Nineteen Eighty-Four' (The Storming Of 'The Golden Temple')
1998
75.5 x 101cm (29.75 x 39.75in)
Poster colour, gouache and gold dust on mount board
Artist: Amrit K.D.Kaur Singh
'Nineteen
Eighty-Four' depicts the storming of the Golden Temple, the Sikh community's
most holiest and historic shrine, by Indian troops in 1984. It reflects
the personal sense of suffering and injustice felt by Sikhs world-wide,
during the attack and in the aftermath of violence which resulted in the
injury and death of thousands of innocent men, women, and children in
Punjab.
The
different perspectives displayed by the composition seek to convey the
"mixed feelings" experienced by the artist, along with many
fellow British Sikhs, when news of the attack first appeared in the media.
The distant, bird's eye view of the Golden Temple itself symbolises the
geographic and physical separation of the Diaspora Sikh community from
what was happening in India, and their consequent feeling of detachment
which was heightened by "the notable lack of media coverage at the
time". In contrast, the ground level close-up view of details in
the foreground focuses on the atrocities carried out by the Indian army,
emphasising the Diaspora's emotional attachment and closeness to what
was happening, despite being physically removed from the situation.
The painting was initially inspired by the artist's anger at the "inadequate
and biased media coverage which contradicted the personal, eye witness
accounts, that were filtering through from the Sikh community in India
at the time and, later, the various Amnesty International and Human Rights
Movement reports". In her "liberating" of the Golden Temple
from alleged Sikh terrorists, who had based themselves in the grounds
of the complex, the media generally portrayed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
as the moral victor. However, the painting shows that "the main casualties
of the attack were in fact the thousands of pilgrims who had come to pay
homage on one of the most important religious days in the Sikh calendar".
The
bias of the media and "the damaging effects it has had on the image
of the Sikhs" is symbolised by the group of blindfolded reporters
who stand as 'partners in crime', shoulder to shoulder, with Indian troops
(top left). There is a sense of horror and panic as pilgrims scramble
over one another to find refuge from the bullets and armoured tanks. The
diagonals created within the composition by the steep line-up of soldiers
(right) and the specific orientation of the square temple complex, lends
to the visual disturbance and chaos of the scene. The surrounding borders
of the painting hem in the fleeing crowds, enhancing the feeling of claustrophobia
and revealing the futility of their attempts to escape.
The
symbolic representation of the 17th century Sikh warrior and martyr, Baba
Dip Singh, (seen here supporting his severed head in his hand) whose defence
of the Golden Temple against Muslim invaders became legendary, "reflects
the common belief among Sikhs that the attack of 1984 paralleled the worst
atrocities perpetrated against them in past history". Indira Gandhi's
inclusion within the painting, even though she was not actually present
during the attack, clearly puts the blame of bloodshed ultimately on her
shoulders. Her political motives for the attack are called into question
through those features which demonstrate the faultless past record of
Sikh loyalty to India in her early battles against repeated foreign invasions
and persecution, and throughout the fight for Indian Independence. These
include the Jallianwalla Bagh Monument which honours those Sikhs who lost
their lives in the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, (a decisive turning point
in India's struggle for Independence), the severed head of Independence
freedom fighter Bhagat Singh Saeed and that of Guru Tegh Bahadur (the
ninth Sikh leader whose martyrdom for the sake of the Hindu faith earned
him the title of 'Hind Ki Chaddur' - or 'Protector of India'). Having
been offered to India on a sacrificial plate, both heads are shown being
frivolously tossed aside by Mrs Gandhi. These symbols provide a context
to the "total incomprehension, deep sense of betrayal and hurt which
Mrs Gandhi's actions evoked within the Sikh community". Essentially,
the attack of 1984 was regarded by many as an ill judged move by Mrs Gandhi
in her wrangle for popularity in the polls. In this respect, this painting
takes on board a more universal message where Mrs Gandhi is depicted as
a "multi-headed demon" composed of various 20th century politicians
(including Clinton, Thatcher and Churchill) - who collectively "represent
the kind of political abuse which manipulates the 'dispensable' masses
in an obsessive thirst for personal power.
