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Cinema
Sikhs on the Silver Screen
by Naunidhi Kaur
 The
Spinning Wheel Film Festival - the third installment of which was held
recently in Toronto - showcases films for, by and about Sikhs. The round
wheel of rural Punjab's charkha (spinning wheel) is replaced by a film
spool in advertisements promoting the festival on national television.
The festival holds a valuable place in the Sikh community's social
calendar, and shows films and documentaries from India, the UK, the US,
Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere that are otherwise not easily
accessible to viewers.
Festival Chair Mandeep Singh Rayat, an event manager by profession,
says, "We grew up listening to stories with Sikh heroes, but did not see
films that projected the true character and persona of Sikhs. This
festival aims to do that and to encourage Sikh youth to develop an
interest in this medium." Rayat, a second- generation Canadian, is
fluent in both Punjabi and English.
The
stereotype of the 'sardarji' (colloquial reference to a Sikh gentleman)
in mainstream Bollywood films - as either a confused simpleton providing
comic relief, or worse, a temperamental person always ready for a quick
fight - is one of the main reasons for establishing this festival. This
is what led eminent Sikhs from different professions in Toronto to put
their heads together and come up with an alternative film show.
Eminent lawyer and Member, Festival Advisory Committee, T Sher Singh
says, "It is time we began our own film industry, especially since the
Indian Diaspora is the mainstay of the Bollywood industry, and the Sikh
component of the Diaspora is one of its largest and most important
segments. We think there is an acute need for this festival. Now, three
years after starting it, the proof is indeed in the pudding. The
phenomenal response to date shows that it is meeting a need and filling
a vacuum."
The festival has not shied away from sensitive topics. One of these is
the 'appearance' of Sikhs. This is a matter close to the hearts of most
practicing Sikhs who live in Western societies, and are questioned on
their appearance - as members of a faith that encourages unshorn hair
and wearing a turban.
Two documentaries shown in the 2005 festival - which ran from October 14
to
16 - looked at the post-9/11 North America and the pressures that Sikhs
have had to cope with to maintain their appearance, an intrinsic part of
their identity. 'Dastaar: Defending the Sikh Identity', a 13-minute
documentary directed by New York-based filmmaker Kevin Lee, effectively
probed the role of media in presenting images in which Sikhs are easily
mistaken for Al-Qaeda terrorists. 'Divided we Fall: Americans in the
Aftermath' directed by Sharat Raju looked into the hate crimes against
Sikhs after September 11, 2001. This documentary was inspired by the
death of Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was the first of the eight people
killed in US in the aftermath of September 11.
Films that look at the lives of Sikh women is another focus area. 'Amu'
- the film that opened the festival - is the story of Kaju, a
non-resident Indian (NRI) girl, who goes to India to find out more about
her roots and discovers the dark secrets of the 1984 riots. According to
director Shonali Sen, the social message in 'Amu' is that women who were
widowed in 1984 deserve justice. Sen said, "I was a first year student
in Delhi University when the riots occurred. Like most people around me,
I participated in the rehabilitation work. But later I found that the
1984 widows were never given justice. They have been marginalized.
Through my film, I support their struggle and ensure that the youth know
their history and go into the future armed with it."
Another theme that dominated the 2005 festival was that of brides from
Punjab who are married to NRI grooms, who harass their families for
dowry.
Meera Dewan's documentary 'California Dreaming: India Brides Search for
Ex-pat Grooms' concentrated on the Doaba region of Punjab and picked up
stories of women from remote villages who have been duped by NRI
husbands.
The documentary looked at grooms from the US, Canada, Germany, UK and
even Libya. It gave details of how stories of personal freedom in the
West influence girls to marry abroad, and how they are duped by grooms
who never file for their immigration.
In his excellent documentary 'Runaway Grooms', director Ali Kazimi
showed how families of two girls based in Delhi and Punjab are fighting
cases against husbands in Canada who married them for a fat dowry.
The festival has also been bringing Sikh women directors and producers
to the mainstream. Valerie Kaur, producer of 'Divided We Fall', Amrit
and Rabindra Kaur Singh, also known as the 'Singh twins', directors of
'Nineteen Eighty Four and the Via Delorosa Project' are some of the
filmmakers whose work has been shown and encouraged in the festival. The
Singh twins' documentary presents a personal perspective to the making
and inspiration behind their painting (titled 'Nineteen Eighty Four') of
the storming of the Golden Temple at Amritsar by Indian troops in 1984.
Explains Sher Singh, "Gender equality is a fundamental pillar of
Sikhism. Sure, many of our institutions and individuals fail miserably
in actual practice. So what? It is time we built institutions that
tackle the problem headlong. We at the Spinning Wheel are not afraid to
be critical of our community, when it is justified. Social action is
intrinsic to being a Sikh."
Introductory notes to the festival explain how, in earlier times,
villagers gathered around the charkha to spin and weave. This also
doubled up as a meeting ground to share stories. The Spinning Wheel
Festival is, similarly, a meeting ground for filmmakers and the audience
to explore their life experiences through films. Pride in Sikhism is an
intrinsic part of this festival. And often the festival has gone beyond
films to show this. Festival 2005 showcased paintings by Navjeet Singh
Chhina, who has made numerous portraits of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and
Bhagat Singh. Said Chhina: "Through my paintings of Ranjit Singh, I have
tried to capture the golden age of Sikhism."
However, doesn't looking inward often lead to false pride and separation
from mainstream Canada? Sher Singh explains why not: "The fact that we
tell our stories cannot possibly mean that we have become parochial. If
this principle were true, no religious group would be allowed to do
anything unless they were working in conjunction with all other groups."
He holds that Sikh-Canadians, who have a better understanding of their
Sikh identity, invariably make better and stronger Canadian citizens.
"In turn, Canadians who have a clear understanding of what it means to
be a better Canadian, ultimately make better citizens of the world."
December 4, 2005
By arrangement with
Women's Feature Service
Top
| Cinema
The Week of December 4, 2005
India
and the New World Order by Rajinder Puri
India's Democracy Validated by Bihar State
Electoral Verdict by Dr. Subhash Kapila
The Quest for an Indian Paradigm of Management
by Pradip Bhattacharya
The Wheel of Law: India’s Secularism
in Comparative Constitutional
Context A Book Review by Aruni Mukherjee
Home of the Brave? by John Steinsvold
India's Trade Deficit Widening: Anybody
Listening by Vipin Agnihotri
Vastu and Pregnancy by
Niranjan Babu Bangalore
How Birth Order affects Children's Behavior &
Personality by Michael Grose
This "Didi" Talks
Sex by Ranjita Biswas
God's Sorry, He has made a few
mistakes.... by Michael Levy
In the Dock by NS Murty
Candid Camera on Violence by V. Radhika
Pounding the Polluters by Stephanie Hiller
Sikhs on the Silver Screen by Naunidhi Kaur
Human Trafficking: The Tragic Social Evil by
Rajesh Ramasubramanian
Progression or Regression? by G. Swaminathan
Do Hindus Believe in More Gods than One? by
Dr. R.K. Lahiri
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