Fed up with the rebukes of his father, Sobha Singh felt life was not worth living and decided to die. He learnt that a woman neighbour, who had contacted chill, had died of pneumonia. He felt that perhaps it was the easiest way to end his life. He ran towards the Beas, jumped over sand dunes, and when he started perspiring, he plunged into a creek. He did not catch chill but felt ravenously hungry. He gorged himself with trapa nuts (singhara) which grew in the creek. He soon realised that life was a precious gift of God and deserved to be preserved and lived.

In 1923 Sobha Singh returned to India, opted to work as a freelance painter and set up his studio near Chowk Phawara. At that time the morcha of Gurn-Ka-Bagh was in full swing. He watched with reverence the spiritual glow on the faces of the Sikh satyagrahis. He found the theme for hisart and made up his niind to paint the Sikh Gurus who kept their heads high under the most adverse circumstances.

In 1931 Sobha Singh migrated to Delhi and set up his studio in Connaught Place. As a commercial artist he was a great success and painted some out-standing posters for the Indian Railways and the Post and Telegraph Depart-ment. His patron was Col. G.D. Tate, who appreciated his work and gave him encouragement. Sobha Singh painted a number of outstanding posters. -As an example of his work, a poster showing the pomp and splendour of the princely 'State of Jaipur,- - is worthy of mention. The Maharaja is riding on a splendidly caparisoned elephant. In the foreground are musicians and elegantly dressed retainers. From the balconies, women of the harem are enjoying the sight of the royal procession.

Gurbux Singh, editor of the Punjabi Journal Preet Lari founded a colony of idealists at a place' midway between Lahore and Amritsar, which he named Preet Nagar. At this place, located in the countryside of Tehsil Ajnala, writers, painters and educationists gathered from all over Punjab. In 1942 Gurbux Singh invited Sobha Singh to live at Preet Nagar. So Sobha Singh was not finding fulfillment in commercial art, which could provide him a living but did not give him spiritual satisfaction.

He readily accepted the invitation of Gurbux Singh. At Preet Nagar his companions were Nanak Singh, novelist, and Balwant Gargi, essayist and dramatist. His studio became popular with lovers of art. It is difficult for two strong individualists to live together. Gurbux Singli got the feeling that Sobha Singh's studio had become a critics cell and after about six months they decided to part company.

In August 1947, Sobha Singh migrated from Lahore to India He left Lahore empty-handed, leaving behind more than 60 paintings and his household goods. He reached Andretta in the Kangra Valley along with a pupil. It was raining heavily. It was a cold evening and nobody gave them shelter. He and his pupil spread their bedding on a plank in front of a shop. On seeing their plight, a shopkeeper allowed them to spend the night in a shed used for storing tealeaves. It was indeed a cold reception in the Kangra Valley. After spending about eight months in a rented room, he decided to build a cottage.

In October 1947, he went to Delhi where disorder prevailed on account of influx of refugees from Pakistan, and he did not find any lucrative occupation. In December 1948, when I was posted to Ambala on transfer from Delhi after a hectic tenure as Deputy Commissioner, I invited him to live with me. During that period, one day I saw him kneading a lump of clay. I asked him why he was doing so. He told me that he wanted to prepare my bust. I was surprised, as I had known him as a painter and not as a sculptor. I gave him a few sittings and in a week's time he showed me the bust which, according to the people who saw it, had a remarkable likeness. This bust was cast in bronze and it is now in the library of Chandigarh Museum.

I arranged an exhibition of Sobha Singh's paintings in the Sirhind Club, Ambala Cantonment. A number of his paintings were purchased by the officers of the Indian Air Force. Here he also painted a portrait of Guru Gobind Singa which I purchased for the library which was established in Ambala City.

With the funds raised by the sale of his paintings, Sobha Singh built a cottage on the outskirts of Andretta village. This cottage is now one of the main attractions for people who visit the Kangra Valley. It is picturesquely situated; to its north is the snow-covered Dhauladhar and below it are green paddy fields.

His earliest painting was of Guru Nanak Dev as a child, painted in 1934. It shows the influence of Christian art of the Middle Ages. Guru Nanak Dev, the child, is held by his mother Tripta in her lap. She is surrounded by women of the household. In the background are Shiva, Rama and Sita and Saraswati showering flowers on the. holy child.

Sobha Singh was drawn very early to romantic tales of Punjab. In 1929 he painted Sassi lost in the sand dunes of Sind. She is painted as a charming young girl clad in salwar kameez, running in search of her lover who was forcibly carried away. Sassi typifies ideal Indian womanhood: selfless, devoted and loyal to her lover for whose sake she bore great hardships and ultimately sacrificed herself. Her selfless love inspired the poets and the people of Punjab and Sind; A fine tribute to her love was paid by the Punjabi poet Hashim, who wrote a ballad which is still popular in Punjab on both sides of the border.

Omar Khayyam's poetry on wine and music was a favourite with the English educated middle class Punjabis in the thirties. In a painting Sobha Singh has shown the poet strumming a mandolin reclining against a bolster. To the right is a beautiful young woman offering him a cup of wine.

Love of the romantic led Sobha Singh to paint Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal in a painting to which he gave the title "Her Last Desire".

In spite of the developments in photography, including colour photography, portrait painting still remains an art. A good portrait gives an idea of the character of the sitter, which no photographs can provide. Besides, the colour tones of a good portrait can never be matched by a colour photograph.

Sobha Singh has painted a number of outstanding portraits. In 1948 he painted a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi for the Public Relations Department of the Punjab Government. The Mahatma is depicted wrapped in a white khadi chadar. It is a symbol of truth and purity, the twin ideals which inspired the great leader. This portrait was accepted as an official portrait of the Mahatma by the Punjab Government and was printed in colour and displayed in its offices.

For the Postgraduate Medical Research Institute (PGI), Chandigarh, he painted a portrait of Partap Singh Kairon, a former Chief Minister of Puniab, who was the founder of this great institution and saved it when it was dubbed as a white elephant by mindless critics. In the portrait, the firmness of Kairon, his ruthlessness and determination are well depicted.

Art Centre

Sobha Singh's cottage at Andretta has become an art centre, which is visited by scores of his admirers. Local hill-men and women also drop in. For their benefit he has constructed a separate gallery in which apart from his portraits of the Sikh Gurus, he has displayed the paintings of Sri Krishna, Sri Rama, Sheikh Farid and Jesus Christ.

Sobha Singh worked hard to earn his laurels. He continued to paint with zest for thirty years. A disciplined life and methodical working have been the secrets of his creativity. No other artist has made such an impact on the spiritual life of the people of Punjab. When the scribbles and daubs of paint, which pass for abstract art are forgotten, Sobha Singh's paintings will live and be cherished as treasures, as they have a message to convey. They have undoubtedly a unique place in the art heritage of Punjab.