Exceptional Work by Nishkam TV Production Team during the Pandemic

“ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਤ ਹੋਇ ਨਿਹਕਾਮੀ ॥ 

ਤਿਸ ਕਉ ਹੋਤ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਸੁਆਮੀ ॥ 

“One who performs selfless service, without thought of reward, 

 shall attain his Lord and Master.” 

      Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji – Ang 286

By: Agamjot Kukreja

Nishkam TV is an online TV channel run by the Khalsa School Students. This channel was created in collaboration with NESSC and New England Khalsa School in 2019. Through the constant support and donations from the Sangat and community members, students could use state-of-the-art equipment. Nishkam TV’s primary goal has always been to provide content centered around the concept and spirit of Nishkaamta or Selfless service. They create media content through a Sikhi lens regarding building dialogue, increasing understanding, and promoting interactions between different faiths and cultures to ultimately bring us closer as one humanity and enhance our lives. Hence, the above-mentioned lines – Selfless and true Service facilitate the attainment of God, are of great significance to the mission of Nishkam TV.  

With the pandemic, the Sangat felt more and more detached as safety restrictions forbade them from coming to the Gurdwara. Nishkam TV Production Team has put the out content that has helped the Sangat feel connected again by giving them an avenue to experience and enjoy the daily live streams of different hymns and prayers (which the Sangat would usually experience in person), to podcasts on how to follow a healthy diet. Providing this content has been hard, and the team has had to adapt. The main problem was that they couldn’t film in the normal way, that is that they couldn’t film together. To make content, they had to use existing footage and edit it remotely. For good or bad, everyone has gotten used to this new way of staying connected but hopefully, we will soon be able to visit the Gurdwara again.  

Nishkam TV Production Team working virtually to edit the Virtual Diwan programs

Although Nishkam TV’s Production Team was able to scrape by with some footage that they already had, eventually, they ran out and needed new footage. Since they couldn’t film normally due to the pandemic, they had to develop innovative ways to film and produce programs. All this process of producing virtual diwans started with the production team’s constant efforts and hard work. They came up with a list of items in line with that program and distributed it amongst all the teachers of the classes to choose from. After a task was finalized for each class, the teachers presented it to the class and assigned more specific roles to each student to execute their part of the process. Whether it was singing a hymn or reciting a poem, any task a student had involved recording. To keep things organized, the production team made a One Drive link organized by grade level, then further by individual class. When the teacher received recordings from their students, they would upload them to the appropriate folder. From here, the production team could extract any recordings they needed and edit them using Final Cut Pro on their MAC or windows computer. The team edited the whole footage and then compiled it. The final product was then broadcasted via the Nishkam TV Youtube channel for the Sangat to enjoy in the comforts of their home and be part of the Diwans once again, virtually.

The team produced six programs in the span of one year:

1. April 19th, 2020 – Vaisakhi Celebrations 2020
2. May 24th, 2020 – Guru Arjan Dev Ji Shaheedi Diwas
3. July 5th, 2020 – Senior Graduations & Khalsa School End of the Year 2020
4. Dec 6th, 2020 – Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurupurab
5. Jan 24th, 2021 – Guru Gobind Singh Gurupurab
6. April 25th, 2021 – Vaisakhi Celebrations 2021

Link to the Playlist of all the Khalsa School Virtual Diwan programs produced by the Nishkam TV Production Team:

Nishkam TV’s production team’s exceptional work helped Sangat members stay connected with Gurdwara and Gurbani during these unprecedented times. Their selfless service reflects the vision and mission of Nishkam TV.