Vaisakhi Greeting Cards

Based out of the Bay Area in California, Biney Kaur, Sargun Kaur, Japneet Kaur have teamed up with the Neela Collective to bring you Vaisakhi greeting cards!

“We believe the art of letter-writing is quickly becoming scarce,” said the Kaurs. “In today’s time and age, everything is digitized, including communication. This year, instead of sending a ‘Happy Vaisakhi’ e-card or text, take a moment to write a personal message conveying what Vaisakhi really means to you in one of our three original designs.”

Each of the artists have a love for journals and planners, for physical artwork, and for paper in general. So they decided to combine these passions and embark on a collective art endeavor. “Before we knew it, we were dreaming in Photoshop! In retrospect, it almost seems poignant that the birth of this collective occurred in honor of the birth of the Khalsa,” said the Kaurs.

In the spirit of Sikhi and community, the Kaurs have decided to donate 30% of all greeting card proceeds to Ensaaf. Ensaaf is a nonprofit organization working to end impunity and achieve justice for mass state crimes in India, with a focus on Punjab, by documenting abuses, bringing perpetrators to justice, and organizing survivors.

“Ensaaf is working toward a goal very near to our hearts,” the women said.”Growing up at Fremont Gurdwara Sahib and being surrounded by family and friends who struggled and suffered in brutal ways, we’ve always been cognizant of the consequences of the state crimes against Sikhs. With the crucial work Ensaaf does, we felt like donating was the very least we could do to support our Sikh brothers and sisters who dedicate their lives to justice for the Sikh nation.”

For these young women, art has always been a part of their lives, engaging in and exploring it both privately and publicly. “Between the three of us, we’ve done our fair share of exploring photography, drawing, painting, tagging, crafting, pottery, sewing, embroidery, typography, knitting, writing, and everything in between,” said the Kaurs. “While we may not be professional artists, each of us has been conscious to routinely take time out of our lives to create. Coming together and recognizing this mutual love, we then pushed each other to indulge and nurture this creativity.”

Beyond simple aesthetics, creating art has also been therapeutic for these Kaurs. “The challenge in translating a vision into something tangible, paired with the drive of design perfection, really tugs at all ends of our creative muscles in excitement, which weirdly all three of us seem to enjoy,” the Kaurs said. “Art holds the unique power of being as personal or public as the artist chooses. Sometimes we engage in art projects for ourselves as it’s such a great outlet, while other times we choose to share it as in the case of the Vaisakhi cards, which we thought the community would really enjoy and appreciate.”

With their latest project, the Vaisakhi greeting cards, the artists hope “to encourage people to pause in their consideration of Vaisakhi, to internalize their sentiments, and to share them."

Biney, Sargun, and Japneet have worked on many other projects together and have been friends from Gurdwara since they were children. “We’ve truly been humbled by the response and support we’ve received post-launch. We really just were itching to create, and this occasion is so meaningful for us, hence the rush for Vaisakhi – but this is definitely just the beginning. We have much more planned for the future, so we’d love to hear what people would like to see. Keep an eye out for us, and please keep sharing your blessings!”

“Vaisakhi de Rang” is a reflection of the Vaisakh season and Punjabi culture. Vaisakhi marks the harvest season, and it is culturally a time when many Punjabis and Sikhs celebrated rebirth, and the abundance of their harvests and livelihoods. We focused on creating icons representative of the season. For example, the tractor, baldh (ox), and daathi (sickle) are used in planting and harvesting crops, the staple crop being kanak (wheat). We also incorporated iconography we hope reflects the general culture of Punjab, including the parandhi, a turlay vaali pagh, a Nishan Sahib, and post-partition Punjab.

 

“The Call” is a very literal throwback to 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj called for five heads, the Panj Sees. It’s also a question we ask ourselves every Vaisakhi – “Are we ready to answer that call if it comes again?” We really wanted to focus on this vital concept, so we kept the design minimal, with all the focus on the five Singhs and Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj’s talwar.

 

“Motif” is intended to allow senders to purposefully interpret and convey Vaisakhi’s personal significance to them. That’s why we focused on typography, and the design of the card was inspired by the beautiful calligraphy and floral motifs found in Angs written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj’s own hand.

 

Ensaaf is in no way involved with the production or sale of these cards, and does not endorse these cards in any way.