By Tarlochan Singh | India |
I have observed that Sikhs have not been able to project the philosophy of Guru Nanak across the world, knowing well that Guru Nanak is the forerunner of the Renaissance. The modern world is an era of communications, and we are yet to adopt the latest publicity technology. Professionals are hired by governments, leading firms and even religious organisations to reach people. Radio, TV, films, books, museums and exhibitions are attracting the attention of every section and age group of society.
Many Sikhs, in their individual pursuits, have brought wonders in the promotion of Sikhi, though they can be counted on fingers. I have tried to make a search of them.
Dr Narinder Singh Kapany
Dr Narinder Singh Kapany, worldwide known as the “Father of Fiber Optics”, is a pioneer in this field who took the initiative in organising Sikh exhibitions. For the first time, on the 300 years of the birth of the Khalsa in 1999, Dr Kapany organised an iconic exhibition called the ‘Arts of The Sikh Kingdom’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. This was a unique endeavour to reach people through art. The exhibition later moved to Canada at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and to the Asian Museum, San Francisco, USA.
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He gifted US$500,000 in 1999 to the Asian Museum in San Francisco to establish a Sikh gallery and donated 100 Sikh art objects and artefacts from his personal collections. On 27 October 2022, a special function was organised at the museum when an enlarged gallery named after his wife, Satinder Kaur, was inaugurated. Then Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan, Indian economist and civil servant Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and I were present along with many international delegates.
Dr Kapany also established the Sikh Foundation, which has been promoting Sikh artists and authors and publishing Sikh literature. His daughter, Kiki Kapany, is now heading the organisation and keeping the torch burning brighter.
Smithsonian Sikh gallery
A group of devoted Sikh philanthropists — Dr Amrik Singh Chatha, Sohan Singh Chaudhary, Gurdeep Singh Malik and Gurpreet Singh Ahuja — decided to set up a Sikh Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Paul Michael Taylor, Curator of the Museum, was kind enough to give full support and guidance. I was present at a colourful inaugural function held in 2004. For the first time, a large number of world tourists could have a glimpse of Sikh history in the world’s largest museum in the capital of the USA.
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Dr Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja
Dr Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja, an Indian-born American medical oncologist, is recognised for his contribution to promoting Sikh heritage in Texas. He funded and founded the Khanuja Art Sikh Gallery in Phoenix in 2017. This is one of the only two permanent Sikh art galleries in the USA. Thousands of visitors every day learn about Sikh history. Dr Khanuja has recently published two table books, Splendour of Punjab Heritage and Pashmina Jewels.
Baljit Singh Chadha
S. Baljit Singh Chadha is a prominent Indo-Canadian businessman based in Montreal, Canada. He established a Sikh Art Gallery at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2022. This is the first permanent Sikh gallery in Canada. He has been adding new artefacts and other historical objects. A record number of 200,000 visitors come there annually and learn about Sikh history.
Suresh Bhalla
I must recognise the efforts of 82-year-old S. Suresh Bhalla, who had a successful career in major international banks, in organising the Arts of Sikh Kingdom Exhibition in Canada in 2000. This was for a short duration at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. Last year, the entire Sikh community succeeded in signing an MoU with this museum to establish a permanent Sikh gallery. According to S. Bhalla, leading Sikh philanthropists have already deposited US$21 million against the US$25 million project, which would be completed within two years.
Bicky Singh and Sikhlens
Bicky Singh is the founder-president of Sikhlens, one of the most influential Sikh arts and film platforms in the world. After migrating from India, he founded the platform in 2000 to promote Sikh culture globally. He has been holding Sikh arts and film festivals in Canada, the USA, the UK and India. Till now, he has created about 600 films and is continuing to build the ecosystem with youth and universities worldwide. People wait for the annual calendar published by Sikhlens. He has a partnership with Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He has been able to improve Sikh representation in the mainstream media. He started by organising half-day events, which later grew into major international Sikh film festivals attended by thousands buying entry tickets.
Rajwant Singh
S. Rajwant Singh in Washington DC succeeded in making a full-length film on Guru Nanak with Hollywood studios in the US. He has recently announced another Sikh film. He has good connections in the Vatican and the White House.
Teji Bindra and Sikh Art & Culture Society
Teji Bindra, whose family has funded the Guru Nanak International Interfaith Award with Hofstra University, is the chairman of the Sikh Art & Culture Society, New York. Every year, they host a large number of people who produce short documentaries on Sikhs. I have attended their annual functions and have found that the movement is very popular. Vikas Khanna, the world-known chef born in Amritsar, has produced a film, ‘Holy Kitchen’, highlighting langar in the Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple). This film is screened in most educational institutions in the US.
The hidden treasure in New Mexico
There is a very precious hidden treasure lying in Dome which used to be residence of Yogi Bhajan in Espanola, USA. Yogi had very rich followers in various countries and they used to gift him rare objects and he himself was fond of collecting Sikh Artifacts. I have the pleasure of going through all objects of which a proper list was prepared during his lifetime. This can become a most popular Sikh gallery in New Mexico which is already a tourist destination in the US.
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Tarlochan Singh is a former Indian MP and chairman of the National Commission for Minorities from 2003 to 2006.
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