Sessions
A Virtual Journey Through Sindh - Your Motherland Revealed
Dr. Viju Sidhwani
Hindu spiritual masters strive to attain self-awareness. So integral to spiritual development is knowledge and mastery of one’s self that sages proclaim it to be a precursor to personal growth on other levels. Thus, knowing one’s self involves knowing thy people, thy culture, and thy land. However, for Sindhis knowing one’s land and even culture and heritage is a difficult feat given the limited access to our motherland and poor instruction of geography. Join us on a virtual journey through Sindh as Dr. Viju Sidhwani takes us on a tour of the current state of Sindh – photographs of major cities, villages, sites of historical significance, and even people. Let’s take a trip back in time to a place far, far away, yet so intimate, familiar, and modern at the same time. Buckle up friends, we’re going to Sindh!
A Gandhian Witnesses Partition -
Dr. Ron Harris
Born in 1918 to British diplomatic parents in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dr. Ron Harris’ early years were spent in the British military. Dr. Harris was posted in India after completing his tour of duty during World War II. After an encounter with Mahatma Gandhi in 1946, he resigned from the British military to follow him and was with Gandhi the day he was assassinated in January of 1948. Dr. Harris was also in Marwar, one of two railway stations that served as gateways into India from Pakistan, where he witnessed the mass Sindhi refugee crisis. Through his actions helping the Sindhi community during partition, he gained a conversational fluency in Sindhi.
Join us as Dr. Harris speaks of his firsthand experiences with Nehru, Jinnah, and Gandhi and discusses the British and Sindhi contributions during that period. Dr. Harris believes that the Sindhi community sacrificed the most for India’s independence – more than Gandhi himself. Our Sindhi community sacrificed land, language, heritage, religion, culture, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons/daughters, and his vision and goal is to one day see a New Sindh for the global Sindhi diaspora community.
Digitizing Oral History -
Hemant Wadhwani, Natasha Raheja, Anjali Butani, Kanchan Chugani, Kavita Teckchandani
From the onset of time, people have shared stories of previous generations with subsequent generations, creating a tradition of oral history that contributes greatly to the foundation of their cultural heritage. Joins us as several young Sindhi adults share their initiatives in preserving our oral history. Perhaps what sets these efforts apart is the sense of urgency our community faces today, specially as we lose many of our grandparents, particularly those who lived in Sindh and witnessed partition. Learn how you can create and preserve your family's oral history and how you can participate in a collaborative effort to digitize our oral history tradition and preserve what has often neglected by the world's history books.
LEAVING THEIR LAND: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE SINDHIS
Kavita Tekchandani, Anjali Butani, Kanchan Chugani
As a community, we have risen over adversity and become one of the most successful communities in the world. Sadly, as we lose our elders, we are losing parts of our history and culture we will never be able to get back. In an effort to retain some of the Sindhi culture we love, a group of young Sindhis adults interviewed 15 Southern California Sindhi seniors who lived in Sindh and experienced the Partition; and documented those interviews on film. As the digital generation, we must start recognizing and preserving the stories of our elders. The producers hope this is the first chapter of their larger vision -- to capture our rich heritage for future generations by creating an expansive collection of stories about life in Sindh, the Partition and the Sindhi culture. Special thanks to the Sindhi Association of Southern California for supporting this effort.
THE SKY BELOW
Sarah Singh
This courageous and moving award-winning film on the Partition of India evokes both painful memories and raises powerful issues that continue to trouble the sub-continent. Lyrically shot on both sides of the Indo-Pak border, with a strong local ethos communicated through the music, the language and the people--the film should be watched both by those who care about the legacy of the Partition as well those trying to understand the complexities of fighting wars in those lands.
Critically and academically as the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ of documentaries, it has been screened at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (DC), Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), Foreign Policy Association (NY), Asia Society (India), Royal Ontario Museum (Canada), Queensland Gallery of Art (Australia); and several prestigious film festivals. A sampling of the reaction to ‘The Sky Below’:
“A comprehensive look at the Indo-Pak issue” — Georgina Maddox, THE INDIAN EXPRESS
"A one person tour-de force! Audience was in awe"— Masood Haider, DAWN (NY Bureau)
"The Sky Below is a film that will not please those who are looking for easy answers. It does, however, raise all the right questions." —Tehmina Ahmed, NEWSLINE MAGAZINE
"'The Sky Below' has added fresh dimensions to the long-debated Indo-Pak partition." — Aditi Tandon, THE TRIBUNE
"In order to understand Pakistan, you have to see this film"— Gazala, viewer in Karachi
"The pace of a music video and the depth of a Sufi poem"— Victoria Woo, INSEAD
Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow – An Examination Of Alternative Medicine
Dr. Ron Harris, Dr. Ram Tamang, Bharti Israni
From the politics of Health Reform to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and everything in between, health and well being is at the forefront of our collective conscience these days. Like everything else, the medical field offers us its own set of options, and in this session, we will explore two increasingly popular alternatives - Homeopathic and Ayruvedic medicine. Our panel will feature Dr. Ron Harris, a Homeopathic Doctor, Dr. Ram Tamang, an Ayurvedic doctor and Bharti Khatri, a Clicnical Ayurveda Specialist. They will begin by sharing some background in their fields of study, then discuss how specific items in their fields are catching on in mainstream medicine, and wrap up by answering your questions. Join us for what promises to be an extremely informative session!
THE DATING DUEL - SURVEY SAYS...
You'll want to play The Dating Duel, our very own version of the popular Family Feud TV show customized for young Sindhi adults! What's the top way Sindhi guys bungle up their first dates? What's the best thing a Sindhi girl can do on a first date? We've surveyed them all. Come, play and figure out if what you do is what's in style! Sound easy? What are you waiting for? Get your team together, and earn the chance to play the game with your best friends. Or, kick back and be a part of an interactive audience that is going to tell it like it really is. No heckling allowed!
SUNDAY FUN-DAY: RE - ENERGIZE SOCAL STYLE
Come join a couple hundred of your closest friends poolside as we lounge and play. We've cooked up our own set of activities - what are they? We can't tell you so you'll have to come and find out for yourself. Be ready - pack your flip flops, swimsuits and sunblock because we're hosting an afternoon packed with fun in the sun!! You'll
be running, jumping, laughing and kicking back by the pool. When the competition gets a little hot, jump in for a quick dip and re-energize the only way SoCal know how.
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