Readers’ comments: Exhibit about Duleep Singh princesses excludes Sikh raja’s youngest daughters
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Thank you for writing (“In London, an exhibition reveals the fascinating lives of the Duleep Singh princesses”). It’s a beautifully written and moving piece. I liked the way it began with Peter Barrall’s memories of Sophia and Bamba. The detail about the dupattas mistaken for saris was a good addition too.
If I may, I wanted to offer some constructive feedback, in the spirit of the underrepresented histories this exhibition is trying to recover.
I was disappointed that the piece, like much coverage of the Duleep Singh family, did not extend its attention to Maharajah Duleep Singh’s two youngest daughters, Princesses Pauline and Irene, the last-born Duleep Singh princesses. They are in the exhibition, albeit marginalised.
Princess Victor Duleep Singh, Lady Anne Coventry, who married into the Sikh Punjabi royal family, was also excluded from the exhibition, even from the family tree.
As a British Sikh and Punjabi woman, I also find it disappointing that so much of the Duleep Singh archive is in a private collection. Private collections are a hot topic in heritage circles because they enable gatekeeping and hierarchy. Sikhi discourages hierarchy, instead promoting ideas like langar. – Sundeep Braich
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