The ਸੋਚ (Sōch) Podcast

Episode 12 of the ਸੋਚ (Sōch) Podcast is, once again, with Davinder Singh  Toor. However, this time we explore art, arms, armour and artefacts  from the Toor collection. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ 00:00 - Introduction   00:31 - Full body armour suit   04:04 - Heron’s plumes & strutting peacocks?   05:57 - Maharaja Duleep Singh’s photo collection and first paintings   10:41 - John Edward Sache & dating photographs   13:17 - Felice Beato, Beato’s album and the completel 19 photograph set  of Harmandir Sahib   16:05 - Hodgson’s Horse Regiment & Maan Singh Varaich   21:26 - Private Collectors?   23:14 - The artist Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, Le Sikh and Elton John   30:02 - Mislabelling items and portobello road market   33:01 - Schoefft, the Thuggee and the Ismail Merchant and James Ivory  Collection   47:49 - Collecting advice   49:03 - What is the most interesting map in the Toor collection? Is  there any map in particular that is striking in what it includes? Any maps created in Punjab?   52:56 - M. Ranjit Singh's sword, inscription and provenance   01:00:26 - Hari Singh Nalwa’s shield and paintings   01:08:39 - Akali Phula Singh & his relationship with Maharaja Ranjit  Singh   01:12:21 - Akali Phula Singh’s death   01:14:52 - The battle standard used by the Lahore State’s forces in the  Battle of Gujerat and the language of the people   01:23:35 - Museums, private collectors and stolen artefacts   01:34:39 - What are your plans for the next exhibition?   01:36:54 - Community questions: Have you come across depictions of women  in Khalsa attire? Have you come across manuscripts of pre-colonial  rehit maryadas? Are you aware of any scarlet tunics of the Fauj-i-Khas?   01:39:42 - What would your advice be to those who are collecting or  thinking of starting a collection?

In this episode of the ਸੋਚ podcast I get to talk to  Davinder Singh Toor, who he has put together one of the finest  collections of Sikh art, arms, armour and rare artefacts from all over  the world. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ In this episode we cover all of the following (with a rough time stamp): 00:00  - Intro and getting to know more about Davinder Singh Toor’s family  history, upbringing and the lessons he learnt from his parents. 07:29 - Why it's important to be frank about history and Davinder’s initial interest in history and art 09:08 - Did you pursue art or history at university or something else? 10:23  - Growing up in the 90s, and a series of key events - including  volunteering at the 1999, V&A Arts of the Sikh Kingdom Exhibition  and becoming addicted to golf 18:52 - What goes into locating, verifying and acquiring art and artefacts? 20:30 - Advice to those who have just started collecting? 25:32 - How do you make sure the item is authentic? 29:27 - Are there special storage conditions required for some items? 30:32 - Are there any items you’ve had to restore? 33:28 - Where are most Sikh artefacts located and how did they get there? 38:18 - If items from Ranjit Singh’s treasury came up for auction today, how would they be verified? 40:50 - Are there any items related to the Gurus in Ranjit’s treasury and what happened to them? 43:38 - Have you come across any contemporary portraits of the Sikh Gurus? 48:19 - Art in the Sikh misl period 54:27 - What is Sikh Art? 1:05:40 - Have you come across any art or artefacts that have changed the popular historical narrative? 1:14:47 - Have you come across art of or manuscripts relating to Sri Dasam Granth? 1:18:20 - What are your opinions on Sikh artefacts belonging to private collectors rather than institutions or Gurdwaras?

In this episode of the ਸੋਚ podcast I get to talk to  Kamalpreet Singh Pardesi, the genius behind Gurmatvechaar.com and a  plethora of translations of vedantic and Sikh texts. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ However,  before we get stuck into Vedant and Sikhi, I found out more about  Kamapreet, his family history and how he ended up here in the UK. We  discuss how he ended up in the research and work he's doing. We  find out about his family’s heritage in Punjab, originally from a  radhaswami background until his father's generation met Sant Ishar Singh  Rara Sahib Wale who brought them into Gurmat. His maternal grandfather  was from India and grandmother from Burma. His grandfather was working  on the railways in Pakistan on the day of partition and eventually ended  up in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, although they did return to India for a  brief period. It was due to his grandfather working for BT and being  transferred to Leicester, that his family ended up in England. Kamalpreet  recalls the impact of 1984, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji, Sant Isher Singh  Rara Sahib Wale, kathavachaks, reading and going to Guru Nanak Sikh  School in London and how all of this helped develop his initial  understanding and progression. Around the 33 minute mark we turn our focus onto Vedant, Sikhi and pre-colonial texts and discuss the following: What is Vedant? How does Vedant relate to Sikhi? How is Vedant different to Western philosophy? What is Chetum Saroop? The philosophy of Akal Ustat? What  are we referring to when we say Atma, Paratma, Jiv? - “It’s not this.  It’s not this. It’s not this. Beyond this, is what is true.” What are the two powers of Maya? Vedant and Sikhi’s view of Atma, Paratma and Maya? What are the four Mahavak? Where  do these four Mahavak appear in Gurbani? Sant Gurbachan Singh  Bhinderwale’s Katha and Kavi Santokh Singh Ji’s writing within the Sri  Nanak Prakash What is unique about the Sikh use of Vedant? Ibn Arabi Bulleh Shah and Baba Bir Singh Ji Narunagbad Vale + Shams Tabrizi, Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Sri Nanak Prakash Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji, Multan and Bulleh Shah Rumi & the Sevapanthis Singh Sabha & removing vedantic explanations What are Niti texts A  run through of Vedantic and Niti texts - Chanakya Niti, Sarkutavali,  Bhavrasamrit, Vicharmala, Adhyatam Parkash, Vichar Sagar, Vairag shatak,  Moksh Panth Parkash A run through of pre-colonial Sikh Texts -  Sewadas’s Parchian Patshahi Dasvin Ki, Koer Singh’s Gurbilas Patshahi  10, Sarup Singh Kaushish’s Guru Kian Sakhian, Sarup Das Bhalla’s Mahima  Prakash, Mahima Prakash Vartak & Kesar Singh Chibber’s Bansavalinama Standardisation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and Sri Dasam Granth The Singh Sabha definition of a Sikh and Sampradayas? Definition of “Khalsa”? Baba Sri Chand and Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Complexity and different translations of Gurbani Who is your favourite kathavachik? Is there anyway to download the contents of the entire site in one go?

In this episode I have the pleasure to talk to Inder  Singh Bassi, who is a 24 year old professional boxer signed to MTK  Global, a six-time London champion, a three-time National finalist and a  Haringey gold medallist as an amateur boxer. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We start with his  family coming to England in the 1960s from India, how his father and  uncles fell in love with Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) and wanted to learn  more. We discuss his uncle's expertise in wrestling, their family  desire to see a kesdhari Sikh boxer and how this led to the  establishment and running of a kids boxing, wrestling and kabaddi club  at the gurdwara. We discuss the relationship between Inder’s Sikhi  and his boxing career, the amateur boxing beard rule and how, as a case  study for Lions MMA, Inder was able to help have the rule overturned. We  talk about how representation in sport matters, how Inder got into  boxing, what his training schedule is like and his fighting style. We  then move onto how Inder keeps himself in the right frame of mind when  approaching a fight and dealing with a loss. We then find out about the  glass ceilings Inder has had to face and smash through during this  boxing career. To conclude, we round up the conversation discussing role models, food and what the future might hold for Inder Singh Bassi. Two quotes in particular from the podcast that stick out: “I’m  not here just to make numbers. There’s some fighters who are here just  to make numbers and they’ll box bums and they’ll have 10 - 12 fights and  win them all. But it's not the same as boxing people who are there to  win.” “From a young age, when I was 16, I had a Bhagat Singh phone  case. It’s always been Bhagat Singh, it’s not because of who he was, it  was someone who done something at such a young age and left a legacy,  good or bad. That’s what I want to do too. I know I’m not a freedom  fighter obviously and I’m not here to fight a war against no government  but in my field I want to leave a legacy.”

In episode 8 of the ਸੋਚ podcast, I have the pleasure of talking to Sharnjit Kaur, a PhD Candidate at University of British Columba focusing on museums & critical race theory, a co-ordinator at the South Asian Studies Institute, instructor at the University of Fraser Valley and co-curator of the Sikh Heritage Museum located in the National Historic Gur Sikh Temple - the official name of the gurdwara.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We first start with getting to know a little bit more about Sharn, her family history, her interest in Sikh history, her dissertation on the Nihangs of Ranjit Singh’s court, working at the University of the Fraser Valley, getting involved with the National Historic Gur Sikh Temple, her curatory work and her current PhD.  We discuss the age old question of diasporic communities - identity and then move on to discuss the decolonised space that is the National Historic Gur Sikh Temple Museum, and the history of the Gurughar itself, along with Sikhs in academia.  Then we dive into the history of Sikhs in Canada starting with why did Canadian immigration policy and public opinion go through so many ups and downs? Sharn provides a brilliant and critical analysis of this short but extremely pivotal period of six years - complexities  of census taking, oral histories of Sikh and Dalit settlements in British Columbia in the late 1890s, jobs, long hair and gender norms, cremation and “the other”.  This is before breaking down the history of the Gur Sikh Temple of Abbotsford BC and its connection to the Ghadr movement. We then discuss the Komagata Maru incident. However, we start with a Canadian court case in November 1913 where a judge overruled the deportation of 38 Punjabi Sikhs who had arrived to Canada on the Panama Maru. It was the victory of passengers of the Panama Maru that encouraged the sailing of the Komagata Maru in the following year. The Komagata Maru sailed from British Hong Kong, via Shanghai, China, and Yokohama, Japan, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 4 April 1914, carrying just over 300 passengers from Punjab province in British India. The ship had been hired by Gurdit Singh Sandhu, a Singaporean businessman who wanted to circumvent Canada anti-immigration laws by hiring a boat to sail from Calcutta to Vancouver.  We discuss Gurdit Singh Sandhu and his opinion of the Ghadr movement, Bhagwan Singh and his rallying of the people of the Komagata Maru whilst the ship was in Hong Kong and a breakdown of who, what, when and where of the Ghadr movement, along with its parallels to the Tractor2Twitter movement today. We discuss the legacy and impact of the Komagata Maru incident, how it impacted immigration policies then and now, World War I, the hypocrisy of the British Empire and the importance of historians, in particular,  Hugh J. M. Johnston.  We move on to discuss the period between Komagata Maru and the Second World War, migration patterns and how South Asian and East Asians, along with the help of workers unions, fought for the right to vote for over fourty years.  We discuss the role of caste and the perpetuity of privilege in early Sikh settlement to Canada, the need to portray the facts as they are and what is special about Canada that seems to incubate Sikh identity.  We discuss why there is such an interest from Sikh Canadians in their history and what is special about Canada that seems to incubate this spirit? We end the podcast discussing what led to the establishment of the Sikh Heritage Museum, why it was important for the museum to be built and how Sharn got involved.

In episode seven of the ਸੋਚ Podcast I get to talk with  Simran K. Arts and Satnam Singh about traditional arts, sikhi and representation. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As usual, we start with getting to know Simran a  little bit better, for instance, the importance of her grandfather’s  photography whilst she was a child and the V&A Museum whilst she was  studying for her A-levels. We discover that it was restoration that was  Simran’s original interest before finding her passion in traditional  arts. Amongst a whole lot more, we find out who Simran’s  inspiration is, her training in Persian miniature painting and the  connection between traditional arts and the Divine and then we dive deep  into the philosophical question of what is the most valuable  characteristic you need to have as a traditional artist? Before  moving onto the topic of traditional art and Sikhi, I provide three  examples of traditional art: the showcase of Liberian music and dance at  the 1901, 1926 and 1984 Worlds Fair, the construction of a cultural  centre on Malaita, a Solomon island, that resulted in the revitalisation  of the indigenous East Kwaio community and resurrection of dead art  forms and, lastly, the colonisation of Hawaiian Hula, which has had such  a lasting impact that many of us today are only familiar with the  stereotypical, colonial trope of Hula dancing. We go about trying  to define traditional art and Sikh art, discussing examples of  traditional Sikh art such as sakhis and raag kirtan. An example I find  particularly interesting is the gach and tukri embellishments of the  inner walls of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Gach is a base formed by mixing  crushed gypsum and water, and heating the mix to the right temperature  until it reaches the consistency of a paste. The paste is then applied  to the surface to be treated, and fine steel implements are used to etch  floral and other designs in the paste before it sets. The next stage  involves infilling these with sheets of gold leaf (varqs). In tukri  work, pieces of coloured and mirrored glass, sometimes specifically made  for the purpose, are cut and inlaid into gach to form patterns and  textures with their myriad reflections and colour effects. We then  dive deeper into traditional arts and Sikhi with questions such as, why  are traditional art forms of indigenous communities outlawed or banned?  Does the artist have a responsibility to be historically accurate? Does  the artist have to be considerate of their audience? Does the artist  always have to respect traditions? Where do you see Sikh art going? Does  representation within art matter? We conclude with a community question  - why does traditional art pre-occupy itself with natural materials?

I've gone back and vastly improved the audio quality for this. Hope you enjoy! In episode 6 of the ਸੋਚ podcast I get to put forward your questions and the most common critiques of Sri Dasam Granth to Dr. Kamalroop Singh who has completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham, School of Philosophy, Theology and Religions. His thesis was titled, “Dasam Granth Re-examined.” In addition, he has published two books on Sri Dasam Granth Sahib, “Sri Dasam Granth: Q&A” as well as “The Granth of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Essays, Lectures and Translations. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We spend the first ten minutes, as always, getting to know our guest a little bit better, starting with his upbringing, the influence of his Bibi Ji, his own personal identity crisis and academic pursuits leading to and through his PhD in Sri Dasam Granth Sahib.  From this point on we deal with the following questions:  00:00 - Family history, upbringing and Sri Dasam Granth 10:50 - What is Sri Dasam Granth? 12:56 - Was Sri Dasam Granth written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji or could it  include the work of court poets or others? Who do the pen names Ram  & Shyam refer to? In the process of answering this Dr. Kamalroop  Singh outlines a raft of early Dasam Granth manuscripts starting in 1688  and uses further historical evidence to remove any possibility of court  poet material being used. 18:50 - Why do some of the earliest manuscripts have compositions  ordered in a different order or exclude certain compositions completely? 26:20 - We dive deeper into the history of the Bhai Mani Singh recension of Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji & Sri Dasam Granth Sahib Ji. 30:50 - Parralel parkash of Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji & Sri Dasam Granth Sahib Ji. 40:06 - What is Charitropakhyan?   44:38 - Is Charitropakhyan misogynistic? 47:00 - Does Sri Dasam Granth lack originality due to its inclusion of  puranic texts? How is Sri Dasam Granth part of the social revolution of  the Khalsa? 51:10 - What does Maharaj mean when he states he comes from the khastriya lineage? Is this a declaration of caste? 53:17 - What was the influence of Colonialism and the Singh Sabha upon Sri Dasam Granth Sahib? 1:01:19 - How does the concept of the female divine energy fit into wider Sikh thought? 1:03:00 - Is there a Sikh theology? 1:12:40 - How do you explain the story of Guru Gobind Singh ji and Naina Devi Yagna found in Bansavalinama by Kesar Singh Chibber? 1:17:16 - What is the relationship between reformists such as the Bandai Khalsa and Teja Singh Bhasauria with Sri Dasam Granth? 1:22:00 - Bandai Khalsa & contemporary records 1:28:00 - Will Sri Dasam Granth Sahib ever be parkash at Akal Takht? 1:32:30 - How does Jhatka & Dheg fit into Sikhi?

In this episode of The Sooch podcast I get to talk to Hark1karan, we get to know more about him and his latest photo book - Pind: Portrait of a Village in Rural Punjab. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We first start off by getting to know the meaning behind his name, the influence of photography and art in his household whilst growing up and the impact of the environment and energy of growing up in working class neighbourhood of south London. We go on to discuss photography, the photographer and the responsibility of constructing a narrative of the subject matter. We move on to discuss the Pind and it’s connection with Punjabi culture and Sikhi. We discuss why Hark1karan decided to publish a book in the age of Instagram, Pinterest and Flickr and why he’s decided not to post the images on social media. We also learn about the process taken to get the book from concept to a published book and the responsibility of showcasing the community from the inside and not erasing the story. We move on to find out about the importance of language in constructing this photo book and get to know more about the process involved. Can you believe that these photos were taken on an old-school roll film camera? The rest of the discussion moves on to representation and how quite often if people don't see it, for them it's not a reality. We move on to how Hark1karan was able to take some of the more honest photos, the idea that we're not the same person but we're different people in different scenarios. We move on to discuss the current and on going Kissan-Majdoor protests in India & its connection to the Pind, the responsibility of artists and how women have been excluded from certain narratives regarding the protests. We round the podcast off with Hark1karan’s own personal journey in putting his book together and the importance of collaboration and fostering a constructive environment within our community to help change outdated narratives and tell our own story.

I get the pleasure to talk to Aman Bali from Kashmir, who is currently providing excellent on the ground coverage of the ongoing Kisaan-Majdoor protests in India, and Jodh Singh from America, who helps provide historical context and analysis. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We start off with what has caused these protests, we move on to how this spurned a people’s protest, seemingly bereft of any political impetus. To be cliché – a movement, for the people, by the people.  - We demarcate how these protests are not abrupt. In fact the protesting started back in June and the protests we now see in Delhi are simply the next step in the Kissan-Majdoor protest - that of increasing their own negotiation powers by bringing the protest to the capital. We take a look at the bills in some depth and, amongst a number of things, we demarcate how the socio-economic fabric of Punjab would be drastically altered. We start with the three main laws of contention - Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce, Promotion and Facilitation Act, Farmers Empowerment and Protection Agreement Act and the Essentials Commodity Amendment. We also discuss the two further ordinances – the air quality ordinance and the electricity amendment. We talk about sharecroppers, landgrabbing, middlemen, Mandis, Mandi Tax, MSP and alot more than I can fit in one post. Overall the one of the biggest themes that lept out is the appalling lack of legal redress any of these farmers would have if these bills were to be passed. In addition, it seems these laws are part of a bigger issue – India’s urgent want to industrialise almost overnight. A task which, as Aman Bali rightfully points out, needs to be done incrementally.  We look at the locus of the protests coming from Punjab and Haryana, the role of Sikhi and how the diaspora can help. We also dissect the idea that 250 million people have been protesting in Delhi.  

In this episode I get to talk with the man behind Sikh Archive. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We  start off the conversation talking about family, in particular his baby  daughter, Brexit, Punjab and tomatoes. We then dive into wider  migration patterns and how they affected his family. The difficulties in  tracing Punjabi family lineage, social and historical capital and the  legacy of colonial legislation. We then move onto more interesting  topics (one sent in by a number of followers) namely what does Sikh Archive say to those who accuse him of being too left-leaning? This  touches upon a number of things such as Kamala Harris, Marcus Rashford and identity politics. This then flows into a discussion regarding  what is justice? How do we engage with injustice, whether that be  historical injustice or societal injustice. We discuss Sikhs in the  military, integration and alignment to whiteness, the martial race  narrative and the Sikh nation. We round the episode off asking how  and why Sikh Archive was started, book recommendations, the Sikh ethos  of uprooting tyrannical systems and the changing landscape of Sikhi  & Gurdwaras.