British Library Sikh treasures part of Anglo-Sikh

[Guest rsingh]

im well anoyed i recived this today but anyway,

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is with pleasure I am informing you that the British Library is

unveiling its Sikh treasures as part of the Anglo-Sikh Heritage

Trail which was launched on 2nd July 2004. Being keen to promote The

Artistic Heritage of the Sikhs, I've curated this display and

will

deliver the following gallery talks which you are welcome to

attend..

come and view the small yet exquisite selection of Sikh manuscripts

we have on display!

Sat 3 July, 2-3 "Faith and Brotherhood : Treasures of the Sikhs"

Treasures Gallery, British Library

Tues 27 July, 6.15-6.45 "The Legacy of Guru Nanak" Treasures

Gallery, BL

Tues 24 Aug, 6.15-6.45 "The Heritage of the Khalsa" Treasures

gallery, BL

Kind regards,

Jasleen

Jasleen Kandhari

Resident Specialist, Asian Collections

Education Department

The British Library

Jasleen.Kandhari@bl.uk

Faith and Brotherhood:

Treasures of the Sikhs

As part of Britain's national Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail, a small

selection of some of the finest Sikh manuscripts and drawings held

in the British Library highlighting the legacy of the first Guru of

the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak and the heritage of the Khalsa will be

going on display from July until October 2004.

The first case concentrates on the message of Guru Nanak and his

teachings. It includes the oldest known manuscript copy outside

India dating to the 17th century - a substantial part of the Sikh

scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. This is al

so one of the twenty

oldest known copies in existence. Other manuscripts in this section

include a Janam Sakhi which was given to the Library of the East

India House by the Sanskrit scholar, Henry Colebrooke and a

manuscript prepared in 1828-30 for Maharani Jindan Kaur comprising

selections of three hymns from the Adi Granth, one by Guru Nanak and

two by Guru Arjun.

The second case explores the formation of the Khalsa, the community

of Sikh warriors, by Guru Gobind Singh in the 17th century. All male

Sikhs began to adopt the name `Singh', meaning lion and all

female

Sikhs adopted the name `Kaur' meaning princess. The Sikh

state was

established in 1799 under the dynamic leader, Ranjit Singh known as

the Lion of Punjab and a lavishly illustrated miniature shows the

man that created the flourishing cultural life of Punjab.

Exhibition curator, Jasleen Kandhari said, "The Anglo-Sikh Heritage

Trail is an important initiative to celebrate and promote the

heritage of Sikhs through art. This is a wonderful opportunity for

the British Library to highlight the fine Sikh treasures the Library

contains. I shall be delivering gallery talks highlighting the

Legacy of Guru Nanak and the Heritage of the Khalsa through these

exquisite Sikh manuscripts and drawings."

The Policy Advisor for Asian Affairs to the Mayor of London's

Offfice, Atma Singh said, "The British Library exhibition on some of

the great treasures of Sikh manuscripts and drawings enhances its

world class reputation. I would urge all Londoners and visitors to

come and see it. This sort of exhibition is the soul of a living

multi-faith and multi-cultural capital city."

For further information please contact Catriona Finlayson, British

Library Press Office on 0207 412 7115 or email

catriona.finlayson@bl.uk

Notes for editors

1. Following the launch of the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail on

July 2nd, the Curator of this display, Jasleen Kandhari will be

delivering gallery talks in the Treasures Gallery, British Library

on:

Saturday July 3rd, 2-3pm 'Faith and Brotherhood : Treasures of the

Sikhs'

Tuesday July 27th, 6.15-6.45pm 'The Legacy of Guru Nanak'

Tuesday August 24th, 6.15-6.45pm 'The Heritage of the Khalsa'

2. Jasleen Kandhari, 29, combines her job as Specialist of the

Asian Collections in the British Library's Education department

with

previewing Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Islamic art auctions in

London and writing articles on Indian art collections in Museums

worldwide for the Asian Art Newspaper. She is the Assistant

Secretary of the Indian Art Circle, London which is dedicated to the

promotion of scholarship and appreciation of Indian art and is

currently studying for a Diploma in Asian Manuscripts at the

University of London having attained an MA in Asian Art from

Sotheby's Institute of Art and BA in Asian Art History and Music

from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of

London. In her role at the British Library, Jasleen is currently

curating an exhibition of Sikh manuscripts and giving a series of

gallery talks from July 2004.

3. The British Library houses the world's knowledge, and with

over 150 million separate items it is one of the top three libraries

in the world. It is the UK's national library and the world's

leading resource for scholarship, research and innovation. Its

collection covers every age of written civilisation, every written

language and every aspect of human thought. Material held by the

Library ranges from ancient Chinese oracle bones to technical

reports about the latest scientific discoveries and today's

newspapers. Users including industrial companies and academic

scholars, have access to the Library's collection in its Reading

Rooms and via its

global document supply services, which supply over

15,000 documents per day to 20,000 customers in 111 countries.

Information on the Library's collection and services is available on

the British Library website at www.bl.uk

Ends

[Gupti]

Why the annoyance? I'm quite positive that if these ancient Birs of Guru Granth Sahib were in India, the SGPC would have destroyed them by now.

The historical path by which they arrived in Britain is tainted, but at least in the UK they are well looked after and respected.

Its quite ironic that its the British that are preserving Sikh history, whilst the SGPC are destroying it!

[Guest rsingh]

i hear what ur saying but u took wat i said the wrong way.

I wish i had recived it before could have gone to the earlier events.

[Gupti]

Really sorry!

I felt exactly the same way, I saw the dates and realised that there's only an outside chance that I would be able to make the August lecture.

"The Legacy of Guru Nanak" seems like it could be a fantastic lecture, pity I will not be able to make it.

Maybe organisers of Sikh Youth Camps can invite Jasleen Khandari to give a talk?

[Guest rsingh]

Special Program on Maharaja Ranjit Singh MP3 please listen it is good.

[Guest Guest]

Great news. The care of these treasures just goes to show why they should not be in Indian hands. Look at the state of damage priceless artifacts and landmarks in Punjab. Those people do not have the resources to properly look after our heritage.