In Sikh belief, marriage is the union of two souls into a single, spiritually inseparable whole. The traditional Sikh wedding ceremony, known as “Anand Karaj,” has been practiced for more than 400 years.

On Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, VisionTV presents My Sikh Wedding, an original half-hour documentary that offers an intimate look at the ceremony through the eyes of a young couple. The broadcast repeats on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET.

My Sikh Wedding is a first-time venture into documentary production by Iqbal Mahal, who hosts the weekly VisionTV series Visions of Punjab. It represents the first in a planned series of VisionTV documentary specials that will explore the meaning and traditions associated with important faith events in Canada’s multicultural communities. Gemini Award-winning filmmaker Cyrus Sundar Singh (Painted Nation) will serve as the network’s creative consultant.

The documentary airs in honour of the birthday of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, which falls on Nov. 24.

My Sikh Wedding follows a young couple – bride Dishee and her groom Bunty – through a whirlwind 24 hours: from preparations the night before their wedding to the ceremony at the Gurdwara (temple), and on to the grand reception afterward. Along the way, viewers will also get the perspective of matchmakers Ranjit and Grubax, a Sikh couple now in their 63rd year of marriage.

Light-hearted and engaging, My Sikh Wedding offers a unique window on the customs and culture of a community that forms an increasingly important part of the contemporary Canadian mosaic.

Said Mark Prasuhn, VisionTV’s Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Programming: “We are proud to bring My Sikh Wedding to air, and look forward to working on similar programs with producers from many of Canada’s diverse communities. This initiative is strongly in keeping with VisionTV’s 20-year tradition of building bridges of dialogue and understanding among Canadians from different faith and cultural backgrounds.”
 
Joan Jenkinson is the Executive Producer for VisionTV. Cyrus Sundar Singh is Creative Consultant.

For more information on VisionTV documentaries and other programming, please visit www.visiontv.ca.