Sri Hemkunt Foundation was founded in 1980 in New York. It was established by 11 dedicated visionaries who observed that the Sikh youth living in the Western countries lacked knowledge regarding the high ideals of their religion and were therefore losing their Sikh identity. In an effort to improve the situation, the Foundation created an environment where children could learn the spiritual, moral, and religious teachings of Sikhism. Since then, the promotion of learning Punjabi, Kirtan, Gurbani, Philosophy, History and Sikh culture has been the cornerstone of the Foundation. A detailed history of the Foundation and its origin can be viewed here.
The Foundation’s mission is:
- To encourage, promote and disseminate the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and their gospel of universal brotherhood, peace and tolerance.
- To impart spiritual, moral and religious teachings in a scientific manner.
- To encourage the participation of children, youth and adults in social and religious activities, including learning Keertan, Gurbani, philosophy of Sikh Religion, Sikh history, Fine Arts and Culture.
- To promote learning the Punjabi language in Gurmukhi script and studying the spiritual teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
- To establish institutions such as schools, libraries, art galleries and to partner with institutions that share the values of the Foundation.
- To organize camps, conferences, study tours, lectures and seminars in various parts of the world for achieving the above mentioned purposes.
One of the flagship items for the Foundation is the annual event, where children from all over the world participate in Symposium and Keertan Darbaar, helping to inspire the next generation of Sikhs.