Spoken word artist Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa took the world by storm with her performances on the reality TV show, Australia Got Talent. Sukhjit may not have won the show but she for sure won herself millions of fans worldwide with very strong yet artistic take on subjects of racism and patriarchy.
A freelance artist and educator, she has worked as a youth commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural youth Commission and Spoken Word Project Coordinator at Multicultural Arts Victoria.
Sukhjit shares her story with SBS Punjabi in her own words
Challenges she faced
Most of my gigs have been quite scary because of the audiences I face. Not only does my job require me to be vulnerable but it's also very solo-orientated, so it can get challenging when my inner monologue on stage is to cry in a corner or run away when that heckler starts to heckle. When those faces of shock and confusion are staring back at me. Spoken word is so raw and so stripped down to the relationship between me, the microphone and my audience. There's nothing to hide behind.
Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa (Valley People Studios) Source: Valley People Studios
School kids are also challenging but hilarious. They're so honest so you really can't bullshit around them. You can't fake it. You gotta be real.
Navigating the media can also be difficult. To be represented and be in control of your own story is hard when the media has it's own agenda. If I get asked to juxtapose my "modern Aussie life" with my "traditonal Sikh upbringing" somebody gonna get hurt reeeal bad haha!
But I think the biggest challenge is my own Sikh (male) community. The online hate. The sleazy messages. The hidden camera photos when I'm walking down the street. The judgement. The suffocation.
And I guess dealing with men, in general, is a big challenge in my work as I'm proposing a lot of ideas that might come across as confronting or alternative to the "good Punjabi girl", whatever that means.
Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa (Carnival of the Bold) Source: Carnival of the Bold
Can women have it all
Depends what "having it all" means to you. For me having it all = having healthy relationships with people, a successful career, be in touch with my spiritual needs and have no fear.
The advice she has for other women
You are not alone and you don't need to fight this fight alone. Find your support crew of other women who are taking down the patriarchy in their own way. We all need one especially in this 'man's world'.
This is part of SBS Punjabi’s special series dedicated to the International Women's Day. Watch this space for more such stories.
