Executed in 1967, it measures 170 x 27 feet and is thus by far the largest mural painted in Pakistan and may be the world. Even so much space had to be densely filled and tightly packed with images to render adequately the lofty subject. The images are not only rich in symbolic meaning but visually so much variegated that the eye travels fascinated from point to point.

In the beginning man is shown using muscle power to break stones but as he progresses from stage to stage in the use of mental power, he rises far above the earth and looks down with a telescope at his old habitat. The whole pageant of man’s triumphal progress past, present, and future is captured through line and color in one magnificent picture. Here the builder stands with his trowel, which the artist glorifies with a halo. There he digs out minerals and forges implements on the anvils. He dams mighty rivers and creates gigantic reservoirs. Mother Agriculture is shown crowned with ears of corn and in her in lap is nurtured industry. A new world is born through the high towers of industry and the fruitful orchards of agriculture. Finally, man sails above the clouds and again toils on the soils of the new planets as he once toiled on this earth. His high destiny beckons him to still loftier goals.

Sadequain managed to do without a blueprint. It would not have worked as blueprints leave no room for improvisation, which is the soul of art. But he could not do without the ropes and the pulleys; and the ladder for the 17 feet high vertical panels; and when it came lo the finishing touches it needed mobile scaffolding. But there was all that more to make Sadequain worry. The artist had the deadly problem. The work had to be completed before the opening of the Mangla Dam; and there was no crossing the deadline. Sadequain admits that when he was tempted irresistibly to the blank space and his fingers hitched to work on it that always do - he had offered to do the mural, in the first instant because he knew that the offer could not possibly be accepted. There was not much time left. The logistics of it reduced the lime for operations further. There was the problem of getting the material for the 169 feet by 23 feet mural: canvas by the bale, paints by the ton and brushes by the score. Event the biggest supplier of paints’ requisite pleaded inability to supply the material in that large bulk at one goes. The supplies had lo been staggered; and the time lag in the airlift of the crates of paints and brushes and the bales of canvas was unavoidable.

TIME FACTOR
The delay helped. It gave Sadequain time to think to arrive at the conclusion that it was no use thinking. He was in for it. He was fated to do it; and he had to. Planning was absolutely no use; and cool reasoning was almost no use. The die was cast. Sadequain had to go at it; and the only way he could do it was to let himself go. Fated Sadequain had fewer problems in resigning himself to fate. Raised in the traditions of the mysticism of the orient-so it is called to which fatalism is a corollary he had always felt "all is but fortune" or - how shall it be said? - Predetermination. His own experiments in mystic figuration and the technique based on the concept of light grow as darkness grows" - it proved an admirable success on the canvas - had confirmed him in his belief that fate could turn a blessing into a curse, a curse into a blessing. He had also indulged in pondering over the imponderables that made the system of chances, that led one to his inescapable destiny, in spite of everything; and he even managed to figure out the inscrutable ways of destiny, in retrospect.

Talking of how it all led to the mural at Mangla he has often said that but for his whim to call his father to Paris - just for a visit - he would have been thousands of miles away from Mangla, not to speak of doing the mural there. "Everything is a sequel to that fateful visit. My father got sick in Paris; I had to escort him back home; a relation of mine came to visit my ailing father from Mangla and invited me there and that was how I saw the blank space in the Mangla power house that made my finger itch: "Amazing, isn’t it? This was yet another confirmation of the hand of fact - predetermination - that guides man to destiny, severally and collectively, wily Nelly. And that does seem to have given him a fire-new faith, which is so blatantly mirrored in his mural right across the canvas as well as in his own reaction to it. Faith in him and faith in humanity - onward bound, from success to success, appearances not with standing are the central theme of the mural.

FAITH IN DESTINY
One cannot fail to see that his faith in humanity originates from the faith in his own destiny, from the twin themes predetermination in the life of the individual and the human race - improvised so superbly on the canvas. The mural is nothing if not the portrait of the lord of creation riding the crest of the wave of history and to portray it in all its majestic glory. Sadequain had to have the feeling that he is the lord of
Creation, a feeling so intense that it oozes from every shape and forms - tombs that must hide more than they show. The feeling of being the Lord of Creation, call it by any name, has been universal in man, at all times at all places, prompting man to have dominion over the land, the sea and the air-which we call space and each man, after all, is unique.

Some would call it the central fact and miracle of creation and the denial of it the central blasphemy; others affirm it by the slogans of equality and fraternity; and they must deny it at their own peril. In the hour of release, call it elation if you will, each man has the feeling of being the Lord of Creation in his own right. The periodicity and the duration of this release from the bonds of reasoning and the bondages of consciousness may vary from man to man, but the feeling comes instinctively. Each man is the Lord of Creation, for so long as he thinks that he is. So he feels, and if it is the feeling that matters he is better left alone; for the denial of it often tends to intensify the feeling.

Pleasing when he is pleased, man is also offending when he is offended; and history is full of harrowing tales of the off endings of the offended dark deeds which though negative are no less convincing a proof of the miracle that only a Lord of Creation can work. The strong imagination of a seething brain is known to intensify the feeling that makes men supreme, a veritable Lord of Creation in his own right. The feeling tilt he is the Lord of Creation, the fatalism, the faith in destiny - pre-determined alike for the race and the individual helped as nothing else could have helped. It helped brushing side the mountains of difficulties presented by cool reasoning. Strong imagination, which turns a bush into a bear, can play such tricks in the reverse. After all, faith moves mountains, and we have nothing for fear but it not empty slogans. They are known to work, somehow.

Resigned to fate, to destiny, Sadequain let himself go - painting in the sleep the artist, though every stroke of the brush was deliberately chosen - or was it? If you ask Sadequain he would say: "I do not know" and he may be right. To resign, to let himself go, was a release from the conscious and the tyrannies of the conscious, its curbs, limitations and all. It enabled him to be carried away - control and guidance - by destiny. To paint this way is Sadequain's loveliest gift. He has often said "my finger move on their own." To write this way was the loveliest gift of Tolstoy; and the vast canvas at Mangla evokes many a parallel with Tolstoy's War and Peace - also estimated at first for its value by quantity which proved to be a positive advantage, a virtue, in the end.

As the first human figure in the mural with the proportion of a super-man suggests. Sadequain started the work with a farewell to cool reasoning, care and caution - the hallmark of a seething brain. If anything the giant of a super-man in the first panel could only add to the complexities of the problems in doing the mural, by adding one more problem to it - the problem of proportions: yet another curb, one more limitation.
Dared by the enormity of the job – its quantitative challenge could only add to enormity of its qualitative challenge --- the complexities of the complex problems, Sadequain was daring. The problems had so multiplied that they had ceased to be a problem. Or was it that Sadequain knew - instinctively? That the liberation of the spirit, the release, could only be found in formal confinement - the more restrictive the confinement the greater the liberation, the release. Artist is known to have done that both consciously and unconsciously. Ask Sadequain, and he may against say: "I do not know" and maybe he is right. The Lord of Creation and to make a fitting entry; and if that created problems, so be it.

LIBERATION OF SPIRIT
But the drudgery of the physical effort, that numbs the senses, lulls the conscious into a reverie, is soon forgotten. And there is the liberation of the spirit - the release. The encounter brings confidence. The land proves not so hostile, nor as formidable as it looked. It is easily subdued. The man in the mountains is fruitful and multiplies and is soon found taming the animals to lighten his burden. Men is in his elements; so also Sadequain. The pastoral age is followed by the agricultural; and the man is burdened only by his harvest and in the background he is seen carrying a wheel. The Lord of Creation is on his own, settled and confident and so is Sadequain: and while man takes to building houses and fashioning tools and implements with the hammer and the anvil Sadequain settles down with his stylization and symbols in his own inimitable way. One thing: Sadequain is pleased and is pleasing in his unusually bright color scheme, which makes his mural exhilarating.

Agriculture leads to trade and industry symbolized by a jungle of hammers and spanners. The movement of history has gathered momentum and so has Sadequain.

The Portrait of the man with a haloed hammer and spanner with the jungle of tools and implements of his own creation is followed by a gushing fountain from a river, giant earth-moving machine the conduits, the steel tower, with a jungle of pinion in the background and a geyser of energy. The land and all that it bears has been subdued and so also the seas represented by sail boats in the water behind a plantation of wheel and pains. The conquest is symbolized by a woman enthroned, with a crown of ears of wheat, holding a ball of cotton rose like, and the man driving a chariot of pylons and spanners on wheels.

REVOLUTIONS
The agricultural and the industrial revolutions usher in the dawn of a new era symbolized by the rising sun and a stylized portraiture of atomic structure the birth of the atomic age - and the man sets out to conquer the space. The section that follows is a scene on a star looking down upon our world no bigger than the Moon, with one man examining the soil of the new star and another man peering in the space above with
a telescope by the side of a giant flying machine; and up above a woman symbolizing humanity is floating in the space with a rocket in her palm going into the beyond that lies beyond the stars.

The mural, framed by the turbines and the roaring of the giant turbines for sound effect, makes a tremendous impact. The choice of symbols and then - arrangement make it at once Sadequain's autobiography, the story of Mangla Dam, the history of the nation portraying is magnificent achievement in a short space of time and the history of the human race. "Pictures are not easy to look at. They generate private fantasies. The mind takes charge instead and goes off on some private alien vision". The dazzling mural does all that and more. The fantasies. It generates inspiration. It provides release from despondency, born of preoccupation with the curbs and the limitations; and comes as a sharp reminder of the immensity of the potentials of man.

Last month I visited Pakistan on behalf of SADEQUAIN Foundation of California, U.S.A., to research and catalogue murals by Sadequain for the upcoming publications on the subject by the Foundation. The murals are housed in public and government buildings spread over Pakistan.

Sadequain is arguably the most recognized name in the field of art in Pakistan. But unfortunately there is no comprehensive publication on his paintings, calligraphies, and murals. Sadequain Foundation receives regular enquiries from students in Pakistan and Europe asking for guidance for their research papers on the artist.

The Foundation is currently working on two books on Sadequain, one of them focusing specifically on his murals. His monumental murals, in excess of thirty-five, represent unparalleled body of artistic endeavor by any artist of the country. These murals adorn the halls of State Bank, Frere Hall Karachi, Lahore Museum, Punjab University, Mangla Dam, Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Indian Institute of Geological Sciences, Islamic Institute in Delhi, and Abu Dhabi Power House to name a few. To put it in perspective, his paintings and calligraphies in the building of Islamic Institute in Delhi alone cover more than seven thousand square feet.

My experience in Pakistan was mixed, to put it lightly. I had been in communication with the concerned authorities and had sent my request to photograph the murals and permission to publish them in the upcoming books by SADEQUAIN Foundation. Their response had been positive and each of them expressed full support. But it burdens me to say that the condition of the magnificent murals, labor of love for Sadequain, which he gifted, free of charge, to the institutions in most cases are in state of neglect. Each of the murals is in varying degree of decay. Talking with the authorities I got the impression that in spite of good intentions, their options are limited since there are no budget provisions for the up keep of these national treasures.

Sadequain painted his earliest murals at Jinnah Hospital and PIA head quarters in 1950s. Given my tight schedule, I tried to trace the murals, but unfortunately could not make any head way. No individual or any department at the respective organizations could shed light on the fate of the murals. I did hear some speculative rumors, but they have yet to be verified. In short the murals have disappeared and their fate is unknown.

In 1961 he painted the huge mural (62'X10') in the Head Office of the State Bank of Pakistan at Karachi, titled "Treasures of Time,” in which he showed the intellectual advance of man from the times of Socrates to that of lqbal and Einstein. It is a linear creation that shows a pageant of intellectuals and thinkers of the Greek era, mathematicians and chemists of the Middle East, the scholars of the European renaissance, and the 20th century laureates. This large mural has endured transportation from the Sate Bank to Mohatta Palace, and back to State Bank and has deep scars to prove the ordeal. As incredulous as it may sound, one of the corners of the mural was cut off to accommodate the outlet of an air conditioner’s duct. Between the missing corner and sizable missing patches of paint caused by the change of locations warranted major make over of the mural. It was heartening to meet Mr. Shakeel Siddiqui, an accomplished artist in his own right, who was commissioned to resurrect the mural. He showed me the before and after photographs that showed the amazing transformation. Dr. Asma Ibrahim, director of the Museum & Art Gallery at the State Bank was very kind to brief me on the plans to display the mural along with other works of Sadequain in the State Bank Museum scheduled to open in 2008.

Portion of “Treasures of Time” “Treasures of Time” missing upper left corner

Sadequain painted the ceiling of the Lahore museum entrance hall, depicting Evolution of Mankind, and additional nine large panels of calligraphies for the Islamic Gallery. The ceiling spans approximately 100 x 35 feet. This magnificent piece of work showed obvious scars of time screaming for help. When painting the ceiling Sadequain mounted a scaffolding to reach it when Z.A. Bokhari walked in and asked why he was risking his life. Sadequain in his usual manner replied without a pause that someone mounted on the cross and sacrificed his live, but he was just risking it. Several news stories have appeared in the newspapers recently that reported termites and cobwebs are eating away the mural. However, it was consoling to learn that the Panjab government has allocated money for the restoration of the mural. Ms. Humera Alam, Deputy Director & Curator of the museum graciously briefed me on the plans for restoration and assured of her cooperation to document the murals at the museum.

Lahore Museum Ceiling on left. Cobwebs and termite nests on right

Punjab University houses the mural “Quest of Knowledge” in its library. The mural appropriately depicts the academic theme commensurate with the institution of learning where it is housed. Young men and women are shown holding high the key to learning that unleashes riches in their lives. The mural is mounted high up against the ceiling of the room and appeared to be in good condition. Professor Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal, Director of Institute of Education & Research and Mr. Iqbal, PRO & Assistant Registrar took time off from their busy schedule to give me the tour and offered full cooperation for documentation of the mural.

“Quest for Knowledge” in Punjab University

The mural in the Punjab Library is mounted in the library hall located on the main floor. At the time I visited the library, the four sections of the mural had been disassembled and dismounted because of the damage to the building due to water seepage. The hard board of the mural was slightly disfigured. Mr. Zil-e-Hasnain, the Chief Librarian informed me that the authorities had managed to acquire funding to restore the mural and it will be repaired in due course.

The ceiling of the Frere Hall, displays in bold, the words, “Arz-o-Samawat” (Earth and the Heavens) bears a historical significance, since it represents the last piece of work by Sadequain. He passed away before he could complete it. Before he started painting the stupendous mural on the ceiling he dedicated it to the citizens of the great city of Karachi. The mural is for the citizens to cherish and it should be treated as a national treasure. However, because of the security conditions the citizens are deprived of entry in Frere Hall and the impressive historical building along with the Mural lie in desperate need of care. The bright colors Sadequain used in the mural to depict the Earth and the Heavens are fading away because of the environmental conditions. The large mural is painted on dozens of individual panels that are put together like the pieces of a puzzle. Several of the panels are detached and hang down under their own weight. It is only a matter of time before the panels start falling apart.

“Arz-o-Samawat” ceiling of Frere Hall Karachi.

Because of time constraints I could not visit Islamabad, Mangla, and Peshawar where additional murals are housed. However, in a recent article in DAWN, Mrs. Niilofur Farrukh wrote extensively about the risk to the mural, “Saga of Labor” at Mangla Dam. This monument by Sadequain is a glowing tribute to the workingmen and women of all times and places who form the backbone of any society. The mural hangs in the powerhouse of Mangla Dam and so far endured the harsh environmental conditions of the huge enclosure that also houses gigantic electric turbines.

Sadequain in front of his monument “Saga of Labor”

In future I am contemplating a tour of India and Abu Dhabi to discover and document Sadequain’s murals. In the meantime Banaras Hindu University that houses one large mural has responded in kind to my request by sending me a CD full of pictures of the mural. I must express gratitude to the authorities of the BHU for taking the initiative and sharing the workload of SADEQUAIN Foundation. I believe the following image of the mural at Banaras Hindu University is the first time it is published in Pakistan. If other organizations would act in similar spirit, SADEQUAIN Foundation could finish its book projects sooner.

Mural at Banaras Hindu University

In addition to the murals mentioned above, Sadequain did many others, perhaps in the neighborhood of over thirty-five in all. However, whereabouts of them are not certain. For example one mural was done for the Naval Headquarters, but cannot be located. There was one done for the PIA’s office in Paris, which does not exist at the original location. There were murals dedicated to the War of 1965 that cannot be traced.

Sadequain painted thousands of paintings, drawings, and murals in his lifetime. He hardly ever sold his work and mostly gave it away; sometimes his work was simply taken, and sometime even stolen. In his lifetime there were two galleries named after him by the authorities, but they no longer exist. SADEQUAIN Foundation is striving to discover, preserve, and promote Sadequain, especially in the Western world. As part of that effort, two books are under work, one of them strictly focusing on the murals. These murals are national treasures, done by a selfless man who gifted them to the people and did not ask anything in return. We the people owe it to him to at least save them from decay and save the man’s legacy.

The author is the founder of SADEQUAIN Foundation, U.S.A., www.sadequainfoundation.com, dedicated to discover, preserve, and promote Sadequain. He can be reached at sadequainfoundation@gmail.com

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