I didn’t realize that November is California Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month, and I’m so glad I found out just last week — because it led me to the beautiful and cool poetic form called the Siharfi.

As for me, I grew up in a wonderfully diverse Indian community where people from every corner of India lived side by side — including many from the Sikh community. I’ve always known Sikhs to be large-hearted, warm, energetic people with a zest for life that’s truly infectious. Their love for color, their jubilant dances, their delicious food — everything about their culture radiates joy.

And speaking of food — a recent experience reminded me of that vibrancy all over again. We stopped at a Punjabi roadside food truck on I-5, Taste of India in Lost Hills (Buford), and if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it. Mr. Diljeet (whose name fittingly means heart-winner) absolutely stole our hearts with his freshly-made, piping-hot, unbelievably delicious stuffed paratha. While it’s not on the menu, if you’re feeling adventurous, ask him to add paneer — he’ll customize it just for you! The portion is generous, with plenty of yogurt and pickles on the side, and we washed it down with a sweet-and-tangy mango lassi.

This is actually our second time stopping there — it has officially become our favorite place on I-5. And the friendly cats who wander around and keep you company? Made it all so much better!

And maybe because I’ve always associated Sikh and Punjabi culture with such warmth, vibrancy, and imagery, discovering the Siharfi poetic form this week felt meant to be

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Poetic Sundays: Siharfi Serenade

I do believe that heritage lives in language, memory, and melody — and the Siharfi brings that to life beautifully. It unfolds letter by letter, stanza by stanza, each line bringing the spirit of the poem and the poet to readers in vivid yet sweet images.

What is the Siharfi Poetic Form?

Siharfi is a traditional Punjabi/Seraiki acrostic poetic form often used in Sikh and Sufi devotional works. The term literally means “thirty letters” (referring to the alphabet), and more broadly points to “alphabet letters” — which is why each stanza corresponds to a successive letter. The first line of each stanza begins with the letter assigned to that stanza.

Siharfi poems are especially known for their imagery, spiritual reflection, emotional depth, and song-like cadence created by dividing each line into two rhythmic segments (called tukks).

Note: I pulled this from various literary and online sources. Traditional forms like the Siharfi often have many variations, and I’m still learning — this is just my understanding so far, shared with respect and curiosity

The Siharfi’s Characteristics

So the Siharfi’s elements are that it is:

• acrostic: each stanza represents a letter in alphabetical order (poets may use as many letters as they choose)
• stanzaic: written in stanzas of four lines each
• rhythmic: each line is composed of two tukks or balanced metrical units (think of one line spoken in two measured breaths)
• rhyming: not required; rhyme is optional and left to the poet
• imagistic: often rich in picturization, metaphor, and sensory detail
• thematic: traditionally devotional, philosophical, or reflective, but Siharfi also appears in poems of chivalry, love, and separation — and contemporary poets adapt it freely
• refrain (optional): in some Punjabi siharfi, the last line of each stanza is repeated across the poem
• meter: not fixed; syllable count and exact beat patterns are flexible in English adaptation, as long as the two-tukk rhythm remains audible

Siharfi Structure (sample for four stanzas)

Stanza 1 — Letter A
Stanza 2 — Letter B
Stanza 3 — Letter C
Stanza 4 — Letter D
(Each stanza has four lines, and each line is divided into two tukks)

My Siharfi Attempt

Stanza 1 – A
Amidst the chaos, lies a core of calm,
Waiting quietly, patiently, to be heard,
For when we pause, it can be the balm,
And help us all to learn, smile, and be heard.

Stanza 2 – B
Beneath the anger, is love unfiltered,
Hoping to shine through, to soothe the hurt,
I strive to find the calm, the love, the right word,
And help us all to learn, smile, and ease the hurt.

~ Vidya

Recently

On My Blog and On the Homefront

My recent posts (since the last scribblings, as always)

• Today’s Picture Books Sure to Become Tomorrow’s Classics
• Sunday Scribblings #238: Layers of Wondrous Meaning with the Palimpsest

On the home-front, there has been no conflict — just life happening loudly and differently for each of us. The past stretch has been a series of ups and downs, nothing straightforward or nowhere close to picture-perfect. Each of us has had our own struggles and breakthroughs, and it hasn’t always been easy to watch or navigate. But somehow, in the middle of all the confusion and the chaos and the sweetest moments as well, things seem to be shifting toward what’s ultimately best for us, even if they didn’t look that way at first.

Upcoming

On My Blog and On the Homefront

Am looking forward to being with my kiddos (well, they are both no longer really kiddos but to my mom-heart, they will also be so).

Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)

• Literary birthdays this week include: Arundhati Roy and Frances Hodgson Burnett on Nov 24th; Jandy Nelson on Nov 25th; Marilynne Robinson on the 26th of Nov; Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Kevin Henkes on Nov 27th; Rita Mae Brown and William Blake on the 28th of November; Louisa May Alcott, Madeleine L’Engle, and C. S. Lewis on Nov 29th; Jonathan Swift, L. M. Montgomery, Mark Twain, Tayari Jones, Romila Thapar, and Winston Churchill on the 30th of November
• This is Better Conversation Week, so let us have some great ones this week – the ones that will make for cherished memories later!
• Thanksgiving week is also National Game & Puzzle Week, so get your boardgames out to play with family, and all those jigsaw puzzles you had hoped to get started on forever!

Foodie Celebrations

• The 25th is National Parfait Day 
• Next up, it is National Cake Day on the 26th of Nov
• Followed by National Bavarian Cream Pie Day on Nov 27th
• The 28th brings more sweetness with National French Toast Day
• And very aptly, in this pie-filled week, the 29th is National Lemon Cream Pie Day
• End with more sugar, for it is National Mousse Day on the 30th

Other Celebrations and Observations

• The 25th is National Play Day with Dad as well as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
• Followed by Good Grief Day on November 26 in honor of the Peanuts creator Charles Schulz.
• The 27th is Pins and Needles Day and National Jukebox Day
• Red Planet Day comes next – on Nov 28th. And given it is the day after Thanksgiving, it is National Day of Listening and National Native American Heritage Day 
• Electronic Greetings Day, International Day of Solidarity With The Palestinian People, and Square Dancing Day all fall on November 29th.
• Followed by National Personal Space Day and Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare on the 30th of November. It is also Perpetual Youth Day (for Dick Clark’s birthday).

Wrapped Up: My Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings. As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. And, of course, do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon.