History of Sikhs at UC Berkeley

Ghadar Movement

Early 20th century

The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th century, international political movement founded by expatriate South Asians to overthrow British rule in South Asia. The early membership was composed mostly of Punjabis who lived and worked on the West Coast of the United States and Canada, but the movement later spread to South Asia and South Asian diasporic communities around the world. The Ghadar headquarters and Hindustan Ghadar newspaper were based in San Francisco, California. Many members of the Party were students at UC Berkeley who advocated for South Asia’s independence.

Kartar Singh Sarabha

1895 - 1915

Kartar Singh Sarabha was an Punjabi Sikh revolutionary. He came to San Francisco to pursue a degree at UC Berkeley in 1912. He was 15-years-old when he became a member of Ghadar Party; he then became a leading luminary member and started fighting for the South Asian independence movement. He was one of the most active members and important leaders of the movement.

Our Sikh Student Association was formed with a vision of continuing the legacy of Cal visionaries of the likes of Kartar Singh Sarabha.

Bhagat Singh Thind

1892- 1967

Bhagat Singh Thind was an South Asian American writer and lecturer on spirituality who served in the United States Army during World War I and was involved in a Supreme Court case over the right of South Asian people to obtain United States citizenship. After serving in the army, Bhagat Singh Thind earned a PhD in Theology and English Literature at UC Berkeley. Some of Thind’s accomplishments include being the first Turbaned soldier in the United States Army, General Secretary of the Ghadar Party, and as a key figure in achieving citizenship for non-White individuals.

Guru Govind Singh Sahib Educational Scholarship Established

January 1912

Guru Govind Singh Sahib Educational Scholarships was established by Sirdar Jawala Singh on January 1, 1912. The notice explains that the scholarship will be tenable for 3 years, commencing August 1912; the scholarship will include free board, lodging, expenses covered, and a small amount of pocket money for three years; and that all scholars will reside at a hostel to be called the “Guru Nanak Deva Vidyarthi Ashram,” Berkeley, and lead a simple and abstemious life.

In 1988, Berkeley received a bequest from the late Mr. Karam Singh Maughan to establish an endowment to support graduate fellowships (named for Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh religious leader) to be awarded to graduates of universities in a specific area of India and Pakistan for the purpose of pursuing graduate study at the University of California. This is still offered today.

The Hindusthanee Student Publication is Supported & Sponsored by Sant Tara Singh

February 1916

The February 1916 issue of The Hindusthanee Student (Vol. 2, No. 5), published from the Nalanda Club in Berkeley, California contains an image and article thanking Sant Tara Singh, a “preacher of Sikhism.” When the Nalanda Club wanted to restart their publication, the “Hindusthanee Student,” they faced monetary constraints. Sant Tara Singh was the first to donate a generous amount. This publication would later go on to write about Guru Nanak Dev Ji & Gurpurab, as well as feature Stockton Gurudwara.

Dalip Singh Saund

1899-1973

Dalip Singh Saund was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served the 29th District of California from January 3, 1957 to January 3, 1963. He was the first Asian American, the first South Asian American, the first Sikh American, and the first member of a non-Abrahamic faith to be elected to the United States Congress. He obtained a Master’s degree and a PhD in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. He attended UC Berkeley from 1920-1924. His studies were sponsored by Stockton Gurdwara.

Founding of the official Berkeley Sikh Students Association

June 1978

In 1978, a Sikh-Nirankari clash occurred between the Nirankaris and Sikhs in Amritsar, causing a massacre of Sikhs. The Prime Minister of India at that time, Morarji Desai, was visiting UC Berkeley.

In response, three Berkeley students at the time, Dr. J.P. Singh, Dr. Sukhwinder Singh, & Santokh Singh Kahlon formed the UC Berkeley Sikh Students Association in order to protest against Desai. Given the small number of Sikhs on campus, they got special permission from campus to invite Sikhs from Yuba City & Fresno to conduct a peaceful protest on the crossings of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way of Berkeley’s campus. Learn more in this video of Dr. J.P. Singh.

Berkeley Sikh Students Association is the first University Sikh Student Group in America.

Gurdwara Sahib of El Sobrante

1979

The Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area (also known as Gurdwara Sahib of El Sobrante) is a Sikh gurdwara in the hills of unincorporated El Sobrante, California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.

As a UC Berkeley student and recent immigrant in 1965, JP Singh started the Sikh Center of the Bay Area at his Henry Street apartment. There is no longer a gurudwara in Berkeley—there are three Bay Area temples located in El Sobrante, Fremont, and Hayward—but the university remains at the center of the local Sikh community.

ASUC Student Government Passes Bill Recognizing the Sikh Genocide of 1984

2016

Student Senators Aanchal Chugh and Sumayyah Din led and supported a bill that recognized the Sikh Genocide of 1984. The bill was passed unanimously in the Student Senate.

Protests Against Rahul Gandhi Speaking on Campus

2017

Gandhi was invited by the Institute of International Studies and the Institute for South Asia Studies. Due to his relation with Indira Gandhi, PM who ordered Operation Blue Star in 1984 which ultimately led to her assassination and a Sikh Genocide, Sikhs were protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s speech.

SSA Leads a Protest Against Mohandas Gandhi on his 150th Birthday

OCtober 2019

On the 150th birthday of Mohandas Gandhi — members of the UC Berkeley Sikh Student Association, or SSA, and other South Asian student organizations gathered under Sather Gate, holding signs that said “Gandhi was anti-Sikh” and “Gandhi was a sex offender.” Read more about the protest in the Daily Californian.

Berkeley Street Named After Sikh Woman Kala Bagai

February 2021

Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to approve renaming a street "Kala Bagai Way" after a South Asian immigrant and activist, Kala Bagai, who was discriminated against in Berkeley. This is the first street in Berkeley named after an Asian-American woman. Kala Bagai was born in Amritsar in colonized Punjab. She survived anti-immigrant attacks in Berkeley, and then went on to build, in Southern California, one of the earliest South Asian communities in the United States. Her story is a powerful example of resilience and community in the face of oppression. Learn more about her on the Berkeley South Asian Radical History Tour.

Establishment of the Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Endowed Fund for Sikh Studies

Fall 2022

In Fall of 2022, Berkeley’s Institute of South Asian Studies will be inviting a lecturer who will be teaching two courses in Sikh Studies, the visiting lecturer will also give presentations of their research work to the campus and local community. The Fund and the Program is named in honor of the late Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal. Dr. Sabharwal received an MA in Mathematics at UC Berkeley in 1962.

Berkeley SSA Strives to Continue its Rich Legacy and Build a Stronger Community

We want to continue empowering Sikh students and giving them a voice on campus. Through sports socials on Memorial Glade to Kirtan Nights in Eshleman Hall to tabling and protesting on Sproul, our club continues to find ways to engage, elevate, and support Sikh students on our campus.

Special thanks to Berkeley South Asian Walking Tour, South Asian American Digital Archive, 1984 Living History, Wikipedia, and Daily Californian for archiving this history. If you are interested in learning more about Sikh & Punjabi History at Berkeley, check out the Berkeley South Asian Walking Tour for that and more!

 UC Berkeley Sikh Students Association, 2021-22