Plagued By Controversies, New Mexico’s Sikh Community Persists
ESPAÑOLA, N.M. — As the snow began to thicken on the ground outside, Sirivishnu Khalsa bent over to pluck a couple of dark green leaves from the line of crops growing inside the insulated 9,000-square-foot greenhouse.
“Try some of the mustard leaves,” Khalsa said, as he grabbed some wasabi-like flavored vegetables.
A steel bangle sat on his right hand — an article of faith Sikhs wear. He continued the tour, his white turban and beard blending into the snowy horizon as he headed toward the Sikh temple that sits on the edge of Khalsa Family Farms, the nonprofit farming community he founded five years ago.
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“We serve langar (food provided by Sikh temples to the public at no cost) at the temple everyday,” said Khalsa. “Around a couple hundred people join us on weekends.”
Though his appearance resembles that of a Sikh man, Khalsa himself was not born into the faith. At age 23, he joined a yoga ashram in Boston. It was the 1970s, and the newly established organization 3HO had just started gaining momentum in North America. Founded by Yogi Bhajan, the organization combined Sikh values and Kundalini yoga, an intense form of yoga, promising a lifestyle of peace to those searching for meaning.
The group 3HO is currently made up mostly of white Americans converted to Sikhism, a 500-year-old religion with origins in Punjab, India. Members also regularly practice Kundalini yoga. They wear white and typically live in ashrams and abide by a lacto-vegetarian diet. Alcohol, drugs and sexual relations among the non-married is forbidden in the ashram.
The organization, which first began in California, has a presence in over 12 cities across the continent. Today, it is estimated that there are over 10,000 people who actively participate in the movement.
Road sign for the Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway on the way to Khalsa Family Farms. (Photo by Heerea Kaur Rikhraj)
The group also has a stake in many businesses. Members of the organization founded the Yogi Tea company, which generated $59 million in revenue in 2022. Akal Security, a security company with federal contracts is also linked to the organization. The company has received over $1 billion in federal security contracts, with contracts for courthouses and immigration detention facilities. 3HO also owns various properties across the country. It has a significant presence in Espanola, New Mexico, where their headquarters are located.
The highway that leads to the headquarters is dubbed “Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway,” and over 350 families live in the area. They also recently bought an old school and took control of Yogi Bhajan’s ranch (which sits next to the ashram) when he died in 2004.
While the movement has gained a strong following, the wider Sikh community has criticized some of their practices. Sikhs not part of 3HO have shared negative experiences participating in 3HO yoga classes.
Others, meanwhile, have expressed disdain for Yogi Bhajan’s teachings of tantrism, which is separate from the Sikh faith. In 1977, the former president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the Sikh temple association in India, dismissed Yogi Bhajan, stating he was not the leader of the Sikh movement.
The community was the subject of controversy again in 2020, when former members filed a lawsuit against 3HO accusing Yogi Bhajan of abuse and members of negligence.
This spurred families to leave, and others to distance themselves from the lifestyle. Since then, the organization has given up some business ventures, shutting down Akal Security the following year.
Sirivishnu Khalsa (left) pictured with Shenoah Dalziel, who works on the farm. (Photo by Heerea Kaur Rikhraj)
However, those who remain still follow the ways of the movement. Asked about some of the controversies, Khalsa acknowledged people’s stories, but also emphasized his commitment to practicing this way of life.
“I’ve just learnt so much about myself,” Khalsa said. “I feel the same about the way of life since the beginning. I feel blessed to practice faith in this way.”
While Khalsa Family Farms sits on the grounds of the 3HO land in Espanola — with a population of about 10,000 and located 25 miles north of the capitol Santa Fe — is registered as its own religiously affiliated nonprofit. Those who work on the farm come from various backgrounds and don’t need to be part of 3HO.
The Sikh value of “seva,” which translates to continual service, is at the heart of the farm’s operations. It regularly runs programs such as providing free lunches to nearby elementary schools and providing food to homeless shelters.
The farm also collaborates with the wider community and sets up a food booth for the hundreds of thousands of folks who hold an annual pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chamayo.
Shenoah Dalziel, the manager, joined the farm last year. She is at the farm at 7:45 a.m. each day and spends her days sourcing ingredients, organizing shipments and taking care of the crops. She is one of four full time employees, two of whom are refugees from Venezuela.
“It’s rewarding work being able to serve the community,” Dalziel said.
Heerea Kaur Rikhraj is a New York-based journalist who covers religion, health, Indigenous and foreign affairs. She is currently an intern for New Mexico in Depth.