Be it the frescos designed in the Akal Takht or the blueprint of gurdwara buildings or paintings by renowned artists, the G.S. Sohan Singh Artist Memorial Trust has all of them. The Singh brothers Surinder Singh and Satpal Danish have been nurturing the treasure of frescos, lithographs and old paintings accumulated by their father G.S. Sohan Singh for years now.
As Singh brothers’ grandfather, Bhai Gian Singh Naqqash, had worked on a portion near Har ki Pauri in the Golden Temple, the Trust has managed to maintain a record of the people who have worked in designing the Harmandar Sahib. “We have a collection of fresco work from the Golden Temple along with the list of people working on different portions,’’ says Satpal Danish.
Apart from fresco paintings, the duo has also managed to preserve manuscripts of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, Vedic literature, mantras and Gurbani. Their collection is immense. “From lithographs belonging to World War I and II to cartoons of German dictatorHitler and former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill published in London News Weekly all were collected and are preserved with us,’’ Surinder Singh says.

The Trust has managed to acquire the paintings of Raja Ravi Verma, Abdul Rahman Chughtai, Allah Bakhsh, Sriram, Brij Lal and Suba Singh in good shape.

“These paintings would have been lost during the Indo-Pak partition. Our father managed to collect them,’’ Surinder Singh said. The Singh brothers are now reproducing these old paintings using inks with fade out lights to increase their life span. A rare painting of the birth of Mughal Emperor Akbar and several other such masterpieces find place in their collection.

The brothers also have blueprints of certain Gurdwara structures like that of Gurdwara Ramsar, Gurdwara Viveksar, Taran Taran and Baba Deep Singh. While showing an exotic gothic structure of the clock tower, Surinder says that the structure was demolished in 1946. “We, in India, don’t believe in preserving heritage structures. Now, this beautiful building is lost, only to be left alive in this blueprin

t,’’ he rues.

Moreover, the brothers have also collected books on fresco techniques by their grandfather. Techniques by Bhai Gian Singh Naqqash – a book written by their father G.S. Sohan Singh and published in 1954 mentions the symmetry to be followed during the construction of a gurdwara. Similarly, a book painting – Fresco and Litho – released in 1930 – is also amongst their collection.

The Singh brothers also treasure old photographs of various places in the country. While showing such picture postcard of Delhi, Satpal Danish proudly adds that they are some 70-80 years old. He also shows his collection of photos clicked during the harsh times of Punjab. Danish hascovered the sect clash in 1978, Operation Blue Star and Operation Black Thunder as a photojournalist and has an array of photos speaking of the horrors of those black days.

Besides paintings, posters of old films produced by Prabhat Talkies and postcards of old film actors are also in the kitty of the Singh brothers.
The brothers also have copies of the Indian State Railway Magazines displaying the Akal Takht, Mochi Gate of Lahore, Buddha Vihar and Jain Temple on their front page.
The Trust generally keeps these paintings and photographs wrapped in plastic covers. “First, we dry the plastic cover, which is of good quality and durability.
The paintings and photographs are covered in them and sealed,’’ reveals Satpal Danish. The Trust’s treasure has helped two students for earning their Ph.D in Fine Arts and Fresco with emphasis on the technique of reproduction.

Courtesy of www.hindustantimes.com