A Note from Gurumeet Kaur: You might remember and know of Angad Singh, from his three winning documentaries in the Junior category in the SikhNet Online Film Festival. One Light at age 13, Roots & Wings at age 14 and (Ex)Changed at age 16.
But what you didn’t know is that he has a fun side to his creativity. This summer he traveled to Punjab to film a documentary on sustainability along with another Columbia University Student, Chris Canales. While they were in Punjab working hard in over 100 degree Fahrenheit heat, interviewing, teaching and filming – they decided to raise Turban Awareness in a fun and cool way. They had already had loads of fun making Columbia Style at their university last year.
Sikhnet asked Angad to tell everyone more about the making of The Turban Shop...
As a freshman I remember having lunch with my Residential Advisor. We talked about film and our various experiences with filmmaking in the past. Gangnam Style was all the rage in the day and we were inspired to make our own version. Columbia Style (both the song and the group) was born over a meal at Ferris Booth dining hall.
Upon completing Columbia Style and reaching approximately 15,000 views in a week, we decided we would continue making videos. However, between my involvement with NCAA Athletics and Chris’ multiple jobs, it was hard to find time to start our second big project.The concept of “Turban Shop” began as an idea I came up with after Macklemore performed “Thrift Shop” at Columbia in the spring of 2013. Approximately the same time of year, I was worrying about not having an internship lined up for the summer… contrary to the rest of my overachieving, Ivy-League classmates.
While discussing my fears of sitting around at home all summer, I told my friend and (now former) Residential Advisor, Chris, about my previous visits to Punjab. We discussed the sustainability issues plaguing the region and to my surprise, Chris was quite well versed and intrigued by Punjab’s predicament.
Then, an idea hit us almost simultaneously -we wanted to film a doc in Punjab.Although he had two internships lined up for the summer, Chris decided that he would forfeit them for a chance to travel to Punjab and film about the sustainability crisis of the region. We slept over our decision and the next day wrote a 3 page proposal, beginning our initiative “Sustain Punjab.”
Two months later, Chris and I found ourselves in Punjab, touring the state for seven weeks. Our goal was to get a comprehensive picture of environmental, economic, health and social crises in Punjab. However in order to do so, we needed to connect with more than officials and university professors.“Turban Shop” was our scheme to meet villagers, befriend them so we could get a closer view into their lives. We found that with combination of a “white guy in a turban” and my “Amrikan” Punjabi, we were almost irresistible. Our ruse worked. Because we only had a few days to spend at each village, we wanted to break the ice as quickly as possible. Featuring the locals in a music video was a great way for them to open up to us. Not only did “Turban Shop” provide us with a break from serious filmmaking, but it also helped us record some amazing stories.
Although we primarily made this video for fun, we also have strong hopes for its impact. Unfortunately, many Punjabi Sikhs seem to have lost their grounding in a tradition that has helped them succeed for centuries. Punjabis think that success lies in becoming modern and “western” and leaving their traditions behind. With “Turban Shop”, we want to change that perception that the turban is “outdated and ancient.”As for our documentary, we hope to have it ready for release early next year. Until then, enjoy “Turban Shop”!