Kids Corner

Film/Stage

Filming The Plight Of Sikh-Afghans Under Siege

LEICESTER MERCURY

 

 

 

A filmmaker has returned from Afghanistan after filming a documentary to highlight the country's isolated Sikh community.

Bobby Singh, of Syston, United Kingdom, flew to Kabul in January 2012 to shoot a documentary about the Gudwara Har Rai Sahib - a Sikh place of worship which has become home to about 1,000 displaced people.

The historic gurdwara is riddled with thousands of bullet holes from gunfire by U.S. and Taliban fighters.

Writer Bobby Singh, 43, spent a week with a film crew from Birmingham television channel, Sikh TV.

He said: "I wanted to highlight the dwindling Sikh community in Afghanistan, which has dropped from about 60,000 to a mere 1,000.

"Most Sikhs have fled the country to places like London, India and Canada.

"But the few who remain are ostracised by the Afghans and have become destitute - forced to live within the confines of their gurdwara.

"They do not go outside the walls of the gurdwara. Their whole lives are spent there."

The three-part documentary will be aired on Sikh TV in April.

It includes interviews with Afghan Sikh families and those confined to the gurdwara.

One man, 26-year-old Narinder Singh, said:

"Life is not the same as it was decades back.

"Most of the rich Sikh families have fled and today only the poor Sikhs remain within the gurdwara complex as they are unable to afford their own properties. There are no schools for the children or any teachers here.

"Children spend most of their time doing virtually nothing and so are devoid of any education."

Narinder said due to the lack of education, young Sikh children had no future while they remained in Kabul.

Bobby said he was planning to submit the documentary for a number of film festivals, including events in Toronto, Qatar and Sheffield.

 

[Edited for sikhchic.com]

February 16, 2012

 

 

 

 

Conversation about this article

1: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), February 16, 2012, 10:59 AM.

Poor Sikhs? Why is it difficult for us to rescue them from the hell-hole and organize the resettlement of Sikh-Afghans?

2: Manjit Singh (Delhi, India), February 16, 2012, 11:09 AM.

First of, I would like to thank reporter like Bobby Singh and sikchic.com for doing their bit for their community. It's really heart-rending that in India or abroad some of our affluent fellow-Sikhs don't come forward to help their community. It is really shocking to know that the no. of Sikhs has been reduced from 60000 to 1000 in Afghanistan. sikhchic.com, please try to wake up our so called Sikh politicians who are good for nothing ... but hope you will continue to help the Sikh community, for it is because of the likes of you that we Sikhs feel proud of what we are.

3: Kirpal Singh (Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.A.), February 16, 2012, 11:25 AM.

It is so sad to see our Sikh brothers and sisters suffering! What can we do? Where are United Sikhs and Khalsa AID now when it comes to helping our own people?

4: Harinder (Uttar Pradesh, India), February 16, 2012, 11:42 AM.

The tenacity and courage of Sikh-Afghans is unmatched in the annals of history. We salute you!

5: Sukhbir Singh (Delhi, India), February 16, 2012, 1:20 PM.

Where can we get a copy of this documentary?

6: Lejon Singh  (Sweden), February 16, 2012, 4:54 PM.

These sikhs are not running from Afghanistan. The Talibani Afghans don't want any other faiths in the country.

7: Lakhpreet Sandhu (California, U.S.A.), February 17, 2012, 12:21 AM.

Sikh politicians and NGO's should take a lead in this cause to help them and, if needed, some kind of fund should be set up to help them and we all should and can contribute to make a positive difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

8: Jaz Singh (London, England), February 17, 2012, 7:34 AM.

I know it's very easy to blame the Taliban for all ills, but if you talk to the multitude of Sikh-Afghans here in London, they will, to a man, tell you that the period of Taliban rule in Afghanistan was probably the only time in recent memory that the Sikhs were safe to get about with their business of trading without fear of violence or murder. (Incidentally, the Sikh-Afghans also tell me that, in contrast to popular belief, it was only Hindus that were required to wear yellow badges. The rule didn't apply to Sikhs.) It is no coincidence that the exodus of Sikhs from Afghanistan to places such as London started after the fall of the Taliban, when criminal gangs took over and saw 'infidel' Sikh traders have become targets of robbery and murder. As for the poorer Sikhs that remain in Afghanistan, we need to ask the rich Sikh-Afghans who have escaped from Afghanistan and are now flourishing in different parts of the diaspora - including London and New York - as to why they feel no moral obligation to send money and help those left behind.

9: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), February 17, 2012, 1:50 PM.

Thank you, Bobby Singh, for taking up the cause of Sikh-Afghans. Neglected by everyone else, they have no country to go. Many, after so many years in Delhi, are still fighting to get citizenship. The Indian Government is providing millions of dollars for construction of roads, govt. offices, bridges, etc. to Afghanistan, but they do not take up the Sikh case with the Afghan Government. S.G.P.C. does not talk about this issue.

10: Sarabjit Singh (Michigan, U.S.A..), February 17, 2012, 8:39 PM.

Bravo to the film-maker for willing to do something about a cause he believes in and risk his own life for the well-being of our community - a true seva!

11: Gurinder singh (Stockton, California, U.S.A.), February 18, 2012, 8:38 AM.

I saw Sikh-Afghan Sikhs present in almost every big city of Germany in the early 1990s. The Taliban came to power after that. The exodus started during the Soviet occupation and later when the Northern warlord, Mohammed Rashid Dostum, came to power.

12: Manjeet Shergill (Singapore), February 19, 2012, 8:51 AM.

Why is it so difficult for us to rescue them from the hell-hole and organize the resettlement of Sikh-Afghans?

13: Bobby Singh  (United Kingdom), February 19, 2012, 2:27 PM.

Thank you for your positive comments regarding the plight of the Sikh-Afghan. On one hand, I was eager to meet them, but on the other, disheartened to hear their sordid testimonies. As a writer and filmmaker, it gave me no pleasure to film our Sikh brothers and sisters living in appalling conditions within the gurdwara which is 400 years old. My aim and goal of making this documentary are simple - to raise awareness and to their plight not just to the Sikh community around the world but to those politicians/ organizations in U.S, U.K, India and Afghanistan to take the necessary steps urgently needed and to help this forgotten community. I intend to show my documentary at various film festivals to highlight their grievances and set up an appeal where we do something genuinely about them rather than just talk about them. I will be returning to Kabul soon ...

14: Bik Singh (London, United Kingdom), February 23, 2012, 3:00 AM.

Kudos to Bobby Singh for making this documentary. It is good to see that he has commented on this site. Can I ask whether it is possible for him to air his documentary on the two Sikh channels that exist in the United Kingdom? I am sure that both the Sikh Channel and Sangat TV would gladly air his documentary.

15: Harprit Singh (London, United Kingdom), May 18, 2012, 7:41 AM.

Excellent work. Where can I get a copy?

16: Kabuli Kaur (Peshawar, Pakistan), June 17, 2012, 2:26 AM.

Here you can watch the actual documentary http://youtu.be/vehrPwW9aMA

17: Ravinder Singh (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), December 24, 2012, 1:15 PM.

it's good you made this movie which documents the plight of the Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan. Where can the documentary be viewed? We should send an aid mission to Afghanistan.

Comment on "Filming The Plight Of Sikh-Afghans Under Siege"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.