Nanak and Emmanual

Outside the dwelling,a divine light pervaded the cloudy sky. Inside,Daulatan — the midwife — was hard at work while father,Mehta Kalu,waited nervously. It was at that moment that the infant found his way into the world — the one who grew up to be called Guru Nank Dev ji,the first Sikh guru.

As one walks across the exhibition titled “Illustrated Biography of Guru Nanak Dev”,which has been put up by George Emmanual,a final-year student of MFA,Government College of Art,many minute details of the guru’s life emerge pictorially. Thirty frames,most of them divided into sub-frames,give a vivid account of his life — his childhood,odysseys,experiences,philosophy,the way he stood up against superstitions and social evils,his married life and how he passed on his seat to the next Guru. “It’s an attempt to demonstrate my love for the Guru,” says Emmanual,who read up on Guru Nanak’s life for the last two years,researching on historical facts,visiting places that held any relevance in the Guru’s life. Besides,he got in touch with the Guru’s 16th direct descendent,Baba Avtar Singh Bedi,to verify facts. Needless to say,it was Bedi who inaugurated the exhibition on Thursday. Besides the show,Emmanual has also come out with six graphic story books on the Guru’s life that have been circulated in Canada and UK.

Emmanual was inspired by the Guru ever since he was a child,and this is evident in his work. “I want to spread his teachings by documenting his life. I want to compile it in the form of a novel and also make a movie,” he says.

The exhibition is on at Government College of Art,

Sector 10,till October 16