The ਸੋਚ (Sōch) Podcast

In this episode I’ve got the pleasure to talk to actress, writer and comedian Sukh Ojla. You may have seen her on Jonathan Ross's Comedy Club, BBC2's Big Asian Stand Up Show and Mock the week, or during her recent and hilarious comedy show ‘Life Sukhs’. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here's a time stamped breakdown of the conversation:    00:00 - Extract teaser 00:53 - Introduction 01:36 - Who is Sukh Ojla? 08:49 - What were your parents like with you getting into acting and comedy? 18:13 - What was your nationwide play “Pyar Actually” about besides the detached double garage? Was this the start of your comedy career? 23:07 - What were the reactions like to your play? 27:10 - Was the goal to continue with acting? 33:06 - Who are your comedy idols? 38:36 - What is your process in terms of writing your material? 41:30 - Have you ever had to deal with hecklers?   48:47 - I ask Sukh to tell us about her book, entitled ‘Sunny’ set for release in March 2022 54:49 - What can we expect this year? 55:29 - Conclusion

Today I have the pleasure to talk to Amarpal Sidhu, a software industry expert as well as a military historian. Amarpal has published two books focusing on the Anglo-Sikh Wars, the  first being published in 2013 and the second in 2016, as well as a  recent book, published in July this year, focusing on and titled, the  ‘Siege of Delhi’. Amarpal has also appeared and collaborated on history  programs for several TV channels. 00:00 - Introduction 00:28 - Upbringing, education and how you got to where you are today. 06:34 - 19th century books covering the Anglo-Sikh Wars 10:00 - Why was there a change from ‘The Sikh Wars’ to ‘The Anglo-Sikh Wars’? 12:58 - Does ‘Anglo-Sikh’ truly reflect the nature of those involved in the wars?   16:10 - Were there any European soldiers who fought on the side of the Lahore Darbar? 19:50 - Have you ever come across accounts of Sikh soldiers fighting on the side of the British? 21:25 - There is a generalised view that the Lahore Dabar had more  soldiers, more guns, better suppliers and materials, and still lost,  mainly due to internal treachery. To what extent is this true? 30:26 - If there had been generals such as Akali Phula Singh or Hari  Singh Nalwa, would the Anglo-Sikh wars have panned out differently? 37:32 - Ultimately, is it due to the poor management of the Sikh  Generals, such as Lal Singh and Tej Singh, that led to the Sikh demise?  Even though, on paper, the Sikhs seemed to be the far superior side. 43:55 - Why were the Sikh armies setup with their backs against the river in some of the battles? 50:11 - What role do the European Generals play in the Anglo-Sikh Wars? 52:29 - What were the type of weapons used by the Sikh army & what  level of industrialisation was present in Punjab to create these  weapons? 58:26 - What was the role of the Phulkian Misl & the Royal House of Patiala? 01:00:33 - Would it be fair to say the Cis-Sutlej states were always at odds with the Lahore Darbar? 01:04:12 - Would it be fair to say that those who stayed neutral did so out of survival? 01:07:11 - What were the main reasons for the outbreak of the first Anglo-Sikh War? 01:14:00 - Now I know the main 5 battles that are focused on when  discussing the first Anglo-Sikh War are Mudki, Ferozeshah, Baddowal,  Aliwal and Sobraon. However, there are three minor battles, 2 before  Mudki, which are Wadni Fort & Phillaur Fort, and one after Sobraon,  which is the battle of Kangrah. How do these fit into the context of  things and why are they not paid as much attention as the others?   01:19:51 - What occurs during the inter-war period & what is the role of Rani Jind? 01:30:00 - Just to clarify, is the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war an accident? 01:33:14 - The second Anglo-Sikh War is marked by four main engagements,  Ramnuggar & Sadulpore, which are close and inconclusive contests,  Chillianwala and Gujrat. Could you please explain what occurs at each  battle & what occurs from one to the other?    01:43:31 - What is the fate of the Dogra brothers, Lal Singh, Tej Singh and Diwan Mulraj? 01:49:13 - Considering how close the Anglo-Sikh Wars are to the Mutiny,  why is there a relaxed response from the Sikhs during the Mutiny?   01:55:22 - Conclusion

In this episode I have the pleasure to talk to Aanchal Malhotra, author  of ‘Remnants of Partition’, a book that brings sounds, sights and smells  to life, exploring memories of partition through conversations about  objects which were carried across the new frontiers. In re-telling these stories numerous complex tales are entwined amongst  one another creating a beautifully intricate tapestry of a time before,  during and after Partition. The way in which Aanchal retells the memories of those she talks to will strike almost every emotional chord you have. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here is a time stamped breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 05:54 - Aanchal's family history 14:12 - Partition & migration 16:00 - Partition & freedom 17:09 - How the book brings nuance to a generalised narrative of Partition 19:30 - Do you think the predisposition to look at Partition through the lens of violence is a colonial hangover? 25:55 - Aanchal's family & books 29:30 - What spurned you to write the book? 32:38 - Why are there two different titles of the book? Whilst you were  going through your research was there any surprises or hurdles?   39:13 - Discussing objects and rationalising what you would take with you in an emergency like Partition. 40:42 - People's assumptions behind picking the items they did when they crossed borders 41:32 - What for you was the one item(s) that stood out the most and why? (The Crocodile Head) 47:38 - Importance of the soil of your respective homeland 51:09 - Was there anything else you picked up in terms of similarities and differences between the people you spoke to? 57:31 - Did you have to learn as you went along or was there a technique or practice you used when engaging with your interviewees? 01:04:30 - How did the whole process from research to publishing impact yourself and what has the feedback been like? 01:07:40 - Why do you think pre-partition harmony mutated into the communal violence that is synonymous with Partition? 01:13:10 - Is there anything else you wanted to include or go over? 01:14:40 - Where you can get your copy of Remnants of Partition / Remnants of a Separation

Today I have the pleasure to talk to Dr. Jasjit Singh, an associate professor at the University of Leeds with his research focusing on the religious and cultural lives of South Asians in Britain, with a particular focus on ‘Religious and Cultural transmission’ and on the representation of religious minorities.      ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We’ll be focusing on Jasjit Singh’s CREST report examining the context and reality of Sikh activism in the UK, racism in football, in particular his son Balraj’s experience of racism, and finally, Jasjit Singh’s recent election as co-chair of the Sikh Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion. The full time stamped breakdown of this conversation was too long to include in this description, however, you can view the time stamped breakdown by clicking here.

Today I have the pleasure to talk to Amandeep Singh Madra, the co-author of ‘Eyewitness at Amritsar’. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ If you want to know more about our guest then I recommend you visit  episode 15. Coming back to today’s episode, we will be focusing on  Jallianwala Bagh. Now those of you listening have probably seen the recent ‘renovations’,  in my opinion, it’s an absolute indecorous f*ckery of stupidity and  disrespect of history. However, the ‘renovations’ and disrespect itself  won’t be the topic today - instead we’ll be focusing on the Jallianwala  Bagh massacre and the events both preceding and proceeding it. As always here’s a time stamped breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 01:13 - Where does Jallianwala Bagh get its name from? 03:03 - What was the purpose of Jallianwala Bagh? 06:01 - Visiting Jallianwala Bagh 06:25 - End of WWI, socio-economic influences on Panjab 13:32 - Rowlatt Acts 15:01 - Who are Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer and Sir Michael O’Dwyer? 25:22 - Kitchelew, Sataypal & April 10th, 1919 35:23 - Marcella Sherwood 40:54 - The plan to bomb Amritsar 46:09 - Which regiments were involved in the massacre & did any of the soldiers refuse to shoot? 51:35 - Finding out who belonged to these regiments   54:05 - Who do we know about the crowd that was there that day? 01:01:45 - The myth of the well 01:04:48 - How far are the soldiers from the crowd when they shoot? 01:15:31 - Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh and General Dyer’s siropa 01:25:29 - How is the British Raj about to mobilise a vast volunteer force for WW2 considering the events of Jallianwala Bagh? 01:32:09 - What happens to Dyer?

In this episode I get the chance to talk to Peter Bance author of 'Sikhs in Britain: 150 years of photographs' about Sikh migration, immigration and settlement in Britain over the last 150 years. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here's a time stamped breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 01:18 - Why did decide to research this topic? 03:04 - When is the first instance of Sikh migration from India? 07:15 - How does caste and class influence migration and did this change? 11:57 - What was the relationship between early Sikh peddlars and the Jewish community? 15:00 - What is the legislation change that impacts 'chain-migration'? 16:18 - Is this the only instance of legislation impacting Sikh immigration, or does it occur in other places? 17:28 - What was it about Britain that attracted the first Sikh settlers? 24:18 - How did Sikh migration and the establishment of Gurdwaras work? 27:58 - Are the current concerntrations of the British Sikh population reflective of early Sikh settlement? 31:57 - During your research what were some of the common experiences that early Sikh migrants faced? 36:11 - How did the peddlar trade continue to be a career choice for Sikh immigrants throughout the 20th century? 45:33 - What's the difference between the two editions of your 'Sikhs in Britain' book? 47:22 - What about World War I influences Sikh immigration to England? 51:18 - What role did Britain play in the Indian nationalist movement? 56:07 - Udham Singh in Coventry? 01:00:01 - Accounts of Udham Singh 01:02:55 - Udham Singh, Communism and the IWA. 01:05:12 - Final comments

In this podcast I get to talk to Jasmine Rai, a recent graduate from the  University of Birmingham, about her dissertation entitled - “An  exploration of the representations of Punjabi-Sikhs within Bollywood  cinema and how this affects perceptions of their community”.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here's a time stamped breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 01:45 - Family, education and culture 04:52 - PPE & Punjab 05:54 - Research & fieldwork 12:46 - Stereotype of Punjabi-Sikh identity in Bollywood films 15:20 - Representation and responsibility 22:53 - Did you come across any movies that bucked the trend? 26:34 - Power to make a change 27:55 - Caricatures & the Punjabi film industry 28:54 - The diaspora and changing the narrative 29:26 - Majority-Minority framework 31:55 - 'Bollywood has culturally appropriated Punjabi culture' 37:09 - Deep rooted change and the politics of India

In this episode I get to talk to Dr. Kamalroop Singh once again and this time we discuss the Sodhak Committee, 'apocrypha' Bani and a lot more.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here is a time stamped breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 04:53 - When did the Sodhak Committee take place, who was involved and how did they decide what should and should not be included? 14:33 - The processes of the Sodhak Committee 29:32 - Which recension is used most today? 35:46 - Events leading up to the Sodhak Committee 45:27 - Debating 'apocrypha' 47:36 - A list of some 'apocrypha' bani 49:26 - The literary Court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji & languages 58:51 - Gobind Geeta & Hanuman Natak 1:05:45 - Ugurdanti, Sansar Sukhmana, Indra Kavach and more

In this episiode I get to talk to Bhupinder Singh Bance, also known as  Peter Bance is a sikh historian, author, art collector and Maharaja  Duleep Singh archivist.   In fact, His collection has been exhibited worldwide including at the  Victoria & Albert Museum, The British Museum, and the Bard Graduate  Centre in New York. He has written for the Times and The Oxford National Biography & is the author of four books - The Duleep Singhs: Photograph Album of Queen Victoria's Maharajah (2004)  Sikhs in Britain: 150 Years of Photography (2007) Khalsa Jatha British Isles Centenary 1908-2008 (2008) Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh & the Heirs of a  Lost Kingdom (2009) Sikhs in Britain: 150 Years of Photography (2012), He has also appeared in many BBC programmes such as The Story Of The  Turban (2012), Inside Out (2004), Desi DNA (2005), Britain's Maharajah  (2013), Sophia: Suffragette Princess (2015) and The Stolen Maharajah:  Britain's Indian Royal (2018)★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here is a breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 03:25 - A doctor in India but a door-to-door seller in England 04:23 - Why was peddling the go to occupation for early Sikh settlers in England? 05:09 - Why did your family come to the UK? 06:38 - Ancestry - Shaheedi Misl and Baba Deep Singh Ji 08:13 - How did you go from a marketing degree to being a historian of Sikh history? 14:21 - What type of items did you come across in your initial research? 14:35 - What was it about the Maharaja that attracted you so much? 16:38 - Anecdote of Prince Frederick Duleep Singh 17:37 - The view of the Sikh Royal Family in East Anglia   19:36 - Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh - The Punjabi Schindler 20:59 - How was Catherine practically able to do this and also evade being caught? 25:43 - Sister Suffragettes 28:04 - Anita Anand and the suffragette story 28:19 - How did the descendants of M. Ranjit Singh identify and view themselves? 33:00 - The Pension that was never paid 34:00 - A Russian Promise - 20k soldiers to march into Punjab via Afghanistan 37:11 - The personal notebook of Maharaja Duleep Singh 38:17 - The daughters of M. Duleep Singh 39:30 - Guns of M. Duleep Singh - The Rolls Royce of Guns 42:16 - How many wives and children did M. Duleep Singh have? 44:14 - Museums and Repatriation 48:21- A painting of a Prince 52:48 - The Ramgharia Bakery 55:25 - Monte Carlo 01:01:32 - Rani Jinda Gravestone & Catacombs 01:06:57 - Princess Pauline 01:15:13 - Are you aware of the Sikh Royal Family visitng their items in a museum?   01:16:42 - £1.7million Statue 01:25:32 - Illegitimate heirs to the throne 01:28:48 - How many illegitimate heirs? 01:30:18 - Sid Hammond 01:31:53 - End of the legitimate heirs of M. Ranjit Singh 01:34:32 - Interesting finds & advice in entering the field of Sikh history

In this episode I get to talk to Rav from Panjabi Hit Squad. We discuss Rav's background, upbringing, the history of Panjabi Hit Squad and so  much more.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As usual, a breakdown of the conversation is below.   00:00 - Introduction - How are you? Have things gone back to normal in the entertainment industry?   02:00 - What is your family history and experience been? 06:16 - How did you all meet and what is the history of Panjabi Hit Squad and where did the name come from? 13:27 - What were the feature factors in the popularity of the British Asian music scene in the 90s/00s? 17:39 - What have been the biggest changes over the last twenty years to the British Asian music scene and why isn’t it as popular? 21:51 - Do you think we will see a group from the South Asian diaspora, similar to NSG? 28:30 - Do you think the healthy competition in the early 2000s lent itself to pushing everyone? 31:17 - What have your experiences of the music industry been like? 39:32 - How was it working with Ms Scandalous, Alyssia and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan?   44:00 - Who has been the most interesting person you’ve worked with or  come across in the music industry? What was it like being signed by Def  Jam and working with people like Mariah Carey and Fat Man Scoop? 51:12 - Have you ever thought about the impact of your music on popular culture? 57:00 - Food heaven and food hell?