Riding the Tiger: A Story of Survival and Identity
Michael Singh, son of a Punjabi villager and a Connecticut debutante.
“Part Werner Herzog, part Oliver Stone...astounding and riveting.”
— Reviewer, CPB affiliate
How does a 2024 assassination in Canada connect to a 40-year-old massacre in India?
Riding the Tiger is a firsthand account of the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre in New Delhi, where my friends and I (Michael Singh) saved 23 Sikh women and children. As the only eyewitness film I know of on this tragedy, it plunges viewers into a gripping story of survival, courage, and identity.
A Hindu God; what does He reveal about faith in times of crisis?
The film follows my journey returning to India, the land of my privileged childhood. What began as a nostalgic adventure spiraled into a nightmare of violence following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. Despite my Sikh name and my father’s Sikh heritage, I survived because I passed for white—a reality that shattered my biracial identity.
At the heart of the story is my friend, the Anglican Bishop of Delhi, Maqbul Caleb, who unarmed, held off a mob of killers. His daughter Leila, a nurse-in-training, calmed the terrified women we hid, while challenging my “Hollywood view of India.”
With Michael’s rare 16mm footage plus his live audio of the massacre, Riding the Tiger explores survival, privilege, and faith.
An ancient Hindu ritual presaging the massacre; catharsis or chaos?
"A fleeting moment of stillness: My brother frames the shot as my parents and I pose for a family portrait, days before we would be caught in the maelstrom of history. He is gone now, but this image remains—a testament to family, memory, and the story I have chosen to tell you.."
“…this is one of the most amazing films I’ve seen. It moved me beyond belief." Connie Wheeler, Coupeville, WA
“…this is one of the most amazing films I’ve seen. It moved me beyond belief." Connie Wheeler, Coupeville, WA
"It was absolutely a life-changing film…One of the most fantastic films I have seen. We need it as a reminder, people should never behave like this towards one another, no matter what our differences." – Mrs. Eileen Ferguson, Hemet, CA
"It was absolutely a life-changing film…One of the most fantastic films I have seen. We need it as a reminder, people should never behave like this towards one another, no matter what our differences." – Mrs. Eileen Ferguson, Hemet, CA
‘Riding the Tiger’ was a spiritual experience for me, because it was so intense. Considering what is happening here (in America)…somehow the similarities… really struck me. I was just so moved by it." - The Reverend Polly Stayonovitch
‘Riding the Tiger’ was a spiritual experience for me, because it was so intense. Considering what is happening here (in America)…somehow the similarities… really struck me. I was just so moved by it." - The Reverend Polly Stayonovitch
RIDING THE TIGER
Witness to Massacre. Survivor of History. A Story That Must Be Told.
A Story That Was Never Supposed to Be Told
In 1984, India changed forever. Thousands of Sikhs were murdered in the streets of Delhi—hunted, burned alive, massacred. The world looked away. The government erased its own crimes. I was there. I filmed it.
This is not just a documentary. This is the truth they wanted buried.
WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?
"The police hacked off the arms of people, and we collected their torsos in gunny sacks." A local man, shaking, whispered this into my tape recorder. I was standing in Amritsar, surrounded by the ruins of the Golden Temple. Pockmarked with machine gun fire. The air still thick with the smell of death.
The government called it "Operation Blue Star." But no one was calling it what it really was—mass murder.
THE NIGHT DELHI BURNED
"Open the gate! We know you're harboring Sikhs!"
We had hidden thirty women and children in our bedroom. Outside, a mob screamed for blood. They had already set men on fire right in front of us. If they got in, we would all be dead.
Then, something extraordinary happened. Bishop Caleb, a towering figure in white robes, walked out into the garden.
He did not face the mob. He simply walked. Dignified. Silent. Unafraid.
And they backed away.
THE MASSACRE IN PLAIN SIGHT
"I saw a young Sikh run for the police. The mob dragged him down. They poured a mysterious powder over his body. And then… flames. The police watched and did nothing."
White phosphorus. Banned under the Geneva Convention.
It burns straight to the bone.
WHY THIS FILM MUST BE MADE
Governments have rewritten history. They have erased their crimes. But I was there. I filmed the evidence. I smuggled out the truth.
This film is not just about 1984. It’s about today. About what happens when we allow history to be erased.
ITVS knows this. They read the reviews. They saw their own judges call this film 'astounding' and 'highly recommended.' And yet, they chose silence.
THE ASK: FINISHING FUNDS
The rough cut is finished. The story is undeniable. But to bring this to the world, we need the final push.
💰 $300,000 Needed to complete the film:
Editing, Music, & Titles – The film is shot, now it needs to be sharpened.
Sound & Color – Bringing the story to life with full production polish.
Distribution & Impact Campaign – So the world doesn’t look away this time.
Will you help us finish what we started?