It
Is Powerful To Speak
It Is Powerful To Be Heard:
The Sikh
Monologues
It
is powerful to speak and it is powerful to be heard.
Storytelling
is a means of keeping history alive, of articulating our memories so
that we can still remember our own stories.
Last year, as I
reflected on my four years of college and the work I had done with
the Sikh community both on and off campus, I realized that there was
something missing in the ways in which we are portrayed and
represented.
The concept of The
Sikh Monologues was
conceived as a response to the lack of creative means of expressing
the Sikh identity to a national audience and as a means of creating
an opportunity for the diverse stories the diasporic Sikh-American
community has to share.
I developed a detailed timeline
including methods of research, cities to visit, and points of contact
in each state. Through the single-spaced seven pages of the project
proposal, I had convinced myself that this is something that needed
to be done.
And so I did.
I’ve taken a year off to
pursue The
Sikh Monologues project.
I
traveled across 14 states in four months and interviewed over 100
Sikh-Americans. And now, the entire project is coming to fruition in
the form of a showcase performed on stage!
I have written and
compiled several monologues that will be performed by community
members on June 15, 2014 in Southern California!
The concept
of Sikhs talking for themselves is beautiful to me because so many
times, the “Sikh story” is pre-packaged for media and devoid of
the nuances and experiences of actual people of the faith.
The
interview process of The
Sikh Monologues enabled
men, women, kids, couples, new immigrants, old immigrants, and of
course those wjo are born here, to tell their own stories and give
insight on the ways in which gender, socioeconomic class, geographic
location, and education can play a role in experiencing America.
And
now, I get to share these insights with an audience.
Please
join me and your community. And check back right here next week for
excerpts from the show!
Date: June
15, 2014
Doors
open 6:30 pm
Show begins 7:00 pm
Venue:
Flintridge Preparatory School
Norris Auditorium
4543 Crown
Ave
La Canada, California 91011
USA