Giving faces to baani

Strap: Artist RM Singh has visualised portraits of the baanikars who contributed to Guru Granth Sahib

Sarika Sharma

The corridor to Kartarpur Sahib would be adorned with the portraits of 36 banikars whose writings have, for centuries, been showing direction to Sikhs all over the world. Sourced from Shabad Prakash Museum at village Rackba in Ludhiana, these have been made by Chandigarh-based painter RM Singh. The display includes portraits of the first five Sikh gurus, Guru Teg Bahadur, Bhatts, and 15 Bhakts whose baanis find a place in Guru Granth Sahib, among them Baba Farid, Bhakt Kabir, Bhakt Namdev and Bhakt Ravidass.

The museum was envisioned by KK Bawa, a businessman from Ludhiana, who says he wanted Gurus’ message to reach the world. “I have always felt that while we have been trying to recite the baanis and emulate the teachings in Guru Granth Sahib, we have somewhere failed to realise the limitless extent of the sacred text. From Maharashtra to Kolkata, from Rajasthan to Varanasi — it amazes me to think how our Gurus managed to bring baanis from all over India and weave them into Guru Granth Sahib,” he says.

The corridor to Kartarpur Sahib would be adorned with the portraits of 36 banikars whose writings have, for centuries, been showing direction to Sikhs all over the world. Sourced from Shabad Prakash Museum at village Rackba in Ludhiana, these have been made by Chandigarh-based painter RM Singh. The display includes portraits of the first five Sikh gurus, Guru Teg Bahadur, Bhatts, and 15 Bhakts whose baanis find a place in Guru Granth Sahib, among them Baba Farid, Bhakt Kabir, Bhakt Namdev and Bhakt Ravidass.

The museum was envisioned by KK Bawa, a businessman from Ludhiana, who says he wanted Gurus’ message to reach the world. “I have always felt that while we have been trying to recite the baanis and emulate the teachings in Guru Granth Sahib, we have somewhere failed to realise the limitless extent of the sacred text. From Maharashtra to Kolkata, from Rajasthan to Varanasi — it amazes me to think how our Gurus managed to bring baanis from all over India and weave them into Guru Granth Sahib,” he says.

The museum was envisioned by KK Bawa, a businessman from Ludhiana, who says he wanted Gurus’ message to reach the world. “I have always felt that while we have been trying to recite the baanis and emulate the teachings in Guru Granth Sahib, we have somewhere failed to realise the limitless extent of the sacred text. From Maharashtra to Kolkata, from Rajasthan to Varanasi — it amazes me to think how our Gurus managed to bring baanis from all over India and weave them into Guru Granth Sahib,” he says.

The museum was envisioned by KK Bawa, a businessman from Ludhiana, who says he wanted Gurus’ message to reach the world. “I have always felt that while we have been trying to recite the baanis and emulate the teachings in Guru Granth Sahib, we have somewhere failed to realise the limitless extent of the sacred text. From Maharashtra to Kolkata, from Rajasthan to Varanasi — it amazes me to think how our Gurus managed to bring baanis from all over India and weave them into Guru Granth Sahib,” he says.

The museum was envisioned by KK Bawa, a businessman from Ludhiana, who says he wanted Gurus’ message to reach the world. “I have always felt that while we have been trying to recite the baanis and emulate the teachings in Guru Granth Sahib, we have somewhere failed to realise the limitless extent of the sacred text. From Maharashtra to Kolkata, from Rajasthan to Varanasi — it amazes me to think how our Gurus managed to bring baanis from all over India and weave them into Guru Granth Sahib,” he says.