Rubin Paul Singh

Remembering experiencing 1984 in Maryland, USA, Rubin Paul Singh says: “During that time, the only time in my memory, there was a sense of panthic unity. I remember that sea of kesri…” In this video, he explains his own childhood memories of 1984 as well as how he is communicating the legacy of 1984 to his own young children today.

“You could trace it all back to a few events…I sometimes trace it back to Sikhs fighting for their rights and their share of the economic pie…but I really trace it back to Guru Nanak. Since Day One, Guru Nanak has challenged the state…whatever government that was, whatever religion that government was…we have always challenged…as long as the state was unjust. So to me, I don’t look at 1984 as an isolated incident at all, it has been our history since day one. Anytime the state is unjust, whether its us or another community that is being oppressed, Sikhs are going to fight against it…and for that we are going to bear the brunt as well.”

As a 9-year-old in 1984, Singh had started asking a lot of questions when he started noticing the clear demarcations being formed between him and his Hindu friends at the time, and when he saw his Mom in tears upon hearing his uncle’s shop was burnt down during the November 1984 violence.

“I would see these images of all these Sikhs who were fighting, who were killed…and it made me wonder…as an 8 year growing up in the United States, I wanted to be like everybody else…but, I began to question, what was is it that they were willing to die for..?… What were those Singhs and Kaurs trying to protect?”