Reflections London Interview

I was interviewed by Dr James Wallis from University of Essex, reflecting on how the project has educated communities and helped young people learn about history that we are not taught in mainstream education. He asked me how a personal search regarding Sikh contribution to war, embarked my career as a history researcher and enable me to create two successful exhibitions over the Centenary?

During the Centenary for First World War, there have been many projects looking at the contribution of Commonwealth Soldiers, this is great and much needed. Too many times I have heard people say “I wish this was taught in schools, I didn’t know this history”, and they are correct. How are we supposed to learn about our history, if we do not know the process involved in researching it? I discussed our Journey from Home project with James, and spoke about the effect it has had on the young people I have worked with. It’s important to point out that young people are already asking the questions regarding their heritage. The young people who worked on Journey from Home wanted to know more about the journey these men made and how it affected them even after the war. 

When starting to plan the project Journey from Home, we wanted it to be inclusive as the communities we are working with are from a diverse background. For me just telling the Sikh soldiers would not be inclusive and would not telling the entire story of the men coming from India, pre-Partition. I also used the project to make history inviting to all, especially those that wants to learn further about the Commonwealth contribution but their knowledge was limited.  . I was on a mission to make history accessible to all and showcase the work of the women had undertaken in an area dominated by males.

The planning stage of the project was always to tell stories rather than pick individuals - the letters we selected in our exhibition would be from a soldier explaining the realities that they face. The UK holds so much history regarding these men but many do not know as it is not told. Had it not been for the Centenary, I believe many projects and stories would still be unknown. The Centenary has helped create platforms for projects and allowed us to question what we think of the war and the way we are taught about the war.

Many do believe that the war was ‘white’ and the contribution of Indian/Commonwealth Troops needs to be highlighted and discussed. When I first started researching into the contribution of Sikh Soldiers I was amazed to learn that the regiments were mixed, and the way the Turban was tied didn’t necessarily indicate that they were Sikhs. This is why it is vital that we speak to experts and not just rely on the internet for our education. When I began researching I got in contact with an academic, who had written books on Indian Military History and with his help I was able to source letters and war dairies. I didn’t realise then, it would be the stepping stones to launch my career into Indian military history.

This interview made me reflect how far I have grown in the last two years. Having exhibited two major exhibitions in the last two years, working with large organisations, exhibitions touring the UK and workshops across the country it is not as easy as it looks.

Journey from Home helped educated communities and young people about histories that their parents or older generations did not know about. Not many of us from South Asian backgrounds can name the Indian Victoria Cross winners from First and Second World War, so this project was helping them build that history and learn about the context of the war.

Back in June when we started the project with young people, they knew nothing about the contribution or these memorial sites, but then they were standing in the ballroom at Brighton Pavilion learning about how it was transformed into a hospital from the wounded Indian Soldiers. They are walking within the grounds of the Pavilion, right where some of the images we have used in the exhibition were taken. In October they were taken to France and Belgium to see with their own eyes, memorials dedicated to these men and how they sacrificed their lives for us.

The projects I have created and exhibited were for an audience that do not have access to history or would like to know more. A dear friend at the start of my research (back in 2016) asked me “What is that you do know and what is that you want to know?” I replied with, “I don’t know nothing and want to know everything”. His response was “Well let’s take baby steps”.

I wanted history to be made accessible to all, and I feel like I have achieved this but there is still more work to do in this area. This interview has helped me speak about the topics and processes I don’t normally talk about. I remind Dr James that I don’t always know the answer, so having Paula Kitching (our historian and writer) by my side helps as she can face challenges with me. The Centenary has certainly helped me enormously as if I had not seen the article about Sikh Soldiers, I doubt I would have started researching.

Through this process, I have learnt that I will be the one that opens the door for young people with researching and accessing stories to their histories. They made me realise how important it is to know more about these stories and the voices we don’t often hear from.