The Story Isn’t Over: History from the Margins

Today I have the pleasure to talk to Amandeep Singh Madra, the co-author of ‘Eyewitness at Amritsar’.

Now those of you listening have probably seen the recent ‘renovations’,  in my opinion, it’s an absolute indecorous f*ckery of stupidity and  disrespect of history. However, the ‘renovations’ and disrespect itself  won’t be the topic today - instead we’ll be focusing on the Jallianwala  Bagh massacre and the events both preceding and proceeding it.

As always here’s a time stamped breakdown of the conversation:

00:00 - Introduction

In this episode I get the chance to talk to Peter Bance author of 'Sikhs in Britain: 150 years of photographs' about Sikh migration, immigration and settlement in Britain over the last 150 years.

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As always here's a time stamped breakdown of the conversation:

00:00 - Introduction

In this podcast I get to talk to Jasmine Rai, a recent graduate from the  University of Birmingham, about her dissertation entitled - “An  exploration of the representations of Punjabi-Sikhs within Bollywood  cinema and how this affects perceptions of their community”. 

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As always here's a time stamped breakdown of the conversation:

In this episode I get to talk to Dr. Kamalroop Singh once again and this time we discuss the Sodhak Committee, 'apocrypha' Bani and a lot more. 

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As always here is a time stamped breakdown of the conversation:

In this episiode I get to talk to Bhupinder Singh Bance, also known as  Peter Bance is a sikh historian, author, art collector and Maharaja  Duleep Singh archivist.   In fact, His collection has been exhibited worldwide including at the  Victoria & Albert Museum, The British Museum, and the Bard Graduate  Centre in New York.

He has written for the Times and The Oxford National Biography & is the author of four books - The Duleep Singhs: Photograph Album of Queen Victoria's Maharajah (2004)  Sikhs in Britain: 150 Years of Photography (2007) Khalsa Jatha British Isles Centenary 1908-2008 (2008) Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh & the Heirs of a  Lost Kingdom (2009) Sikhs in Britain: 150 Years of Photography (2012),

He has also appeared in many BBC programmes such as The Story Of The  Turban (2012), Inside Out (2004), Desi DNA (2005), Britain's Maharajah  (2013), Sophia: Suffragette Princess (2015) and The Stolen Maharajah:  Britain's Indian Royal (2018)

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As always here is a breakdown of the conversation:

00:00 - Introduction
03:25 - A doctor in India but a door-to-door seller in England
04:23 - Why was peddling the go to occupation for early Sikh settlers in England?
05:09 - Why did your family come to the UK?
06:38 - Ancestry - Shaheedi Misl and Baba Deep Singh Ji
08:13 - How did you go from a marketing degree to being a historian of Sikh history?
14:21 - What type of items did you come across in your initial research?
14:35 - What was it about the Maharaja that attracted you so much?
16:38 - Anecdote of Prince Frederick Duleep Singh
17:37 - The view of the Sikh Royal Family in East Anglia  
19:36 - Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh - The Punjabi Schindler
20:59 - How was Catherine practically able to do this and also evade being caught?
25:43 - Sister Suffragettes
28:04 - Anita Anand and the suffragette story
28:19 - How did the descendants of M. Ranjit Singh identify and view themselves?
33:00 - The Pension that was never paid
34:00 - A Russian Promise - 20k soldiers to march into Punjab via Afghanistan
37:11 - The personal notebook of Maharaja Duleep Singh
38:17 - The daughters of M. Duleep Singh
39:30 - Guns of M. Duleep Singh - The Rolls Royce of Guns
42:16 - How many wives and children did M. Duleep Singh have?
44:14 - Museums and Repatriation
48:21- A painting of a Prince
52:48 - The Ramgharia Bakery
55:25 - Monte Carlo
01:01:32 - Rani Jinda Gravestone & Catacombs
01:06:57 - Princess Pauline
01:15:13 - Are you aware of the Sikh Royal Family visitng their items in a museum?  
01:16:42 - £1.7million Statue
01:25:32 - Illegitimate heirs to the throne
01:28:48 - How many illegitimate heirs?
01:30:18 - Sid Hammond
01:31:53 - End of the legitimate heirs of M. Ranjit Singh
01:34:32 - Interesting finds & advice in entering the field of Sikh history

In this episiode I get to talk to Bhupinder Singh Bance, also known as  Peter Bance is a sikh historian, author, art collector and Maharaja  Duleep Singh archivist.   In fact, His collection has been exhibited worldwide including at the  Victoria & Albert Museum, The British Museum, and the Bard Graduate  Centre in New York.  

He has written for the Times and The Oxford National Biography & is the author of four books - The Duleep Singhs: Photograph Album of Queen Victoria's Maharajah (2004)  Sikhs in Britain: 150 Years of Photography (2007) Khalsa Jatha British Isles Centenary 1908-2008 (2008) Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh & the Heirs of a  Lost Kingdom (2009) Sikhs in Britain: 150 Years of Photography (2012),  

He has also appeared in many BBC programmes such as The Story Of The  Turban (2012), Inside Out (2004), Desi DNA (2005), Britain's Maharajah  (2013), Sophia: Suffragette Princess (2015) and The Stolen Maharajah:  Britain's Indian Royal (2018)  

As always here is a breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 - Introduction

In this episode I get to talk to Rav from Panjabi Hit Squad. We discuss Rav's background, upbringing, the history of Panjabi Hit Squad and so  much more. 

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As usual, a breakdown of the conversation is below.  

00:00 - Introduction - How are you? Have things gone back to normal in the entertainment industry?  
02:00 - What is your family history and experience been?
06:16 - How did you all meet and what is the history of Panjabi Hit Squad and where did the name come from?
13:27 - What were the feature factors in the popularity of the British Asian music scene in the 90s/00s?
17:39 - What have been the biggest changes over the last twenty years to the British Asian music scene and why isn’t it as popular?
21:51 - Do you think we will see a group from the South Asian diaspora, similar to NSG?
28:30 - Do you think the healthy competition in the early 2000s lent itself to pushing everyone?
31:17 - What have your experiences of the music industry been like?
39:32 - How was it working with Ms Scandalous, Alyssia and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan?  
44:00 - Who has been the most interesting person you’ve worked with or  come across in the music industry? What was it like being signed by Def  Jam and working with people like Mariah Carey and Fat Man Scoop?
51:12 - Have you ever thought about the impact of your music on popular culture?
57:00 - Food heaven and food hell?

In this episode I get to talk to Gurinder Singh Mann about the history and dissemination of Sri Dasam Granth, amongst a whole host of other topics.

Gurinder Singh Mann, is a Sikh historian and has published three books

1. The British and the Sikhs: Discovery, warfare and friendship c1700-1900. Military and social interaction in Imperial India (From Musket to Maxim 1815-1914)
2. Sri Dasam Granth Sahib: Questions and Answers
3. The Granth Of Guru Gobind Singh: Essays, Lectures, and Translations, which was published by Oxford University Press

He is also the director of the Sikh Museum Initiative, a curator of the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum and an advisor for the upcoming movie The Sikh Soldier.

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As always here is a breakdown of the podcast:

00:00 – Introduction
01:24 – Upbringing and family background
04:29 - How were you introduced to Sri Dasam Granth?
08:07 - What were you planning on studying in respect to Sri Dasam Granth?
12:12 - What were some of the conclusions of your MA study?
17:17 - What was the reaction to your MA & what is your opinion of past Dasam?
19:47 - Why do you think certain scholars are hesitant to attribute Dasam Granth?
25:13 - What is your view of the work of Jaggi and Reinhart?
41:41 - Introduction to the physical historical dissemination of Sri Dasam Granth?
47:59 - What methods were used to physically construct a Dasam Granth manuscript?
53:02 - Anything of particular interest come up in your research?
55:15 – Kavis (poets) of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji.
59:04 - Why 52?
01:01:30 - What was the religious landscape like at the time of Guru Gobind Singh ji?
01:06:49 - Where does the tradition of having Kavis come from?
01:08:51 - Paonta Sahib Sri Dasam Granth manuscripts
01:11:39 - The Bhai Daya Singh recension of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
01:15:26 - Any other Sri Dasam Granth manuscripts worth mentioning?
01:17:27 - How did Sri Dasam Granth Sahib evolve historically?
01:19:36 - How do the themes of Sri Dasam Granth and Sri Guru Granth Sahib relate?
01:25:31 – What other ways was Sri Dasam Granth propagated?
01:31:50 - What evidence is there to show the body armour once belonged to Guru Gobind Singh Ji?
01:33:42 - How was Sri Dasam Granth propagated during the misl period and M. Ranjit Singh period?
01:48:03 - Wilkins, Malcolm, Leyden, Anglo-Sikh Wars and the Singh Sabha movement
01:54:30 - What is your opinion of the idea that the British purposefully removed Sri Dasam Granth sahib?
01:55:53 - Did the changing relationship between Britain and the Punjab impact British accounts of the Sikhs?
01:57:05 - Annexation and perception of Sri Dasam Granth sahib
02:09:22 - The Sodhak Committee?
02:14:32 – National armies, the Sikhs and Sovereignty
02:26:55 – How did copies of Sri Dasam Granth end up in institutions across the world?
02:23:20 - What is the most accurate translation of Sri Dasam Granth currently available?

In this latest podcast episode I get to talk to Satnam Singh again.   

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We discuss Bhai Nand Lal, his birth in Ghazni, Afghanistan, his  upbringing and education. We discuss Bhai Nand Lal's parents, their  passing and the different narratives regarding his life. We then explore  Bhai Nand Lal's tenure under Aurangzeb before joining the court of Guru  Gobind Singh Ji. We then dive into the plethora of works penned by Bhai  Nand Lal, along with the importance of Persian.

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.

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As always here is a breakdown of the podcast:

00:00 – Introduction
02:38 – Family background
06:59 – The Maldives, railways and Milan fashion week
14:34 – 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 academia
22:41 – Section 1: Hostile Territories
26:27 – 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 arts
42:47 – Section 2: Community Services – Jagnoari Centre & Bradford Women’s Centre
44:38 – Section 3: Transgressive Sexualities – Club Kali and DJ Ritu
50:02 – 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