Chandigarh,
1 March 2023
DIVYA AZAD
The Hindi version of the English and Punjabi docuseries on the iconic travels of Guru Nanak across the distant lands of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Tibet, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka was released here today by the Singapore based couple, Amardeep Singh and Vininder Kaur.
To carry forward the legacy of Guru Nanak, the couple took the road less travelled and released the Hindi docuseries titled ‘Roopak: Guru Nanak Ke Kadmon Ki Roohani Chaap’ which chronicles the vast expanse of multi-faith sites visited by Guru Nanak for spiritual dialogues. The series is freely available for viewing at https://thegurunanak.com.
The English version of this docuseries was released in September 2021 under the title ‘Allegory, A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels’ and the Punjabi version in Gurmukhi & Shahmukhi of this docuseries was released in June 2022 under the title ‘Sainat, Guru Nanak Dey Paindeyan Di Roohani Chaap’. Both versions are also freely available for viewing at https://thegurunanak.com.
This 24-episode docuseries on Guru Nanak is a joint production of ‘Lost Heritage Productions’, a Singapore-based production house and ‘Sikhlens Productions’, a USA-based non-profit organization. It has been filmed in over 150 multi-faith sites in 9 countries where Guru Nanak had travelled in the 15th century during a 22-year-long spiritual quest.
“In a world that is so fragile, it is the need of the hour to understand why Guru Nanak travelled for 22 years to share his experiential wisdom and propagate the Oneness of humankind,” said Amardeep Singh, the Director and Executive Producer of the docuseries, who was awarded the 8th biennial ‘Guru Nanak Interfaith Award’ by the Hofstra University, New York in November 2022 for having led the production efforts for the message of Oneness.
His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso was the first winner of the Guru Nanak Prize in 2008 and since then, only eight individuals and organizations have been recognized with the prize.
“A committee of faculty and administrators unanimously chose Singh from among 18 nominees,” said Daniel Seabold, Acting Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
“The committee was greatly impressed by Amardeep Singh & Vininder Kaur’s examination of Guru Nanak’s interest in seeking universal fellowship among people of diverse faiths,” Seabold said. Members “considered several worthy organizations whose work is larger in scale but decided that an award to Mr Singh would be more impactful.”
While elaborating further on the content of this docuseries, Vininder Kaur shared, “Over 260 verses of Guru Nanak rendered in the Raags to invoke critical thinking is the foundation of this docuseries. In addition, narratives of 14 Saints from across the sub-continent, contemporaries and predecessors of Guru Nanak whose verses are enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib have been presented in the docuseries.”
Aided by the analytical study of the oldest ‘Janamsakhis’ (biographies of Guru Nanak ) and supported by the allegoric messages in Guru Nanak’s verses, the team spent over three years in research and filming all the multi-faith sites in the geographies visited by Guru Nanak. Thereafter, it has taken them over two years to edit the data to create the 24-episode docuseries.
For Amardeep and Vininder, every moment in Guru Nanak’s footsteps has been philosophically liberating. It encouraged them to challenge their own conditioning, unlearn, relearn and assimilate the beauty of unity in diversity.
“We would love to collaborate with like-minded people to spread the message of positivity and harmony across the globe,” Amardeep concluded.
While providing a sneak peek into their illustrious expedition, Amardeep added, “We travelled from the deserts of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to Mount Kailash in Tibet, explored remote regions of perilous Afghanistan, experienced the scorching heat in Iraq, scaled the arid Baluchi mountains in Pakistan, and sailed across the waters of the Indian Ocean to disembark in Sri Lanka. Not only this, but we also blended with the Persian culture in Iran, crossed the delta region in Bangladesh and mapped all the four directions in India.”
In the current geopolitical restrictions and cultural mandates, it was not easy for Amardeep and Vininder to document Guru Nanak’s extensive travels. However, undeterred by adversities, in the spirit of Guru Nanak Dev their perseverance has resulted in creating priceless documentation for generations to come.
For collaboration details, you can contact Amardeep and Vininder at TheGuruNanak.com@gmail.com
