The Debate
Pictorial – Portrayal of Sikh Gurus
– Edited REsponses –
In the last January-March 2023 issue of Abstracts of Sikh Studies, S. P.P.S. Gill, a sensitive, intellectually enlightened and devout Sikh and well-known journalist, had contributed a comprehensive article on the desirability or otherwise of printing portraits of Sikh Gurus in the newspapers on their birth anniversaries as well as the authenticity of these portraits and the practice of hanging these portraits in Sikh homes, Sikh institutions, Museums and commercial establishments. He has also pointed to the practice of even garlanding and worshipping of these portraits and pictures in some Sikh and Sehajdhari Sikh homes and some Deras of so-called Sikh babas. He is of the opinion that the pictorial portrayal of Sikh Gurus not only violates the tenets of Sikh code of conduct (Rehat Maryada) but also leads to acts of showing disrespect and acts of sacrilege when these newspapers, bearing pictorial pictures, are sold after reading to scrap dealers/ raddiwalas or left in buses, trains and used for packing goods or wrapping eatables and thrown indiscriminately on the roads which ultimately fall into gutters or municipal garbage vans and garbage bins. In his opinion, all these advertent or inadvertent acts are nothing short of worst sort of desecration or sacrilege. Moreover, these portraits are neither authentic nor genuine. They differ in their perception, depiction, shade, overall visual outlook and portrayal. These are the works of artist’s imagination and craftsmanship. He further believes that neither the Sikh Gurus in their lifetime encouraged, patronized or even allowed any artist to make their portraits nor is there any documentary evidence or any real ancient portraits of Sikh Gurus available in archives or Musuems.
The greatest argument against the portrayal of Sikh Gurus persona is the conferment of eternal Sikh Guruship on the sacred Sikh text Sri Guru Granth Sahib by the last living Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. It is Guru’s shabad or gurbani which is the real Guru of the Sikhs for all intents and purposes. It has been reiterated repeatedly in the Sikh sacred Sikh text that Guru’s shabad is the real Guru rather than the Guru himself who is the Divine messenger as well as a spiritual guide. Only two illustrations will suffice in this context:
bwxI gurU gurU hY bwxI ivic bwxI AMimRqu swry ]
guru bwxI khY syvku jnu mwnY prqiK gurU insqwry ]
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, p. 982)
hau Awphu boil n jwxdw mY kihAw sBu hukmwau jIau ]
hir Bgiq Kjwnw bKisAw guir nwnik kIAw pswau jIau ]
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, p. 763)
Sardar P.P.S. Gill says that, instead of putting portraits of Sikh Gurus on the walls of our homes or institutions, we should inscribe Gurbani lines conveying Guru’s message and keep on reading these lines while entering or leaving our premises so that we imbibe their message. But instead of prioritizing the Guru’s message, we have started giving priority to the messenger or his physical form. So instead of maintaining the exclusivity and sanctity of Sikh Gurus and holding them in great reverence which they certainly deserve, we have commercialized what is supposed to be sacred and holy. Commercial considerations in collaboration with the forces of publicity and advertising have completely materialized and rendered mundane what is exclusively spiritual and sacred. It is a fact that whatever becomes commercial is reduced to a commodity. Whatever becomes a commodity can be used, misused and dispensed with when not needed. This is what happens when a newspaper with a Sikh Gurus’ portrait is read and dispensed with soon after for packing, padding or some other commercial use. He is of the opinion that the august Sikh bodies like Sri Akal Takht and SGPC should deliberate upon this issue and issue some guidelines and directions to streamline or completely ban the commercial use of Sikh Gurus’ imaginary portraits.
Responding to PPS Gill’s article, several readers of AOSS have responded and expressed identical views about pictorial portrayal of Sikh Gurus and their publication in the newspapers.
The veteran Sikh ideologue Bhai Ashok Singh Bagrian believes that printing a portrait of any Sikh Guru is a gross violation of Sikh tenets and is a sinful act. The artist, wether he is a painter or a sculptor, is as much guilty of committing an act of sacrilege as those custodians of Sikh religion who allow him to indulge in such an activity. He further believes that this act of drawing such Gurus’ portraits is an attempt to Hinduisation of Sikhism. Propagators of Hinduism/ Hindutva are keenly watching this activity of Sikh portrayals among the Sikhs and guessing how long can the Sikhs resist this process of Hindusation of Sikhism. They are impatiently waiting for further diluting the Sikh doctrines which is likely to be idol worship of these portraits. He is of the firm conviction that Sikh religion does not allow any portrayal of Sikh Gurus either on paper or stone. Once he happened to visit artist Sobha Singh’s art studio in the hills where he found to his dismay numerous, unfinished identical portraits of Sikh Gurus on Boards standing against the wall without any names inscribed on these. He feels that this undesirable activity should have been nipped in the bud as he found a portrait of Guru Gobind Singh on the calendar of M/s Mohan Meakin Breweries. Now some of these impressions have been found inscribed on even washroom tiles. The Apex body of Hindus the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) includes Guru Gobind Singh’s portrait among the galaxy of Hindu warriors and worships it on Vijay Dashmi. He has quoted several Gurbani verses which prohibit any kind of idol worship. He is of the firm opinion that by allowing the portrayal of Sikh Guru we have compromised the very concept of the distinct identity of Sikh religion and its followers. We reproduce an edited version of his views written in Punjabi below:
“ਮਨਮ ਕੁਸ਼ਤਹਮ ਕੋਹੀਆ ਪੁਰਫਿਤਨ ਕਿ ਆਂ ਬੁਤ ਪ੍ਰਸਤੰਦ ਉ ਮਨ ਬੁਤ ਸ਼ਿਕਨ” - ਸਾਹਿਬੇ ਕਮਾਲ ਬੁੱਤ-ਸ਼ਿਕਨ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਮਹਾਰਾਜ ਜਾਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਾਹਿਬਾਨ ਦਾ ਬੁੱਤ ਬਨਾਉਣਾ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਦੇ ਬੁਨਿਆਦੀ ਅਸੂਲਾਂ ਦੀ ਉਲੰਘਣਾ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਾਹਿਬਾਨ ਦਾ ਘੋਰ ਅਪਮਾਨ ਹੈ। ਬੁੱਤ ਘਾੜਾ ਅਗਰ ਉਹ ਸਿੱਖ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦਾ ਦੇਣਦਾਰ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਸਿੱਖ ਅਤੇ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਦੇ ਠੇਕੇਦਾਰ ਅਗਰ ਇਹ ਸਭ ਦੇਖ ਕੇ ਚੁੱਪ ਹਨ ਤਾਂ ਉਹ ਸਿਖੀ ਦੇ ਅਪਰਾਧੀ ਹਨ।
ਗੁਰੂ ਸਾਹਿਬਾਨ ਦੀ ਫੋਟੋ ਜਾਂ ਬੁਤ ਬਣਾਉਣਾ ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਦੇ ਹਿੰਦੂਕਰਨ ਵੱਲ ਵਧਣ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਅਹਿਮ ਅਤੇ ਨਾਜ਼ੁਕ ਕਦਮ ਹੈ। ਜੇ ਪੱਥਰ ਡੁੱਬਣਹਾਰ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਕਾਗਜ਼ ਗਲਣਹਾਰ ਹੈ। ਆਪਣੇ ਵਿਚ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਨੂੰ ਜਜ਼ਬ ਕਰ ਲੈਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਵੇਖ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਕਿੰਨਾ ਕੁ ਅਸੂਲਾਂ ’ਤੇ ਖੜ੍ਹਨ ਜਾਂ ਗੁਰੂ ਦਾ ਹੁਕਮ ਮੰਨਣ ਦਾ ਹੀਆਂ ਬਾਕੀ ਰਹਿ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਜੋ ਅਗਲਾ ਕਦਮ ਸਿੱਖ ਪ੍ਰਤੀਕਰਮ ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਵਿਉਂਤਿਆ ਜਾਵੇ।
ਸਿੱਖ ਮਤ ਵਿਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਵੀ ਮੂਰਤ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਕਾਗਜ਼ ’ਤੇ ਹੋਵੇ, ਭਾਵੇਂ ਪੱਥਰ ’ਤੇ, ਮਮਨੂਹ, ਮਨਾਂ ਹੈ। ਮਰਹੂਮ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਸੋਭਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਦੀ ਵਰਕਸ਼ਾਪ ਵਿਚ ਜਾਣ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਮੌਕਾ ਮਿਿਲਆ ਸੀ। ਜਿੱਥੇ ਇਕੋ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਨੈਣ ਨਕਸ਼ਾ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਢੇਰ ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਤਸਵੀਰਾਂ ਬਣਾ ਕੇ ਫਰਸ਼ ’ਤੇ ਕਤਾਰਾਂ ਲਗਾਈਆਂ ਹੋਈਆਂ ਸਨ। ਵੇਖਣ ਨੂੰ ਪਤਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੀ ਲਗਦਾ ਕਿਹੜੀ ਤਸਵੀਰ ਤੇ ਕਿਹੜੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਪਾਵੇਗੀ। ਤਾਂ ਮੈਂ ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ ‘ਬੁਰਸ਼ ਦੇ ਧਨੀ’ ਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛ ਹੀ ਲਿਆ ਕਿ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਤਸਵੀਰਾਂ ਦਾ ਨਾਮਕਰਨ ਕਦੋਂ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ। ਇੰਨਾ ਜ਼ਰੂਰ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਦੋ ਸ਼ਸਤਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਲੈਸ ਬਣੀਆਂ ਤਸਵੀਰਾਂ ਸੀ ਉਹ ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਜੀ ਜਾਂ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਹਾਰਾਜ ਦੀਆਂ ਬਣਾ ਦਿੱਤੀਆਂ ਜਾਣੀਆਂ ਸੀ।
ਇਸ ਪ੍ਰਥਾ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਵਿਚ ਹੀ ਨਾ ਰੋਕਣ ਕਾਰਨ ਜੋ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਲਿਿਖਆ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ। ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਹਾਰਾਜ ਦਾ ਚਿੱਤਰ ਮੋਹਨ ਮੀਕਨ ਦੇ ਕੈਲੰਡਰ ’ਤੇ ਛਪਿਆ ਵੇਖਿਆ, ਗੁਸਲਖਾਨਿਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਲਗਣ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਟਾਇਲਾਂ ਉਪਰ ਗੁਰੂ ਮੂਰਤਾਂ ਆਮ ਵੇਖਣ ਵਿਚ ਆਉਂਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ, ਅਜੋਕੇ ਸਮੇਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਰ.ਐਸ.ਐਸ. ਵਲੋਂ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਯੋਧਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਹਾਰਾਜ ਦੀ ਦੈਵੀ ਸ਼ਖਸੀਅਤ ਦੀ ਤਸਵੀਰ ਛਾਪ ਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਅਪਮਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਗੁਰੂ ਗੰ੍ਰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਵਿਚ ਦਰਜ ਉਪਦੇਸ਼ ਅਤੇ ਦਸਮੇਸ਼ ਦੀ ਹਦਾਇਤ, ਹੁਕਮ ਦੀ ਉਲੰਘਣਾ ਅਸੀਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਖੁਲਦਿਲੀ ਨਾਲ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ। ‘ਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਤੀਤ’ ਅਤੇ ‘ਬਿਪਰਨ ਦੀ ਰੀਤ’ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਜਗ੍ਹਾ ਵਾਸਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ।
ਦੇਵੀ ਦੇਵਾ ਪੂਜੀਐ ਭਾਈ ਕਿਆ ਮਾਗਉ ਕਿਆ ਦੇਹਿ।
ਪਾਹਣੁ ਨੀਰ ਪਖਾਲੀਐ ਭਾਈ ਜਲ ਮੈਂ ਬੂਡਹਿ ਤੇਹਿ॥
ਜੋ ਪਾਥਰ ਕੋ ਕਉ ਕਹਤੇ ਦੇਵ। ਤਾ ਕਿ ਬਿਰਥਾ ਹੈ ਵੈ ਸੇਵ।
ਜੋ ਪਾਥਰ ਕੀ ਪਾਈ ਪਾਇ। ਤਿਸ ਕੀ ਘਾਲ ਅਜਾਈ ਜਾਇ॥
– ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ਪੰਨਾ 1160
ਕਾਹੂ ਲੈ ਪਾਹਨ ਕੋ ਪੂਜ ਧਰਯੋ ਸਿਰ। ਕਾਹੂ ਲੇ ਲੰਿਗ ਗਰੇ ਲਟਕਾਇਉ
ਕਾਹੂ ਲਖਿਉ ਹਰਿ ਅਵਾਚੀ ਦਿਸਾ ਮਹਿ ਕਾਹੂ ਪਛਾਹ ਕੋ ਸੀਸੁ ਨਿਵਾਇਉ
ਕੋਉ ਬੁਤਾਨ ਕੋ ਪੂਜਤ ਹੈ ਪਸ, ਕੋਉ ਮ੍ਰਿਤਨ ਕੋ ਪੂਜਨ ਧਾਇਉ
ਕੂਰ ਕਿਿਰਆ ਊਰਝਿਉ, ਸਭ ਈ ਜਗ, ਸ੍ਰੀ ਭਗਵਾਨ ਕੋ ਭੇਦੁ ਨਾ ਪਾਇਉ
ਪਾਤਸਾਹੀ 10
ਅਸੂਲਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਹਿਲ ਕੇ, ਡਿਗ ਕੇ, ਅਗਰ ਅਸੀਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਮੁਢਲੇ ਨਿਯਮਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਛੇੜ ਛਾੜ ਕਰ ਲਈਏ ਤਾਂ ਇਸ ਦੇ ਭਿਆਨਕ ਨਤੀਜੇ ਨਿਕਲਦੇ ਹਨ। ਅੱਜ ਬੁਨਿਆਦੀ ਅਸੂਲ ਛਿੱਕੇ ਟੰਗ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ। ਅੱਜ ਅਸੀਂ ਖੁਦ ਬੁੱਤ ਪ੍ਰਸਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਅਸਿੱਧੇ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਨਾਲ ਮਾਨਤਾ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਹੈ, ਕਬੂਲ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਸਾਡੀ ਅੱਡ ਹੋਂਦ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਬਰਕਰਾਰ ਰਹਿ ਸਕਦੀ ਹੈ?
Col Avtar Singh, (retd), a diaspora Sikh from Toronto in Canada writes:
Dear Sir, This has reference to article by S. PPS Gill published in Jan-Mar 2023 issue of Abstracts of Sikh Studies.
Firstly, No Sikh Guru Sahiban ever sat to get themselves Portrayed; secondly, there were no cameras at that time. S. Sobha Singh has done a great dis-service to Sikhi by making imaginary photos of Sikh Gurus. These are all products of his imagination.
We have a prayer Room in our Apartment where there is Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Only portrait which hangs in the Room is of Harmandar Sahib. In my humble opinion, this is the only photograph which should hang in Sikh Houses and none other.
S Gurpreet Singh, member of Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh and a few other Sikh organizations endorses PPS Gill’s thesis and is in favour of a blanket ben on these portrayals and photographs. He writes:
I can totally relate to the anguish and hurt felt by S. PPS Gill in his article: Pictorial Portrayal of Sikh Gurus in the AOSS of Jan-March 2023.
As stated very clearly, the pictures of the Gurus is a phenomenon well after their time, since it is an established fact that the Gurus did not have themselves portrayed...... those in vogue now are paintings as per imaginations of the artist (hence, the different paintings/photos of the Gurus).
This fact is further elaborated in the paintings made by foreign artists in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh...... not one painting of the Guru was asked to be done, thereby giving credence to this theory.
Portraits lead to people fixating their minds to a physical form of Sikh Gurus, thereby negating the message of their philosophy.
The Gurus impressed on the ‘bani’ (teachings) being the guiding principles for their disciples, as enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
In conclusion, I totally endorse the view that there should be a blanket ban on the paintings and photos of the Gurus.
S. Sant Parkash Singh Sandhu, a retired paramilitary force officer has expressed an identical opinion and favours banning of these portrayals by a competent Sikh authority. He says:
“ I endorse the views expressed by S. PPS Gill that there should be no photograph of Sikh Gurus, since no living artist had seen any of them. Present era photographs of Gurus are products of imagination of the artists and living humans have formed an image of each Sikh Guru based upon these photographs. It is a matter of concern when these photos are found discarded. Not only that, names and photos of Sikh Gurus also find place on commercial establishments, automobiles, calendars, diaries etc. All such practices need to be avoided since many times they find place in dustbin. Perhaps an edict from supreme religious authority may be needed to lay down a code of conduct on such matters.”
Mrs Navneet Kaur, a postgraduate in English, an Indian Navy Defence Officer’s wife and her undergraduate daughter (Simar Kaur) reflect the Sikh dilemma on this issue. They write:
“I have personally gone through this excruciating dilemma. We, being a defence family, our frequent transfers, make us unsettled and settle in new houses almost every year.
“As I was hanging two pictures- one of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and one of Guru Gobind Singh Ji as always on moving into a new house, my 18 year old daughter Simar Kaur came and questioned: , “Ma, why do you do this?”. I tried hard to support my action but deep inside I was unable to convince myself as well as her. Six months later, as my daughter was moving out of our nest to join Ashoka University, I gave her a Gutka Sahib and picture of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. She accepted the Gutka and returned the picture. Since then, I have been grappling to give her a convincing reply.
“From her experience in college, she recalls seeing her peers wear bracelets with Guru Nanak’s image engraved on them, and set put up stickers of quotes from the Guru Granth Sahib. Ironically, most of these people indulge in drinking alcohol, smoking and many other such activities while claiming to be devoted to their religion. This is indicative of the potential harmful consequences of the materialization/idolization of our Gurus can have on today’s Sikh youth. Offloading one’s religious/spiritual/ethical duties by putting up a painting of Guru Nanak just brings us one step closer to being active practitioners of the very idol worship that our religion seeks to keep us away from.
“The teachings of our Gurus imposed no restrictions of any kind of worship. Rather, they hoped to enlighten the Sikh population so as to prevent them from forming an attachment to a material depiction of God. However, as the mass production and distribution of such paintings makes ingress deeper into today’s Sikh practices, it is imperative that we nip this phenomenon in the bud.
“One way to address this issue is to educate people on the core values of Sikhism and stress on the teachings of our Gurus rather than their physical form. There is a reason our Gurus did not allow for their paintings to be made. Engaging in community service, mindful meditation and a thorough comprehension of our sacred text can all contribute in helping eradicate the fixation with such materializations.
“Our devotion as Sikhs lies to the one formless cosmic Divine power, not to any Guru nor any physical representation of them. Involving ourselves in the market of buying and producing such artefacts goes against the teachings/morals that the Sikh Gurus laid down as guiding principles for us.”
However, there is another perspective to this issue. Although the publication of Sikh Gurus’ portraits in newspapers and other publicity mediums is not desirable and undoubtedly lowers and compromises the dignity, sanctity and hallowed status of the Sikh Gurus, the making of portraits or artistic presentation of their persona is not altogether objectionable. The phenomenon of making a portrait of Sikh Gurus, their visual look and its impact on the onlooker is a far more complex process than meets the eye. Moreover, religion, religious faith, belief or trust, apart from the religious outlook, dress, and its symbols has a deep spiritual, psychic and emotional celeberal, and interpersonal aspect as well. Despite the overwhelming rational, doctrinal and religious argument, human beings are emotional, psychological and throbbing flesh and blood, living, breathing, feeling, thinking acting and reacting entities. Barring a miniscule number of enlightened, intellectually hyperactive, sensitive and discriminating individuals capable of reflecting about the moral and doctrinal religious aspects of this issue, an average, common devout Sikh, soaked in essential Sikh religious ethos and faith, has an ineffaceable image of Sikh Gurus, particularly of Guru Nanak or Guru Gobind Singh embedded deeply in his heart heart, mind and soul. Since Guru and God are interchangeable, coterminous and synonymous for him, a visual image of the ultimate Divine cosmic power with abstract attributes as enshrined in Guru Nanak’s Japuji opening verse called Mool Mantar, in the form of a close, confident and silently communicative companion is his daily psychological, indispensable emotional and mental / intellectual necessity. After his daily prayer as well as moments of extreme adversity or joy, his head bows in reverence for timely succour or intervention or out of gratitude. A distinct visual image of his presiding deity or Sikh Guru is formed and visualized and an unshakeable, intimate relationship of initimacy with Him is experienced. Several Gurbani verses repeatedly endorse this kind of intimate relationship between the Guru and the devout Sikh. See, for instance, the following Sukhmani verse:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਸਿਖ ਕੀ ਕਰੈ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਲ ॥
ਸੇਵਕ ਕਉ ਗੁਰੁ ਸਦਾ ਦਇਆਲ ॥
ਸਿਖ ਕੀ ਗੁਰੁ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਮਲੁ ਹਿਰੈ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਬਚਨੀ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਉਚਰੈ ॥ (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, p. 286)
The fact is that human beings, being figures of flesh and blood, irrespective of their different religious tagging or even beings non-belivers or atheists, have been or are family / tribal / social animals or beings and dependent on some kind of unbreakable interpersonal relationship from cradle to the grave. After experiencing the efficacy or futility of these relationships, they seek or to tend to develop a similar relationship with some kind of cosmic power which they conceive or imagine as a visual deity in the form of a human figure, according to their religious or existential morrings. A Sikh driver driving his truck / goods carrier through the naxal infected jungles of Chattisgarh continues to feel safe and secure under the protective umbrella of a photograph/ portrait of Guru Gobind Singh fixed on his vehicles dashboard with a tagline: Mera Russay Na Kalgian Wala Jag Bhavein Sara Russ Jay. Similarly, a Sikh soldier facing the enemy fire or during hand to hand fight on the front too feels such a proximity to his Guru in the midst of Sikh Jaikaras: “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal”.
Artists like Michael Angelo, Leorando Da Vinci, M.F. Hussain or Sobha Singh, while portraying or casting the figures of Jesus Christ, Buddha, Hindu gods and goddess's or Sikh Gurus have only given a visual look or a figurative shape to the diverse Divine figures embedded in the hearts of their followers. Millions of their devotees have identified their inspirational images with these paintings and hold them as most sacred and intimately closest in their hearts. Arts and their artistic expression of human aspirations is as old as the appearance of first Homo Sapiens on this planet earth. It is for nothing that we find some kind of mysterious figures scribbled or carved on the walls of most ancient caves or dwellings of most primitive aborigines and Adivasies.
While Plato (429-347 BCE) considered all artistic creation (mimesis) an imitation of what really exists in the world of ideas in (heaven) created by God and far removed from the truth, his disciple Aristotle (384-322 BCE) disagreeing with his Guru or mentor regarded artistic representation of reality like a work of literature or a painting a complementary creative process to the process of creation created by God. An artist, by virtue of his imagination and craftsmanship, creates a work which may be aesthetically more beautiful than the real and look ideal. Its visual, intellectual and spiritual appeal may even be greater than that of its invisible form. Such is the impact of some western and oriental classics like Dante’s “The Divine Comedy”, some of Shakespeare’s and Kalidas’s plays and Sobha Singh’s portrayal of Sikh Gurus and other works. What seems to be missing in this entire debate is the inability of the those who fail to distinguish between the artistic representation of their ideal protagonists or religious icons and the commercialization of these artistic works depiction of their persona. While artistic representation in various forms is unstoppable despite all kinds of bans, fatwas or edicts throughout history of the world, commercialization of artistic works of art is completely controllable through legislative, legal and even religious proclamations. So, instead of banning all kinds of artistic representations in the religious realm, it would be far more practical and better to keep their publication on the newspaper pages and display at public places under leash where these are likely to be disfigured, mutilated and desecrated. It is easily desirable and doable. Otherwise putting a blanket ban on artistic portrayals may tantamount to throwing the baby with the bath water. Rational thinking, sense of discrimination is the highest virtue/ faculty with which human beings have been blessed by the Divine cosmic power, but a little bit of what is irrational is also integral to the human system because of the constitutional construction of human body made of flesh and flood which gives rise to the arousing of human emotions, sentiments and aspirations. Let us, therefore, conclude this debate with Galib’s words:
ਅੱਛਾ ਹੈ ਦਿਲ ਕੇ ਸਾਥ ਰਹੇ ਪਾਸਬਾਨ-ਏ-ਅਕਲ
ਲੇਕਿੰਨ ਕਭੀ ਕਭੀ ਇਸੇ ਤਨਹਾ ਭੀ ਛੱਡ ਦੇ ।
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