Sat Sri Akaal - Bunga Azaadi

![[58aArtboard 1.png]] <center>Welcome to Bunga Azaadi's Official Vichaar Repository: </center> <center> A Curated Collection of Quality Vichaars on Sikhi, Statecraft, Economics and more! </center> **Navigation:** Vichaar Repository [[Raajniti Vidya]] [[Khalsa Revival]] [[(Not Just) The Basics of Sikhi]] ## About Bunga Azaadi (Institute for Azadist Studies) is a think tank set up to discuss, debate and do the necessary Vichaars (contemplations / research / opinions) to apply a Sikh perspective to the modern world. With the rapid rate of innovations in technology and a constantly changing geo-political landscape, it is imperative that the Guru Khalsa Panth is conscious and evaluating the world around us to keep up to date. Bunga Azaadi produces and curates Vichaars from a network of individuals passionate about using Sikhi to inform our positions so to navigate these changing times and make informed decisions moving forward. **Read** | [[Bunga Azaadi’s Mission]] ## FAQ ### What is a Bunga? In Sikh tradition, a Bunga is a building or facility used for resting, meeting, and other community activities. The word "Bunga" itself is a Persian term for a hospice or dwelling place, and they had been incorporated by Sikhs to initially provide places to stay for Misldhars around Harmandir Sahib. However, they also developed to fulfil a variety of functions from fortifications to telling the time of day. The most popular purpose was to be centres of learning in a variety of subjects such as raag kirtan, medicine, calligraphy and much more. Fundamentally, a Bunga was a place where people could come together to discuss ideas and share knowledge. Today, Bunga Azaadi serves as a modern-day example of this tradition, providing a space for Sikhs to discuss and deliberate on the challenges and opportunities facing the community in the modern world. Through its research, publications, and events, the Bunga strives to apply Sikh principles to contemporary issues and promote a deeper understanding of the Sikh worldview to a committed audience. As the world continues to evolve, institutions like the Bunga Azaadi are essential in ensuring that Sikhs remain connected to their roots while navigating the complexities of the modern world. ### Why is this needed? In today's constantly changing world, it is crucial to have a platform for discussion and debate that is rooted in Sikh principles and values. Bunga Azaadi serves as a space for Sikhs to come together and engage in intellectual discourse on contemporary issues. By applying Sikh perspectives to challenges and opportunities facing the community, the Bunga aims to promote a deeper understanding of Sikh philosophy and values in relation to modern issues. It is through institutions like the Bunga Azaadi that Sikhs can stay connected to their history and culture adapting and navigating the complexities of the modern world. Additionally, the Bunga helps to foster a sense of community among like-minded Sikhs and encourages collaboration and cooperation in finding solutions to common challenges. Overall, the Bunga Azaadi is an important institution that helps Sikhs to remain informed, engaged, and connected to their heritage while also looking towards the future. ### How does it work? We aim to produce and curate a collection of quality outputs in the form of publicly available _Vichaars._ Some will communicate the positions members of the Bunga reaches on different topics and how we reached them, whereas others will be incorporated in our knowledge base (Vichaar Repository) with the permission of collaborators. We will also host regular debates to discuss current events and different subjects in order to help explore and test different ideas and interpretations. It is crucial to understand that the author of each respective Vichaar represents no one but themselves, and there is no claim to hold the single authoritative opinion on behalf of the whole Panth. Instead, contributors can set a solid stance for themselves, and share their reasoning for others to assess as part of their process of reaching their own conclusions. Whilst we may also include Vichaars in our repository that not all members of the Bunga may disagree with, the Bungai — the director(s) of the Bunga — may feel they are still valuable for the Sangat to consider within certain parameters. Through our outputs, we aim to establish the world's most advanced and quality collection of Vichaars related to Sikhi, Statecraft, Economics and more! ### How can I get Involved? #### Join The Bunga’s Sangat We have set up a dedicated Discord server where you can join as a member of Bunga Azaadi and contribute in a variety of ways. ##### Membership Info **Clearance Levels** Being a part of Bunga Azaadi is very flexible. You can use the Bunga as just a "Vichaar Hub" to explore ideas with Sangat or you can be more involved in developing outputs, working on projects or even helping progress our "Grand Strategy" for Khalsa Raaj. Not everything we do is public, and much is on a need-to-know basis. To help us identify who is available to commit to things we have developed a clearance level system based on engagement. It is completely up to you how you want to interact with the Bunga, but the more you do get involved the more opportunity there is for you to level up and take on responsibilities. Level 0 (L0) is for new members who go through probation period. During this time we can assess how involved you want to be and what you would like to use the Bunga for. If you would just like to interact with Sangat via the forums, keep tabs on updates or otherwise be involved in a minimal way, after the probation period you will likely enter L1. For members who get more involved, contribute to outputs or projects and produce quality Vichaars, you will be promoted to L2. Higher level members will have access to more private spaces in the server to seperate important comms from everything else. There are various ways to level up, such as regular engagement in the forums, contributing quality Vichaars, being vouched for by other members or even working on open projects we have on our **Seva Board**. The more you get noticed for the right reasons the more we can consider your clearance level. **Associates** If you want to support us in a less committed, "on-call" capacity but also have valuable experience or wisdom you think could help us, then consider becoming associated with the Bunga in an advisory capacity. This can range from specific advice related to projects we work on, helping the Bunga develop to sharing valued intel. All associates will be added to a "contact list" held internally by the Bunga where we can look up and reach as needed. Get in touch to become an associate: [email protected] **L2 Fast-Track** If you would like to fast-track your level up as member of the Bunga to get involved in some of the behind the scene work related to the Grand Strategy or work closely as part of the Bunga to help with development, advise and produce official outputs, then the following process can be followed: - **(01) Azadist Manifesto Summaries** ‍ ‍ - This first step will test your ability to commit time and effort to grapple with the subject area. Read the Azadist Manifesto and to write short summaries of each section of the Azadist Manifesto. You don't have to agree with everything (in fact, disagreement is encouraged!) — but you need to at least prove you have understood the material. Send us an email with your summaries to [email protected] - **(02) Video Interview** - In addition to discussing your summaries, this will be an opportunity to introduce yourself, tell you more about how it all works and discuss what you can get involved in. You can also ask us any questions you would like to know before you decide to officially join as a L2+ member. - **‍(03) Offer / Rejection** - After this, you will be informed whether you are successful or not. If you are, then you will have some time to formally accept. We want to filter out those with little commitment, loyalty to Masandic organisations, and those who simply do not know how to think properly. However, although entry is restricted, applications are open to anyone. We reject credentialism and focus only the quality of the mind presented. Anyone is free to apply no matter your background. ##### Forums This server also contains various forums divided by topic which we encourage all Sangat to engage in by posting in them. High quality posts may be picked up by Bunga Azaadi to add to our Vichaar Repository. Also feel free to use the voice channels for debates/discussions as well. #### Seva Board There are some Seva opportunities to get involved in and help Bunga Azaadi. Currently these are mainly unpaid volunteering. In time, we hope to attach payments for tasks on the Seva Board to help incentivise commitment and reward contributors for their time and effort. [View Seva Board](https://marbled-step-603.notion.site/Seva-Board-157ea62e3e928073adf6d91267657962) In the meantime we can give you a reference for your CV / Resume if that interests you. Getting involved in Seva will also contribute to your level progression. #### Monthly Darbars Each month, the Bunga hosts a online _Darbar_. This is a session held for Sangat and members of the Bunga to attend and discuss any topic, answer questions and debate. These are now held publicly, live on [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@azadism/). If you would like to present in one of our Darbars, get in touch! #### Contribute & Collaborate We are seeking to build the best resource for all things related to Sikh, Statecraft and Economics and more. Both Miri and Piri perspectives are being sought after so that when the Guru Khalsa once again gets to the stage where we are implementing our own experiments in statecraft, we will have a robust knowledge base to draw from. If you operate a Sikh organisation, project or are just an independent researcher, scholar or enthusiast (we care more about the ideas than the egos), we would be honoured to host your Vichaars. The Bunga is a Vichaar aggregator of sorts but curated in specific ways relevant to our purpose and mission. We want to avoid having just a singular opinion, and start collaborating with others and offering multiple perspectives — even ones we may disagree with but feel is valuable for Sangat to consider when informing their own conclusions. Your contributions will be fully credited of course, whatever you submit will be attributed as distinctly your work. Treat the Bunga as a platform for Vichaars, a bit like how you may share Vichaars on Substack, Instagram or YouTube currently. Bunga Azaadi, is a Sikh alternative. All content is reviewed before being (re-)published, and organised into specific areas/domains within our Vichaar repo. By adding to Bunga Azaadi's Vichaar Repo, we can archive it for the next generation of Sikh Statecrafters whose mindsets we are currently trying to shape. These Vichaars will help contribute to forging the mentality necessary for the Guru Khalsa to attain and maintain Raaj. ## Contact Us If you have any questions, feedback or want to discuss more about any of the above, you can contact us via email or social media: E-mail: [email protected] Instagram: [**@bunga_azaadi**](https://www.instagram.com/bunga_azaadi/) Twitter: [**@Bunga_Azaadi**](https://x.com/Bunga_Azaadi) Substack: [**substack.com/@azadism**](https://substack.com/@azadism) We can even jump on a **Zoom/Discord** call as well! ## Links [Website: www.azadism.co.uk](https://www.azadism.co.uk/bunga) [Instagram: @Bunga_Azaadi](https://www.instagram.com/bunga_azaadi/) [Substack: @azadism](https://azadism.substack.com/)