... Tour and Talk ...

The author was visiting Phoenix and decided to approach Dr. Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja to give a talk and a tour of Sikh Art Gallery, part of Phoenix Art Museum. This interview was conducted in the Restaurant within the Museum facilities after the tour of the gallery.

1. Q – You are a medical Professional, so obviously growing up you were interested in Science field as Biology, so what drew you to art and painting?

A – I had interest in the Sikh history growing up. About 20 years back I started with some unique Sikh coins and slowly it has blossomed.

2. Q – How was the idea of museum framed?

A – I had an employee who was related to someone in Phoenix Art Museum. Through her I had a meeting with that official. I mentioned to her about the Sikh art. Her response was “what is that?” She had not heard of it. She came to see the art at my house. From there things slowly progressed. Now we have a new gallery, formally known as the Dr. Darshan Singh and Ajit Kaur Khanuja and Mr. Jaswant Singh and Mohinder Kaur Sikh Art Gallery. The gallery is only the second exhibition space in the United States to focus exclusively on displaying Sikh art. The exhibition was formally opened in 2017.

Phoenix Art Museum is largest in the South-West of USA. There are about 300,000 visitors every year.

3. Q – From being a collector of art to becoming a benefactor of a gallery is quite a journey?

A – In Punjabi, “Baba Joe karraee janda hai oho hee hunda hai.”

Translation _ Whatever (Guru) Baba does that comes to pass (happens).

4. Q – You have rotating exhibits here, so tell us about the themes that have been exhibited.

A – The major exhibits have been:

• Virtue and Valor
• World War I and the Sikhs
• Guru Nanak 550 Years
• Golden Temple
• Chardi Kala
• Princely States of Punjab
• And Now Phulkari
• We have 1700 Sq. Ft. space dedicated to Sikh Art.

5. Q – How the exhibits are spreading the awareness of Sikhism?

A – The visitors come here and get exposed to Sikhi. They get to know that the Sikhs have been part of USA fabric for over 130 years. Even when the Sikhs visit the gallery they are filled with pride as most of them have never been exposed to Sikh art before.

6. Q – Tell me about the Chardi Kala (Rising Above Adversity) exhibit.

A – That was a high voltage experience. We had exhibits on:

• Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Incidentally, we will be celebrating this month (November 2025) 350 years of his martyrdom for the protection of Hindu faith and not his own faith.
• Char Sahibzadae
• Bhagat Puran Singh
• 1984 – When the Sri Harmander Sahib (Golden Temple) was attacked, and in November Sikhs were killed.
• Farmer’s Movement

7. Q – Amongst your collection, which is your favorite and the reasons for it?

A – For a collector, all his collection is favorite, and it applies to me as well. But since you asked for a favorite I will mention one.

This painting is by Bholla Javed on Nanakana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. In Sikhi there is a strong emphasis on the virtues of soil, and we have many quotes in Gurbani where the words “Dhoor” implying soil are reverently employed. The unique attraction of this painting is that it is made from 90 to 95% of soil from Nankana Sahib. I have a strong reverential connection to that soil where my Guru was born. Usually, the paintings are paints spread over a canvas or paper. This being made from that reverential soil of Nankana Sahib and acrylic paint on board makes it quite unique.

8. Q – Tell me about the Phulkari Exhibition which just opened recently on September 24, 2025.

A - In rural Punjab, women have participated for a long time in and stewarded the textile tradition of phulkari-making, which begins shortly after a girl’s birth and extends through her lifetime until she is married.

The term phulkari refers to the stylized floral motifs present in most of these ornate textiles as well as the textiles themselves. The ladies would gather in the afternoon after finishing their cooking and would spend time together working on Phulkari, which constituted social gathering as well as bonding time.

Traditionally crafted cooperatively by women within families and villages, phulkari served various purposes, functioning as blankets, shawls, and decorative wall hangings. The exhibits are over hundred years old, and this traditional form of art is disappearing from the society very fast.

Come and experience stunning examples of phulkaris in Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India, drawn from the Khanuja Family Collection. See the link.

9. Q – This is the Second Sikh Gallery in USA. How will you compare it with the first one in San Francisco?

A – Dr. Kapany who is the benefactor of first gallery is a true trailblazer. He is an icon himself and has been a true inspiration. However, the two collections are quite different and unique so cannot be compared.

10.   Q – What are the future plans?

A – We as Sikhs need to have our own Museum. That will have to have an outlay of 75 to 150 million Dollars. In addition, we will need an endowment of 35 to 50 million for the running of the operations of that scale. We have some very rich philanthropists who can make it happen. But we need that vision, commitment, and dedication to make it happen.

We need to realize that there are 8.5 million Jews in this country, and they have over 50 standalone museums, Sikhs have none in the western world. We need to make it happen to increase awareness and our future generations will understand our history and be inspired by it.