IFFI-2012

Shri Dnyanesh Moghe (Director) film “Digant”, Ms Sunanda Bhat (Director) film “Ningal Aranaye Kando” and Dr. Biju, (Director) film “Akashathinte Niram”, at a press conference, during the 43rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2012), in Panaji, Goa on November 26, 2012. (PIB)
26-November-2012

Enter in Diversity Video Competition

Accepting Entries For The 2012 Diversity Video Competition

Are you interested in filmmaking?

Are you tired of being looked at suspiciously because you are Sikh?

 Enter in the Sikh Coalition’s Diversity Video Competition to make a difference, and have your voice heard.
The Sikh Coalition invites you to create a video for this year’s Diversity Video Competition! The first place winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize and have his/her film premiered at the Sikh Arts and Film Festival in New York City in November! The deadline for entry is September 30, 2012.
Once entries are submitted, the public will be given an opportunity to view the top films, and vote for their favorites. Then, a panel of expert judges will select the 1st and 2nd place winners.

Competition Topic

My Crown - My Faith
How does it feel to be a Sikh? Why don’t you try! Walk a mile in our shoes!
Film-makers are encouraged to create a 5 minute video (or less) which depicts a non-Sikh adorning/wearing a Sikh turban for a day, and presenting himself/herself as a Sikh. The turban is a Sikh article of faith, and should always be treated with respect. The film should capture the reactions of passersby, friends, and family members. Pre and post interviews with main characters are encouraged.
The application, rules, and submission instructions are available by clicking here.

Eligibility

• Contestants of all ages may submit to the competition.
• Prior film experience is not necessary.
• All entries will be considered without regard to race, sex, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, religious affiliation, or disability

Awards

• First Place: $1,500 cash prize and your film will be premiered at the SEnter in  Diversity Video Competitionikh Art and Film Festival.
• Second Place: $750

Submission Deadline

All entries must be submitted online no later than September 30, 2012. To download an instruction and application form, please click here. All information, details, and contact information for inquires may be found at http://www.sikhcoalition.org/our-programs/education/diversity-video-competition.  

Ms. Nandita Das addressing a press conference

A day long Children’s Film Festival on Tagore

The Chairperson, Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI), Ms. Nandita Das addressing a press conference on the occasion of a day long Children’s Film Festival on Tagore, as part of the 150th Birth anniversary celebrations of Tagore, at Nandan, Kolkata on February 27, 2012. The Director, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Shri Anup Motilal and the Chief Executive Officer of CFSI, Shri Sushovan Banerjee are also seen. [PIB photo] 27-February-2012

Anand Patwardhan addressing the Press Conference

Shri Anand Patwardhan, Director of 'Jai Bhim.. Comrade' a film on Dalit atrocity addressing the Press Conference, at the “MIFF- 2012”, in Mumbai on February 06, 2012....{PIB photo...06-February-2012}

"BACHCHAN'S HANDS ARE BLOOD STAINED"

1984 VICTIMS TO AKAL TAKHATNov 28, 2011
 WITNESSES CHALLENGE "BACHCHAN'S" PLEA OF INNOCENCE IN 1984 SIKH GENOCIDE

Punjab Screen photo by Gajinder Singh King

Close on the heels of Amitabh Bachchan's pleading innocence for his role in 1984 Sikh Genocide before Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and "National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society" presented witnesses who saw Bachchan on Doordarshan raising slogan "khoon ka badla khoon" after the death of Ms. Indira Gandhi. The witnesses' testimony on how Bachchan instigated the killing of Sikhs in November 1984 refutes Bachchan's claims of innocence and substantiates claims of victims that it was Bachchan who raised the slogan "Blood for Blood" which was aired on Doordarshan and All India Radio causing the killing of thousands of Sikhs across India.

Amitabh Bachchan

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammad stated that instead of demanding the filing of murder charges against Amitabh Bachchan for instigating the killing of Sikhs, it is unfortunate that SAD (Badal) controlled SGPC member is pleading the case of Amitabh Bachchan before Sri Akal Takhat Sahib while there is a criminal complaint pending against Bachchan. AISSF will present witnesses regarding Bachchan's involvement in 1984 massacre of Sikhs at the upcoming meeting of Five High Priests who are planning to take up this issue after the receipt of Bachchan's letter which is supported by SGPC and SAD (Badal).

Babu Singh Dhukhiya President National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society, and witness to Bachchan's raising slogan "Blood for Blood", stated that since Bachchan openly used to call Ms. Indira Gandhi as "mother", and after her death Bachchan used his super star status and influence to instigate the killing of Sikhs. Due to his continued proximity with Congress, Bachchan's role in 1984 Genocide was never investigated and now when victims have filed criminal complaint in Australia, Bachchan for the first time in 27 years is forced to take plea of innocence, added Dukhiya.

Bibi Jagdish Kaur a prime witness in November 1984 case who lost her husband, son and three brothers in the massacre, stated that "I watched live relay on Doordarshan and saw Amitabh Bachchan raising his arm and shouting the slogan, 'khoon ka badla khoon sae laengae' (Blood for blood) two times." Bibi Jagdish Kaur stated that she will attend the meeting of High Priests on December 5^th to remind Akal Takhat that Bachchan's hands are soaked with the blood of Sikhs.

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammad demanded that "murder charges should be filed against Amitabh Bachchan for inciting, participating, conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organized attacks on Sikh population of India in November 1984. Criminal case against Bachchan should be filed under sections section 505 of the IPC for inciting violence against Sikh community and under section 302 for resulting deaths of thousands of Sikhs.

In a statement issued from New York by human rights lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Criminal complaint filed by SFJ against Bachchan with Australia's Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has been forwarded to Australian Federal Police (AFP) for investigation and issuance of warrants for instigating killing of Sikhs in November 1984 under Australia's Criminal Code Act of 1995 which provides for prosecution of crimes against humanity even when such crimes are committed outside Australia.

Invitation and highlights

Highlights:

• International Film Festival highlights Sikh culture and traditions through features, documentaries and short films
• Panel of Sikh leaders to discuss their journey into leadership positions
• For more information on tickets and how to participate visit www.sikharts.com
• New York, NY: UNITED SIKHS would like to extend an invitation to community members to attend two events in coming weeks: the Sikh International Film Festival on October 8, 14 and 15, 2011 and a Sikh Leadership Event on October 13, 2011. The events are hosted by Sikh Arts and Film Foundation and are held in New York City. Sikh International Film Festival 2011:
• This year, films and documentaries featured at the festival address a variety of issues such as the farmer suicides in India, bullying of school children, drug addiction to name a few. Details of films with short write-ups are included on this weblink. Winners of the short films and documentaries will be judged by a distinguished panel of judges.

On the 8th of October children’s films will be shown at the Hofstra University, Student Center, in New York.
The schedule for the Film Festival is as follows:
Saturday, 8th October: Hofstra University, Student Center (11:30 am – 2:30pm)
Friday, October 14th : Featuring Session (7:00pm 10:00pm)
Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Saturday, October 15th: Short Films (11:30am – 1:30pm), Documentaries (2:00pm – 5:00pm)
To purchase tickets to the Film Festival, please visit: www.sikharts.com

Sikh Leadership Summit
Youth members of the community are highly encouraged to attend the leadership session which will focus on the nexus between diversity, mentorship, community service, and leadership development in one's career. The details of the event are as follows: 
Thursday, October 13th
Location: Asia Society & Museum, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 
Panel Session (7:00pm–8:30pm):  
Panelists
Gurinder Chadha, Internationally Acclaimed Director / Writer
Mohanbir S. Sawhney, Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation Clinical Professor of Technology & Director of the Center for Research in Technology & Innovation, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Gurvendra S. Suri, Founder and CEO, Optimal Solutions Integration, Inc.
Moderator: Matthew Breitfelder, Managing Director & Chief Talent Officer, BlackRock
Networking Reception : 8:30pm – 9:30pm : Network with peers and a diverse array of industry professionals
To reserve your complimentary tickets for the leadership event, please write to us at: contact@unitedsikhs.org or call 1-646-688-3525 | 888-243-1690


Issued by:
Mankanwal Singh
1-516-698-8546
unitedsikhs-usa@unitedsikhs.org

Swaran Lata : First Tragedy Queen

By Iftikhar Chaudri 

Swaran Lata was a Pakistani film actress. She started her career in the film industry in British India and later moved to Pakistan. She was described as a Tragedy Queen because of her intense presence on screen and her apt dialogue delivery.

Swaran Lata was born into a Syal Sikh family in Rawalpindi, British India on December 20, 1924. She did her Senior Cambridge from Delhi and then joined Academy of Music and Arts, Lucknow. In early 1940s, her family was moved to Bombay.
Sawarn Lata was born a Sikh and converted to Islam after she married Nazir Ahmed, a famous actor, director and producer at the time. She changed her name to Saeeda Bano. The Swaran-Nazir pair was a very creative ensemble, churning out many movies together both before and after Partition.
An exceptional and wondrous story about how she entered the realm of acting trails Swaran. Her parents died when she was very young and she lived most of her adolescent life with her elder brother, whom she recalls "very strict". However, it is the story of how she got discovered that Swaran tells with great passion: "I was a student at college in Lucknow, India. When I was traveling from Delhi to Lucknow, a few directors saw me. They approached me to act in films but I was not interested at first. One of them then went to my elder brother with the offer, and to my utmost surprise he agreed".
Swaran Lata started her career as a stage actress. Her first film was Awaaz released in 1942. Swaran and Nazir migrated to Pakistan at the time of the Partition of India. They left everything they had behind in Bombay and shifted to Lahore. The duo had to start from scratch and in the process became one of the pioneers of the Pakistan film industry.
Swaran Lata was heroine of Pakistan's first ever silver jubilee film Pherey. The film was a Punjabi film but she was an Urdu speaker who was trained in Lucknow, the home of Urdu littérateurs. For the film, she was coached in Punjabi language by Baba Alam Siahposh, a Punjabi poet, who was also one of the lyricists of the film songs.[
As heroine, Laarey, Naukar, Heer and as character actress Sawaal were her famous films. From 1960 onwards, she reduced her appearances and mainly shifted towards character roles.
In her lifetime, Swaran has worked with great names like Prithviraj Kapoor, Motilal and Dilip Kumar in India and with Santosh Kumar, Darpan, Inayat Hussain Bhatti and Habib in Pakistan. Let me fill the gap with information about her careers, gathered from my cinema historian friend Muhammad Rafiq in England. Swarnlata made many films, the most famous of which undoubtedly was Ratan, whose great hits by Naushad continue to delight (Sawan ke badlo, Pardesi balama, Mil ke bichhar gayain akhian etc.). She married Nazir and the mention of one brings back memories of the other. Nazir was born at the turn of the last century, and after silent films in Lahore with AR Kardar, moved with him to Calcutta. He appeared in silents like Chankaya with Kardar directing. In 1932, he acted in Ezra Mir’s Zarina and shifted to Bombay. After Kardar’s Baghban, Nazir became a hero and appeared with Sitara Devi in films like Salma (1943).

Swarnlata had appeared with Dilip Kumar in Pratima (1945), directed by Arun Kumar. Nazir took her on for his Laila Majnu (1945) in which they played lead roles, follwed by Wamaq Azrra in 1946 and Abida in 1947. She also appeared with Navin in Insaaf in 1946. Nazir and Swarnlata married and moved to Pakistan where the inseparable pair appeared in the Punjabi movies Pherey (1949 — the first Punjabi film made in Pakistan), Mundari (1949), Laarey (1950), and Shehri Babu (1953). Nazir was getting on in years and on the set of Heer (1955), he noticed Inayat Hussain Bhatii in a minor role and suggested to Swarnlata that the younger man may be more appropriate as her male lead. An so it was. Swarnlata’s last Panjabi film was Billo Ji (1962).
Swarnlata was born in Lucknow and was Urdu-speaking. She was coached in Punjabi by Baba Alam Siahposh, the Punjabi lyricist and poet. Swarnlata said in an interview once that it was she who had brought Inayat Hussain Bhatti and Zubaida Khanam to films in 1955. Her Urdu movies in Pakistan were Sachai (1949), Bheegi Palkein (1952), Khatoon (1955), Naukar (1955), Sabira (1956), Sauteli Maa (1956) and Noor-e-Islam (1957). The last film also starred our Sialkot friend, Qayoom Shah who was given the filmi name of Dawar. Nazir died in 1983. Without doubt, Nazir and Swarnlata formed the movie industry’s golden couple. In her last interview she said that the great hero of the 1940s, Motilal, wanted to marry her but she declined. She was 90 when she died but her movies and the songs associated with them will live.
Swaran Lata died at the age of 83 in Lahore on February 8, 2008. Swaran Lata had four children - three daughters (Ismet Murshed, Iffat Rashed and Talat Abbasi) and a son (Aslam Nazir).
Her Films
• Awaaz (1942) Hindi film
• Tasveer (1943) Hindi film
• Pratigya (1943) Hindi film
• Ishara (1943) Hindi film
• Us Paar (1944) Hindi film
• Raunaq (1944) Hindi film
• Ratan (1944) Hindi film
• Ghar Ki Shobha (1944) Hindi film
• Preet (1945) Hindi film
• Laila Majnu (1945) Hindi film
• Pratima (1945) Hindi film
• Chand Tara (1945) Hindi film
• Wamaq Azra (1946) Hindi film
• Shaam Savera (1946) Hindi film
• Abida (1947) Hindi film
• Gharbar (1948) Hindi film
• Sachai (1949) Urdu film
• Pherey (1949) Punjabi film
• Anokhi Daastan (1950) Urdu film
• Laaray (1950) Punjabi film
• Bheegi Palken (1952) Urdu film
• Sheri Babu (1953) Punjabi film
• Khatoon (1955) Urdu film
• Naukar (1955) Urdu film
• Heer (1955) Punjabi film
• Sabira (1956) Urdu film
• Soteeli Maa (1956) Urdu film
• Noor-e-Islam (1957) Urdu film
• Shama (1959) Urdu film
• Billo Jee (1962) Punjabi film
• Azmat-e-Islam (1965) Urdu film
• Sawaal (1966) Urdu film
• Duniya Na Maney (1971) Urdu film