On this Memorial Day, my thoughts turn to the Pogroms of 1984.

How do we memorialize 1984?

Is the Wall of Truth being constructed on the premises of Rakabganj Gurduara, Delhi, the right way?

I wonder…

‍Yes! It will be the first 1984 Sikh Memorial in the country that betrayed its own citizens.

But we need much more…
We need artists to portray the dark realities of 1984.
We need poets to give the human dimension of the pain of 1984.
We need filmmakers to show, tell, and educate about the atrocities of 1984.
We need songwriters to sing about the survivors of 1984.
We need sculptors to tell the story of people who could not leave their mark on the world as they would have chosen.  
This is our chance to give a voice to those massacred in 1984.
We will not forget…

Let our paintings, poems, films, songs, and sculptures speak to that fact- “You can humiliate me, you can tie me up, you can kill me, but you can’t do one thing: you cannot have my spirit.”

This spirit needs to be memorialized.

On this Memorial Day, we also salute the men and women throughout our history who gave their lives to protect Sikh ideals. Let’s pause and think of them today as we commemorate Memorial Day in the United States.