By Vishnu Makhijani New Delhi, Nov 26th : .As a young man, he hadn’t learned Gurumukhi.
He was pursuing graduate studies in the USA when he had “fortuitous encounters with Sikhs” that led him to learn more about his faith.His book “The Story of the Sikhs 1469-1708” is a detailed account of the ten Gurus.
It includes accounts from the Guru Granth Sahib and the Dasam Granth, as well as Braj poetry.
“The lives, teachings, and writings of Gurus, as well as the divine wisdom enshrined within the Guru Grant Sahib, together represent a unity in thought that is remarkable, yet often misunderstood,” Sarbpreet Singh, a writer, podcaster and commentator, told IANS in an interview from Massachusetts.He said that the book “is a distillation and distillation of what I learned while I was a young Sikh trying understand and engage with my journey as a young Sikh, and to understand and engage with my identity.”
“I fled India as a young man to study in the USA, and I was inspired to learn more about my faith through a series of encounters with Sikhs who inspired.This interest in Sikhism’s history was accompanied by deep immersion in Gurmat Sangeet, or Sikh sacred music.
He said, “Over the years I began teaching Sikh History as well as Gurmat Sangeet young children in New Jersey or Boston and my interest deepened.”
“The Story of the Sikhs” (Penguin), was first created by Sarbpreet Singh as a podcast.He wanted to inspire young Sikhs to connect with their faith and to encourage them to do the same.
Sarbpreet Singh stated that the success of the podcast and the response from young people around the world motivated him to write the book.
The book has been the result of extensive research.
He said, “Having been raised in Sikkim, I didn’t learn Gurmukhi as an adult; therefore my first exposure to Sikh history was through books written in English.”
J.D.was the first book he ever read.Cunningham’s “History of the Sikhs” was his first book.It gave him a glimpse into the struggles of the Gurus and Sikhs in the 18th Century, as well the sacrifices that were made to preserve the Sikh identity.
He then read Max Arthur Macuauliffe’s opus, “The Sikh Religion”, and was followed by Sardar Khushwant Singh’s two-volume history.
“As the years went by, I learned Gurmukhi, which allowed me to read many works by Bhai Vir Singh, a Sikh writer, savant, and mystic.This opened up a new world.BhaiVir Singh’s books, such as Guru Nanak Chamatkar’, Ashth Guru Chmatkar’ and Sri Kalgidhar Chamatkar’, introduced me to the Janamsakhi (biographical) accounts Guru Nanak and the beautiful Braj poetry by Kavi Santokh S in his book ‘The Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth.” The author elaborated.
Bhai Kahn Singh’s encyclopedia, “The Mahan Kosh”, and Braj dictionaries, were used by him to engage with a host other writings, including ‘The Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin’ of Koer Singh, and the ‘Sri Gur Sobha’ of Senapati, one the most famous court poets of Guru Gobind Singh.
“The Gurbilas literature, with its high literature and stories of heroism, gave me a deeper understanding of the times the Sikh faith lived through and the struggles it had with the Mughal Emperors after Akbar The Great’s liberal ways.I researched the Dasam Granth and the research of scholars like Dr.Trilochan Singh or Dr.D.P.Ashtha,” Sarbpreet Sing said.
He also interacted with Bhai Nand Lal’s writings, another beloved court poet of Guru Gobind Singh, who wrote beautiful Farsi ghazals addressed to his master.He meticulously documented the code for conduct that had been established for the Sikh nation.
This book is full of excerpts in translation.The book has been translated with selections from The Guru Granth Sahib and The Dasam Granth.
Also, Bhai Gurdas, Guru Arjan’s scribe, and Bhai Nal, The Gur Pratap Suraj Granth and Bhai Nand Lel’s texts.
How did he decide to use storytelling instead of the historian’s style for this book?
“Having taught history to reluctant teens for many years, I have always been aware of the difficulties that young people face when trying to engage with history.Many wonderful books have been written about Sikh faith.Many of them have been written by scholars.
“I wanted to create work that was both deeply researched and easily accessible.This type of writing is not new.I have enjoyed the historical writings by William Dalrymple, Manu Pillai, and I find their writing to be very engaging and truly enjoyable to read,” Sarbpreet Sing explained.
His book is very personal in that it focuses only on the aspects of Sikh history that appeal to him and inspire him.He said, “Hence, it was natural to me to approach it from the perspective of a storyteller rather that as a student or historian.”
What is the common thread that binds the 10 Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib? This is what makes the religion so appealing.
“The lives, teachings, and writings of Gurus, as well as the divine wisdom enshrined within the Guru Grant Sahib, together represent a remarkable unity of thought, which is often misunderstood.Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh have been compared and contrasted over the years.
The world focuses on Guru Nanak’s spirituality and Guru Gobind Singh’s valour.
“In the Sikh tradition, this unity can be clearly understood and is echoed by writings as diverse and as varied as the Var of Satta and Balwand, which appears both in the Guru Granth Sahib as well as the Sri Gur Sobha in Senapati.
This dichotomy, which has been reinforced with popular artistic representations and what I would call “lazy scholarship”, does a great disservice the faith,” the author stated.
Guru Gobind Singh claims Guru Nanak was spiritually the same as Guru Gobind Singh.
This is evident if one reads his compositions like the Jaap Sahib.Similarly, Guru Nanak was just as militant as Guru Gobind Singh, and equally concerned about justice issues.
“He was equally committed against tyranny of any form.Sarbpreet Singh pointed to the evidence in his collection of hymns called Babarvani, which is enshrined within the Guru Granth Sahib.This is an exhortation of the tyranny and violence of Babar while establishing his rule.”
To that end, while there are already endowed Chairs for Sikh Studies at many prominent US universities, he would “personally more be inspired by a Chair that focused primarily on the Sikh traditions and commitments to fighting injustice, and the Sikh embrace and embrace of inclusion as reflected within Guru Nanak’s broad outlook.This is a crucial resource for the world at a time when there are divisions and cynical demagogues in every country.
What’s next? What’s his next project?”
“I am currently working on a few things,” and some of these projects may be nearing completion.
Fictionalized account of the life and times of Sufi Shah Hussain, in the form a novel.It is a celebration his extraordinary poetry and unconventional life.
A collection of short fiction that explores the fortunes of the early Punjabi diasporas in North America.
Volume 2 of the Story of the Sikhs is a collection of turbulent years in the 18th century, when the Mughal Empire was crumbling and northern India was reeling after repeated invasions by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
This created an opportunity for the Sikhs of seizing political power.
This is Sarbpreet Singh’s third book.
He has previously published “Night of the Restless Spirits”, which focuses on the aftermath of the events of 1984 and “The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia”, which focuses on the cosmopolitan court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the “Lion of Punjab”.There is much to look forward too when Volume 2 of this book comes out.
(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at [email protected])
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