Meet Sehaj · A Maastarji Original
The girl who learns to stand tall.
Sehaj Kaur is brave at karate but shy at school. Across her stories she discovers her faith by standing — finding the courage to be seen. One girl growing up Sikh in San Jose, one core value at a time.
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Who is Sehaj Kaur?
Sehaj Kaur is ten years old and lives in San Jose, California. She does karate, keeps her hair long, and says "no" first — then slowly comes around to understanding. She's the cousin of Simran Kaur and Fateh Singh. Where Simran discovers her faith by feeling and Fateh by asking, Sehaj discovers hers by standing.
She says "no" first
Sehaj is skeptical and resistant before she comes around — that's her engine. Every story is the same quiet journey: hiding, then curiosity, then owning who she is.
She knows she is strong
She's an orange belt working toward green. At karate she is fearless and sure. Her real growth is learning to carry that strength into every other room she walks into.
Calm and a warrior, both at once
Sehaj means inner calm and steadiness; Kaur means princess and sovereign. The series plays on this — she discovers that calm and courage are not opposites.
She is from San Jose
Evergreen streets, a gurdwara with golden domes you can see from the freeway, and the long gold California light. Sehaj's world is recognisably American Sikh — and intentionally so.
She asks her big sister
Nimrit is fifteen and seems to understand everything — school, people, and the two worlds the family lives in. She explains Sikhi in a way that clicks.
She learns from Dadi ji
Her grandmother is the storyteller, the steady faith presence who shares the sakhi at the heart of each book — never lecturing, always letting the story do the teaching.
Five Stories, Five Values
Each book is built around one core Sikh value, retold from an American perspective and left un-named inside the story. The first story is here; the rest are on the way.
For parents and educators
Each book follows the same arc: an ordinary San Jose moment pulls Sehaj into a situation she'd rather avoid. She resists, gets curious, and then — through Dadi ji's sakhi and her own experience — comes to own a piece of who she is. Every book includes discussion questions, a Gurbani verse, and a Punjabi glossary.
Sehaj Kaur and the Warrior's Stance
Sehaj is brave at karate but shrinks at school — until she sees children spinning sticks in the park beside her gurdwara. Through gatka and the sakhi of Mai Bhago, she discovers that calm and courage live in the same person.
Friendship Break
Losing a best friend leaves Sehaj feeling lost and alone — and slowly learning to open up and build a wider circle instead of closing off.
Standing Up
Facing something unfair, Sehaj turns her "no first" instinct outward — finding the courage to say no to what is wrong.
Being Different
Sehaj keeps her hair long but uncovered — until a conversation with Dadi ji about the Kakars leads her to choose a patka of her own.
Helping Someone Else
Using everything she has learned, Sehaj supports someone through something hard — strength turned into service.
Three cousins, three cities
Sehaj is one of three cousins growing up Sikh in three different countries. Same Light, different door in.
Toronto
Simran Kaur
Simran discovers her faith by feeling — she notices, counts, and acts. Five books, the Five Kakars.
Meet Simran →
London
Fateh Singh
Fateh discovers his faith by asking — "But why?" three times over. Five books, the five core values.
Meet Fateh →Why Sehaj Kaur works for diaspora families
Sehaj lives in San Jose, does karate after school, and squashes into the back of the van between her big sister and little brother on the way to the gurdwara. She meets the same moments American Sikh children do — a substitute who can't say her name, a heritage festival, a boy who says girls aren't strong enough. The values appear in those moments, not as rules to memorise, but as things she discovers for herself.
Chapter book format
Short, evocative chapters — perfect for bedtime reading over a few nights or independent reading for confident readers.
Discussion questions included
Every book ends with discussion questions by grade, a Gurbani verse, and a Punjabi glossary to extend the learning.
American Sikh context
Set in San Jose, home to one of the largest Sikh communities in the United States — the same questions American diaspora families navigate every day.