Frequently Asked.

Sikhiyas is a movement of young Sikhs — in India and across the diaspora — who refuse the false choice between deep roots and global service. Operationally, it is a structured cohort programme delivering Seva placements, study circles, international exchanges, disaster-response training, ecological stewardship, and skills-and-livelihoods work, run through four implementing partner institutions.

No. Sikhiyas is a Sikh-identity service programme. We do not train initiates, do not prepare anyone for Amrit Sanchar, and do not hold authority on matters of personal religious practice. Gurbani study and Gurdwara Sangat are part of the cohort rhythm, but every participant chooses the depth of their own engagement.

It varies by placement and skill-fit. Public health camps in rural Kangra. Ecological restoration on Gurdwara-attached lands. Disaster preparedness training with Village Disaster Management Committees. Documentation and communications work for the EduCARE field portfolio. Social-enterprise incubation with rural producer groups. All placements are real work with real institutional accountability — not symbolic activity.

Cohort housing and the central campus are in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, near the EDMRC Kangra base. Field placements range across the district, with occasional structured exchanges to other partner sites in India and within the GlobalPEACE network.

NRI, OCI, and international Sikh youth and young professionals aged 16–45, plus members of the Sikh community in India who meet the cohort criteria. The Solidarity Scholarship pathway is open to non-Sikh youth from underrepresented communities. See the main page for the threefold welcome structure.

Not as a scholarship participant. You may participate as a Sikhiyas Mentor, a partner-organisation collaborator, or in a senior-volunteer capacity through one of the implementing partner institutions directly. Contact the Partnerships office.

Through the Manas ki Jaat Solidarity Scholarship pathway, yes — for non-Sikh youth from underrepresented communities, in a structured exchange capacity. The application process is the same; the cohort experience is the same; the membership tier is different.

No. Punjabi-language instruction is part of the programme for diaspora applicants. Working English is sufficient at intake. Hindi and basic Punjabi help on field placements but are not required.

Four to six months for adult applicants, six to nine months for the Under-18 cohort. The full timeline — seven stages from enquiry to arrival — is on the Scholarship Details page.

Indicative full-cost ranges, before any scholarship band: ₹1.8–2.4 lakh for Summer Reconnect (3 months), ₹3.3–4.2 lakh for Seva Semester (6 months), ₹6–7.8 lakh for Full Seva Year (12 months). All figures inclusive of accommodation, meals, stipend, placement, mentorship, liaison, insurance, and certification. Travel and visa are additional. Full table on the Scholarship Details page.

Four bands: A (full coverage), B (75% tuition), C (50% tuition), D (self-funded). Means-and-merit assessed. Sincerity of intent and capacity for service weigh more than academic record or financial profile. Band A is awarded each cycle.

No. Sikhiyas is fee-funded, not donations-funded. We do not solicit charitable contributions and do not accept them. The economics are commercial-services economics, transparent and conventionally taxed. We are accountable to applicants and families as customers, not as beneficiaries.

No. If a charge is not on the Scholarship Details page or in your written offer, it does not exist. Personal incidentals (souvenirs, weekend personal travel) and international flights/visa are the only items not covered.

You go home. The unused portion of any prepaid fee is refunded on a pro-rata basis under terms set out in the written offer. The participant's passport is in their own possession (or their Saath's) at all times.

Read the Under-18 Cohort & Safeguarding page in full. Architecture: named Safeguarding Lead, police-verified mentors, two-adult rule, mandatory reporting, Independent Ombudsperson, comprehensive insurance with evacuation cover. We do not promise nothing can go wrong; we promise that the structure to handle it is in place, in writing, before the participant arrives.

They must. The Under-18 cohort runs only on a parent-embedded Saath design — a parent or named guardian travels with the participant, co-housed on campus. There is a small Sangat-Embedded sub-track for families who genuinely cannot send a Saath, by case-by-case approval. Full design on the Under-18 page.

Email the Independent Ombudsperson directly at ombudsperson@sikhiyas.org. The Ombudsperson sits outside the Directors' line, has standing authority to investigate independently, and findings are binding on the Directors. Identity, qualifications, and terms of reference are issued to every participant and family at intake.

Weekly video call, monthly written report, open escalation line outside business hours, end-of-programme debrief. For Under-18 cohorts, additional structure as set out on the dedicated page.

A CIEEL–Sikhiyas Programme Certificate at completion, NSQF-mapped where the placement carries vocational standing. Increasingly recognised by UK, Canadian and US universities as substantive enrichment evidence (UCAS / Common App). Verifiable via the CIEEL public register.

For applicants whose school terms overlap with the cohort dates, Sikhiyas coordinates with the home school's pastoral lead so that participation is documented as approved enrichment, examined coursework is delivered to deadline, and a recognised reference is issued. See the Under-18 page.

For ages 26–45, yes — the Professional Cohort is structured around the realities of taking 3, 6, or 12 months out of a working career. Placement is matched to professional discipline, accommodation arrangements are flexible, and many participants travel with a spouse, partner, or young family.

OCI cardholders enter under existing OCI provisions. NRI applicants enter on appropriate Indian tourist or e-visa instruments depending on cohort length. Pre-departure visa support is part of the programme. We do not handle visa applications on your behalf — but we coordinate the documentation and timing.

Comprehensive travel and medical insurance with evacuation cover, underwritten by a recognised international carrier, is enrolled before arrival in India. Sikhiyas holds a separate organisational liability policy. Policy documents are issued in writing before any travel commitment is made.

Three meals a day from the campus Langar kitchen — vegetarian by tradition. Dietary accommodation (allergies, medical diets, family observances) is straightforward; please flag at application stage.

Yes — particularly for the closing weekend, where we hold space at the Kangra campus for families that wish to travel. Mid-cohort visits are also welcome with reasonable notice.

Two co-Directors, Navleen Kaur and Adarshveer Singh, accountable to a Council of Patrons drawn from the implementing partner institutions and the diaspora Sangat. An Independent Ombudsperson sits outside the Directors' line for any grievance. Full architecture on the Leadership & Patrons page.

The pluralistic-universal network within which Sikhiyas sits as a founding constituent partner. It is not a parent organisation. The relationship is collegial: GlobalPEACE provides the table at which different traditions offer their treasuries into the common pool. See the Implementing Partners page.

No. Sikhiyas operates as a fee-funded programme delivered through registered partner institutions. We do not require, and have not sought, charitable registration or FCRA standing — because we do not solicit or accept charitable contributions.

Every implementing partner is open to direct enquiry from prospective Sikhiyas families. The Diaspora Office (diaspora@sikhiyas.org) can arrange introductions with EduCARE India, RISHEE, or CIEEL leadership directly. Audited statements, the most recent Patrons Letter, and Ombudsperson terms of reference are issued in writing on request.