Chandigarh
24 February 2024
DIVYA AZAD
A day-long ‘Sikhlens: Sikh Art and Film Festival’ featuring literature, films, art exhibitions, cultural events, thoughts exchange by intellectuals and writers, youth inspiration, historical heritage concluded at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18 on Saturday. This was the fifth edition of the event which was a not-for-profit endeavor and was organized by the Sikhlens Foundation in collaboration with Pinaka Mediaworks and Rolling Frames Entertainment. The event was also supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs, UT Administration and the United Sikh Mission. The program was inaugurated by Bikki Singh and Gurpreet Kaur Singh, founders of Sikhlens Bikki Singh Head – Sikhlens (India), Festival Director and National Film Award – Rajat Kamal awardee Ojaswwee Sharma among other dignitaries.
After the Divine Orchestra performance led by the students of Eternal University, Baru Sahib (Sirmour, HP), the first film session witnessed the screening of short films which includes Apna Farz, Lord and Lady Singh, Breaking Barriers, The Standard Dhingra Story, Maa, The Invite, Sacred Threads in Lima, Sat Shri Akal, The Guardian Committee and Bruce Singh’s The Lumberback.
Thereafter, cultural programs were presented by students of Mata Sahib Kaur Public School Swara Pindwherein Bhangra hogged the limelight. Later, a play themed on ‘Itihas Gawah Hai’ was aptly performed by the led by Davinder Singh
The second film session later in the afternoon was delighted by the screening of ‘Legend of 1972, Life Hockey and Beyond’ and 1947: Brexit India were screened.
The heritage artefact exhibitors, writers, Olympians, emerging music artists, religious scholars, diplomats interacted with the audience and discussed their respective topics.
At the sidelines of the proceedings, the astonishing feature of the event was exhibitions of paintings, heritage artefacts, books, photography, postal stamps which also provide opportunity to exhibitors and writers for exchanging ideas and thoughts with their audiences.
The musical gift in the evening was marked by Gurmat and Rabab music. This was followed by Zafarnama readings from Kaur sisters, and later Sikh martial arts – Gatka left everyone with nail biting.
The third and final film session in the evening, the films – American Sikh, The Stevia King, The Sikh Soldier, Resilience of Faith, Deems, Muntazir, Connecting the Dots, Sikh Community Voices were screened. A total of 17 short films from India, Canada, US, UK, Pakistan, Peru and other countries were screened which left the filmlovers spellbound.
Expressing his satisfaction over the successful completion of the event, Ojaswwee Sharma said that the event was aimed to strengthen the Sikh diaspora and women empowerment. Every section of the society joined the festivity aligned with their interest and made it successful. He said that this massive participation will motivate him to expand the upcoming editions.
Entry to the event was free throughout the day.
