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Of all elements, the most significant is the element of knowledge. (SGGS 152)

ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥ vidhiaa veechaaree taa(n) paraupakaaree || "Vidiaa veechaaree tan parupkaaree”. That education is good, which is used for the welfare of people. (Guru Nanak Dev Ji, 356)

Contemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others. (SGGS, 356)

"There is no good in science that won't help people, and there's no good in scholars isolated from people" (Al-Khawarizmi)

I've observed over time that the Sangat, generally-speaking, shows very little interest in books on Sikhi. On the other hand, many Sikhs (academics and ordinary folk) have written and published thousands of books on many aspects of Sikhi, and in Punjabi and in English.
Other websites with lists of books on Sikhi
Link (Sacha Sauda Gurmat Parchar Society, Canada)

click to watch video

Karamveer Singh appeals to Sikhs to have a library in their home to stimulate a passion for reading books to change their lives (click on the image to see and listen). Karamveer Singh says:
"There is a weakness in our community, we are not used to reading. We can have a bar [alcoholic drinks] in our homes, but we don't have libraries in our homes. If we had libraries and books, we would have a passion for reading.
But we don't have a passion for reading. Today we have a passion to buy big cars and build a bank balance. But I would like to request the community through this channel [Satluj TV], that where you have big houses, where you have expensive houses, build a room in one of those big houses, in the form of a library, where there are thoughts of precious scholars. And by reading those thoughts, we can make a change in our lives." Transcribed from Punjabi to English by TurboScribe.ai. Click on this link to view the full video interview by Satluj TV of Karamveer Singh.

Read books on Sikhi and Sikhism

Browse through the list below, of more than 550 items of literature on Sikhi. Click on "previous" or "forward" (in the bottom left and right corners of a page) to move between pages. Filter your selection using the Categories listed in the box below. Each book entry provides details of the book, such as its title, author, and the gurdwara library where it's located. Check the list regularly for new books added to it.
The list was started on 31 Jan 2025. Currently, only items held at the library at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (category: SGSSS) are listed, and only those written primarily in English. In time, I hope to add books held at other local gurdwara libraries. I hope other sewadars will compile similar lists so that, ultimately, anyone in any region of any country, will be able to see online what books on Sikhi are available to read at their local gurdwara libraries. To increase the likelihood and ease of the Sangat seeing what books are available locally, local gurdwaras need to cooperate and form a "hub and spoke" network in which the central gurdwara (the "hub") publishes an online list of books held at local gurdwaras (each a "spoke").
To send a message, please click here .
Abbreviations: AG = Adi Granth; GGS = Guru Granth Sahib; DG = Dasam Granth; NS = not stated

Categories (press Ctrl + or - to zoom in or out if fonts are too small)

16/3/2025

Janamasthan: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Title: Janamasthan: yesterday, today and tomorrow
Author surname(s): Singh Dhillon
Author forename(s): Ganga
Publisher: Sri Nankana Sahib Foundation Inc., USA
Pages: 58
ISBN: none
Publn date: NS (original publication date: NS)
Location: shelf 2.2 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: yes
Overview: The book provides "a valuable glimpse of the glorious traditions of Sikh history of the [past] five hundred years. By focussing attention on Sri Nankana Sahib, this book would reveal as to why the Sikhs are so deeply concerned over the unencumbered pilgramage to this holy shrine." "This book is a concise account of the Sikh faith, a list of the many Sikh shrines in Pakistan, and a report on the origin and activities of Sri Nankana Sahib Foundation, which has made living and viable the sikh committment to regain access and control of Janamasthan and the rest of the Gurdwaras in Pakistan. What the pages of this book add up to are: what we are, where are from where we are now, and which direction we are to take."

5/3/2025

Law of the religious institutions - Sikh gurdwaras

Title: Law of the religious institutions - Sikh gurdwaras
Author surname(s): Singh
Author forename(s): Kashmir
Publisher: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
Pages: 385
ISBN: none
Publn date: 1989 (original publication date: NS)
Location: shelf 15.7 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: yes
Overview: "The Gurdwaras are also reduced to dens of corruption and politics. They are not playing the role as ordained by Sikh principles. A desire for diagnosing the causes of this downfall has served as a motivation to take up this study. It was strengthened in view of the fact that no attempt has ever been made to study the law and management of sikh gurdwaras." "this work is mainly concerned with the laws relating to the administration of secular or temporal affairs of the religious institutions." In addition to the law, the book also covers: the ethos of Sikhism, the role and significance of Sikh gurdwaras, and the management of gurdwaras before statutory regulation. A bibliography is included plus a table of cases.

27/2/2025

Visiting a Sikh temple

Title: Visiting a Sikh temple
Author surname(s): Kaur Babraa
Author forename(s): Davinder
Publisher: Lutterworth Press
Pages: 59
ISBN: '0718824725
Publn date: 1988 (original publication date: 1981)
Location: shelf 14.1 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: no
Overview: The book focusses on the Woolwich gurdwara (England), its development, organisation, activities, and management. A bibliography, glossary and contact list of Sikh organisations is also included.