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On being queer and Sikh in India

By Shivalal Gautam

‘Sab Rab De Bande’ is an impressive debut film on a sensitive subject by queer activist Sukhdeep Singh, says Shivalal Gautam

This illustration shows a poster for the documentary film ‘Sab Rab De Bande’ made by first-time filmmaker Sukhdeep Singh. Photographs of three of the five interviewees in the film occupy the centre space in the poster. These interviewees are the filmmaker himself; Ritika, a transgender woman from Delhi; and Amolak, an androgynous gay man from Kanpur. The photographs, placed in a row, are in black and white and in contrast with an artistic blue and peach background. The lower part of the poster shows a graphic silhouette of what seems to be a religious congregation of Sikhs. Two symbols of Sikhism are placed on either side of the silhouette graphic. To the left is the Ek Onkar, which means one supreme reality; to the right is the Khanda, a symbol of Sikhism that is an amalgam of three symbols – ‘khanda’, a double-edged sword in the centre; ‘chakram’, a circular throwing weapon, behind the ‘khanda’; and two ‘kirpans’, single-edged swords placed on either side of the ‘khanda’ and ‘chakram’ and crossed at the bottom. The accompanying text on the poster says: “A film by Sukhdeep Singh – a documentary on LGBTQ Sikhs – Sab Rab De Bande – We’re All God’s Creation”. Poster courtesy Sukhdeep Singh

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Varta Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal