With more than 450 artefacts, you want to catch this Singapore Sikh heritage exhibition

What are the origins of the Sikhs in Singapore and how did they end up settling in Singapore? And what is their position today as the nation hurls forward?

These are some of the issues addressed at the ‘Sikhs in Singapore – A Story Untold’, a major exhibition for the community that was unveiled yesterday.

Organised by the Indian Heritage Centre’s (IHC), the exhibition dedicated to Sikh heritage features more than 450 artefacts from over 50 local and international private collections, institutional collections of 17 Sikh organisations in Singapore, as well as Singapore’s National Collection.

Many of the artefacts were sourced from the public during a collection drive held in June 2020, which called for stories, photographs and artefacts from the community’s personal collections, according to an IHC statement.

“In times of great need and change, a community’s shared heritage is key, as it acts as an anchor and provides points of reflection,” IHC general manager Maria Bhavani Dass.

The exhibition was launched by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, senior minister and coordinating minister for social policies. He was given a tour of the gallery by students from the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation and Nan Chiau High School.

“Absolutely mind blown by the care in the conceptualisation, attention to detail in the curation and the use of art and tech in this representation of our community by the IHC,” YSA president Sarabjeet Singh said in a social media entry.

Beyond the community-sourced artefacts, IHC’s curatorial team also worked closely with the local Sikh community to document and express intangible aspects of their heritage. A highlight is a photographic installation Through the Lens, in which local artist-photographer Afiq Omar reimagines the Sikh identity in the context of multicultural Singapore, through a visual juxtaposition of 50 young Sikh adults against iconic Singaporean landscapes. The result is a multi- coloured tapestry of contemporary Singaporean-Sikh identity, featuring the community in the diverse roles they play in life.

Visitors to the exhibition will also enjoy a specially-commissioned trilogy of films, titled Being Sikh, which presents contemporary perspectives on three aspects of Sikh heritage in Singapore – the role of women, tradition and faith.

Produced by filmmaker Upneet Kaur Nagpal and writer Balli Kaur Jaswal, the series highlights nuances of the unique and layered heritage of the Sikhs in Singapore pertaining to these aspects.

The first, My Name is Kaur, uses the perspectives of a senior woman who witnessed many important historical events to reiterate the key role played by women as agents of stability and family well-being. The second film, Commitment, subtly draws out the nuances of negotiating cultural tradition by younger members of the community, while the third, With Folded Hands, takes viewers on a journey of faith and belief.

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