In a few hours from now, three Gurdwaras in California and three in Birmingham will host the Saka Nakodar painting on the walls of their Gurdwara Museums. A glance at the painting and you would be prompted to ask, “What a tragedy? Who painted it? The World Sikh News requested digital artist Chamandeep Singh to paint the events relating to the 4 February 1986 tragedy wherein four young Sikhs were martyred for protesting the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Nakodar, a few kilometres from Jalandhar. Alwar-based Chamandeep Singh Batra put his heart and soul into the panting and brought out a vivid account of how the four youth were annihilated in extrajudicial killings with a vengeance. 3D artistry and animation are his forte and he is on the path to becoming an artist of international class. WSN editor Jagmohan Singh interviewed him online.

CHAMANDEEP SINGH hails from the historic Alwar city from Rajasthan. An expert in animation, landscape painting, 3D sculpting he has worked in multinational companies. He can draw on drawing paper, canvas and digital with equal acumen. He is grateful to his school Arts teacher who took him around a garden and made the class do live drawing of flowers and leaves. He remembers having chosen a white flower and appreciation from his teacher made him love his drawing and the drawing class in school. As he went along, he experimented and is now a young artist in his own right.

What inspired your interest in digital art?

Back in 2014, I was researching some western paintings on the internet and there I saw some concept artwork, including war paintings and sci-fi landscapes. The website had amazing digital artwork using Photoshop and other software and digital brush technology. From that hour onwards, there was no looking back. I started experimenting with new tools. After failing many times, I made a concept peanut shell character. This was my route to Digital art.

What were your sentiments and feelings when you painted the killings of the martyrs of Saka Nakodar?

When you called me to do the painting of the ghastly crime, I was awestruck as I had not painted anything like this before. You said, there is always a first time and pushed me to do it and I more than readily agreed. I am glad that Guru Sahib gave me this Sewa to depict the manner in which the four young Sikhs were killed by the police.

Before doing the painting, I read a lot about the events of February 1986. What happened? Who were there? How did it happen? Why did it happen? Before using the brush, I closed my eyes and imagined the whole incident many times. I shuddered when I “saw” in imagination that Harminder Singh was shot in the mouth at close range. I was scared. Tears rolled down my cheeks on ‘seeing’ mounted police chasing two young Singhs -Baldhir Singh and Jhilman Singh and shooting them after making them come out of hiding. It was not really easy for me to paint the Saka Nakodar killings. In the midst of the painting, tears would automatically swell into my eyes. I cannot comprehend how Ravinder Singh who was leading the procession of protest was shot with a machine gun right on the streets.

I understand that you plan to do something more for the Saka Nakodar incident. Can you share?

The inhuman manner in which the four Sikh youth were set on fire on a single pyre and that too without prayers and the presence of the family members has really left an indelible mark on me. Painting that section of the digital canvass, with only the police cremating them as ‘unidentified’ was deeply emotional.

The inhuman manner in which the four Sikh youth were set on fire on a single pyre and that too without prayers and the presence of the family members has really left an indelible mark on me. Painting that section of the digital canvass, with only the police cremating them as ‘unidentified’ was deeply emotional.

Guru willing, I propose to do a life-size painting of the Saka Nakodar 4 February 1986 tragedy and work on it for a year to make it a masterpiece of Sikh contemporary art.

Do you have a favourite painting?

I like two of my paintings a lot. In 2017, I did a historical painting of Bhai Sati Das. In 2020, I did a figurative painting “The Lone Philosopher’ in which I painted myself when I would be older.

What is your aim in life?

I desire to be a painter and a music composer. Like I told you I was doing artwork from childhood and I was also playing the keyboard since then. In 2012 I started doing music composition. I composed many soundtracks. Since January 2015, I devoted more to art but one day soon, I will once again focus on music too.

Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

I see myself as an independent artist in ten years from now. I also wish to add that may God and Guru provide me with the talent, courage and opportunity to serve the community in whatever way I can.