Historian’s book highlights experiences of Sikh women migrants through music

In a panel discussion, historian Nicole Ranganath’s book ‘Women and Sikh Diaspora in California: Singing the Seven Seas’ was celebrated for highlighting the untold experiences of Sikh women migrants. The book focuses on the cultural and emotional lives of women who left Punjab for California, starting in the early 20th century, using music as a lens to explore their journeys.

One of the key figures in the book is Ratan Kaur, the first Sikh woman to legally enter California in 1910. “You can imagine her pain. While she was surrounded by social life in Punjab, she finds herself isolated in a foreign land,” said Mohinder Singh, Director of Bhai Vir Singh Sadan.

Speaking about the challenges of documenting these women’s lives, the writer noted the scarcity of written records. “As historians, we generally rely on textual sources. However, for the first generation of South Asian women in the US, many were illiterate. They left behind almost no public records,” she said. She used oral histories and music to fill these gaps, capturing the emotional and cultural richness of the women’s lives.

Historian Anshu Malhotra praised Ranganath for focusing on Sikh women born in the 1930s and 1940s, many of whom lacked formal education but navigated challenging transoceanic migrations. The panellists also discussed the historical significance of these migrations and the influence of colonialism. Fellow panellist Radha Kapuria highlighted Ranganath's analysis of different musical genres, from Ghadar revolutionary songs to folk and devotional music.