THE SIKH FOUNDATION FORMS LANDMARK PARTNERSHIPS WITH PAKISTAN
Dateline: February 19, 2005 ... Palo Alto, CA
Contact Names: Dr. Narinder Kapany or Harmeet K. Dhillon
Contact Phone: (650) 496-2220 or (415) 830-7400.
Web Address: http://www.sikhfoundation.org
Formation of Sikh Art Museum and University Chair on Sikhism in
Lahore, Pakistan
PALO ALTO, CA - February 19, 2005 - The Trustees of the Sikh
Foundation, including its Chairman Dr. Narinder Kapany, have reached
an agreement with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, to
establish a museum of Sikh art at the Lahore Museum and a Chair of
Sikh Studies at the prestigious Punjab University in Lahore.
The Sikh Foundation, founded in 1967 and based in Palo Alto, CA, is
the premier foundation in the United States devoted to the
preservation and perpetuation of Sikh art, literature, and
scholarship. From January 1-6, 2005, trustees Dr. Narinder S. Kapany,
Mr. T. Sher Singh, Dr. Harkeerat S. Dhillon, Dr. Anmol S. Mahal, and
Ms. Harmeet K. Dhillon traveled from the US to Pakistan to discuss the
establishment of a center of scholarship and teaching on Sikhism.
The Sikh Foundation's Trustees met with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
and key government officials, Lt. General Khalid Maqbool, Governor of
Punjab, Kamran Rasool, Chief Secretary, Suleman Ghani, Chairman
Planning & Development Department and other museum, archaeology and
educational officials, to discuss the establishment of a single museum
of Sikh art, including the priceless Princess Bamba Dalip Singh
Collection, presently displayed in the Lahore Fort, and other major
artworks related to the origins of Sikhism and the various Sikh
kingdoms, many of which are displayed in various museums in Pakistan.
In particular, many major artworks and artifacts related to Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, the Sikh king who extended his empire to Lahore and
ruled it from 1799 until his death in 1839, are presently located in
Pakistan and would be in the new museum. Another major aspect of the
museum would be art and artifacts related to the first Sikh spiritual
leader, Guru Nanak, who was born and died, in what is now Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, General Maqbool, and members of the
Punjab Government acknowledge the importance of establishing a center
museum of Sikh art within the Lahore Museum, which is Pakistan's
national repository of important art akin to the United States'
Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
Pakistan officials also agreed to establish a Sikh Chair named for
Guru Nanak at Punjab University in Lahore, which is Pakistan's premier
institution of higher learning. The Chair is contemplated to be a
full-time scholar devoted to both teaching Sikh history and research
on related topics.
During the course of their visit, the Trustees also visited several
major Sikh shrines, including Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru
Nanak, and various Gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship) associated with
his life.
For further information on these meetings or The Sikh Foundation,
please contact Dr. Narinder Kapany at (650) 496-2220 or Ms. Harmeet K.
Dhillon at (415) 830-7400. You may also contact Dr. Kapany for digital
images of the meetings held in Pakistan by Sikh Foundation trustees.
Also visit the Sikh Foundation website at
http://www.sikhfoundation.org for further information on the work of
the Foundation.
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