To a lot of people around me, my Sikhi journey mirrors an abrupt, volcanic like occurrence.
But I know that Sikhi has come to me in waves.
Little waves crashing on the shore- reminders of the tide to come.
Having said that, it was a beautiful experience attending the ‘Sikhs in Academia’ conference on Saturday at the University of Warwick.
It made me reflect a lot on the power of Sangat (community)- seeing researchers from so many different disciplines with a shared interest and love for Sikhi was beautiful. Despite not coming from a Sikh background, the Sangat created such a safe space inviting people from all backgrounds to explore research, art and food (big S.O to whoever ordered the samosa chaat)!
To be a Sikh is to be a learner- a student for life. Isn’t that what makes a good researcher? I can’t think of a more beautiful way to begin the conference.
It was amazing to hear Prof Avtar Matharu share the practical examples of green chemistry, along with explanations of how it relates to Sikhi values of caring for our planet. It reminded me of my piece on the importance of storytelling in economics and why we need to decolonise the narrative of the circular economy.
This led to a discourse on the importance of creativity, to which Dr. Gurnam Singh responded by highlighting the mention of “Akaal Purakh” which refers to the Timeless being, and Creativity Personified. As a design thinker and soon-to-be author of a children’s book on creative confidence, this is a learning I will carry with me wherever I go.
One of my favorite bits was the importance of skills seva and the role of the seva in building social and cultural capital. Jesvir’s work on auto-ethnography really resonated with me. I was first introduced to the term by Nick Cherryman through this episode where they discuss their work on the Ethnography Circle at Warwick. It reminded me of my podcast where I talk to students about their lived experiences of the curriculum at Warwick, and how it contributed to them feeling seen or unseen; heard or unheard. My favorite episode (I’m biased) has been where I sat down with a group of women of colour from Warwick to talk about how their curriculum (across departments) contributes to their sense of belonging- or in some instances, not belonging) at Warwick.
I related to Kiran Trehan and all she said about the “stumbling” into academia. I never thought someone who looked like me would ever land into this game. I have my mentor Bo Kelestyn to thank for my induction into research.
Seeing Monica bring up her Bibi (grandmother) at the end of her presentation reminded me of my Nani and how she has been my North Star, in all the work I do.
My friend and colleague, Tony, has been telling me for a while now to add my Sikhi paintings to my website's artwork section, but I kept saying I didn't want to merge my personal life or faith with my website, which is my professional portfolio. My exact words were "I don't want it to be or look too religious." Coming back from the conference gave me more food for thought to reflect on Professor Simran Jeet Singh’s article which was about bringing your whole self and your faith to work. I am aware the artwork section isn't quite the definition of "work work" but to me, it is a sub-branch of it, and it made me really happy to spend my morning taking pictures of my paintings and uploading them there. I am referring to the first two paintings on the left if you wanted to take a look.
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