Disturbing, immersive and heartbreaking, Teenaa Kaur Pasricha’s documentary 1984, When The Sun Didn’t Rise captures the anguish of three Sikh widows still struggling to forgive and forget those responsible for the tragedy that tore their families apart.
At the heart of the story is Delhi’s Widows' Colony, where 3,000 widows and their families were resettled after the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. Government figures indicate that 3,000 Sikhs were massacred therein, following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.
Delhi's Widow's Colony Source: Supplied
Woven together in Ms Pasricha’s own voice, the narrative identifies the resilient yet vulnerable journeys of these women as well as recording the reactions of lawyers and political leaders. This is done in an attempt to highlight the pogrom's consequences for the Sikh community, which awaits justice for the killings even 34 years later.
“As a child, I had heard stories from my mother about the massacre,"Ms Pasricha tells SBS Punjabi. "My own uncle was a victim. He was travelling to Delhi, when someone hurled him out of the train and cut his hair.”
“But why is that there has been no film on this subject? When I was researching, I came across a few clips here and there, but I wanted to create a comprehensive documentary that would be internationally acclaimed.”
The 57-minute long documentary, which premiered in 2017, has recently won the President’s National Film Award for ‘Best Investigative Film’.
Asked about her experience making the film, Ms Pasricha says that it was a difficult journey that lasted a little over four years, but she is happy with the acknowledgement that the film has received.
“It is definitely a great honour, but more importantly, it is a recognition for a subject and a community that has long been denied justice,” says Ms Pasricha.
Also featuring in the documentary is the embattled former parliamentarian Jagdish Tytler who is one of those accused of orchestrating the 1984 riots.
It took Teenaa nearly five years to complete ‘1984- When The Sun Didn’t Rise’ Source: Supplied
“It took me a year to get hold of him," says Ms Pasricha. "I went alone to interview him. I was of course scared. But unlike other journalists, I didn’t probe him, I rather let him speak. And what I gathered from hearing him was that he was definitely lying.”
Ms Pasricha hopes that her work is able to raise awareness about the unique Sikh identity and encourages people to become more tolerant of one another.
A screenshot from the documentary showcasing the photos of Sikhs killed in the riots. Source: YouTube
“Today’s generation must see this film and take lessons from history," she says. "They need to realise that obsession with violence can only result in destruction like what happened in 1984.”
Agreeing that 'justice delayed is justice denied', Ms Pasricha said "the time has come to stop waiting for justice and take things in our own hands - everyone must commemorate the days between October 31 and Nov 3, and raise an awareness in the wider community about what transpired 34 years ago.
