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The rich life of an artist who was a pauper
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Noise pollution in city on rise
Residents resist use of Golden Temple photograph on envelop
UTI declares gross pay out of
12 per cent on
VIS-ILP plan
Dhingra complex turns over a new leaf
Artists express variant views on functioning of Ministry
Amrita Pritam remembered
Local Punjabi poet writes fourth book
Contest to revive craft of hand knitting
Rotary Club honours seven personalities
New Bishop of Amritsar consecrated
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The rich life of an artist who was a pauper Imagine a revered Sikh naqqash, who painted frescos on the walls of the Harmander Sahib, including the dome of the structure with indigenously prepared colours for more than three decades, died in penury in 1953 at the age of 70. He was then selling clay toys painted with the same brush.
This unsung artist was Gian Singh, the master naqqash. He was a painter of frescos, the art of transferring the outline of a design on wet plaster and then filling it with suitable colours before it dries up. No Sikh organisation had come to the rescue of the renowned artist during his lifetime. Of course, Naqqash was honoured by the SGPC in 1949, but no financial help came from any quarter till his death. Gian Singh Naqqash is remembered for giving originality to Sikh art by introducing many innovations in frescoes like Dehin, the most captivating item of fresco painting. Dehin has been executed by him in the sanctum sanctorum, just above Har ki Pauri. It bears testimony to the incomparable workmanship of this artist.
While some Sikh institutions are responsible for destroying invaluable Sikh heritage in the name of ‘kar seva’, the contribution of the family of Gian Singh Naqqash to the Sikh School of Art is immense. His son, G.S. Sohan Singh Artist, and grandsons, Satpal Singh Danish and Surinder Singh, and great grandson, Hardip Singh, have been in the field of Sikh art. There is hardly any family, other than this, which has served Sikh art for five generations. But still for the Naqqash family, the wheel of life has been moving surely on the road to art despite negligible recognition from Sikh organisations. The great grandson of Gian Singh
Naqqash, Hardip Singh, is busy these days in preserving the invaluable artwork of his father, grandfather and great grandfather in a digital format. He has also set up a website of the family listing its contribution in the field of art.
Gian Singh tried his hand at gach (stuccowork), jarathari (mosaic work”) and tukri (cut-glass work). The tukri work, much in vogue during the Mughal rule, consists in setting pieces of glass, gold leaves or precious stones in gach work in artistic patterns. The work of
Naqqash, which was a repository of splendid paintings and murals, has suffered colossal damage with the passage of time. Gian Singh’s son,
G.S. Sohan Singh Artist, was an icon in the field of art. He was born in August 1914 and had his schooling up to the middle standard in Government High School, Amritsar. Encouraged by the popularity of his work, Artist prepared about three new designs every year, got their blocks prepared at Lahore, printed them and marketed them. He was initiated into the world of art by his father and, like his father, he turned used it for transforming Sikh religious history into delightful compositions.
The walls of the Sikh museums in different parts of the world are adorned with the paintings of the Naqqash family. From 1931 to 1946, G.S. Sohan Singh Artist was doing his work, framing pictures, selling glass, Indian and foreign reproductions in bulk as well as in retail. After the first multi-coloured design of Baba Banda Bahadur that was printed and marketed by Artist in 1932, he never looked back. He tried to translate the spiritual and worldly experiences into images through various media and techniques by using symbols, words and images in bold colours. Some of his paintings are virtually poems drawn on canvas in bold fascinating colours. These amazing paintings reveal the deeper inner spirit and the refined qualities of the artist’s skills. He has passed on this technique to his sons, Satpal Danish and. Surinder Singh, who are experts in line blocks, monochrome and tri-colour Halftone blocks, photography and painting, too. Peculiar deed Unbelievable but true that Naqqash once borrowed Rs 100 in 1911 from a famous book publisher in Amritsar, where he used to work to supplement his meager income, for cremation of his father, Taba Singh. The publisher got the deed signed on ‘Ashtam paper’ with conditions that would shame even the worst money-lender. It reads, “Gian Singh’s son (G.S. Sohan Singh, a famous artist of his times) would fetch two ‘gaggars’ (big containers made of metal), full of water to their (publisher’s) house every evening, apart from 25 per cent interest till clearance of the amount.” The debt was cleared after a year. After a gap of seven year, Naqqash again borrowed Rs 150 at a heavy rate interest of 75 per cent. In his autobiographical note, Naqqash writes with a heavy heart that he could repay the debt from the compensation of Rs 3716 that he received from the state government in lieu of the death of his son Sunder Singh in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. Till his death, Naqqash was under debt as he had to borrow more money for the marriage of his sister and other relatives. Needless to say that it was the great job done by Naqqash that was later recognized the world over. The dossier sent to UNESCO for seeking World Heritage Status (though it was withdrawn by the SGPC) had made a special mention of the frescos in the interior of the Harmander Sahib. In Interestingly, in one of his letters addressed to the then SGPC Secretary, Naqqash had expressed serious concern over the damage caused to the frescos that needed immediate attention and repair. Last Will and Testament The peculiar will of Gian Singh Naqqash requested all his near and dear ones not to weep after his death. The will reads, ‘Anybody who will be weeping over my death would be my greatest enemy. Instead, my well wishers should recite Satnam – Waheguru.’ |
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Noise pollution in city on rise
The orders of the Punjab and Haryana High court, which prevent people from using high auditory levels than permissible, are being violated with impunity by marriage palaces, religious centers and shrines. Mr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, president, Amritsar Vikas Manch, has said no one, including religious shrines, who were causing noise pollution, should be spared. Charging the administration with showing apathy towards the problem, State BJP Vice president Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla said the religious bodies should also consider the inconvenience of general public. “Nightlong discourses and kirtans on loudspeakers disturb students, the aged and patients who need sound sleep to be able to function with ease.” Mr B.R. Preenja, President, Punjab Employees Union, condemned the administration for its attitude and said, “by issuing ban orders on loudspeakers from time to time, the administration is merely doing lip-service and is not taking any concrete action.” Blaming the administration for turning a blind eye, all the associations said no action was taken against the owners of the marriage palaces that usually flouted all byelaws using loudspeakers till the wee hours. Such palaces were operating near schools and educational institutes, hospitals and in narrow lanes, besides in thickly populated residential areas, they added. They also alleged that the officials of Municipal Corporation and some politicians were helping them to continue their business undeterred.
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Residents resist use of Golden Temple photograph
Rashmi Talwar The Mohalla Sudhar Committee, headed by its general secretary Mr Jagdish Singh, alleged that the envelops were mostly torn-off and also disposed of in garbage bins, thereby the use of the photograph in this way would harm the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. The company has used the photograph to publicise a daily service of ‘mukhvakh’ from Harminder Sahib by calling a specific call number. The Mohalla residents have urged the PM to take suitable action against the company. They also urged to form a special committee to screen such matters, to avoid playing with the sentiments of any community.
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UTI declares gross pay out of
12 per cent on
The UTI has declared a dividend resulting in a gross pay out of 12 per cent (Rs 1.20 per unit on a face value of Rs 10) on its Variable Investment Scheme – Index Linked Plan
(UTI-VIS-ILP). The record date for the dividend is December 1.
Mr Rakesh
Trikha, Chief Manager, UTI, said this was the third dividend under the scheme since it was launched in November 2002. He said earlier the scheme had declared dividend resulting in a gross pay out of 12 per cent in December 2003 and November 2004, respectively. The Net Asset Value
(NAV) as on November 14, 2005 under the dividend option was Rs 13.89, he added. Mr Trikha said considering the income distribution tax, the pay out translated into a divided of 10.5 per cent for individual and HUF investors and 9.8 per cent for other categories of investors. Giving details of the
UTI-VIS-ILP scheme, Mr Trikha said it was an open-ended scheme aiming to diversify the risks through a suitable allocation between debt and equity asset classes and thereby generating superior risk-adjusted returns through a dynamic asset allocation process. He said the equity allocation replicated the BSE Sensex like a passive index fund while the debt investment was made in Central government securities, corporate debt with minimum credit rating of ‘AA’ or equivalent and money market instruments. Ms Swati Kulkarni, Fund Manager of the UTI scheme said it provided an attractive investment avenue for investors who look for a steady long-term return across the equity market cycles with much lower volatility in the NAV.
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Dhingra complex turns over a new leaf
The Saheed Madan Lal Dhingra Housing complex, which was in news for its poor construction by the authorities of Improvement Trust, is now emerging as one of the best well-maintained dwelling unit in the city. Developed in 7 acres of land on the G.T. Road, the complex has 270 flats.
The new development is the outcome of the joint efforts of the Welfare Society of the complex. The complex at present has six beautiful lush green parks, including one with two badminton courts. In addition to the green cover being maintained by the residents in front of their flats, the society has so far planted more than 300 trees in the complex. This green vegetation and the M.L. Dhingra Park in the adjacent are the additional advantage to the environment of this pollution free locality. In the parks ‘jhoolas’ for the children and seating arrangement for ladies and senior citizens has also been provided. The Community Hall constructed by the Trust caters the need of residents to arrange functions and other get-togethers. The gathering of 100-200 members can easily be managed in this Hall. The society has provided an effective security system. Twentyfour-hour vigil is maintained with the only exit point being manned by uniformed security men. Perhaps this is the only colony in the city which has introduced the sticker/hawker card system for the vehicles. Every resident is issued stickers depicting the name of the colony, which are pasted in the front of the vehicle to avoid unwanted entries into the complex. To facilitate the outsider in spotting the actual location of a particular flat number a beautiful glow sign guide map has been installed at the entrance. In addition to it arrowheads indicating category and flat number are seen at the entrance of every sub-lane. All the expenses to provide the facilities are met from the contributions of Rs. 100/- paid voluntarily by the residents.
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Artists express variant views on functioning of Ministry
The Amritsar Heritage Festival triggered off a lively debate on the working of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs that has seen many ups and downs in recent times. Three eminent personalities of the performing-art world, while speaking exclusively to The Tribune, showed a variation that virtually “mismatched” the stature of the rich cultural heritage of India.
Danseuse Sonal Mansingh, the recipient of ‘Padamvibhushan’ award who had a controversial term as chairperson of Sangeet Natak Academy, said even as India had the strongest performing art tradition in the world “third rate persons were placed at the helm.” Demanding an enlightened patronage to the artists, she asserted that the section needed respect and a certain amount of financial sustenance to be able to flower. Decrying politicisation of performing arts, she said if art and culture were not being spared this ignominy, the future of artists could only be imagined. Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Maestro and the winner of a ‘Grammy’ award for English music album ‘A meeting by the river’ and his son Mr Salil Bhatt, both renowned ‘Veena’ players, said “A non-artist should head the ministry as an artist can never double up as a good and fair administrator.” Advocating for a special television channel to showcase various cultural activities including classical music, dance and other performing arts, Pt Mohan said the government might come forward for the cause of infinite repertoire of artists in the culturally rich nation. Parveen Sultana, Vocalist and the
Padmashri Winner who started singing at a tender age of four and gave her first concert at the age of 12 in 1962, said the artists should do their own work sincerely and let the government do theirs. The singer of such music greats like ‘Pakeeza’ and ‘Gadar’ said it was sad that mediocre-ism had seeped into the rich heritage of Indian music tradition.
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Amrita Pritam remembered
The legacy of the renowned Punjabi writer and poet, Amrita Pritam, would continue to remind us her rich contribution to the Indian literature. What she wrote, became a landmark and a rare achievement attained by any literary person of her stature.
These views were shared by a large number of her admirers who came together on one platform to pay rich tributes to India’s finest writer, who had immortalised her literature through her creativity and boldness, at the Amrita Smriti Samaroh organised recently by the Punjabi Department of the local SR Government College for Women here. Addressing the gathering, Ms Geeta Dogra, sub-editor of a leading Hindi daily while sharing moments of her close association with the eminent writer said that she (Amrita Pritam) continue to write till her last breath and endeared herself with large number of her fans. She used to keep a notepad and a pen with her pillow even in the last moments of her life. She said she was adored by not only the literary personalities of India but of Pakistan and abroad also. Mrs Dogra said Amrita Pritam was also very beautiful as her boldness and courage to call spade a spade, which also depicted in her writings. Her thoughts also made her more beautiful, she added. She said the poetess always wrote the problems of women. Ms Jasmeet, principal of the college speaking on the occasion, said the works of the Padam Shri and Sahitya Academy awarded writer would continue to inspire the generations to come. Dr Gurnam Kaur Bedi of Punjabi Department said it was difficult to confine the memories and works of such a majestic personality of famous poetess in one seminar. Meanwhile, the students of the college sang the songs and poems of Amrita Pritam, including ‘Aj Akhan waaras shah nu’ based on the Partition and ‘Chanan Di Phulkari’ among others. An exhibition of the literary works of Amrita Pritam was also held, besides showcasing the movie ‘Pinjar’ based on her novel.
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Local Punjabi poet writes fourth book
Dedicating his work to the victims of the Tsunami waves, who faced the tragedy with courage and resumed their lives without looking back, poet Dr Sohinder Bir Singh has released his fourth book of poems ‘Rukh, Dukh Te Manukh’.
A Reader in School of Punjabi Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr Suhinder’s book is based on the natural and man-made disasters and their impact on the humanity. The present book touches various current topics and gives a peep into the sufferings of the common man. He also advises the people of Punjab not to be divided on the basis of religion, creed and caste. Instead, he says, they must be united with the common string of ‘Punjabiyat.’ His also poems reflect his anger against politicians who are “corrupt and playing decisive politics to achieve their personal ends.” Born in Palasour village in the district, Dr Suhinder has three books on poetry and five criticism to his credit. His books on poetry are ‘Vedna Da Shilalekh,’ ‘Har Siyal’ and ‘Tara Tara Athru’. Dr Suhinder did his doctorate on renowned Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Being an ardent lover of the poetry of Shiv Kumar Batalvi, its impression on his work comes naturally. He takes words from folklore, which provides him a rhythmic flow.
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Contest to revive craft of hand knitting
Around 350 families of soldiers took part in a hand knitting skills contest, ‘Aao Bune Hum Ek Behtar Kal’, organised here by Flaming Arrow Brigade AWWA. Mrs Seema Mehta, president AWWA, while talking to the media, said the main aim to organise the contest, sponsored by Vardhman Spinning and General Mills, was to revive the age-old craft of hand knitting.
Giving details of the contest, she said the contestants were required to hand knit a simple pattern, small booties, mufflers, caps, scarves, sweeter or any one creative pattern of their choice in two hours. The raw talent, proficiency in knitting skills and creativity displayed by the contestants was heartening to watch. Mr Maninder Singh, Sales Officer, Vardhman, gave away prizes to the winners of the contest. Mr Maninder Singh said Vardhman had been associated with the armed forces for a long time by providing patronage and financial support to various welfare schemes being run by AWWA for the soldiers and their families. The idea to hold the contest was conceived by Mr V.K. Goel, Chief Executive of Vardhman, Mrs Mehta said.
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Greening with organics
Even as the Centre has notified five centers, including Nagpur and Ghaziabad, for promoting organic farming after recognising its potential, the state government is yet to take an initiative in this eco-friendly direction, experts here say.
Mr Gurdeep Singh Nagpal, an expert from Mumbai who was here to promote organic soil enriching, free from hazards of chemical fertilizers, said “vote-bank politics has played spoilsport, thus resisting to encourage this type of farming.” Allaying the fears of many about huge expense incurred with the usage of organic manure, he said the input cost was much less. Elaborating on the benefits of organic farming for crop-farming, floriculture, horticulture, orchards, animal feed-crop and even home gardeners against chemical compounds and fertilizers, he claimed the expense was cut down to nearly half, while the yield shot up to one and half times more. Other benefits include better quality of crop, fruit, flower, ornamentals, trees, shrubs, lawns, indoor plants and beds. Interestingly, he says, the organic manure greatly reduces usage of pesticides, insecticides and termicides while increasing “shelf life “ of product. “Flowers remain fresher, the onions do lose their punch, pears remain brighter and greens do not wilt for record time,” he said explaining the meaning of “shelf life”. Apart from this, it also increases plant-resistance to extreme weather conditions like drought and fog, while the chemical farming leads to air, water and ground pollution, more usage of water leading to falling water-table, hazardous residues in consumable foodstuff and deterioration of soil health, he says. “As the state administration is involved in following a dual policy by not promoting it, the state may lose the huge profits accrued from the vast potential of organic matter produced by it,” he alleged. The export potential of organic manure was a multi-crore business that could spell prosperity for the state, he said. He appealed to the government to urgently take initiatives for promoting it for producing quality yield thereby enhancing export from the region.
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Rotary Club honours seven personalities
The Rotary Club, Amritsar, has honoured seven personalities for their contributions in their respective fields during its annual vocational award function here.
The awardees included Additional Session Judge Mr M S Randhawa, Placement Officer, Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr Rajnish Arora, Director, Mental Hospital, Dr B L Goel, leading businessman and President, Amritsar Citizen Council, Mr Piara Lal Seth, President, Amritsar Vikas Manch, Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, Chief Reservation Superintendent, Northern Railways, Mr Ravi Mehra and reputed cardiac surgeon of Escort hospital here, Dr H P Singh. While Dr S P Singh, vice chancellor Guru Nanak Dev University was the chief guest, Dr Narinder Singh, President of the Club, presided over the function. Dr S P Singh speaking on the occasion congratulated the awardees and expressed hope that they would continue their work with more energetic way. Meanwhile, six people were honoured with annual Vocational Excellence Award by the Rotary Club (Civil Lines), while Citizen’s Forum Vidya Mandir School — for wards of drug addicts – was granted a donation for pursuance of vocational courses by Rotary, in a glittering ceremony. BJP MP Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu gave away the awards to Dr Harshbir Singh, eminent cardiac surgeon, Mr Kewal Dhaliwal, prominent director, producer, playwright and stage personality, Mr Balwinder Singh, reputed conservationist and a professor in Guru Ramdass School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, Ms Rashmi Talwar, Correspondent of ‘The Tribune’, Ms Poonam Singh, Editor of Preetlari Magazine and Mr S.K. Mukerjee, Secretary, Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust. The function was presided over by Dr Kiran Duggal, President, Rotary and organised by Mr DS Bhuller, Secretary of the Club.
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New Bishop of Amritsar consecrated
The enthronement ceremony of the newly-consecrated bishop of Amritsar Diocese Anglican Church of India (ADACI), the Right Reverend Ashok Kumar, took place at Christ Church Ludhiana recently.
The ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Isaac Newton Johnson priest, in charge and spokesman of ADACI.
The large gathering of devotees from Punjab and Himachal attended the worship ceremony and took part in the community kitchen.
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Weekly Round-up
magazine
Launched: Khalsa College here launched its first News Bulletin magazine on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev.
A special function was organised at the college gurdwara, in which Mr Dharamvir Singh, Rector Khalsa Management Committee, Mr Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, honorary secretary and Dr Daljit Singh, the college principal, among others took part. Dr Daljit Singh speaking on the occasion said the news bulletin was launched to keep pace with the fast changing information technological era. He said this first news bulletin of the college is dedicated to the Sri Guru Nanak Dev. Lecture on feminism:
Eminent literary personality, critic and philosopher, Mrs Gajinder Kaur Bagga, delivered a lecture on “Feminism” to the post graduate students of Department of English, Khalsa College here. Tracing the historical background of the feminist movement, Mrs Bagga discussed the different phases starting from 1820’s onwards. She discussed how from the earliest times life was looked at from the male perspective and women had to struggle for even the right to vote. She touched upon the issues of gender bias, male domination and sexual inequality. Sports Function:
Nearly 400 student-players from the northern part of the country took part in the three-day sports function, organised by Madhav Vidhya Niketan School, which concluded recently. To mark the beginning of the festival, a ‘Jyoti Yatra’ was held. It began from Jallianwala Bagh and concluded at the school. Mr K. S. Kang, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, led the rally. Competitions were organised in various disciplines of sports. Theatre Workshop:
As many as 40 children of senior section of Ryan international School, participated in a theatre workshop organised by Mr Utkarsh Marwah, Creative Director Ryans. The workshop was based on “Inculcating theatrical skills, creative enhancement, removing all inhibitions and searching the talents out of self.” The students were taught about different aspects like improvisation of body language, voice modulation, expressions, co-ordinations and worked on inner self to find out their hidden talents. The children were excited and learnt about etiquettes and the manners of the stage, making different faces and walking in different styles according to the role assigned. UTI fund:
UTI-MNC fund has declared tax-free dividend at the rate of 50%. The record date for the dividend is December 12. All unit-holders registered under the dividend option of UTI-MNC fund as on December 12 would be eligible for this dividend. This was revealed in a press statement issued here.
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Dedicating his work to the victims of the Tsunami waves, who faced the tragedy with courage and resumed their lives without looking back, poet Dr Sohinder Bir Singh has released his fourth book of poems ‘Rukh, Dukh Te Manukh’.
A Reader in School of Punjabi Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr
Suhinder’s book is based on the natural and man-made disasters and their
impact on the humanity. The present book touches various current topics and
gives a peep into the sufferings of the common man.
Several organisations have come out against increasing noise pollution in the city being caused not only by the mismanaged and growing traffic menace but also by the mushrooming of marriage palaces in almost every nook and corner.
