The Sardar of Conde-Sur-Vire
Vivek Pal Singh came from Maharashtra to France as a student, married a French woman, joined local politics, and started handing out Sikh information sheets at football games.
The Sardar of Conde-Sur-Vire
2020
10 min
Stephen Ragsdale, Rishabh Thakkar, Kashif Alvi, Josh Mathews
Satinder "Bicky" Singh
Sikhlens
Synopsis
Vivek Pal Singh arrived in France as a student from Maharashtra — his father was the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh — and never left. He married a French woman, put down roots in the small town of Conde-sur-Vire in Normandy, and became a recognizable figure in local civic life. When France's 2004 law banning religious symbols in schools created new pressures on Sikh families, Vivek decided to respond by educating the people around him. He began showing up at local football games and distributing information sheets explaining who Sikhs are, what the turban means, and why it matters.
The film is about what integration actually looks like at the ground level, without idealization. Vivek is not trying to prove that France and Sikhism are perfectly compatible. He's trying to be both, fully, in a place that wasn't designed with him in mind. His turban is not something he explains away; it's something he describes as a source of strength. The Sardar of Conde-sur-Vire is a film about a man who built his life in two cultures and decided his job was to help them understand each other.
Film Credits
- Director
- Stephen Ragsdale, Rishabh Thakkar, Kashif Alvi, Josh Mathews
- Executive Producer
- Satinder "Bicky" Singh
- Produced By
- Sikhlens
- Sound
- Kevin Khor
- Runtime
- 10 min
- Festival Screenings
- Sikhlens Arts and Film Festivals
- Cast
- Color by: Vijey Adithya, Mohan Raj Faculty Advisor: Jeff Swimmer, Michale, Albright, Sally Rubin