The Baba Shaam Singh Sevapanthi Scholarship was set up in 2019 to help support research and training in the conservation of Sikh heritage. The scholarship was set up in memory of Baba Shaam Singh Sevapanthi, a saint and kirtani (sacred musician) at Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar who performed kirtan for almost 75 years and lived from 1803 to 1926. Baba Shaam Singh personally funded the repair of Guru Granth Sahib manuscripts from the last few remaining skilled bookbinders and encouraged others to do the same. In memory of Baba Shaam Singh’s spirit of heritage preservation, a grant was set up by Pothi Seva to help fund research and training in this field.

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Terms of the Scholarship

1. The scholarship may be used to support the attendance of a course, conference or training event related to book and manuscript conservation. 

2. It may also be used to cover part of the cost of travel to conduct a research project related to Sikh manuscript and book conservation. (Other expenses may also be considered upon request).

3. Priority will be given to those pursuing an interest in manuscript and book conservation, however strong applications from individuals focusing on other fields of Sikh heritage will also be considered.

4. The scholarship is not designed for applicants wishing to attend an event or course which Pothi Seva has organised.

5. There is no deadline for application but prospective applicants should submit their application at least one month before their project begins.

6. The Pothi Seva Trustees will reward the scholarships based on the merit of their applications.

7. The scholarship will normally be paid either as an exact reimbursement once the recipient sends evidence of expenditure to sevadar@pothiseva.net. In some circumstances the grant may be paid based on the expected expenditure. In this case the recipient must provide the evidence of expected expenditure prior to receiving the grant.

8. A successful applicant is not eligible to apply again in the following year.

 

Eligibility for application

1.    You must show evidence that you have a long-term, dedicated interest in the conservation of heritage, broadly related to the Sikh tradition, particularly in the area of books and manuscripts.

2.     You will ideally be enrolled on a conservation or heritage craft related course (not necessarily a university qualification) or have evidence to show you have completed such courses in the past.

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The application form is available here.