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SADEQUAIN (1930 – 1987)

 Muralist, Painter, Calligrapher, Poet, and Thinker

Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz complimented Sadequain as follows: “He is a preeminent artist, but more than that he is a thinker.” Faiz further added, “Sadequain attained this distinction because he operated at a higher stratosphere with total command over the fundamental tenets.” It has been said that, “when Sadequain’s pen moved, not only the universe, but also the past, present and the future moved with it.” If art measures the pulse of a nation then Sadequain had his fingers on this pulse and he recorded it for posterity. Sadequain was arguably an embodiment of the spirit of Picasso, grandeur of Michelangelo, poetic prowess of Omar Khayyam, and calligraphic skills of Yaqoot. This essay examines the preeminence of Sadequain, defines and explores the stratosphere Faiz pointed to, and follows the movement of Sadequain’s pen that made the time move with it.

In the October 16, 1962 edition, newspaper Le Figaro of Paris stated that, “Sadequain adds up the impression of space, density, volume and the reality of matter, which transforms an abstract thought into a material fact in plastic.” Two years later, when Sadequain had established his footing in French art circles, Le Monde et La Vie, Paris, reported in the edition of April 1964, “The multiplicity of Sadequain’s gifts is reminiscent of Picasso.” A comparison of a young Pakistani artist to a giant like Picasso, and that too on the home turf of Picasso, said it all, a unique distinction indeed. While residing part time in Paris during the 1960s, he was chosen to illustrate the novel, The Stranger by noble laureate Albert Camus – a significant achievement for a Pakistani artist by any measure and he was also awarded Laureate Biennale de Paris for his painting, titled, “Last Supper”. Sadequain never looked back, and while shuttling within Europe and to Pakistan during the mid 1960s, created the most significant body of work in about five years, that alone should place him amongst the most significant artists of the era.

Self proclaimed “faqir,” Sadequain was outside society’s worldly greed or hypocrisy and called himself “speaker of truth.” He donated most of his work to public institutions, friends and strangers at no cost. In an interview he said, “People ask why I don’t paint flowers, butterflies and landscapes? I tell them that I seek the truth and I am after reality. I am not inspired by someone posing against the backdrop of roses in a vase or pink curtains. What inspires me is a person who has gone hungry for hours and is struggling for survival. The expression that lights his face at the end of the day when he has finally found some scraps, that is what touches me. I am a painter of the expression of reality.”

Prodigiously prolific, Sadequain in his lifetime is reported to have painted over 15,000 pieces, comprised of gigantic murals, figurative art, drawings, calligraphies, and he composed several thousand pieces of poetry. Turning down offers of commissioned work from the royalties and heads of states, he chose to paint unconventional images drawn from his experiences and observations based on his own visual vocabulary.

Sadequain was a social commentator. Not satisfied with painting ordinary images of men and women or the landscapes, he adapted strong symbolic idioms to impart a universal message addressing the threats and the opportunities for the mankind and its environment. For example, he was impressed with the resilience of the cactus plant that defies all odds and endures the sandy soils and scorching sun to grow in the harshest environmental conditions and it grows straight and upward as a symbol of hope and triumph over natural forces. Sadequain said, “To me it symbolizes the triumph of life over environment. Once I used to identify it with myself. Then I started identifying it with the whole community.” Many of his paintings depicted anthropomorphized cactus plants, the ultimate symbol of survival against the odds.

Sadequain’s monumental murals represent unparalleled body of artistic genius of the region. Sadequain painted more than forty five murals over his career, spanning over 1950s through 1980s. His murals are tributes to the scholars, writers, scientists, and the hard working men and women – the backbone of a society. His characters are not the kings and queens, the rich or powerful. A muralist of great merit, his murals adorn the museum at State Bank of Pakistan, Power House at the Mangla Dam, Lahore Museum’s main entry hall ceiling and Islamic Gallery, Punjab University, Punjab Public Library, Frere Hall’s ceiling in Karachi, Aligarh Muslim University in India, Urdu Markaz in Delhi, Banaras Hindu University in India, National Geophysical Research Institute of Indian, Abu Dhabi Power House, and the Museum of Modern Art in Lusanne Switzerland are just to name a few. The murals are tributes to man’s constant quest to discover and develop his endless potential. To put it in perspective, his work at Indian Research Institute of Islamic Studies, if placed side by side would cover more than 3,000 square feet of space. Out of a population of well over one billion, he is the only artist from India or Pakistan whose works are on display at public places across the border in the rival countries.

In its June 20, 1980 edition, the daily newspaper Khaleej Times of UAE stated,“Renaissance of Islamic Calligraphy: A mystic artist from Pakistan who has become a legend in his own time. The remarkable story of Sadequain, who did not seek, but was endowed with divine inspiration.” Sadequain is arguably responsible for the renaissance of Islamic calligraphy in Pakistan. A review of the history of calligraphic art in the country during the decades of the 1950s and ’60s reveals that there was minimal activity in this genre of art form. Syed Amjad Ali wrote in his book, Painters of Pakistan, that after Sadequain’s first exhibition of calligraphies in December 1968, “For next fifteen years or sixteen years, a veritable Niagara of painterly calligraphy flowed from his pen and brush.” He further stated that, “He (Sadequain) initiated painterly calligraphy and set the vogue for it in Pakistan.” After Sadequain transformed the art of calligraphy into a mainstream art form, most of the known Pakistani artists have followed Sadequain and calligraphic art now dominates the art scene. One of his calligraphic renditions is the picturesque verse, Sura-e-Rehman, the beauty of Quran.

Calligraphic art had enjoyed in the past, a revered status in the sub-continent, when it reached the pinnacle during the glorious days of the Mughal Empire. But after the downfall of the empire, calligraphic art became a victim of neglect, and fell so far out of favor that in post-partition Pakistan, it was considered to be a mere vocational skill and not a serious genre of creative art. Searching for a new form of expression, Sadequain commemorated Ghalib’s anniversary by illustrating his poetry in 1968. In order to enhance the paintings, he chanced to inscribe Ghalib’s verses in Urdu to append the paintings, and that experiment later led to calligraphic inscriptions in the Arabic language. That spontaneous occurrence opened the floodgates and paved the way to widespread adaptation of painterly calligraphy in the country and catapulted Sadequain to a national stature of prominence.

In a manner similar to his figurative paintings, Sadequain followed the same principles in his calligraphic art. His calligraphies represent the most radical departure from the established norms, which had been in place for hundreds of years. The centuries-old guarded traditions, watchful eyes of the religious police, or pitfalls of the uncharted waters did not deter him from going where not many had ventured before him. Undeterred, he invented his own iconography and produced a dizzying array of calligraphical marvels at such large scales that had not been witnessed in recent history. He brought the calligraphic art on an even level with other art forms that were at the time practiced in Pakistan. His art became the most effective ambassador for the country in foreign lands and his impact was so profound, that on a number of occasions, Pakistan was represented in international forums only by Sadequain’s masterpieces.

Sadequain often stated that if he placed end-to-end all the calligraphies that he had painted, they would stretch for several miles. In addition to the countless pieces of calligraphies, special mention must be made of some of Sadequain’s major works, which are spread over Pakistan, India, and the Middle East. He inscribed four versions of complete sets of the beautiful Verse, Sura-e-Rehman; the first two versions of the Verse, which consisted of thirty-one panels, have been preserved, one at Staff College Lahore and one with a private collector. Another version, consisting of forty panels was painted on transparent cellophane, of which he gave away several to his acquaintances, and the remaining were reported in newspapers to have been stolen from the Frere Hall after his death. The fourth version of the picturesque Verse was painted on marble slabs, which Sadequain gave as a gift to the citizens of Karachi in an elaborate ceremony held on the lawns of the Frere Hall in 1986. The intent was to place the complete set of 40 marble slabs on permanent display at the Gallery Sadequain situated in the main hall of the Frere Hall. But soon after Sadequain passed away, all forty panels disappeared from the premises, leaving no trace behind; what is worse, no police report was registered and neither an official inquiry was launched. During the early 1970s, Sadequain completed several large calligraphies for the historic Lahore Museum, and gave them as gifts to the citizens of Lahore. Twelve of these large calligraphic panels, each measuring approximately twenty feet in height, are on display in the Islamic Gallery of the Museum. He also inscribed Sura-e-Yaseen onto a large wooden panel measuring 260 feet long and donated it to the Islamic Gallery of the Lahore Museum. A large calligraphic mural adorns the power station at Abu Dhabi, which Sadequain completed in 1980.

From December 1981 through 1982, Sadequain stayed in India for over one year, and painted several large paintings, murals, and calligraphies. He painted non-calligraphic murals at Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad, India, Urdu Markaz, Ghalib Academy, and several other venues. One of the most significant calligraphic works was the rendition of the ninety-nine panels of Asma-e-Husna (The Beautiful Names of God) that he inscribed on the circular wall of the rotunda, which towers an imposing five stories high in the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies at Delhi. The approximate length of this calligraphic work is seven hundred feet and the surface area is close to 3,000 square feet. This rendition of 99 panels of Asma-e-Husna is one of the three complete sets he finished in his life. In addition to the calligraphic work at the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies at Delhi, Sadequain painted or sculpted several other calligraphic works in India at Aligarh Muslim University, Ghalib Academy, Jamia Millia, and the Tomb of Tipu Sultan. In his customary practice, Sadequain donated all this work to the Indian authorities. In addition to painting the murals and calligraphies in India, he exhibited his works at Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Aligarh, Banaras, and several other cities. In his own manner, Sadequain initiated “Aman ki Asha” in 1982 which later became a slogan of necessity in 2010.

Reaching back to his rich cultural heritage Sadequain illustrated the poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal, and Faiz. The illustrations of Ghalib were done in 1968; those of Iqbal in 1977, and Faiz’s selected verses were illustrated in 1971 and 1985. A viewer of Sadequain’s work is awed by its thematic intensity. He was deeply interested in the issues that have challenged the best minds of the human race – the questions about the mysteries of the universe, meaning of life on our planet and beyond, role of human beings in the universe, freedom and self determination, survival and progress, and the fine line between reason and emotion – even in his poetry he deals with such issues.

Sadequain composed thousands of pieces of poetry, predominantly quatrains, in his life. He personally inscribed and privately published four volumes of his poetry, the earliest of which contains his poems composed between the age of seventeen and nineteen. These collections are titled, Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Khattat, Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Naqqash, Bayaz-e-Sadequaini, and Juzw-e-Bosida. For one version of his collection of rubaiyyat, Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Naqqash, he illustrated the poetry by over two hundred exquisite drawings, a unique combination of composition, inscription and illustration by one master.

 


 

 

 We are Indebted to SADEQUAIN

John F. Kennedy’s immortal words delivered at his inauguration in January 1961 are perhaps the most quoted words in modern times. He famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.”

I would like to indulge a bit and ask for record what Sadequain did for his country, and in fairness to Sadequain, to put it in perspective, glance over what the country did for him. To be objective, Sadequain’s place in history must be measured. This is going to be an exercise of vigorous emotional expression, a relief, a vent if you will, so please bear with me. Before I go down the long list, I digress and quote Iqbal from his poem, titled Siddique:

 

Parwaney ko chiragh hae bulbul ko phool bas

Siddique kay liye hai Khuda ka rasool bas

 

Moth longs for light and nightingale desires for flower

But Siddique is content with devotion to prophet of God

 

The gist of the poem can be summed up in Siddique’s sole desire to serve Mohammad (PBUH) and in doing so offer everything he owned in the name of Islam. Sadequain’s sole desire can be summed up in his devotion to the service of the arts. And all the art he ever produced, he sacrificed it at the altar of national pride. In the epilogue of his Collection of Letters, he explained that he had no regrets for leaving behind all his work and other belongings in Paris in 1967, when after working long and hard to ascend the ladder of stardom, he could almost touch and feel its rewards, but instead returned to Pakistan for good with the sole desire to flourish among his own countrymen.

After his return, he produced and donated dozens of murals, the likes of which have not been matched in the region, revolutionized calligraphic art, which now dominates the national art fabric, his collection of rubaiyyat are a unique genre in the history of literature, and the list goes on.

The SADEQUAIN Foundation is convinced that Sadequain’s gift to the nation can not be surpassed. It is an audacious claim, but can not be stated any other way. He was not a paid employee. If a paid employee performs superbly and in the event of performing his services even sacrifices his life, still then, he dies in the line of duty. And during the period he performed his duties he was duly compensated for them. By any measure, it’s an equitable deal. If someone is not a paid employee, then the chances are that he is working for himself and therefore all his work is devoted to himself. He is not doing any favors for anyone but for himself alone. Sadequain did not fit in either of the two categories. He was not anybody’s paid employee, he did not take from Paul and paid to Peter (this is what charity organizations do), and although he worked for himself, but he did not benefit from his work and instead donated it all to the nation. He died penniless leaving behind no worldly possession. The only treasure he left behind was his art in the hands of others but not his family members. No other example comes to mind that fits this scenario except the one cited by Iqbal in his poem, Siddique.

To assess Sadequain’s merit, and thus the merit of his donations to the nation, I will spare the reader from reading a long list, but only quote Dr. Akbar Naqvi from his book, IMAGE and IDENTITY: “If Sadequain had done nothing but his drawings, he would still be among the inventors of modern art in the country.” Dr. Naqvi came close to the truth, but in my opinion he under estimated Sadequain, or perhaps did not quite understand him. To paraphrase Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sadequain defined his own stratosphere, and thus can not be compared with other artists of the country. He did not weave intricate and delicate designs of a goldsmith, but instead molded his rough and unyielding iron will in the blasting furnace of creation to extract steely resolve, moved the mountains, constructed mighty dams, controlled raging waters, spanned the unexplored vistas, erected lofty towers, and built complex structures. There is no room for the faint hearted in Sadequain’s world. He thought big and allowed his imagination roll on large canvases. How did he do it; let’s explore the clues in his own writings.

 

Phir yeh kia Rangoon ka jhamela mein nay

Is tail say fun ka khael khela mein nay

Is apnay badan ki haddiyon ko din raat

Takhleeq kay kolho mein hai pela mein nay

 

And then I mix an array of oil and colors

Use that potion in the service of the arts

Then I apply my humble self through days and nights

To spin the agonizing wheal of creative surge

 

Fun ki chal to rahi hai rerhi yarab

Satrein likhta hoon terhi merhi yarab

Likhtay huey aayat-e-junoon bachpan say

Ab ungliyan ho chuki hein terhi ya rab

 

I strive to push the cart of ecstatic creativity O’ Lord

Along the way I inscribe straight and crocked lines O’ Lord

By abundance of writing transcendent verses since childhood

Even my fingers have now become crocked O’ Lord

 

Din raat ho jab shaam ya pow phot-ti hai

Kanni meray hathoon say nahi choot-ti hai

Phir kaam say dukh jata hai itna mera hath

Roti ko jo torron to nahi toot-ti hai

 

Day or night or at the early break of dawn

Painting instruments are cradled in my hand

Relentlessly I paint until my hand pains so much

That I can not even break the bread with my hand

 

These rubaiyyat are three out of many which speak sufficiently loud enough to command reverence for his Herculean efforts. But the facts are contrary. Starting right from the time of his death, first his servant broke into the Frere Hall where a large number of paintings were stored; he got away with truck loads of artwork and delivered it to a safe storage, later to be sold by the coconspirators. Then there were three art galleries established in his name that were abandoned after his death and the artwork is now unaccounted for most part. And last, his generous gifts to countless people who incessantly surrounded him have been selling at alarming numbers in contrast to his own principle that his art was not for sale, and to make matters worse, fake art in his name has flooded the market.

To get a measure of the gross negligence and how Sadequain’s art has been used and abused, following news items from prominent Pakistani newspapers should sound ominous.

Reporting in its edition of May 18, 2008, Pakistani newspaper The Nation stated:

Sources on condition of anonymity told that 4 precious and highly artistic paintings of Sadequain, highlighting the issues of starvation in Africa, illustration of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s famous poetry Bol Keh Lab Azad Haen Tarey, depiction of the struggle of Iranian students and the painting titled, Spider Web, have been stolen. Three paintings are reported to be of 11 x 5 feet, and one measured at 5 x 4 feet. But surprisingly the matter was not brought to the knowledge of the higher officials at the City District Government of Karachi (CDGK). The DCO Karachi has also not been informed, due to which the issue of stolen paintings is still lying in abeyance and no action has been taken so far for the recovery of the paintings.

The 4 paintings referenced in the article were stolen from the historic Frere Hall in Karachi. Its second floor is named Galerie Sadequain, and it houses one of the most stupendous ceiling murals, which Sadequain could not finish before he passed away.

In its edition of May 23, 2009, newspaper The News filed the following report:

The local art market has witnessed a boom exclusively for a few art galleries that have outfoxed older establishments with their rapid commercial success. Their prosperity is directly linked to the clandestine sale of forged artworks in the garb of authentic masterpieces, local artists claimed. The video made available to media outlets shows the accused showing nothing short of a replica of the genius Sadequain, with his fake signature dating back to 1987. “There are very few people who deal in such kind of art works. I deal in both original and fake ones,” the accused proudly told the police officer in disguise. Pretending to play a middleman brokering a deal with a fictitious Dubai-based investor, played by the policeman, the sting operator had the art dealer record his entire pitch. This led to an arrest in December last year, but in a unique Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) case, the accused was granted bail.

Headline in newspaper, The News, dated March 11, 2010 read: Sadequain painted the world’s largest painting, but where is it?” The newspaper further reported that: “Painted by Sadequain in record 24 hours, the 240 feet calligraphy of the verse Surah-e-Yasin has disappeared into thin air. Even the Sadequain Foundation has no information about the whereabouts of what was probably the longest painting in the world (painted in record time) even though it was not so documented in the Guinness Book of World Records.”

This raises the poignant question if this is the way civilized nations should treat their benefactors. Absolutely not. Sadequain’s precious gifts in terms of cultural heritage and in monetary terms worth hundreds of millions of dollars deserve to be treated with respect and reverence. When I hear that such and such Pakistani dignitary presented a Sadequain’s painting to such and such foreign dignitary, it makes me cringe. To put it plain and simple, Sadequain’s work was not meant to be pawned. No matter under what circumstances an institution or an individual came to possess the artwork, Sadequain would not condone its trafficking if he was alive. One woman told me that on one occasion, after pleading for hours, she managed to walk away with one piece of artwork and later gave it to one of her relatives. When Sadequain visited her and did not see that piece he enquired about it. Upon learning its fate he expressed disgust and walked away from her house in a rage. Imagine if she had told him she had sold it instead, how much more upset he would have been.

I have related this incident of missing artwork to impress that Sadequain would not be at peace for the treatment meted to him and his work. He must be turning in his grave, if the saying has any substance to it. Call it premonition or by any other name, Sadequain knew his place in history. He also knew the consequences of speaking the truth, which he eloquently composed in his rubaiyyat and depicted in his powerful series of paintings, Sar-ba-Kaf. He was aware of the legend of Sarmad too well. Therefore he warned of his resilience in one of his many rubaiyyat on the subject as follows:

Paththar pay hoon kunda harf gaehra mein hoon

Jo waqt nay us mein bhara sisa mein hoon

Jitna keh mitati hay yeh dunya much ko

Utna he jall-e ho kay chamakta mein hoon

 

Etched in stone a deep word I am

Time tested speaker of truth I am

If you try to erase my impression

Harder you try shinier I am

The incredulous act of closure of three art galleries and the absence of his catalog has worked as a lightening rod and the motivation behind the establishment of SADEQUAIN Foundation. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization registered in the USA, dedicated to discover, preserve, and promote the art of Sadequain. In pursuance of its goals, the Foundation is poised to publish the largest art catalog ever compiled in the country, and perhaps the region, a 12 volume catalog of Sadequain’s work, comprising of over 1,000 pages of text and over 1,800 images, it holds regular exhibitions of Sadequain’s works, and conducts seminars at museums and universities all over the world to raise awareness about Sadequain’s prodigious palette. This book is a part of the multi-volume catalog. It is hoped that these efforts will ensure the words in Sadequain’s rubai quoted above will hold true and his star will shine brighter and longer, just the way he had predicted.

 


 

 

Passion for Peace (Aman ki Asha)

A Gift by Pakistan’s Eminent Artist Sadequain to the Indian Nation

Pakistan’s most celebrated artist, Sadequain (1930 – 1987) spread the message of peace between the two warring neighbors through his customary benevolence twenty-eight years ago in 1982, when he stayed and painted in India for over one year, and at the end, left all his work, worth tens of millions of dollars – if sold in the current market – as a gift to the Indian nation. It was a gesture of friendship and peace of unprecedented nature that has not been matched since.

Sadequain’s generous gesture now looms larger than life in the wake of recent incidents of lewd behavior and criminal acts by the so called Pakistani celebrities, who venture across the border under the guise of Aman ki Asha.

Preeminence:

Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz complimented Sadequain as follows: “He is a preeminent artist, but more than that he is a thinker.” Faiz further added, “Sadequain attained this distinction because he operated at a higher stratosphere with total command over the fundamental tenets.” It has been said that, “when Sadequain’s pen moved, not only the universe, but also the past, present and the future moved with it.” If art measures the pulse of a nation then Sadequain had his fingers on this pulse and he recorded it for posterity. Sadequain was arguably an embodiment of the spirit of Picasso, grandeur of Michelangelo, poetic prowess of Omar Khayyam, and calligraphic skills of Yaqoot.

International Presence:

In the October 16, 1962 edition, newspaper Le Figaro of Paris stated that, “Sadequain adds up the impression of space, density, volume and the reality of matter, which transforms an abstract thought into a material fact in plastic.” Two years later, when Sadequain had established his footing in French art circles, Le Monde et La Vie, Paris, reported in the edition of April 1964, “The multiplicity of Sadequain’s gifts is reminiscent of Picasso.” A comparison of a young Pakistani artist to a giant like Picasso, and that too on the home turf of Picasso, said it all, a unique distinction indeed. While residing part time in Paris during the 1960s, he was chosen to illustrate the novel, The Stranger written by noble laureate Albert Camus – an extraordinary achievement for a Pakistani artist by any measure and he was also awarded Laureate Biennale de Paris for his painting, titled, “Last Supper.” Sadequain never looked back, and while shuttling within Europe and to Pakistan during the mid 1960s, created the most significant body of work in about five years, that alone should place him among the most significant artists of the era.

Sadequain’s Creed:

Born in the city of Amroha, UP, self proclaimed “faqir,” Sadequain was outside society’s worldly greed or hypocrisy and called himself “speaker of truth.” He donated most of his work to public institutions, friends and strangers at no cost. In an interview he said, “People ask why I don’t paint flowers, butterflies and landscapes? I tell them that I seek the truth and I am after reality. I am not inspired by someone posing against the backdrop of roses in a vase or pink curtains. What inspires me is a person who has gone hungry for hours and is struggling for survival. The expression that lights his face at the end of the day when he has finally found some scraps, that is what touches me. I am a painter of the expression of reality.”

Indian Home Coming:

Sadequain traveled all over the world long before it became fashionable and accessible to his generation. His paintings were widely displayed on five continents and received praise from public and connoisseurs alike and commanded generous press coverage.

His long awaited visit to India had a special significance and he called it his home coming. In December of 1981, Sadequain was invited to visit India. Upon his arrival in Delhi, he commented that the distance between Lahore and Delhi can be covered in forty-five minutes, but it took him 33 years. Sadequain stayed in India for over one year, and painted several large murals, and several paintings and calligraphies.

During his stay in Aligarh, Sadequain designed and completed a large calligraphy for the Maulana Azad Library and an abstract mural in metal cutouts for the wall at the entrance of the Geography Department. In Delhi, he held a major exhibition sponsored by the State Lalit Kala Academy at Rabindra Bhavan. Before returning to Pakistan in December 1982, Sadequain painted and donated murals to Urdu Ghar, National Geophysical Research Institute of India in Hyderabad, and a large mural titled “Explorers” to Banaras Hindu University, to name only a few.

One of the most significant calligraphic works was the rendition of the ninety-nine panels of Asma-e-Husna (The Beautiful Names of God) that he inscribed on the circular wall of the rotunda, which stands an imposing five stories high in the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies at Delhi. The approximate length of this calligraphic work is seven hundred feet and the surface area is close to 4,000 square feet.

In addition to the calligraphic work at the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies at Delhi, Sadequain painted or sculpted several other calligraphic works in India at Aligarh Muslim University, Ghalib Academy, Urdu Markaz, and the Tomb of Tipu Sultan.

In addition to painting the murals and calligraphies in India, he exhibited his works at Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Aligarh, Banaras, and several other cities.

In later years, Sadequain always fondly remembered his visit to India. One pleasant experience of his visit was documented by Munir Sheikh, who was, at the time, posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. According to him, on the day after his arrival, Sadequain was given an invitation on behalf of the Indian Prime Minister, Mrs. Indra Gandhi, to visit her office on the following day, as she was preparing to leave on a foreign visit the day after.

Sadequain arrived at the prime minister’s office at 11:00 A.M. on the morning of the appointment. He was received by the personal secretary to the prime minister and invited to have a seat in the waiting room for a few minutes. In the waiting room were three Indian army generals, who had a prior appointment with the prime minister at the same time, but they were advised to wait until she had completed her meeting with Sadequain.

The meeting between the prime minister and Sadequain lasted for forty-five minutes. At one awkward moment, Mrs. Indra Gandhi protested that Pakistani newspapers held a bias against her in their reporting, to which Sadequain responded, “Madam, I am a faqir by nature, and we faqirs seldom pay attention to the newspapers; I cannot say much about the slant of the political publications.” After responding to the query, Sadequain pulled out a pad of drawing paper and drew several calligraphies for her, all the while relating fond memories of his ancestral town of Amroha. He then raised his right hand and explained to the prime minister that because he was so preoccupied with his work, that his hand was permanently reconfigured in the form of holding a pen. He then pointed his fingers upwards and said, “Miraculously, my fingers seem as though they form the word ‘Allah’ when pointed upwards, and if I turn them sideways, they form the word “Oom.”

Mrs. Gandhi, at one point, picked a calligraphy that had the inscription of the word “Allah,” and signed it for Sadequain. Later, when in Islamabad, Sadequain related his visit with Mrs. Gandhi to a newspaper reporter and showed him the calligraphy that she had signed. The reporter inspected the calligraphy and said that it must be worth a fortune, to which Sadequain responded, “Do you want it?” The newspaper reporter was giddy at the offer and, with utmost care, placed it in his briefcase.

Sadequain is perhaps the only Pakistani artist who is on display at public buildings in India, and no Indian artist is on display at any public building in Pakistan. By extension, that makes him the only artist of the Indian sub-continent – out of a population of well over a billion people – who is on display in public buildings across the border in the sub-continent.

For the first time in the last twenty-eight years since Sadequain left India in February 1983, Sadequain’s generosity has been acknowledged by the Indian authorities in a befitting manner. As the National Geophysical Research Institute of India celebrated its golden jubilee, its commemorative brochure displayed Sadequain’s gigantic mural on its cover with full glory. A faqir, who never sold his work, Sadequain would cherish the fruits of his labor in time for his 24th anniversary in February 2011.