Bicky Singh can you give some background on yourself and the work you have done?
I'm in
IT. I'm the founder and CEO of a computer services company.
But my passion is Sikh heritage and art collector.
For the
last 20 years, our non-profit organization has commissioned and
published and distributed--free of charge--an over-sized Sikh-themed
calendar. Each year focuses on a theme that is well-researched
and thoroughly documented. For 2014 the theme was the 100th
anniversary of Sikh valour in WWI. For 2015 we are featuring
the work of the talented artist Amandeep Singh, from the
UK.
https://www.facebook.com/InkquisitiveIllustration
We
have expanded far beyond the calendar. Those of us who
immigrated here from India, quickly realized that Sikhs have no
representation in the mainstream media. So we decided to create
a Sikh film festival, which we presented in several venues, including
in the heart of Hollywood at the famed Egyptian Theater. We
then decided to embed ourselves into a prestigious University's film
school, and the result was a wonderful collaboration with Chapman
University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
At Dodge,
students learn about Sikhi and create scholarship films which are
sponsored by Sikh Patrons, philanthropists and other donors.
The non-Sikh students who make these films will one day be executives
in the media, where they will avoid the stereotyping and
misunderstandings that plague us today. The Dodge Sikh
scholarship program is now in its 6th successful year.
When
does the festival take place? 
Our festival always takes
place the week before Thanksgiving. So this year, it runs from
Thursday November 20th, to Sunday November 23rd. Last year we
expanded our footprint to include the Chapman Leatherby Libraries,
where we put on a 90-day exhibit honoring Sikh soldiers in WWI,
exactly 100 years ago. That exhibit was subsequently donated to
Chapman. Through their contacts and relationships, they have
been sharing that exhibit around the world.
Within the
library, we also did a turban exhibit, as you know my collection is
largest in the world.
What other projects have you been
involved in?
This
year's 4-day festival starts with the library exhibit: a
recognition of the 30th anniversary of the traumatic year, 1984.
We have created a unique Kickstarter fundraising platform, trying to
raise cash for this 120-day exhibition. Through those four
months, we will bring in academic speakers and experts from around
the country and the world.
( Information on the 1984
Kickstarter: http://ow.ly/CNkpq )
The next three
days--Friday, Saturday and Sunday--is the film festival itself.
We release our calendar, and present wonderful and unique films of
original content. That is the heart of our festival.
(photos by Raymond Huerta)
You
are clearly doing a lot of great work.
Sikhlens has
grown. We now enjoy three chapters. The Headquarters are
here at Chapman, then we have a Bay Area chapter, and on Oct 19th
will inaugurate the Yuba City chapter. We share our unique content
with sister festivals as well, such as the Sikh International Film
Festival Toronto, and the Sikh Arts Festival in NYC.
All in
all we have created large footprints and raised the profile of Sikhi
and our heritage, not only for the mainstream, but also for Sikh
youth. It is our belief that identity depends on memory, and
that history is critical to identity. We intend to be a
worldwide digital portal to Sikh heritage, history, and identity.
(Photos by Jag Rayett)