Showcasing Sikh art in the West

About 4,00,000 Sikhs living in the UK have already visited a unique exhibition showcasing the artistic traditions of Punjab under the Sikh rule. If this exhibition comes to India in April 2000, it will be a rare feast of the history of Punjab,
says Himmat Singh Gill.

A SHORT distance off the John F. Kennedy Drive and 8th Avenue, in the Asian Art Museum located in the Golden Gate Park of the city of San Francisco in California, history is being made with the staging of the first ever comprehensive exhibition showcasing the artistic traditions of Punjab under the Sikh rule. A visit to this display of textiles, paintings, ceramics, metalwork, decorative arts and photography was an eye-opener. It was organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and presented in the United States of America under the auspices of the Asian Art Museum, and the Sikh Foundation of Palo Alto, whose founder Narinder S. Kapany has provided enthusiastic support in every conceivable manner. He has generously donated over 90 works of Sikh art from his very own personal collection to the Asian Art Museum.

Born in Punjab and educated in England, Dr Kapany has lived in the United States for over 40 years, and the whole idea of this exhibition devoted to Sikh culture has been his brainchild, whereafter negotiating with the Victoria and Albert Museum, he has been successful in putting on view this exhibition in the Bay Area of San Francisco, home to a large Indian population, predominant among it being the versatile and large-hearted Punjabis from the land of the five rivers. This unique show which opened on September 22, this year, will continue till January 9, 2000, and provide an opportunity to Indians and non-Indians alike, to experience the cultural efflorescence of the Sikhs as an integral part of Indian culture.

A large number of objects in the exhibition pertain to the period of the celebrated nineteenth century Sikh monarch Maharaja Ranjit Singh, also known as the "Lion of Punjab". Ranjit Singh’s Golden Throne, used for important state visits was made by a Muslim goldsmith in Lahore. The core is made of wood, and the outside is covered with embossed sheets of pure gold and decorated with floral motifs. The opulence of the Emperor’s court was legendary, making a European observer exclaim in wonder, "It reduces European magnificence to a very low pitch".

Another exhibit from the Victoria and Albert Museum, is the hilt for a sword, with white nephrite jade set with rubies emeralds and diamonds in gold, dating back to the Mughal period in the late 17th century. A sword hilt of this kind could either have been worn in those days by a Mughal courtier or a prominent Sikh. Also quite astoundingly stunning is the 19th and early 20th centuries turban, worn by the well-armed Akalis, with five large circular rings known as quoits stacked on it, and other oval and semi-circular, double-edged blades laid flat against it. This exhibit from Lahore in cotton and other embellishments of steel overlaid with gold, is an offering of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This exhibition features 150 objects of the highest quality drawn from private and public collections in India, Pakistan, Europe and North America. These works of art exemplify the extraordinary refinement of Sikh cultural traditions spread over a span of three centuries. The intricately decorated weapons and armour, some inlaid with animal figures, and garments embroidered with gold thread, convey the richness and the opulence of the Sikh court. Of particular significance are the delicately rendered paintings representing the very best in the Hindu, Sikh and Mughal traditions, and of course the majestic and richly decorated golden throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The inclusion of loaned works from both India and Pakistan is an important statement on the shared history of this region.

"The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms" marks the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa or the "pure ones", created in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. Guru Gobind Singh gave the Khalsa the responsibility for defending the principles of religious freedom and social justice, as taught two centuries earlier by Guru Nanak, who preached that the world’s religions are simply different paths to the same goal.

What is of special interest to a discerning visitor, is the well-stocked book section of relevant writings on the Sikhs readily available in one corner of the exhibit halls. McLeod W.H., Sikhism (London: Penguin 1997); Susan Stronge, "The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms," (New York, Weatherhill, 1999); and Kerry Brown, ed, "Sikh Art and Literature", (Palo Alto: Routledge/ a Sikh Foundation 1999), are some of the works one can profit immensely from, in the study of Sikh history and culture. The painstaking manner in which even a simple but tastefully produced publication called the "Family Guide", speaks volumes of Brian Hogarth, Director of Education Asian Art Museum, Susan Stronge of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Forest McGill, the Chief Curator of the Asian Art Museum, and Dr Emily J Sano the Director of this museum in San Francisco. Some of our museums in India need to take a leaf out of their book, in how to bring history to the very doorstep of the common man in an intelligible and interesting manner.

It is being said that this exhibition will possibly travel to India in April 2000 after it closes in San Francisco, and if that be true, it would be a rare feast of the history of Punjab and its fearless inhabitants. In my view the government of India should definitely ensure that this historical happening concerning the approximately 19 million Sikhs living in the world today, with about 60 per cent of those living in India residing in Punjab itself, should not go unnoticed in the land from where Sikhism first grew.

About 4,00,000 Sikhs who live in the United Kingdom, have already witnessed this awesome exhibition in London, and by right and necessity, the next stop should be in New Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh, just to name a few places in India.

One must also share a parting thought with ones readers. If an individual/ single stalwart like Dr Kapany can in association with the Victoria & Albert and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco stagemanage such an extraordinary show, then surely it should be well within the means of our government to assist or sponsor this travelling exhibition to reach out to other parts of the world, like Canada, Kenya, Tanzania and South East Asia, where presently the Sikhs reside.

It will be one of the greatest gifts to humanity in the new millennium if this can happen.