SGPC to bid for Maharaja Duleep Singh's bust

Patiala, Mar 28 (UNI) Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) would arrange to bid for the bust of Maharaja Duleep Singh, priced at around 25,000-35,000 pounds, being put on auction by Bonhams of London on April 19.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar told UNI that SGPC will send a representative on the occasion of the sale of the bust sculpted by John Gibson, a Roman artist.

''The bust is our pride,'' said SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar. ''We will either send a buyer or have someone else, it could even be a company, buy it for us. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get such a precious thing back,'' he asserted.

Maharaja Duleep Singh, ruler of Punjab and the last Indian sovereign to own the famous Kohinoor diamond, was just 11 when he was removed from his throne by the East India Company after the Anglo-Sikh war.

He was then exiled to Britain and in 1854 brought to London, where he lived in luxury and high fashion. His father, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, also called the 'Lion of Punjab', had in 30 years of rule, carved out a kingdom stretching from Sindh to Kashmir.

The SGPC had recently written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to ''do something about it''.

Foreign Secretary S Menon wrote back to Mr Makkar saying no request for participation in the auction had been received by auctioneers. He also suggested that any prospective buyer interested in purchasing the bust must get in touch with ''Mrs Christina'', who looked after the Islamic and Indian Art department of Bonhams.

Mr Makkar said that SGPC had also built up pressure on Indian as well as British GovernmentS to bring back Kalgi (plume) of Guru Gobind Singh.

The kalgi, sacred to Sikhs, was taken away by Lord Dalhousie and after a brief exhibition in the Victoria and Albert museum of London, it remained untraceable.

Referring Prince Charles haD recently said that he would take over the reins of British Empire according to the Sikh rituals, Mr Makkar said that if he had such great respect for Sikhism, he must play the vital role in sending 'kalgi'(plume) back to India.

UNI