SGTB Khalsa College is a premier Sikh higher education institution of India. In such, we see scholars seeking admission to the college from the entire sub-continent (including neighboring countries). Even as the college reserves 50% of its total seats for students belonging to the Sikh community, we have always opened our arms to young learners from across identity divisions. This diverse array of students studying in the College, with a particular focus on educating Sikh students of the nation, along with the heritage to which we belong, allows us to occupy a very special position not only in the lives of our students but also in the nation building processes. The pedagogy which we employ, thus, is a blend of the values professed by Sikhism along with the intricacies of modern educational systems. It effectively allows the Sikh students of the college to understand their culture and tradition better while simultaneously educating the other students about this heritage. This allows us to usher our students into and towards the creation of a more democratic social order which is bereft of the evils of segregation and totalitarianism. Sikhism, after all, teaches equality, love, and acceptance. Its core values teach the treatment of all human beings, regardless of their gender, race, religion, caste, or class, as equals and brings about a sense of “seva” to help everyone. Sikh history, whether ancient or modern, is rift with people who have sacrificed even their lives to ensure the freedom of humans to live their lives the way they wish to. It becomes, hence, but mandatory to instill such values in our students who will, as they graduate, bear the weight of the nation on their shoulders. The imparting of these values happens in the college not only through the regular classes, but also the cultural events which are organized by the various societies and departments of the college. In fact, there are dedicated cultural societies to do “seva”, to preach the word and world of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and to learn to defend ourselves, our freedom, and our nation when aggressors challenge and destroy basic human rights.
In fact, the Physical Education Department of the College, along with its Sports Council hosts the Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh T20 Cricket tournament every year to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The manner in which the two Sahibzadas stood against injustice and discrimination has no parallels in the annals of history. The courage and fortitude of the two boys, as they refuse to be converted and give up their lives for the right of everyone to choose their religion, eventually becomes a source of inspiration for the formation of the Sikh empire on the ruins of the Mughal kingdom. They stood for what is right and against tyranny and showed what the sons of the nations are capable of. It is this spirit of standing tall against the global crises of tyranny and oppression that the T20 tournament, named after the two Sahibzadas emblemizes. Cricket is, after all, a field that encapsulates freedom and unity as players from all castes, classes, religions, and states find a single voice through the game. The sportsmanship that the game espouses ensure equity and equality; especially in the face of a few elements of the world that seek to destroy it.
But to say that we base our educational and pedagogical practices on the values imparted by Sikhism does not mean that we do not take into account the modern advancements which have now (and has historically) run the world. To ensure this modernity, the college has highly specialised scientific laboratories which not only allow students to learn practically but also enables them to pursue research projects. As a matter of fact, the college has had been, for the longest time, a centre for training students who have been selected to represent the country at the Asian and International Physics Olympiads. Apart from these, each year, several research projects are undertaken by the students and faculty of the college to bring newer forms of knowledge in the world: some, like innovative technologies of Forensic Science, which are in use by respective systems of the world. The Humanities and the Social Sciences departments of the college, on the other hand, teach their students processes of critical thinking which cut through the received, and often oppressing, ideologies of the world. These members of the college have repeatedly brought hitherto hidden cultures in the limelight and allowed their literatures to be spread across the globe by unearthing and translating them.
In all, SGTB Khalsa College is a singular site for an education that merges the traditional and the modern in a wonderful matrix of holistic development. Guided by its core ideologies, the college strives to provide educational, emotional, and human growth to its students through various strategies and practices. These practices allow the student to stand out as they move forward with the project of modernity even as they remain rooted to the a history which has shaped the nation into what it presently is.
1. Smart Interactive Boards: Classrooms of the college are equipped with smart interactive boards which enable both faculty and students to learn via various means. These boards help teachers of the college to devise new methodologies using multimedia and flipped classroom systems to ensure that the teaching-learning process becomes as unique as possible while maintaining the good older ways of pedagogy. The classroom lectures and the use of the board can be saved for later consumption through these boards and teachers can connect to the internet directly to show students the engagement that the world at large is having with the concerned topics.
2. Interdisciplinary Research: The college promotes interdisciplinary research, whether at the level of the faculty or at the level of students. This allows an intermixing of two different courses and the ideas of those courses to intermingle and generate fresh discourses within each of the concerned fields. These researches have often been eclectic and yet led to significant development in the manner ideas have been created and percolated through the academic fields of disparate disciplines.
3. Mushroom Cultivation Centre: In agriculture-based countries like India, the burning of agricultural and food wastes contributes to the emission of smoke, which, when combined with other gases in the air, leads to severe atmospheric pollution. This, in turn, exacerbates health risks, particularly for those suffering from chronic bronchitis, asthma, and lung function problems. A more environmentally friendly solution is to cultivate nutritionally and economically beneficial mushrooms on agricultural waste residues. The Mushroom Cultivation Centre (MCC) was established at Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College in 2016 and since then we are actively working on this sustainable approach to grow mushrooms using locally available agro-waste, thereby helping conserve the environment through waste recycling. Agro-wastes such as wheat or rice straw, sawdust, wood chips, and sugarcane bagasse are being utilized for the cultivation of Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), Milky (Calocybe indica), and Button (Agaricus sp.) mushrooms. Mushroom cultivation not only alleviates waste disposal problems but also offers an economically viable alternative for producing high-quality food. Furthermore, byproducts such as spent mushrooms can be repurposed as animal feed or crop fertilizer, making the process even more sustainable. Students gain hands-on experience in various aspects of mushroom cultivation, including spawn and compost preparation, harvesting, and more. Additionally, this initiative fosters the development of value-added products, which supports new startups, entrepreneurship, and self-employment, particularly for women and young people in the community.
4. Guru Angad Dev MMTTC: The college hosts the Guru Angad Dev (GAD) Centre under the Malviya Mission Teacher Training Scheme of the Ministry of Education. The Centre, since its inception, has conducted several faculty development programs, faculty induction and orientation programs, and, of late, NEP orientation programs to train teachers across the nation in becoming better teachers. Lakhs of teaching staff, across the nation and belonging to various levels of teaching, have benefitted from the courses run by the center and have always returned to learn more from the erudite panel of cohorts who run and are invited to the GAD.
5. Two Girls’ Hostel: The college has two Hostels for the girls studying in the college. Each hostel is state of the art and boasts excellent facilities for its residents. The students residing in the hostel have individual study tables, wardrobes, beds, and facilities for further studying and, when required, entertainment. Each room is air conditioned and the students are provided with a variety of healthy and tasty food four times a day.
6. Sports Ground with Floodlights: The college sports ground is equipped with world class flood lights which enables the physical education department and the sports council of the college to train students day and night. The floodlight also enables the college to organize day-night cricket, hockey, and basketball tournaments which are one of a kind in the city. The Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh T20 Cricket tournament is, in fact, one of a kind and sees participation by international players.
7. The College Gurdwara: Since the conservation and propagation of Sikh tradition and heritage is one of the cornerstones of the college’s existence, the campus has a Gurudwara built inside. It radiates spiritual energy and allows the faculty and students the chance to sit in silence and contemplate about their own lives and existence. The college Gurdwara is a place of peace for most times of the year. At other times it becomes the center of the celebration of Sikh history and traditions with brilliant services to the almighty.