the maritime Bhangra Group
is always evolving and growing and team members change.
These are the men of the film

 FOR MORE iN THE MARITIME BHANGRA GROUP
(and their videos, charities and millions of followers) Check their SOCIAL MEDIA PlATFORMS

“NOVA WHERE?”

We are moving to Nova Scotia, we said. “Nova Scotia, Where’s that? Is it in Canada? It’s on the east coast, in the Maritimes, we said. “Is it near Toronto? That’s where our people live, brother. You’re making a big mistake going anywhere else.” We want to try something different, we said. “Man, they get a helluva lot of snow? I heard people die there from the bad weather.” “I have heard that people there are very nice, though.”

Leaving India, we didn’t know if any of this was true or not. Canada accepted people who went there before us, we kept on telling ourselves. Starting the journey in 2012, both good and bad things have happened. We met people like Pamela, who took a chance and invited an international student to her house to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with her family, without knowing anything about him. Pamela asked him for years following that, if he needed any help. Then there was the guy who paid for a bus ticket for a stranger, who was confused and too embarrassed to ask anyone for a change when he forgot his wallet at home. And there was a woman, named Denise, who cared for a fellow employee at her company, when he was seriously ill, just like she was his own mother. There are thousands of men and women, just like these people, in this province and around OUR great country, Canada.

But we also met a very few others who said, “you look like Osama” or “you are spoiling the maritime culture” or “you do not represent the Maritimes.”   Whenever we asked how we are spoiling the maritime culture, begging them to tell us what we can do to be more like a “Maritimer,” we were met with silence. They had no answers.

The Maritime Bhangra Group was born in 2016 as an attempt to have fun and perhaps bridge gaps between us – between people who may look different on the outside, but are the same on the inside. We were all students, we all missed our families and we all wanted to find support in our community. Just after our first video went viral, you made us rethink everything. We had no words to explain the love you showered on us. On that day, we promised ourselves to do our part for this community by raising awareness and money for anything needed in our new home.  In these last three years, you made us into people that other people want to include in their selfies. Even when we made many mistakes, you still loved us, gave us many opportunities to try again. Important people wanted to see us – a group of International students who, before all this, were only known for being a good cashier, a great pizza delivery driver or nice tech support assistant.

Our lives were transformed, and it has been a beautiful journey.

When Nance (the producer and director of Behind the Bhangra Boys) asked us if we would like to work with her on a documentary about us and our work, we again asked ourselves, “WHY”? Why would someone want to watch a film about us? We still ask each other that same question, every day.

 A small team of dedicated people, with big hearts, have worked to make this film possible and now we present it to you. We hope you’ll watch it and give us your feedback.

Hasmeet Singh Chandok, Maritime Bhangra Group