
Scene from Inside Man (2006). (Source: YouTube)
This week, a movie scene featuring Waris Ahluwalia from the film Inside Man (2006) is used to open a news story on radio station WNYC, New York’s National Public Radio affiliate. The narrator, Arun Venugopal, highlights aspects about Sikh American history and experience, touching on the history of 1984, race relations between African Americans and Sikhs since 9/11, and of dastar bandi, the Sikh turban-tying ceremony:
…we examine the age-old persecution of Sikhs, from India to post-9/11 America. Why do Sikhs such as actor Waris Ahluwalia (Inside Man, The Darjeeling Limited) identify with the racial history of African Americans?
And why, despite persecution and name-calling, do Sikh men continue to wear turbans?
Listen to the full story at WNYC.