MOHALI, PUNJAB – The Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) has issued a written statement detailing the recent proceedings of an English team meeting for The Guru Granth Sahib Project (TGGSP), held in Mohali this Friday. A copy of the written release detailing the event is available with Sikh Siyasat News (SSN). According to the organization, the gathering was designed to advance the project’s core mission, which “focuses on developing accessible English translations and interpretations of the Guru Granth Sahib, emphasizing linguistic precision, clarity, and fidelity to the original text.”
The meeting commenced with an Ardas and a reflection on the hukamnama, establishing a spiritual foundation for the day’s collaborative efforts. Addressing the gathered team, Project Director Dr. Jaswant Singh “highlighted the significance and pressing need of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib for humankind in today’s world,” as per the official release. Following his address, the participants engaged in structured sessions involving team introductions, rigorous editorial reviews, and discussions aimed at fostering sustained collaboration across various editorial layers.
The initiative’s global reach was evident during the content development sessions, which featured virtual insights from international contributors. Surender Pal Singh (Canada), Sukhmann Kaur (US), and Jasleen Kaur (UK) shared their ongoing learnings, emphasizing “process discipline, clarity in language, and the importance of distinguishing between editorial layers while maintaining consistency in tone and meaning.”
A notable contribution was made by Phera Singh from Chicago, who, according to the SikhRI statement, “stressed the need to preserve the art and elegance of language, ensuring the freshness and spirit of the Gurbani remain intact in English renderings.” This sentiment reinforced the broader goal of TGGSP to balance linguistic simplicity with high literary quality.
The release also detailed feedback from project leadership, including written inputs from Harinder Singh and Inni Kaur. The leadership commended the team, “acknowledging improvements in translation quality, particularly in capturing metaphor and poetic nuance.” They also provided actionable steps for continued development, pinpointing concision, consistency, and stronger quality assurance practices as key focus areas, and recommended reading translations aloud to refine their tone and flow.
The day concluded with an intensive workshop on translation and commentary writing. Dictionary Lead Jagtej Singh guided discussions on dictionary development, addressing the complexities of contextual meaning, grammatical variation, and consistent interpretation. The release noted the active participation of team members Inderpreet Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Harvinder Singh, Rohini Batra, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Japleen Kaur.
The SikhRI release summarized that the discussions effectively “underscored the project’s continued focus on strengthening editorial rigor while making the Guru Granth Sahib accessible to a wider English-speaking audience.”
