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Bhai Kanhaiya ji is famous for doing seva of injured soldiers by feeding them water and bandaging their wounds. He did not differentiate between Sikhs and Mughals. When asked why he served the Mughals, he responded that he saw the Guru in all beings.

From the Beginning
Five years ago, in 2011, I painted a speed painting, a sketch, known as “Bhai Kanhaiya feeds a Mughal in the midst of a Battle (2011)”

People would read the title –
Bhai Kanhaiya ji feeding water to a Mughal in the middle of a Battle?

Then they would ask –
Where’s the Mughal?
Where’s the Battle?
That looks like Guru Gobind Singh ji.
What’s going on here?

I would just smile while they tried to figure it out.

Today I will reveal the secret to you.

Who is Bhai Kanhaiya ji?
Bhai Kanhaiya ji is famous for doing seva of injured soldiers by feeding them water and bandaging their wounds. He did not differentiate between Sikhs and Mughals. When asked why he served the Mughals, he responded that he saw the Guru in all beings.

This becomes the basis for my painting of Bhai Kanhaiya ji.

There is a gruesome battle going on around Bhai Kanhaiya ji and amidst the chaos, he is feeding water to an injured Mughal soldier. The ground is covered in his blood.

However my painting of Bhai Kanhaiya ji departs from the realism of a battlefield and instead depicts the spiritual experience of Bhai Kanhaiya ji, his internal state, where he is witnessing Waheguru alone, even inside the Mughal soldier. The soldier appears to him as Guru Gobind Singh ji, who is a physical representation of Waheguru.

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Spiritual Mission
Bhai Kanhaiya ji’s father was a wealthy trader, however Bhai Sahib was looking for something other than material wealth. He left home and sought after the company of Sadhus and Saints, of those who possessed spiritual wealth. Eventually he met Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and stuck with him. Selfless service became Bhai Kanhaiya ji’s main mission. He opened a centre in current-day Pakistan for helping people regardless of their background.

Battle of Anandpur
In 1705, he was visiting Anandpur in Punjab, when Anandpur was under attack by the Mughals and Hill Chiefs. During the Battles of Anandpur, Bhai Kanhaiya ji would go around and serve water to all fallen soldiers, to the wounded and dying men in the battlefield, regardless of who they were. Guru Gobind Singh ji’s sikhs complained to the Guru that Bhai Kanhaiya was reviving the enemy soldiers. Guru Sahib called Bhai Sahib and asked him to explain himself. Bhai Kanhaiya ji responded that he saw no friends or foes, he only saw the Divine shining through. Guru ji approved of his actions and gave him bandages to further his mission.

Dumalla
In this painting, Bhai Sahib and Guru Sahib are wearing a puratan dumalla. You’ve probably noticed how different their turbans look from the turbans we see today. This due to the fact that in 1700s Punjab, Sikhs tied their turbans very differently from how we tie our turban nowadays. Their dumalla looked very different from how our dumalla looks today.

Dumalla or Dumballa means ‘two turbans’. One turban was wrapped around the head, where the larhs/folds were wrapped in a way that it covered the whole head. The second turban was used to tighten the first turban and secure it on the head. A small bit of the second turban was pulled up and fanned to form the farla, and a protruding bit on the kalgi could be tucked easily into the second turban to hold the kalgi upright. In this manner, the dumalla was decorated.

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Super Sikh’s inner qualities include – protector of loved ones, strong and calm, and his outer qualities include – turban, beard and weapons. Once I saw these qualities in Super Sikh, I became inspired to paint him. I love to paint characters that have these warrior-saint qualities, those are the best kind.

Vacuum of Strong Sikh Characters

A few years ago there were no decent sikh characters in popular Indian media. They were mostly jokers, caricatures and minor characters. So I always felt that there should be some solid sikh characters, heroes, super heroes, etc in the media. That trend has started changing, however as far as comics are concerned, we still need positive sikh characters in comics. Super Sikh is perfect for that.

The Warrior-Saint

Super Sikh’s inner qualities include – protector of loved ones, strong and calm, and his outer qualities include – turban, beard and weapons. Once I saw these qualities in Super Sikh, I became inspired to paint him. I love to paint characters that have these warrior-saint qualities, those are the best kind.

Love for Superheroes

I love super heroes and I have always been involved in making all kinds of heroic characters. A lot of my art from 2006-2008 is about Sikh super heroes, powerful Sikh mutants who have different powers and different personalities. So when I heard about this project, Super Sikh, it was right up my alley. I became super excited and I lept over tall buildings in enthusiasm, faster than a speeding bullet.

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How to Paint Super Sikh (Time Lapse + Commentary)

In this painting tutorial, I show go behind the scenes and show you how my painting of Super Sikh was created. I also talk about how to paint Super Sikh’s guns, his turban and his jacket, providing my insights into the painting process.

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In Shaivism, Shiv ji is Mahadev, the Supreme God. He is Sada Shiv, ever-present, pure consciousness, the beginning and end of all things. He is the personification of great peace and great terror in different forms.

Trip to India

I had been doing sketches of Shiva or Shiv ji as I like to call him, in my trip to India back in 2012. Having visited sacred places, spoken to devotees and meditated, I was in that zone where I was peaceful and sketching effortlessly for hours a day. The pencil just flowed even in the heat of July.

Coming Home

After summer, I came back to Canadian Winters, with a sketchbook filled with artworks of Shiv ji, Vishnu ji and Hanuman ji. I simply put my book aside and got back to my old paintings, my old routine but in the back of my mind, there was this itch to paint some of these Sacred Forms. However strong that itch, I still carried on the old routine.

Coming into my True Home

Then after I saw “Devon Ke Dev Mahadev” that feeling of wanting to paint Shiv ji manifested. I felt inspired to learn about and to paint Shiv ji. I began reading articles on him and began to get a feel for his persona. I began to meditate and access that deep peaceful pool at the center of my being. And I began to paint Shiv ji.

Religion of Shiva

In Shaivism, Shiv ji is Mahadev, the Supreme God. He is Sada Shiv, ever-present, pure consciousness, the beginning and end of all things. He is the personification of great peace and great terror in different forms.

Adi Yogi Should Have a Beard

I have painted Shiva as the Adi Yogi, and he is bearded just like his bhakts, devotees, the yogis who meditate on him. He looks out to the viewer with his eyes half closed, in a calm-meditative state, to remind them to pray for such peace. With his throat, he traps the vish, poison of the world, and with his hand, he blesses the viewer with amrit, heavenly tranquility.

Formless Shiva with Form

In this painting, he is dressed in tiger skin, rudraksh mala (rosary) and ardh chand (crescent moon). From his matter locks, trickles a small stream of the holy Ganges, Ganga river, and a cobra rests peacefully on his neck. That said Shiv ji is formless, he is not limited to any characteristics, forms and features. He transcends them all.

Order some prints of Shiv ji for your cozy home or as great gifts to loved ones!

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Newest Release
My newest painting depicting Dashmesh Pita – Guru Gobind Singh ji – is a reminder that through the Guru’s teachings we can illuminate the darkness in the mind. In this painting, Dashmesh Pita reflects Akal Purakh’s light, the way the moon reflects the sun, and when we bathe in Guru Sahib’s warmth, we become warm ourselves. Continue Reading…

The above image is a very small preview of the full portrait. Guru Sahib’s larger than life personality requires a larger than life portrait!

Upcoming Paintings
I will be introducing a new work of art in a new ‘Other Faiths’ section. In addition, I have been working away on my speed-painting of Bhai Kanhaiya, to bring it to a detailed finish. Look out for these paintings in the next email!

Sikh Heritage Month Exhibition
For the whole month of April, my artwork can be seen hanging at the prestigious PAMA – Peel Art Gallery and Museum Archives. Visit – 9 Wellington Street East in Downtown Brampton to experience the paintings in person.

Thank you for your continued support. I love you guys! Have a wonderful Vaisakhi!