B.N. Goswamy in his article "A brush with divinity" (November 24) has paid a rich tribute to the great master on his 100th anniversary. Sobha Singh, a devout man, became a cult figure during his lifetime because of his paintings of the Sikh Gurus.

People of Himachal feel honoured because the great artist settled in the picturesque surroundings of Andretta village in the beautiful Kangra valley.

I had the privilege of having met this great artist in 1969 in Palampur. Sobha Singh, with his silky long hair and a flowing beard, was a serene, sadhu-like figure. He looked to be a man at peace with himself.

The Himachal Pradesh Government has done a great honour to the artist by naming the Government High School, Andretta, after the artist and the road linking Palampur with Andretta as Sobha Singh Road. Even the government calendar for 2002 will have the portrait of this legendary artist, along with his two famous paintings, The Gaddan and Kangra Bride.

Sobha Singh’s paintings have indeed touched a deep chord not only within the Sikh minds but in all lovers of art.

L.K.MANUJA
Nahan

The grand old man of Punjab’s world of art is no more with us, but there is hardly an aesthetic home in northern India which does not have framed print of Sobha Singh’s original work. His demise in 1987 was naturally viewed as a big setback to Punjab’s art.

Indeed, this saint of canvas commands admiration bordering on adulation both at home and abroad because he made Punjab’s world of art transcend its parochial character. Many of his masterpieces decorate homes and art galleries abroad. Of all his works, perhaps, Sohni Mahiwal remains an outstanding achievement for which he won acclaim all over the world.

He worked amid idyllic surroundings till the end, translating his inner vision into myriad creations on canvas that will endure for all time. What Sobha Singh painted after Independence is available in various museums and galleries but no serious effort has been made to recover or even locate hundreds of paintings that were left in Lahore after Partition.

The ageing old man was braving ill-health to complete a portrait of Bhagat Ravi Dass when the end came. Thus the world was deprived of yet another masterpiece from the brush of the great artist.

K.M. VASHISHT
Mansa

This refers to "Learning to respect other religions" (November 24) by Reeta Sharma. By punishing the school girls the authorities of Carmel Convent School have exhibited their disrespect for Hindu traditions. In the name of discipline, the school has tried to impose its ideas on students. The authoritarian decision of the school is irrational and illogical. As for the parents who rose as one to defend the school Principal through a resolution passed by the PTA the very next day, the less said the better. Most parents try never to offend the head of the school for fear of victimisation of their wards. None of these parents would concede that it is their timid behaviour that has kept them from raising their voice against injustice.

While the spineless attitude of the PTA deserves condemnation, the school management has failed to put forward any convincing reason for their illogical act.

D.P. SHARMA
Dharamsala

Is our "timid behaviour" any news? The writer should know that we were branded timid centuries back.

Centuries of slavery have rendered us incapable of responding "furiously to the autocratic letter", or to autocratic behaviour by those in power. That is why Atalji and Dr Abdullah, not forgetting Advaniji sat timidly while our girl-students in Kashmir lost their right to dress according to their choice. The SFI and the ABVP, ready to shout slogans on trivial issues, also acted timidly while the students in Chandigarh and Kashmir suffered. Our MPs, ready to raise noise on saffronisation and Talibanisation, prefer the safety of Parliament and did not reach the Valley. They, too, were too timid.

So far as "learning to respect other religions" is concerned, our politicians and journalists have generally failed to understand and appreciate the fact that a Christian or a Muslim cannot acknowledge the equality of all religions because his religion does not permit it.

"We gladly acknowledge the truths contained and emphasised in other religions, but each of them is less than the gospel of unsearchable riches of the Christ" — these are the kindest words from Christianity recorded at the Lambeth Conference in 1930; earlier comments were positively derisive. Mullahs openly describe non-Muslims as kafirs who are either to be converted or to be exterminated. We cannot make the followers of these faiths respect other religions by adopting a Constitution based on wishful thinking.

L.R. SHARMA
Solan