Following the Guru’s path, Singapore-based couple, Amardeep Singh and Vininder Kaur, come up with a docu-series called Sainat, Guru Nanak Dey Paindeyan Di Roohani Chaap

Sheetal

Taking the road less travelled is not everybody’s cup of tea. And tracing the journey of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is not just a road less travelled but a rare feat, and a story that needs to be told.

Which explains the endeavour of Singapore-based couple, Amardeep Singh and Vininder Kaur, who embarked on this journey in 2018 to come up with a docu-series, titled Sainat, Guru Nanak Dey Paindeyan Di Roohani Chaap, in Gurmukhi language, which was released on Wednesday.

It took them more than two years to collect 50 TB of data which after nine months of editing took shape as Allegory, A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels, the original English version, in September 2021.

Ask the couple about their travelling experience , Amardeep refuses to make it about them. He says, “There were innumerable instances of filming in places from where it’s difficult to come out alive and with a Singapore passport, getting camera and drone access in Iran or Tibet was rather tough, but we sailed through because there’s this divine manifestation guiding us. And call it my belief but as long as it’s not about us, the divine power does guide us. So, I am intentionally not talking about my stories here but only about Guru Nanak’s.”

The aim of the 24-episode docu-series is to carry forward the legacy of Guru Nanak Dev Ji but Amardeep points out how it is above Sikhism or any ‘other-ism’ there is. He says, “When Guru Nanak Dev Ji was travelling to all these places, he was exploring other religions and cultures. So, Guru Nanak Dev and his teachings are beyond the realm of Sikhism as it seeks a bigger philosophical goal.” The documentary is available currently in two languages, English and Gurmukhi on www.thegurunanak.com.

Ask why he didn’t choose an OTT or YouTube for a platform, the answer again comes back to, ‘boxing the content’ or ‘fragmenting it to almost losing it’ for the latter platform. “We worked 17 hours a day and we were not doing it for wealth. Rather, it’s the wealth which we wish to leave behind for generations to come. I approached a few OTT channels, but with them you have to approach with the right marketing scheme and pitch, which we didn’t have time for. We have to devote our time in making it accessible in other languages like Hindi, Urdu and Shahmukhi.”

This corporate honco-turned-photographer-cum- historian, who has two books, Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan and The Quest Continues: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan to his credit, is into fourth year of his filmmaking phase. “Who knows what I will be doing next but I believe this filmmaking phase is phasing out as I enter the fifth year. I have studied history in detail when I was working on my books and studied musicology to understand the ragas. But I still croak when it comes to singing. One of the corporate things that I have learnt is to focus on your core skills, and rest all is paraphernalia.”

They travelled across nine countries—Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Tibet, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India—and filmed over 150 multi-faith sites where Guru Nanak Dev Ji had travelled in the 15th century for a 22-year-long spiritual quest. The takeaway, Amardeep shares, “In a world that is so fragile and volatile, there has never been a better time to understand why Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled for 22 years to share his experiential wisdom and propagate the oneness of humankind.

Vininder Kaur, who is the director, script writer and music coordinator for docu-series, says, “Over 260 verses of Guru Nanak Dev Ji rendered in the ragas to invoke critical thinking are the foundation of this docu-series. Aided by the analytical study of the oldest Janamsakhis (biographies of Guru Nanak Dev Ji) and supported by the allegoric messages in Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s verses, the team spent over three years in research and filming.”

The couple seeks community support for this non-commercial endeavour to also produce the Hindi, Shahmukhi and Urdu versions of the docu-series. “We would love to collaborate with like-minded people to spread the message of positivity and harmony across the globe,” Amardeep concludes.