April 04, 2004
Copyright © The Indianapolis Star, April 18, 1995
His quick smile is as memorable as his distinctive turban and both
are genuine expressions of a warm and deeply religious man whose talents,
energy and good will have benefited Indianapolis for nearly three decades.
It is appropriate that artist K.P. Singh will be honored today as the
citys International Citizen of the Year.
The award given by the International Center of Indianapolis, will be
presented at luncheon celebration in partnership with the World Trade
Club of Indiana and the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerces trade
conference.
Hendricks Conty Commissioner M. Richard Himsel presents President
Ronald Reagan with a pen and ink drawing of the Hendricks County Landmarks
signed by the artist, Kanwal Prakash Singh.
Singhs exquisite drawings celebrate the history and architecture
of sites and cities throughout the world, gracing many Indianapolis
public lobbies, offices and homes. They are also displayed throughout
the United States and 25 other countries.
The artist was 7 years old when his family fled India as their part
of the nation became Pakistan and was ethnically cleansed
of offending religious views. His father was a prominent teacher and
scholar. But he was a Sikh.
"Tens of thousands were slaughtered in our hometown alone,"
Singh told the The Stars Donna Mullinix for a profile of the artist
published April 10.
His family was among the lucky ones that escaped. Singh later went
to school in India and the University of Michigan before joining Indianapolis
Department of Metropolitan Development in 1967 as senior planner.
His love of historic architecture led him to draw the citys Union
Station and that in turn helped the effort to save the building now
restored from demolition. Friends urged him to sketch a series of other
buildings and the work became so popular that he turned to such artwork
full time.
He has been at it 23 years now and has become one of Indianas
best known and most popular artists. Singh in his turban, which Mullinix
described in her profile as an absolute must for those of the
Sikh faith is a familiar sight not only at art shows but at other
Indianapolis cultural, charity and civic events.
Singh has devoted much of his time to making this city and state a
better place. As the founding Director of the International Center here
he says he considers it a personal challenge to make our considerable
ethnic population more a part of the community.
"Sikhs believe that everyone of us is part of the divine essence,"
he says.
His philosophy is reflected in a letter he wrote to The Star in 1994.
It is said in part:
We are no longer an island unto ourselves. The world is at our doors
and we are all partners of the vast human family. Therefore celebration,
appreciation, respect and understanding of our diversity in a social,
cultural or religious context take on a new meaning: a beautiful promise
of greater harmony and peace among people in our great city.
The Star congratulates K.P. Singh as International Citizen of the Year
1995. The honor is well deserved.