Dozens of Gimli residents turned out and tuned in to the jaunty beat of Punjabi music last week, as the community was visited by a Sikh Canadian influencer travelling the nation to spread a message of joy, hope and positivity.
“I am humbled by the response and participation from the residents of Gimli in Manitoba last night. I am touched that, with just 24-hours’ notice, people came not only in numbers, but with their quality of enthusiasm and excitement as well,” said Gurdeep Pandher, who travelled from the Yukon Territory to host a Bhangra workshop in the Interlake.
Bhangra is the traditional dance of Punjab, an Indian state bordering Pakistan. Punjabi-Sikh farmers use the dance to celebrate food-growing, optimism, harvesting and relationship to the land.
Pandher is well known for his viral videos which he posted during the COVID-19 pandemic of him demonstrating the art of Bhangra dance from his cabin in the Yukon.
Pandher — a Sikh-Canadian author, teacher and performer — has been making dance videos and hosting Bhangra workshops since March 2020. He wanted to spread a message of hope & optimism amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Thank you, dear Gimli people, for your love, warmth, dancing along, and participation in conversations about how to find joy, positivity, and hope when we feel vulnerable, stressed, or just very down,” he said.
Pandher was born into a farming family, in a small village in Siahar, Punjab. He moved to Canada in 2006 and became a Canadian citizen in 2011
