BA (hons.) from the University of Winnipeg. Her MA thesis in religious studies from McMaster University explored the relationship between alcohol and Sikhi. She has held research fellowships at Delhi University and the University of Victoria. She recently completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto where she held a SSHRC scholarship and research assistantship on a project titled “Border(ing) Practices: Systemic Racism, Immigration, and Child Welfare.” Manvinder has clinical experience working with children and families, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and immigrant and refugee communities.

She is the co-founder of Asra: The Punjabi Alcohol Resource (asranow.ca), a youth-led grassroots initiative bringing her research into practice through knowledge translation and peer support for Punjabi-speaking communities. She currently works in Punjab, India as a research associate for MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab on a project centered on improving opioid addiction prevention protocols in Punjabi high schools in collaboration with the Government of Punjab and UC Berkeley.