Seerat Gill, author of One Amazing Sikh at a Time, talks to Nikita Shahi about how her book helps you embrace your differences, embrace yourself, what sets you apart, and those around you. Also learns about different types of people.
Tell us something about you?
I am an engineer by profession and have a doctorate degree in Higher Education Policy and Management from Thapar University. Along with academics, I regularly contributed articles to national dailies. A Wonderful Sikh at a Time is my first book. It is an illustrated book and I would say it is perfect for all age groups. It’s as much for kids as it is for parents and grandparents.
What inspired you to write this book?
This effort began because my daughter (then 6 years old) found herself at a crossroads where she felt it was easier to “mix in” than to embrace her uniqueness. We all must have stood at such a crossroads at least once in our lives. Every bedtime story with my daughter became a treasure hunt to explore the lives of wonderful, beautiful, talented achievers who looked like our own mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents. Were.
This book is just a collection of our bedtime stories. One thing I have found is a lack of diverse and inclusive literature for children in the market. I decided that maybe there are more kids like me who want to know more about their heritage and what makes them different, especially in a country like India, which is so diverse.
What is your book about?
This is a compilation of 51 stories from wonderful men and women from around the world. They are all wonderful in their own way and belong to a powerful minority called Sikhs.
This book attempts to narrate the lives of these wonderful Sikhs who have faced discrimination, otherness and hostility throughout their ages only to emerge victorious.
So, the idea was just to re-acquaint our new generation, Generation Alpha, with their heritage so that they know what sets them apart, what makes them different, and also to understand others without judgment. So, in a country that is so diverse, what we did was take an edge of ethnicity and diversity and start learning about it.
How long did it take you to write it?
It’s been over a year since I too was in the middle of my PhD and work and everything. I also wanted this book to have some really cool pictures for the kids to draw. So, it was a long process from finding the right illustrator to building all the parts of it.
What lessons can people learn from your book?
My humble hope through this book is that you embrace your differences, embrace yourself, whatever sets you apart, and also learn about the different types of people around you. I also feel that there is a dearth of real heroes in today’s times. At least once in life we all will stand at a crossroads and we have to follow the right path and for that we need real heroes and our children also have to emulate them.
As a researcher in higher education and policy, I can tell you that no matter what interventions we make, the foundation years in school have a big impact. Therefore, storytelling and reading in childhood have far-reaching effects, compared to interventions at a later stage. Let’s not reduce the magic in stories – they can open a window in a brick wall! Especially in need of such inspirational stories, there is a dearth of real heroes in the dark times of today’s world.
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