From Stigma to Support: Changing the Conversations on Mental Health

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.

Amandeep Sandhu was born in Rourkela, Odisha. He completed his Master’s in English Literature from the University of Hyderabad. He worked as a journalist and later as a technical writer.

His first two books were autobiographical fiction: Sepia Leaves (2008) and Roll of Honour (2012). For the past few years, he has written for the media and contributed to anthologies. Panjab: Journeys through Fault Lines is his first non-fiction book.

He was a Homi Bhabha Fellow and currently is a New India Foundation fellow, working on a book on Sikhs outside Panjab but within India.

Santbir Singh is a Research Associate with SikhRI. He is currently doing his Ph.D. in Sociology at York University. His graduate research focuses on Sikh activism and the inherent relationship between Sikhi and anarchism explored through historical and contemporary study of Sikh governance models, especially the Sarbat Khalsa.

Santbir Singh has served as an educator and activist in the Sikh community for over two decades. He continues to cultivate a deeper relationship with Sabad Guru while focusing on Sikh inspirations for social activism, feminism, and decolonization through a multifaceted critical analysis using different schools of thought and tradition.

Santbir Singh is a facilitator at Sidak and an alumnus of Sidak 2012. He lives on Wendat, Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, Hiawatha, Alderville & Métis Territory on Williams Treaties land (colonially known as Toronto), Canada, with his wonderful wife, incredible children, and wild dog.

Tejal Kaur is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and the founder of graymatters medical practice, an integrative mental health practice in NYC. She trains cohorts of nurse practitioners, social workers, and students to provide mental health services grounded in the ideals of Sikhi, where care is an act of seva and every patient is met with dignity.

Prior to founding graymatters, she trained as a clinical fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Columbia University. As an Assistant Professor on the faculty at Columbia, she conducted translational research in cognitive neuroscience, mentored trainees, and contributed to leading journals and psychiatry textbooks.