Pop Samiti 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Before frank brazil there was Pop Samiti.

Pop Samiti was a publication and platform for a group of artists, writers and activists. A curated space to think about some big questions.

Over two years I worked with a group of talented people and Pop Samiti took form.

The project received no state funding or sponsorship. All the contributions were voluntary. This was an independent production. 

Pop Samiti launched at a public event in central London in August 2009, we made history. 

This August to celebrate 10 years of Pop Samiti I'll be posting notes, thoughts about the project. Follow on Twitter frank_brazil and Instagram tajender_k_sagoo or visit the project website.

 "According to UN projections by 2025 the population of South Asia* will be an estimated 1.9 bn.
How will this massive population explosion define us as South Asians? What do we have to say? What will be the response of artists, writers, activists and thinkers to this phenomenon? What narratives will emerge and who will define them? What will be the impact on the lives of the South Asians overseas."

CONTRIBUTORS
WORDS AND IMAGES Diana Ali, Akaaro by Gaurav Gupta, Dr Kishore Budha, Amarjit Chandan, Jimmy Dabhi,Kanwal Dhaliwal, Arvind Dubey, Bhajan Hunjan, Archana Kapoor,Jaspreet Kaur, Aliya Khan, Peter Marshall, Marcus Richards, Mohan Sanjeevan, Tajender Sagoo, Priya Saujani, Aparna Sharma, Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, The Sugar Cake Girls.

TRANSLATIONS Amarjit Chandan, Kanwal Dhaliwal, Arvind Dubey, Raghu Rao, Zahid Rajan, Mohan Sanjeevan.

Motherland Pop: TALK Dr Kishore Budha, Parmjit Singh, Parminder Vir; VIDEO Ronit Meranda DESIGN Mohammed Ali.

PUBLISHER & CURATOR Tajender Sagoo

FRONT COVER Model - Priya Saujani, Graphic artist -Kate Gajewska, Artwork & photography -Tajender Sagoo, Design - Mohammed Ali.

THANKS TO
Flying Fish Creative Agency, Tari and Sujata Sian of Nusound Radio, Bala of Rasam Gayatri Silks, Pritam Chaggar of Star Sound Radio, Barbara Hand, Craig Jenkins, Koushik Banerjea, Dina Begum, Cara Nahul, Komal Madder, Eiluned Edwards, Harisha, Ashwani Sharma, Dr M.H. Srinarahari, Bindu Mehra, Chandra Mohar, Parmjit Singh, Parminder Vir, Sara Wajid, Gaurav Gupta, Dr Kishore Budha, Amarjit Chandan, Jimmy Dabhi, Kanwal Dhaliwal, Arvind Dubey, Bhajan Hunjan, Archana Kapoor, Jaspreet Kaur, Aliya Khan, Peter Marshall, Marcus Richards, Mohan Sanjeevan, Priya Saujani, Aparna Sharma, Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, The Sugar Cake Girls, Durlabh Singh, Manju Dhatt, Mariam Haji, Michelle Begley, Nirmal Singh Dhiman, Pireeni Sundaralingham, Rachel Marsden, Rei Dishon, Sandeep Biswas, Sapna Chandu, Sarawut Chutiwongpeti, Suresh Pillai, Vasanthi Victor, Ritu Sood, Swapnil Bharitya, Suresh Jayaram, Zahid Rajan, Raghu Rao, Mohammed Ali, Waleed Akhtar and everyone who has supported this project.

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7047 Round table discussion

Lahore. 1948. Women's camp. Henri Cartier-Bresson.

 Saturday 12 August 2017 at 12:00

7047 - Round table discussion

August marks the end of the British occupation of India and the violent partition of the South Asian subcontinent into Pakistan, India and later Bangladesh. This is an invitation for members of the community to gather and remember their families and friends. We will also discuss the legacies of partition on families today and the future of the subcontinent. If you would like to take part please book a place.

Free - Book here

Venue: Redbridge Central Library, York Room, Ilford Hill, Ilford IG1 2DQ. (Map: Public transport: Ilford Rail Station, Bus no: 25, 147+)

7047 is curated by Tajender Sagoo. All are welcome, but spaces are limited so booking is required. For enquires contact : info@frankbrazil.org T: +44 (0)7902 740964

7047

Frank Brazil presents three events marking 70 years of the partition of India, and the end of 200 years of British occupation.

The partition created about 15 million refugees and over 1 million people are thought to have died. Many families of refugees have settled in east London, this small programme is in recognition of these communities.

Venue: Redbridge Central Library, York Room, Ilford Hill, Ilford IG1 2DQ. (Map: Public transport: Ilford Rail Station, Bus no: 25, 147+)

Saturday 29 July 2017 at 12:00 Documentary film screening

RABBA HUN KE KARIYE (Thus Departed Our Neighbours)
Director & Producer Ajay Bhardwaj, India, 2007, 65 minutes, Punjabi with English subtitles. + audience discussion

Professor Karam Singh Chauhan reciting Kalma. Rabba Hun Ke Kariye (2007)

While India won her independence from the British rule in 1947, the north western province of Punjab was divided into two. The Muslim majority areas of West Punjab became part of Pakistan, and the Hindu and Sikh majority areas of East Punjab remained with, the now divided, India. The truncated Punjabs bore scars of large-scale killings as each was being cleansed of their minorities. Sixty years on, Rabba Hun Kee Kariye trails this shared history divided by the knife. For the first time a documentary turns its gaze at the perpetrators, as seen through the eyes of bystanders. While East Punjabis fondly remember their bonding with the Muslim neighbours and vividly recall its betrayal, the film excavates how the personal and informal negotiated with the organized violence of genocide. In village after village, people recount what life had in store for those who participated in the killings and lootings. Periodically the accumulated guilt of a witness or a bystander surfaces sometimes discernable in their subconscious and at other times visible in the film. Without rancour and with great pain a generation unburdens its heart, hoping this never happens again.
"In memory of all that was lost" Ajay Bhardwaj.

Tickets £5 - Book here




Saturday 12 August 2017 at 12:00

7047 - Round table discussion

August marks the end of the British occupation of India and the violent partition of the South Asian subcontinent into Pakistan, India and later Bangladesh. This is an invitation for members of the community to gather and remember their families and friends. We will also discuss the legacies of partition on families today and the future of the subcontinent. If you would like to take part please book a place.

Free - Book here

Lahore. 1948. Women's camp. 

There they undergo medical examinations (to control epidemics)....Henri Cartier-Bresson

Saturday 19 August 2017 at 12:00 Documentary film screening

WORDS ON WATER
Director & writer Sanjay Kak, India, 2002, 84 minutes, Hindi with English subtitles.+ audience discussion

Words On Water (2002)

For more than 15 years, people of the Narmada Valley in central India have resisted a series of massive dams on their river, and in their struggle have exposed the deceptive heart of India’s development politics. When the use of violence has become the arbiter of all political debate, Words on Water is about a sustained non-violent resistance, an almost joyous defiance, which empowers people as they struggle for their rights, yet saves them from the ultimate humiliation of violence. In July 2017 the Narmada dam is due to be inaugurated by the Indian government.

Tickets £5 - Book here

7047 is curated by Tajender Sagoo. All are welcome, but spaces are limited so booking is required. For enquires contact : info@frankbrazil.org T: +44 (0)7902 740964