by Rabindra K.D Kaur Singh

PART OF THE IQBALNAMA SERIES

Commissioned by the National Museums of Scotland and housed at the Royal Museum, this series of works chart the life of Baron Sirdar Iqbal Singh, a retired businessman who has a passion for Scotland - his adopted home. He lives in a Scottish castle, owns a Scottish Island, created his own "Singh" tartan and had the poetry of Robert Burns translated into Punjabi. Due to his embracing and support of Scottish heritage and culture Baron Singh has become a symbol of Intercultural identity attracting international media interest.

This painting takes its title from one of the headlines which were used by the press to describe Baron Singh. Captured in this painting are some of Lord Iqbal Singh's memories of childhood and youth. It shows him sitting in the courtyard of his home in the Punjabi village of Kishanpur, near Ludiana, India. His family moved here from the City of Lahore (now in Pakistan) after the partition of India in 1945. Hence, famous landmarks of Lahore can be seen beyond the village wall. These include the beautiful Shalimar Gardens (centre), the tomb of the Sikh Maharaja, Ranjit Singh, which lies in the Lahore Fort (left), and the Golden Masjid (right). As a small child, Lord Iqbal Singh played hop-scotch with his friends - using an empty shoe polish tin for a stone! Meanwhile, the ladies of the house would churn milk or do their embroidery. The Urdu numbers on the hop-scotch grid and the ornate buildings, symbolically reveal the privileged, educated and relatively wealthy background from which Lord Iqbal Singh came.

The Parker pen (in his shirt pocket) which "was considered a status symbol at the time!" is similarly significance in this respect. The painting recalls how as a youth of fifteen or sixteen, Lord Iqbal Singh ran a modest "hospital" from which he dispensed "aspirin", "eye drops" and "brandy" free of charge to sick villagers. Indeed, this marked the beginning of his early interest in Medicine - a field he was to pursue more formally later on.

Looking through the open doorway behind him, we see a cabinet full of medicines and, to its left, rows of shelves lined with the coloured glass bottles that his mother purchased from his Uncle from the city and which she took pride in collecting as ornaments.

During the British Raj, Lord Iqbal Singh's grandfather and father served in the Army. This strong military tradition is represented by the British General of Punjab seen entering the left corner of the painting. According to Lord Iqbal Singh, the General's regular visits to his family on horseback provided a highlight to village life. On this visit, the General arrives holding the flags of both India and Pakistan - a reference to the afore mentioned Partition of India which marked a turning point in the life of Lord Iqbal Singh.

To go on display in 2011

Image:© National Museums Scotland