Sangeeta Luthra

Watch as Sangeeta Luthra–then living in Pittsburgh, 18 years old, getting ready for college–remembers how the sangat, community, wanted to be together at their local gurdwaras to face the shock of what happened in Punjab in June 1984. She also shares stories of how neighbors in India, who weren’t Sikhs, were ensuring safety for Sikhs during the dark November 84 days. They rushed over saying, “turn off the lights and hide in your bathrooms,” and then convinced a large mob eager to burn down the Sikh houses to turn away. Sangeeta believes it is important to revisit the root teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and what it means to coexist with people of different traditions while preserving our cultural identity, collectively.