Sikh Missionary College (Ludhiana)

The Sikh Missionary College (SMC) is a Sikh education and parchar institution with its head office at Ludhiana, Punjab. It runs a two-year correspondence course on Sikhi and a set of study and outreach programmes. It is not the Shaheed Sikh Missionary College at Amritsar, a separate institution opened there in 1927 under the auspices of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

How it began: by its own account, the SMC was established on 30 May 1980 in New Delhi by Gursikhs from Delhi and Punjab. A council of nine founder members was formed. S. Harbhajan Singh of Ludhiana became its first president, and Ludhiana became its head office, at Sector 39, Sikh Missionary Road, Chandigarh Road. The only head named in the sources found is that first president.

What it does

• The correspondence course runs for two years, in eight trimesters of three months each. Study material is available in Punjabi, Hindi and English, and students can enrol at any time.
• Its listed activities include study circles, publications and free literature, Sikh Phulwari (resources for children and young readers), weekly Gurmat classes, Gurpurab and Gurmat samagams, Amrit Sanchar, a Sikh Missionary High School, social work and environment projects, and competitions for youth and children.
• Its stated purpose is to teach Sikh religion, culture and history and to help young people gain the knowledge and skills to share what they learn.

Where it stands: in February 2025 Punjab Infoline reported that the college was promoting the correspondence course, with a spokesperson urging Gursikhs worldwide to join. The sources found give no figures for students or study circles.