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'THE SIKHS' by Khushwant Singh, photographs by Raghu Rai; Lustre Press, 2001, Rs.1975 Splendid Offering - Pity about the Omissions Jagpal Sing (Tiwana) Sun Oct 07
Both author Khushwant Singh and photographer Raghu Rai, are well known authorities in their respective fields. Khushwant Singh, with his two volume set, 'The history of Sikhs' (Princeton), established himself as one of the top historians of the Sikhs. Pictures from Raghu Rai's camera have appeared in Time, Life, Paris Match, National Geographic, New York Times and India Today, to name a few. In this project, Raghu had expert help from his Sikh wife. The result is a lavishly produced coffee-table volume, 'The Sikhs', embellished with colorful pictures of excellent quality and aesthetic beauty. The narration covering the first thirty-six pages of the book, as expected from a master prose writer, is precise, factual and highly readable. From history to weddings, ceremonies, festivals, farms, turbans, Sikh names, Sikh jokes, gurdwaras and Nihang Singhs, the book covers many aspects of the Sikhs' lives. Unlike Patwant Singh, who does not hide his bias against the Sikh farming community in his new book also entitled, 'The Sikhs', Khushwant Singh, pays glowing tribute to their hard working nature, " The Sikhs do happen to be India's best farmers. They, more than any other people, have brought the Green Revolution to India by trebling the wheat yield of the acre and are definitely the most prosperous peasantry of India." The coverage of the turbulent events of the Punjab of the eighties that led to the Indian army's attack on the Golden Temple, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the anti Sikh riots in Delhi is fair and balanced. He courageously points his finger at those he considers to be at fault, and does not even spare his friend, then President Zail Singh, who "narrowly escaped excommunication by pleading that he had been kept in the dark about Operation Blue Star. However, some months later, his ignorance did not prevent him from decorating soldiers who had taken part in the Operation". For a detailed account of the tragedies of the eighties, one must read Khushwant Singh's updated version of "The History of the Sikhs" Vol.2, 1999. He is at his best there. Raghu Rai's superb picture of the damaged Akal Takht building, taken immediately after the army attack, has historic value for all time to come. The book is highly complimentary to the Sikhs. "In a country teeming with beggars," writes Khushwant Singh," it is rare to see a Sikh stretch out his hand for alms." On the sense of one-upmanship he observes, "Anything anyone else can do, the Sikh can do better". He sums up Sikh optimism and confidence with " every Sikh looks upon himself as sava lakh (equal to 125,000)". According to this writer, Punjabi food consisting of mahanparsad (goat meat), wheat, makkai di roti (corn bread), saag (mustard leaves mash), ghee (clarified butter), buffalo milk, curd, and buttermilk is best among the foods of other communities of India. This, he says, explains the Sikhs' excellent physique, vitality and stamina. The book, however, is not free of errors and omissions. Sikh historians no longer accept Bala as a companion of Guru Nanak in his travels and the date of the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh is March 30, 1699. However, Khushwant Singh still claims Bala as a companion of Guru Nanak along with Mardana, and dates the birth of Khalsa as April 13, 1699. Whereas there are now five Takhts (Gurdwaras as thrones of the Guru), he mentions only four and omits the one at Damdama Sahib. Some may find his translation of Japji Sahib's hymn: "Soche Soch na ho vai, je sochin lakhbar" As: "Not by thought alone, Can He be known though one thinkest hundred thousand times", too cursory and incorrect. In his interpretation, Dr. Hew McLeod, the New Zealand based scholar of Sikhism, catches the essence of Guru Nanak's message: "Never can you be known through ritual purity, though one cleans oneself a hundred thousand times" McLeod's rendering echoes that of the noted, authoritative Sikh scholar, Professor Sahib Singh. According to Khushwant Singh, Parkash Singh (Badal) sided with Surjit Singh (Barnala) after the Rajiv - Longowal pact of 1985, and became a minister in the central cabinet. In fact, Prakash Singh was against the pact, sided with the hard liner Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee chief Gurcharan Singh (Tohra) who got Barnala excommunicated from the Panth. It is pleasing to see pictures of Sikh historian Patwant Singh, poet Amrita Pritam Singh and father of fiber optics, Narinder Singh Kapany. Missing is flying Sikh Milkha Singh, hockey wizard Balbir Singh, wrestler Dara Singh and folk singer Surinder Kaur. They also rose to the top in their respective fields and became household names in India and abroad. A reference to the Punjabi bhangra beat, growing out of the folk dance of the Punjabi farmers, which has infiltrated the Indian film industry, would have been appropriate. Now no modern Indian film is without it. Recognition of Daler Singh (Mehindi) or Gurdas Singh (Mann)'s contribution to pop music would have been welcomed. There is no mention of the contributions of the Diaspora Sikhs. Sikhs have entered the British and the Canadian parliaments, their police forces and town councils. The first East Indian elected to the American Congress was a Sikh, Dalip Singh (Saund) in 1957; the first to become premier of a province in Canada was Ujjwal Singh (Dosanjh); the first to get a berth on the Canadian Federal Cabinet was another Sikh, Harbans Singh (Dhaliwal). Khushwant Singh ignores them and the Chairs of Sikh Studies, which have been established in American and Canadian universities. Pictures could have been included of Didar Singh (Bains), a rich farmer of California and Ajit Kaur (Tiwana), a female police officer in Canada. Unfortunate omissions, indeed. In summary, Khushwant Singh's and Raghu Rai's 'The Sikhs' is a splendid work that can be enjoyed and finished in one sitting. It is written for popular taste; it has no footnotes, reference citations, bibliography or index. A serious reader will find Khushwant Singh's two volumes revised set, 'A History of the Sikhs', (Oxford, 1999), a well researched work of permanent value. 'The Sikhs' could be bought in bulk by all gurdwaras and could be presented as gifts to distinguished visitors. Unfortunately, at Rs.1975 (US$42), it is an expensive book, and may be beyond the means of many prospective readers.
Jagpal Singh, a Master both in Political Science and Library Science, taught Political Science at Khalsa College, Patiala in India from 1964-1969 and was the Librarian / Cybrarian at Nova Scotia Teachers College, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada from 1969-1997. Author of "The Maritime Sikh Society: Origin and Growth", published in 2000, Jagpal Singh (Tiwana) is currently - Librarian / Cybrarian of The Maritime Sikh Society, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

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