When I walked into the Culture Lab, I was welcomed into a home. It felt familiar, with floral couches and pictures of the Golden Temple, which I am accustomed to seeing in many Punjabi Sikh homes. “A Vancouver Guldasta”, thus, opened its arms and doors to welcome the audience into a riveting performance! The theme of a “Guldasta”, which means “bouquet” in Punjabi, seeps throughout the play to show the various themes of diversity and how they all come together beautifully.
“A Vancouver Guldasta” takes place in a Punjabi Sikh home in Vancouver during the 1984 civil unrest and military attacks on Sikhs at the Golden Temple in India. Paneet Singh, the writer and director, allows the audience to step inside the living spaces of those who were affected by the tragedy, and how they felt it across the seven seas in Vancouver, where a large South Asian diaspora resides. Through an interesting use of media clips, news from the time of the conflict, the show unveils how it shook and continues to touch families and their relationship with one another- their identity as immigrants while they struggle to find home and belonging.
The cast is outrageously talented. There was not a moment of disbelief as they wrapped us in a spellbound journey to another time and into the hearts and minds of complex characters. I became attached to each character as they dived into emotions we can all relate to – the fear of loss, negotiating identity, and the love for family.
Get your tickets here!
– Maira Hassan