A polyglot and an active patron of the arts and culture, Chiranjiv Singh who recently received France’s National Order of Merit award is a man of many interests

In these times of sectarian strife and cultural conflicts, it is necessary to build bridges of understanding. This honour is a step in that direction,“ read lines from the speech Chiranjiv Singh gave after he was conferred the honour of Officer of the National Order of Merit on Wednesday by France’s ambassador to India Alexander Ziegler.

An eclectic man of letters, Singh received the award for his contribution to numerous cultural, intellectual, scientific and social causes, not only in Karnataka but nationally and internationally too. Singh, who joined the civil service in 1969, has been finance secretary , principal secretary to two chief ministers (Devraj Urs and S M Krishna) and an ambassador to Unesco in Paris. He retired in 2005 as additional chief secretary .“At this age, what do honours mean?

I am about to turn 75, and start the phase of life that’s known as sanyasa ashrama,“ says Singh, sitting in the warm confines of his home. A modest reaction is expected of Singh, one of the most respected IAS officers of the Karnataka cadre.His friends unhesitatingly call him `a Renaissance man’ owing to his multiple interests and knowledge of art, literature, music and languages.

“He knows at least 12 languages,“ says author and music composer Akumal Ramachander, who has known Singh for over 40 years. “He is wellversed in the works of Kannada writers like Kuvempu, Masti Venkatesh Iyengar, Karanth and UR Ananthamurthy . Some days ago when I visited him, he was reading Leela Chitnis’ biography in Marathi,“ he says.

An expert in Gurmukhi, French, Urdu, German, Gujarati, Kannada, Bangla, Marathi, Hindi and English, Singh’s love for languages began in childhood. “It came about naturally because my parents read Persian, Urdu, Punjabi and English, so there were books in all these languages at home.When I was nine, I spent my summer vacation inventing new scripts,“ recalls Singh.

He owes his continued interest in languages to literature. “I prefer reading books in the original. I wanted to read Tagore in the original so I learnt Bengali,“ says Singh who has been taking lessons in Tamil for the past few years.Singh, who prefers classic over contemporary literature, jokes: “I think Russian classics are the only books I have read in English translations.“ While he shrugs off the `Kannadiga among Kannadigas’ term that is often used to describe him, Singh says, “My parents came to India from Pakistan. My family and I moved from Punjab to Karnataka, and while we have lived here for over 40 years, I was recently called an outsider. And this made me question about who really is an insider and an outsider. It made me wonder where one really belongs.“

The answer to that hypothetical question may be subject for another story but Singh’s active patronage of the city’s cultural scene is not something to be sneezed at. From The Anad Foundation to Bangalore School of Music, Crafts Council, Dance DISCourse, Dance Heritage Society, Etymological Society, Film Club of India, Geological Society of India, Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee, Historical Research Society, IFA, Indo-French Cultural Centre, Singh is on more than 30 boards and committees.Evidently, culture is a subject that he takes very seriously .

“Culture should be the first thing on everyone’s mind. not the corrupt politicians, not the kind of politics we have. Whether it is art, literature or music, it will serve you more because society’s finest values are reflected in its culture,“ says Singh, who unhesitatingly admits that the culturescape of the city has declined over the years.“There is a coarsening of culture, a general coarsening of dialogue, and am appalled by the language used on the internet,“ he says.

So, when Singh interacts with young people, he focuses on the importance of compassion. “My mentor J C Lynn told me that `qualities of the heart matter than qualities of the mind’. That message stayed with me and I have, over the years, seen the truth of that statement,“ he says.

His wife Praveen Kaur says he’s an even-tempered man. “In the nearly 40 years I have been married to him, I have rarely seen him get angry . His tolerance is high. If he does not agree with something or someone, he just changes his path and lets the gods decide,“ says Kaur.

Looking back at his life which has had its share of ups and downs, Singh says, “It’s been a bit of bevu (neem leaves) and a bit of bella (jaggery).“

“It’s high time he sat down to write his autobiography ,“ says Ramachander.

OUR FRIENDSHIP STARTED WITH A FILM POSTER: SG VASUDEV

“I first met Chiranjiv Singh years ago when he’d come to my studio to select paintings for the government museum. He was the deputy commissioner of Belagavi and I still remember the conversation we had because it was amusing. He told me he had come across the poster I had done for Samskara outside a movie hall and liked it so much that he watched the film. He was instrumental in helping us set up the KK Hebbar Museum in Venkatappa Art Gallery. He is interested in arts and culture but I wish he’d been more assertive because he could have done a lot more,“ says artist S G Vasudev.

~ Source:TNN

Man Kaur from India needed almost a minute-and-a-half to cross the finish line in the 100-meter dash, but she still picked up a gold medal on Monday at the American Masters Games. That’s because the 100-year-old Ms Kaur was the only female competitor in her age category at the competition for older athletes.

When she crossed the finish line in Vancouver, her competitors – many of them in their 70s and 80s – were there to cheer her on.

Ms Kaur’s energy and drive to compete have become an inspiration to participants in the unique international event for athletes over 30.

“When she wins, she goes back to India, and she’s excited to tell others, ‘I have won so many medals from this country,’ ” said her son Gurdev Singh, 78, translating for his mother. “Winning makes her happy.”

After Ms Kaur finished the sprint in one minute and 21 seconds, she stood smiling with her hands raised in the air. Asked how she felt, she breathed heavily and clutched a bottle of water, unable to speak. Earlier, she won gold medals in the javelin and shot put.

Mr Singh, 78, who also is competing in the Games, said he encouraged his mother to start running at age 93 because he knew she could become a star.

“I asked her. ‘You have no problem, no knee problem, no heart problem, you should start running,'” he recalled.

Ms Kaur has now won more than 20 medals in Masters Games across the globe. While practicing in her home of Chandigarh, she goes out every evening to run five or 10 short distances, said Mr Singh.

Mr Singh said his mother believes in promoting running to other older women.

“She encourages them, old ladies, that they should run, they should not eat wrong foods, and they should encourage their children also to take part in the Games.”

Charmaine Crooks, a five-time Olympian who won a silver medal for Canada in the women’s 4×400-meter relay in 1984, serves as an athlete ambassador for the Masters Games. She praised Ms Kaur’s “dynamic spirit.”

“I know that it’s inspired me. Hey, I’ve got almost 50 more years to go, right?” Crooks said. “She’s inspiring everyone, young and old.”

The World Masters Games take place every four years, with regional games in between. The Americas Masters Games in Vancouver is the first summer regional games in North America, Ms Crooks said.

The average age of the athletes is 49, and there’s one man who is even older than Ms Kaur – 101-year-old Nihal Gill of Richmond, British Columbia.

Source -Ndtv

Man Kaur from India needed almost a minute-and-a-half to cross the finish line in the 100-meter dash, but she still picked up a gold medal on Monday at the American Masters Games. That’s because the 100-year-old Ms Kaur was the only female competitor in her age category at the competition for older athletes.

When she crossed the finish line in Vancouver, her competitors – many of them in their 70s and 80s – were there to cheer her on.

Ms Kaur’s energy and drive to compete have become an inspiration to participants in the unique international event for athletes over 30.

“When she wins, she goes back to India, and she’s excited to tell others, ‘I have won so many medals from this country,’ ” said her son Gurdev Singh, 78, translating for his mother. “Winning makes her happy.”

After Ms Kaur finished the sprint in one minute and 21 seconds, she stood smiling with her hands raised in the air. Asked how she felt, she breathed heavily and clutched a bottle of water, unable to speak. Earlier, she won gold medals in the javelin and shot put.

Mr Singh, 78, who also is competing in the Games, said he encouraged his mother to start running at age 93 because he knew she could become a star.

“I asked her. ‘You have no problem, no knee problem, no heart problem, you should start running,'” he recalled.

Ms Kaur has now won more than 20 medals in Masters Games across the globe. While practicing in her home of Chandigarh, she goes out every evening to run five or 10 short distances, said Mr Singh.

Mr Singh said his mother believes in promoting running to other older women.

“She encourages them, old ladies, that they should run, they should not eat wrong foods, and they should encourage their children also to take part in the Games.”

Charmaine Crooks, a five-time Olympian who won a silver medal for Canada in the women’s 4×400-meter relay in 1984, serves as an athlete ambassador for the Masters Games. She praised Ms Kaur’s “dynamic spirit.”

“I know that it’s inspired me. Hey, I’ve got almost 50 more years to go, right?” Crooks said. “She’s inspiring everyone, young and old.”

The World Masters Games take place every four years, with regional games in between. The Americas Masters Games in Vancouver is the first summer regional games in North America, Ms Crooks said.

The average age of the athletes is 49, and there’s one man who is even older than Ms Kaur – 101-year-old Nihal Gill of Richmond, British Columbia.

Source -Ndtv

Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is always on the run, both figuratively and literally. The marathon runner, devoted husband, and doting father splits his time between San Antonio and New York City. He is an active member of the Sikh community and a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian.

It’s no wonder Singh, along with five other graduates of Northside ISD, will be honored as the 2016 Pillars of Character at the Northside Education Foundation’s annual gala, Sept. 21.

Each year, Pillars are selected from almost 100,000 Northside ISD alumni who graduated from NISD high schools since 1951. The Pillars represent the six character traits taught to NISD students as part of the Josephson Institute’s Character Counts program. The traits are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.

2016 Pillar of Respect
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh

Respect, Dr. Simran Jeet Singh says, is recognizing the humanity and divinity in everyone. “When you see people that way, it changes your perception of our world,” he said.

A product of Northside ISD, Dr. Singh attended Thornton Elementary School, Rudder Middle School, and O’Connor High School. Dr. Singh credits the teachers, administrators, and friends he met throughout his academic career for shaping who he is today. His Northside educators helped him be an educator and see the potential in others. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, a graduate degree from Harvard University, and an undergraduate degree from Trinity University. He is an Assistant Professor at his alma mater, Trinity University, in the Department of Religion and a Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian. He is called on to speak on the topics of diversity, inclusion, civil rights, religion, and hate violence. He splits his time between New York City and San Antonio and is an avid marathon runner. Running, started out as a way to supplement soccer when he was younger. Today, he runs to combat stereotypes. He and his wife, Dr. Gunisha Kaur, are the proud parents of a daughter, Jiya.

Introducing a new non-profit started by Siri Deva Singh of Austin, TX, USA

A few weeks ago I found myself out in the FreshGiving garden for the first harvest of our summer crop fifteen pounds of cucumbers clipped from lush, sprawling vines. These cukes were later dropped off to Hope Food Pantry in Austin, TX, where they were distributed to the hungry. With that, the FreshGiving vision became a reality.

The concept behind FreshGiving is pretty simple. We grow local, organic produce and donate it to hunger relief agencies and food banks in Austin. Everything is volunteer based right now– people working towards a common goal and enjoying the blessing of seva. I like to think of it as a pilot program. I’ve used every available piece of my backyard to get things started.

The vision is to get bigger. The idea for FreshGiving came to me one winter morning last year while I was working in my (then much smaller) garden. It came into my awareness with bright, expansive energy. It felt instantly alive. Though I spent a couple months rueing it over before I took the leap, my heart knew instantly it was a call from God and Guru to serve. In February, I started a small crowdfunding campaign and raised $200 to buy seed, soil amendments and infrastructure supplies. My wife and I matched it with a few hundred dollars of our own money and the journey began.

Travis County Texas has a hunger problem. Approximately 1 in 6 people go hungry in Austin. In research studies, the term used is “food insecure”. This means that people do not always know where their next meal is going to come from or they skip meals to pay other bills. The Austin economy is booming on the surface, but there’s an unpleasant underbelly to the city’s rapid growth. Property taxes and the cost of basic services have skyrocketed in the last several years. Wages outside of a select set of booming industries remain extraordinarily low. Increasingly, people are finding they cannot pay their bills. Nor can they afford to eat, which means that more and more, they’re turning to hunger relief agencies to get fed.

But the food that the hungry receive isn’t always the most nourishing. I did some volunteering at different agencies over the winter to get a better understanding of the hunger problem. One day I remember working with a team that cleaned and processed over a ton of donated food. My estimate is a least half of it was either candy, soda or some form of processed food high in high fructose corn syrup or preservatives. That’s food, yes. But whether it’s healthy is another question.

The idea behind Fresh Giving is to shift the goal from simply feeding people to nourishing them with healthy food and supporting them in living a healthy, happy lifestyle. Vegetables begin losing nutrients as soon as they are picked. Matters get worse if they are frozen or trucked thousands of miles in a refrigerated tractor trailer. The fresher the food is, the better it is for you. This is something simple we can all feel directly when we are attuned to our body, mind and consciousness. When we eat well, we feel
better. Helping the hungry do this is what FreshGiving is all about. We intend to widen our impact in the future.

The vision is to see FreshGiving grow into a mature nonprofit with salaried staff and a nice hunk of land over the course of the next several years. We are planning a
“Neighbor Grow” program for the upcoming winter season. This will involve picking up produce grown by volunteers in their home gardens and distributing it to hunger relief partners. We are also planning larger fundraisers in 2017 as we begin our push to acquire land.

On a personal level, I feel blessed to be a part of this seva. It is healing for me to be helping others, particularly those that our governments and society at large tend to forget about. I grew up in the Northeast amidst an “eat what you kill” culture. The general ethos was, “Hey. If you can’t make it on your own, tough. It’s not my responsibility to give you a handout.” Sweating to feed others has opened my heart more and helped me let go of these kinds of perspectives.

Source: www.sikhdharma.org

The history of European art is often considered synonymous with the development of the idea of European individualism. In schools across European countries, individualism is a byword not limited to situating the idea of art within the geography of psychology, but situating it within the landscape of life itself. What would then two sisters who look like each other, paint like each other, and have similar inclinations and ideas, do differently?

The Singh Twins, as they like to call themselves, have been answering that question for about two decades, and with some currency left in the wallet to engender praise, and not for the most visible trait that makes the two unique – their mutual oneness.

Amrit and Rabindra Kaur’s family moved to London during the turmoil of Partition. Born in London, the two sisters at the age of four moved along with their family to Liverpool where they have continued to live till today. “We grew up in a quiet little village and were sent to a Catholic Convent school for its high standards of education, discipline and spiritual grounding. We were the only Indians and non-Christians there, but it didn’t stop us getting involved in the religious life of the school,” the twins say. (They insist that all quotes be attributed to both of them.) “So from the age of seven when we started at the school, this Christian imagery – rich in iconography, symbolism, decoration and narrative – played a huge part in influencing our aesthetic taste and led to our love of Art Nouveau, Renaissance, Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolists art. As children we spent our spare time drawing fantasy and fairytale images inspired by these art movements,” they add.

But being similar and not just in the physical sense, comes with the kind of baggage most people, let alone artists, are not familiar with carrying. Further, the sisters work on the same painting simultaneously, which is as curious an approach as it is must be difficult to execute.

“At school we were first separated in class and then placed in different classrooms, against our will. Later, when we were studying 20th century Western Art History as part of a BA (Hons) degree in Combined Studies, we were heavily criticised by our art tutors for developing similar styles of work (something that was a natural outcome of our joint love for the Indian miniature tradition rather than any conscious decision on our part to be the same). They felt we were not being individual enough. Which went against the ideal they held and taught about ‘individuality’ being ‘the be all and end all’ of contemporary art,” the twins say.

Despite an embedded sense of ‘pop’ in their works, and its rising value in the West, the twins, contrary to logic some might say, took to reviving the Indian miniature tradition. “We absolutely fell in love with miniature paintings when we discovered them during our first trip to India as teenagers in 1980. The technical skill, intricate detail and imaginative compositions; their beautiful jewel-like quality with the illuminated gold work, their narrative power; their satire (often used within the social and political themes) and their rich symbolic language, fascinated us,” the twins say.

Indian miniature paintings over the years have found themselves being replaced with a penchant for the European aesthetic, embodied in the several artistic movements to have run with the likes of Picasso as their central inspiration. And this is something the twins have witnessed for themselves. “We were very disappointed to see how modern Indian art seemed by and large to be following western trends and aesthetics rather than looking to Indian art for inspiration. Not only that, but it seemed that India in general no longer valued this art form which was reduced to cheap imitations for the tourist industry,” the twins say.

As part of an Indian family, albeit one living in the progressive West, women are expected to abide by a certain culture and way of living that enhances our proclivity for social participation. How then did the two unabashedly learn, experiment and express while refusing to accommodate tenets like that of marriage? “We were the first girls in our family to go to University and to be encouraged to develop a career for example. And in fact, being women has actually been beneficial to us because we were not expected to have to go out and earn a living as such. Unlike many artists early on in their career, we didn’t have to sell our work to survive or get a second job to support ourselves,” the twins say. That said, Amrit and Rabindra have had to hone their art of over a period of time, and not without the criticism of their peers and mentors regarding subjects that are rooted most certainly in tradition rather than the modern.

For all that the two sisters have been criticised, they have refused to conform to popular opinion. Even their subjects have not been without their share of controversy. A painting titled Nineteen Eighty-Four, which shows the Golden Temple after Operation Blue Star, garnered them praise but a fair share of negative reviews, as it was termed ‘violent’ by some. “The feedback to 1984 moved us but it also humbled us because we don’t feel that we had been particularly brave in depicting this event. It is easy to speak out against injustice when you are not in fear of serious repercussions. We sometimes wonder if we lived in Punjab whether we might perhaps have thought twice about creating it?” the twins say.

But the work that gave the two sisters a sizeable reputation was the portrait of the last Sikh king, Maharaja Duleep Singh. In 2009, the National Museum of Scotland commissioned the sisters to draw a portrait with attention focused on the belongings of the Maharaja that were part of the museum’s collection. “We had been fascinated by the tragic story of Maharaja Duleep Singh for many years. It was a dream commission!” say the twins. “As the starting point of the painting, the museum objects became a key visual focus of the piece. We responded to them in terms of what they represented to us as Sikhs – namely, the nostalgia of a bygone era and the ‘glorious’ days of the Sikh Empire with all its wealth and power on the one hand, but also the spoils of war and conquest representing a stolen heritage – both collective and personal (in the case of Duleep Singh and his family) – on the other,” they add. The portrait was regarded positively by most, while some went on to term it as the “Reclamation of the Last Maharaja”. The sisters, had indeed, reclaimed a bit of Indian colonial history from a popular narrative, in the backyard of the power that perpetuated it in the first place.

Both Amrit and Rabindra stress their affiliation to and longing for their homeland. “Despite living here (in the UK), our lives and our work is a reflection of our cultural values that continue to be inspired by our very Indian traditions,” they say. When asked about the revered portrait of the Raja and whether they would like to re-claim anything in India the sisters say, “It would be the re-appreciation for traditional spiritual and family values that we feel, sadly, appear to be losing importance against the influence and drive for Western life styles and materialism.”

For now, theirs is a lonely presence that accounts for modern sensibilities marked by Indian tradition, in art, in the west. And there has been evidence in the past, to suggest that they will continue to paint in the same image, two at a time, quite literally.

Works by the Singh twins are currently being showcased as part of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London up till 21 August