Contact

Reach Us.

Sikhiyas operates by email and scheduled video call rather than by phone-line. This is deliberate — written correspondence creates a record both sides can return to, which matters more than speed. Every named office below answers within seven working days; safeguarding and grievance correspondence is answered within twenty-four hours.

I. The Right Address For The Right Question

If you are unsure which office to write to, the general enquiry address routes correctly internally — you will not lose time by guessing.

Diaspora Office

diaspora@sikhiyas.org

For NRI, OCI, and international applicants and their families. The first conversation about the Diaspora Seva Scholarship — Summer Reconnect, Seva Semester, Full Seva Year, or the Under-18 Cohort — begins here. Held by a named Diaspora Coordinator who will respond personally and stay with your enquiry through every stage.

Scholarship & Awards Office

scholarships@sikhiyas.org

For Professional Cohort applicants (26–45), Solidarity Scholarship enquiries, Chardi Kala Youth Seva Award nominations, and questions about scholarship band assessment, fee schedules, and financial documentation.

Partnerships Office

partnerships@sikhiyas.org

For diaspora Gurdwara committees, Sikh Students' Associations, university chaplaincies, school pastoral leads, NGOs, and youth movements wishing to build a formal partnership with Sikhiyas — sending cohorts, hosting study circles, or joining the GlobalPEACE constituent network.

Membership & General Enquiry

hello@sikhiyas.org

For Sikhiyasi membership, Friends & Allies enquiries, study-circle questions, and anything that does not obviously belong in another inbox. Routed internally to the right person within two working days.

Directors

directors@sikhiyas.org

For correspondence on matters of governance, institutional reputation, strategic partnerships, or formal complaint that has not been resolved at the operational level. Read by both co-Directors. Not the right address for routine application enquiries — those are answered faster by the Diaspora Office.

Safeguarding Lead

safeguarding@sikhiyas.org

For any matter relating to the welfare or safety of a participant, particularly an Under-18 cohort member. Answered within twenty-four hours, including weekends. The Safeguarding Lead is named, trained, and sits outside the line of programme delivery so that any concern can be raised independently. For active emergencies during a cohort, the dedicated escalation number is issued in writing to every Saath at intake.

Independent Ombudsperson

ombudsperson@sikhiyas.org

For any grievance arising from the conduct of a Sikhiyas programme or any of its representatives. The Ombudsperson sits outside the Directors' line, has standing authority to investigate independently, and findings are binding on the Directors. Identity, qualifications, and current terms of reference are issued, in writing, to every participant and Saath at intake. Correspondence to this address is not seen by the Directors before the Ombudsperson has reviewed it.

II. Response Times

• SafeguardingWithin 24 hours, including weekends and Indian public holidays. No exceptions.
• OmbudspersonWithin 48 hours of receipt. Acknowledgement first; substantive response according to terms of reference.
• Diaspora & ScholarshipWithin 7 working days for first enquiry. Faster during active admissions cycles.
• PartnershipsWithin 7 working days. Strategic partnership conversations move at the pace of the partner.
• DirectorsWithin 10 working days. Both co-Directors read; one responds.
• General enquiryWithin 7 working days. Routed internally within 2 working days of receipt.

If you have not heard back within the window above, please follow up — occasionally a message goes to the wrong inbox, and we would rather you nudge us than wait.

III. Postal Address

Sikhiyas does not maintain a public-facing physical office that walk-ins can attend. Applicants and partners arriving for a scheduled visit are received at the Kangra campus by prior arrangement only. Postal correspondence — for documents that must travel as paper — is received at the address of the implementing partner relevant to the matter:

For partnerships, governance, or formal legal correspondence, please write first by email and the right postal address will be issued in reply.

IV. Visiting The Kangra Campus

Prospective applicants, families considering the Under-18 cohort, and prospective partner organisations are warmly welcome to visit the Kangra campus by prior arrangement. Visits are arranged through the Diaspora Office (for individuals and families) or the Partnerships Office (for institutional visits), with at least three weeks' notice for international travellers and two weeks for domestic visitors.

A standard visit includes a tour of the EDMRC training facility, a meeting with at least one of the co-Directors, an introduction to the Cohort Director and (if a cohort is in residence) a structured opportunity to meet current participants, and a shared Langar. Visits typically run a half-day; longer arrangements are possible by mutual agreement.

The campus is approximately ten kilometres from Dharamshala, ninety minutes from Gaggal Airport (Kangra-Dharamshala), and three hours from Pathankot railway station. Detailed travel notes are sent in advance to all confirmed visitors.

V. Press & Media

For journalist enquiries, documentary requests, academic research correspondence, or any other media-related contact, please write in the first instance to the Partnerships Office (partnerships@sikhiyas.org) with subject line Media enquiry. A press kit including organisational background, named-spokesperson availability, and image-use protocol is issued on request. Sikhiyas does not authorise the use of any participant's image, name, or testimony in external coverage without separate written consent obtained directly from the individual concerned.

VI. Languages

Correspondence is answered in English by default. If you would prefer to write in Punjabi (Gurmukhi), Hindi (Devanagari), or Romanised Punjabi, please write in the language you are most comfortable in — we will reply in the same language wherever possible. For correspondence in French, Spanish, or German, written replies are available with a few additional working days of routing.

VII. A Note On What Email Is For

We use email for what email does well: a written record, an unhurried pace, and a paper trail that protects both correspondents. We do not use email for what email does badly: emergency response, complex emotional conversations, or decisions that ought to be made face-to-face.

For anything that needs a real-time conversation — a family considering the Under-18 cohort, a partner movement working out terms of engagement, an alumnus thinking about returning as a mentor — the right next step is almost always to schedule a video call. The first email is the door to that call, not a substitute for it.