By Parveen Chopra
New York, Sep 26 (IANS) All Indians should take up the issue of securing justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and create conditions so that such horrific incidents do not happen again, filmmaker Shonali Bose said at the Sikh Heritage Awards Gala here.
“I am not a Sikh, I made the film ‘Amu’ as an Indian,” Bose said. “Amu” starring Konkona Sen Sharma is set against the background of the 1984 riots.
Bose was one of the three people honoured during the gala for their contribution to the Sikh community by the New York based Sikh Art and Film Foundation (SAFF). SAFF is dedicated to the preservation of Sikh culture.
Other two awardees were Jagdeep Singh, president of Infinera Corporation, a leading entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley, and New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli who brought Sikh awareness among the public post 9/11 and co-sponsored a legislation supporting religious freedom for the Sikhs.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a proclamation on the occasion declaring Sep 22-28 as Sikh Heritage Week.
The guests of honour for the event held at Cipriani Hotel on Wall Street were Joe Crowley, US Congressman, Tarlochan Singh, Indian Member of Parliament, and Ronen Sen, Ambassador of India to the US.
Daljit Dhaliwal, a well-known TV anchor for ABC and PBS, was the emcee. She replaced Mona ‘Jassi’ Singh, who couldn’t come.
An auction of artworks raised $230,000 at the event.
“Four years ago we hosted our first New York Film Festival at Hofstra University and we have progressively grown over the years,” Tejinder Singh Bindra, president of SAFF, said at the gala.
“Last year, we supported a Sikh exhibition at Rubin Museum, which got rave reviews in the New York Times. We have also received support from the US, Canada, England and, of course, India.”
Prominent people who attended the event included film star Kabir Bedi, Ruby Dhalla, a Canadian legislator, and Consul General of India Neelam Deo.
The day after the gala was devoted to the Spinning Wheel Film Festival, showing feature films, comedies and documentaries highlighting Sikh history, culture, diaspora and politics.