Guru Nanak - With Bala And Mardana

Sobha Singh was a 20th Century artist referred to as the Divine Painter due to his widely recognized artworks and paintings in relation to the Sikh religion and portrayals of Sikh saints such as Guru Nanak. This particular piece is sourced from the Central Sikh Museum’s Gallery album. The image portrays Guru Nanak as the central subject under a tree seated with Bala and Mardana on either sides behind him who are known to be his companions with Mardana being a Muslim musician and bala being referred to as his lifelong companion. This artwork is quite popular and many reproductions of Singh’s work can be found across the internet with it being a very popular depiction of Guru Nanak. Here we also see the depiction of peace and tranquility or of ‘Sundaram’ (beauty/aesthetics) as mentioned by the Tribune, that Singh intended to portray with his artistry with a calm tone and ambience to artwork. This also lends to his acquired title, the divine painter a lot of credence due to Sobha Singh’s focus on the Sikh religious figures and portrayals of sikh divinity. His contributions to Sikh artistry and in general, the popularization of the Sikh saints in common media makes Sobha Singh an artist of immense prominence.