Dear Forum Members,
We are helping with the Vancouver Premiere of a documentary film created by an American Sikh woman about the widows of men killed in the 1984 Delhi (India) pogroms. As you may know, after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31st, 1984, corrupt officials in the Delhi government, army and police collaborated with hired criminals to massacre thousands of Sikhs. In total, 4000 Sikh men were killed while many thousands of women were raped or beaten. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_anti-Sikh_riots)
Currently many of these women, who have received little support and no justice from the government or authorities in the past 24 years, are living in a small development in Delhi locally known as "The Widow Colony" which is an area with poor living conditions and poor prospects for the children growing up there. The women try to earn what they can by working at a local centre built by a charity organization.
The film, also called "The Widow Colony," showcases their struggles and raises awareness of the obstacles the children are facing as they have grown up without their father or grandfather or brother.
The film producer and director are husband and wife and they are working together on a lot of issues to help the impoverished and oppressed people of India. I'm working to help them as much as possible while they're here in Vancouver to make sure the film showings are sold out, and more importantly that a lot of awareness is created about the issues and how to help those suffering people.
I am contacting you today to request your assistance. I know there are many members on this forum who are concerned about humanitarian rights, justice, freedom for minorities from oppression, and support for women and children in poverty. All of these issues coincide in the case of the 1984 widows. In various parts of Delhi, for the last 24 years, the wives of the thousands of Sikh men killed have been trying to rebuild their lives. Living in abject poverty, their children have grown up without their fathers. The mothers have tried to provide for their children despite all of the hardships. Meanwhile, the judicial system of India has refused to bring any of the perpetrators of the 1984 massacre to justice. While the children suffer for the lack of education and employment (and some of them now have children of their own), the mothers, the widows, pray each day to God that they will get justice for the brutal murders of their husbands.
Your attention to this project would create awareness in the local community and would encourage individuals to at least be aware and perhaps take action to help the cause. The film is showing at the Surrey Arts Center (Bear Creek Park) at the following times:
Friday, October 3rd
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
6:15 pm
8:30 pm
Saturday, October 4th
1:30 pm
4:00 pm
7:00 pm
9:00 pm
Tickets are $10 and can be ordered by phone at 778.840.4289 or 778.319.1699. You can also purchase tickets in person at Khalsa School on 124th Street in Surrey, at Golden Star Video on 128th Street and 80th Avenue, and at the door (although they may be sold out) at the Surrey Arts Centre at Bear Creek Park. Further details are at www.thewidowcolony.com. There will also be a Q&A with the director and producer after each show.
You can shine a light on this situation. You can create awareness.
Bring your friends, families, coworkers and everyone else you know to watch THE WIDOW COLONY with you on October 3rd and 4th.
Let's work together to learn and share the history of our community and take inspiration to help our mothers, and all families suffering from poverty and injustice across the world.
LINKS:
View Interview with Harpreet Kaur, Director, and Manmeet Singh, Producer: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VPnH9mIF2l0
View the Preview: http://thewidowcolony.com/i-p-previews.htm
Make a Donation: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=20546
Read the Flyer: http://thewidowcolony.com/pdfs/TWC_Flyer_f...r_Screening.pdf
Thanks very much for your time!
Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
