10 months ago, 4-year old Tanya Kaur was among the 24 Afghan Sikhs who were brutally killed in the holy precincts of Gurdwara Paathshahi Satvin in the heart of the Afghan capital city of Kabul. When young poet-artist Gurleen Kaur saw the dreamy-eyed photo of the bright kid, called “Amma” by her family, it touched her and she decided to do a portrait of the child as a tribute to her martyrdom, to be presented to the parents and siblings of the sad victim of the tragedy. Last week, Gurleen Kaur presented the painting to the pain-struck family at Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev in Delhi amidst the Afghan Sikh family and Sangat. Poet-artiste Gurleen Kaur shares her soulful thoughts in a first-person account of the evening of sharing love, gratitude and homage.

WITH AWE, RESPECT AND A LITTLE PAIN, I reached the Gurdwara Sahib to offer my tribute to a kid whose life was snatched by a fanatic who had different meanings of being religious. I was shy and solemn, but my soul was responding with a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of empathy for those Afghan Sikhs -men and women -young and old, present there and relatives of those whose lives had been snubbed out since the decades-old strife in Afghanistan.

The ambience was spiritual, the souls noble and their eyes looking at me with love and gratitude. They made me feel special, very special. Emotions and feelings ran through my being for making this a special day for me and enriching me with soul-searching presents. This will stay with me forever.

Tanya Kaur’s father Harinder Singh, sister Gurjit Kaur, brother Gagandeep Singh, paternal aunt- Manjeet Kaur and uncle Kulvinder Singh -all feeling blessed, sad yet pleased.

Reflecting on the emotions and feelings that crossed my mind and touched my soul in the environs of a beautiful Gurdwara Sahib in Delhi, I wondered about the two hours that spelt like a life-time with the Afghan Sikh family. I kept on thinking about Tanya Kaur whose portrait I had painted, her parents, her brother and sister and why they were showering respect and honour on me.

It was so soul-satisfying and warm amongst all the lovely souls at the Gurdwara. When I got the Siropa -the robe of honour, I murmured to myself, ‘Oh Great Guru! what have I done that you have blessed me with this?’

Tanya Kaur’s mother Surpal Kaur was killed last year on 25 March 2020, in the deadly attack on Gurudwara Guru Har Rai Sahib in Shor Bazar, Kabul. Her elderly grandfather Nirmal Singh Bhagat Singh and grandmother Balwant Kaur were also killed.

Soon after the tragedy, Jagmohan Singh -editor of The World Sikh News suggested me to read the story of the killings and then we decided to do a portrait of Tanya Kaur as a humble tribute to the kid and through her to all those were killed in the ghastly attack, including the lone Muslim guard of the Gurdwara Sahib in Kabul.

Sketching the painting onto the canvas, the expression in her big eyes pierced my soul. While I painted, I also penned a poem to describe the pain inflicted by the event. When the painting was done, the painting and poem were published on The World Sikh News website, as Tanya’s father and uncle told us, the brother and sister of Tanya Kaur cried inconsolably.

As my uncle Harminder Singh, WSN’s Gurmeet Singh and I presented the painting to the family of Tanya Kaur, I just managed to hold back tears enveloping in my eyes. Time froze. Emotions froze. Thoughts halted. Expressions were stoic. A silent homage, love and gratitude filled the air amidst the chant of ‘Bole So Nihal.’

At the momentous event organised by The World Sikh News in association with Kulvinder Singh -the uncle of Tanya Kaur, emotions, love, honour and pride ran through the air. The aura of sacrifice and sadness was visible in the moist eyes of every family member of Tanya Kaur and others in the Sangat.

Tanya Kaur’s father Harinder Singh from Kabul, who is now in Delhi with the 600-odd Sikhs who have come from Afghanistan six months ago, drenched in gratitude thanked me and everyone for their love, affection and support. His narration of the attack inside the Gurdwara where his little angel -his very learned “Maa” left this world in the lap of her mother was devastating. The small kid, I was told, was smart and thorough, as if she crammed her life into all of her four years.

Tanya’s father’s words ring through my ears whenever I look at the picture of Tanya Kaur. With a heavy throat and voice cracking with emotion, he vividly described how his daughter, wife and other Sikhs died in front of his eyes. Tanya’s sister Gurjeet Kaur and aunt -Manjeet Kaur, could not stop crying as that horrible sight haunts them to this day.

I thank the Almighty for blessing me with the ability to use the brush. I gratefully acknowledge Tanya Kaur’s family for accepting my painting and for their warmth and love.

I saw a ray of very unique and special love for me in the eyes of Tanya’s sister -Gurjeet Kaur, to describe which words fail me. Her loving, silent and penetrating gaze pierced straight into me. The thought that continues to sting my heart is that all the elders will somehow counsel their hearts and support themselves but how can that young girl and her brother Gagandeep Singh overcome the loss of their younger sister.

Gurjeet Kaur’s innocent face had innumerable unanswered questions written in jumbled words, unsolved puzzles of sadness in her eyes. She didn’t know what to say and she kept asking me to visit her home. I promised her that I will come someday.

Recalling the memorable evening, I wrote,

I wish I could absorb her pain
I wish I could join the parted beads of the chain
I wish I could help her charm, to regain
I wish in my heart these feelings remain
I wish I could meet her again.
And she won’t be the same
But an irresistible strong woman challenging the brutal game.

Speaking on the occasion, Gurmeet Singh of the Delhi desk of The World Sikh News acknowledged that Afghan Sikhs were an important part of global Sikh society and have a chequered modern history, not known to many. He retold the story of the contribution of the Sikh Diaspora in rehabilitating Afghan Sikhs in India, Canada and the United Kingdom. Still, he said there is a lot to do, especially on the rehabilitation front.

The Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev Ji Delhi’s management expressed satisfaction towards WSN in choosing their Gurdwara Sahib to hold the historic function of paying tributes to a family of Afghan Sikhs. Social activists Bhavneet Singh and Amardeep Singh were also present to express solidarity with the family of Tanya Kaur.

I thank the Almighty for blessing me with the ability to use the brush. I gratefully acknowledge Tanya Kaur’s family for accepting my painting and for their warmth and love.

As my uncle Harminder Singh, WSN’s Gurmeet Singh and I presented the painting to the family of Tanya Kaur, I just managed to hold back tears enveloping in my eyes. Time froze. Emotions froze. Thoughts halted. Expressions were stoic. A silent homage, love and gratitude filled the air amidst the chant of ‘Bole So Nihal.’

As I departed from the Gurdwara Sahib, the Guru’s words –Pehlan Marann Kabool, Jiwan ki chadd Aas -Prepare for death and forget the thought of living, as the philosophy of Sikh way of life struck me. I was wondering that these lines must be giving solace to the families of those killed in Afghanistan for absolutely no fault of theirs except that their turban was different from those who killed them.

Having a last glimpse at the painting of Tanya Kaur, it seemed as if she was whispering in my ears, the words from metaphysical poet John Donne’s poem -“Death, be not proud.!”