Join us as we explore the recent rise of literature, art, film, and photography focusing on the anti-Sikh violence of 1984. What is the language of violence? How do we find such language for translating the unspeakable? And who speaks for those who suffer the violence? Our panelists, Gauri Gill, Sarbpreet Singh, and The Singh Twins, will delve into questions surrounding the representation of 1984.
Two major events took place in India, during 1984 in quick succession within a span of 5 month. The Indian Army attacked Akal Takhat Sahib in June, and an anti-Sikh genocidal campaign was undertaken by the ruling political party with the active support of majority community masses and the State machinery in November same year. The events completely shook the already eroding faith of Sikhs from India system. Many were seen scrambling for explanations in the immediate geo-political context. And the trend continues. The current presentation takes a step back and analyses the event by placing it in the socio-political, religious and ideological context of the Sikh tradition that stretches well beyond contemporary history and shows a how this was not an isolated event. It tries to explore the links behind theo-political status of Akal Takhat Sahib and repeated aggression of the State on it, a visible pattern consistent throughout Sikh history.
June 1984 Poster
Every one is talking about 1984. In this video, Harinder Singh (CEO and Co-Founder of SikhRI) is talking about Justice - Build upon what was 1984 was about in terms of justice. The presentation covers the following: Exploring justice in Sikhi, Principle in Guru Granth Sahib, Practice amidst Ghallugharas, and Relevance to 1984.
The June 1984 army action on the Golden Temple complex – Sri Harimandar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib – was a tipping point in the Sikh and Indian history 33 years ago.
This session took place in 2017 with Harinder Singh focusing on the "WHY" of the 1984 Ghallughara.
1984: After the Darkness - June-November in Personal Memory - Genocide in Collective Sikh Psyche - Confronting Injustice with Light-Love
What is the language of violence? How do we find language for translating the unspeakable? Who speaks for those who suffer violence?
1984 is considered the third Ghallughara in Sikh history. Why was Sri Harimandar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib complex attacked? What’s the Sikh historical context? How must the memory be kept alive 36 years on?
Join us as we explore the recent rise of literature, art, film, and photography focusing on the anti-Sikh violence of 1984. What is the language of violence? How do we find such language for translating the unspeakable? And who speaks for those who suffer the violence? Our panelists, Gauri Gill, Sarbpreet Singh, and The Singh Twins, will delve into questions surrounding the representation of 1984.
This webinar will offer an overview of why and how the events of 1984 transpired in the way that they did. The presentation will then explore the symbology of "1984" as a term that holds resonance and power in the collective psyche today, and what connections can be drawn from the events to the wider discrimination against Sikhs both past and present. Using various mediums, including academic sources and art, the webinar will draw on a wider array of sources and portrayals to connect the events to the younger generation and look to the future.
“Kultar’s Mime is a scream of pain. A cry of rage at the unending pattern of injustice and targets the weak and the poor. A never ending pattern that transcends geography, culture and time,” said Sarbpreet Singh who wrote the original poem that the play is based on. According to J Mehr Kaur, who adapted the poem for the stage and directed the premier of Kultar’s Mime, “In creating the world of this play, I wanted to explore the ways in which a story of oppression can become even more urgent and meaningful when a group of ‘outsiders’ chooses to bring it to life. The young artists and activists in the play discover, through their own experience of this history, that the events of 1984 in Delhi were not only an inexcusable breach of the rights of Sikhs, but a violation of the rights of humanity. The production is an immersive work of theatre that allows the audience to experience the space as an art gallery, through which they are led by the characters in the play, learning about the haunted neighborhood of Tilakvihar, and its forgotten children.”
Dr. Pritpal Singh shares his reflections on the events of 1984 in India against Sikhs, where many innocent lives were lost.
Presented by Sikh Research Institute
Join us as Dr. Ishmeet Kaur and Harinder Singh focus on the events of June & November 1984.
Join us as Harinder Singh, Thinker, Educator & Activist will be talking about the third Ghallughara in Sikh history and it's relevance to Sikhs today.
For 25 years, the Indian government has failed to provide truth, justice, and reparations to victims and survivors of the June 1984 Army attack on Harmandir Sāhib and the November 1984 pogroms of Sikhs throughout India. This session explores what we, as individuals and a community, can do in response
Two major events took place in India, during 1984 in quick succession within a span of 5 month. The Indian Army attacked Akal Takhat Sahib in June, and an anti-Sikh genocidal campaign was undertaken by the ruling political party with the active support of majority community masses and the State machinery in November same year. The events completely shook the already eroding faith of Sikhs from India system. Many were seen scrambling for explanations in the immediate geo-political context. And the trend continues. The current presentation takes a step back and analyses the event by placing it in the socio-political, religious and ideological context of the Sikh tradition that stretches well beyond contemporary history and shows a how this was not an isolated event. It tries to explore the links behind theo-political status of Akal Takhat Sahib and repeated aggression of the State on it, a visible pattern consistent throughout Sikh history. 28 Aug 2011 Sri Guru Singh Sabha-Park Avenue Southall, UK
Thirty-three years ago the world’s fourth largest army marched into Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, India.
Every year around November, history is visited by some who commemorate the devastating anti-Sikh violence in Delhi and other northern cities of India in 1984, strongly insisting to never forget 1984, while others insist on forgetting and moving on from that dark chapter in post-independence Indian history. What are the ramifications of this tug-of war between memorialization and demanded forgetfulness of such historical blot? This discussion hopes to bring out the ethical imperatives that Sikhs as well non-Sikhs can and must adopt through a conscientious, empowered remembering. To simply erase violent history is also an act of violence that leads to erasure. We must re-investigate the mainstream history and its role in un-acknowledging the discourse of 1984; we must force ethical challenges to the willful abnegation and/or totalitarian evasion of our social history. Dr. Parvinder Mehta is a scholar, educator, and an author who lives in Michigan. She earned her PhD in English (with minor in Film Studies) from Wayne State University. She enjoys teaching literature, composition and liberal arts courses at undergraduate level. She has presented at several national and international conferences on issues of cultural formations, representations and social justice. Her publications include book chapters as well as academic articles in peer-reviewed journals as Sikh Formations, Journal of South Asian Diaspora, South Asian Review. She also writes poetry in English.
June-November in Personal Memory, Genocide in Collective Sikh Psyche, and Confronting Injustice with Light-Love.
Why is Remembrance necessary? Harinder Singh and Manpreet Singh talk about 1984 and parallels with human rights movements today.
I once met an elderly man who had taken pictures before and after 1984. I asked him: “What was it like photographing 84’?” His response: “I feel like I have been photographing 1984 my entire life.”
I once met an elderly man who had taken pictures before and after 1984. I asked him: “What was it like photographing 84’?” His response: “I feel like I have been photographing 1984 my entire life.” His response shook me and it became a very significant moment for me. This experience led me to question - Why do I care about the violence that occurred during 1984…why should I care?
Thirty years have gone by since the world’s fourth largest army marched into Darbar Sahib (The Golden Temple), Amritsar in June 1984.
In an effort to make learning more about Sikhi and engaging process, our research staff compiles scholarly articles from around the web and other academic resources.
Every year around November, history is visited by some who commemorate the devastating anti-Sikh violence in Delhi and other northern cities of India in 1984, strongly insisting to never forget 1984, while others insist on forgetting and moving on from that dark chapter in post-independence Indian history. What are the ramifications of this tug-of war between memorialization and demanded forgetfulness of such historical blot? This discussion hopes to bring out the ethical imperatives that Sikhs as well non-Sikhs can and must adopt through a conscientious, empowered remembering. To simply erase violent history is also an act of violence that leads to erasure. We must re-investigate the mainstream history and its role in un-acknowledging the discourse of 1984; we must force ethical challenges to the willful abnegation and/or totalitarian evasion of our social history.
We're taking an in-depth look at the events of Operation Blue Star in 1984 in Amritsar, Panjab. It's considered the third Ghallughara, or massacre, in Sikh history. The Indian government assaulted the sacred Golden Temple Complex and Akal Takht. In this episode, SikhRI's Senior Fellow on Research and Policy speaks to a live audience to provide clarity and context on the operation and it's legacy on the Sikh community. He answers why the attack happened, it's the historical context and why the memory is kept alive in #Remember1984.
A series of Sikh Research Institute events through June 2014 in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom
What would Guru Nanak Sahib do in 1984? Listen to this discussion between Harinder Singh and the Sikh Cast host, Manpreet Singh.
Why is Remembrance necessary? Join Harinder Singh and Manpreet Singh as they discuss 1984 and explore its parallels with human rights movements today. How do we continue to push for the Rights today? What are the Responsibilities of the Sikhs and the Indian State?
The attack on the Darbar Sahib in the June of 1984 was a defining moment in contemporary Sikh history. The standard narrative promoted by the media and the Indian state in its White Paper on the attack have largely ignored the communal motivations of the state as they relate to its inextricable relationship to Hindutva. We will survey contemporary conflicts, in particular the desecration of the Babri Masjid in 1992 and Gujarat in 2002, to understand the significance of the state-sponsored terror in 1984.
How do we remember? How do we advocate? How do we survive? Watch this webinar with three leading voices in the November 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms study. Dr. Ishmeet Kaur, a professor at the University of Gujarat, will help us explore the literary and artistic response to the Pogroms. Dr. Shruti Devgan, a professor at Bowdoin College, has researched in the diasporic, 1st, and 2nd generation response to the events of 1984 and how the events have been commemorated digitally. Finally, Mr. Ryan Singh Kohli, a leading public law practitioner in the UK, will share his work with Sardar HS Phoolka in the struggle for legal justice for the victims of November 1984.
How do we remember? How do we advocate? How do we survive? Please join us for a webinar with three leading voices in the November 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms study. Dr. Ishmeet Kaur, a professor at the University of Gujarat, will help us explore the literary and artistic response to the Pogroms. Dr. Shruti Devgan, a professor at Bowdoin College, has researched in the diasporic, 1st, and 2nd generation response to the events of 1984 and how the events have been commemorated digitally. Finally, Mr. Ryan Singh Kohli, a leading public law practitioner in the UK, will share his work with Sardar HS Phoolka in the struggle for legal justice for the victims of November 1984.
Kultar’s Mime depicts the aftermath of the horrific 1984 Sikh massacre
Join us as Harinder Singh, Thinker, Educator & Activist will be talking about the third Ghallughara in Sikh history and it's relevance to Sikhs today.
In the almost 30 years since the violent anti-Sikh attacks of 1984, dominant memories of the events have been colored by the Indian state, Indian mass media, and counter-state voices of militant Sikhs. But how can we examine narratives that fall outside these ways of remembrance?
After being staged more than 28 times internationally and across India since 2014, the English play, Kultar’s Mime: Stories of 1984, is now set to debut in Mumbai, this weekend. The play narrates a story of four young victims of the 1984 Delhi massacre.
Don't Ask. Poem by Inni Kaur Don’t ask, my daughter what happened in 1984. These wounds are still raw don’t touch them. https://www.sikhri.org/journeywithguru #1984 #june1984 #sikh #operationbluestar Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sikhresearchinstitute/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sikh.research.institute/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SikhRI Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1CNFeRMFvlDNERzomNT2p9?
Shruti Devgan is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College.
How can we deal with the two extreme emotions encompassing the 1984 Ghallughara (anti-Sikh pogroms) and Bandi Chor Divas (Freedom Day), within the same week? Let us turn to the Guru to reflect and respond.