'The Sikhs By Patwant Singh'

When he founded the Sikh religion over five hundred years ago, Guru Nanak wanted a more humane direction for a subcontinent wracked by the centuries of continuous clashes. Sikh faith grew out of the primary compassion of Hinduism and the essential brotherhood of Islam. But it incurred the fury of both Hindus and Muslims. Because it deserted prejudice of other religions as well as the caste system and idol worship. It insisted on treating all people as evenly matched, and preached complete equality among men and women.

Patwant Singh tells the stirring story of how a movement of peace adapted itself, of necessity, into a community that placed military mindset along side spiritual, the Sikh soldier becoming the envy of every nation's army. How in 1699 the tenth and last Guru, Gobind Singh, established thecommunion of the Khalsa in the vicinity of Anandpur; a move which would define every Sikh by a different code of personal appearance, dress and behavior. How Guru Gobind Singh's exhilarating leadership led to a series of wondrous and valiant triumphs after him, which planted the seeds of a Sikh State. How the learned king Ranjit Singh actualized that promise by instituting a Sikh rule.

The author's fascinating style of writing takes the reader through centuries of trials, victories and tribulations, upto the current time.It is the most comprehensive account of the beliefs and origins of an exceptional people. And the story is narrated with the unusual skill and expertise of the subject.

Preface To The Marvellous Book 'The Sikhs' By Patwant Singh

'Do you possess any singular motivation for writing this book?' a friend asked me when I commenced work on it. I concelaed I had an irresistible desire to set forth theexhilarating account of a people and a faith to which I am associated myself, and which have been the source of persistent motivation to me. Thefull story of the Sikhs, I recognized needed telling, From the evolution of Sikh Religion just over 500 years ago up to the present time. It was indispensable, I felt, for people to be cognizant of something of the conditions in which Sikh Religion originated and all that Sikhs have experienced since then: the offensives and inequisitions, triumphs and mishappenings, piety and sense of blissful intend, devotion and depravities, loyalties and betrayls, endurance and beliefs. I saw a clear need to record all these. But why at this particular time?

Because the organized disinformation campaign about current events crafted by a number of Indian administrations from the 1970's onwards really ought to be placed in perspective. Although the mandarins of modern India percipitated the most dangerous crisis the Republic has faced in the first fifty years of its existence, which was largely due to their short -sighted and unstatesmenlike moves with regard to Sikh sensibilities, the Sikhs were held responsible. The errors need to be rectified. Since Sikhs now inhabit the farthest corners of the world, a need also arises for people of those countries to know something of the past, traditions and beliefs of the new arrivals in their midst.

Susceptible as it is to religious chauvinism, Indian society has to visualize that it is an incomparably rich though fracturable collage of cultures, creeds and customs. An recognition of its own fragility is essential if this society is not to fragment. I am miserable to see little such realization at the present time. A country of huge size and wealth of human talent and natural resources is still bedevilled by religious and caste rivalries which continue in impede its progress and stability. For this reason only, India's tomorrow will remain uncertain so long as its political leaderships keep fuelling religious hate and utilizing caste divisions to prevail over each other.

This book is written with the expecatation that those who administer India will be able to avoid past errors and adopt less self -hostile and more pragamatic policies in the future. Only then will they able to honour the social promise with Indians of every background and religion. There is, in fact no other option open.

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