Dr. Harjot Kaur Singh

Transcription

1 Dr. Harjot Kaur Singh Candidate Statement Personal Information City & State/Country: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Name of Spouse: Not applicable Occupation: Family Physician Length of Participation in 3HO/Sikh Dharma: 38 years Ashram Communities lived in: Eugene, Oregon for 10 summers and one year consecutively. 3HO/Sikh Dharma Community Positions: - Chair, International Khalsa Council, Current - Board, Sikhnet, Non-voting member - Trustee, Siri Singh Sahib Corp, Initial Board - Siri Singh Sahib s Medical Team Kundalini Yoga Instructor, Gurdwara Guru Ram - Das Darbar, Calgary Questionnaire 1. Why do you feel called to serve on the SSSC Board? The reason that I felt called to serve on the initial SSSC Board was that for my 30+ years of being with the Siri Singh Sahib and with Sikh Dharma/3HO, it was very clear in my mind that the intention of having the businesses was so that the businesses could fund the future of the Dharma and this did not happen under the old UI leadership. The

2 reason I continue to feel called to serve on the SSSC Board is that I feel that there is still much work to be done from a governance perspective on setting the foundations for good governance for the future (to prevent the repeating of the past legal and unethical history with old UI as well as issues of conflict of interest). We need to deal with in our capacity as leaders within the Sikh Diaspora as we outreach and interface within the Sikh Panth. Given my background of experience with the Siri Singh Sahib as well as Sikh Dharma/3HO, along with my cultural background as a Punjabi Sikh, I feel I do have a unique perspective to bring to the board. 2. Considering the enormous responsibilities of serving on this Board, what relevant areas of experience and expertise qualify you for this position and will make you an asset to the board? I have several executive positions which I currently hold: - Convener, Sikh Youth Federation of Canada, Calgary, Alberta Branch, 1990 to present - Chair, Spiritual Care Advisory Committee, Alberta Health Services, Calgary 2007 to present - Sikh Representative, Women in Spirituality, Calgary, Alberta, 2000 to present - Chair, International Khalsa Council, Sept 2016 to Sept Trustee, Siri Singh Sahib Corp Board, 2012 to present - Board Member, Sikhnet, 2008 to present - Board Member, Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network, 2013 to present - Chair Sikh Advisory Committee, University of Calgary Faith and Spirituality Centre, 2015 to present - Board Member, Guru Amar Das Niwas Seniors Association, 2017 I do believe that the above positions have given me the experience and expertise to serve on the SSSC Board along with the fact that I am currently serving on the initial SSSC Board. 3. Please summarize your prior and current service to the Dharma in a leadership capacity. Living in an outpost such as Calgary where there were few 3HO Sikhs for a short time and then none, I represented 3HO/ Sikh Dharma here. In fact, in the early days, most Indian Sikhs were against yoga and the Siri Singh Sahib. In this difficult environment, I

3 tried to maintain and defend the principles of the Siri Singh Sahib. Within the Calgary Sikh community, I have had the opportunity to serve the Dharma via the Interfaith Community, lecturing to University classes, Catholic Ministers, and to Religious courses in public and secondary education on Sikhism. With support from the Siri Singh Sahib Ji, I was able to help defend the rights of the Sikh Children to wear the Kirpan in public Schools as I presented the case before the Calgary Public Board of Education in This right is still in existence today. I was also the keynote speaker at the Calgary Public Board of Education s Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day in The Sikh community of Calgary asked me to hold a university conference on Sikhism for students in celebration of the Tercentenary of the Khalsa in This was one of the few instances where all the Sikh Societies and Gurdwaras of Calgary threw their support behind me for this project and successful conferences were held in both 1999 and Within 3H0/ Sikh Dharma, I have taught in first 3 Japji courses in Espanola, the first 2 Jaap Sahib Courses, and Camp Miri Piri. I have also done videos for Sikhnet to educate and inspire the Sikh Youth worldwide. I have co-produced a documentary film By the Guru s Grace and was the creative Director in the project. In 2008, I was the only Canadian amongst 5 women to receive the Mai Bhago Spirit of Bhaisakhi Award in Los Angeles from Sikh Dharma International. I have fostered the 3H0/ Sikh Dharma experience in Calgary by teaching weekly yoga classes at the Gurdwara which continue even today, and holding Sikh youth events with Shanti Kaur, GuruJodha Singh, Guruka Singh, Gurutej Singh and Camp Miri Piri with Chardi Kala Jatha in Calgary. I was the Inaugural Lil Faider Scholar in Residence 2013 for a conservative Jewish Synagogue in Calgary. This was a year- long program of education of religious literacy along with monthly articles teaching their congregation about Sikhism. I have participated actively in the SSSC Board and have been part of the Diplomatic Tour for the preparations for the Sikh Dharma Yatra 350th Celebration of Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji s Birthday along with being part of the Leadership team for the Yatra. Currently, I have completed half of my term as Chair of the International Khalsa Council. I recently represented the Siri Singh Sahib s Legacy Organizations by speaking at the Sikh Foundation s 50th Anniversary Conference on Advancing Sikhs through Education.

4 4. Please describe how your personal Sadhana and spiritual discipline support your character, your standards and your integrity. It is my personal spiritual practice, wearing the Bana, and it is my personal spiritual sadhana, reciting and chanting the Bani, that has made me successful in my life. I was one of the first women in Calgary to wear a Turban and it was this challenge - to wear white Bana and practice my beliefs- that got me accepted to medical school. All during medical school and my residency training, I was known as the lady doctor in white and this acknowledgement and visibility has shaped my character, for I know that any action that I may take is highly visible to others and remembered by others. I believe it has helped to shape me in personally striving to maintain Khalsa consciousness in all that I do, say, or think. Being Amrit Dhari as well, I was challenged and am grateful to the Guru to be the first Amrit Dhari Physician graduating from a North American medical school as well. In midst of medical school, I did have to deal with the issue of Sikh Children wearing Kirpans to school and this issue, along with the publicity, highlighted my own practice. 5. Please describe your relationship with the Siri Singh Sahib. During the 26 years that I knew the Siri Singh Sahib Ji, he was integrally involved in every aspect of my life. I met the Siri Singh Sahib Ji when I was just 12 years old and from that first day he told me that I would become a physician. He told me that people from all over the world would come to me to be healed and that I would heal him as well. From that first time, I saw the Siri Singh Sahib Ji every year in Calgary and he had me come to Ladies camp when I was 14 years old. Once I was in University he asked me to travel to wherever he was if I had more than 3 days off in a row. He asked me to observe Khalsa council in Florida in 1988 and asked me to sit on the council of nominees as well. He personally appointed me to the Khalsa council in When I graduated from medical school in 1992, I spent 6 weeks with him prior to the beginning of my residency, and he kept my medical degree on his alter for 41 days. I started to travel with the Siri Singh Sahib from 1994 and onwards to India and in 2000 was a critical part of his medical care during an illness. From that point onwards, I was personally involved as a physician in his medical care. When he underwent his kidney transplant in India, I was only one of two people allowed to care for him for 31 days when he recovered without his secretarial staff.

5 I was one of the few Indian Sikhs who related to the Siri Singh Sahib Ji and his teaching at a time when Yoga was taboo and the Indian Sikh Community did not care for his ideas or teachings. I talked with the Siri Singh Sahib Ji regularly on the phone during the doctor s hour and I travelled to Espanola sometimes monthly to see him. We would discuss all things- politics, spirituality, and he would give me projects to do. I would even challenge him on some decisions asking why he did certain things. Sometimes he would ask me to intervene in politically sensitive situations where he personally could not intervene. I think that one of our conversations sums up our relationship very well. I was talking with him on the phone and he said to me You are different, you are my daughter, you are not my daughter, you are my student, you are not my student, you are a Ragi, you are not a Ragi, you are a doctor, you are the antidote you are different, you are my friend and then he proceeded to complain about a particular situation to me. I tried to support the Siri Singh Sahib Ji in whichever role he needed me in and he did confide in me. He, in turn, gave me support in all my endeavors. I always knew whatever happened; he would be there to support me. I looked to him as a great spiritual teacher and saint, and gave him that respect. He once told a Punjabi Sangat that if any Indian Sikh could not tolerate or understand what he was saying, they could just ask me to translate and I could explain the idea in nice unoffending way. Prior to his passing, I was filming a documentary in India and had promised that I would pray for him at all 5 Thakats and he was informed by Bibiji when I did the last Ardas at Hazoor Sahib. I was told that he smiled at that time. He left his body just 2 days later. 6. Board service regularly requires 10 to 20 hours per month (or more) in evening and weekend board and committee meetings, plus three Face-to-Face meetings per year (in Los Angeles and New Mexico) of two to three days each. Can you fulfill these requirements? If, so how will you balance these requirements with your other personal and professional responsibilities? I have served on the SSSC Board for my first term and this time has been already allotted for and dedicated in my schedule. Given this time commitment, I have been able and will continue to balance both my personal and professional responsibilities.

6 7. What do you anticipate being the most difficult part of serving on SSSC Board? How do you traditionally respond in a crisis or high tension situation? It is very challenging serving on the SSSC Board with many trustees and a wide spectrum of opinions on various issues. This makes decision making very time consuming and challenging, but necessary. It is very important to respect all opinions and come to a common decision point based on the principals of consensus and neutrality in order to vote. Another challenge lies in decisions where there may be potential conflicts of interest- whether actual or perceived. I see this as an ongoing continual challenge for the SSSC Board. The SSSC Board still has a litigious environment that it is dealing with and it should be noted that legal issues are still very challenging. Decision making and transparency are both still influenced heavily by the outstanding legal issues. Given my occupation as a physician, I deal with life and death situations all the time. This has given me the ability to respond effectively under crisis or high tension situations. Moreover, my extensive board experience has allowed me to utilize the good governance principles in the decision- making process such as recognizing limitations, recognizing neutrality, recognizing potential areas of conflicts. With the Siri Singh Sahib Ji, one example was taking care of him during his kidney transplant and post-transplant recovery in India. I have also dealt with very tense political situations in my life particularly with the Gurdwara and control of the Gurdwara. Obviously, Gurdwaras in large cities are centers of Dasvandh for the Indian Sikh Community and this can cause extreme politics and even violence. Despite numerous death threats, and negotiating with the police as a fight broke out in the Gurdwara full of about 4000 Sangat members, by the Grace of the Guru, I have been able to deal with crisis situations. On that particular day, the Siri Singh Sahib had called me prior to make me promise to him that if I got shot, I would die in the main Gurdwara Hall not in the parking lot or on the steps. He made me promise to crawl into the main hall to die. 8. As an SSSC board member you are accountable to the Sangat. Describe how you would like to build and enhance the relationship between the Sangat and the SSSC, and how you will personally deal with the pressure of accountability while maintaining your spirit of

7 service. In my opinion, the SSSC Board is definitely accountable to the Sangat, the Dharma, to the Siri Singh Sahib Ji and also Siri Guru Ram Das Ji. I feel that the money we deal with is the Golak of the Guru. I feel the weight of this responsibility with each deliberation that I have and make on the SSSC board. I always try and check my decisions from the perspective of how the Siri Singh Sahib ji would have approached a situation and how Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji would have expected it to be handled. Even though there has been a SSSC board in place for 5 years now, the issues of mistrust from the prior UI leadership unfortunately remain and this trust has yet to be healed. I feel that only by acting with good governance, openness and spiritual integrity can we continue to build trust and try and heal the lack of trust that still is perceived. 9. If you were selected as a Board member, how would you approach the practices of inclusion, transparency, and accountability? Are you familiar with these good governance practices, and are you willing to incorporate these elements into our Organizations? In my opinion, the practice of good governance must be applied to SSSC Board and to all Legacy boards (both for profit and non- profit) within our organizations. All the boards that I have personally served on have subscribed to such practices and remain within the boundaries of good governance practices. If they do not employ these practices, then the boards do fail. I do feel that this Board shall be responsible to the Sangat, and in a more concrete way, it should be accountable and responsible to the Khalsa Council to whom the Siri Singh Sahib Ji repeatedly referred to as the leadership body which would lead in his absence. In this way, it would foster an environment of inclusion, transparency and accountability with checks on the actions of the Board. I also do believe that there is still room to improve the governance structure of the SSSC Board with regards to inclusion, transparency and accountability and wish to work on this aspect further within our board structure. 10. Please describe what the Siri Singh Sahib s saying means to you: If you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all. In practical terms, how would you apply this saying to bring trust and healing to our community?

8 I believe that the Siri Singh Sahib wanted each one of us to acknowledge the Divine within each other and respect that Divine essence no matter what the difference of opinion. There is an inherent respect given to all beings. In practical terms, this may mean debating and discussing issues that can be contentious and at times, having to agree to disagree. This respect fosters trust which then in turn allows for healing to occur. 11. Please describe your understanding of the Siri Singh Sahib s global vision for our Organizations. I believe that the Siri Singh Sahib ji had a vision of all the organizations to share the global responsibility to lead and help the human psyche prosper with the technology to live a sacred human life on this earth. This view encompasses global expansion, global responsibility and global leadership. 12. What is your vision for the 3HO/Sikh Dharma family of Non-profit and For-profit organizations for the future? My vision of the 3HO/Sikh Dharma family of organizations is that of continued expansion through Khalsa leadership based within the principles of humility and strength. I believe that the primary asset which the Siri Singh Sahib Ji gave the organizations was a technology and healing from Yoga, a sacred Dharmic lifestyle from Sikh Dharma and the science of humanology. All these aspects, in sum, are essential to lead and to help humankind live a sacred and prosperous life while on this earth. I also believe that the organizations need unity to work collectively and collaboratively on the technology gifted to us. Moreover, I feel there needs to be more of a collective presence of all the organizations both publicly and globally to build a better world. 13. What role do you feel the SSSC should play on a practical and spiritual level? How would that impact you personally? The role of the SSSC Board is to emulate the consciousness of the Siri Singh Sahib ji and to oversee the dealings of the organizations through the same lens that the Siri Singh Sahib would view the situation. This requires wisdom to analyze, and intuition to act and decide as he would. This means understanding each situation with subtlety and intuitiveness but also with due diligence to further our growth and prosperity. The prosperity of the for-profit organizations

9 was meant to fund the Dharma and the nonprofit organizations for future generations. Personally, as a physician, given my training and board experience, I try to make decisions based on weighing the pros and cons of a situation, and then viewing from the broader vantage point with neutrality while reviewing how the decision also could impact the future. In the Sikh community, there have been many situations in which I have been involved and or impacted by that were politically charged and dangerous. One example was my dealing with the Calgary Gurdwara and Khalisthani element. It was crucial for me to uphold the Khalsa Standards of behavior despite what others wanted or expected. This requires spiritual integrity - seeking to practicing your highest standards in all that you do despite the circumstances of the situation. It is what continually shapes my character as a Sikh and as Khalsa. I try to apply all these principles on each committee and board that I have served on. 14. What do you see as the three (3) greatest challenges facing the Dharma (Sikh Dharma-3HO and the family of for profit and nonprofit entities)? What would you do as a board member to overcome these challenges? I feel that the 4 greatest challenges facing the Dharma are: i. Ongoing litigation and legal issues ii. iii. iv. Coming together with all the organizations to collaborate as a whole and moving away from working as silo organizations. Setting the governance standard for the future so our unfortunate recent history will not repeat itself. Finding our place within the Sikh Diaspora. I will work together with the SSSC board as I have been for the past 5 years with best practices in mind to deal with these issues. I will continue to bring a unique voice and perspective on these issues and all issues facing the SSSC Board as they arise. As a board, the SSSC board will need to collectively work and keep in mind these challenges as they make decisions. 15. In the past ten years have you or any entity that you own or control been the subject of any civil or criminal complaints by any local, state, or federal agencies? If yes, please give the details of the complaint(s) and the outcome of the proceedings with appropriate references.

10 No 16. Are you a member of any organization that is in conflict, competition, or has threatened or brought legal action against any of our nonprofit and for profit entities? No