Amardeep Singh
{{Short description|Indian writer, researcher, photographer and documentary filmmaker}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Amardeep Singh
| image =
| birth_place = Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| education = {{ubl|Doon School|Manipal Institute of Technology|University of Chicago}}
| occupation = Writer, filmmaker
| organization = Lost Heritage Productions
| website = {{URL|https://lostheritage.info}}
}}
Amardeep Singh is an Indian researcher, writer, photographer and documentary filmmaker based in Singapore. Currently, he and his wife, Vininder Kaur, are the managing directors of Lost Heritage Productions, a media production house started by them.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-22 |title=About Us - Lost Heritage |url=https://lostheritage.info/about/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |language=en-US}} He formerly worked in the financial sector as an executive.{{Cite web |title=Book On Sikh Heritage In Pakistan Launched In Singapore |url=https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/book-on-sikh-heritage-in-pakistan-launched-in-singapore-1272054 |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=NDTV.com}} He won the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize in 2022 for retracing the journey of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, in his docu-series Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels.{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Tribune News |title=Singapore-based Sikh researcher Amardeep Singh bags Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/diaspora/2022-guru-nanak-interfaith-prize-for-singapore-sikh-448536 |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Tribuneindia News Service |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Schuster |first=Karla |date=2022-11-09 |title=Punjabi Writer and Filmmaker Wins 2022 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize |url=https://news.hofstra.edu/2022/11/09/punjabi-writer-and-filmmaker-wins-2022-guru-nanak-interfaith-prize/ |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=News {{!}} Hofstra University, New York |language=en-US}}
Biography
His family migrated from Muzaffarabad, Kashmir (now in Pakistani-administered Kashmir) to Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh in India (then British India) just before the Partition of India in 1947.{{Cite web |last=Hermes |date=2018-01-07 |title=In Good Company: Ex-Amex exec Amardeep Singh is on a heritage trail {{!}} The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/ex-amex-exec-singh-is-on-a-heritage-trail |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.straitstimes.com |language=en}} His father, Sunder Singh, was a goldsmith.{{Cite book |last=Amardeep Singh |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/932592607 |title=Lost heritage : the Sikh legacy in Pakistan |others=Nagaara Trust |year=2022 |isbn=978-81-7002-115-5 |edition=6th |location=New Delhi |pages=1–2 |oclc=932592607}}
After studying at the Doon School, he went on to study Electronics Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology. He later did a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, U.S.
He worked in the financial sector for 25 years,{{Cite web |date=2021-08-27 |title=Creative Team |url=https://thegurunanak.com/team/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=thegurunanak.com |language=en-US}} during which he worked for the American Express for 21 years.{{Cite web |last=Hermes |date=2016-01-11 |title=Preserving the Sikh heritage in print {{!}} The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/preserving-the-sikh-heritage-in-print |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=www.straitstimes.com |language=en}} He moved from India to Hong Kong and eventually settled in Singapore in 2001. He became a Singaporean citizen in 2005. He resigned from his job in 2013.
In 2014, he started researching on the visual ethnography of Sikh history and legacy.{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Anu |date=2022-06-15 |title=Punjabi Duo Releases a Punjabi documentary series on Guru Nanak Dev ji |url=https://www.chandigarhcitynews.com/punjabi-duo-releases-a-punjabi-documentary-series-on-guru-nanak-dev-ji/ |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=Chandigarh City News |language=en-US}} He went to Pakistan to document the tangible and intangible remnants of Sikh legacy in the country.{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Tribune News |title=Borders don't matter |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/lifestyle/borders-dont-matter-504919 |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=Tribuneindia News Service |language=en}} In 2016, he published his first book Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy In Pakistan.{{Cite web |last=Hermes |date=2016-01-11 |title=Preserving the Sikh heritage in print {{!}} The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/preserving-the-sikh-heritage-in-print |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.straitstimes.com |language=en}} The book is based on his travels to 36 towns and villages of Pakistan.{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Tribune News |title=Sequel:Amardeep pens lost Sikhs' legacy in Pakistan |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/amritsar/sequelamardeep-pens-lost-sikhs%E2%80%99-legacy-in-pakistan-495792 |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Tribuneindia News Service |language=en}} The book highlighted the magnificence of hundreds of Sikh gurdwaras, architecture, forts, arts, and culture.{{Cite web |date=2017-01-03 |title=Heritage found: New book recaps rich history of Sikhs |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1283700/heritage-found-new-book-recaps-rich-history-sikhs |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Samachar |first=Asia |date=2018-02-05 |title=Our legacy has been forgotten |url=https://asiasamachar.com/2018/02/05/17619/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=Asia Samachar |language=en-GB}}
He went on to publish his second book in 2017, The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage - The Sikh Legacy In Pakistan.{{Cite web |date=2017-12-01 |title=Review: The Quest Continues; Lost Heritage - The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan by Amardeep Singh |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/learning-from-history/story-8xlrjzr1gFoKNqBNh3mIaI.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}} For this book, he traveled to another 90 cities and villages.
In 2020, he published two documentary films; Peering Warrior and Peering Soul based on his experiences in Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
In 2019, he started working on Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels,{{Cite web |date=2019-05-28 |title=A legacy of unity and love: Amardeep Singh traces Baba Nanak's travels across nine countries |url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/a-legacy-of-unity-and-love-amardeep-singh-traces-baba-nanaks-travels-across-nine-countries-6673701.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Firstpost |language=en}} which is a 24 episode docuseries filmed across 9 different countries and 150 multi-faith sites. The English, Gurmukhi (Punjabi), Hindi, Urdu and Shahmukhi (Punjabi) versions are available on TheGuruNanak.com.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-31 |title=Allegory – A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels |url=https://thegurunanak.com/english/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=thegurunanak.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2022-04-04 |title=ਸੈਨਤ, ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇ ਪੈਂਡਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਰੂਹਾਨੀ ਛਾਪ |url=https://thegurunanak.com/punjabi/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=thegurunanak.com |language=en-US}}
Works
- Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy In Pakistan - 2016
- The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage - The Sikh Legacy In Pakistan - 2018
Filmography
- Peering Warrior - 2020
- Peering Soul - 2020
- Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels - 2021-22
Awards
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://lostheritage.info/ Lost Heritage Productions Website]
- [https://thegurunanak.com/ Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels on TheGuruNanak.com]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko7P-6B8irg Documentary Peering Soul on Youtube]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phbMR9Gy0Fo Documentary Peering Warrior on Youtube]
Category:Writers from Punjab, India
Category:Punjabi-language film directors
Category:The Doon School alumni
Category:Indian expatriates in Singapore
Category:Punjabi-language writers
Category:Film directors from Punjab, India
Category:People from Muzaffarabad District
Category:People from Gorakhpur