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Dr. Inderjit Singh was born into a Hindu family in 1911 but later converted to Sikhi. He studied at the Hailey College of Commerce, Lahore and began his banking career at Central Bank of India in 1932, working for the United Commercial Bank (UCO Bank) between 1944 and 1960. In 1960, he joined the Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) as a General Manager. Now, the Punjab & Sind Bank's roots are inextricably tied to Sikhi.

In 1908, Sardar Trilochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sir Sundar Singh Majithia of the ongoing Singh Sabha movement envisioned a banking institution "by the Sikhs, for the Sikhs". Eventually, the bank's first branch was opened on 24 June 1908 at Hall Bazaar, Amritsar with an akhand path of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and ardas prayer by Bhai Mohan Singh, with 10,000 rupees being collected for the bank on its first opening due to Sikhs donating to the cause of an independent Sikh bank. By 1947, the bank had branches in Amritsar, Lahore, Lyallpur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Sialkot and Ludhiana, with sub-offices in Jaranwala, Lahore City and Gojra but the partition of Panjab would lead the bank to losing almost all of its branches to Pakistan, leaving it with only a couple remaining in India. Balbir Singh, brother of Bhai Vir Singh, was managing the bank during this difficult period post-partition.

With Dr. Inderjit Singh became chairman in 1968, the bank experienced a massive expansion, with the bank opening 546 new branches between 1968 and 1981. Dr. Inderjit Singh was proud of the Sikh roots of the bank, considering it the "only banking institution for the Sikhs in the country". When one external detractor at a high-level meeting asked him "Why do we see only Sikhs in your bank?", he fired-back: "First tell me the reasons, why can I not see any Sikh in other banks. Since you folks never recruited Sikhs in your banks, Sikhs have now built a bank of their own." Once when a Sikh with a trimmed beard underwent a job interview at the bank, Inderjit asked him why he did not have the appearance of his father, is he really his father's son? The Sikh came back one month later as a full-bearded Amritdhari for another interview and stated "Now I am my father’s son" and got the job. Another Sikh employee was put on one month leave for coming to work with a trimmed-beard.

Under Inderjit Singh's tenure at the bank, many calendars and books related to Sikh history were published. The calendars were especially interesting, as the bank hired Sikh artists such as Devender Singh, Mehar Singh, Bodhraj, Kirpal Singh, Rahi Mohinder Singh, Jarnail Singh, and Amolak Singh to create paintings to be reproduced in the annual, illustrated Sikh calendar that began being published in 1974. Sometimes a specific calendar year had a particular theme, for example the theme for one annual issue was dedicated to historical Sikh women while another year's theme was historical kirtaniyas (musicians). Many events and personalities from Sikh history were first popularly depicted in these annual Sikh history calendars published by the Punjab & Sind Bank. Many of these paintings for the calendar became extremely favoured amongst the Sikhs, people would cut the paintings out of the calendars and frame them for display in a space. By the early 2000s, the commissioned paintings of Sikh history for the illustrated calendar mostly became replaced with photographs (mostly of gurdwaras) in the bank's Sikh calendar, ending a decades-long system of patronage that produced many of the famous paintings that most of us grew-up seeing in our own homes and at gurdwaras. Even today, modern Sikh art is still influenced by the format set in these Sikh history paintings for the calendar from the 1970s to early 2000s.

A key figure involved in the publishing of the bank's Sikh calendar was Makhan Singh, who had earlier served as the president of the All-India Sikh Students Federation in the 1960s. Another important person was Principal Satbir Singh, who had been involved in the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC and one of the founders of the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar in 1958. In 1979, the bank hosted a large ceremony commemorating the 500th birth anniversary (gurpurab) of Sri Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji, marking the observation by opening its 500th branch in Goindwal. The celebration would be marked by the release of a postage-stamp by the Government of India reproducing artwork that had been commissioned of the artist Devender Singh. The PSB also created an archive of devotional music (kirtan) at Jalandhar and commissioned and published illustrated books for Sikh children.

Sadly, during Indira Gandhi's regime, the bank was forcibly nationalized in 1980 by the Indian central government and it has since lost its Sikh character. Dr. Inderjit Singh died in 1998. The bank used to have its past Sikh history calendars available for viewing/download on its website as recently as 2023 but even that has been silently removed in its latest website. The Sikh history of the bank has become a page in the history books and it now functions as an "Indian bank" rather than a Sikh one. The loss of an independent Sikh bank is such a gaping hole for the Sikh Panth, especially in today's world where banks rule supreme financially in the World Order, as seen by the power the United States of America wields over the world with its banking system and the American dollar as the world's reserve currency.

If you would like to see the Sikh history paintings the bank commissioned for its annual, illustrated Sikh calendar, the original paintings were later donated to the Bhai Mati Das Museum in Delhi due to the request by Kar Seva Baba Harbans Singh.

Images:

1. Portrait of Dr. Inderjit Singh, published as cover-art for the book 'Dr Inderjit Singh: The Extraordinary Life Journey of an Illustrious Banker' (2025) by Aditi Chakraborty.
2. From L to R: Satbir Singh, Makhan Singh, Tejvir Singh (the printer), Bodhraj (holding the calendar on the left), Devender Singh, Inderjit Singh (holding the calendar on the right), Tript Kaur and Damyant Kaur (members of Inderjit Singh’s family), releasing the PSB wall calendar on Guru Amar Das’s 500th birth anniversary in 1979. Source: Photo courtesy of Makhan Singh.
3. Makhan Singh (extreme right) explaining the paintings at the PSB’s exhibition at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, 1998. Source: Photo courtesy of Makhan Singh.
4. The Protective Sheet Spread over the Entire Universe. Pages from the illustrated table calendar issued by the PSB in 1979 to mark the International Year of the Child. An episode from Guru Tegh Bahadur’s childhood is illustrated here. See Appendix 1 for the Source: Kanika Singh and Devender Singh.
5. First-day cover and postage stamp commemorating Guru Amar Das. 1979. Released by the Indian Posts and Telegraph Department, Government of India. The left-hand panel features a painting by Devender Singh illustrating the story of Mughal emperor Akbar’s visit to Guru Amar Das: the Guru instructed the emperor to first participate in the common meal with the community, only then was an audience with him possible. Source: Kanika Singh and Devender Singh.
6. A page from PSB calendar issued in 1975. Photo: Kanika Singh
7. Mata Khivi by Devender Singh. This paintings was commissioned by the bank to be reproduced for its calendar and now the original painting is displayed at a museum. History painting on display at Bhai Mati Das Museum. 2012. Photo: Kanika Singh
8. Photograph of S. Tarlochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sir Sundar Singh Majithia, founders of Punjab & Sind Bank, 1907. Digitized by the Panjab Digital Library.
9. Screenshot of the bank's 2023 website, showing the calendars available for download and other Sikh-related heritage. None of this is now available on their website. It has all been wiped-clean. The bank's Sikh history is being actively forgotten today.

Reference: 'The Story of a Sikh Museum: Heritage, Politics, Popular Culture' (Cambridge University Press, 2025) by Kanika Singh

Dr. Inderjit Singh was born into a Hindu family in 1911 but later converted to Sikhi. He studied at the Hailey College of Commerce, Lahore and began his banking career at Central Bank of India in 1932, working for the United Commercial Bank (UCO Bank) between 1944 and 1960. In 1960, he joined the Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) as a General Manager. Now, the Punjab & Sind Bank's roots are inextricably tied to Sikhi.

In 1908, Sardar Trilochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sir Sundar Singh Majithia of the ongoing Singh Sabha movement envisioned a banking institution "by the Sikhs, for the Sikhs". Eventually, the bank's first branch was opened on 24 June 1908 at Hall Bazaar, Amritsar with an akhand path of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and ardas prayer by Bhai Mohan Singh, with 10,000 rupees being collected for the bank on its first opening due to Sikhs donating to the cause of an independent Sikh bank. By 1947, the bank had branches in Amritsar, Lahore, Lyallpur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Sialkot and Ludhiana, with sub-offices in Jaranwala, Lahore City and Gojra but the partition of Panjab would lead the bank to losing almost all of its branches to Pakistan, leaving it with only a couple remaining in India. Balbir Singh, brother of Bhai Vir Singh, was managing the bank during this difficult period post-partition.

With Dr. Inderjit Singh became chairman in 1968, the bank experienced a massive expansion, with the bank opening 546 new branches between 1968 and 1981. Dr. Inderjit Singh was proud of the Sikh roots of the bank, considering it the "only banking institution for the Sikhs in the country". When one external detractor at a high-level meeting asked him "Why do we see only Sikhs in your bank?", he fired-back: "First tell me the reasons, why can I not see any Sikh in other banks. Since you folks never recruited Sikhs in your banks, Sikhs have now built a bank of their own." Once when a Sikh with a trimmed beard underwent a job interview at the bank, Inderjit asked him why he did not have the appearance of his father, is he really his father's son? The Sikh came back one month later as a full-bearded Amritdhari for another interview and stated "Now I am my father’s son" and got the job. Another Sikh employee was put on one month leave for coming to work with a trimmed-beard.

Under Inderjit Singh's tenure at the bank, many calendars and books related to Sikh history were published. The calendars were especially interesting, as the bank hired Sikh artists such as Devender Singh, Mehar Singh, Bodhraj, Kirpal Singh, Rahi Mohinder Singh, Jarnail Singh, and Amolak Singh to create paintings to be reproduced in the annual, illustrated Sikh calendar that began being published in 1974. Sometimes a specific calendar year had a particular theme, for example the theme for one annual issue was dedicated to historical Sikh women while another year's theme was historical kirtaniyas (musicians). Many events and personalities from Sikh history were first popularly depicted in these annual Sikh history calendars published by the Punjab & Sind Bank. Many of these paintings for the calendar became extremely favoured amongst the Sikhs, people would cut the paintings out of the calendars and frame them for display in a space. By the early 2000s, the commissioned paintings of Sikh history for the illustrated calendar mostly became replaced with photographs (mostly of gurdwaras) in the bank's Sikh calendar, ending a decades-long system of patronage that produced many of the famous paintings that most of us grew-up seeing in our own homes and at gurdwaras. Even today, modern Sikh art is still influenced by the format set in these Sikh history paintings for the calendar from the 1970s to early 2000s.

A key figure involved in the publishing of the bank's Sikh calendar was Makhan Singh, who had earlier served as the president of the All-India Sikh Students Federation in the 1960s. Another important person was Principal Satbir Singh, who had been involved in the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC and one of the founders of the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar in 1958. In 1979, the bank hosted a large ceremony commemorating the 500th birth anniversary (gurpurab) of Sri Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji, marking the observation by opening its 500th branch in Goindwal. The celebration would be marked by the release of a postage-stamp by the Government of India reproducing artwork that had been commissioned of the artist Devender Singh. The PSB also created an archive of devotional music (kirtan) at Jalandhar and commissioned and published illustrated books for Sikh children.

Sadly, during Indira Gandhi's regime, the bank was forcibly nationalized in 1980 by the Indian central government and it has since lost its Sikh character. Dr. Inderjit Singh died in 1998. The bank used to have its past Sikh history calendars available for viewing/download on its website as recently as 2023 but even that has been silently removed in its latest website. The Sikh history of the bank has become a page in the history books and it now functions as an "Indian bank" rather than a Sikh one. The loss of an independent Sikh bank is such a gaping hole for the Sikh Panth, especially in today's world where banks rule supreme financially in the World Order, as seen by the power the United States of America wields over the world with its banking system and the American dollar as the world's reserve currency.

If you would like to see the Sikh history paintings the bank commissioned for its annual, illustrated Sikh calendar, the original paintings were later donated to the Bhai Mati Das Museum in Delhi due to the request by Kar Seva Baba Harbans Singh.

Images:

1. Portrait of Dr. Inderjit Singh, published as cover-art for the book 'Dr Inderjit Singh: The Extraordinary Life Journey of an Illustrious Banker' (2025) by Aditi Chakraborty.

2. From L to R: Satbir Singh, Makhan Singh, Tejvir Singh (the printer), Bodhraj (holding the calendar on the left), Devender Singh, Inderjit Singh (holding the calendar on the right), Tript Kaur and Damyant Kaur (members of Inderjit Singh’s family), releasing the PSB wall calendar on Guru Amar Das’s 500th birth anniversary in 1979. Source: Photo courtesy of Makhan Singh.

3. Makhan Singh (extreme right) explaining the paintings at the PSB’s exhibition at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, 1998. Source: Photo courtesy of Makhan Singh.

4. The Protective Sheet Spread over the Entire Universe. Pages from the illustrated table calendar issued by the PSB in 1979 to mark the International Year of the Child. An episode from Guru Tegh Bahadur’s childhood is illustrated here. See Appendix 1 for the Source: Kanika Singh and Devender Singh.

5. First-day cover and postage stamp commemorating Guru Amar Das. 1979. Released by the Indian Posts and Telegraph Department, Government of India. The left-hand panel features a painting by Devender Singh illustrating the story of Mughal emperor Akbar’s visit to Guru Amar Das: the Guru instructed the emperor to first participate in the common meal with the community, only then was an audience with him possible. Source: Kanika Singh and Devender Singh.

6. A page from PSB calendar issued in 1975. Photo: Kanika Singh

7. Mata Khivi by Devender Singh. This paintings was commissioned by the bank to be reproduced for its calendar and now the original painting is displayed at a museum. History painting on display at Bhai Mati Das Museum. 2012. Photo: Kanika Singh

8. Photograph of S. Tarlochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sir Sundar Singh Majithia, founders of Punjab & Sind Bank, 1907. Digitized by the Panjab Digital Library.

9. Screenshot of the bank's 2023 website, showing the calendars available for download and other Sikh-related heritage. None of this is now available on their website. It has all been wiped-clean. The bank's Sikh history is being actively forgotten today.

Reference: 'The Story of a Sikh Museum: Heritage, Politics, Popular Culture' (Cambridge University Press, 2025) by Kanika Singh

Dr. Inderjit Singh was born into a Hindu family in 1911 but later converted to Sikhi. He studied at the Hailey College of Commerce, Lahore and began his banking career at Central Bank of India in 1932, working for the United Commercial Bank (UCO Bank) between 1944 and 1960. In 1960, he joined the Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) as a General Manager. Now, the Punjab & Sind Bank's roots are inextricably tied to Sikhi.

In 1908, Sardar Trilochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sir Sundar Singh Majithia of the ongoing Singh Sabha movement envisioned a banking institution "by the Sikhs, for the Sikhs". Eventually, the bank's first branch was opened on 24 June 1908 at Hall Bazaar, Amritsar with an akhand path of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and ardas prayer by Bhai Mohan Singh, with 10,000 rupees being collected for the bank on its first opening due to Sikhs donating to the cause of an independent Sikh bank. By 1947, the bank had branches in Amritsar, Lahore, Lyallpur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Sialkot and Ludhiana, with sub-offices in Jaranwala, Lahore City and Gojra but the partition of Panjab would lead the bank to losing almost all of its branches to Pakistan, leaving it with only a couple remaining in India. Balbir Singh, brother of Bhai Vir Singh, was managing the bank during this difficult period post-partition.

With Dr. Inderjit Singh became chairman in 1968, the bank experienced a massive expansion, with the bank opening 546 new branches between 1968 and 1981. Dr. Inderjit Singh was proud of the Sikh roots of the bank, considering it the "only banking institution for the Sikhs in the country". When one external detractor at a high-level meeting asked him "Why do we see only Sikhs in your bank?", he fired-back: "First tell me the reasons, why can I not see any Sikh in other banks. Since you folks never recruited Sikhs in your banks, Sikhs have now built a bank of their own." Once when a Sikh with a trimmed beard underwent a job interview at the bank, Inderjit asked him why he did not have the appearance of his father, is he really his father's son? The Sikh came back one month later as a full-bearded Amritdhari for another interview and stated "Now I am my father’s son" and got the job. Another Sikh employee was put on one month leave for coming to work with a trimmed-beard.

Under Inderjit Singh's tenure at the bank, many calendars and books related to Sikh history were published. The calendars were especially interesting, as the bank hired Sikh artists such as Devender Singh, Mehar Singh, Bodhraj, Kirpal Singh, Rahi Mohinder Singh, Jarnail Singh, and Amolak Singh to create paintings to be reproduced in the annual, illustrated Sikh calendar that began being published in 1974. Sometimes a specific calendar year had a particular theme, for example the theme for one annual issue was dedicated to historical Sikh women while another year's theme was historical kirtaniyas (musicians). Many events and personalities from Sikh history were first popularly depicted in these annual Sikh history calendars published by the Punjab & Sind Bank. Many of these paintings for the calendar became extremely favoured amongst the Sikhs, people would cut the paintings out of the calendars and frame them for display in a space. By the early 2000s, the commissioned paintings of Sikh history for the illustrated calendar mostly became replaced with photographs (mostly of gurdwaras) in the bank's Sikh calendar, ending a decades-long system of patronage that produced many of the famous paintings that most of us grew-up seeing in our own homes and at gurdwaras. Even today, modern Sikh art is still influenced by the format set in these Sikh history paintings for the calendar from the 1970s to early 2000s.

A key figure involved in the publishing of the bank's Sikh calendar was Makhan Singh, who had earlier served as the president of the All-India Sikh Students Federation in the 1960s. Another important person was Principal Satbir Singh, who had been involved in the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC and one of the founders of the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar in 1958. In 1979, the bank hosted a large ceremony commemorating the 500th birth anniversary (gurpurab) of Sri Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji, marking the observation by opening its 500th branch in Goindwal. The celebration would be marked by the release of a postage-stamp by the Government of India reproducing artwork that had been commissioned of the artist Devender Singh. The PSB also created an archive of devotional music (kirtan) at Jalandhar and commissioned and published illustrated books for Sikh children.

Sadly, during Indira Gandhi's regime, the bank was forcibly nationalized in 1980 by the Indian central government and it has since lost its Sikh character. Dr. Inderjit Singh died in 1998. The bank used to have its past Sikh history calendars available for viewing/download on its website as recently as 2023 but even that has been silently removed in its latest website. The Sikh history of the bank has become a page in the history books and it now functions as an "Indian bank" rather than a Sikh one. The loss of an independent Sikh bank is such a gaping hole for the Sikh Panth, especially in today's world where banks rule supreme financially in the World Order, as seen by the power the United States of America wields over the world with its banking system and the American dollar as the world's reserve currency.

If you would like to see the Sikh history paintings the bank commissioned for its annual, illustrated Sikh calendar, the original paintings were later donated to the Bhai Mati Das Museum in Delhi due to the request by Kar Seva Baba Harbans Singh.

Images:

1. Portrait of Dr. Inderjit Singh, published as cover-art for the book 'Dr Inderjit Singh: The Extraordinary Life Journey of an Illustrious Banker' (2025) by Aditi Chakraborty.

2. From L to R: Satbir Singh, Makhan Singh, Tejvir Singh (the printer), Bodhraj (holding the calendar on the left), Devender Singh, Inderjit Singh (holding the calendar on the right), Tript Kaur and Damyant Kaur (members of Inderjit Singh’s family), releasing the PSB wall calendar on Guru Amar Das’s 500th birth anniversary in 1979. Source: Photo courtesy of Makhan Singh.

3. Makhan Singh (extreme right) explaining the paintings at the PSB’s exhibition at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, 1998. Source: Photo courtesy of Makhan Singh.

4. The Protective Sheet Spread over the Entire Universe. Pages from the illustrated table calendar issued by the PSB in 1979 to mark the International Year of the Child. An episode from Guru Tegh Bahadur’s childhood is illustrated here. See Appendix 1 for the Source: Kanika Singh and Devender Singh.

5. First-day cover and postage stamp commemorating Guru Amar Das. 1979. Released by the Indian Posts and Telegraph Department, Government of India. The left-hand panel features a painting by Devender Singh illustrating the story of Mughal emperor Akbar’s visit to Guru Amar Das: the Guru instructed the emperor to first participate in the common meal with the community, only then was an audience with him possible. Source: Kanika Singh and Devender Singh.

6. A page from PSB calendar issued in 1975. Photo: Kanika Singh

7. Mata Khivi by Devender Singh. This paintings was commissioned by the bank to be reproduced for its calendar and now the original painting is displayed at a museum. History painting on display at Bhai Mati Das Museum. 2012. Photo: Kanika Singh

8. Photograph of S. Tarlochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sir Sundar Singh Majithia, founders of Punjab & Sind Bank, 1907. Digitized by the Panjab Digital Library.

9. Screenshot of the bank's 2023 website, showing the calendars available for download and other Sikh-related heritage. None of this is now available on their website. It has all been wiped-clean. The bank's Sikh history is being actively forgotten today.

Reference: 'The Story of a Sikh Museum: Heritage, Politics, Popular Culture' (Cambridge University Press, 2025) by Kanika Singh

In Sikh historiography, sometimes the question arises, “Where are the women”? As many of the traditional Sikh accounts are rather silent on the lives of the women and girls of the Panth. Few Sikhs today acknowledge the Guru-Mahal tradition, consisting of four revered women such as Mata Bhani, Mata Ganga, Mata Kishan Kaur, and Mata Gujri, the four consorts who were honoured as the Guru-Mahals. Mata Khivi is one of these respected women.

Few historical details on her life have been recorded, we can only reconstruct the details based on what is known. What is clear is that she played a pivotal role in the early Sikh community, especially in the Langar and Pangat. In fact, she is the only Sikh woman mentioned by name in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which attests to the respect she had in the Sikh Quom. One full couplet in the vaar of Satta Balvand is dedicated to Mata Khivi Ji, describing her as a good person, an affectionate mother, and a protector. When Bhai Lehna Ji became a devotee of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, his wife Maya Khivi Ji supported him fully. Bhai Lehna Ji had originally been going on pilgrimages to Jawalamukhi shrine when on one of these trips he was accompanied by Mata Khivi Ji when both met Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who gave both of them his blessings. Guru Nanak Dev Ji would often visit the couple at Khadur Sahib. Her husband ascended to the guruship in 1539 and she became responsible for the complete management and expansion of the Langar tradition. As per Bhai Vir Singh, the guru bestowed an ‘ann danda karcha’ (ladle for serving langar) to Mata Khivi.

After her husband’s Joti Jot and the passing of the guruship to Sri Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji, Mata Khivi Ji remained a pillar in the Sikh Panth, supporting the guruship lineage and not the controversies stirred up by her sons Dattu and Dasu. According to Vir Singh, when Dasu became ill, it was Mata Khivi Ji who convinced him to go to the third guru, who blessed him, leading him to recover from his ailment. In fact, Mata Ji had the blessing to receive the darshan (auspicious sight) of five Sikh gurus, living up until the period of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji & passing away in 1582, the guru attended her funeral.

Images:

1. Relief work depicting Mata Khivi Ji serving langar, from the Baba Baghel Singh Sikh Heritage Multimedia Museum (est. 2014) at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, India.

2. Chapter on Mata Khivi Ji by Dr. Jaspal Singh found in the book ‘The Guru Consorts’ (Radha Publications) by Mohinder Kaur Gill.

He was a Panjabi Muslim folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal-rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent from the recorded history and the only evidence of his existence comes from Panjabi folk songs. His image has been described as being akin to Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Many tales narrate his life. This Panjabi festival of Lohri is connected to him.

This depiction was published in the work Dulla Bhatti Kalan. Shoutout to X/Twitter user maula_jatt_v2 for finding this.

He was a Panjabi Muslim folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal-rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent from the recorded history and the only evidence of his existence comes from Panjabi folk songs. His image has been described as being akin to Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Many tales narrate his life. This Panjabi festival of Lohri is connected to him.

This depiction was published in the work Dulla Bhatti Kalan. Shoutout to X/Twitter user maula_jatt_v2 for finding this.

He was a Panjabi Muslim folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal-rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent from the recorded history and the only evidence of his existence comes from Panjabi folk songs. His image has been described as being akin to Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Many tales narrate his life. This Panjabi festival of Lohri is connected to him.

This depiction was published in the work Dulla Bhatti Kalan. Shoutout to X/Twitter user maula_jatt_v2 for finding this.

He was a Panjabi Muslim folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal-rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent from the recorded history and the only evidence of his existence comes from Panjabi folk songs. His image has been described as being akin to Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Many tales narrate his life. This depiction was published in the work Dulla Bhatti Kalan. Shoutout to X/Twitter user maula_jatt_v2 for finding this.

In the late colonial period in the early 20th century, the traditional miniature style of painting had already long been displaced by realist oil paintings introduced to the Sikhs from the West. Two Sikh artists from the period stand-out whose influence still impacts us today, namely Sobha Singh and Kirpal Singh. Each one propounded a painting style that came to dominate. In Indian art, the term rasa is used to describe a particular emotion and aesthetic that is evoked when looking upon an art-piece. Sobha Singh painted principally in the shanta rasa, described as conjuring a sense of calmness, serenity, and tranquility upon the viewer, achieved through certain colours, mannerisms, and symbolisms. Meanwhile, Kirpal Singh painted in the very different veer rasa, bibhatsa rasa, and bhayanaka rasa styles, instilling a sense of heroism, terror, violence, and shock to the audience, characterised by the raw and gritty portrayals. In Kirpal Singh's works, one overwhelming theme is present: shahadat tasveeran (martyrdom images), the start of a trend that become hegemonic in the 20th century of Sikh painting.

Kirpal Singh was a man of humble means, he was born in 1923 into a Ramgarhia family of carpenters in a village in Zira tehsil, present-day Firozpur district. His father had carved the Jain temple of Zira's wooden-gate. Kirpal had no formal higher-level education in art. He became interested in producing artwork after witnessing girls' in his house's courtyard crafting colourful phulkaris, he too wanted to create beauty with his hands. One of his first drawings as a child was of a scene from the Baburnama, which he was very proud of, hanging it in his room at home. He would make sketches in his note-book and copy the images from his text-books in-order to hone his young skills. He later studied at Sanatan Dharma College in Lahore, undivided Panjab. In 1940, he did a series of pilgrimage tours to the various gurdwaras of the city, especially the ones associated with historical and religious martyrs (shaheeds) of the Sikh Quom, a plethora of which are located in the cultural-capital of the Panjab. At the same time, the birth anniversary was being celebrated in Lahore while he was touring. One can imagine what kind of impact seeing these places first-hand at such an auspicious time had on the mind of the young Kirpal.

After studying, he became employed in the colonial military's accounts department but the partition of Panjab in 1947 made him shift to Jalandhar. At Jalandhar, he became acquainted with the works and styles of the European masters of art, names such as Ilya Repin, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rubens, whose work would influence Kirpal there-after. In 1952, he moved to Delhi to work as a commercial-artist but came to dislike the trade. At one point, he was operating out of a farm in rural Haryana, with him creating a painting of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib at Gwalior Fort. After a couple of disappointing exhibitions of his works, Kirpal struck-luck in 1956, when the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee hired him and other Sikh artists to work under their patronage to create paintings depicting scenes from Sikh history, which were to be housed in the Central Sikh Museum, established two years later in 1958 at Amritsar. All the artists the SGPC hired for the task painted in the western realism style, officiating the method in Sikh art tradition and giving it a sanctified status. However, Kirpal had trouble with the curator of the museum and quarreled with them often, with Kirpal coming to dislike living in the city, despite its sacred-status. He began wearing a black chola, coming to identify with the Sufi practice of asceticism.

Eventually, Kirpal quit his SGPC role and shifted to Delhi, working for other patrons. One day he caught the eye of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, who invited him Chandigarh. Kirpal had some interesting jobs under Randhawa, from painting some of the largest works ever created in India for the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozeshah to painting dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era for the Museum of [the] Evolution of Life! In 1984, he re-painted some of the works he had done previously for the Central Sikh Museum in a more detailed manner. Unfortunately, he died in an accident in 1990. He is survived by a son named Jarnail Singh, who followed in his father's foot-steps as an artist. He also had a daughter, with not much being known about her.

Now we shall discuss his art-style. Kirpal Singh clearly favoured both the somber and inspirational episodes of Sikh Itihaas (history). He enjoyed depicting the Sikh gurus, martyrs, and heroes from the pages of the Sikh past, showcasing their bravery and resilience against the utter barbarity and cruelty of their opponents. These motifs inspire Sikhs of today to recall their ancestors and forebearers, instilling a sense of self-reflection within our souls, leading us to also gain the strength to face the hardship that life poses to each and every one of us. The backgrounds of his paintings are always rather blurry, calling us to pay attention to the primary scene and bask in its message. There is a certain sense of brave and resounding masculinity imbued in his portrayals of Sikh warriors in-particular, shown proudly and regally, armed with weapons and on-horseback, eliciting the Sikh principles of Tyar Bar Tyar ("ready upon ready"), Chardi Kala (unrelenting optimism no matter the situation faced), and Sant-Sipahi (saint-warriors).

This style of painting became extremely popular and many painters after Kirpal Singh were inspired by his work, even emulating and copying his paintings, not as plagiarism but out of respect and honour for the great-master. Today, you can see his paintings decorating the walls of our homes and the langar halls (community-kitchens) of our sacred sites. I hope you enjoyed reading this and next-time you see a painting by Kirpal Singh, take a moment to appreciate it and feel the emotions it evokes within you.

If you want to see his paintings, many are housed in Sikh museums such as the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar, the Sardar Baghel Singh Museum of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Niwas at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib, at Punjabi University (Patiala), Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana), the Sikh Regimental Centre in Rampur, the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozeshah, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, and the Government Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh. I am sharing high-resolution scans of a selection of his works so that you may savour them. I decided to omit including captions of the paintings as I did not want to bias them with my own interpretation and I leave you as the viewer to come to you own conclusions on the scenes depicted. However, nearly all depict famous sakhis (tales), events, or figures from the annals of Sikh history.

Acknowledgments: I would like to take a moment to recognize the research of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, Gurmukh Singh, and Sayan Gupta, whose writings I consulted to create an accurate piece on Kirpal Singh's life and style.

In the late colonial period in the early 20th century, the traditional miniature style of painting had already long been displaced by realist oil paintings introduced to the Sikhs from the West. Two Sikh artists from the period stand-out whose influence still impacts us today, namely Sobha Singh and Kirpal Singh. Each one propounded a painting style that came to dominate. In Indian art, the term rasa is used to describe a particular emotion and aesthetic that is evoked when looking upon an art-piece. Sobha Singh painted principally in the shanta rasa, described as conjuring a sense of calmness, serenity, and tranquility upon the viewer, achieved through certain colours, mannerisms, and symbolisms. Meanwhile, Kirpal Singh painted in the very different veer rasa, bibhatsa rasa, and bhayanaka rasa styles, instilling a sense of heroism, terror, violence, and shock to the audience, characterised by the raw and gritty portrayals. In Kirpal Singh's works, one overwhelming theme is present: shahadat tasveeran (martyrdom images), the start of a trend that become hegemonic in the 20th century of Sikh painting.

Kirpal Singh was a man of humble means, he was born in 1923 into a Ramgarhia family of carpenters in a village in Zira tehsil, present-day Firozpur district. His father had carved the Jain temple of Zira's wooden-gate. Kirpal had no formal higher-level education in art. He became interested in producing artwork after witnessing girls' in his house's courtyard crafting colourful phulkaris, he too wanted to create beauty with his hands. One of his first drawings as a child was of a scene from the Baburnama, which he was very proud of, hanging it in his room at home. He would make sketches in his note-book and copy the images from his text-books in-order to hone his young skills. He later studied at Sanatan Dharma College in Lahore, undivided Panjab. In 1940, he did a series of pilgrimage tours to the various gurdwaras of the city, especially the ones associated with historical and religious martyrs (shaheeds) of the Sikh Quom, a plethora of which are located in the cultural-capital of the Panjab. At the same time, the birth anniversary was being celebrated in Lahore while he was touring. One can imagine what kind of impact seeing these places first-hand at such an auspicious time had on the mind of the young Kirpal.

After studying, he became employed in the colonial military's accounts department but the partition of Panjab in 1947 made him shift to Jalandhar. At Jalandhar, he became acquainted with the works and styles of the European masters of art, names such as Ilya Repin, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rubens, whose work would influence Kirpal there-after. In 1952, he moved to Delhi to work as a commercial-artist but came to dislike the trade. At one point, he was operating out of a farm in rural Haryana, with him creating a painting of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib at Gwalior Fort. After a couple of disappointing exhibitions of his works, Kirpal struck-luck in 1956, when the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee hired him and other Sikh artists to work under their patronage to create paintings depicting scenes from Sikh history, which were to be housed in the Central Sikh Museum, established two years later in 1958 at Amritsar. All the artists the SGPC hired for the task painted in the western realism style, officiating the method in Sikh art tradition and giving it a sanctified status. However, Kirpal had trouble with the curator of the museum and quarreled with them often, with Kirpal coming to dislike living in the city, despite its sacred-status. He began wearing a black chola, coming to identify with the Sufi practice of asceticism.

Eventually, Kirpal quit his SGPC role and shifted to Delhi, working for other patrons. One day he caught the eye of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, who invited him Chandigarh. Kirpal had some interesting jobs under Randhawa, from painting some of the largest works ever created in India for the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozeshah to painting dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era for the Museum of [the] Evolution of Life! In 1984, he re-painted some of the works he had done previously for the Central Sikh Museum in a more detailed manner. Unfortunately, he died in an accident in 1990. He is survived by a son named Jarnail Singh, who followed in his father's foot-steps as an artist. He also had a daughter, with not much being known about her.

Now we shall discuss his art-style. Kirpal Singh clearly favoured both the somber and inspirational episodes of Sikh Itihaas (history). He enjoyed depicting the Sikh gurus, martyrs, and heroes from the pages of the Sikh past, showcasing their bravery and resilience against the utter barbarity and cruelty of their opponents. These motifs inspire Sikhs of today to recall their ancestors and forebearers, instilling a sense of self-reflection within our souls, leading us to also gain the strength to face the hardship that life poses to each and every one of us. The backgrounds of his paintings are always rather blurry, calling us to pay attention to the primary scene and bask in its message. There is a certain sense of brave and resounding masculinity imbued in his portrayals of Sikh warriors in-particular, shown proudly and regally, armed with weapons and on-horseback, eliciting the Sikh principles of Tyar Bar Tyar ("ready upon ready"), Chardi Kala (unrelenting optimism no matter the situation faced), and Sant-Sipahi (saint-warriors).

This style of painting became extremely popular and many painters after Kirpal Singh were inspired by his work, even emulating and copying his paintings, not as plagiarism but out of respect and honour for the great-master. Today, you can see his paintings decorating the walls of our homes and the langar halls (community-kitchens) of our sacred sites. I hope you enjoyed reading this and next-time you see a painting by Kirpal Singh, take a moment to appreciate it and feel the emotions it evokes within you.

If you want to see his paintings, many are housed in Sikh museums such as the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar, the Sardar Baghel Singh Museum of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Niwas at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib, at Punjabi University (Patiala), Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana), the Sikh Regimental Centre in Rampur, the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozeshah, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, and the Government Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh. I am sharing high-resolution scans of a selection of his works so that you may savour them. I decided to omit including captions of the paintings as I did not want to bias them with my own interpretation and I leave you as the viewer to come to you own conclusions on the scenes depicted. However, nearly all depict famous sakhis (tales), events, or figures from the annals of Sikh history.

Acknowledgments: I would like to take a moment to recognize the research of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, Gurmukh Singh, and Sayan Gupta, whose writings I consulted to create an accurate piece on Kirpal Singh's life and style.

In the late colonial period in the early 20th century, the traditional miniature style of painting had already long been displaced by realist oil paintings introduced to the Sikhs from the West. Two Sikh artists from the period stand-out whose influence still impacts us today, namely Sobha Singh and Kirpal Singh. Each one propounded a painting style that came to dominate. In Indian art, the term rasa is used to describe a particular emotion and aesthetic that is evoked when looking upon an art-piece. Sobha Singh painted principally in the shanta rasa, described as conjuring a sense of calmness, serenity, and tranquility upon the viewer, achieved through certain colours, mannerisms, and symbolisms. Meanwhile, Kirpal Singh painted in the very different veer rasa, bibhatsa rasa, and bhayanaka rasa styles, instilling a sense of heroism, terror, violence, and shock to the audience, characterised by the raw and gritty portrayals. In Kirpal Singh's works, one overwhelming theme is present: shahadat tasveeran (martyrdom images), the start of a trend that become hegemonic in the 20th century of Sikh painting.

Kirpal Singh was a man of humble means, he was born in 1923 into a Ramgarhia family of carpenters in a village in Zira tehsil, present-day Firozpur district. His father had carved the Jain temple of Zira's wooden-gate. Kirpal had no formal higher-level education in art. He became interested in producing artwork after witnessing girls' in his house's courtyard crafting colourful phulkaris, he too wanted to create beauty with his hands. One of his first drawings as a child was of a scene from the Baburnama, which he was very proud of, hanging it in his room at home. He would make sketches in his note-book and copy the images from his text-books in-order to hone his young skills. He later studied at Sanatan Dharma College in Lahore, undivided Panjab. In 1940, he did a series of pilgrimage tours to the various gurdwaras of the city, especially the ones associated with historical and religious martyrs (shaheeds) of the Sikh Quom, a plethora of which are located in the cultural-capital of the Panjab. At the same time, the birth anniversary was being celebrated in Lahore while he was touring. One can imagine what kind of impact seeing these places first-hand at such an auspicious time had on the mind of the young Kirpal.

After studying, he became employed in the colonial military's accounts department but the partition of Panjab in 1947 made him shift to Jalandhar. At Jalandhar, he became acquainted with the works and styles of the European masters of art, names such as Ilya Repin, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rubens, whose work would influence Kirpal there-after. In 1952, he moved to Delhi to work as a commercial-artist but came to dislike the trade. At one point, he was operating out of a farm in rural Haryana, with him creating a painting of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib at Gwalior Fort. After a couple of disappointing exhibitions of his works, Kirpal struck-luck in 1956, when the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee hired him and other Sikh artists to work under their patronage to create paintings depicting scenes from Sikh history, which were to be housed in the Central Sikh Museum, established two years later in 1958 at Amritsar. All the artists the SGPC hired for the task painted in the western realism style, officiating the method in Sikh art tradition and giving it a sanctified status. However, Kirpal had trouble with the curator of the museum and quarreled with them often, with Kirpal coming to dislike living in the city, despite its sacred-status. He began wearing a black chola, coming to identify with the Sufi practice of asceticism.

Eventually, Kirpal quit his SGPC role and shifted to Delhi, working for other patrons. One day he caught the eye of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, who invited him Chandigarh. Kirpal had some interesting jobs under Randhawa, from painting some of the largest works ever created in India for the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozeshah to painting dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era for the Museum of [the] Evolution of Life! In 1984, he re-painted some of the works he had done previously for the Central Sikh Museum in a more detailed manner. Unfortunately, he died in an accident in 1990. He is survived by a son named Jarnail Singh, who followed in his father's foot-steps as an artist. He also had a daughter, with not much being known about her.

Now we shall discuss his art-style. Kirpal Singh clearly favoured both the somber and inspirational episodes of Sikh Itihaas (history). He enjoyed depicting the Sikh gurus, martyrs, and heroes from the pages of the Sikh past, showcasing their bravery and resilience against the utter barbarity and cruelty of their opponents. These motifs inspire Sikhs of today to recall their ancestors and forebearers, instilling a sense of self-reflection within our souls, leading us to also gain the strength to face the hardship that life poses to each and every one of us. The backgrounds of his paintings are always rather blurry, calling us to pay attention to the primary scene and bask in its message. There is a certain sense of brave and resounding masculinity imbued in his portrayals of Sikh warriors in-particular, shown proudly and regally, armed with weapons and on-horseback, eliciting the Sikh principles of Tyar Bar Tyar ("ready upon ready"), Chardi Kala (unrelenting optimism no matter the situation faced), and Sant-Sipahi (saint-warriors).

This style of painting became extremely popular and many painters after Kirpal Singh were inspired by his work, even emulating and copying his paintings, not as plagiarism but out of respect and honour for the great-master. Today, you can see his paintings decorating the walls of our homes and the langar halls (community-kitchens) of our sacred sites. I hope you enjoyed reading this and next-time you see a painting by Kirpal Singh, take a moment to appreciate it and feel the emotions it evokes within you.

If you want to see his paintings, many are housed in Sikh museums such as the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar, the Sardar Baghel Singh Museum of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Niwas at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib, at Punjabi University (Patiala), Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana), the Sikh Regimental Centre in Rampur, the Anglo-Sikh War Memorial in Ferozeshah, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, and the Government Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh. I am sharing high-resolution scans of a selection of his works so that you may savour them. I decided to omit including captions of the paintings as I did not want to bias them with my own interpretation and I leave you as the viewer to come to you own conclusions on the scenes depicted. However, nearly all depict famous sakhis (tales), events, or figures from the annals of Sikh history.

Acknowledgments: I would like to take a moment to recognize the research of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, Gurmukh Singh, and Sayan Gupta, whose writings I consulted to create an accurate piece on Kirpal Singh's life and style.

No AI please.

It is fascinating that one of the strongest leftist movements in the Indian subcontinent arose amongst the Sikhs of the Panjab. With the short-comings of the Ghadar movement by the late 1910's and the consequences of the Lahore Conspiracy and Hindu-German Conspiracy trials, many Ghadarites became disillusioned with their methods and looked for other revolutionary methods. One Ghadarite named Santokh Singh was imprisoned on an island in the United States, with him befriending an American Communist while in-jail, who shared the ideology with Santokh.

After release from jail, Santokh Singh became rejuvenated with the idea that Communism was the answer for freeing the Sikhs and Panjab of British colonial tyranny and the creation of an egalitarian post-colonial Panjab. He founded a Communist mouthpiece known as the Kirti in 1926 to propagate his views. It found early success due to how Santokh Singh utilized Sikh scriptural excerpts and merged the religion's tenets with Communist ideologies to successfully reached the Sikh peasants and labourers of the land. The Sikhs even sent two representatives who met with Vladamir Lenin in the newly-founded Soviet Union and sent five Ghadarites to a Soviet university to student Communist methods. However, while Santokh Singh utilized Sikhi in his Communist message, his successor Sohan Singh Josh found that the contemporary Sikh political movements were too "dogmatic" and "exclusionary", thus he shifted the Sikh Communist movement to a more secular one, which attracted more Panjabi Hindus and Muslims to the Kirti movement, with Josh founding the Kirti Kisan Sabha of Panjab in 1928. While Santokh Singh had quoted from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Sohan Singh Josh instead quoted from Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto. Hence-forth, the distance between the Sikh movement and the leftist movement of Panjab widened and became distant from each-other. If we looks at the years of the Panjab Insurgency in the 1980's and 1990's, many killings occurred between the leftists and Sikh insurgents.

The Kirti Kisan Sabha was even more well-funded and popular than the Communist Party of Punjab, owing to many oversees Ghadarites financially supporting it. However, the party was out-lawed in 1934 by the British colonial administration and its remnants were absorbed by the Communist Party of Punjab in 1942.

Pictured:

1. Darshan Singh Pheruman (second from left) under arrest in Amritsar following his participation in a 1938 mogha (canal) morcha. He is standing alongside communist activists, including Sohan Singh Bhakna (second from right). Source: Amarjit Chandan Collection
2. Cover depicting the body of a worker being garlanded by the extended arms of the Kirti. Source: Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall
3. Kirti cover depicting an agriculturist and a factory worker. Source: Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall
4. Noted Ghadarite, ‘Baba’ Jawala Singh, lying in state surrounded by comrades. Jawala Singh died in a bus accident in 1938 on his way to the All India Kisan Conference. The banners in the background proclaim Jawala Singh as a patriot and leader of workers and peasants, and as a founder of the revolutionary movement. The woman sitting to the immediate right of Jawala Singh’s body is Raghbir Kaur, the only communist woman MLA elected to the Punjab Assembly in the 1936–37 elections. Standing right behind is Sohan Singh Bhakna. Source: Amarjit Chandan Collection
5. Communists marching in the Harse Chhina agitation against decreased irrigation distribution in 1946. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
6. Peasants – men, women, and children – marching across fields in the 1946 communist-led Harse Chhina agitation. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
7. Women listening to a speaker at the Harse Chhina agitation. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

Figures and info published in: Raza, Ali. Revolutionary Pasts: Communist Internationalism in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press; 2020.

I am an amateur Sikh historian who has wanted to write a dedicated article covering the entire history of Sikh Communism and socialism. However, if anyone knows where I may find resources or knows any information that may help with the task, please let me know. Thank you! I will share some interesting images related to leftist ideologies in Panjab.

Pictured:

1. Darshan Singh Pheruman (second from left) under arrest in Amritsar following his participation in a 1938 mogha (canal) morcha. He is standing alongside communist activists, including Sohan Singh Bhakna (second from right). Source: Amarjit Chandan Collection

2. Cover depicting the body of a worker being garlanded by the extended arms of the Kirti. Source: Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall

3. Kirti cover depicting an agriculturist and a factory worker. Source: Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall

4. Noted Ghadarite, ‘Baba’ Jawala Singh, lying in state surrounded by comrades. Jawala Singh died in a bus accident in 1938 on his way to the All India Kisan Conference. The banners in the background proclaim Jawala Singh as a patriot and leader of workers and peasants, and as a founder of the revolutionary movement. The woman sitting to the immediate right of Jawala Singh’s body is Raghbir Kaur, the only communist woman MLA elected to the Punjab Assembly in the 1936–37 elections. Standing right behind is Sohan Singh Bhakna. Source: Amarjit Chandan Collection

5. Communists marching in the Harse Chhina agitation against decreased irrigation distribution in 1946. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

6. Peasants – men, women, and children – marching across fields in the 1946 communist-led Harse Chhina agitation. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

7. Women listening to a speaker at the Harse Chhina agitation. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

Figures and info published in: Raza, Ali. Revolutionary Pasts: Communist Internationalism in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press; 2020.

I am an amateur Sikh historian who has wanted to write a dedicated article covering the entire history of Sikh Communism and socialism. However, if anyone knows where I may find resources or knows any information that may help with the task, please let me know. Thank you! I will share some interesting images related to leftist ideologies in Panjab.

Pictured:

1. Darshan Singh Pheruman (second from left) under arrest in Amritsar following his participation in a 1938 mogha (canal) morcha. He is standing alongside communist activists, including Sohan Singh Bhakna (second from right). Source: Amarjit Chandan Collection

2. Cover depicting the body of a worker being garlanded by the extended arms of the Kirti. Source: Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall

3. Kirti cover depicting an agriculturist and a factory worker. Source: Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall

4. Noted Ghadarite, ‘Baba’ Jawala Singh, lying in state surrounded by comrades. Jawala Singh died in a bus accident in 1938 on his way to the All India Kisan Conference. The banners in the background proclaim Jawala Singh as a patriot and leader of workers and peasants, and as a founder of the revolutionary movement. The woman sitting to the immediate right of Jawala Singh’s body is Raghbir Kaur, the only communist woman MLA elected to the Punjab Assembly in the 1936–37 elections. Standing right behind is Sohan Singh Bhakna. Source: Amarjit Chandan Collection

5. Communists marching in the Harse Chhina agitation against decreased irrigation distribution in 1946. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

6. Peasants – men, women, and children – marching across fields in the 1946 communist-led Harse Chhina agitation. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

7. Women listening to a speaker at the Harse Chhina agitation. Source: Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

Figures and info published in: Raza, Ali. Revolutionary Pasts: Communist Internationalism in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press; 2020.

Published in:  Singh, Visakha (1953–1955). Mālavā sikha itihāsa ਮਾਲਵਾ ਸਿੱਖ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ [Malwa Sikh History] (PDF) (three volumes in Punjabi). Kishampura Kalan, Zira tehsil, Ferozepur district, Punjab, India: Gurmat Pracharak Singh Sabha.

There is a painting by Gian Singh Naqqash of the two figures meeting but I cannot find any sakhi documenting any such meeting between them. Does anyone know more?

It's a religious symbol from Punjab, India.

Unfortunately, nearly all the remaining Jain sites were heavily vandalized or demolished in revenge attacks after the December 1992 Babri Masjid incident. Sorry, I had to censor some images of the tirthankars because Reddit's automated filters kept removing my post with them.

Published in: Hameed, Muhammad (1 December 2012). Enigma of Silence: Current Research into Jainism, Jain Heritage and artifacts in Pakistan (PDF). Lahore: Department of Archaeology, University of the Punjab.