The Institute for South Asia Studies is thrilled to announce the establishment of the Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Endowed Fund for Sikh Studies. Generously funded by the friends and family of Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal, as well as those committed to the furthering of Sikh Studies, the Sabharwal Fund will support the creation of a semester-long visiting lecturer program. The visiting lecturer will be based in the Institute for South Asia Studies and the Department of South & Southeast Asian Studies. In addition to teaching two courses in Sikh Studies, the visiting lecturer will give presentations of their research work to the campus and local community. We expect the first lecturer to be in residence in Fall 2023. 

Dr. Sabharwal in campus dorm kitchen
Dr. Sabharwal as a student at UC Berkeley, circa 1958

The Fund and the Program is named in honor of the late Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal. Dr. Sabharwal received an MA in Mathematics at UC Berkeley in 1962 and a Ph.D. from Washington State University. He taught at California State University (East Bay) for twenty-six years. A much-respected and loved figure in the Bay Area Sikh community, Dr. Sabharwal was involved in the establishment of the Fremont Gurdwara as well as the Guru Granth Sahib Foundation, Inc. (Hayward Gurdwara).  


Dr. Sabharwal in front of Fremont Gurdwara
Dr. Sabharwal in front of the Fremont Gurdwara

The Sikh Studies Initiative at UC Berkeley 

The Institute for South Asia Studies at UC Berkeley is looking for your support to strengthen research and scholarship in Sikh Studies, with a special focus on literature, history, and culture. Success will allow the Institute for South Asia Studies to:

  • Train the next generation of scholars and academics focused on Sikh Studies 
  • Increase Sikh Studies-related holdings in Berkeley’s world renowned South Asia collection. 
  • Build on our existing Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Endowed Fund for Sikh Studies

If you would like to make an online donation in support of Sikh Studies at UC Berkeley, please click on the button on the right.


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