THE SIKH WAY: A PILGRIM S PROGRESS By I.J. Singh Published by The Centennial Foundation 10-B Carden St., PO Box 96, Guelph, Ontario. Canada. N1H 6L6 Pp. 190 Price: Not stated Available from author* A Review by Saran Singh This delectable - if provocative - collection of 21 insightful essays reads like a running commentary on the precepts and practices of Sikhism in the context of the diaspora. In a striking way, the book is an extension of IJ Singh s earlier work: Sikhs and Sikhism - A View with a Bias (published by Manohars, Darya Ganj, New Delhi) which was reviewed in these columns (several years ago, vide - SR August 1994). Most essays deal with key aspects of the philosophy and sociology of Sikh religion, and tackle knotty issues with sage wisdom and a constructive frame of mind. Apparently harsh, observations - like "Akal Takht - a hostage to Punjab politics", "the rigidity and seeming mindlessness of (Jathedar s) pronouncements" - are tempered with a fervent plea for evolving "an ecclesiastical system of justice that is rooted in the (Sikh) moral tradition." The author s scientific perception and analytical acumen do not lose sight of the moral and metaphysical underpinnings of the Sikh faith. In the essay "Did Guru Nanak intend to start a new religion," the author argues convincingly that Sikhism is ab initio a revealed faith rooted in the all-encompassing whole-life principle which strives for an emancipated, egalitarian society that seeks harmony among all creatures. Guru Nanak s message flows "logically and effortlessly from the essence of true religions". God s glory shines through His wondrous creation. Divine law (Hukum) demands moral discipline and rectitude (rehat maryada). Man alone is endowed with the capacity to reflect (veechar) and distinguish between right and wrong (vivek). "A Sikh is a moral being". Survival of humanity depends on the exercise of right choice. The ultimate desired goal is a re-union with the infinite spirit. The essay "A Sikh Pilgrim s Progress" is a candid statement of how basic tenets have been "vulgarized" by ritualist modes of worship and the blind faith in pilgrimage. It focuses on the spirit of Gurbani and the inner vitality that the illustrious Gurus sought to arouse - incurring risk of repression and martyrdoms - of the fifth and Ninth Gurus. "Vaisakhi 1699 revisited" argues that the Khalsa as unfolded by Guru Gobind Singh was the logical development of Guru Nanak s philosophy of empowerment and self-reliance. In a remarkable transformation Japuji s Panch Parvan materialize as Panj Pyare of the momentous Anandpur congregation, when Guruvani s much sought for amrit springs from the steel of Khanda-bata. The great Master then turns into a discpile in an unspoken "rejection of the authoritarian model". I J Singh reminds the reader of "the cord that binds us to our roots"...
While venturing into the 21st century it would be good not to forget the fifteenth century" - warning at the same time that "there is no point remembering the past only to glorify it." On a deeper plane I J Singh s essays recall to mind an evocative essay of poet, critic and Nobel Laureate T.S. Eliot: "Tradition and the Individual Talent," in particular, his observation: "Every nation, every race has not only its own creative but critical turn of mind, and is even more oblivious of the shortcoming and limitations of its critical habits than those of its creative genius." This observation seems to apply in an uncanny way to I.J. Singh s portrayal of the widely dispersed (and divided) Sikh nation. It is no coincidence that his critical appraisal of the Sikh diaspora comes from a vintage New Yorker. In retrospect, the Orwellian 1984 marks the watershed. Victims of premeditated massacre in India, departing Sikhs were not exactly received with open arms by Western democracies. They had to contend with hardships and discrimination - even in UK and Canada, caught in the pincer of cautious establishments and Indian Intelligence agency operating from diplomatic missions. The Sikh Review recently highlighted the "Accounts of Asylum Seekers in UK" by Duncan Forrest, FRCS (SR June 2000) and Simon Malcolm (SR June 2001) which speak volumes about human rights in India. But that is beside the point. Nevertheless, it goes to the credit of the Sikhs Dieapora that despite many hardships and handicaps they have, by and large, flourished by dint of industrious work-culture, welding into social patterns of their adopted country, while retaining their own distinctive culture, and even making significant contribution (e.g. in Canada) to the country s socio-political ethos. For presenting such a panoramic view of the Sikhs in North America, we owe I.J. Singh a debt of gratitude. In an equal measure the Sikhs in North America are fortunate to have a friendly critic amid them. Time and again he points out ever so gently that we are our own worst enemies. It is not only the tribalist caste baggage from rural Punjab that draws adverse notice. "The growing pains of Sikhs" (and some others) speaks of our fragmented politics and feuding Gurdwara committees. One is deeply perturbed to be told of "election related violence", more than a hundred cases and of Gurdwara funds spent on litigation in US courts. These management committees rob gurdwaras of valuable resources that could be used for community welfare. Marble floors and golden canopies are lifeless "monuments to the ego" of a few self styled Panthic leaders. One New York gurdwara spent over $1,00,000 in litigation and legal fees "to draw up a constitution for submission to the State Supreme Court, the managers blissfully ignorant of Guru Nanak s rule of Panch Pradhan. Some of these dilemmas may not admit simple solutions. But for a community in flux - and without frontiers - there can be only one solution: the Holy Word of Guru Granth Sahib, which is the sheet anchor for the drifting congregations. What emerges from the writings is the human spirit of an extraordinary people who know no defeat. In under 200 pages we have an overview of Interfaith relations, Bioethics, Institutional management alternatives, and other contemporary themes, all examined with innate sympathy, all in chaste English. Just as in the past, the Sikh cause has been wisely served by a galaxy of inspired writers:, the mystical Prof. Puran Singh, the erudite Prof. Teja Singh, formidable Sirdar Kapur Singh and the gentle Prof. Harbans Singh. To this roll of honour one can perhaps safely add I.J. Singh, as an enlightened exponent of Sikhism in the Western world, along with Singapore s octogenarian Justice Choor Singh Sidhu and the Hon ble Judge Mota Singh of UK.
An Indian edition of the book would be more than welcome. BANDA SINGH BAHADUR & SIKH SOVEREIGNTY By Harbans Kaur Sagoo Published by Deep & Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd., F-159 Rajouri Garden, New Delhi. 110 027. Pp 274. Profusely illustrated Price. Rs. 650 (Hard Cover) Foreword by Dr. Noel Q. King* This beautifully produced book by an up and coming historian is a remarkable attempt to study Banda Singh Bahadur s multi-dimensional role in an objective manner and setting at rest, to the maximum possible extent, the misgivings about him and his career. while we await a regular review, the following excerpts from the jacket are meant to introduce history s most tempestuous and romantic hero to the new generation of Sikhs. The early eighteenth century Punjab History witnessed a stiff resistance from the local chiefs (both religious and political), the zamindars and the peasants to local Mughal officials in their attempt to maintain imperial control. They struggled for greater share in the revenues and in political power over the region, ultimately, aiming to establish sovereignty in the different parts of the subahs of Punjab and Delhi. The most significant feature of the Sikh history during the course of 17th and the 18th centuries is that the Sikh Community/Nanak Panth, which originally was socio-religous in character, gradually transformed into socio-religious-cum-political force comprising members from various clans and castes. The Mughal empire, which had been shaken to the point of dismemberment during the 18th century, had great impact on the social, economic and political developments, which transformed the Sikhs, not only into a political force but a force to reckon with. In this monograph an attempt has been made to give a critical assessment of life and achievements of Banda Singh Bahadur as well as an account of his truggle, as a leader of the Sikhs, against the Mughals. Within a period of eight years after the death of Guru Gobind Singh in 1708, Banda Singh Bahadur was able to rouse the peasantry in the Majha and Malwa areas to take up arms and successfully shook the very foundations of the Mughal Empire. Due to his generosity and spiritual appeal, he had no dearth of recruits. by 1710, Banda Bahadur ahd virtually become master of the territories between the Jamuna and the Satluj, territory worth about 36 lakhs of rupees per annum. He made his own faujdars, diwans and kardars. He adopted Mukhlispur, an imperial fort, now given the name of Lohgarh, as his headquarter. To celebrate his successful capture of Sirhind in 1710, he not only introduced a new calendar from that date,
he even struck coins in the name of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. Even though Banda Singh Bahadur s political career was short lived, as he was executed in June 1716 (near the tomb of Sheikh Qutbuddin Bhaktyar Kaki close to the Qutab Minar), his armed struggle spread over Malwa and the Majha territories. The Mughal emperor ordered a general mobilization of all his forces in Delhi, Awadh and other neighbouring areas and called for "a jihad against the Sikhs." However, it goes without saying that Banda s struggle was political and agrarian in character which had exposed the decay in the Mughal administration and the discontentment of the Punjabi peasant. Professor Sagoo has emphasized that Banda Singh Bahadur had the acumen to plan a mighty strategy and the ability to execute it. She has also examined his historic role of raising the huge armed struggle for the establishment of a mighty Sikh state in Punjab. GREAT SUFI POETS OF THE PUNJAB By R.M. Chopra, M.A., LL.B. Published by Iran Society, 12 Dr. M. Ishaq Road, Koklata-700 016 Pp 320. Price. Rs. 495 (Hard Cover) 16 $24.00 Reviewed by Dr. Harnam Singh Shan, Ph.D., D. Litt* Formerly professor & chairman, Guru Nanak Chair; and Head of the Departments of Punjabi Studies and Sikh Studies, Punjab University, Chandigarh. Address: 605, Sector 16, Chandigarh. 160 015 The author of this book is the talented son of the late Dr. Hiral Lal Chopra, the legendary orientalist who had settled after Partition in Kolkata, and became on of the architects of The Sikh Review. The younger Chopra, a top executive of a foreign firm and a successful businessman and social worker, is importantly an erudite scholar of Islamic Studies. a typical Punjabi living so far away from Punjab in West Bengal, he cherishes its heritage intensely and his love for readers of The Sikh Review. This fondness has been inspiring him to research and write profusely about Punjab and Punjabis purely as labour of love. His earlier work in this field, The Legacy of the Punjab, published in 1997, is a compendium of the religious, literary and cultural heritage of the land and its people, and presents its age-old composite culture in its varied aspects with a deep sense of pride. His second work, The Punjab and Bengal, is no less a scholarly contribution to the subject which he has accomplished with due care and credit. His book, under review, is a treatise on Sufism, its advent in Punjab, the poets its threw up and the songs they sang in the spoken language of its people.
Mysticism, as we know, is a constant and eternal phenomenon of the universal yearning of the human soul to have direct communion with the supreme soul. It is fundamentally the same in all religions. Sufism or Tasawwuf is the name given to the mysticism of Islam. In the wake of the conquest of Punjab by the Muslims who gave this name to the Land of the five rivers (Pun-jab, i.e. five waters), Sufis began to come from Iran, Afghanistan and the Central Asian counties and settle on its plains to preach its gospel. Their winsome personalities, friendly approach, tolerant attitude and and humanitarian spirit endeared them to the people of all communities who thronged to listen to their words of wisdom and seek their blessings. They sang their love for the Divine Beloved in local dialects in order to reach out to the common folk. They thus excercised a profound influence on Punjabi, the mother-tongue of the people of the entire Punjab. Their lyrical outpourings which have come down to us and are called Sufiana Kalam, that is, Punjabi Sufi poetry, sing primarily of Love and God. Both these themes are interwined. In fact, Divine knowledge and spiritual realisation are the main ideals pursued by it. Sufism transcends much beyond man and his world, and incorporates the elements of ecstacy and mystical love, woven in rich imegery and lyrical ecstacy. The Saints of the Bhakti movement who flourished in various parts of the Indian subcontinent and preached the principles of unity of God and fraternity of mankind were influenced by the Sufis who, in turn, also influenced them and their thought quite much. That interaction led to mutual understanding in Punjab which resulted into the development of a new culture, cherished as the Composite Culture of the Pre-partition Punjab. The contribution of the Sufi poets of Punjab to its language, literature and the composite culture has been quite extensive. Their spiritual songs, some of which are called Kafis, form a common and invaluable heritage for all Punjabis, at home and abroad. In the 50-page introduction of the book, the author has traced the history of the origin, growth and philosphic development of Sufism and the ideology it had evolved before it travesed to Punjab and established its roots there. It is followed by a brief history of Sufism in India, classification of Sufis, their orders and classes in the subcontinent. The ideal of the Punjabi Sufi, influence of the Sufis on Punjabi language and literature as well as the role of the Sufi in maintaining communal harmony in Punjab, have been dealth with ably in its subsequent sections. The main body of the book presents brief sketches of the live and work of eight prominent Sufipoets of Punjab. These include judicious selections from their poetry which are printed in three scripts - Persian, Devnagri and Roman - followed by their translation into English. These have, thus, been made available and accessible to the readers of their related languages, viz. Hindi, Urdu and English, besides of Punjabi in which these are originally composed, sung and recorded by those inspired souls.
The text begins with a sketch of the life and thought of Baba Sheikh Farid (1172-1267 A.D.) who was a great spiritulist and whose message was a wide humanitarian base for the moral and spiritual uplift of the people He was the founder of Sufi poetry in Punjabi and was also the earliest known writer of this language. His 123 Slokas and 4 Shabads, obtained by Guru Nanak Dev from Sheikh Ibrahim, his contemporary gaddi-nashin at Pakpattan, find an abiding and honourable place in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Baba Farid was followed by Shah Hussain (1539-1594 A.D.) whose beautiful kafis express in lyrical cries his Sufistic ideology. He was an unusual Sufi and he added the element of ecstacy, singing and dancing to this movement in Punjab. Hazrat Sultan Bahu (1631-1691 A.D.) was one of the greatest Sufis of his time. He composed verses abounding in mystic love, religious fervour, sincerity of purpose and dignity of spiritualism within the framework of Islamic symbology. Sayeen Bulleh Shah (1680-1758 A.D.) has been acclaimed as the greatest Sufi poet of Punjab. He turned a pantheist under the influence of Vedanta and experienced that cosmopolitan joy which knows no bounds. He was a staunch critic of religious bigotry and ritualism. He advocated the path of reconciliation and talked of peace and unity among the followes of different faiths. Syed Waris Shah (C. 1699-1772 A.D.), one of the most popular poets of Punjab, composed the Qissa Hir-Ranjha and added, thereby a new dimension to Punjabi Sufi poetry. Sufis, henceforth, composed similar qissas, versifying the immortal legends of perfect love, such as of Sassi- Punnun and Sohni-Mehiwal, giving allegorical meaningsand interpretations to their tragic romances and intense feelings. The heroines of those versifications stood for the Sufi (the soul) and the heroes for God (the Beloved sought). Syed Ali Haider (1690-1785 A.D.) and Syed Hashim Shah (1735-1843 A.D.) were prolific writers whose poetry has the rapture and delicacy of expression. Hashim s poetry, in particular, reverbrates with mysticism of high order and can be allegorically interpreted for Love Divine. His Qissa Sassi-Punnun and Dohras (quarters) are his masterpieces and sing of his intense mystic feelings. Hence, these have become very popular almost equally among the pious, the learned and the common folk. Greatly impressed by their literatry value too, I myself have based on them substantial portion of my works for the degrees of Ph.D. and D. Litt., as far as their sections on Sufi Studies are concerned; and have also produced three exclusive books on Hashim s life and work on invitations from the National Academy of Letters, New Delhi; Punjabi Sahitya Academy, Ludhiana; and Punjabi University, Patiala. The author would have enhanced the value of this learned work still further by including in it similar sketches and selections from the works of some prominent Sufis, of Hazrat Ghulam Farid of Chachran Sharif in particular, belonging to the post-hashim era of the Punjabi Sufi poetry. He also deserves credit for adding a comprehensive glossary of Sufistic terms which will be found useful in knowing their allegorical interpretations, etc.
Doubtless he has produced a commendable scholarly work which is a beneficial addition to the Sufi Studies in the domains of Punjab and Punjabi. It is expected to benefit both the scholars and the general readers. It may also inspire the coming generations to seek Divine Love and reestablish moral, spiritual and cultural values in the society; and strenghthen the age-old ties of the Punjabi-speaking people living now not only in India and Pakistan, but also in various foreign lands.