A Spotlight on Brown University’s Sikh Student Association
By Nadhri Kaur
As I researched college Sikh Student Associations (SSAs) to write this article, one particularly stood out to me- Brown University’s SSA. This SSA seemed to be a vibrant community of students with a range of objectives, with their webpage stating that they “seek to cultivate a sangat, or community at Brown by providing a space for people who share a connection to Sikhi to bond; discuss topic issues about Sikh populations across the globe; learn about Sikh history; join in prayer; and celebrate major holidays”. The organization plays an essential role in creating a place for discussion around Sikhi, which was evident to me through my research of the organization in addition to the interview I conducted with Gurpartap Singh. Gurpartap Singh, a junior at Brown University studying Computer Science and Political Science, is an active member of the SSA who does the administration work that keeps Brown’s SSA a club. Gurpartap Singh shared insights on his experiences with the group and the significance of having such a space on campus.
Singh is from Queens, New York, specifically Richmond Hill. Before college, he lived around two blocks from the gurdwara. Because of his proximity to the gurdwara, community became essential for him. He decided to join Brown’s SSA to connect with the Sangat at Brown. “A sangat is something I knew I would need, especially because I knew I would miss home. Sangat is emphasized so much in Gurbani. That’s what I was hoping the SSA would be,” Singh stated. “I found them at the Club Fair, and I signed up. It’s just been great after that.”
Since the SSA at Brown is young, the club is in the stages of exploring and finding its direction. In the past, the club would primarily focus on hosting events for Vaisakhi or a Gurpurab, and have meetings discussing current issues or 1984. Moving forward, the SSA plans on having either weekly or biweekly meetings to do a Gurbani study or a Sikh book club. The goal of this is to engage in the resources firsthand and to eliminate the middleman. “We’re trying to explore what Sikhi means to each of us and learn from each other,” Singh stated. The organization also hosts movie and documentary screenings, and casual get-togethers where members connect over their individual journeys and learn about Sikh history.
One objective of Brown’s SSA is to provide a place for students to celebrate Sikh holidays together. Generally, this is done by presenting slides related to the holiday. Often, the SSA collaborates with other groups on campus; for example, they spoke about Bandi Chhor Divas at a Diwali event. Members also answer discussion questions together and have langar when the budget allows.
Singh stated that the largest event that Brown’s SSA participates in is NESSA, or New England Sikh Student Assembly, which Brown’s SSA hosted in 2023. In addition to Brown, many SSAs participate in NESSA, some being Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, and Northeastern University. Singh stated that a goal of NESSA is to guide people into thinking critically and engaging with Gurbani in more intimate ways. Through NESSA, the SSA analyzes dense topics such as the kirpan and patshahi. NESSA hosts a variety of speakers, from educators to influencers. The array of events- including kirtan nights and workshops- allows students to engage with Sikhi, learn, and reflect. “One of the workshops we had at NESSA this past spring was my favorite memory from being in the SSA. It was about Patshahi. We had speakers from the Sikh Research Institute, Daman and Jasleen. They’re just great speakers with great personalities. They also grew up and went to college here, so they knew how to talk to us as college students and make us think critically. We translated Gurbani, so we gained that intimate connection with Gurbani, which has to be one of my favorite memories.” Singh shared.
Although the SSA has been able to host and participate in a variety of events, they faced some unexpected challenges. Even though this year, around 10 new people showed up for the first meeting, in the past, they only gained around two new members each year. The small number of members resulted in a lower budget, which has posed challenges. Regardless of this, the organization has been able to serve the local Providence area and do seva, one of its objectives. On Sundays, an organization called Food Not Bombs provides meals to the homeless community and those in need in downtown Providence as a way to do seva. A few times, the SSA has provided this organization with food by going to the gurdwara and bringing langar. “The SSA always finds ways to provide,” Singh stated.
Singh also stated that being a member of the SSA has influenced his college experience by giving him the responsibility of representing Sikhi, on top of the responsibilities of organizing events such as NESSA. “I find other people bringing up Sikhi to me and asking questions,” Singh stated. “I’ve had friends speak to me about Sikhi and spirituality, and what divinity means. My personal relationships have reached other levels.” The SSA also helps students stay connected to their Sikh identity while at college. “The small, simple influence of Sangat. Someone in the SSA might ask me what Sikhi says about a certain topic, and I’ll tell them that I don’t know. But I’ll go ahead and continue research and find out more for myself. I stay close to my Sikhi that way, by always engaging with Sikhi through the SSA.” Singh added.
“You don’t realize how valuable something is until it’s missing from your life,” Singh stated. “I have a community to talk about difficult topics, not just Sikhi- but also what’s going on in my life. I feel like everyone in the SSA has grown in one way or the other, and that’s a direct impact of the Sangat we created here.” Singh feels that the importance of SSAs in schools is shown in how college is the first time that many students are independent and out in the world. He feels that SSAs are a place for students to find guidance and an open-minded and non-judgmental community who they can create personal relationships with. “Life bogs us down; it distracts us. If we can find other people to help us get through those moments, then we can focus on moving beyond our ego and embracing the beloved.”
The SSA, though still relatively young, is rapidly evolving, with changing goals and different aspects being accentuated. Members are exploring how to best manage and organize the club. “This year, we are trying to emphasize the exploration of Naam and Simran, which will probably be at the center of our meetings going forward,” Singh stated. “The SSA here at Brown is very young. I came and joined two years ago, and it was only active for half a year at that point. We’re exploring and figuring things out.” In addition to this, the SSA plans on creating events and engaging with other religious/interfaith student groups on campus, which has been on the agenda for a while. “It is a little difficult to organize with all of the other religious groups, but we have talked about this with the chaplain's office here, hoping for some guidance on how to do that,” Singh stated. In the beginning, the group had a very rigidly structured e-board. Moving forward, the group hopes to make decisions more as a community and embrace communal planning. Through this, anyone can contribute and initiate something. This helps ensure that everyone has an equal voice.
“The primary goal is to create sangat and learn together,” Singh stated. He described the SSA as an “open-minded safe space for discussions of all sorts”. He explained that the SSA plays a crucial role in how Sikhs are represented at Brown in the broader campus community, stating that the organization shows others who Sikhs are and what they stand for. The SSA hosted a crash course on Sikhi, and half of the room was non-Sikh students. Non-Sikh students can engage with the SSA and learn about Sikhi by showing up to events, which are open to all, not just Sikh students. “The best way for non-Sikh students to engage is to show up at our events. It’s an open space for all.”
“The advice I’d give incoming Sikh students at Brown is to join. We truly are trying to cultivate intimate relationships with each other and Gurbani, and help each other transcend and move towards the beloved,” Singh advised. “If that’s something you strive for, I recommend you join the SSA.” Members agree that joining the SSA has helped them connect to Sikhi, and has given them many fulfilling and meaningful experiences. “At the SSA, it’s not just ‘community’ in the sense of people, it’s also the hospitality that we find in the Sikh community,” Singh stated. “If you love cha, this is the SSA for you. We love making cha for each other! At the end of the meeting, we asked who likes cha, and everyone’s hand went up!”