Military/warrior legacy, the Taj and the Sikh-Canadian diaspora in Breakaway

ABSTRACT

This study examines the portrayal of the Sikh diaspora in Canada in the film Breakaway/Speedy Singhs (2011). In particular, I explore two scenes that are at the intersections of transnational configurations and homeland paradigms: (i) the depiction of the Taj in specific aesthetic ways (ii) the micro-interplays of the use of the ancestral material object – the metal headgear resembling a pagri belonging to Sikh warriors that injects a new dimension of how materiality can be recast to generate fresh meanings. These and the other themes in the film gesture at integrative practices and reconceptualizing of tradition, thereby resonating with Sikhism as an everyday experience.

KEYWORDS:

• Bollywood
• Indo-Canadian cultures
• acculturation
• Indian diaspora
• Sikh diaspora

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Speedy Singhs is the Hindi version of the English Breakaway.

2 The construction of Taj Mahal began in 1631. Emperor Shah Jahan built it in memory of his wife Begum Mumtaz.

3 In the film, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2009), Abhishek Bacchan, the male protagonist in the film takes Preity Zinta takes her to ‘Humayun ka Makbara’ and tells her that is the Taj Mahal. When the Zinta suggests that she knows it is not the Taj, he confesses that he didn’t have money enough to take her to the iconic monument. The episode gestures at how the monument, intertwined with history and individuals (Shah Jahan and Mumtaz) is the ultimate reference for people to indicate the emotion of love.

4 It is necessary to note that while there have been poetic/romantic portrayals of the Taj, there have been several concerns regarding the conservation of this heritage site, particularly regarding the pollutants from nearby factories that potentially have/had altered the colour of the monument. Om Prakash Agrawal’s (2002) essay on the challenges of conserving the mausoleum centers on the problems of discolouration of the marble due to the chemicals and smoke emanating from the nearby Mathura refinery. Aslam (1990) stated that the Taj ‘is built of brick with a white marble cladding on the exterior and lime plaster on the interior. Some years ago the plaster was found to have failed in some places through cracking, flaking and loss of adhesion’ (102). Scholarly observations on the monument highlight an interesting contrast – while artists have focused on the aesthetics of the mausoleum, structurally, the Taj has had to endure assaults due to pollution and ageing.

5 See Fenech (2015) for a study on the subject of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s association with the British.

6 See ‘e-Diaspora, the Great War and Sikh military migration to Canada: Commemorating Buckam Singh’ (Bhat 2019) for a study on how the internet becomes a medium for digital exchange of Sikh culture.