The creation of the Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was approved in the spring of 2004. Located in Global Studies Department, the Center provides institutional support for the study of the Sikh tradition, the region of Punjab, and the Punjabi and Sikh communities settled in various parts of the world.
The first of its type in North America, the Center's aims are:
- to serve as a premier venue for research and scholarly exchange;
- to develop and promote undergraduate and graduate teaching;
- to disseminate knowledge through publications and outreach activities;
- to assist other universities embarking on programs in this area, and
- to be proactive in involving the Sikh/Punjabi community in these activities.
The Center's Patron
This Chair was endowed by Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany in the memory of his late mother, Mrs. Kundan Kaur Kapany. The Government of India in January 2021 posthumously awarded Dr. Kapany with the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour in India.
For more infromation on Mrs. Kundan Kaur Kapany, click here.
For more information on Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany click here.
Dr. N. S. Kapany passed away on the 3rd of December, 2020. His legacy, however, lives on. For more on the legacy that he left behind click here.