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January

Artist: Kanwar Singh
Title: Realise One
Medium: Mixed Media and Oil Paints
Commissioner: Solakhni Sidhu, UK

Kali Bein, a rivulet located near Sultanpur Lodhi (Panjab), flows into the wetlands of Harike where it meets the confluence of the Beas and Satluj rivers. For millennia this rivulet was no different to any other body of water.

Then one fateful day in 1499, Nanak stepped into the waters, seemingly to bathe and meditate as per his daily routine, but failed to re-emerge. With each passing minute concern continued to grow amongst the townsfolk; and after the governor’s order to search the river with nets yielded no success, it was assumed that Nanak had lost his mind and drowned.

They were wrong.

Three long days passed, and at dawn, Nanak emerged from Kali Bein seemingly calm, serene and radiant.  Word quickly spread and a crowd gathered to meet the man they once thought of as only the manager of a government storehouse.  Instead they were met with Guru Nanak, and his words carried the weight of revelation:

“Na koi Hindu, na Musalman”

There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim - only the Omnipresent Creator who dwells in all.

The First Udasi had begun.

Artist

Kanwar Singh

Kanwar Singh is globally recognized as a painter of Sikh history with artwork exhibited in prominent public spaces such as the Virasat-e-Khalsa museum in Punjab India, as well as the Without Shape Without Form gallery in London U.K, which was created in 2017 to exclusively house his extensive collection of paintings. His work focuses on the legacy of spiritual devotion and self-sacrifice spanning the lives of the ten Gurus and iconic Sikh heroes inspired by their deep connection to Waheguru (God). He captures quintessential historical moments, which over centuries have forged a dynamic Sikh community through its humble origins in Punjab, to its present political and spiritual standing as the world’s fifth largest religion. The artist continues to build a legacy of work which gives Sikh history a prominent place on the walls of our homes and in the hearts of future generations.