FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2015
Ek Ong Kaar K Khalsa
Phone: (505) 614-5905
Email: [email protected]
SikhNet To Launch Free Online Animated Story for International Women’s Day
A young girl learns to stand up for herself after hearing the true story of a Sikh Warrior Princess
Espanola, NM, USA. On March 3, 2015, in celebration of International Women’s Day, SikhNet will launch an original short animated film, titled KAUR, free online. #makeithappen. #kaurpower. kaur.sikhnet.com.
KAUR tells the story of a young Sikh girl, Saibhang Kaur, who loves science but feels the social pressure that “girls don’t belong in science club.” Not sure what to do about her dreams, Saibhang Kaur thinks about giving up.
But when Saibhang’s grandmother tells her the true story of the 18th century Sikh warrior princess Mai Bhago, Saibhang discovers her courage.
The idea for KAUR began four years ago when SikhNet webmaster, Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa, wrote a blog article bemoaning how his daughter loved to imitate Disney princesses. He posed the question – wouldn’t it be great for there to be an animated story about true-life, powerful “princess” figures that his daughter could imitate, instead?
Upon reading the blog post, an anonymous donor made a sizeable contribution to SikhNet, creating seed money for the project.
SikhNet has produced over 100 original audio stories for kids. However, they had never produced an original animation before, so it took time for the company to decide what to do with the money.
Four years later – the result is KAUR.
KAUR focuses on two stories simultaneously. The story of a young girl who has to deal with the modern version of “women belong in the kitchen,” and the story of Mai Bhago, an amazing Sikh woman warrior who led 40 men into battle against an army over 10,000 strong. This small band of Sikhs defended the principles of freedom and equality against a medieval version of ISIS. In KAUR, the story of Mai Bhago helps Saibhang Kaur find the strength to face the battles in her own life.
SikhNet has chosen to launch the animation in celebration of International Women’s Day. The struggles of Saibhang Kaur represent the struggles of so many young women around the world seeking to find a place for themselves beyond traditional roles. Mai Bhago is a true-life heroine, whose story can inspire all girls, everywhere. The animation will be available FREE online beginning March 3rd at: kaur.sikhnet.com. It has a running time of approximately 20 minutes.
Click here learn more about the true historical figure Mai Bhago.