Khalsa college becomes custodian of Belgian tribute to Sikh soldiers

A ‘clay model’ from Belgium has found its way to the historic Sikh History Research Centre (SHRC) at Khalsa College, Amritsar. A specimen in remembrance of Sikh soldiers who fought during the First and Second World Wars, the model, brought from Europe, was handed over to college principal Dr Atam Singh Randhawa by Davinder Singh Chinna.

Chinna, who is a member of the Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) and college alumni, said that Katrien Desomer, the Mayor of Ypres (Belgium), a city that was a battleground during the First and Second World War, presented the clay model to him on his visit to that country last month.

The historic memento, as he called it, is one of the thousands carved by the people of Belgium in memory of the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the battlefield during the First World War.

“The model is a ‘mark of respect’ to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for humanity and democratic rights. It is made from clay from the battlefields, the very soil on which the soldiers, especially the Sikh bravehearts, fought and died. The figure in the model is designed by world-famous Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen. It represents a bent and crouching figure, a human being in its most vulnerable state,” said Chhina.

He further said that the crouching figure gives the impression of a Sikh soldier wearing a turban. According to him, the renowned Belgian historian, Dr Dominiek Dendooven, who visited Khalsa College twice in 2015 and 2023, was also present when the model was presented to him.

The figure was also part of the installation of ‘Coming World Remember Me (CWRM)’, a new project in Europe that aims to produce 600,000 small clay statues, one for every soldier killed on Belgian soil during the First World War. These statues were made by the public, aided by international workshops. “At the end of the project, they were all part of a land art installation in the Palingbeek provincial domain in Ypres, on what was a no-man’s land during the First World War,” said Chhina.

Principal, Khalsa College, Dr Randhawa said it was a matter of honour to receive the model. “We will open the model at SHRC for a public viewing. Everyone must be made aware of the sacrifices of Sikh soldiers,” he said.

Dr Randhawa also said that only a handful of statues found their way to India. One is at the Belgian Embassy and the United Service Institution of India in Delhi and another at Sikhya Seekers in Chandigarh and now this one is at Khalsa College. “It is only right that one of these sculptures finds a new home in Khalsa College today,” he said. Dr Chhina said that Mayor Descomer was all praise for Sikhs from India and recalled the memories of her grandfather who had seen Sikhs fighting in wars.

KCGC honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, meanwhile, extended his gratitude to Mayor Descomer for globally recognising the sacrifices of Sikh soldiers and Sikh heritage.

Amritsar