The Johl family graciously agreed to share their experiences as Sikh Americans, and generously pledged to donate to the documentary project. The Johls are well-known philanthropists in their local community. Here are some photos of our recent visit to their home and farm.
Author Archives: Diaspora Documentaries
Yuba City’s 37th Annual Sikh Parade
Happy Baisakhi!
We visited the San Jose Gurudwara today to celebrate Baisakhi, the founding of the Sikh Khalsa, or brotherhood. To commemorate Baisakhi, the Sikhs lower their flag for a ceremonial cleaning with milk and yogurt. You can hear the chant “Waheguru” praising God, and the victory shout “Bole so nihal! Sat sri akaal!” as they return the […]
Sikh Education in the 21st Century
Hosted by The Sikh Foundation, International at Stanford, this was a particularly relevant conference for us attend. Speakers included our project contacts and advisors Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, founder of The Sikh Foundation; Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang, founding member of the Punjabi American Heritage Society; anthropologist Professor Sangeeta Luthra; and creative writer Meeta Kaur; among many […]
Favorite Wisdoms from the Guru Nanak Dev Ji
“The secret to religion lies in living in the world without being overcome by it.” Because that is the real challenge. “One may read for years and years …and read all one’s life Right up to one’s last breath Of all things a contemplative life Is what really matters All else is the fret and fever […]
SJ Filmmaking Network Meetup
We joined a filmmakers Meetup hosted by Sinohui Hinojosa at EAP Creative Studios in San Jose. There we met some other aspiring filmmakers and got a tour of a professional studio with professional equipment. This inspired us to take a photo with our dreams 🙂
Asian Art Museum: the Sikh Gallery
Happy Free First-Sundays! The Asian Art Museum was free to the public today, so I went upstairs to see the only permanent collection of Sikh art in North America, donated by Dr. N.S. Kapany. A series of paintings follow the travels of Guru Nanak, the first guru, and his two life-long companions, a Hindu convert named Mardana and […]
Meeting Dr. Kapany, the Father of Fiber Optics
Today we met a pioneer in science and technology – Dr. Narinder S. Kapany, known as the father of fiber optics. He established the Sikh Foundation and is one of the most prominent members of the Sikh society. He gave us much good advice for our project.
Notes from Sikholars 2015
We attended this year’s Sikholars conference at Stanford, organized by Jakara Movement. A panel of Sikh graduates presented their research and discussed various topics in education, health, gender, and social justice pertinent to the community. Particularly relevant to our project was the Social Life of Sikhs Panel. The presentation “Educational Pathways: An exploration of California Sikh Youth” by Prabhdeep Kehal and Palvinder Kaur proved the […]
Bole so nihal!
Bole so nihal! Sat sri akaal! That is the Sikh shout of victory and greeting, which we heard shouted many times today. Today we drove to Yuba, CA to interview Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang. Dr. Kang is a spokesperson for the Sikh community there and a founding member of the Punjabi American Heritage Society. On our way to Yuba we […]