Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!

By Seva Kaur Khalsa

In August, I was invited by the SGPC of the Golden Temple to come to India and design the stage for the 400th Anniversary of the installation of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. A large pandal, tent, was being constructed outside of Amritsar in a place called New Amritsar and three million people were expected to travel from all over the world to join in the festivities. My job was to design the stage for this event, which hosted many dignitaries and celebrities including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Dali Lama.

I arrived in India with one week to accomplish my goal. I was graciously given a car and driver, and a translator/companion from Miri Piri Academy. We began by visiting the site and meeting with the SGPC to understand the security needs, the size of the stage itself, the desired look and feel needed and to clarify what was already in place. A team of designers, builders, tailors and shoppers had been at the site for a couple of months constructing the large tent. It was fascinating to me how different the approach to putting on a big celebration was in India compared to America, where you call a party planning company, give them your specifications and order a tent. They come out to the sight and erect it for you a couple days before the function. In India, however, the tent was constructed out of bamboo poles and covered with fabric. This took many weeks to build from the ground up.

A large digital photograph of the Golden Temple had been donated to use as the backdrop to the stage. Taking my cue from this photo, the color of water and of the sky would largely factor in to the overall design. I meditated, sketched my ideas and had them approved. Then Rana, my companion, and I set out to accomplish our design. It was very hot and crowded as the throngs of Sikhs began gathering in Amritsar for this celebration. Our first job was to choose ramalas for the Guru. We set an appointment time and were led into a storage room around the parkarma of the Golden Temple to view the colors and choices available to us. When I was in India in 1991, the door to this room had been ajar and I was drawn to it then. I have been involved in stage design for many years, primarily for the Baisakhi celebration in Los Angeles, California, USA, as well as other Gurperbs and Sikh weddings. I have found that in a large stage setting, many sets of ramalas are needed to preserve the presence of the Guru so as not to get lost in the space. I often mix colors to enhance the focus and the majesty and to tie in with the other décor. I decided upon three sets - an orange, yellow and periwinkle blue, all heavily embroidered. I was told by the dignified men who oversee the Guru’s clothing, that in the past, ramala colors have not been mixed together. I felt quite confident that combining them in this case would work and make the Guru look more beautiful, so I said, “as we as Sikhs dress up for our holidays with a beautiful white kurta, a gold turban and a pink cummerbund, so does the Guru wish to accessorize!” I was given a tentative nod and one task was behind us.

Next we went to the outdoor market armed with our water bottles and our priority-parking pass and bartered for satin fabric. I chose two colors of turquoise fabric for the ceiling of the stage to imitate the water and its reflection. A purple fabric was to be used for the crowning piece above the roof of the stage and orange and yellow satin were purchased for the front of the stage and the sides to pop out the colors of the Golden Temple on the backdrop. We used thousands of yards of fabric to make it feel rich and full. All the while, we drank endless cups of chai and waited patiently while the shopkeepers madly searched for the perfect color of fabric to match the ramalas.

We designed a ‘turban pin’ for the top of the roof where a triangle covered in fabric would sit above the ceiling. As security needs became more important, we had to extend the ceiling outside of the stage to protect the speakers from the sun, eclipsing the beautiful gold painted Adi Shakti.

The stage was set back from the pandal sixty feet and the area covered with carpet. I wanted a flower garland design in the space before the stage. This would connect the two structures as well as beautify the grounds. Rana and I interviewed a number of florists for the job and decided on a large Ek Ong Kar design. As this symbol begins the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, it seemed quite appropriate for this event, to create a beautiful one from flower petals and place it directly in front of the Guru.

Set up began with the tailors sewing together endless meters of fabric throughout the night. The ceiling went up beautifully and in a surprising manner. I looked around for ladders to fix the fabric to the structure, and three men from Bengal laughed, put the corners of the fabric in their mouths and shimmied up the bamboo poles comfortably sewing them in place. We added 2500 gold brass domes to the ceiling so they would catch the light and simulate the reflection of the water of the sarovar in the photo. Many people did seva adding the safety pins to the little domes. We draped the sides of the stage in orange and the front of the stage in a mixture of yellow and orange. Ten nishan sahibs were placed on either side of the stage at 21 feet height, graduating down in size to 16 feet. The flagpoles were covered in rich orange satin with navy blue Adi Shaktis dancing in the breeze. The flower crew arrived late in the evening to create the enormous flower design using tens of thousands of flowers. In the morning the chandoa was hung above the manji sahib and the sets of ramalas neatly arranged.

I stood in the morning sun watching as the Guru arrived on the stage and I felt a tremendous amount of gratitude to be part of this seva. I was called to India by Guru Ram Das to take part and to serve. We had stayed up all night surrounded by thousands of pilgrims who had come to pay their respects, connect with the sangat, celebrate their Sikh heritage and to bow before the Guru in reverence. Wahe Guru!

Humbly,
Seva Kaur Khalsa

Seva Kaur studied under The Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji for 32 years. He often commissioned her to paint particular works, of which, one of the last, was “The Master” which was presented to him at his 74th Birthday celebration. She also has a degree in Interior Design and Fine Art. She continues to design events, decorate and design Gurdwaras, as well as paint Sikh portraits. Seva Kaur lives in Los Angeles and Espanola, NM with her husband, Jai Pal Singh, an architect. You may contact her at [email protected] call 310-559-6488.

P.S. The last instruction that The Siri Singh Sahib ji gave to Seva Kaur was for her to paint a picture that he remembered seeing of British Officers teaching the young son of Maharaj Ranjit Singh how to fly a kite on a roof top. Does any reader know of a print or painting, depicting this scene? With many thanks. Sat Nam.