On a vast plain, in the shadow of low hills, a crowd gathers to watch a man standing astride the backs of two stallions galloping side by side, men engaging in swordfights, stickfights, spearfights, men tent-pegging, tall, dark warriors dressed in long robes of electric blue and saffron, wearing full beards and turbans.
No, this is not a medieval encampment. It is Hola Mohalla, the annual spring festival celebrated by Sikhs from all over the world in the town of Anandpur Sahib, located at the foot of the Shivaliks in Punjab's Ropar district.
And now, this Punjabi-Sikh festival has been captured on film and canvas, by two artistes from southern India. Hola Mohalla: An Enduring Celebration, an exhibition of 41 photographs and 21 paintings by Suresh Muthukulam and Cop Shiva of Gallery Dravidam, Bangalore, opened on Friday at the Visual Art Gallery in Delhi.
The origins of Hola Mohalla go back to the times of the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. In 1701, two years after he formed the Khalsa Panth at Anandpur, Gobind Singh ordained that his Sikhs should gather every year on the day after the Hindu festival of Holi at Holgarh, one of the string of fortresses which he had built around the town. Since he knew that his followers would be facing inevitable attacks from the Mughals and hill Rajputs in the future, he ordered them to engage in mock fights to hone their military skills.
So how did two South Indian artistes decide on capturing this true-blue Punjabi celebration? "Sumathy Sodhi, our representative in Delhi, has a connection with Anandpur. Her husband belongs to the town. She mooted the idea of capturing a quintessential North Indian festival from a southern perspective. The ultimate aim was furthering national integration," says Jaya Mani of Gallery Dravidam.
"We selected Muthukulam, one of Kerala's most prominent painters. Likewise, we selected Cop Shiva (real name: B S Shivaraju), one of Karnataka's major photographers to capture the event on film," Mani adds.
"We discovered that Sikh culture has a lot in common with south India. For instance, Gatka or Shastar Vidya, the Sikh martial arts, are similar to Kalaripayattu from Kerala. The Sikh tradition of langar is similar to community kitchens in south Indian temples," she says.
For Shiva, the entire experience was unique, though overwhelming. "When we went to Anandpur Sahib in March-April 2013, my first day was one of shock. It was like you were witnessing colourful theatre on the street. The riot of colours as seen in the turbans, the horses and elephants, it was surreal," he says.
Most of the works of Shiva and Muthukulam are about the Nihangs, a unique Sikh sect. Theirs is an ancient lineage, claiming descent from one of Gobind Singh's younger sons, or even earlier, from his grandfather, the sixth Sikh Guru, Hargobind. The Nihangs were the vanguard of Guru Gobind's army. They continued that role during the age of the Misls in Punjab and later, in Ranjit Singh's kingdom. Though largely ceremonial today, they hog the limelight during Hola.
The duo captured the Sikh warriors in various ways: styling their long hair, riding horses, practising archery, riding motorcycles and cooking. "What attracted me was the grandeur amidst their simplicity. They are simple people and have no fashion sense. And yet, when fully attired, they look like works of art," says Shiva.
Muthukulam's paintings complement Shiva's snaps. "I painted in the Panchavarnam style of Kerala murals," he says. The amalgamation of various colours gives the paintings an orange-blue hue "Those two shades are the holy colours of Sikhism and the Nihangs," he adds.
The exhibitors had initially planned to go to Chandigarh, but have postponed that for now. "Next year, we will also travel to countries that have large Sikh populations," says Mani. "Our aim is to get Sikhs and Punjabis re-interested in their heritage," says Shiva.
The exhibition will be on display till February 24
