Karnataka Lalithakala Academy organised a unique project to document Sikh history through paintings in Bidar on Wednesday.
Around 25 artists from different parts of the state were taken on a tour of the Gurudwara, the langar kitchen run almost entirely by volunteers and the museum of Sikhism that houses books, pictures and items considered holy by believers.
B.K. Badiger, academy member, told the stories of Mai Bhago and Bhai Saheb Singh, whose lives link Bidar with Sikhism.
Mai Bhago was a lady warrior who fought alongside brave generals in wars. After the death of the last Guru Guru Govind Singh, she spent her last years in Janawada, a Jain settlement on the banks of the Manjra river. The small house that she lived in has now been converted into the Mai Bhago Gurudwara, 10 kilometres from Bidar.
Mr. Badiger also told the gathering about the legend of Bhai Saheb Singh, a barber from Bidar who walked to Anandpur Sahib at a young age to join the Khalsa. He was killed in battle.
He pointed out that few attempts were made to record the lives of these legends in paintings.
At the inauguration of the camp at the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Jhira premises, academy chairperson M.S. Murthy said that the academy had invited the artists to create paintings about important personalities, events and places related to Sikhism. He said that artists were thrilled with the opportunity to recreate snippets of Sikh history, but also highlight the charity work done by Gurudwaras, Sikh organisations and individuals.
