Written by  BHUPINDER SINGH – Email: singhbo@gmail.com
http://www.sikhreview.org/index.aspx

The first Sikh immigrants looking for greener pastures came to the west coast of United States in the second half of the 19th century. Most Sikh immigrants from the province of Punjab came to the U.S. to work on agricultural farms and lumber industries drawn by the similarities of climate with back home. The first Gurudwara in Stockton was inaugurated on October 24, 1912. The early immigrants were trying to survive on the low paying jobs, facing harsh discriminatory environment. While they were trying to meet the ends, they were also trying to preserve their faith and culture.During that time, a series of discriminatory laws were in the process of being enacted which targeted Asian immigrants, including Sikhs. Still quite a few of these early immigrants married Mexican women so that they could settle here instead of returning back.

Finally, the USA opened their doors to immigration in the 1960s, resulting in many students coming here for higher education. The numbers of Sikhs in US were extremely low, spread thin and many of these new immigrants discarded their visible articles of faith
to blend in the society and to avoid discrimination. Thus, the Sikhs were mostly living closer to the gurdwaras which became hub of their religious and social lives. This cocoon mentality was first set aside by 1967 by a young Sikh physicist, Narinder Singh Kapany, who with immense pride, commitment, and faith in their Sikh heritage, along with his wife, Satinder Kaur, founded the Sikh Foundation in California on December 29, 1967, with the mission to preserve and promote Sikh heritage. Because of this initiative we have Sikh Art Gallery at Asian Art Gallery in San Francisco. This inspired Khanuja family to set up a Sikh gallery at Phoenix Art Museum.

Harbhajan Singh Puri in 1968 immigrated to Toronto, and from there he moved to Los Angeles in 1969. In a brief time, he made a considerable impact in this Anglo-Saxon predominant metropolis, gaining a following amongst the hippies. In three months, he had established Yoga classes at several YMCAs, co-founded a yoga center, and was interviewed for national press and television, becoming known as Yogi Bhajan.

July 2024 of Ayatollah in turban and flowing beard on the national media created the impression that Sikhs were followers of Ayatollah, responsible for hike in petrol prices dubbed as “Oil Shock”. This was the first time a realization downed the Sikhs about the need to come out of their cocoon and make their presence felt, so that they are not wrongfully associated or targeted. The Sikhs started getting involved in the interfaith activities at the local level.

SALDEF a Sikh advocacy was founded in Washington DC, as the Sikh Media watch and Resource Task Force (SMART) in 1996, it began solely as an all-volunteer organization with a primary focus on media analysis and education. It has made efforts to protect the freedom of Sikhs to practice their faith without sacrificing their Sikh identity in work place. SALDEF has come out with Research Reports on various issues affecting Sikhs as Taking on Hate and White Supremacy, Turban Myths, and National Sikh American Survey. UNITED SIKHS, another NGO began in 1999, when a group of 3 Sikhs from the New York metropolitan area banded together to assist in the socio-economic development of immigrant communities in Queens, New York. Now this NGO has grown with Chapters in numerous countries including India and Pakistan. They also have a special helpline available 24*7 called UMEED that offers immediate support and strategies for addiction, mental health issues, domestic violence, and more.

Next after the September 11, 2001, attack on Twin Towers, Sikhs became target again of discrimination because of mistaken identity. Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Phoenix was killed on September 15, 2001, becoming first target of hate. Quite a few other Sikh Gurdwaras were attacked in hate crimes. The Sikh Coalition was founded by volunteers on the night of September 11, 2001, in response to a torrent of violent attacks against Sikh Americans throughout the United States.

In 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, joined active duty as an emergency medicine specialist, when he was asked to shave off his beard and unshorn hair to serve. Kalsi challenged it with the help of The Sikh Coalition, and it became a landmark case. He was finally given permission to wear articles of faith after a long courts’ battles which cost a lot of time and effort. But it paved way for future exemptions to Sikh to serve with a freedom to practice their faith. This event brought a lot of media attention to Sikhs in America and their unique challenges to serve with facial/head hair. In 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a national report on the bullying of Sikh children in American schools.
The report found that 55.8% of Sikh students surveyed in Indianapolis reported being bullied, while 54.5% of Sikh students surveyed in Fresno, California, reported being bullied.

This is almost twice the national bullying average, and a matter of grave concerns for physical and emotional health of Sikh kids in American Schools.

The Sikh Review

In 2008 Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was so inspired to hear Adrian Garcia, elected Harris County sheriff speak at the Gurdwara in Hoston that he met him, closed his trucking business, growing his hair again and started his journey in law enforcement as civilian detention officer. He progressed on becoming a peace officer and eventually progressed to become the first Deputy in 2015 to sport a turban in USA. Thus, he came to be known as a trailblazer, but unfortunately lost his life in 2019 while taking care of a routine traffic stop. This tragic incident cut short a young blooming life, but the media coverage of the tragedy made many Americans aware of Sikhs.

In August 2012 Oak Creek Gurudwara, Wisconsin was a target of shooting leading to six deaths which shook the community. Besides there were other hate crimes in New York and California, with the attackers branding Sikhs as “Osama Bin Laden”.

In 2017, Ravinder Singh Bhalla had decided to run for a third term on the Hoboken City Council, when incumbent Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer decided not to run for reelection but endorsed Bhalla in a surprise press conference. He not only became Mayor but was reelected unopposed, finally completing three terms as Mayor. This high profile public position again have made a lot of Americans aware of Sikhs.

On the educational front the leads taken by Sikh Foundation, Sikh RI, and Sikhnet are highly commendable. Today Sikhnet is a largest Sikh presence on the world of digital media. Besides at the organized levels, there has been herculean individual efforts where the community members have embarked upon projects that will raise the profile, it benefit the community in the USA, but also larger Sikh community spread worldwide. Some of these combined grass root efforts by individual along with NGOs have resulted in inclusion of Sikhism in the Social Studies books. Establishment of a Sikh Chair in California and New York-Hofstra University, sponsored department of Musicology-GurbaniKirtan has given a boost to promotion of Punjabi language, productive literary pursuits, high quality literature/books, interfaith dialogues are another contribution by the diaspora in spreading message of Oneness for the humanity.

From all this we can see that the journey to the land of opportunities was not easy but was fraught with challenges. Some challenges remain and some new emerge, but the resilient Sikh community is learning and getting better at its advocacy efforts. The small Sikh community in size is faced with a unique set of challenges. It is this author’s hope
that these multiple Sikh NGOs can pool their talent and resources so that Sikh’s profile can be nurtured and Sikhee flourishes in US but also becomes a beacon for Sikhs in other countries. The Sikhs have produced some unique role models and hope to see get
it further nurtured in future.

This Study Circle then thought of an English monthly and went on to herald its first issue in September-October 1953. To its good fortune, the WW-II hero, Capt. Bhag Singh, MBE, became its Editor, guided by Ms. Marguerite Allen Randhawa as well as the Oriental Scholar, Dr. Hira Lal Chopra who was equally at home with Persian, Sanskrit, Arabic, and Punjabi, Among those who contributed with heart and soul were Sirdar Kapur Singh, ICS, Dr. Trilochan Singh, Ph.D., D.Litt., and Sr. Kulraj Singh (Comm. of IT), followed by eminent writers Dr. Harbans Lal, Dr. J S Neki, Dr. I J Singh, Dr. Nikki Girinder Kaur, Dr. Muthu Mohan, Dr. Nirvikar Singh, Dr. Harpreet Kaur, Khuswant Singh, and others) A notable fact is that, even in the difficult decade of the 1980s, when almost all Sikh journals and newspapers in India were scrutinized, censored, and some were forced to stop their publication or distribution; The Sikh Review struggled but kept up the publication, thanks to the arrival in 1983–84 of Sardar Saran Singh, I.A.S, secretary government of India, who had then retired as Adviser to the Governor, Assam, he was ably assisted by Dr. I. J. Singh as its Overseas Editor. In November 2020, one year before the passing away of Sardar Saran Singh, DIG Partap Singh assumed the role of the editor while Dr I J Singh continued as the overseas editor. 

The Journal seeks to provide its readers with a sense of pride and gratitude: Pride in its incredible resilience; Gratitude also for the fact that Sikhs can create successful institutions to serve the new generation, provided we are determined. Gratitude also that it is the Sikh awakening and blazing the cultural renaissance of the early 1900s that brought our Faith back to its transcendental realm. “The Sikh Review” is one such example of that dynamic. Today, “The Sikh Review” forges ahead as a major intellectual resource for Sikhs worldwide, even as the Sikh Diaspora spreads far and wide, the journal has helped global Sikhism stay connected with the core of their theological, educational, and socio-cultural ethos.

As we complete 70 years of publication, what makes “The Sikh Review” go on and thrive when many have come and gone? Two factors: The mission and the inspiration combined with voluntary service.

The team remains steadfast in its mission: To spread the light of Gurbani and its matchless course of Sikh history—in a way that is appealing to the younger generation honed in the English language, and to cover all aspects of Sikhism in a new idiom. Scholars and specialists from around the globe, contribute their writings as a labour of love

An editorial board, with the best minds worldwide, works smoothly to select and streamline the articles. The dedicated volunteer representative body reaches out to Sikhs in every country they live in, with the sole intent of disseminating Guru Nanak’s mission to people of all ages on every continent. With the global spread of Diaspora in large numbers, our search for unrepresented regions continues, and new Volunteers are welcome to join us for this SEWA.

A typical issue of “The Sikh Review” is a little under 100 pages long and does not boast fancy paper or graphics, just good contents. Contents that range from the philosophical to the practical day-to-day aspects of Sikhi, from graphic glimpses of History to current concerns that challenge Sikhs anywhere they call home; from reviving the Classics to the review of the latest happenings in the fields of fine arts, cinema, music, and literature. It is in simple English, supplemented with Gurmukhi fonts when needed. The content is easy to read and digest, and covers aspects that appeal to a wide range of thoughts and lifestyles centered on Sikhi. The Sikh Review is now available on our website www.silkhreview.org — (some left over issues from the inception 1953 are under process of digitation) and freely available to read/download article of choice by the Research Scholars as well as all readers worldwide.

One could get involved in this noble mission by giving away subscriptions, either Hard copy or a digital version, as gifts to family members, friends, and Gurdwara libraries. For libraries, bound volumes of the journal’s prior issues are available for collection.

What is remarkable is the team’s mode of operation, which has kept the journal on an even keel. No profit. No personal ego, No politics, A Truly, it is a Panthic endeavour, free from pettifoggery and dedicated to humanitarian goals. Even during the COVID lockdown, the team of publishers and printers relentlessly worked hard to mail The Sikh Review during the most challenging times.

Besides the regular publication, The Sikh Cultural Centre has, from 2022–2023, started the sponsorship of the education of merited Sikh Children for Higher Studies of their choice. The objective is to groom our young generation for cracking competitive exams for joining Central as well as State services including IIT, IIM, NDA where a visible Turban is missing. By the grace of Waheguru and the support of well-wishers we have managed to sponsor 28 students during the years 2022–2023, and 70 students for the session 2023–24 in Pan India. The process for ONLINE admission for the next sessions shall continue as per mission statement formulated and loaded on website (www.sikhreview.org) 

Keeping in pace with time, Sikh Review has ventured into the publication of books on Special occasions, such as the anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Teg Bahadur, where the highly acclaimed “Nanak The Guru” was printed in 7 Indian languages and 2 foreign languages, Spanish and German, with illustrations by Internationally known artists Arpana Caur and Mala Dayal. This was followed by the Coffee Table Book on 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak and 400^th birth anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, printed at Thomson Press, authored by Sardarni Harminder Kaur. 

After seven decades journey, the Sikh Review is still moving forward to fulfil its mission of promoting peace, harmony, and international fraternity in line with Sikh morality and philosophy. It has seen many ups and downs over its existence, but it has persevered despite all the odds thanks to the enormous support that it still receives from subscribers, philanthropics and contributors all around the world.

The current generation of Sikhs, including our enlarge diaspora, has an obligation to join the mission and assist the magazine in achieving its objective of disseminating gurbani for the benefit of humanity, as Sikhism has already gained worldwide recognition.

The Sikh Review has already established itself as a major panthicinstitution, therefore, both Sikh institutions and individuals should step up to support the journal in terms of readership, funding, and of course with writings to its regular columns. 

EDITOR (OVERSEAS): I.J. Singh, Prof. Emeritus, NYU.

EDITOR: Partap Singh, DIG (Retd.).

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Avtar Singh

Publisher: Narinder Pal Singh

THE SIKH CULTURAL CENTRE 

THE SIKH REVIEW, 

116 Karnani Mansion, 25A Park Street, Kolkata 700 016

Office Phone Nos: 91-33-2229-9656 / 4604-6462 

Mobile Nos. 9313290538, 9331035297, 9903701011

Email: sikhreview@gmail.com,

INTERNET EDITION: http://www.sikhreview.org

The Man Who Bent Light by Narinder Singh Kapany
Roli Books, 2021, ISBN: 978-81-952566-0-0

We can all remember being taught in schools that the light travels in a straight line, accepted it as the universal truth, and it is firmly ingrained in our minds. But there was someone who was not willing to accept this axiom, and his dogged determination to prove it otherwise, unleashed a new field of study called ‘Fiber Optics’ and he became known as its father. He was not just a scientific trailblazer, but also had a rare privilege of writing his own autobiography. So, such a unique combination makes this book “The man who bent light” by Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany an interesting read on a fascinating life.

Dr. Kapany was born on October 31, 1927.

There are 12 Parts in the book. The entire book covers all the phases of Dr. Kapany’s life starting from Boyhood and ending in Family Matters. The author claims that he captured “memorable moments and scenes” from his life at the behest of his son and daughter. It is amazing that even in his nineties he could recall in detail the scenes from his early childhood, when he was three.

In the first Chapter titled Property describes in detail the young Narinder overhearing his Grandmother Manji discussing their ancestral property with Aunt Nuntal. The sight of the vast land mass made him wonder “How can one family possess so much?” The next Chapter Sodhi-wala describes the journey on a wagon drawn by two white bullocks when one-wheel careens off making him and his older brother fall to the wagon floor and both of them fall into half-sleep. In the next Chapter Ring the author shares a fascinating story of a ‘lucky ring’ which his father got from a Russian woman for helping her to safety during World War 1. His mother gave this ring to him as a good luck charm, when his name was not on the newspaper list of people who had successfully passed the college degree. The ring’s charm surely seems to have worked as next day the newspaper carried an apology along with an amended list for the omissions from the list released in the day earlier. Sure enough, his name was on the top of this revised list.

The Chapter ‘Here Bino, take my hand’ describes how he as a kid of 6 or 7 was awestruck by the sheer size and the magnificence of Darbar Sahib (also known as Golden Temple). There, her mother urged him to ‘Go with your father’ into the holy water sarovar for a dip. The Chapter ‘Stolen Fruit’ is not just a tale of a childhood prank, but that enkindled a pride of being a Sikh in him. The Chapter ‘Almost True Stories’ details how two volumes of Janam Sakhis of Guru Nanak Dev Ji inheritance of the family nurtured the taste of exquisite art which germinated the idea of becoming a collector and giving it a lasting home in the form of San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. The Chapter ‘Chain Reaction’ beautifully captures the faith of the teacher Mr. Zacharich in his pupil Narinder, despite his naughty pranks in the school in Dehradun. The Chapter ‘Deadheading’ captures the faith of the father in his blossoming son when he says that “I’m certain you’ll discover something valuable.” Narinder’s insight that “we weren’t carrying a load home” helped his father double the income. The Chapter ‘Partition’ besides sharing some details of the carnage that took place also shares a vital insight “So powerful and effective was Ranjit’s Singh rule that the British knew they could do nothing to change it;” which lay crumbled after his death.

The Chapter ‘Obsessed’ shares how the Professor’s statement in the classroom that “Light can travel in a straight line” not just woke up Narinder from his nap but seared him to the core and set him for life’s work and on a mission to prove otherwise. After graduating from the college, he joined the ordnance factory where he expressed to his boss his desire; “I want to learn everything I can about light. About optical instruments.” That same impulse took to him in 1952 to Imperial College in London where he met Professor Harold Hopkins, his mentor. Narinder and his Professor were both obsessed by the idea “that light and images could be transmitted through flexible axes.” There he met Satinder whom he eventually married in 1954 at Shepherd’s Bush Gurudwara, London in a Sikh wedding ceremony. He took a position of a Researcher with Bart & Stroud, Glasgow for few rainy months. But the lure of furthering his research and a PhD with full scholarship, including a stipend for personal expenses from Dr. Hopkins brought him back to Imperial College. Here he was re-obsessed setting up a laboratory to conduct experiments at age 25. As a part of his research, he had black mask with cut-out the word ‘Fibre’ taped to the lens and switched the light source. There it was on the screen in a single line of the letters Fibre – Bingo a successful experiment – the light has been bent. This test was featured as Rope ‘Scope in the September 1955 issue of the Popular Mechanics – a scientific journal.

He completed his course in PhD with 3 years of basic research and 6 months to author his thesis and prepare for the orals. The Chapter ’80-Pound Car’ details his sojourn to an international optics conference in Florence, Italy; with his wife and two friends in a car from London. His pioneering research had already garnered a great deal of interest in fiber optics field. The organizers had allotted a 15-minute time slot for his presentation, but with the heightened interest from the attendees he was given 40 minutes to fill, which he did. Here Dr. Robert Hopkins from University of Rochester, NY asked them out for lunch. He first asked Narinder what his future plans were, before offering him to come to the USA and further his research. He came to NY on a ship and his period there was a “Very Good Year” for his research as well as an opportunity to collaborate with doctors of John Hopkins University. His team’s pioneering work presented at the meeting of Optical Society of America in 1956 at Lake Placid, New York. It was there Dr. Leonard Reiffel, managing director of the Physics Department at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago; offered him to come and work for him. In the Summer of 1959, about 3 years into what was an initially agreed to a two-year stay, Narinder with his family embarked on an extended vacation. He says that period in Chicago was the most productive period of his career.

The phone call from Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala, asked him to come to NY for an urgent meeting. There he met India’s Defense Minister Krishna Menon; who offered him to become his scientific advisor. After few months interval he went back to India on a vacation. There he had an hour’s meeting with the Prime Minister Nehru, which in his own words was most refreshing and personally rewarding hour. This offer for the position of scientific advisor was approved by Nehru, but the official appointment papers arrived after a year. India’s loss turned out to be America’s gain, as Narinder decided to set up his own venture Optics Technology in Palo Alto, near San Francisco. Here, they developed Endoscopes to look at the insides of everything. This was followed by the development of laser eye surgery and card readers using fiber optics. Interestingly these initiatives were underwritten by NIH to the tune of $ 250,000 a year for the first time. The trail blazing additions were Retinal Coagulation, Cardiac Oximeter, and HeNe (Helium-Neon) laser. As a side note, I would like to add here that during Covid-19 pandemic everyone in the world has used the Oximeter to detect Oxygen levels.

In 1970 while he was looking for something new to excite him, on a tour of his own facility he uncovered a piece of discarded cluster of fiber optics cables in a trash can. He picked it up excitedly and took it home, transforming it into a sculpture and named it “The Caged Serpent.”  Now a new initiative was blossoming and soon he had made some more sculptures. Somehow the word got out to Frank Oppenheimer from S F. Exploratorium who called him and envisaged an interest in looking at the creations. Impressed after the tour of exhibits at Narinder’s house he proposed that they hold an exhibition of his creations. The fun thing done by Narinder as a hobby had garnered a new name called “Dynoptic” from Oppenheimer. His sculptures were first displayed in a one-man show at the Exploratorium of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in 1972. In 1973 he sold his share of the company to his colleagues at the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). Looking for new gigs, an opportunity for posting as the second-in-command to the incoming US ambassador to India, Danial Moynihan opened up, however it failed to materialize.

In late 1973 he found himself in a situation where he had leisure to explore the world for other provocative opportunities. The backseat of a taxicab in Paris proved to be the place of birth of a new company which was called Kaptron with a major French telecommunication firm. That venture soon blossomed into a thriving telecommunications device designer and a manufacturer. He sold Kaptron in 1975 second time to AMP Inc. In 1975 he was invited to spend 6 months at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) as Regents Professor. This tenure is offered to those who bridge the academic and non-academic worlds. With his turban, long beard, and deep voice; his was not a low-profile appointment. As the Regent he gave public lectures on innovation, productization of ideas, creativity, productivity, and entrepreneurship. At the end of 6 months when Narinder went to visit university’s chancellor Robert Sinsheimer to say goodbye, but he was not ready bid him goodbye. Narinder asked for months’ time and came back to him with a proposal for Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED), pronounced ‘seed.’ He stayed as the Director of the center for 7 years which were some of the most gratifying times of his professional life.

The Part VI titled ‘Farming’ appears like a regression from innovative technology of Fiber Optics. But soon he discovers; “that science was a lot less complex than human relationships.” However, the notion technical regression is soon put to rest as he says that; “Again not to work the soil, but to be part of the growing process.” From a young boy pilfering oranges from the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh’s orchard in Patiala, to owning farms growing fruits in California valley reflects the passion of the person obsessed with a notion of bending the light. The Chapter ‘Wine and Oil’ makes an interesting read on his purchase of three thousand acres of an old vineyard in the central valley near Fresco, CA. How luck favored this man of science can be gauged from the fact that not only did he and his partners got the mineral rights for this parcel of land, but also mineral rights on an additional seven thousand acres. To me this is like Maida’s touch, where all investments turned into gold. Within 2 years the investment was earned back, thanks to the oil well’s royalty.

The Part VII titled ‘Being Sikh’ enshrines his unique contribution in setting up Chair on Sikh Studies-Department of Religion UCSB, Santa Barbara; Chair on Optoelectronics-UCSC, Santa Cruz; Chair on Entrepreneurship- UCSC, Santa Cruz. He also became an avid art collector of ‘Sikh Art’, the term he coined to describe unique Sikh art. The collection found a permanent house at the Asian Art Museum called Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery in honor of his wife. All these efforts gave birth to a book called Sikh Art from Kapany Collection. The Sikh Foundation that he was instrumental in setting up back in 1967, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special program from 5th to 7th May in 2017. In Part IX and X, he describes his yearning for a home in London and being selected as a Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering- quite an honor. Besides the above-mentioned Fellowship, he was associated with Young President’s Organization (YPO), Cosmos Club, and National Invention Council (NIC).

The Part XI titled ‘Massacre’ makes a very tragic reading on how the Indian Government attacked the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex and other holiest Sikh shrines on June 3rd, 1984. By the end of the year 1984, about six thousand Sikhs had succumbed to the violence and prejudice in India. Unfortunately, his mother passed away in India and his visa application was refused and he could not attend her funeral. The last Chapter titled ‘Family Matters’ shares some details of family vacations and the passing of his wife Satinder from Parkinson on June 25th, 2016. He completed the writing of this autobiographical account in March 2020.

Dr. Narinder S. Kapany – The Man Who Bent Light

Sardar Gurmukh Singh OBE

A Retired Principal Civil Servant (UK)

About the Author:

He held many high-profile positions including departmental representation at European forums and the World Trade Organisation (ex-GATT). He is well respected in the Sikh diaspora and was honoured by the Canadian Sikhs with “Sirdar Kapoor Singh” Khalsa Millennium Award in 2001 in recognition of his scholarly interpretation of Sikh ideology. 

He writes extensively about Sikh ideology and identity. He has produced many publications including Sikh centennial souvenirs and an Australian publication about Vaisakhi, and numerous articles on topical issues affecting British Sikhs. He was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2016 New Year Honours for his community services.

Reviews

Sikh Youth Australia

Sardar Tarlochan Singh, Ex-MP & Chairman, National Minorities Commission, India.

We have recently celebrated the 400^th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Due to COVID the expected programmes could not be organised the way we celebrated Guru Nanak Dev Ji 550^th Birth Anniversary.  We are happy that with the help of the modern techniques seminars and Kirtan Darbars could be organised.

The Sikh Missionary Society U.K. has always been active to produce literature and organise seminars. It is to their credit that the first edition of the popular book “Guru Tegh Bahadur The True Story” was released in 2017. This year, Sikh Youth Australia have released a revised second edition.

The author of the book is S. Gurmukh Singh who has the unique honour of being the first identity Sikh senior Civil Servant to represent U.K. government department abroad. He was honoured with OBE award for his meritorious services towards society. I have the pleasure of meeting him and have been continuously reading his articles. I have always found in him intellect, Panthic devotion and writing skill.

I am thankful to him for digging out old records in order to write a true story of the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and to remove the superfluous tales. The missionaries have been narrating the great powers of our Gurus adding stories full of miracles. From my childhood we have been reading  about Guru Nanak’s travels where unnatural happenings were being highlighted only to prove the greatness of our Guru. Much later the Sikh historians produced authentic versions through the books.

While reading the text of the new book I have found that S. Gurmukh Singh has cleared many myths and has written his version based on historical facts.  The Sikh community always respect Makhan Shah Lubana  and have been giving credit to him to find the ninth Guru. But S. Gurmukh Singh has proved that from Guru Nanak to 10^th Guru there have never been any gap period for succession of the next Guru. Every Gurus in his own life time selected His successor and bestowed Gur gaddhi to him. Guru Harkrishan  the only child God in the world history named his own successor-Baba Bakala. The learned author has mentioned in detail that Guru Tegh Bahadur was always called Baba. He has proved that Guru Harkrishan very clearly named him as Ninth Guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur accepted his role and was traditionally honoured by the Sikhs. Similarly, Guru Tegh Bahadur named his son Gobind Rai as tenth Guru before he left  Anandpur in 1675 A.D.  Makhan Shah Lubhana reached Bakala much later and served the Guru with full devotion  for many years.

The author properly explained with reference to contemporary records that Guru Tegh Bahadur in his earlier life never spent 20 years just for meditation. He was a trained warrior and was deputed by 7^th Guru Har Rai Ji to tour the rural areas of Punjab, for preaching Guru Nanak mission. Guru Tegh Bahadur was the second Guru after Guru Nanak who went to all parts of India as preacher of Guru Nanak mission.

The book further educates us that Guru Tegh Bahadur was arrested three times by the Mughal forces.  His last arrest was near Ropar when he left Anandpur Sahib for Delhi after listening to the harrowing tales from Kashmiri Pandits. A detail account of Gurus detention in Sarhind and other places has been mentioned and also how he was tortured and was kept in an iron cage.

Gurmukh Singh Ji has emphasized that how Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life for the freedom of religion. Guru Ji never agreed to conversion under allurement or threat. Guru Ji wanted that everyone can choose his way of worship and there should be freedom of conscience. The book proves that Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was in Delhi and issued order of execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Aurangzeb could not tolerate anyone who was a defender of religious freedom.

Here I may add that during my speeches in Indian Parliament I narrated the atrocities committed by Mughal Emperors Babar Jahangir and Aurangzeb. Guru Nanak in his Bani has mentioned that Babbar was responsible for creating terror and bloodshed and killing the innocent people. Emperor Jahangir issued order for the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev Ji. Aurangzeb put his father in prison, killed his brother and ousted his sister and wanted entire India to be converted to Islam.

This book has also cleared another doubt regarding the role of Baba  Ram Rai son of Guru Har Rai who was earlier ousted for wrong quoting of Gurbani. It is now written that Guru Tegh Bahadur met Baba Ram Rai in Delhi on 21^st March 1664. Secondly the book has come out with another positive historical fact that when Guru Harkrishan Ji met emperor Aurangzeb Baba Ram Rai ji accompanied him. A detailed dialogue by Baba Ram Rai Ji  is quoted on the basis of new findings from Bhat Vahi Poorbi – Dakhni.

Earlier I read that Guru Gobind Singh met wife of Baba Ram Rai Ji at Paonta Sahib. I remember Gyani Zail Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab went to Dera Baba Ram Rai in 1974 and was highly impressed that holy artifacts were properly maintained. He had that time advocated that there should be reconciliation of the Sikhs and the Dera. I as Chairman National Minority Commission was able to get huge financial grant from Culture Ministry Government of India for  conservation of the paintings, artifacts and the building of the historic dera.

The book has condemned the role of Mullahs and Brahmins in eastern India who were unhappy with the preaching of Guru Tegh Bahadur. This was very natural because Guru Nanak and all other Sikh Gurus were against the rituals being performed by the pujaris at all religious places. This resulted in the loss of the income and popularity of all of them. Guru Nanak visit of Haridwar is a big testimony to this as he started throwing water to the opposite direction which annoyed the Hindu pujaris. We must realize that Aurangzeb was a dictator and from day one he decided to spread Islam through oppression. Even Jahangir in his autobiography-Tuzke Jahangiri has mentioned that he ordered execution of Guru Arjun. We have been putting the entire blame on Chandu. The Muslim historians have always highlighted the Mughal emperors as benefactors of people and this distorted the history. They have never criticized the anti Hindu role of the Muslim Kingdom.

I hope the book will be properly received by all of us and everyone should present it as a gift to their friends. The Sikhs at large should adopt book reading habit so that we may encourage authors to enrich the Sikh literature.

SIKH YOUTH AUSTRALIA

Sikhnet.com

Reviewer: Hardev Singh Virk, Mohali, India

I was fascinated to read this book online  published by the Sikh Missionary Society of UK. The  inner cover page declares unequivocally the theme of the book: “The account which follows is that of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Nanak IX. His martyrdom was a momentous and unique event. Never in the annals of human history had the leader of one religion given his life for the religious freedom of others”.

The message of General Secretary of Missionary Society, Teja Singh Mangat, reveals that there is a sister volume of this book “Defender of Religious Freedom: Guru Tegh Bahadur” meant for students. He goes on to elaborate the purpose of this book: “Earlier publications have been influenced either by Brahmanical thought or are biased against Guru ji’s life mission and the noble cause which he pursued to the end. At least one text book published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) of India, relies on highly biased and even hostile non-Sikh evidence like the Mughal reports and Persian sources”.

In the Introduction to this volume, the author reveals the purpose of writing this book: “The main reason for this publication is that earlier publications about the life and martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur either do scant justice to the Guru’s active life or have been written more like fiction in the traditional saakhi (story-telling) style. One example is an otherwise informative biography of Guru Tegh Bahadur by Dr Trilochan Singh which is written more like a historical novel”.

The book opens with a Chart of Sikh Gurus’ succession followed by a Synopsis of the book, as in a Ph.D. thesis, and historical background of the Sikh movement. The book has been divided into four Sections: Life before Guruship; Guruship; Martyrdom; and After Martyrdom. The author has avoided superfluous details and summed up the whole thesis in just 56 pages of text. He has tried to remove the cobwebs created by other authors by his research oriented approach of sifting the facts from fiction.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was trained as a warrior by his father and he participated in most of the battles fought by Guru Hargobind. The author sums up his mission and life in Baba Bakala as follows: “Tegh Bahadur was now remote from the main seat of Sikhism, yet he carried with him the ambience in which he had grown. He was the example of virtues the Gurus had taught. He had humility and compassion and a firmness of mind. He lived a strict and holy life and spent most his time in meditation. Yet he was no recluse. He attended to family responsibilities. He went out riding and followed the chase. In the Sikh faith the temporal and the spiritual were not disjointed. This was amply attested in Guru Tegh Bahadur’s life.”

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Jessi Kaur’s new book Home of the Beloved is an elegant coffee table book that delineates the journey of the soul back to its true abode, the Source from where it emanated. It covers fifty concepts that comprise the essence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and is full of inspirational lessons learned from gurbani. Jessi Kaur describes abstract concepts with clarity and a depth of understanding that is both rare and illuminating. 

In Her Own Words.

When I write, I become the pen, the word, and the reader. I write because it is the breath of my life. I connect, inspire, and live through my creativity. 

My spirituality is the well spring of my joy. Through the anhad and anandthe writer in me took birth. The experience of sukh and dukh, the dual wheels of the chariot of life, chiseled me. Heartbreak and pain broke me at times, but also helped me rebirth.

Gurbani is the elixir that renews me each day. My love for it is my superpower.

My books celebrate the life lessons gleaned from Gurbani. In my children’s books little people grow big personalities by learning compassion, sharing, forgiving, and become respectful of the diversity created by the Divine. My stories are full of hope. Grounded in faith. My creative process is directly connected to the Onkar aspect of IK or one Creator. When I am attuned to the Divine and experience proximity, I can taste joy and tap into the source of infinite inspiration.

My latest book Home of the Beloved delineates the journey of the soul back to its true home from where it came. It’s my journey and yours. Because all of us travel to the same home. No matter what path we take, we converge. At times I feel that the path is solid beneath my feet and my progress is steady. And then I stumble. I am blind sighted by my ego. Or react to the egos of others. I am getting to know the ego, both friend and fiend. I am learning to keep it healthy.  Home of the Beloved is a road map to that home which is beyond us and within us. I have etched it out from the magna opus Sri Guru Granth Sahib. While writing it, I often felt that I was a conduit chosen to share the spiritual cohesion of all that exists. The book’s elegance lies in its simplicity. It is a labor of love which I offer to readers in the hope it ignites a divine spark in them that starts them on their own journey.

Jessi Kaur.

http://www.jessikaur.com/

Available here

A dazzling history of the powerful women and men who forged a dynasty to rival the Mughals and the British.

Description

In late-eighteenth-century India, the glory of the Mughal emperors was fading, and ambitious newcomers seized power, changing the political map forever. Enter the legendary Maharajah Ranjit Singh, whose Sikh Empire stretched throughout northwestern India into Afghanistan and Tibet.

Priya Atwalshines fresh light on this long-lost kingdom, looking beyond its founding father to restore the queens and princes to the story of this empire’s spectacular rise and fall. She brings to life a self-made ruling family, inventively fusing Sikh, Mughal and European ideas of power, but eventually succumbing to gendered family politics, as the Sikh Empire fell to its great rival in the new India: the British.

Royals and Rebels is a fascinating tale of family, royalty and the fluidity of power, set in a dramatic global era when new stars rose and upstart empires clashed.

Author

Priya Atwal is a historian of empire, monarchy and cultural politics across Britain and South Asia. She has taught History at King’s College London and Oxford, where she obtained her doctorate. Her research has been featured in collaborative projects with Historic Royal Palaces, among others; and she makes regular broadcast appearances, most recently presenting the BBC Radio 4 series, Lies My Teacher Told Me. She tweets @priyaatwal.

Reviews

‘Smart, timely and fresh, from an exciting new voice in history writing.’ — Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, and presenter of Royal History’s Biggest Fibs

‘Priya Atwal’s lyrical and authoritative retelling will ensure that this fascinating bit of history commands the attention it deserves.’ — Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster

‘A wonderfully vivid appraisal of a fascinating period of Indian history. Atwal’s work is serious and captivating. A welcome new voice, with much to teach us.’ — Anita Anand, broadcaster and author of The Patient Assassin, Sophia, and Koh-i-Noor

‘I wish all histories were written like this one. Priya Atwal blasts through centuries of Orientalist and misogynist history to shed brilliant new light on women in the high politics of empire. A thrilling, richly detailed and important book.’ — Hannah Jewell, pop culture host, The Washington Post, and author of 100 Nasty Women of History

‘Gripping! A dramatic tale of the Sikh Empire taking on the British, especially its forgotten but influential queens and princes. A new history that marvellously expands the horizons of our knowledge.’ — Shashi Tharoor, Indian MP and author of Inglorious Empire

‘A wonderfully engaging, intimate history of India’s Sikh Empire, accompanied by previously unseen images of the Sikh court. We meet the extraordinary women and men who shaped its culture, and established their own remarkable relationships with Britain’s royal family.’ — Rosalind O’Hanlon, Professor of Indian History and Culture, University of Oxford

‘A path-breaking, thought-provoking and highly original study that will reign supreme over literature on the Sikh Kingdom. This ambitious and compelling book will inspire both scholars and general audiences even fifty years from now.’ — Pashaura Singh, Distinguished Professor and J.S. Saini Chair in Sikh Studies, University of California, Riverside

Available here

Amandeep Sandhu,
Westland Publications, 2019,
Xvi+560pp., $15.99 (pb), ISBN 978-9388754569 

Destinations are about completion of journeys, finding answers and getting settled. The journeys, however, yearn for something more. They are about exploring further because they are about continuation. Bangalore-based journalist Amandeep Sandhu’s journey to his native land is one through which he tries to understand the enigma that is Punjab, the subject of the book. Born and brought up away from Punjab, but always tethered to its ethos and spirit through his family, Sandhu visited Punjab to explore the familiar only to find the uncomfortable gap between the reality and the representation. He spent three years collecting material for the book. It should be noted that the author prefers to use ‘Panjab’ with ‘a’ after ‘P’ instead of the popularly used ‘u’ in order to highlight the Persian origin of the term. To avoid any ambiguity, this review, however, uses the official and standard usage which has been used by almost all the books published on Punjab in the few decades. 

Popular imagination links Punjab with farming and that is the thread chosen by Sandhu to begin his story of Punjab. Starting with the problems of farmers in rural Punjab the author gradually unravels the institutional mesh that explains what he observes. His data is drawn primarily from rural Punjab and involves juxtaposition of contemporary case studies with historical facts. The descriptive account of village visits by the author animates one’s understanding of contemporary rural Punjab. Thus, Sandhu’s account of Punjab is an autoethnographic one, focusing on a rural perspective. By extension, it is an emotional journey through which he explores his roots. The author chose to develop sixteen chapters based on sentiments and concepts that presumably echo the condition of Punjab. Consequently, he chose local terms as chapter titles which would likely make any Punjabi person connect with the book. The titles begin with Satt (wound), ‘berukhi’ (apathy) ‘rosh’ (anger), ‘rog’ (illness) ‘astha’ (faith), ‘mardangi’ (masculinity) and ‘dawa’ (medicine) followed by ‘paani’ (water), ‘zameen’ (land), ‘karza’ (loan), ‘jaat’ (caste), ‘patit’ (apostate), ‘bardr’ (border), ‘sikhya’ (education), ‘lashaan’ (corpses), and ‘janamdin’ (birthday). Thematically arranged chapters can also be read individually. Gradually, it becomes evident that the more he explores Punjab, the more he comes across the ‘faultlines’ that mar the social fabric of the state and society. 

Sandhu narrates a story of Punjab with angst which may not be very amusing for many. The book brings into relief the fractured relationship between state and Sikh community in Punjab. It ponders over repeated institutional setbacks that Punjab has suffered over the years in addressing some of its most fundamental problems. The author infers that the agrarian issues of Punjab are at the core of Punjabi society and the solutions of the same cannot be provided by neo-liberal policies of the state. The very state which has been the wheat basket of the country stands today at the brink of impending environmental crisis, which threatens to leech its soil of its nutrients, land of its water and people of their agency. The identity politics of Sikhs became a pliable tool in the hands of leading political parties in independent Punjab, and they have been exploiting the sentiment to the maximum for their limited political gains, offering only ‘band-aid fixed’ solutions to its recalcitrant problems. Revisiting the tragedy of 1984 and its aftermath, which haunt Punjab’s collective psyche till date, the author feels that the failure of the state to address the issues that emerged during the phase of militancy has further deepened the crisis of Punjab. Ironically, the facts related to the unfortunate events during that phase still remain twisted and contested, which also find resonance in author’s accounts. The author poses some difficult questions to the state, to the Punjabi community and to himself in order to make sense of the tragedy. 

Sandhu’s story of Punjab is replete with instances of wasted opportunities, betrayals and apathy on the part of state, resulting in the burgeoning trust deficit between the people and the state. Amidst this crisis, the advent of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab politics aroused hopes among the Punjabi people, including the diaspora, hoping for a better life in terms of health, education and other infrastructural facilities. However, as a party rooted in Delhi, its inability to understand the complexity and ethos of Punjab proved to be its nemesis. 

Reflecting on the ethos of Punjabi society, the author recognizes the feudal character of Punjab, but doesn’t explore its roots deeply. Though he devotes a separate chapter to caste, rightly bringing forth the struggles of dalits for agricultural land, his diagnosis of the problem demands more explanation. The section on education also highlights a few issues but is very limited in its scope. While recounting the rich cultural heritage of Punjabi language shared across the international border, it would have been interesting had he discussed communalization of language and culture in post-independence Punjab and removal of Urdu as a language from the school curriculum. The question of women in Punjab also remains marginal in the book, which the author also acknowledges. But, given the scale of issues discussed, it is challenging to fully assess all issues pertaining to Punjab in a single volume. 

Yet, his attempt to understand Punjab in its entirety rather than in parts makes the book more meaningful, but also challenging. Most of the books published on Punjab in the last three decades focus primarily on Sikh identity politics. Sandhu’s book tries to go beyond this narrative and opens up the canvas of Punjab for a wider understanding, without sidelining the identity issue. Sandhu’s advantage is his focus on the contemporary situation of Punjab unlike many other books which focus more on its historical and cultural heritage. Sandhu’s peek into the history is only to understand the present, which remains his focus. Compared to some of the recent books on Punjab written by scholars such as Rajmohan Gandhi, Harnik Deol, Pippa Virdee and others, Sandhu’s work places more emphasis on his ethnographic experiences rather than his secondary readings. He uses journalistic language and avoids jargon. The format further gives latitude to the author to avoid repeated references to secondary sources of information, which makes the book read like a novel. The author aims his book to be read by an audience wider than in academia. 

Overall, while Sandhu made his own journey to Punjab in order to discover what Punjab means to him, his subjective accounts invite others to make their own visit to Punjab and search for their own interpretations. The author’s observations and analysis may not be shared entirely by many but one cannot deny that the issues discussed do reflect the pain and aspirations of the Punjabi people. His honest attempt at a critical engagement with Punjab and some plain speaking make it an interesting read, and invites many others to enter the debate. Thus, the book rightly sensitizes the reader to the complexity of Punjabi society in contemporary times. 

Deepak Kumar
Punjabi University, Patiala, India Also published in Sikh Research Journal Vol 5 Num 1 Spring 2020

Rahuldeep Singh Gill’s Drinking from Love’s Cup is a welcome scholarly introduction to the poetic compositions of Bhai Gurdas, whose writings are central to understanding how Sikh intellectual and ethical traditions developed during the seventeenth century. Closely related to the family of the later Gurus, Bhai Gurdas is also famous for having served as the scribe for an important manuscript copy of the Sikh scripture. Scholars frequently use his verses as valuable primary sources. Amazingly, despite the central role occupied by Bhai Gurdas in Sikh history, very few English scholarly studies of his works exist, although translations of varying quality are available in print. There are some notable Panjabi studies as well as edited anthologies of the Bhai Gurdas’ work, but these are not accessible for most general readers. Gill’s work is important, both for the scholarly analysis of the manuscripts of Bhai Gurdas’ work, as well as for the useful commentary and translation of selected vars of Bhai Gurdas offered in this book.

Gill approaches this subject with incisive clarity, breaking from the majority of earlier scholarship about Bhai Gurdas. Garnering the evidence that points to the dating of Gurdas’s compositions in the seventeenth century, rather than the sixteenth, he breaks with the long-held views shaped by eighteenth-century hagiographic texts about the earlier dating of Bhai Gurdas’s life and works, and one that aligns with historians such as J. S. Grewal (11-13, 36). Significantly, this is based on a close paleographic examination of the early manuscripts associated with Bhai Gurdas, all of which are undated. This period corresponds with the beginning of the Emperor Jahangir’s ascension to the Mughal throne and the execution of the Fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan. By arguing for a later date, Gill also suggests that while there is insufficient evident to gauge whether Bhai Gurdas personally witnessed the torture and death of the Fifth Guru, his compositions were certainly informed by the deep trauma experienced by the Sikh community by this event (26- 36). Further, the pressures created by other claimants for the Sikh Guru’s role, also forged Bhai Gurdas into a skilled and unrelenting supporter of Guru Hargobind’s right to lead the Sikh community in those troubled times (31, 230-232, 247-248). While the dating controversy may likely continue, Gill’s focus on locating and reading important manuscripts as evidence is certainly a step in the right direction.

The translations and scholarly commentary on the thirteen vars selected for publication also invite readers to think about Bhai Gurdas’s work from useful literary, cultural, and historical perspectives. Gill persuasively draws on the wider connections between the images deployed by Bhai Gurdas, most notably the divine intoxication of those who have drunk from “love’s cup,” or piram piala, to note the resonance this imagery bears with that of love and martyrdom in Sufi traditions (48-55). Gill also connects the very genre in which Bhai Gurda wrote prolifically, the var, a folk genre devoted to martial and spiritual themes, as one ideally suited to “self-giving sacrifice,” and to inspire and console the Sikh community, in the aftermath of recent tragedies (45). Here Gill’s elegant linkages between the elite literary and evocative popular themes in Bhai Gurdas’s poetry is very clear. Indeed, the translations and commentary, while remaining accessible to a general reader, point out the allusions to Persian words and themes, Vaishnava devotional ideas, popular bardic tropes, as well as devices derived from elite Sanskrit works. For all these reasons, this book can be used in classes about Sikh Studies, as well as classes devoted to South Asian or Panjabi literature, history, and religions.

Finally, while Gill modestly suggests his translations are “efficient (xii),” they offer at present the most mellifluous English rendering of the work of this important Sikh scholar and poet. Compare for instance, Dr. Jodh Singh’s far more serviceable translation of Var16, pauri11, which details the blessings of communal worship for the loyal Sikh or gurmukh: “the pleasure fruit of gurmukhs is the holy congregation whereby merging the consciousness in the Word that invisible Lord is visualized. In the holy congregation, the unbreakable cup of love is drunk by becoming tolerant (398).” Gill’s translation more clearly conveys the literal meaning while lending credence to the larger analytical argument put forward in this book regarding the nature of self-sacrifice and divine intoxication: “Gurmukhs seek the fruit of joy in the holy assembly; merged with the word they speak the unspeakable/ With love’s cup, they bear the unbearable (142).”

References:

Singh, Jodh. 1998. Varan Bhai Gurdas:

Text, Transliteration, and Translation, Vol. I. Patiala: Vision and Venture.

Purnima Dhavan University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Also published in Sikh Research Journal Vol 5 Num 1 Spring 2020

Read another review of Drinking from Love’s Cup