(Samaj Weekly)- Rootz Global Community Interest Company (CIC) was formed on 9th April 2021. Based in the West Midlands, the company’s main aim is to connect South Asians with their roots by creating collaborative and partnership opportunities. “The company’s progenitor is Birmingham based Onkar Singh, his background is reflective of vital skills, honed education, and an ardent belief to help young people become more self-reliant and confident through training and development whilst connecting them with their roots through arts, heritage, education and other developmental programmes and activities.
The company was registered during the tumultuous global COVID-19 period. According to Singh, “It gave me time to reflect on what I really wanted to do, my main purpose was to tackle ‘linguistic poverty’ that exists around us, I also felt that efforts to unite people from all different backgrounds especially the South Asian diaspora was fundamental to enriching our shared culture and heritage thus creating harmony and peace.
Incidentally, this type of work is not new for Onkar Singh, as he has been working with UK communities for almost 20 years, and since his college days, Singh had organised and led on dozens of conferences, seminars whilst teaching Engineering, Punjabi Language and Literature at Masters level in East Punjab.
Fellow Director of Rootz Global Rajinderjit Singh piques the audiences’ attention through thought provoking renditions.
On 12th August 2022, Rootz Global organised a ‘Mushaira’, an Urdu term for a poetic symposium in the Indian sub-continent at which poets come together to perform their works, traditionally ghazals or poems. This special mushaira was held at the local banqueting Suite in West Bromwich and attracted almost 100 participants including women as well as young people and others aged 50 plus.
The event united people of all age groups from the South Asian diaspora. The artists included the following from India and Pakistan.
Simran Aks, Sunil Sajal, Tahira Sra and Sabir Ali. The locals included Husanbir Singh Pannu, a Phd scholar at the University of Liverpool, specializing in Artificial Intelligence.
Simran Aks hails from Barnala and is professor of Punjabi language whilst Sunil Sajal is a phd scholar in music. Tahira Sra and Sabir Ali both seasoned poets hail from Pakistan Punjab.
Remembering the pain of separation together.
Incidentally, this year also marks the 75-year anniversary of partition of the united Punjab in 1947, with artists from both sides of the Punjab symbolising a yearning for progressiveness in terms of sharing ideas, thoughts, love, history, social and cultures heritage and even reflections on the turbulent history including conflicts that ensued. Partition costed millions of lives through communal riots and massacres of civilians. Indigenous people of united Punjab became refugees of their own land and yet after 75 years, it is efforts like Singh’s initiative and others, that can create generational healing despite the monumental suffering of so many citizens who lost both material possessions and loved ones in the process. Many have had to rebuild their fate on both sides of Punjab. The poetry event reflected these unimaginable suffering and yearnings of a united land. No doubt, these unifying forces of poetic expressions can act like an emollient for millions.
The programme was compered by Onkar Singh with the closing remarks from well-known Mota Singh Sarai progenitor of Punjabi Sath. Rajinder Jit Singh also expounded on his poem on unity whilst Rashpal Kaur elucidated a story of a woman who suffered abuse, “I wanted to give this lady a voice through my poetry”, she explained.
There were other thought-provoking themes which comprised of caste, humanity, purpose in life, religious, love, betrayal, hypocrisy and inequalities. The spectacular beauty of each artist, was his or her linguistic dexterity, contrasting artistic styles, similes, vernaculars, rhythms, sound, and lexical richness as their emotions evoked awareness, exhilaration and introspection. One felt intoxicated by the words that each artist expounded even though alcoholic drinks were not available for consumption at this historic event, and ‘rightly so’.
Softly spoken Tahira Aks hums, “ki mein teri nayee” am I not yours? Sabir Ali used an analogy of dogs in comparison to the violent nature of human beings. Simran Aks pleaded, “ethethe hovo, te larho”, come together and fight (for justice). Sunil Sajal gave renditions of Punjabi Poet Laureate, Surjit Pattar; his velvety voice melted the hearts of many. And Husanbir simply swayed the audience with his dulcet tones.
The audiences marvelled at the festivity of this occasion and expressed satisfaction of being able to participate in this special Mushaira. They were undoubtedly, captivated by the speakers and poets alike. The event was hugely successful, and credit goes to the directors of Rootz Global who not only at a short notice organised such a grand Mushaira, but set the scene for a sustainable future for the organisation.
We eagerly await for more……………….
By –
Harminder Kaur Bhogal, MA
