The Story Isn’t Over: History from the Margins

In this episode I get to talk to Amal Malik, a recent history graduate from the University of Warwick. We discuss her dissertation regarding how South Asian women forged solidarity and created spaces for their Community in Britain.★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★As always here is a breakdown of the podcast:00:00 – Introduction02:38 – Family background06:59 – The Maldives, railways and Milan fashion week14:34 – Why was it important to acknowledge “the women of the Sari Squad, the Jagonari Centre, Bradford Women’s Centre and Club Kali”?17:03 – How did you go about your research?19:32 – Oral history and academia22:41 – Section 1: Hostile Territories26:27 – To what extent was the work of the Sari Squad making South Asian women be acceptable rather than creating a safe space?28:06 – Assimilation or integration?35:59 – Is the term “South Asian” adequate?41:01 – The Sari Squad and mixed martial arts42:47 – Section 2: Community Services – Jagnoari Centre & Bradford Women’s Centre44:38 – Section 3: Transgressive Sexualities – Club Kali and DJ Ritu50:02 – Why do you think South Asian history is thoroughly sanitised?53:41 – What was the lesson you took away from your dissertation?58:29 – Last thoughts

In this episode I get to talk to Sathnam Sanghera - author of  EmpireLand: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain, memoir The Boy  With the TopKnot and a novel, Marriage Material. In addition, Sathanm is  a writer for The Times and a presenter for Channel 4.   ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ Below is a rough breakdown of the conversation, as usual, it was an absolute blast.   00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - Leaving Wembley at the end of the EURO 2020 final 02:40 - Upbringing 04:00 - Parents arriving in the UK in the 1960s 05:38 - What was Wolverhampton like growing up? 07:31 - What led you to write Empireland? 10:38 - What were the reactions to Empireland when it was first published? 12:39 - Football, Priti Patel and racism. 15:38 - What goes into producing something like Empireland? 19:11 - Martial Race Theory 21:45 - "You can't review the history of Empire like it's a bloody kettle on Amazon." 23:05 - Imperial history often being monolithic in nature 25:26 - British Empire and Nazi Germany 29:00 - Dangers of making comparisons between the British Empire and Nazi Germany 30:05 - Anti-semitism within Europe before WWII 30:54 - "Every Empire rests on force, the British were not habitually cruel." 31:45 - What fuelled the violence and barbarity of the British Empire? 35:24 - Inheritance of law enforcement practices within post-colonial nations 38:28 - Statues 41:24 - How to make imperial history part of normal history 43:42 - Jane Austen and slavery 44:43 - Was profit the driving force behind the Empire? 47:10 - Legacy of Empire, recent events and privilege 49:20 - Empire Day 2.0 and the East India Company 51:13 - Final thoughts

In episode 15 of the ਸੋਚ (Sōch) Podcast I have the pleasure to talk to  Amandeep Madra - one of the main individuals behind UKPHA - about warrior-saints, empire, history and so much more.    ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ Here's a brief breakdown of the podcast:   00:00 - Introduction 06:34 - Early career, Susan Stronge, Parmjit, Akali Bunga and the V&A 32:45 - WW2 and enlisting 33:14 - WW1 and family 43:00 - Learning history and modern India 44:28 - How influential do you think martial race theory is? 48:26 - Guru Sovereignty and Nation State Sovereignty 1:00:46 - Did you expect to take what you're doing to the heights you  have? 1:04:28 - Old Mad Eyes 1:09:51 - What does it take to produce the books Kashi House publishes? 1:14:32 - How long does it take to produce one of these Kashi house  books? 1:14:53 - The authoritative biogarphy of M Ranjit Singh 1:16:37 - The aftermath of Warrior Saints - Books & Private Number Plates 1:29:23 - Written History, Oral History and an Eclipse 1:38:31 - WWI and the Commonwealth Commission 1:46:09 - OBE & Empire? 1:57:25 - Contemporary Sources - Sicques, Tigers and Thieves

In episode 14 of the ਸੋਚ (Sōch) Podcast I have the pleasure to talk to Nidar Singh about Sanatan Shastar Vidya.   ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here’s a time stamped breakdown of the conversation:    00:12:00 - Before we dig our teeth into Sanatan Shastar Vidiya I get to  know a little bit more about Nidar Singh, discussing his family,  upbringing and education.   00:05:39 - We discuss his Shastar Vidiya learning and teacher. 00:21:47 - I ask Nidar about his Gurdev’s Gurdev (teacher’s teacher). We  talk about Baba Sukha Singh, the Bhai Mastana Singh Akhara, named after  a cook of Guru Gobind Singh.   00:35:13 - We discuss why some of the reasons some of these warriors are renowned. 00:45:47 - We discuss what Devi worship is, the account regarding Guru Gobind Singh Ji and how it fits into Sikhi. 01:08:26 - I ask Nidar about his connections with the RSS.   01:44:42 - How do you ensure that what is taught is Shastar Vidiya and  nothing else? We also discuss how Shastar Vidiya is unique and  independent of other martial arts. 01:55:56 - We find out a little bit more about In the Masters Presence Vol II. 01:56:23 - We get to grips with the differences between Shastar Vidiya and Gatka.   02:07:04 - Finally we wrap up with discussing the Nihang Dals in India since Baba Santa Singh Ji’s passing.

Episode 13 of the ਸੋਚ (Sōch) Podcast is with Preeya Kaur and we discuss  her dissertation - Understanding the causes and consequences of the 1984  Sikh Genocide in India.    ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ We start with briefly getting to know a little bit more about Preeya  before then diving into Preeya's dissertation.    We start with the definition and framing of genocide, the role of the  nation state, the period of time researched, why concepts of  'oppression, 'violence' and 'resistance' are key to understanding the causes of the genocide, what were the key causes, what were the  governments motives, what were the key consequences, what do you think  you've added to the narrative regarding 1984, the source based utilised  for the dissertation, how all of this understanding is key in informing  policy and concluding with discussing the parallels between then and  now.

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.