♪♪ Annc: No matter where you look, it'’s the same -- art and culture help communities bind together, preserve and remain vibrant and strong, ♪♪ That guiding principle is why the Punjabi American Heritage Society was founded in Yuba City back in 1993.

Dr Jasbir Kang and others of the Sikh community felt a vital need to foster friendship, community, connection and collaboration.

They also wanted to help Sikh children born in the U.S. gain a better understanding and appreciation of their roots and cultural heritage.

♪♪ Dr. Kang: I think it's very important because, uh, music, food, dancing are like universal things you know...

Especially the music, is a universal language.

it's a very powerful language because Punjab is like a gateway to the South Asia, if you look at the history of South Asia, all the travelers, business people, invaders, came to India through Punjab.

So there's a lot of blending of different ideas and music... Surinder: It's very important that you preserve the culture When we see all these kids, they're getting connected with that, um, the language purposes, so they can read, they can learn the history.

They can feel that culture... And when I see these students, they need to know, especially our coming generation.

If they don't know this language and the culture part, everything will be lost and they won't get to feel that value for this language and culture.

Annc: Doctor Kang says they'’ve succeeded in helping their community regain pride in their traditions and history...while finding new ways to celebrate and share their culture with others...all while recognizing and appreciating the unique aspects of other cultures.

Dr. Kang: I think what makes America such a beautiful country is that all the different flavors of culture...

Some people feel like if you want to be an American than you have to be certain culture, I mean, that could put a lot of pressure on youngsters, kids in high school, trying to be something that they are not.

I tell kids, Hey, you could be a great American at the same time, you can preserve some of the beauty of your heritage and culture.

Bicky: ...Sikhs ....they have wonderful stories.

And there have been a fabric of this nation, but not everybody in America can go to the Gurdwara and to learn so digitally these stories, they have to be told... ... post 9/11, we got more involved with the media and film work.

And we basically, uh, you know, after immediately after 9/11, there was a backlash and, you know, the turban and beard, became our identity.

Annc: Throughout history art has been a resource in helping build connection, while gaining understanding and preserving culture.

Art helps people reach that greater understanding through sharing stories.

♪♪ Bicky: Some of the Sikhs... have been here for more than a hundred years.

I think arts and culture and films are a really good platform... ♪♪ Dr. Kang: In all culture there is going to be evolution.

But why is it important to preserve certain traditions and certain musics...

But these are learned experience collectively by group of people in one part of the world over thousands of years.

I mean, there's a beauty.

I mean, there is that people have been through different struggles, different challenges, but this experience evolve over thousands of years, You just don't want to destroy it and let it go.

Dr. Kang: I think that art is the finest expression of, uh, human, uh, intellectual and I would say our skills and our expressions.

So arts plays a big role in how the culture evolves and how you interact with your other fellow human beings.

Surinder: We don'’t have to lose whatever we have... actually we are adding to the whole society and the culture.

...once you, what you know, you are contributing to the community and once you're contributing to the community, we will understand each other better.

♪♪