Jvala Singh

Jvala Singh, born Sukh Sembhi,[1] is a Sikh linguist and researcher on Braj and Punjabi literature.[2][3][4] A major focus of his is creating English translations of pre-colonial Sikh literature to increase their availability to present-day Sikhs.[5] Jvala Singh has underwent education through both traditional sampardic and academic institutional means.[5] He specializes in Sikh history, scripture, poetry, and grammar.[5]

Biography

Jvala completed his Master of Arts (M.A.) at the University of Toronto, where he focused on Braj literature produced by Sikhs covering Sanskrit epics, such as the Ramayana.[2] Prior to starting his Ph.D., Jvala underwent training through traditional scholarly lineages of mentor-protégé in India.[4] He is currently completing his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia.[2][4] The focus of his research is examining pre-colonial Sikh narratives in Braj and Punjabi literature from the 18th and 19th centuries.[2] He is currently working on a dissertation regarding Kavi Santokh Singh's Suraj Prakash.[4] He has researched Vir Singh's publication of the Suraj Prakash.[6] He is a lecturer of the Punjabi-language at the University of California, Berkeley.[2] He is also a lawyer.[7]

He is the author of 54 Punjabi Proverbs, a book covering classic and elusive Punjabi proverbs by rendering them in English.[8]

On 17 June 2024, he presented a lecture titled The All-Metal Text (Sarbloh Granth), A Sikh Retelling of a Jain Text? on the Sarbloh Granth at the CSASA-ACESA's Congress 2024 Meeting.[9]

Projects

Manglacharan

Jvala Singh runs Manglacharan.com, which is an open-access website that hosts many first-ever English translations of specific Sikh literature.[10][11] It is an attempt to decolonize the access to Sikh philosophy and to reclaim Sikh works from colonial constructs.[10]

Suraj Podcast

Jvala Singh is the creator of the Suraj Podcast, sourcing his content for the podcast from the Suraj Prakash.[2][3] Each episode of the Suraj Podcast is a summary in English of a chapter from the Suraj Prakash, covering the life-stories of the Sikh gurus and their associates.[2][7] Each episode of the Suraj Podcast is around 10–15 minutes long.[7] All the stories covering Guru Hargobind in-particular from the Suraj Prakash have been retold by Jvala Singh in the original Suraj Prakash podcast.[4]

The Suraj Podcast allows for Sikhs who are not well-versed in Braj or Sanskrit, to become familiar with the traditional tales found within the Suraj Prakash, allowing for Sikh reclamation of the text.[3] The Suraj Podcast is an example of Sikhs utilizing the Internet, and social-media in-particular, to narrate Sakhis to a larger and more international audience than traditional spaces allow for.[3] Jvala presents the Suraj Prakash in the podcast as unfiltered, authentic history.[4]

Suraj Podcast X ("Suraj Podcast Dasvi") has since been launched as a sequel to the original podcast, covering the life-stories related to Guru Gobind Singh found in the Suraj Prakash.[12]

Study Sikhi

In January 2025, Study Sikhi, an online Sikh educational institution with enrollable courses set-up by Jvala Singh, will be launched.[13][5]

The following courses are planned to be available in 2025:[14]

  • SS 101 - Intro to the Sikh Tradition[15][14]
  • SS 102 - The Making of Modern Sikhism[14]

Bibliography

  • Singh, Jvala (August 2019). 54 Punjabi Proverbs. Tattva. ISBN 9781999862497.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jvala Singh". University of British Columbia. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Khabar 2020-201" (PDF). University of California, Berkeley. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Kaur-Bring, Narinder (19 December 2020). "Autoethnography: A Potential Method for Sikh Theory to Praxis Research". Religions. 11 (12): 681. doi:10.3390/rel11120681.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Singh, Pashaura (9 August 2024). "2: Situating the Guru in Indian History - Suraj Prakash". The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind: Sovereignty, Militancy, and Empowerment of the Sikh Panth. Taylor & Francis. doi:10.4324/9781003505976-2. ISBN 9781040106365.
  5. ^ a b c d Singh, Jvala (2024). "About". Study Sikhi. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  6. ^ Singh, Jvala (27 April 2023). "9: Vir Singh's Publication of the Gurpratap Suraj Granth". In Malhotra, Anshu; Murphy, Anne (eds.). Bhai Vir Singh (1872–1957): Religious and Literary Modernities in Colonial and Post-Colonial Indian Punjab. Taylor & Francis. pp. 150–165. doi:10.4324/9781003298939-9. ISBN 9781000867008.
  7. ^ a b c Singh, Mandheer (14 April 2022). "23: Jvala Singh – The Suraj Podcast". Net Nihung. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  8. ^ "UKPHA Virtual Book Club: 54 Punjabi Proverbs". United Kingdom Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Congress 2024 Presentation Schedule". Canadian South Asian Studies Association. 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b Singh, Jvala (2024). "Projects". Study Sikhi. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Faculty - Jvala Singh". Yogic Studies. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  12. ^ Singh, Jvala. "Homepage". Suraj Podcast. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  13. ^ Singh, Jvala (2024). "Homepage". Study Sikhi. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Singh, Jvala (2024). "Courses". Study Sikhi. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  15. ^ Singh, Jvala (2024). "SS 101 | Intro to the Sikh Tradition". Study Sikhi. Retrieved 23 December 2024.