amandeepm

Hello I try to keep up with the world of Sikh studies. This is done by reading academic papers (or more likely just the abstracts) and keeping up with the latest publications. More often than not there are some real gems in this approach and I am often left wondering just how we can get some of the excellent work that is doen by students and professional academics into a more publis level. However I am sometimes left scratching my head. I came across this on the Internet and for me this exemplifies everything that is wrong with sikh academia. Now, most people woudl point to "anti-sikh" propoganda being the biggest evil in academia, or of some kind of global conspiracy against teh sikhs in schoalrly cirles. This is just sour grapes and utter Baloney. However, this abstract that I reproduce below is the most cutting inditment of western academics and their approach to the rich, beautiful, wonderous world of sikh studies. I will send a free signed copy of "Sicques, Tigers or Thieves" to anyone who can come up with the most 'inventive, amusing, consice or just plain understandable' translation of what on earth this bloke is on about : Between Bodies: The Imminence of Khalsa Identity Navdeep Singh Mandair (S.O.A.S. University of London) In this paper I will attempt to justify the perversity of a proposition which posits the focus of Sikh studies as an object other than Sikhism. The lacuna within Sikh studies signalled by this assertion will be highlighted by problematizing the uncritical acceptance of a Sikh identity, here interrogated from the perspective of the male Khalsa subject, which has been surreptitiously reorganized in an encounter with the pernicious sympathy of modernity’s gaze. What this inscrutable act of revision signals then is that Sikh identity is an object which unfolds upon the ontological horizon of the virtual. A genealogy of this event will track its inception to the deployment of masculinity , by the British in colonial India, as an icon to inscribe an underlying affinity between Sikh and Christian religious beliefs and follow the rehearsal of this colonization of difference as reflected in the recent work of Sikh studies specialists which aims to situate Sikhism firmly within the ambit of a world religions project. Drawing on the work of Jacques Lacan I will attempt to read the mimetic event informing colonial encounter through the notion of the mirror stage. An initial reading will suggest that the coming-into-being (devenir) of Sikh identity is predicated on the eliding of a carnality which disfigures it vis-à -vis the colonial imago. A subsequent rethinking of this event will foreground the possibility of an interpretation based on a return-into-being (revenir) of identity - this temporalization of the virtual disclosing a mode of existence which at bottom constitutes the horizon of the haunting and posits the Sikh (other) as revenant. Ironically however it may be the idea of the revenant itself which provides the key to thinking Sikh identity beyond the vacuity of a virtual ontology. This idea will be explored using insights from the work of Jacques Derrida in particular the notion of the supplement. It will be argued that the corporeal signature of the Khalsa-pre-eminently the beard, turban and the conspicuous display of weapons- is supplementary to biological masculinity and that the revenant exists in between conflicting interpretations of this fact, the disavowal or affirmation of this supplementary body determining the manifestation of the Khalsa Sikh as either, a ghostly presence or, radically other. Thus, if Sikh studies is to be about Sikhism it must remain attentive to those excessive aspects of religious identity hitherto elided from its phenomenological accounts, signalling therefore that the ostensible openness of such studies to cultural difference conceals a desire to annex it to a monosemic model of identity.

Freed, another classic posting. A few thoughts. THe Dennis Morris collection of his southall pictures (he was inspired by southall as he rose the bus back from the early Bob Marley Gigs as the bus inevitably stopped at teh Southall bus Garage) is now at Gunnesbury Park Museum - they bought most of the collection from Morris shortly aftre the Home from Home book was published. Dennis Morris was the Picture Editor for The Evening Standard and is abig name in photogrpahy. I have head him talk about these pics and he is very affectionate about Southall and was interested in doing a follw up - not sure what becam,e of that. I am also deeply interested in Southall and a few years backk I ha a young photgrapher document southall shop fronts. THese absolutely calssic shop front stacked up to the roofs with merchandise or delapidated and un-changed since the early 60s were being slowly "neonised" by an intiative by Ealing Council to give shop owners grants to modernise their shops. THe impact was that many of the classic shop fronts were lost and some of Southalls faded 60s glamour was lost - so I took a few pics of that. THe victory pub is no longer there in southall is it ? I think that is where a young sikh lad was murdered by NF youth in the early 70s? it was real wake up call and really frightening - especially for my family as we were living in neighbouring Northolt where the fascists taht murdered the boy lived. I can vaguely recall a massive funeral frm Havelock Rd gurdwara? Morris also deals with the "bussing" out of INdian kids from southall to neighbouring Northolt, Greenford, Yeading Hayes etc. There was a policy that no school could have too may asian kids - so once a quota was filled the rest fo the kids (like me) were bussed out to some ofthe most racist boroughs in London fro primary school! the book bought back lots of memories. FReed, take a look at a book called "Home Front" - its about Birmingham's ethnic communities (I think) - there is a great pictiure in there of an old soldier living in surburban Birmingham aman

Readers maybe interested in the travel writer/journalist and anthropolgist JOnha Blank's classic 1990s travelogue through India "Arrow of the Blue Skinned God". I read this many many years ago at the same time as "An Indian Attachment" which is what has sparked this note. He basically follows the physical locations of the Ram in the Indian Ramayana which takes him from the South of teh country, through Ayodhya and to teh North and back again. Each chapter tackles the social anthropology of the country, caste, equality, spirituality etc. He does get to Punjab (although here I think he diverted from the original Ramayan myth) and has an entire chapter on the Sikhs and the "Punjab Problem". The chapter title is "Evil" and that is very apt given the chapter's content. Aman

My typing is notoriously poor - yesterday this was compounded by trying to tap out the note (above) while my one-year old desperately tried to bash the keyboard and eat the mouse. here is what I wanted to say : "From what I know of this family they are the real deal. Their personal family history and their contribution to Sikh arts is tremendous. In the 19th century as Sikhs abandoned their cultural traditions (music, architecture, arts etc) the Danish's seemed to diversify into bazaar arts (which is what Satpal Danish seems to be holding up). But deep in their personal conciousness is the preservation of the arts of their forefathers It's a shame that the journalist and the photographer chose an image of the calander art rather than an image of an authentic 19th century fresco . . or maybe thats because they've all been torn down. BTW a fresco is a painting made on a wall while the lime plaster is drying. aman

From whta I know of thos family they are the real deal. THeir personal family history and their contribution to Sikh arts is tremendous. In the 29th century as the Sikh abandoned their cultural traditions (music, architecture arts etc) the Danish's seemed to diversify into bazaar arts, but deep in their personal conciousness is the preservation of the arts of their forefathers aman

THis is from memory but there is a bit in the book where Sarah Llyod says "Sikhs are the only people who can wear ice-cream pink from head to toe and still look like men" (or words to that effect) Aman

Everyone shoudl recognise this painting as the famous Dusherra Scene by August Schoefft wherea triumphant Sher Singh is seen riding back into the Lahore Fort where he is in the legendary durbar of Ranjit Singh and all his courtiers. And now the real setting for the painting inside the lahore fort is a quiet courtyard that was the inspirational background for Schoeffts masterpiece:

Some more pictures from the last Pak trip Intricately carved doors to the Haveli of Hari Singh Nalwa. A matching pair of these doors are in the Lahore Museum. These doors survive unpainted unlike many others within the haveli which is now a Madrassa and girls school. A sneaky picture taken inside the girls school of the inside of HAri Singh Nalwa's HAveli, Gujranwala. If the Mullah had noticed it would have been my last picture . . .ever. Ruined Haveli inside Sheikhupura Fort. Built in the SIkh period this building has lamost collapsed completely some evidence of sikh period wall paintings are still evident. THe National College of Arts in Lahore had partially documnted the oldfrescoes and anecdotally mentioned that the building contained paintings of Akalis. Folksy wall art in a small sikh shrine in Nankana Sahib Clumsy whitewashing of wall paintings by teh sikh caretakers of Ranjit Singh's Samadh (upper storey) THe Samadhi of Kanwar Nau NIhal Singh - Maharajah for a day One of the finest and most intact and perfectly preserved mirrored ceilings that I have ever seen in any building in the subcontinent. This is the ceiling of the Samadh of Ranjit Singh. Someone has seen it necessary to embellish further with cheapo Christmas decorations ! Panel with wall painting inside Dera Sahib gurdwara - this building seems ot pre-date ranjit singh with paintings from that period. Note the whitewashing up to the panel and the shoddy attempt to decorate the wall to the right of the painting. Opposite wall - obvioulsy a panel that once contained an "un-sikh" painting is now quicetly made Sikh again

Yes, but when we do have some positive program suchas getting World Heriatge Status which woudl have stopped the kind of poorly guided seva from ever happening it gets blocked by seperatists and sgpc politics. WHS woudl have stopped the gnnsj from carrying out the seva in a destructive way - they coudl have still done it but with help and guidance from the world's experts. Now they and the SGPC have free reign to bodge the inside ofthe darbar sahib too. I'm not sure what the solution is, but it is clear that the power in the sikh world belongs to idealogues & revisiontists (who hate culture and heritage) and seperatists who have a paranoid fear of outsiders. The victims are all of use as the two groups battle it out to tear apart and steadily deconstruct and dismantle all of our precious items of material and cultural heriateg. aman

Singh47, You may be surprised to hear this but I actually agree with you that the Kar Saeva Babas are destroying sikh heritage in the name of modernisation and are rebuilding gurdwaras in an act of genuine, if misguided (in my opinion) devotion. I didnt explain this too well the last time. I too dont think that they are doing this becuase of some taliban streak. However they are not the ones casuing the problems in this specific case. The distinction that I would ask you to draw is between those kar seva babas and those at Dera Sahib Gurdwara who whitewashed over specific frescoes in the dera sahib gurdwawa because they depicted scenes they didnt like (i will post pics very soon) and the same caretakers who desecrated the samadh of Ranjit singh (see pics) and other smadhs becuase they did not like what it symbolised. Incedentaly they also whitewashed specifi panels of frescoes inside the shrine becasue again they were ideologically opposed to them. There is a distinction between the two acts which I hope I have explained a bit better this time. As for the khalsitanis. A large number were camped out at the dera sahib gurdwara for many years and at the height of the khalistanis flight into pakistan even at the adjoining ranjit singh samadh. Funnily enough, even though these were many of the same people who were tearing down modest village samadhs they really didnt impact the chrine at all and seemd to leave it pretty intact. The real damage was doen in the run up to 1999 (when the khalstanis had long gone) when the SGPC inspired celebrations lead to the descration of the central shrine, the whitewashing of the paintings and the painting of the outside of the shrine in a gaudy mix of yellow and white. I really do think that the ideological prmblem came from Indian Sikhs from eth SGPC who found the frescoes and the smadh quite embarrasing so it swas simply removed. Amandeep www.sicques.com

The taliban destroyed the Bamyian BUdhhas becuase they found them un-islamic. Sikhs who destroy monuments, whitewash artwork, bring down samadhs etc becuase they percieve them as un-Sikh are doing the same thing. Apples and apples if you ask me. MOreover the taliban applied their personal view of islam on the entire afghani community. Well, this heriateg is ours, its yours and its mine as well as theirs, yet they see themselves as thought police who can destroy and plster over what they personally dont like and they shoudl be accountable for that - again that is what the taliban did. Again apples and apples. Aman www.sicques.com

It was a common convention for a part of teh ashes to be put into the lotus flower in a samadh. Most Samadhs of great sikhs from this period will have this. Incedentally it was in 2000 that the Smadh of Jass Singh in Amritsar was torn down and the ashes were un-ceremoniusly binned. Whatever the reasons this was the wish of the person and I dont htink that it is anyoe else's right tio impress their own interpretation of what is right and wrong onto someone else's desire. aman www.sicques.com

What this proposed law does is to put a great deal of power into the hands of the formal religious structures in the UK. This means that they can define when they are "abused" or "insulted". As a result any dissent from the mainstream defintions of religious acceptability can be prosecuted. Isn't that what the Mughals were doing to Guru Arjan? or Guru Tegh Bahadur? or indeed didnt Poncious Pilot find Jeses offensive and abusive (he even had him crucified). We all know that this bill is juts a sop by the labour govt to the Muslim community in the UK who feel put upon by "islamaphobia", what they coudl create is a monster where religious institutions start prosecuting each other becuase they dont like what they are saying. Personally I find some Gurdwaras quite insulting and abusive at times maybe we should prosecute them? aman

In sharp contrast to the destruction of Sikh material heritage in India (principally by Sikhs themsleves) our built heritage in Pakistan is largely untouched. This is partially due to the Aqaaf board (the body set up to administer and look after refugee proprty after 1947) and partially due to the greater respect that Pkaistani Muslims appear to have for architectural heritage. It is also likely that the relative poverty of West Punjab has stopped the worst excesses of "modernisation" which seems to have spread like a cancer throughout the Eastern part of the state leading to old havelis in Amritsar being demolished to build ugly/ unecessary shopping complexes. Anyway, I wanted to share an insight into what I saw. I did present a few of these this in Toronto in March at the event that was hijacked by some people who were preoccupied with blasting us as RSS sympathisers rather than seeing what is happening to their own heritage ! It is telling to note that the damage to our heritage in Pakistan is largely instances of whiteashing in Gurdwaras and Samadhs by ignorant Sikh caretakers and outright religious vandalism akin to the blowing up of the Bamyian Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban. You will see what I mean in the last two pictures Samadhs to three ranis (of Ranjit Singh, Sher Singh and Nau Nihal Singh) now long forgotten. In the grounds of the Govt Islamia College Lahore Intricately carved doorway to the haveli of Hari Singh Nalwa in Gujranwala. Still in a good state of preservation and used as a local Madrassa Beautifully excecuted frescos inside the upper story of the Samadh of Ranjit Singh, Lahore. Fabulously decorated frontage of the haveli of Nau Nihal Singh built in 1837. Now the Victoria Girls High School, Lahore Interior of the haveli that was used to imprison Rani Jindan in Sheikhupura Fort. This haveli was built by the mother of Sher Singh during the Sikh period and has since fallen into disuse and is crumbling. Taken pre-1998 this picture shows the central shrine within Ranjit Singh's samadh. The central "lotus flower" contains some of the ashes of Ranjit Singh and the smaller "flowers" contain the ashes of the ranis who committed Sati with the Maharajah. Levelled in preparation for the 1999 celebrations the Sikh caretakers of the samadh removed the maharajahs ashes and threw them away to make a platform upon which a golakh stood for the visitors. An act of religious vandalism that mirrors that of the Taliban. Amandeep S Madra www.sicques.com

Some pictures I took on a visit in Nov 2003 of Kapurthala and Patiala: Unknown French style building on the outskirts of Kapurthala now almost derelict and dangerous inside Rooftop shot from the Qila Mubarack Patiala From one of the crumblig turrents of teh Qila Mubarack Patiala Alcove seat in the Shish Mahal, Qila Mubarack Patiala Iside the Durbar Room of the Kapurthala Palace now used as the offices of the General PO Outisde of the Law Courts Kapurthala All pics taken in Nov 2003 Aman

Sikher Count the little gold domes!

The earliest images of teh Akal Takht are from paintings of the 1860s and then photos from the 1880s all of which capture the outside of the building. The internals have been photographed pre-1984 but not in a systematic way (Sikh arent very good at documenting their heritage). But there are some images of the old frescos inside the building . Most ofthese survived the shelling by te Indian Army but didnt survive the clamour to tear down the reconstructed building by religious and political idealogues.

Freed, I have no idea about that I hadnt heard that at all. As far as I know the Patiala family (today) are not particularly wealthy (hence the sale of numerous art works and jewelery on the auction market) although their fortunes have changed recently since Amrinder Singh is now CM. Incedentally I have heard that the house that the Patiala king gave to the sikh community was actually in Putney but taht was sold and the sinclair road house bought as a result - but I have never really confirmed taht aman

Here is that news story Calcutta questions change in Akal Takht design Varinder Walia Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 The structure and design of Akal Takht were changed without taking the Sikh Panth into confidence while carrying out ‘kar seva’ by Damdami Taksal after Operation Bluestar. The Taksal owes an explanation to the Sikhs as to why the old structure was not kept intact. Talking to TNS here today, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, former SGPC secretary, said Damdami Taksal, considered a Sikh seminary, also owed another explanation: of concealing the death of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale for more than two decades. Was there any force or vested interest that compelled the Taksal for this blatant lie? Mr Calcutta alleged that the structure of the supreme temporal seat now looked like a Gurdwara whereas the designs of the Takht and gurdwara ought to be different from one another. Bhai Mohkam Singh, spokesman of Damdami Taksal, said a part of Akal Takht had been raised as memorial to Sant Bhindranwale in June 1986, but the formal announcement in this regard was not made public. The announcement was withheld as Baba Thakur Singh, the then acting Jathedar of the Taksal, had been claiming that he (Sant Bhindranwale) was in high spirits. Bhai Mohkam Singh said being a ‘disciplined functionary’ of the Taksal, he did not want to embarrass the acting chief by saying that a Sant Bhindranwale memorial had been raised on the Akal Takht premises. He urged the SGPC, Akal Takht and other Sikh organisations to collectively give recognition to the memorial, raised two decades ago. He said precious items of the ‘jalou’ could be displayed in this memorial, apart from permanently displaying the portraits of Sikh martyrs. However, Mr Calcutta said the Taksal had been ‘misguiding’ the Sikh sangat on the death of Sant Bhindranwale even though Akal Takht and the SGPC had already two years earlier admitted to this death. This was why both the supreme Sikh organisations had recognised Bhai Ram Singh as the real Jathedar of Taksal who had endorsed the line of the SGPC and Akal Takht that Sant Bhindranwale had died on June 6, 1984. On the other hand, the SGPC has taken a strong exception to the statement of Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President, Akali Dal (Amritsar), that his party would demolish the memorial , to be raised in the memory of those killed during Operation Bluestar. The press release, issued by the SGPC, has alleged that Mr Mann wanted to ‘oblige’ the Congress which was responsible for the Army action.

With respect to the design changes at teh Akal Takht there was a new story in teh Tribune just a couple of weeks ago where the SGPC wer complaining about the unauthorised design changes that the Taksal instituted during the rebuilding of the structure in 1986. During the production of the dossier for UNESCO WHS the Akal Takht was surveyed and it was from that the gross changes in size and shape were documente (I dont have these documents but you can look at pictures and see the physical structure is different). Incedentally the UNESCO dossier did not include the Akal Takht becuae the new (rather shoddy) structure holds no heritage value. Despite this not being included in the WHS application the opponents of the dossier continually suggested that it was a GOI plot to take over the Darbar Sahib and teh Akal Takht !

He also gave hs London residence (79 Sinclair Road, Sheperds Bush) to the emerging sikh community in the UK which became britains first sikh gurdwara. He also donated generously to the Indian soliders who were wounded in the Great War and were hospitalised in the UK - a memorial gate to the Indian soldiers built by Bhupinder is in the Brighton Pavilion. Finally he single handedly rescued Cartier from almost certain business failure by sending the patiala jewles to paris to be re-set at great expense. In recognition of this Cartier made a jewelled Cigar lighter in his honour aman

Yes, the story about parading through Pataila wearing nothing but a jewelled Breastplate in an excited state is another great story that Indian folk historians love to tell. The 365 wives thing comes from the fact that the Shish Mahal has 365 windows in the quarters thought to be the Zenana. This is not an indication of 365 wives, but an old architectural convention which was used from the time of the Mughals. In fact during the tenure of Yadvinder Singh and whilst Chandigarh was being built he rehoused the wives of his father (18 in all I think) from the old palace in Pataial to new kothis in a single sector in Chandigarh. Some are still around and have wonderful tales to tell. Indians seem pre-occupied with the sexual exploits of Maharajahs. I forget the name ofthe book but there was something published from the 1970s that was the recollections of one of Bhupinder Singh's valets/secretaries and this seems to have originated most of the sexual myths abuot him.

The Akal Takht which was re-built by the DDT was also (intentionally) architecturally differnt to the old structure built by Guru Hargobind and later embellished by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. It is larger, has a different floor plan and deeper in the back to accomodate (amongst other things) a memroial gallery to Bhindranwale. Almost 20 years after it was built the SGPC have suddenly woken up to the fact that the Taksal unanimously took the decision to alter the design that was deemed acceptable by Guru Hargobind. Aman

Some years ago I was approached by the family of a Stella Mudge. She was an east-end dancing girl who cought the eye of M Parmajeet Singh - the then heir to the Kapurthala Royal family. Mudge married Pamrjeet as his second (or possibly third) wife much to the amusement of the Punjabi peasantry who called her Rani Mudge ! They stayed variously in London, Kapurthala, Dekhi and Paris. She shunned her own family and lived a secluded life when Parmajeet dies in the 1950s (I think). Mudge herself dired in England, still in seclusion, in the 1990s and her family swarmed onto her home to look for the famous Kapurthala jewels that she was reported to have been given by her husband - they found nothing but a aset of keys to safety deposit boxes but no clue whatsopever as to where the bank account was. The family was desperate to find out where the bank / deposit boxes could be and were working hard to trace any route they could to her life as a maharani. As far as I know they are still looking aman

the 360 wives story is just that - a story