Bhai Kanhaiya ji is famous for doing seva of injured soldiers by feeding them water and bandaging their wounds. He did not differentiate between Sikhs and Mughals. When asked why he served the Mughals, he responded that he saw the Guru in all beings.
People would read the title – Bhai Kanhaiya ji feeding water to a Mughal in the middle of a Battle?
Then they would ask – Where’s the Mughal? Where’s the Battle? That looks like Guru Gobind Singh ji. What’s going on here?
I would just smile while they tried to figure it out.
Today I will reveal the secret to you.
Bhai Kanhaiya ji
Who is Bhai Kanhaiya ji? Bhai Kanhaiya ji is famous for doing seva of injured soldiers by feeding them water and bandaging their wounds. He did not differentiate between Sikhs and Mughals. When asked why he served the Mughals, he responded that he saw the Guru in all beings.
This becomes the basis for my painting of Bhai Kanhaiya ji.
There is a gruesome battle going on around Bhai Kanhaiya ji and amidst the chaos, he is feeding water to an injured Mughal soldier. The ground is covered in his blood.
However my painting of Bhai Kanhaiya ji departs from the realism of a battlefield and instead depicts the spiritual experience of Bhai Kanhaiya ji, his internal state, where he is witnessing Waheguru alone, even inside the Mughal soldier. The soldier appears to him as Guru Gobind Singh ji, who is a physical representation of Waheguru.
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Spiritual Mission Bhai Kanhaiya ji’s father was a wealthy trader, however Bhai Sahib was looking for something other than material wealth. He left home and sought after the company of Sadhus and Saints, of those who possessed spiritual wealth. Eventually he met Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and stuck with him. Selfless service became Bhai Kanhaiya ji’s main mission. He opened a centre in current-day Pakistan for helping people regardless of their background.
Battle of Anandpur In 1705, he was visiting Anandpur in Punjab, when Anandpur was under attack by the Mughals and Hill Chiefs. During the Battles of Anandpur, Bhai Kanhaiya ji would go around and serve water to all fallen soldiers, to the wounded and dying men in the battlefield, regardless of who they were. Guru Gobind Singh ji’s sikhs complained to the Guru that Bhai Kanhaiya was reviving the enemy soldiers. Guru Sahib called Bhai Sahib and asked him to explain himself. Bhai Kanhaiya ji responded that he saw no friends or foes, he only saw the Divine shining through. Guru ji approved of his actions and gave him bandages to further his mission.
Dumalla In this painting, Bhai Sahib and Guru Sahib are wearing a puratan dumalla. You’ve probably noticed how different their turbans look from the turbans we see today. This due to the fact that in 1700s Punjab, Sikhs tied their turbans very differently from how we tie our turban nowadays. Their dumalla looked very different from how our dumalla looks today.
Dumalla or Dumballa means ‘two turbans’. One turban was wrapped around the head, where the larhs/folds were wrapped in a way that it covered the whole head. The second turban was used to tighten the first turban and secure it on the head. A small bit of the second turban was pulled up and fanned to form the farla, and a protruding bit on the kalgi could be tucked easily into the second turban to hold the kalgi upright. In this manner, the dumalla was decorated.
The Sikh Heritage Month is going on right now, in Brampton. For the full month of April, the organizers arranged for a magnificent exhibition in the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives, showing the work of local Sikh artists and of those living abroad.
Last weekend on April 16, they gave me the opportunity to display my artwork, and have a solo show – Sikhi Art by Bhagat Singh – displaying all my paintings in one place, in one room.
The Essence of Warriors and Saints
The central theme of my show was about the qualities embedded in our multi-faceted Sikh History, which is a history of warriors and saints. I dive deep into this blood-filled history and I meditate on Ram Nam so that my artwork embodies and emphasizes both of these qualities of Vir Ras and Sant Ras, Warrior Essence and Saint Essence.
The Power of Art
Viewers Listen as Bhagat Talks about Sikh History
In the exhibit, I had a series of paintings showing the events that happened in the 1700s starting from the Battle of Anandpur to Battle of Chamkaur to Machhiwara to Battle of Muktsar to Battle of Sirhind.
I felt that these would help the viewer develop a clear picture of our history in their minds. Previously they may seen these images separately and may not have understood the connection between them. But when you place them all in order, now the connection is understood.
The first painting is of Bhai Kanhaiya ji feeding water to fallen Mughals soldiers in the Battle of Anandpur. This connects to the painting of the sacrifice of Sahibzada Ajit Singh ji in the Battle of Chamkaur, that took place after Singhs left the under-siege Anandpur. This connects to the painting of Guru Gobind Singh ji in Machhiwara, where he meditates after Battle of Chamkaur, after losing all his devotees and sons, the Vadde and Chotte Sahibzadey. This connects to painting of Mother Bhago ji in the Battle of Muktsar, where she compels the 40 Singhs, who had previously deserted Guru Sahib in the Battle of Anandpur, to return back to Guru Sahib. There the battle of Muktsar took place and the 40 Singhs became martyrs. And lastly, these events connect to the Battle of Sirhind, where Banda Singh Bahadur ji’s army captured Wazir Khan for executing the Chotte Sahibzadey, who were innocent.
These connections that take a long while to describe with words can be made very easily with art.
A Couple Listens to the History of the Dumalla
Furthermore, these connections can be made not just by placing paintings together and getting the larger picture develop in your mind, but also by depicting separate events together in one painting like my painting of Banda Singh ji Bahadur Avenging the Chotte Sahibzadey. This painting depicts the martyrdom of Chotte Sahibzadey and the capturing of Wazir Khan in one painting. These are events which are separated by several years however in the painting the viewer can see how they tie together.
Art makes you see things you have never seen before. Art makes you develop connections in your mind that were previously dormant or were never present. Art makes you see the larger picture of reality, for example the larger painting of Sikh History, at a quick glance.
This is the power of art.
Art moves people.
Painting Praise of Guru Arjun Dev ji
After seeing my painting of Guru Arjun Dev ji’s martyrdom, a man in his senior years told me that he felt the presence of Guru Sahib right there and then. He wiped away his tears and sat down with me to have a chat. He told me exactly what he felt and was curious to know who I was and what I did. This is the power of art.
This is the power of art that the Wahe Guru himself has given to the language of art.
Art can vibrate at the frequency of Waheguru, and so art can fill people with his essence in an instant if they are receptive to it.
The Importance of Paintings for Children
Importance of Paintings for Children
This is why kids benefit from exhibitions the most because they are just growing up and need to be exposed to Sikh history at an early age to imprint upon them the ideals of the Gurus and other Sikh legends.
Our kids and youth are the future generation of our people and they will carry these imprints with them and shape the world in which they live.
In Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Sahibs paint images of God, his stories, his activities, his saints, their stories and their activities. Guru Sahibs paint these through their words to stimulate us visually. They ask us to listen to this bani, so that we maybe be inspired through listening. They ask us to recite and meditate on bani, so that we get into the rhythm of bani through the activity. All of these add up to create a stronger experience of Bani.
So I believe that the more ways we can teach our children, the better. Through visuals and paintings, through sounds, through touch and activity, etc. All of these add up to create a stronger learning experience for them.
Paintings in your home are great tools for teaching children because children tend to be very visually-oriented and very curious. So a Sikh history painting sparks their curiosity and immediately gets them interested in Sikh history. They may not understand every word you speak. But they can grasp the main point of the painting and develop an image of it in their mind.
This is how I got into studying Sikh History myself. When I was young, I was exposed to the depictions of our history by the influential Artist Kirpal Singh ji. It was only after I saw his work that I was inspired to learn more, and find out what the paintings were about. Later on in life, I would sit down and paint some of those very stories I learned about when I was 11 years old.
The Well-being of All
Sada Shiv ji Lastly, everyone had the chance to learn about other faiths, other religious traditions. In Shaiv Philosophy, the image of Shiv ji is used as a metaphor to describe God. Right beside my painting of Shiv ji, I included a brief description that explained what Shiv ji is all about and the deeper spiritual message that his image represents.
This is not to say we are the same religion as them, rather this to inspire an attitude of learning about other religions.
Members of the Shaiv Religions, those who worship Shiv ji or Ganesh ji, also came to view the exhibit and were inspired by the Sikh History paintings on display. They spoke with me about this painting of Shiv ji as well as the paintings of Sikh Warriors and Saints. They took time to carefully read about each painting.
To see a Sikh paint Shiv ji also inspired them to learn about us, about who we are and what we represent. They reciprocated my gesture.
In the modern age, everyone including Sikhs have to learn about other faiths, so that they can understand where others are coming from and interact with them on a deeper level.
Multi-Cultural Viewers
Some Sikhs ask me – Why do you paint things from other religions?
The true answer lies in our Ardas.
The theme of this Sikh Heritage Month was the “Celebrating the Sarbat”. Sarbat is short of Sarbatra meaning “everywhere”. When in Ardas, we say “Sarbat the bhalla”, we are not just talking about Sikhs, but everyone, including members of all faiths and even the faithless.
Therefore an ideal Sikh is not selfish, he does not seek to benefit only his own Sikh community. An ideal Sikh is selfless, and he serves all communities, just like what Bhai Kanhaiya ji did in the Battle of Anandpur, in 1700s. The goal of the ideal Sikh is the well-being of all. He stands up for goodness wherever it exists. I think that is the message behind Sarbat the bhalla, and that’s what I stand for.
Nanak naam chardi kala, tere bhaane sarbat da bhalla! Guru Nanak’s name inspires a rising state of being, and by God’s grace, may everyone everywhere be well!
Artist Bhagat Singh Bedi, depicts Gods, Gurus and Guardians™ with a passion!
Bhagat depicts ancient Sikhs and Indian Spiritual Traditions with a high level of historical and spiritual authenticity. Born in Punjab, Bhagat spreads Sikh paintings all over the world. Bhagat Singh Bedi, Artist Profile »
Bhagat paints The Essence of Warriors and Saints™. He is known for promoting Sikhi through his unique collection of Sikh Art depicting ancient Sikh heritage, of warriors and saints in vivid colours. A Sikh strives to be a Warrior-Saint and Bhagat’s Sikh Art embodies and emphasizes those qualities of Bir Ras and Sant Ras, Warrior Essence and Saint Essence.
Bhagat’s sikh fine art prints can be purchased from our online sikh store –Gallery of Sikh Art »
The King of Sikh Art™, Bhagat Singh, paints Sikh Art from a Free Inner Spirit, to bring well-being to the Sikh community world-wide. This sets him apart from the generic traditional sikh art of Punjab, those repetitive copies of Sobha Singh ji’s and Kirpal Singh ji’s sikh art.
Even though Bhagat considers Sobha Singh ji, Kirpal Singh ji as his Ustaad ji, teachers, their sikh artwork depicting Sikh Gurus and Sikh Warriors has been copied ad nauseum and has bogged down the sikh art tradition of Punjab. Bhagat has revived this tradition and has brought it to a whole new level and to the international scale.
In addition to Sikh history and Punjabi paintings, SikhiArt.com also showcases Bhagat’s Hindu Paintings, images of the Divine Cosmic Being as described in many religions of India, and Bhagat’s Fantasy Art, images of fierce Sikh warriors with massive turbans.
As Bhagat grew spiritually and began to understand the depth of spiritual and mythological realms, he also began to research and create Hindu paintings. The diverse images of Gods and their stories, inspired Bhagat to paint Hindu Art! Gallery of Hindu Art »
Meanwhile, Bhagat had also secretly been working away on many Fantasy paintings inspired by Sikh aesthetics. These include images of powerful warriors wearing turbans of epic proportions! Gallery of Sikh Fantasy Art »
Museum-Quality, Fine Art Prints of Bhagat Singh’s Sikh Art, Hindu Art and Fantasy Art are available to purchase for Your Home, Office and Gym, starting at $59.99.
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Super Sikh’s inner qualities include – protector of loved ones, strong and calm, and his outer qualities include – turban, beard and weapons. Once I saw these qualities in Super Sikh, I became inspired to paint him. I love to paint characters that have these warrior-saint qualities, those are the best kind.
Super SikhVacuum of Strong Sikh Characters
A few years ago there were no decent sikh characters in popular Indian media. They were mostly jokers, caricatures and minor characters. So I always felt that there should be some solid sikh characters, heroes, super heroes, etc in the media. That trend has started changing, however as far as comics are concerned, we still need positive sikh characters in comics. Super Sikh is perfect for that.
The Warrior-Saint
Super Sikh’s inner qualities include – protector of loved ones, strong and calm, and his outer qualities include – turban, beard and weapons. Once I saw these qualities in Super Sikh, I became inspired to paint him. I love to paint characters that have these warrior-saint qualities, those are the best kind.
Love for Superheroes
I love super heroes and I have always been involved in making all kinds of heroic characters. A lot of my art from 2006-2008 is about Sikh super heroes, powerful Sikh mutants who have different powers and different personalities. So when I heard about this project, Super Sikh, it was right up my alley. I became super excited and I lept over tall buildings in enthusiasm, faster than a speeding bullet.
In this painting tutorial, I show go behind the scenes and show you how my painting of Super Sikh was created. I also talk about how to paint Super Sikh’s guns, his turban and his jacket, providing my insights into the painting process.
In Shaivism, Shiv ji is Mahadev, the Supreme God. He is Sada Shiv, ever-present, pure consciousness, the beginning and end of all things. He is the personification of great peace and great terror in different forms. Sada Shiv
Trip to India
I had been doing sketches of Shiva or Shiv ji as I like to call him, in my trip to India back in 2012. Having visited sacred places, spoken to devotees and meditated, I was in that zone where I was peaceful and sketching effortlessly for hours a day. The pencil just flowed even in the heat of July.
Coming Home
After summer, I came back to Canadian Winters, with a sketchbook filled with artworks of Shiv ji, Vishnu ji and Hanuman ji. I simply put my book aside and got back to my old paintings, my old routine but in the back of my mind, there was this itch to paint some of these Sacred Forms. However strong that itch, I still carried on the old routine.
Coming into my True Home
Then after I saw “Devon Ke Dev Mahadev” that feeling of wanting to paint Shiv ji manifested. I felt inspired to learn about and to paint Shiv ji. I began reading articles on him and began to get a feel for his persona. I began to meditate and access that deep peaceful pool at the center of my being. And I began to paint Shiv ji.
Religion of Shiva
In Shaivism, Shiv ji is Mahadev, the Supreme God. He is Sada Shiv, ever-present, pure consciousness, the beginning and end of all things. He is the personification of great peace and great terror in different forms.
Adi Yogi Should Have a Beard
I have painted Shiva as the Adi Yogi, and he is bearded just like his bhakts, devotees, the yogis who meditate on him. He looks out to the viewer with his eyes half closed, in a calm-meditative state, to remind them to pray for such peace. With his throat, he traps the vish, poison of the world, and with his hand, he blesses the viewer with amrit, heavenly tranquility.
Formless Shiva with Form
In this painting, he is dressed in tiger skin, rudraksh mala (rosary) and ardh chand (crescent moon). From his matter locks, trickles a small stream of the holy Ganges, Ganga river, and a cobra rests peacefully on his neck. That said Shiv ji is formless, he is not limited to any characteristics, forms and features. He transcends them all.
Order some prints of Shiv ji for your cozy home or as great gifts to loved ones!
