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About Kaur Life

Established in 2014, Kaur Life is a registered, non-profit, online magazine, striving to be the premier Sikh Kaur’s publication. It is infused with gurmat and tailored for young Kaurs. Kaur Life hopes to be a space where Kaurs can express their ideas, share stories, and learn more about their Sikh culture to empower themselves.

Kaur Life is primarily user-run, meaning that the public and Kaur Life readers submit content to be published on the website. Whether journal entries, articles, reports, or interviews, Kaur Life wants to feature it. We are always on the search for contributors. For more information view the “Submit Your Work” page.

Kaur Life emerged out of Kaur Thoughts, a blog started in 2012 that was dedicated to exploring Sikhi, kesh, gender, bana, fashion, and being a woman. Lakhpreet started Kaur Thoughts because she felt there was a need for an online resource for Kaurs to explore gender-specific issues, interact with each other, and be inspired by high-achieving Kaurs. To learn more about the evolution of Kaur Thoughts, listen to the Art of Change podcast where Sukhneet Singh interviews Lakhpreet on her journey.

A special thanks to the Sikh Spirit Foundation. Their generous support made Kaur Life possible!


Kaur Life’s Mission

  • to provide Kaurs with resources to guide them on their Sikh journey
  • to capture and document narratives, experiences, and histories of Kaurs
  • to feature examples of high-achieving Kaurs to inspire other Kaurs
  • to develop thought-provoking articles that facilitate discussion on Kaur-issues
  • to create a community of belonging and friendship of Kaurs that facilitates growth, partnership, and teamwork

Kaur Life’s Vision

To have a world where:

  • Kaurs are empowered with self-confidence and the spirit of Sikhi to embrace challenges and pursue their dreams
  • Kaurs are supported and celebrated in every aspect of life
  • Kaurs are steadfast and solid in their identity as Sikhs
  • Kaurs have the opportunity to live up to their full potential

The Kaur Life Space

  • The Kaur Life space is informed by the Guru Granth and Guru Panth; utilizing Gurbani (Guru), tvarik (history) and the rehat (conduct) to further explore and expand Sikh conversations.
  • Kaur Life believes human equality is inherent within Sikhi.
  • Kaur Life strives to be a space that is grassroots, and counters the hegemony and oppression of ability, religion, caste, class, ethnicity, gender, race, sex, and sexual orientation.

Kaur Life’s Values

These are fundamental beliefs of Kaur Life and the principles that guide our actions.

  • Integrity: We strive to be honest in our writing: making sure our actions, thoughts, and products are all consistent with our values. We strive to make sure that we attribute ideas to their owners and are accurate in their presentation. In this manner, we strive for excellence and truth through thoughtful and mindful actions.
  • Courage: We strive to be fearless in our pursuit for truth and presenting creative and original ideas. We believe the freedom of thought and imagination leads to originality and boldness.
  • Open-mindedness: We strive to present all points of view and provide a platform for diverse opinions, which we hope, will lead to awareness, curiosity, and discovery though learning.
  • Compassion: We strive to be thoughtful and respectful of all opinions and treat everyone with love while recognizing their Divine Light.
  • Gratitude: We strive to operate with a mindset of thankfulness, gratefulness, and appreciation for our readers, our sangat, our panth, our benefactors, our patrons, our supporters, the Singhs and Kaurs of our history, and Waheguru. We try to acknowledge the gifts and opportunities they have provided us in order to make Kaur Life a reality.

Kaur Life Team

Lakhpreet Kaur, Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Lakhpreet Kaur (she/her) is the founder and editor-in-chief for Kaur Life.  Kaur grew up going to Camp Sikh Virsa and several other camps around North America, like Sidak, Toronto Sikh Retreat, and Houston Gurmat Camp. It was here, along with stories and conversations with her parents, that she learned about Sikhi. Kaur earned a BA in Political Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her MA in International Environmental Policy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and did a year of post-graduate studies at American University studying international relations. Kaur is also a freelance writer and photographer, and has been published on Teen Vogue, NBC News, Ms. Magazine, Huffington Post, and other online journals. 

Harleen Kaur, Board Member 

Harleen Kaur (she/her) is a community organizer, educator, and scholar. A Sociology PhD candidate at UCLA, she studies the intersection of racialization, collective trauma, and nationalism through the story of the Sikh diaspora and our quest for belonging. Her passion project is utilizing Sikhi’s radical notions of humanity as a driver for higher community consciousness rooted in an intersectional, anti-oppression framework. Much of Harleen’s inspiration, voice, and vision was cultivated during her year as a Bonderman Fellow, when she backpacked solo through fifteen countries to better develop a global framework for liberation and sovereignty. Her expertise for Kaur Life lies in these experiences and her desire to cultivate a stronger voice for the Sikh community, as well as her specific experience in journalism and writing through a Bachelor’s in English literature and several years writing as an opinion columnist for The Michigan Daily and other papers.

Isha Kaur, Board Member 

Isha Kaur (she/her) is passionate about mentoring the next generation of Sikhs, and has organized and attended multiple Sikh camps and workshops in Chicago, New York, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. She founded and regularly organizes Camp Sadh Sangat in San Antonio and is a lead facilitator for Camp Sikh Virsa in Chicago. Through these various camps and workshops, Kaur has engaged youth ages 7 and older on tough topics that are important to the Sikh Panth, including topics on kesh, taking Amrit, gender roles, seva, among many others.

Kaur has also fostered a successful career as a marketing consultant in Austin, TX. She currently works at Shopify, and is also developing her own marketing firm, Kaur Consulting Group. She tries to leverage her voice to be an activist in her professional space as much as possible by being head of the Diversity & Inclusion committee, taking part in events with Austin Justice Coalition, and more. 

prabhdeep singh kehal, Board Member 

prabhdeep (they/them) is a writer, community scholar, and educator whose pronouns are they, them, and theirs. As a sociologist and doctoral candidate at Brown University, prabhdeep researches how people and communities make knowledge about race and racism, and how they use this knowledge in their lives. In their academic work, they broadly question how colonialism persists within US higher education and, specifically, how these ideas about race are used in the processes of hiring, promotion, and defining merit (what counts as good) in academia. prabhdeep’s community-based work focuses on working with others within the global Sikh diaspora to identify and fight how white supremacy, anti-queerness, and gender conformity emerge in our lives. At Kaur Life, prabhdeep will be using their training as a historical and cultural sociologist, along with their Gurmat-based practices of Sikhi, to foster transnational conversations on gender, sexuality, and casteism, and the intersections therein.

Sangeeta Kaur, Board Member 

Dr. Sangeeta Kaur (she/her) has been a teacher and counselor at various Sikh youth camps across the nation for over 20 years. In the past 10 years she has worked on the leadership team to organize programs and activities sponsored by the Sikh Youth Alliance of North America (SYANA) including adult and youth educational programming, webinars and camps/retreats. 

By profession, Sangeeta Kaur is an OB/GYN, is the section chief for her academic faculty at Beaumont Health – Royal Oak, is an associate professor at the Oakland university William Beaumont School of Medicine, and serves as the secretary of the Michigan section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A passionate women’s health advocate, a focus for Sangeeta has bringing women’s health advocacy to the forefront of marginalized communities. She has worked, through guest speaker appearances and educational initiatives, to close some of the educational gaps that exist in the South Asian communities.

Currently, Sangeeta Kaur lives in southeast Michigan and enjoys spending time with her family camping, hiking, skiing, and when she can, curled up on the sofa with a good book!


Former Board Members

Mohan Singh Dhariwal, Board Member

Mohan S. Dhariwal, DO, PhD, is an internal medicine physician and clinical director with the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee where he specializes in health maintenance and disease prevention. His Sikhi, coupled with his holistic medical approach, made him interested in the power of meditation as a tool for healing, longevity and quality of life improvement. Dhariwal is a graduate of the University of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines, Iowa, Dr. Dhariwal also received a PhD degree from the University of Birmingham, England. His patient care emphasis is in preventive medicine and the treatment of diabetes.  Dr. Dhariwal served as a gurmat-camp organizer with Sikh Virsa for over 15 years. His seva also includes weekly gurdwara kirtan and educational lectures on Sikhi. 

Sukhjinder Kaur, Board Member

Sukhjinder Kaur is a public school educator from Milwaukee, WI. She was awarded the 2013 Change Maker Award by SAALT. The Sikh Coalition nominated Ms. Dhariwal for this award for her seva on behalf of the Oak Creek Sikh community following 2012 mass shooting. “Ms. Dhariwal emerged as a powerful community advocate and provided crucial links between the government and the Sikh American community, and ensured that all victims and survivors had access to necessary services and were made aware of their options,” said Sikh Coalition. She was also awarded a certificate of appreciation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice for her, “outstanding service on behalf of crime victims and in promotion of the interests of justice.”  Additionally, Ms. Dhariwal’s seva extends to Sikh camps. For over 15 years volunteered as a gurmat-camp organizer with Sikh Virsa.


Writers & Photographers

There are over 200 Sikhs who have written for or contribute to Kaur Life and we thank them for their seva. Kaur Life is completely user run so, only with these writers does Kaur Life exist. Whether it’s art, poetry, music, journal entries, articles or photography, Kaur Life wants to feature it. We are always on the search for contributors. For more information view the “Submit Your Work” page.

Also, we send out a big “Thank You” to all of our readers and the Kaur Life virtual sangat!


Kaur Life Events & Presentations

The Kaur Life team is available to give presentations and talks on the topic of Sikhi and Kaurs! Email us at Hello@KaurLife.org for more info.

Check out our past events:

The Guru’s Gift” Book Club | Nov 3, 2021 | Harleen Kaur & Guntas Kaur

“Faith, Gender & Activism in the Punjab Conflict” Book Club | Co-Sponsored with Kaur Collective.

Women & Sikhi | April 11, 2021 | Lakhpreet Kaur: Daughters of Punjab by Sikh Heritage Moth Ottawa 

Sikh Identity in the 21st Century | Feb 3, 2021 | Lakhpreet Kaur: Sikh Dharma International’s Dialogs in Dharma

Kaur Life Virtual Retreat | Aug 2020 | Kaur Life & Sevadars

Building a Virtual Sangat of Kaurs | July 21, 2020 |  Lakhpreet Kaur: Sikh Coalition’s Summer Series

Surat Sikh Conference | January 2020 | Co-Sponsorship

Sikh Women & Kaur Life Q&A | June 2019 | Lakhpreet Kaur: Sikh Coalition’s Educational Discussion

How Kaurs Lead by the Sikh Initiative | April 2019 | Isha Kaur: Explored the influence of intersectionality of Punjabi Culture x Sikhi. Discussed how to overcome barriers in not only the workplace and the general world, but the barriers in place within our homes on this panel of Sikh women.

The Power of Storytelling in Building Community | March 2016 | Lakhpreet Kaur: Discussed the ways sharing stories can build community across time and space amongst Sikh women as a part of the University of Toronto St. George event, “Women and Sikhism.”


Kaur Life in the Media

“Can I ask my fiancee to shave her pubic hair,” by Kaur Life Advice Team published in “Sikhisme” edited by Stine Ballisager & Ann-Louise Ljungcrantz for Stystime.

“Writing Sikh History,” by Trine Lejon in Vårt Land

“South Asian Millennial Conference,” by Saloni Gajjar.

“Q and A with Kaur Life’s Editor-in-Chief, Lakhpreet Kaur,” by Sikh Love Stories.

“New Online Magazine, Kaur Life, Creates a Splash of Empowerment for Sikh Women,” by Simran Jeet Singh on Brown Girl Magazine.

“Kaur Life: Inspiring Lioness Queens to Rule the World,” by Harleen Kaur on Langar Hall.

“Kaur Life,” by Harleen Kaur of Kaur Films.

“Creating Kaur Thoughts to Empower Sikh Women,” by Sukhneet Singh on The Art of Change.