Indebted is a project which highlights the successes, challenges and the overall  process of how Sikhs in Ontario settled between the mass immigration years of 1960 and 1999.

As a child of an immigrant who worked extremely hard to earn a living, I  was able to learn about the hardships and successes immigrants went through in the process of migrating from a country that oppresses minorities, to a country that - at the time - alienated minorities. Unfortunately, not everybody gets the opportunity to learn about these stories, which results in  issues such as misrepresentation, racism and ungratefulness. To tackle this concern and shed light on the stories of diligent immigrants, I pursued the topic of Ontario's Sikh history as my thesis topic in my Graphic Design capstone course at OCADU.

Viewing statistics, historical documents, news and photo archives, and conducting a series of recorded interviews and conversations allowed the compilation of the rich stories in this book. Accompanying the book is an  archive of newspaper clippings and photographs which corresponds to its contents. Preserving the stories of Ontarian Sikhs will ensure that future generations can also learn about our ancestors - whose hard work we are indebted to. Of the 1600+ articles examined while researching for this project, approximately 150 are discussed in this edition of the book. This is only the beginning of a longer journey to preserve and document the stories and legacies of Sikhs in Ontario.

Indebted, the documentary, serves as an extension to the book. Upon completing base research of the topic, individuals who were involved in these historical ventures were contacted and interviewed, providing insight on firsthand experiences they faced when they settled onto this land. The early Sikhs in Ontario truly paved a path which made it easier for future Sikh generations to maintain their identity.

In this interview based documentary, you will hear from Sikhs who migrated during different time periods and under different circumstances. However, they all had one thing in common - they longed for a better future. While some migrated in the early 60s and 70s, others migrated after the 1984 Sikh genocide, seeking refuge. Some worked various jobs, and others began their own businesses. You will also hear from Sikh youth born and raised in Ontario during the 1980s and learn about how they dealt with being a visible minority.

We plan on screening the full documentary to the public upon ease of Covid-19 restrictions. Stay tuned!

The intent of this video was to deliver knowledge. Although my target audience was my peers at the time of creating this project, it can vastly be used to communicate every Sikh's journey and reason of tying a dastar, or turban. This video overlays historical references to explain how every action taken while tying a dastar is reminiscent of our rich history and connects to our spiritual growth. This video narrates the Vadda Ghallughara Sikh genocide. Watch the full video here.