Interview with Swaranjit Singh Khalsa
IntervieweeInterview with
Swaranjit Singh Khalsa
InterviewerInterviewed by
Peter Moran
Date2022 June 9
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 1 Hour, 34 Minutes, 29 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Object number2022.20.15a-b
DescriptionInterview with Swaranjit Singh Khalsa. Interviewed by Peter Moran on June 9, 2022 at Sikh Art Gallery, 7 Clinic Drive, Norwich.
After providing an overview of the Sikh religion and tenets of faith, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa talked about how the pandemic disrupted many of the events held annually in March and June and the ways that Sikhs adapted how they celebrated and marked these events. He talked about technology and how it was a big shift in many ways for older members of the community, but it represented a loss for him as well. He was accustomed to using technology to keep in touch with people, as he has family living overseas.
Khalsa supports vaccines and as someone who interacts with hundreds of people each day, is a supporter of masks. He detailed the work done to keep people safe at community events and what he’s done at his business for employees and customers. His daughter started school during this time, and he saw what it was like for young children and how their behavior was impacted.
He talked about the origin of the Sikh Art Gallery, which opened recently and was something that he and the Sikh community began working on before Covid, but he is philosophical, recognizing that the pandemic gave people a chance to reflect and reconsider their lives and what they believe is important. He believes that the pandemic brought communities together through the shared pain and experience of it all. He thinks he has become less materialistic and more focused on his community. During the pandemic he ran for City Council in Norwich, the first Sikh elected to public office in the state and discussed the challenges of campaigning during a pandemic.
After providing an overview of the Sikh religion and tenets of faith, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa talked about how the pandemic disrupted many of the events held annually in March and June and the ways that Sikhs adapted how they celebrated and marked these events. He talked about technology and how it was a big shift in many ways for older members of the community, but it represented a loss for him as well. He was accustomed to using technology to keep in touch with people, as he has family living overseas.
Khalsa supports vaccines and as someone who interacts with hundreds of people each day, is a supporter of masks. He detailed the work done to keep people safe at community events and what he’s done at his business for employees and customers. His daughter started school during this time, and he saw what it was like for young children and how their behavior was impacted.
He talked about the origin of the Sikh Art Gallery, which opened recently and was something that he and the Sikh community began working on before Covid, but he is philosophical, recognizing that the pandemic gave people a chance to reflect and reconsider their lives and what they believe is important. He believes that the pandemic brought communities together through the shared pain and experience of it all. He thinks he has become less materialistic and more focused on his community. During the pandemic he ran for City Council in Norwich, the first Sikh elected to public office in the state and discussed the challenges of campaigning during a pandemic.
Label TextListen to interview at http://hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:19646607
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Historical Society’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the impact of Covid-19 on Connecticans, particularly on Black and Brown communities, funeral homes, and on nursing home and elder care populations.Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Status
Not on view
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