Meet Simran · A Maastarji Original
The girl who counts everything.
Simran Kaur counts steps, streetlights, and ducks — and carries her faith quietly in the everyday. Five books. Five Kakars. One girl growing up Sikh in Toronto.
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Who is Simran Kaur?
Simran is six years old and lives in Toronto. She counts everything — the red doors on her street, the cracks in the pavement, the ducks on Grenadier Pond. She notices things other people miss. And she carries her faith the same way she carries her kara: naturally, every day, without thinking about it.
She counts everything
Fourteen red doors. Seven streetlights. Twelve fridge magnets. Thirty-two steps to the bus. Counting is how Simran makes sense of her world — and how she notices what others miss.
She wears her kara
The steel bracelet on her wrist has always been there — like her shoes, like her braid. It is simply part of her. In each story, it clinks and flashes, present without announcement.
She helps without being asked
She unties a boy's shoelace, returns a lost sketchbook, walks across a playground to sit with someone alone. She acts before she has the words for why.
She is from Toronto
High Park, the CN Tower, the community centre pool, the school bus — Simran's world is recognisably Canadian, and intentionally so. Diaspora children see their world reflected back.
She asks big questions
Why do we keep our hair? What is the kirpan for? Why does the kachera matter? Simran asks the questions children ask — and gets honest, loving answers.
She always finds the words
Each story ends with Simran knowing something she didn't before — and being able to share it. She grows in confidence and language with every book.
The Five Kakars Series
Five stories. One for each of the five articles of Sikh identity — the gifts Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave to the Khalsa in 1699. Each book weaves one Kakar into an everyday moment a child will recognise.
For parents and educators
Each book in this series uses a single, relatable moment — a class trip, a question from a sibling, a playground recess — to introduce one Kakar and its meaning. The stories never lecture. Simran discovers the meaning through curiosity and conversation. Every book includes discussion questions, a Gurbani verse, and a word glossary to extend the learning.
Simran Kaur and the Lost Sketchbook
Free Sikh kids' story — PDF + coloring sheet, ages 4–12. When Simran loses her sketchbook in High Park, a stranger returns it — and she starts to understand what she's been wearing on her wrist all along.
Simran Kaur and the Knot
Free Sikh kids' story — PDF + coloring sheet, ages 4–12. After Simran tells Maya her CN Tower drawing is wrong, the friendship cools — and untangling it teaches her something about her mum's kanga.
Simran Kaur and the Picture
Free Sikh kids' story — PDF + coloring sheet, ages 8–12. When Lily asks why Simran never cuts her hair, Simran gives the wrong answer — and spends a week finding the right one.
Simran Kaur and the Fence
Free Sikh kids' story — PDF + coloring sheet, ages 4–12. Simran notices a boy alone at the fence three days in a row — and learns what the kirpan truly means.
Simran Kaur and the Inner Gift
Free Sikh kids' story — PDF + coloring sheet, ages 4–12. When her little sister asks about the kachera she wears every day, Simran finds the words she didn't know she had.
Meet her cousin
Fateh Singh, from London
Fateh discovers his faith by asking. Where Simran feels first, Fateh asks "But why?" three times before he's satisfied. Two paths to the same place — five Sikh values, one boy growing up Sikh in London.
Meet Fateh →Simran Kaur & Sikh Heritage Month
A Toronto-born Sikh girl exploring the Five Kakars — Simran is the perfect guide for Sikh Heritage Month. Explore activities, quizzes, and printables for the whole family.
Explore SHM Resources →Why Simran Kaur works for diaspora families
Simran lives in Toronto, goes to school with kids named Maya and Ethan and Aiden, and encounters the same moments diaspora children do — picture day, playground recess. The Kakars appear in those moments, not as rules to memorise, but as part of who she is.
Read-aloud friendly
Short chapters, rhythmic prose, and counting patterns make these books easy and enjoyable to read aloud at bedtime or in the classroom.
Discussion questions included
Every book ends with five discussion prompts — thoughtful questions that help children connect the story to their own lives and values.
Diaspora-specific context
The stories are set in Toronto, with Sikh children navigating the same questions diaspora families face every day — identity, belonging, and pride.