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Where do I begin?

Where do I begin to tell the story of how inspiring a school visit can be?

With the first hello…
Smiles and greetings welcomed Japjeet Kaur, Prem Kaur and myself when we walked into the XP, Doncaster campus on a warm Monday morning. We were guided to our meeting with Neil Butler, the cheerful, upbeat Principal of the school. Spending the morning with Neil, talking through a thoughtfully prepared presentation on XP Principles was a wonderful start of what was to be one of the most inspiring school visits I have ever experienced.

The special things…
If I were to sum up what XP meant to me, I would say it was all about Community, Culture and Caring. And all this evident to us, the visitors, within the first few hours spent on their campus. XP’s principles and practices have been honed since they began in 2014 to ensure that all community members, be it staff, teachers, students and administrators all speak the same language and live the same culture. No matter where we looked, whom we spoke to, what we observed (in the classroom and outside) left us with the overwhelming sense that XP had worked out how their ideas and beliefs permeated everything they say and do.

During our five day visit, we participated in Crew meetings, with the students and teachers. Crew, a teamwork approach to school culture, is the foundation of everything that XP does. We witnessed a community that appreciated and apologized to each; who took stands for what they believed in; and who reflected on their principles and work habits; TOGETHER. Happy, confident students showcased their portfolios to us and took pride in their school’s ethos and values. These school ambassadors were a testament of what is working well in XP.

JAPJEET, KIRAN AND PREM

Bringing it back….

I’m back with lots of ideas and bags full of motivation to help craft a programme that will honour relationships and community while providing children with an academically challenging curriculum taught in creative ways. We will soon begin planning interdisciplinary expeditions, reaching out within and near Amritsar city, to encourage deep and purposeful learning experiences for our students.

And our hope is that when you walk into the MPA campus, our Community, our Culture and our Caring will inspire you just as we were inspired by our visit to XP.

During their lifetimes, the Sikh Gurus personified the ideal state that human beings could aspire to. We retell their stories and study their words in the hopes that, in time, those same ideals might awaken within us.

One of the most powerful concepts developed by the Gurus came from the time of the sixth Naanak, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji. Guru Hargobind famously wore two swords during his lifetime: one that represented spiritual authority and another that represented earthly sovereignty. We know this concept as “Miri Piri.” Miri Piri offers a compelling vision – that deep wisdom can guide earthly affairs. That earthly affairs can reflect the all-embracing love of Ek Ong Kaar where there is no discrimination among people because the same One Light dwells in all.

Yet as beautiful and elevated as the concept of Miri Piri is, our ability as a community to manifest this vision has always been a work in progress.

On Sunday, November 6th, Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar and SikhNet.com will co-host a special talk on The Meaning of Miri Piri by one of the Sikh community’s most respected scholars, Dr. Balkar Singh.

Dr. Balkar Singh is a long-time friend of mine. I studied with him when he lived in New Mexico, USA, in the early 2000s. His knowledge of Sikh philosophy and history runs deep. His willingness to bridge the Sikh traditions of Punjab with the modern Western world is courageous. He served for many years as the head of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Studies department at Punjabi University in Patiala, India. Today, he serves as the Director of the World Punjabi Centre.

This special talk will be hosted on Sunday November 6 at the Miri Piri Academy campus in Amritsar, India and will be live streamed through SikhNet.com. If you are in Amritsar, you can attend in person. The talk begins at 11:30 am Indian Standard Time and langar will be offered afterwards.

To attend onsite, please register here: https://miripiriacademy.classe365.com/form/view/miripirilecturedrbalkarsingh

If you would like to attend the talk virtually, SikhNet will live stream it. You can register to attend the live stream here: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/60/n1kp1f53

Click here to translated IST into your local time zone.

Miri Piri offers a beautiful vision that the best aspects of human consciousness can guide our economical, political and social leadership. In order to give the future generations a chance to manifest this vision, Miri Piri Academy was founded in Amritsar many years ago. The Academy brings together spiritual-minded students of all ages from around the world to study together, develop together and bask in the Golden Light of the Guru’s homeland.

We are very honored to host Dr Balkar Singh’s talk at Miri Piri Academy. SikhNet.com is grateful to partner with Miri Piri Academy in sharing his talk to the global community.

I personally have loved every lecture Dr. Balkar Singh gave during his time in New Mexico 20 years ago. I hope you will join me in taking this opportunity to hear from one of our most respected scholars. Dr. Balkar Singh’s talk initiates the SikhNet Scholar Series. SikhNet.com plans to bring other Sikh scholars to the global community through livestream events in 2023.

May the Guru keep inspiring us towards the highest reality possible, and may His grace keep you in Chardi Kalaa.

With Divine Light,

Ek Ong Kaar Khalsa Michaud

Interim Executive Director, SikhNet.com