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BRAVEHEARTS:
The
Valiant Ones
 They
are free from fear. They are The Valiant Ones. Soldiers of God, the
Guru’s knights. Also originally known as the Akalis, the Nihangs are
the warriors, keepers of the faith. Dressed in dark blue loose
apparel, armed, with horses as their constant companions, the
Nihangs are enigmatic and mysterious.
“They are larger
than life and there’s so much that we don’t know of and about them,"
Gurbir Singh Brar takes you through his photo exhibition titled, The
Valiant Ones. It’s a journey into the mesmerizing world of the
Nihangs, in pictures, in colour, with feelings.
An engineer in
the US, Brar has been bitten by the shutter bug for the last 12
years and has been working with seasoned photographers in the US and
capturing the lifestyle of traditional societies around the world.
 This time,
Gurbir has devoted his skills to documenting the colours of his
homeland Punjab and is soaking in all the love and attention that
his work is getting him.
“This was a
project that was close to my heart, and I spent eight months with
the various Nihang dals, travelling with them and being a part of
their life. Initially, it was tough to get through to their leaders
and gain their trust, for there were many issues that they did not
want to speak about, but finally it all worked out well."
Brar has clicked
as many as 8,000 pictures and agrees it’s been an enormous
challenge, one that’s completely absorbed him.
“And they are
happy with the results, with their pictures put up at various
places." The young photographer did extensive research, reading up
and consulting 40-50 books on Nihangs, both old and new and sourcing
information to complement the pictures.
 “I feel
photographs are a perfect way to document history, each picture
speaks and youngsters can connect better to pictures and the past,
than they can do with dull and heavy history lessons. The National
Geographic model of telling a story with pictures, rather than text,
really works well,’’ Brar says.
Back in the US,
photographers use a lot of artificial light and he too has used the
technique to improvise. As Nihangs have a set schedule, with travel
plans for a year planned in advance, Brar made arrangements to
travel with them to various villages and captured their life,
various moods, activities and expressions. “What touched me most
about them was their hospitality and discipline. Their language is
soft and sweet and I am now all set to work on a coffee table book
and documentary on the subject,’’ Brar talks about the Sava Lakh
Foundation which exhorts the younger generation to live up to the
ideals of the Gurus. The effort includes a training programme in
martial arts as well.
The pictures and
creative briefs with each photograph, get the viewers close to these
enigmatic people, be it shots of their unique traditional
horsemanship, martial arts, work for the community, their life in
the kitchen, their relationship with their horses, the dances, a
glimpse of their personal life, camaraderie...it’s a riot of colours
and emotions. What’s more, as part of the exhibition, there was
breathtaking display of Shasta Vida and horsemanship by various
Nihang Dals. (The report is based on an exhibition in August in PAU,
Ludhiana and this month at the GGSC for Women,
Chandigarh.)
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 Tiaar-bar-tiaar:
The state of preparedness as advised by the Gurus to be adopted by
all Sikhs.
Preparedness
refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable
events or situations. Preparedness is an important quality in
achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes. It
is a major phase of emergency management, and is particularly valued
in areas of competition such as sport and military science.
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23
September 2009
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