Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
About Us
The Liv Forum for Panjab and Sikh Affairs is a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization. Its team includes researchers, journalists, and subject matter experts.
Mission
Liv Forum for Panjab and Sikh Affairs offers policymakers and organizations independent research and analysis to aid informed decision-making on Panjab-related matters in India and Sikh-related matters globally.
Vision
The Liv Forum aspires to inform and improve public policies that align with the principles of truth and justice.
Liv is a Panjabi word which means love or affection. In Sanskrit and Braj it means absorption and devotion, respectively. It connotes connection and contemplation.
The Liv Forum (LF) explores the political and social dynamics within Indian (East) Panjab, particularly in relation to the broader issues of governance, civil rights, and economic and social justice. Our analysis centers on actions of individuals, movements and events that have significant implications for the Sikh community, examining these from a perspective that emphasizes justice. The LF also offers critical evaluations of the actions of governmental, non-governmental actors and citizens, thereby equipping policymakers with nuanced insights that are vital for informed decision-making.
Furthermore, the LF addresses global Sikh affairs, highlighting issues such as engagement, religious freedoms, and cultural preservation in Panjab, Inspora (outside Panjab, in India) and Diaspora (outside Panjab, beyond India). The LF’s work is characterized by its commitment to providing a balanced yet pointed overview and critique of policies and practices that affect Sikhs around the world.
The LF underscores the importance of advocating for equitable and just policies through the following projects:
- Weekly Digest
Publishes Top 10 News & Analysis - Reports & Fact Sheets
Publishes Data-driven Understanding & Recommendations - Briefs & Consultations
Facilitates Subject Matters Experts Online & In-person
Board Members
Arjun Singh Sethi
Arjun Singh Sethi is a human rights lawyer, author and law professor based in Washington, D.C. He is an expert in policing, the war on terror, and racial and religious profiling.
Arjun’s work has appeared in numerous national outlets, including CNN, The Guardian, Politico Magazine, USA Today, and The Washington Post, and he has been widely quoted in print, radio and television. In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, Arjun traveled the country and met with a diversity of people and documented the hate they experienced in connection with the election. His book, American Hate: Survivors Speak Out, was named an NPR Best Book of 2018.
Arjun serves as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s National Committee on Military Justice and Homeland Security, and is a longtime adjunct professor at both Georgetown University Law Center and Vanderbilt University Law School.
‘Liv Forum is a much-needed organization that will educate the world about Panjab and Sikh related matters. I’m excited to learn from and help lead this effort.’
.png)
Bibi Kiranjot Kaur
Bibi Kiranjot Kaur is a Sikh scholar and activist based in Panjab. Kaur is a senior Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member and has previously held the position of General Secretary of the SGPC. Kiranjot Kaur is deeply interested in the Sikh heritage and has championed high profile conservation causes.
Kaur was earlier the director of an Orphanage run by the Khalsa Diwan Society, Amritsar. Kaur is director of Gurmat Vidyala, a school that trains young Sikhs as preachers of Sikh religion. Kaur's expertise is in Environmental, Conservational, and Gender-related issues. Kaur's special interest is in promoting the role of Sikh women in religious and religion-related positions. Kaur has initiated multiple interfaith dialogue of Sikhs with other religions at the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Lisbon, Portugal and the Parliament of World Religions at Chicago, US.
Kaur has spoken at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, 2021. Kaur represents the SGPC on various international platforms. She has been on the Advisory Committee of Jathedar Akal Takht, the Eternal Throne – the highest body of the Sikhs.
‘It is important to filter out facts from the kind of information available in the media to understand Sikh issues in the right perspective. The best way forward is to work with a team that is located globally but examines, reflects on issues for their correct representation locally.’
Ryan Singh Kohli
Ryan Singh Kohli is a practising barrister in England and Wales. Kohli is a leading practitioner in the fields of public law and judicial review. Kohli did his schooling at the Glasgow Academy, Scotland and studied law at the University of Oxford.
Kohli worked with Cornerstone Barristers for over a decade and a half before switching to private practice. Kohli has extensive human rights advocacy experience and has provided litigation support to the team representing the families of 1984 Sikh genocide victims. Kohli has also worked with the authorities on the Caribbean Island of Montserrat to successfully emancipate a Sikh victim of modern slavery. Kohli has represented various government departments and local authorities in public law proceedings and been involved in significant cases in the social housing sphere. In 2022, Kohli was appointed Recorder (part-time Circuit Judge) and assigned to the civil jurisdiction to the Midlands Circuit. In 2023, Kohli was elected as a Governing Bencher of the Inner Temple. Kohli was a contributing author to Cornerstone on Councillors’ Conduct (1st Ed.) and Licensed Premises: Law, Practice and Policy (2nd Ed.)
‘Being a Liv Forum Board member puts my skills to use in the service of Sikhs worldwide. In an age of increasing complexity, bridging the information gap on Sikh and Panjab issues is of vital importance.’
