Key Podcast Details
Theme - Equality
Location - Quorn and Leicester, Leicestershire
Dates - April to September 2022
School - Rawlins Academy, Quorn & Falcons Primary School, Leicester
With the help of - Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara, Leicester
Audio Play Synopsis
'The Light Within Me Leads'
Tejpal is 13 and a Sikh. He’s totally devoted to his faith, to the point that it makes him a little proud, show-offish and intolerant. He feels he needs to go to the Gurdwara every day, and religiously attends every activity there, from
Punjabi class to Gatka to prayers.
Tejpal’s best mate is Simran. Although she’s also Sikhi, she’s more relaxed and doesn’t take religious devotions so seriously; for instance she cuts her hair and eats hamburgers, much to Tejpal’s disapproval.
The children find themselves presented with a set of challenges at school, at the cinema and at the temple. They are asked on what it means to be a Sikh: to see everyone, regardless of faith or social circumstances, as equal.
Can their friendship endure?
Audio play starts from 00:00 to 16:00
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In Conversation
Young people Amelie, Ed and Mikey from Rawlins Academy interviewed Sharan Kaur Mann - Guru Nanak Gurdwara Leicester, Jasmit Kaur Phull - Chair, Lincoln Interfaith Group
and Dr Jasjit Singh, Associate Professor in the school of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science at the University of Leeds.
They all offered honest, reflective answers about their faith and issues found in the audio play.
In conversation starts at 16:00
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Soundscape
My experience in recording and creating the Sikhi soundscape was very different to the Muslim one, and yet equally as informative and rewarding. Attending the Vaisakhi festival in spring last year, I was able to gather a rich palette of field recording - experiencing all the colour, sound and rhythm of the two-day celebration while at the same time learning about the core principles of the Sikh faith. The overall impression was one of joy and togetherness and this spilled over into the outside displays and procession and, I hope, into the soundscape representation. Further down the line, spending a day at the gurdwara allowed me to understand and record more detail - not just about Sikhi itself, but from the questions asked by the children and the in-depth responses we all received. The subsequent dinner at the Langar only added to the audible experience and gave me more great sonic texture to work with. Finally, a visit to Rawlings Academy allowed me to gather views and experiences from not only Sikh children, but children of different worldviews attending the same school, and how the teachings and inclusiveness of Sikhi were important to them too.
When it came to the composition and arrangement of the soundscape itself, I wanted to portray a journey which began in the simple teachings and kindness of the gurdwara and the people within it, through the school visits and the understanding of pupils from different worldviews, into a final section giving a full flavour of the joy and celebration of the Vaisakhi festival itself.
Anthony Davey - Sound Artist
Soundscape starts 30:46 to the end
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Education Pack
Each podcast has its own bespoke education pack filled with structured and progressing activities designed to assist the teacher in the classroom. Links can be made with the RE and PSHE curriculum,
as well as other curriculum areas.
Credits
Emily Bignell - Creative Director
Ben Glover - Drama Facilitator
Rupinder Kaur – Writing facilitator
Jenny Davis - Writer
Anthony Davey- Sound Design
David Brook - Audio Technician and Editor
David Lambert and Leanne Taylor - Producers
Anna Sandiford, Shooting Fish and Gillian Georgiou - RE Adviser (Lincoln Diocesan Board of Education) - Education Pack
Worldview partnership
Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara, Leicester
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
Matt Byrne and Hannah Derbyshire, Rawlins Academy
Mrs Jasbir Mann, Headteacher, Falcons Primary School
Actors
Ranj Nagra - Sikh Granthi Priest
Anthony Glennon - Homeless Man
Falcons Primary School pupils
Sukhman Girn - Tejpal
Diya Kaur Sangra - Simran
Myleen Kaur Cheema - Cruella
Jaiveer Rai - Friend