The Widow Colony
    India Premiere

26 November 2005 | New Delhi

The international premiere and a panel discussion were organized by the Sikh Research Institute. A reflection was shared by Harpreet Kaur, director of The Widow Colony, followed by a personal statement from Darshan Kaur, a victim and fierce activist. Harinder Singh, Executive Director of Sikh Research Institute, mentioned that pogroms will recur in India, unless the State acknowledges and records these violations in a transparent and honest manner, towards cleansing itself of the people and the institutions that perpetrate these crimes, and addressing the survivors’ right to knowledge, justice, and reparation. He concluded, “I hope you’ll lose some sleep tonight. But when the dust and the emotions settle, do something on behalf of all unrepresented and downtrodden people.”

Panel chairman Patwant Singh, author and orator, discounted the notion of “we should forget about it” and cautioned against dire consequences due to judicial failure. Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India, raised the issue of impunity. Harvinder Singh Phoolka, the champion of victims, shared legal hindrances. Manoj Mitta, Senior Editor of The Times of India, emphasized the role of Kamal Nath in massacre. Amita Malik, a film critic, highlighted arts as a medium for awareness and social justice. The discussions highlighted the half-hearted efforts of successive governments to punish the accused.

Also partaking in the discussions were Colin Gonsalves (Supreme Court advocate), Dipankar Gupta (author), Tarlochan Singh (Chairman, Minority Commission), SJS Chatwal (former High Commissioner to Canada), Anoop Singh (former Vice Chancellor, Punjab Technical University), Amrik Singh (former Vice Chancellor, Panjabi University), Madhu Kishwar (Editor, Manushi), Prakash Rao (convener, Lokraj Sangathan), R.S. Chatwal (General Secretary of Sikh Forum), Rajinder Singh (Convener, Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat), among others.