Sardar Kalyan Singh Kalyan has broken the country’s record as the first Pakistani Sikh to receive a PhD.
“The journey was completed due to the blessings of Guru Nanak Sahib Ji and my parents, the hard work of teachers and support of loved ones,” he told Kross Konnection.
“Sadly education is not the first preference of Sikhs in Pakistan. Also religious minorities are more concerned about their survival due to social issues and deprivations these days.”
The 42-year-old who is also known as Pakistan’s first Sikh assistant professor presented a 600-page dissertation titled “The Philosophy of Humanity in Guru Nanak’s Teachings after His Mother.” He was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Punjab after successfully defending his thesis last week.
Kalyan, who is the father of three daughters and a son, has received acclaim from a number of social media users for his accomplishment.
Renowned Social worker Muhammad Ramzan Chhipa, who runs the Chhipa Welfare Association, paid tribute to him in a tweet.
پاکستان کی تاریخ میں پہلی مرتبہ ڈاکٹریٹ(PhD)کی ڈگری کے حصول پر سکھ کمیونٹی سے تعلق رکھنے والے سردار کلیان سنگھ کلیان کو خراج تحسین پیش کرتا ہوں۔انہوں نے اپنا پی ایچ ڈی کا مقالہ ممتازمحقق پروفیسر ڈاکٹر نوید شہزاد کی زیر نگرانی مکمل کیاہے۔#Sikh #KalyanSingh #Chhipa #Philanthropist pic.twitter.com/HrB5n16dfC
— Muhammad Ramzan Chhipa (@RamzanChhipa) February 20, 2022
Another Twitter user shared the photo of his family.
Kalyan Singh Kalyan, the first Sikh citizen of Pakistan, has obtained his doctorate (PhD) degree.
The 42-year-old man is the first Sikh in the country’s history to receive the award. pic.twitter.com/BNDF8kVSGu
— Abdul Aziz – Noman (@nomanaziz83) February 20, 2022
The estimated number of Pakistani Sikhs is around 20,000. Most reside in militancy-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest.
In 2018, Pakistan launched a visa-free road link for Sikh pilgrims from India to visit a famous shrine in the neighboring nation.
Same year, Pakistan became the first country in the world to introduce specific legislation for the registration of Sikh marriages. Despite passage from National Assembly, Punjab Sikhs Anand Karaj Marriages Act 2021 awaits its rules of business.
“For decades we have been fighting for implementation of the 5 percent job quota and 2 percent admission quota for minorities. The struggle against social discrimination will continue,” said Kalyan who is also an activist.
Early life
According to local media reports, Kalyan completed his study work under the guidance of renowned Punjabi language researcher Prof Dr. Naveed Shehzad. He was born in 1979 and obtained his early education in Nankana Sahib, Punjab. He earned his MPhil from Punjab University in 2016 and afterward became an assistant professor at Government College University Lahore.
Sardar Kalyan Singh studied computer technology with a certificate in Internet Tools from Quaid-e-Azam Institute of Computer Sciences in June 2003 and later obtained DCA and WPD from the same institute. This additional feature helped him in his research work on Punjabi script.
Kalyan, being bread and born in Nankana Saheb has his brothers, nephews and cousins all working for Army, Rangers, Health, Police and for other sectors.
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