Gurudwara Mataji at Chaparmukh in Nagaon district

Guwahati-based documentary filmmaker Dr Satyakam Phukan has won the best director’s award at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival, 2017 (CSIFF-2017) for his documentary ‘Mother’s Gurudwara’.

This is the third documentary of Dr Phukan to win an award at international film festivals. The film is produced under the banner of the Ri-Mita Bolsabi and Dr Phukan has written its script, besides directing and editing it.

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Its cinematography is done by acclaimed filmmaker, artist and media personality of Shillong, Raphael Warjri.

Dr Phukan is also a practicing general surgeon in Guwahati.

It is about the first Gurudwara set up by the Assamese Sikhs at Chaparmukh, the place from where proliferation of the Assamese Sikhs started in the early part of the 19th century.

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The gurudwara is named Gurudwara Mataji, and was established by the wife of Chaityanya Singh, who was the commander of the Sikh contingent sent by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab in the early part of the 19th century to help the then Ahom king Chandrakanta Singh in his fight against the Burmese invaders.

Chaityanya Singh died in the battlefield fighting the Burmese invaders. The Sikh soldiers later settled at Chaparmukh under the leadership of Chaityanya Singh’s wife, who was popularly known as the Mataji.

CSIFF aims at providing opportunity to filmmakers from all over the world to excel in their field, and to have the best work selected and showcased in a celebration of cinema, as well as to give filmmakers a platform to network amongst fellow professionals and cinematic artists.

“CSIFF is looking forward to fostering these relationships and to helping extraordinary filmmakers get their projects seen by global audiences. CSIFF unites cinematic, cultural, educational, moreover, inspirational objectives by presenting its film discoveries,” stated the organizers of the festival in their website.

The organizers also said the festival is dedicated to showcasing the spirit, passion, and skill of the best new filmmakers from around the world for audiences around the world.