The Sikh Troops War Memorial was installed at Victoria Park, Leicester, in October 2022. Following this, the digital project by Leicester’s Sikh Museum Initiative has now unveiled a 3D version of the statue to allow members of the public to interact with it digitally from anywhere in the world. This is to coincide with Remembrance Day, this Sunday, to honour Sikh members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty.
The new 3D version of the Sikh Troops War Memorial will add to the Sikh Museum Initiative’s existing collection of objects highlighting Sikh history through the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum.
The actual bronze statue honours Sikhs who fought for the United Kingdom during the two World Wars and many other conflicts around the world. Although accounting for less than 2% of the population of British India at the time, Sikhs made up more than 20% of the British Indian Army at the outbreak of hostilities during the Great War.
The statue, which was commissioned by the Sikh Troops War Memorial Committee, sits on a granite plinth, and is located at Victoria Park opposite De Montfort Hall at the Granville Road entrance to the park. The statue complements the existing war memorials in Peace Walk and, since it’s unveiling, hundreds of people walk past the statue every day.
The statue was created by artist Taranjit Singh, who used 3D modelling rather than traditional sculpting methods. Now, the 3D model has been repurposed with a view of making it available on a digital platform allowing users to interact with it.
Gurinder Singh Mann, Historian and Project Coordinator of the memorial said:
“The memorial was a great project which commemorates the enormous contribution Sikhs made, with the ‘British’ Indian Army, within various wars and conflicts. The development of the memorial was a team effort by Sikh congregations, historians and the artist Taranjit Singh.
“A year later, we have now released the 3D model which allows users to see the memorial in the comfort of their homes but with a view that they will one day come and see the statue in person. The 3D statue will be a great addition to the world’s first Sikh Virtual Museum.”
Taranjit Singh, 3D Artist
The design and creation of the Sikh Statue was a very challenging and important piece of work. We moved away from traditional sculpting and undertook 3D modelling to create the final statue hence saving time and being able to make changes quickly. The 3D version now allows everyone to see the same process we used in the development of the memorial.
See the 3d Sikh Statue on the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum