Recently SikhNet took some time to interview Vikram Singh Khalsa. The below interview he shares more things than were in his original interview with us.
SN: What made you decide to put 'Khalsa' as your last name?
VK: From
a young age I was inspired by the ideals of the
Khalsa and wanted to become part of it. So adding it to my name was a
way to show that I aspired to be part of the Khalsa Brotherhood and
identified with its ideals. I also didn’t like how people continued
to use caste last names even after taking amrit – so when someone
asked me my surname would say “Khalsa”, because once we become a
Singh or Kaur we drop all our previous caste associations. Also, the
person who got me into magic was named Satkirtan Singh Khalsa, so it
is possible that I was influenced by him too!
SN: Thank you for sharing. You are now known for being a magician. Can
you tell us what performances you have done this last year?
VK: In 2015 I did more magic shows than any previous year. Besides a number of local birthday parties, I also performed at weddings, company parties, and for a cub scout pack. Like previous years, I again performed at San Jose Gurdwara, Fremont Gurdwara, Milpitas Gurdwara, and West Coast Sikhi Camp. I also had the opportunity to perform at the SYANA Sikh Youth Symposium in Windsor, at the Vaisakhi Jor Mela in San Diego, the Dastaar & Personality Competition in New York, and SikhLens Film Festival in LA. I was blessed to perform for organizations like Ensaaf, Jakara, Virsa Retreat, and perform alongside artists such as Devenderpal Singh (Indian Idol), L-Fresh the Lion, and Inkquisitive. I thank Waheguru for all of these great opportunities.
SN: Do you have a favorite magic trick?
VK: Currently my favorite trick is the trick that first inspired me to learn magic: putting a silk into my hands and making it disappear. No sleeves, nothing. Its so simple, direct, and clean – it looks like real magic! I’ve had a lot of fun performing it over the past year and adding additional elements such as making it reappear from someone’s wallet or chunni! You can see me performing this here: https://www.instagram.com/p/47IrL6FOK0/?taken-by=amasinghmagic
SN: What other projects are you working on right now?
VK: Here are some of the other projects I’m currently working on:
-Doing parchar in English through katha and kirtan as part of Baani Veechar Jatha
-Working as part of a team to plan and organize a Sarbat Khalsa type of meeting for Sikhs in the US– www.sarbatkhalsausa.com
-Creating a video series which shows people how to use mobile Gurbani apps (In progress)
-Developing a space where kids can connect with Sikhi through kirtan, history, etc – www.dharamkhand.org
-Helping my father with his project of making kirtan learning accessible to all – www.learnkirtan.com
-Designing Sikh T-shirts to promote Sikh pride
In terms of magic, current projects I’m working on are:
-I created my own amasingh magic kit! Its available here.
-Developing a summer magic class for kids, by popular demand
-Trying to collaborate with other Sikh Artists to create unique artwork
-Holding a competition to celebrate my 100th Instagram post and a successful 2015, where followers can win a Free Magic Show or a deck of 24k Gold plated cards! (look for amasing on facebook or instagram to participate.)
SN: How will you pick the winners in a fair way?
VK: Initially I was planning to put the list of all entries into a program which would automatically pic a random one. However, now I am considering actually printing out the names, putting them into a bowl and pulling names out. I might even record a video of the actual process. I think it would be cool for the contestants to actually see the winner get picked and announced!
SN: That might be cool! Whatever you choose I think it will be fun. I plan on participating myself. Best
of luck to the winner! Thank you for sharing, it is a pleasure to
speak with you.
VK: Thank you.