Calling Patiala's Qila Mubarak as a "refuge of the arts", Sat Kaur has taken up the iconography and style of the wall paintings in the Qila as her topic for the PhD. She was alarmed by the sight of the workers scraping off the magnificent mural paintings under the golden plates, during the restoration work at the Darbar Sahib in Amritsar. "When I saw that voluntary destruction of the Punjabi heritage, I felt an urge within me to do something for its preservation."

So she began her research and prepared good photographic documentation, a portion of which was shown to the audience through slides. "There is utter state of disrepair at the Qila." Which was evident in the fast-peeling off wall paintings which had been a visual treat at the Rani Was and other areas of the Qila. Some of the paintings are beyond recognition. Sat Kaur could bring out the intricacy of the elaborate craftsmanship that had gone into the Qila, prodding the audience to dwell on their longevity. For as Preneet Kaur, the Maharani of Patiala, pointed out, "We are not that much culture-conscious in Punjab." Hence the need for a French Sikh woman to highlight the need.