Photo exhibition on Sikh faith to open in New York today

New York : Sat Hari Singh, a New York City subway operator, threw his train in reverse on 9/11 to send it away from the chaos at ground zero.Japjee Singh sued a school system in Georgia to get protections from school bullying. US Army Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a doctor, fought for the ability to wear a turban while in uniform.
These Sikh-Americans are all featured in a new photo exhibition opening in New York today that tries to challenge public misconceptions of practitioners of the religion.”When people look at a gentleman with a beard and a turban they automatically think he’s a terrorist,” said British Sikh photographer Naroop, who with fellow photographer Amit created the “The Sikh Project” at a pop-up gallery in SoHo.”Sikhs get labeled and categorised in groups and individuals that they’re not. It’s time to break that barrier down and remove all the stereotypes associated with it.”
The exhibition features 38 portraits of Sikh-American men and women from all walks of life all wearing turbans.
Among the faces is Waris Singh Ahluwalia, a New York actor, whose movie credits include “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
He got an airline apology after being kicked off an Aeromexico flight in February after he refused to remove his turban in a public place during a security screening.
Others include Vishavjit Singh, a cartoonist who adapted a Sikh Captain America persona on the streets of New York to bring awareness about social identity and what it means to be a Sikh.
“We wanted to bring about an exhibition that could capture the beauty of the Sikh faith and the Sikh American experience in a way that could help the American public understand who we are, what we stand for and what we believe in,” said Sapreet Kaur, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, which is presenting the free exhibition.It focuses on the 15 years after 9/11 and the coalition’s inception.Kaur said the organisation was born in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy “as a response to the immense hate backlash we began experiencing after those attacks.”