Koh-I-Noor (2007)
Koh - I - Noor (2007)
A short piece made for the touring Independance Stories exhibition. Highlighting the curse of the Koh-I-Noor diamond. Coincidently the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum where it premiered closed down within the year....the curse continues !!!!
3D Animation & Rendering : Sundeep Dhami
Sound & Poem : Tajinder Dhami
Transcript
I remember a story that an elder once told me
as we flew over Afghanistan on a long-haul flight to the motherland:
The story of the Kohinoor Diamond’s Curse.
For the rightful owner, the diamond would bestow the power to rule the world, yet no man shall ever dare wear it.
Krishna wore it on his sleeve from where it was stolen one night.
Over centuries, the diamond travelled through the hands of man,
leaving havoc and chaos in its wake:
Every empire to ever hold the diamond has fallen.
In 1850, the Kohinoor Diamond was seized from Lahaur by the British forces as they took control of the Punjab,
the last stronghold in India.
The gemstone headed east,
towards Portsmouth Docks to its new home at the heart of the Albion.
Queen Victoria, hearing of the curse, first refused it,
but eventually was persuaded otherwise,
and since the diamond’s change of ownership,
the curse seems resplendent;
one by one,
each of the colonies have fought, and gained independence,
India finding independence from British rule August 1947,
300 years after the fight-back began.
In the last 60 years,
India has shown signs of healing and I marvel
at the meteoric rise and the spirit of its people,
now colonising the world wide.
A short piece made for the touring Independance Stories exhibition. Highlighting the curse of the Koh-I-Noor diamond. Coincidently the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum where it premiered closed down within the year....the curse continues !!!!
3D Animation & Rendering : Sundeep Dhami
Sound & Poem : Tajinder Dhami
Transcript
I remember a story that an elder once told me
as we flew over Afghanistan on a long-haul flight to the motherland:
The story of the Kohinoor Diamond’s Curse.
For the rightful owner, the diamond would bestow the power to rule the world, yet no man shall ever dare wear it.
Krishna wore it on his sleeve from where it was stolen one night.
Over centuries, the diamond travelled through the hands of man,
leaving havoc and chaos in its wake:
Every empire to ever hold the diamond has fallen.
In 1850, the Kohinoor Diamond was seized from Lahaur by the British forces as they took control of the Punjab,
the last stronghold in India.
The gemstone headed east,
towards Portsmouth Docks to its new home at the heart of the Albion.
Queen Victoria, hearing of the curse, first refused it,
but eventually was persuaded otherwise,
and since the diamond’s change of ownership,
the curse seems resplendent;
one by one,
each of the colonies have fought, and gained independence,
India finding independence from British rule August 1947,
300 years after the fight-back began.
In the last 60 years,
India has shown signs of healing and I marvel
at the meteoric rise and the spirit of its people,
now colonising the world wide.
