My Punjabi Mela

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Posted on: January 28, 2009

Posted in: Featured, Life, People, Thoughts, Video

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My Punjabi Mela

This time last year I was in India. It was a monumental trip for me. Not just because I was on “holiday”, but because I was in need of a shakeup both personally and professionally and India took me by the shoulders and gave me a really good shake. I’m compelled to share my “vacation videos” with you to remember the images and feelings that effected me so deeply and helped me get started in a new phase of my life. There is no way a video or a blog post could convey that trip completely and to be honest, this is a fraction of the video I shot. This is only part of my time in my family’s home state of Punjab. The rest of my trip including Amritsar, the Taj Mahal in Agra, the busy streets of Delhi and the Palaces of Rajasthan will come later. For now, it’s important to me to share images of where my family comes from.

I’ve been thinking about my trip more than usual because it was one year ago exactly that I was there and because of President Obama’s Inauguration and the hope and pride we’ve regained as Americans. As much as I love India and identify with my Punjabi heritage, last year I swelled with gratitude for the decision my parents made to build a life in America. My life & freedom would not be possible if they hadn’t made the journey out of their village to the New World.

I’m calling the video My Punjabi Mela. There is no real story line, it’s just a sampling of some of the things I experienced over the course of a few days in Punjab. The song is called Mela, by Sukshinder Shinda (mela means party in Punjabi). I traveled the first half of the month in India with cousins, my cousin-in-law Patty’s sisters who were visiting from Florida & Columbia and also, the petite blond girl is my dear friend Liz, who traveled with me the entire month.

The opening shots are of the streets of Punjab and then a sampling of one of our many trips to the bazaar. This shopping is in a very hectic city called Jalandhar. I included some pictures from my Aunt and Uncles home & village…my Aunt & Uncle are no longer alive, but my cousins have done an incredible job keeping the village home in great condition and the memory of my dear Aunt & Uncle alive. One of the ways they do that is by giving back to the community. My cousins all live full time in the US, but they spend time and money building schools and colleges in the area. The Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute is one of those colleges. It’s special to me because it is a college that makes an effort to educate girls as well as boys. To my surprise educating girls is still an issue in parts of India. Again, my gratitude for those who made it possible for me to be born and raised in California.

Thanks for coming to my blog and watching My Punjabi Mela. I’m glad to take friends along on my travels in Punjab and if you have any questions about this video I hope you’ll ask.

  • sukhjeet kaler
    wow..wow..such a nice shot..i jst googled my name(sukhjeet) and found ur stuff. this particular video has reminded me lot of childhood things...donno if u have any emotional touch with these things but it means lot for a person whose childhood emories are realted to these streets and methi de makki de paronthey..love this..keep it up
  • Hi Sukhjit! I really like your video blogging. My roommate is Punjabi and I think his culture is so amazing and rich. I had so much fun at his sister's wedding.

    Anyway, I had a quick question. I'm starting my own blog and was wondering what plugin you used to rank your videos? Is there an easy way to have a "highest rated" section on my blog?
  • Hi Danielle! It's so great to see a note from you! Good question about the ranking function. You know my site is wordpress and I don't remember it being a complicated plug in. That being said, I had help putting this site together. Let me ask @giannii, who helped me get my blog off the ground. He might remember what it was.
  • Well, looks like you had fun! Definitely India! This video answers my earlier facebook question, which seems that you have some "Punjabi Desi" still in in their with your American... :)
  • Naveen
    Love it! (and I'm fr Jalandhar too)
  • Hi @Naveen! I was just reading your comment about my Amritsar video and hoping you would stumble on this Punjabi Mela vlog post too! It's one of my favorites. So nice to chat with you.. funny to hear how many similarities we have! So, Jallandar is actually the village near my Puaji's house. My family comes from a village near Phaguara... but I have to say any time anywhere in Punjab is really special for a California Desi girl like me.. I'm sure you understand what I mean by that. Anyway... look forward to getting to know you better too! --sukhjit
  • Brilliant! I have over 9 hours of footage from my last visit and if I had 1/2 the skills you have, my video still wouldn't come close. Excellent work. You have yet another fan.
    --
    Navpreet
  • I'm so glad you enjoyed this video. It is the my favorite and the highest rated on my site. Did you start logging your footage yet? You'd be surprised what you can do once you're inspired. I waited a year to view my footage, then once I started, I couldn't help but cut something together. This video took me several days to produce, by the way... If you do end up putting something together, hope you will share.

    Thanks so much for coming to my site and for leaving a comment! I really appreciate it. --sukhjit
  • sharmaG
    did you eat Methi diyan rotiyan ? :)
  • Did you hear that part in the video? I said I'd have 2! BTW - thanks so much for coming to my site and leaving a comment! --sukhjit
  • Sukhvinder Singh Ahluwalia
    Hi Sukhjit, I just happened to be on your blog while searching on google for something on Punjab.And I couldnt stop myself from watching your video.It is indeed very lively and has all the feel of Punjab and its people. Keep visitng here, this place is full of life and always happening.
    Sukhvinder Singh.
  • Thank you so much for checking out my blog. I'm sad to hear about all the rioting in Punjab right now... luckily my visit was joyous and fun.

    Thank you again for visiting my blog! Hope you will stop by again! --sukhjit
  • Amazing stuff honey! I really wish u cud write further about ur trip.

    I am an Indian and I find it really amazing to read about the homecomings of NRIs. Let me tell u something the music is awesome! Haan ji! Haan ji! it's. U have made such a video tht it may easily by pass as a spl vide of some spl discovery channel program.

    But, after all of this rush, I feel at loss. Why? Damn! it's so very bad to loose such pretty soni kudis like u to AMERICA.
  • Sasriakal Soniye!
    Absolutely loved it! Nice to see the Punjabi Kudi back home :) You should put up more videos!
  • vishal
    loved the jallandhar part of the video, my home town, Love that place
  • Thank you so much for coming to my blog! I'm glad to share the scenes from Jallandhar! That was one of my favorite cities! Best wishes to you and thank you again for stopping by my site. --sukhjit
  • Wow. Thanks for that slice of live in Punjab. Those kids with the coloring books? are so sweet. And the music is infectious. Party music, yes.
  • BlogKing! Hello! You really did come to my site. Thanks. I'm glad you had a chance to see this it's a very special experience for me that I was so excited to share. Yeah.. the kids are village kids and my cousins take books and candy for them when they go home for a visit... which is why they're like celebrities!

    SO, that is full on Bhangra music. It's Punjabi folk music... lots of energy and lots of spirit. Glad you enjoyed.

    Thanks again for coming to visit and leaving a comment!
  • lizpayne
    i think you posted this while i was away, so i'm seeing for the first time now. it's beautiful.
  • LIz! I'm so glad you liked it! Hey... what are you doing right now? Come over!
  • Tiil
    Bonjour Sukhjit ... first time commenting on your nice blog!
  • Bhangra to celebrate Tiil's 4000th post!
  • Hi Sukhjit, I found you via @banannie's recent peanut butter and chocolate cupcake video. This was a fantastic glimpse of one of the many parts of India I've not yet seen. Thanks for sharing!
  • Hellloooo! Thanks so much for coming to my site! Any friend of @banannie is a friend of mine. Yeah, the cupcakes were great. I had a fantastic day meeting Annie in real life. It's funny how my circle of friends has just blown up this year and the connections continue.

    Again, my thanks for coming here and posting a comment. Hope to see you again. --sukhjit
  • Vanessa
    This video is fascinating, Sukhjit. The visuals are really captivating. I just sent you an email--would love to learn more about your blog :)
  • I need to get out
  • Nice song. Where was it filmed.. I am going to Punjab too next week
  • this is actually my fave video that you have posted on your site. I love the music, the vibe, the editing, it was just all wonderful! Great job. And reading the story behind this gave a great insight to India. sukhjit, you rock.
  • Rachael! I am pretty excited that you've come by for a visit. I really appreciate it. Yeah, this is my first attempt at a "music video". I didn't shoot any of the footage with an end result in mind.. so it just seemed natural to cut images of Punjab to Punjabi music. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and read the back story too. There is so much still to say about it all but I just couldn't put it all down. India just can't fit into a blog post!

    Thanks again for the visit, my Friend! You rock! --sukhjit
  • Hi Sukhjit, I enjoyed your video very much. You were able to capture great street scenes, and expressions of people that make me really want to visit there. Thanks!
  • Hey Ted! How have you been? So glad you had a look at this video. It was fun to produce and really important for me to share.

    What's new with you? Hope all is well! --sukhjit
  • Ah! I just loved this! What a wonderful trip you just gave me here :) What I wouldnt give to be able to visit there. So nice that you were able to capture all those moments. Of course, I would definitely want to sit down with you and have you describe each and every event that passed in the video!

    You certainly have me as a fan of your videos!
  • Thank you David, for stopping by and leaving a comment! I have so very much enjoyed sharing this video and my experience here with friends. This video is just a fraction of my trip, but after the great feedback I've gotten, I'm fired up now to cut some more! I'm happy to tell you more about the people and places, anytime!

    Hope all is well with you. Thanks again for the visit! --sukhjit
  • That was very refreshing.. thank you for showing others what life is like outside the states. I've been to Vietnam a few times and the bazzar is almost identical, especially with all the shops selling material for clothing and stuff.

    I think I may have to visit my mothers to take those VHS tapes to digital so that I can post on my sites too.
    Thank you for sharing
  • @jamesdelong Hello James! It is really nice to be back in touch with you!
  • Nice meeting you today, Sukhjit, you do amazing video work!
  • JD! Great to see a comment from you! Thank you so much for coming to my site. It means a lot to me to see that folks have taken the time to visit. Thanks for your nice words about my videos. I love to create and share my work. My reward is to connect with the people who come to see it. It's an amazing thing.

    I'll be looking at your blog too to see your thoughts on the Teens in Tech conference.

    --sukhjit
  • I am glad you are sharing all of this sukhjit! I know that it can be tough to share family history because its so personal, especially after our elders pass away in india, it gets tougher. I can relate so much because of my last trip to my ancestral state... I hope you can read my blog too... keep rocking and looking forward to seeing more of your work. love, Arati
  • Arati! Dude thank you for stopping by my blog. I'm excited to see you and talk to you about your recent trip. I'm also glad to see you have a blog. Can't wait to discuss more with you the possibilities for content creators like us! Congrats on your great news and I look forward to seeing you IRL!!

    --sukhjit
  • Marjaneh
    wow, sukhjit - what a treasure you've made! the video and music are beautiful, and never have i wanted to go india more than now! - ever thought of doing vacation advertising/informercials :))
    ...but you know me, i always have questions!...
    why are those cute getting candy and comic books?
    why where those silver plates (awards?) being handed out at the school?
    what were those flower patterns on the ground in the corners of the room?

    really look forward to seeing the rest of the series :))
  • Sukhjit, I know there are subtle differences between Punjab and Delhi, but our video vividly brought back my own recent trip/. I, too, went to the bazaar with my host's wife,and saw the kinds of things you saw. i also saw village life outside Faridabad. This video uplifted me, because i really admire the people and culture of India. yes, I'd like tosee more infrastructure, but not at the expense of the rich tradition you chronicle for us.:-)
  • @hardaway Thanks for the visit Francine! I'm so glad you saw my punjabi mela!
  • JayGlock
    Thank you for showing you, and in such a wonderful way . Very beautifully put together and I loved the music! It's rare to be able to capture how wonderful other countries and cultures are through a 4-5min video but you did it! Thanks for the very moving video:)
  • @jayglock
  • yickth
    Seesmic video reply from Disqus.
  • @seaholm Hello Eric!
  • Beautiful video, Sukhjit! Thank you for sharing. I loved the music.
  • Maximo! I think I thanked you on Twitter... but I wanted to make sure to thank you again for coming here and looking at my video of India. It means a lot for me to share these things with friends I've made this year. I know you have deep feelings for your roots, so I think you probably can understand why I'm compelled to show my community where my family comes from. We're so lucky to be living in the US. Thanks again for stopping by! --sukhjit
  • Oh, no need to thank me. The video was beautiful and lyrical. I completely understand what it means to you. I too come from a very different place from what we have here in America. We are very fortunate indeed.
  • Philip Moneypenny
    Seesmic video reply from Disqus.
  • @snowshadow How have you been?!
  • Nav
    wow thank you so much for sharing - the wonderful colors, sounds and sights and your video really gave it a brilliant tribute - felt like I was there enjoying it with your family - perfect speed and energy editing on what was probably a boat load of footage - great track as well.

    I so hope that the growth and affluence this country is experiencing can live beside what we saw in your video - change is inevitable but no one can deny the beauty of India as it has been.
  • @altnav Yes, change is inevitable.
  • phillydesi
    after seeing you post on punjabi mela i miss punjab so much. I love the sukhshinda Shinda music.
  • Heyyyyy @phillydesi! Nice to see you here. Thank you for leaving a comment. Yeah, I know what you mean. I have spent very little time in Punjab, but I miss it too! It's the feeling of "mela". It's hard to replicate here in the US.

    Thanks again for coming by my site. I really appreciate it. --sukhjit
  • Preet
    My Dear Sukhjit, you did a great jop on this video loved it. Watching it reminded me how I use to do all those things and walk those streets ofcourse it brought tears to my eyes. The house looks the same, less lively from Grandma's days but still the same. I salute the efforts of grandparents to start something revolutionary for the kids in need of education and praise the generations after them to follow in those footsteps and take it to the next level. I miss my Punjab and the feeling of always living in the midst of a Mela, But you are correct I too am greatful for being in US and have the chance to experience all the oppurtunities because of those who made it possible.
  • Oh, Preet. Your message brings tears to MY EYES. I know how much you connect with that feeling which means "mela". You are in that category too of adventurers who left their homeland to pursue more and better. Your kids will grow up and understand what makes their life in the US so special and valuable. Make sure to take care of the village house. It is such a special, wonderful, magical place. Even though Poaji and Puferji are gone their spirits are alive in the love and admiration we all have for them.

    I have much more footage from the village that I will put together for the family. Send my best to the family!
    xo, sukhjit
  • Jerry Day
    Good stuff, Sukhjit. Thanks for sharing -- love the music, the bazaar, the cooking, the kids. Encore!
  • Jerry! So nice to see you leave a comment! That is killer!

    Yes, the kids were very precious. My cousins are like celebrities in their village because they came abroad and work hard and achieved great success.. On top of that they give back to the community. They've continued to improve the village and help educate the kids of that area. It's very inspiring. When they go for a visit the village kids all come to say hello.
  • Wow a very moving video in many respects. Thanks for openly sharing such a special moment in your life. And you're right the vastness of the trip makes it impossible to really convey the place it has in your heart. Can't wait for the next in the series! Love your video work by the way.
  • Hello Shailesh! I'm so happy you stopped by and shared my trip with me. There is still so much amazing footage from India. I think I may do a series.

    I was really inspired to share this Punjab footage now since I was there at this time last year and the trip had such an impact on me. It's also an important time for me to remember to feel gratitude for life here. These are turbulent times but we are still very fortunate.

    Can't wait to share Amritsar, Jaiselmer, Delhi... etc with you soon. Thanks again for stopping by and leaving a comment! --sukhjit
  • You do amazing work with your videos! I'm sure being there far exceeds the video, but the video far exceeds the experience I will ever have. Thanks for sharing!
  • Thomas! SO nice to see you here. Thank you for visiting and viewing. I must tell you the Inauguration really stirred the production of this video in me. I kept remembering my trip to India. I watched the inauguration ceremony with my Mom & Dad who left Punjab in the 60's and was just overwhelmed with pride and gratitude for being born in America. I really loved my time in Punjab. It is an amazing place and the people I encountered had a positive and honest spirit... but life is really challenging there and we here in the US, are very fortunate despite whatever economic problems we are going thru now.

    Travel is so important for perspective into our own life. I'm so glad I could share this trip with you. Thank you again for having a look. --sukhjit
  • Seesmic video reply from Disqus.
  • @aorin Travel
  • Adam Helweh
    Seesmic video reply from Disqus.
  • It wasn't an unboxing Wednesday BUT I had to share!
  • The music is wonderful, and I love how you edited this video. Great job! Thank you for sharing Sukhjit :)
  • Hellooooooo! Thank you for coming to my site. That is awesome. I love it when people I've met on twitter and the like take the time to come look at my blog. Means a lot to me. Yeah, the song is great. It's basically saying see the world and enjoy your life and the people in it. Punjabi music is very sentimental.
  • Larry
    Wow Sukhjit! Nicely done. I love all of it but mostly the cooking scenes!!!!
  • @larryheim India trips rock
  • Sukhjit .. I loved this. Later this year I am going to Turkey for a couple weeks and I really need to get a video camera before I go. Of course you being Punjabi gives your video special sauce. I hope you have the time and energy to share more of your travel videos, this was awesome.
  • Tom, when you leave a comment here, I feel like an old friend has come for a visit!

    Thank you for watching the video. I will post more of my trip. This part was the most meaningful to me so I'm sharing it first. I have more video that is beautiful, exotic, unique from other parts of India... but Punjab makes me who I am, so it's getting shared first.

    I can't wait for images from your trip to Turkey. I hear it is amazing!! Cameras are pretty inexpensive these days too. Have you considered using a flip? It's fun and fast...

    Thanks again for visiting and commenting!! --sukhjit
  • kevsong
    Really nice, when do you get your own Travel Channel show?
  • I've worked for Travel Channel. They would pass on my because I'm too old and my name is too ethnic. Here I don't need anyone to broadcast my story! Isn't it great? Thank for stopping by Kevin. Always a pleasure to hear from you. =)
  • You don't look any older than any of the hosts on Globe Trekker! I'm watching your videos for the first time. I love the music. Thanks for the ride!
  • Oh, Sukhjit- this was an absolutely amazing tour of Punjab. Bravo!
    I smiled the whole time I watched it. It really makes me want to visit for myself.
    Thanks so much for sharing your adventure with us!!!
  • MAC! So glad you had a look. This is the trip that put it all into perspective. Travel is good isn't it? Thank you for coming, watching and commenting! Means a lot to me.
  • Thank you for sharing. Beautiful, vibrant and colorful video!
  • Laura it means so much to me to be able to share this trip, especially during all the turbulent economic times we're having. Spending time in Punjab last year put hardships in perspective for me. Thank you again for taking the time to come watch AND to comment. You are wonderful.
  • chaeseco
    I liked the music. It looked like you had a lot of fun. I'm sure it's an experience to be lived, and doesn't compare to what you shot on video.
  • Hi Alan!!!! Wow You rock the house down for being the first to comment. I've been wanting to share that video for a long time. It's taken me a year to be able to wrap my head around some way of sharing it. Thank you so much for watching it and commenting. It means the world to me.
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