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“… the opportunity to be part of
this project was a dream come true. I admit I knew
nothing about Sikhs and Sikhism. But for me personally,
it has been an amazing journey of discovery. If you grew
up in a sheltered town like I did, you were not exposed
to different cultures.
“We need to educate all members of society about Sikhs
and other cultural heritages and look beyond physical
appearances. We need to come together as a country and
the world – to celebrate the values that we took for
granted: national security, our safety, our homes, our
morals, our very ways of life, which are being
threatened.
“This project took off on 19th
of September with the senseless killing of Balbir Singh
Sodhi in Meza, Arizona which I read on the internet. He
was shot because he was wearing a turban. I am very
angry at the media, as they had flashed pictures of
terrorists and equated a style of dress: the turban and
beard with mass murderers.
“Imagine growing up in a
country where you were born and all of a sudden, you are
scared of your neighbors, catcalls and murderers. You
can’t judge a book by its cover – there are too many
tragedies because people just assume and take out their
hatred on innocent bystanders. Imagine all of a sudden,
you are looked at differently and accused of things
you’ve never done.
“I know prejudices and bigotry
are results of ignorance and fear. And I don’t mean that
in a negative way – Ignorance is all over the place. I
hope people will view my personal discovery with the
same joy and, move beyond intolerance and hostility. We
know nothing about the rest of the world and I set out,
not to be the typical American. This has been a
fascinating educational experience.
“Family values are very
important to me. I feel very lucky to be very close to
my own family. It is where I get a lot of my strength
and confidence. My mother and grandmother, who I am very
proud to say, were teachers. I don’t know where I would
be without the support of my family. I feel a lot of
American youth miss out on that nowadays.
“Children are our future – I
would like to see children grow up as confident leaders
and to be scared of the place where they were born. I
mean, being scared of your homeland is unfathomable,
just a huge tragedy. They should not have to hide in
their homes and gurdwaras, temples, synagogues, mosques…
Not go to school, because they are afraid of teachers,
fellow students and even friends. We need to address
their voices. I think doing this TV series, will help
people to understand their next door neighbors, and
hopefully make a change for the better.
“Come on my film journey and
learn about Sikhs. I hope to make a difference because I
believe in this project. If I can help one person
understand more about the Sikhs, I hope it will create a
domino effect… to affect tolerance and love…”
A cherished
colleague and friend, “Mistake identity” is Amanda’s
legacy to America and the world, due to her tragic
accident on 14 June 2002. A talented host and
investigative journalist, this was her first major film
documentary, during the springtime of her youth, Her
presence is greatly missed by all who knew and loved
her, leaving her family, friends and business
associates….devastated. |
