Sikh Artwork on Display at Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

In 1999, Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, chairman of the Sikh Foundation, made a gift of $500,000 and approximately 100 Sikh art objects to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. With this generous gift, the Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery--named for Dr. Kapany's wife--was established. This gallery is the only permanent collection of Sikh art in a North American museum. Because many of the objects date from the 18th and 19th centuries and are sensitive to light, they can only be displayed for short periods of time. As a result, the contents of the Sikh art gallery change approximately every six months.

Details on the artwork currently on display are below. Visit the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street in San Francisco, for the full experience! Visit their website for information about hours, admission, location and directions. 

Seal ring of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1812-1813 India; Amritsar, Punjab state; or Pakistan; Lahore, Punjab province Emerald and gold Lent by the Kapany Collection, R2000.44.2. Image Copyright Kapany Collection.  Photograph provided by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
Decorated box owned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, approx. 1660-1700 India, Gujarat state; or Pakistan, Sindh province Wood inlaid with ivory and tortoiseshell; overlaid carved ivory panels; interior compartments of sandalwood and velvet Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.61. Copyright Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
Ranjit Singh with Hira Singh, approx. 1835-1839 India, Punjab state; or Pakistan, Punjab province Opaque watercolors and gold on paper Lent by the Kapany Collection, 2004.44.3.  Image Copyright Kapany Collection. Photograph provided by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
Runjeet [Ranjit] Singh, Founder of the Punjab Empire, approx. 1860 Engraved by George J. Stodart, British (d. 1884), from a drawing by an Indian artist From J.H. Nolan, The Illustrated History of the British Empire in India and the East, from the Earliest Times to the Suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1859, vol. 2 (London: James S. Virtues) Hand-colored steel-plate engraving  Lent by Robert J. Del Bontà, R2007.5.1. Image  Copyright Robert J. Del Bontà. Used by Permission.
The Late Maha Raja Runjeet [Ranjit] Singh, 1844 Drawn by Emily Eden (British, 1797–1869) From her Portraits of the Princes and People of India (London: J. Dickinson & Son) Hand-colored lithograph from Eden’s original drawing Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.63.13.  Copyright Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Used by Permission.
Lahore—vue générale, approx. 1870–1880 Drawn by Taylor (British), after a photograph by Bourne and Shepard (British) Woodcut engraving by Antoine Valérie Bertrand (French), probably from Le tour du monde (World Tour) Lent by Robert J. Del Bontà, R2007.5.5.  Image Copyright Robert J. Del Bontà. Used by Permission.
Young Maharaja Ranjit Singh, approx. 1800–1875 North India Gouache on paper Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.96. Copyright Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
Portrait of Maharani Rani Jindan, 1863 By George Richmond (British, 1817–1863) Oil on canvas Lent by the Kapany Collection, R2007.47.3.  Image Copyright Kapany Collection. Photograph provided by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
Necklace owned by Rani Jindan, approx. 1800–1850 India or Pakistan Diamonds, pearls, rubies, emeralds, enamel, and gold foil  Lent by the Kapany Collection, R2007.47.2.a-.b and R2007.47.1. Image Copyright Kapany Collection. Photograph provided by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
H.R.H. the Maharajah Dhuleep [Dalip] Singh, approx. 1860  Engraved by D.J. Pound (British, active 1842–1877), based on a photograph by John Jabez Edwin Mayall (also known as Jabez Meal; British-born American, 1813–1901) Hand-colored line and stipple engraving  Lent by Robert J. Del Bontà, R2007.5.3. Image Copyright Robert J. Del Bontà.  Used by Permission.
The Noble Hand (Panja Sahib), 2001 By Arpana Caur (Indian, b. 1954) Oil on canvas Lent by the Kapany Collection, R2007.50.1. Image Copyright Kapany Collection. Photograph provided by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.
Sohni and Mahiwal, 2000 Arpana Caur (Indian, b. 1954) Oil on canvas Lent by the Kapany Collection, R2007.50.2. Image Copyright Kapany Collection. Photograph provided by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.  Used by Permission.

Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies Established at California State University, East Bay

The first endowed chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies in the California State University system has just been established at CSU East Bay, named for Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal, a leader in the East Bay Sikh community who taught mathematics at the university since 1968 and who passed away July 23, 2006 at the age of 81.

"I'm very proud to be part of this collaboration between our university and the Sikh community in creating the endowed chair in Sikh and Punjabi studies," said CSU East Bay President Mohammad H. Qayoumi. "Not only are we creating an important cultural and academic resource, but we're also honoring Dr. Sabharwal, who for so many years was a beloved member of this university."

Sabharwal was instrumental in founding the Sikh temples in Fremont and Hayward and watched them thrive as the Bay Area Sikh community grew from 20 families in the 1960s to more than 20,000 families. "My father was always community-minded and also keen that we maintain support for education as well," said his son, Paul Sabharwal. "He used to say that 'the university is the temple of education.'"

In 2003, the professor endowed the Sabharwal Family Scholarship Fund for CSUEB mathematics students. But that was just the beginning of his plans to connect the Sikh community with higher education. As a way to preserve Sikh and Punjabi traditions for future generations and to further understanding among non-Indians, Sabharwal dreamed of endowing a chair at CSUEB to explore the language, culture, politics and religion of his homeland.

"My father was a visionary leader on raising private support from the community," said Paul Sabharwal. "He was optimistic that his vision would become reality through the support and generosity of the Sikh community."

After his father's death, the Sabharwal family, the Palo Alto-based Sikh Foundation and members of the Sikh community raised $500,000 to endow a chair in his honor. More than 300 people have contributed, with the donations ranging from small amounts to exceptionally generous amounts. This only happened because the members of the Sikh community knew and respected his father for his generous and tireless efforts in serving the community, said Paul Sabharwal. This effort will fund the first endowed chair at CSUEB.

Endowed chairs provide a supplemental source of income to support the teaching, research and community outreach of a faculty member appointed by a university. Such endowments are important in attracting new faculty and students.

"I want to thank the Sabharwal family, the Sikh Foundation and all the generous contributors who are carrying forward Dr. Sabharwal's dream of creating this endowed chair," President Qayoumi said. "He believed that such a sharing of knowledge and language could only further understanding and peace. We are all dedicated to achieving those noble goals."

Sitting, from left: Narinder Singh Kapany, Chariman, Sikh Foundation; Cal State East Bay President Mohammad Qayoumi; and Paul Sabharwal, son of Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal. Standing, from left: Bob Burt, CSUEB vice president for University Advancement; Michael Mahoney, CSUEB provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; and  Benjamin Bowser, interim dean of CSUEB's College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences.

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, widely acknowledged as the "father of fiber optics," established the first North American chair in Sikh Studies at UC Santa Barbara in 1998. Kapany is the founder and chairman of the Sikh Foundation and was a close friend of Professor Sabharwal, earlier a trustee of the Sikh Foundation. Through the foundation, Kapany is a tireless advocate for the promotion of Sikh scholarly journals, books, art exhibits and connections to universities. The foundation has also established Sikh chairs at UC Riverside and UC Santa Cruz.

These education projects are an important way for Sikhs to ensure that younger members of their community know their heritage. He also sees education as a way to promote tolerance for those who follow Sikh traditions.

"We feel education is an important way of building understanding," Kapany said.

The College of Letters, Arts and Social Studies will begin recruiting for a professor to fill the endowed chair in the next academic year, said interim Dean Benjamin Bowser. The college will begin offering interdisciplinary courses in 2008 once a professor has been hired and a curriculum established.

"The courses will be a concentration of studies about a people and part of the world we know very little about," said Bowser. "For education, business and government, this is an important part of the world. We need people who can represent the United States and do business there. This gives us an opportunity to train students who will have an impact nationally."

Available now! 

Sikh Foundation 2007 Calendar Features the Paintings of Sukhpreet Singh

The Sikh Foundation 2007 Calendar features the work of Sukhpreet Singh, an up-and-coming painter born in Ludhiana, Punjab in 1969. Sukhpreet Singh has been painting in oils since the age of 16 and has shown his work in India, the US and Canada, and in England, Australia, Italy, and Russia, including an exhibit at University of California at Berkeley in 1997. Subjects of his art include portraits and scenes of rural Punjab. 

NB: The Sikh Foundation's calendar for 2007 features the theme of Sikh children at play, depicted from the perspective of the artist's own memories of growing up in the Punjab of yesteryear. It represents the artist's own vision and historical viewpoint, and is not meant to advocate any particular position on how Sikh families should discipline their children or how Sikh children should spend their time. The Sikh Foundation embraces a modern and enlightened approach toward children's play and discipline.

Go to sample pages to get a taste of Sukhpreet Singh's subject matter and style. If you like what you see, order a copy in our Online Store. Call the Sikh Foundation office at (650) 494-7454 if you plan to order more than 10 calendars.