Kids Corner

Below, first from bottom - 'One-Infinity' by Jaipreet Singh. Second from bottom - 'One-Love' by Jaipreet Singh. Third from bottom - "Gagan mein thaal ..." by T. Sher Singh (Graphics by Ray Huerta).

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The Ik Oankaar Art Contest

EDITORIAL

 

PLEASE NOTE: At the request of a number of our readers, including some who are parents, we have extended the deadline for submissions to this contest to:

MAY 31, 2009  

 

Here we go again ...

With the enthusiasm and creativity shown by our readers in The Khanda Contest (which concluded on March 1, 2009), we at sikhchic.com are ready to embark on our next project:

The Ik Oankaar Art Contest.

The Ik Oankaar symbol which opens the preamble - the Mool Mantar, the Credal Statement - of the Guru Granth Sahib - contains in it the very quintessence of Sikhi.

Uniquely comprised of two elements - the first digit of the Gurmukhi/Punjabi numerical script, "Ik", and the first letter of the Gurmukhi/Punjabi alphabet, "Oorrha" - the symbol conveys, in one fell swoop, the central message of Sikhi:

That God is One ... one with all Creation

That there is One God ... God of all Creation

That God is Infinite

Therefore, we are all ... men and women, of all colours, races, nations, ethnicities, languages, capabilities, and bundles of wealth ... equal.

Sikhi recognizes that God is infinite and impossible to describe or fathom through human comprehension or language. Words literally fail. Hence, the use of a digit and an alphabet letter to capture that indescribability!

The message is unique and simple, uncomplicated yet profound. It is loaded with meaning and open to infinite interpretation ... after all, the 1430 pages of the Guru Granth merely expand on this opening credo.

We would like to invite our readers - our artists, designers, dreamers and all others - to apply their creative energies to this central Sikh symbol by interpreting it and formulating their own artistic renditions of the Ik Oankaar by capturing, in their unique and respective ways, what the symbol means to each ... what each one sees in it, what it signifies to each one in his/her life.

Hence, this contest.

We invite submissions from all of you across the globe - young and old, Sikh and non-Sikh, professional artists and amateurs, or even those who've hitherto never drawn a thing - of your personal graphic interpretations of this symbol which is so central to our theology, our philosophy and our way of life.

 

REFERENCE MATERIALS

 

Reproduced below and on the right are the following items for your assistance:

1 Below - A philosophical interpretation of the significance of "Ik Oankaar".

2 Top right - the traditional "Ik Oankaar".

3 Top right, next - A sampling of designs produced for this project: the first designed by T. Sher Singh, with graphics by Ray Huerta; and the other two designs by Canadian artist Jaipreet Singh - to illustrate the variety of possibilities in interpreting the symbol.

 

PRIZE

The winner will be selected by a panel of judges and receive:

a) One economy, round trip air ticket from the winner's country of permanent residence to either Amritsar, India or Toronto, Canada - the choice will be the winner's.

b) One week's luxury accommodation in either Amritsar or Toronto.

c) No cash value will be offered in lieu of the prizes described above.

d) Both the air ticket and the accommodation will be available only to the winner, and only for a period of 12 months from the date of the announcement.

No reasons will be provided in selecting the winner, or for not selecting a specific submission as the winner.

All submissions will be displayed on sikhchic.com, identifying each artist/designer.

 

RULES

1 Persons of all ages may apply. No age distinction will be made between the submissions.

2 Sikhs and non-Sikhs from anywhere in the world may apply.

3 Professional artists, amateurs or first-time dabblers - all may make submissions.

4 Any number of submissions may be made by any individual.

5 Winners and participants from previous sikhchic.com contests may participate again.

6 A submission may be a sketch, drawing, painting or graphic design - and may be done in pen, pencil, crayon, charcoal, paint, or with the aid of a computer; that is, it may be produced in any medium.

7 Each submission must be accompanied by the artist's full name, age, e-mail and full postal address, phone number(s) - cell, home, office.

8 A description of the reasons or interpretation behind the design - in no more than 100 words for each - should accompany every submission.

9 Each submission should be sent by e-mail in hi-resolution, in both JPEG and PDF formats, to KhandaContest@GMail.com.

10 Sikhchic.com will have the right to publish (or not publish) each submission, identifying the respective artist/designer, as well as that of the winner, on its online magazine site and any of its supporting and promotional materials, without any fee to the artist/designer.

11 All communications pertaining to this contest should only be sent to KhandaContest@GMail.com. However, no individual or personal acknowledgements will be made by sikhchic.com to the submissions or enquiries pertaining to them.

 

NEW DEADLINE

All submissions must be e-mailed by you and received by us no later than 5.00 pm (Toronto, Canada time), Sunday, May 31, 2009.

 

WINNER

The winner will be announced on or before June 152009 on sikhchic.com

 

 

REFERENCE

THE PHILOSOPHY OF IK OANKAAR [see top-right corner of this page for the traditional Ik Oankaar]

Pronounced "Ik Oankaar", this symbol represents the central idea of the Sikh Faith: "All is One".

It consists of two constituent symbols. The first is the digit "1" in the Gurmukhi numerical script. The second is derived from the first letter of the same alphabet - the flourish at the end has been added to signify infinity and the all-embracing inclusiveness of the Universal God, Lord of all creation.

Ik Oankar commences the opening invocation in the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh Scripture) and is part of the Mool Mantar, the Sikh Credo.

The Mool Mantar defines the idea of God as being universal, but undefinable and unfathomable. It is the very foundation of the unique message of Guru Nanak, as divinely revealed to him, and is the crux of his legacy and that of the nine Teachers that followed him in shaping the Faith.

The Mool Mantar is the very key to the mysticism of the Guru Granth Sahib and to the understanding of Sikhism.

 

All is One

Truth is the Name

Primal Creator

Without fear

Without enmity

Timeless

Unborn

Self-existent

Grace

 

Meditate

 

Truth before time

Truth throughout time

Truth here and now

Says Nanak

Truth is evermore

 

 

We look forward to receiving your wonderful creations!

March 2, 2009

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