Five hundred years ago, Guru Nanak founded the Sikh faith in India. The Sikhs defied the caste system; rejected the authority of Hindu priests; forbade magic and idolatry; and promoted the equality of men and women -- beliefs that incurred the wrath of both Hindus and Muslims. In the centuries that followed, three of Nanak's nine successors met violent ends, and his people continued to battle hostile regimes. The conflict has raged into our own time: in 1984 the Golden Temple of Amritsar -- the holy shrine of the Sikhs--was destroyed by the Indian Army. In retaliation, Sikh bodyguards assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Now, Patwant Singh gives us the compelling story of the Sikhs -- their origins, traditions and beliefs, and more recent history. He shows how a movement based on tenets of compassion and humaneness transformed itself, of necessity, into a community that values bravery and military prowess as well as spirituality. We learn how Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru, welded the Sikhs into a brotherhood, with each man bearing the surname Singh, or "Lion," and abiding by a distinctive code of dress and conduct. He tells of Banda the Brave's daring conquests, which sowed the seeds of a Sikh state, and how the enlightened ruler Ranjit Singh fulfilled this promise by founding a Sikh empire. The author examines how, through the centuries, the Sikh soldier became an exemplar of discipline and courage and explains how Sikhs -- now numbering nearly 20 million worldwide -- have come to be known for their commitment to education, their business acumen, and their enterprising spirit. Finally, Singh concludes that it would be a grave error to alienate an energetic and vital community like the Sikhs if modern India is to realize its full potential. He urges India's leaders to learn from the past and to "honour the social contract with Indians of every background and persuasion."

First biography of Khizr Tiwana, the Unionist Premier of the Punjab during the climacteric period 1942-47. The Punjab formed the heartland of a future Pakistan, hence the subcontinent's destiny rested on the clash between Khizr and Jinnah over the region's unity vs Muslim separatism.

With this guide, major help for nineteenth-century World History term papers has arrived to enrich and stimulate students in challenging and enjoyable ways. Show students an exciting and easy path to a deep learning experience through original term paper suggestions in standard and alternative formats, including recommended books, websites, and multimedia. Students from high school age to undergraduate can get a jumpstart on assignments with the hundreds of term paper suggestions and research information offered here in an easy-to-use format. Users can quickly choose from the 100 important events, spanning the period from the Haitian Revolution that ended in 1804 to the Boer War of 1899-1902. With this book, the research experience is transformed and elevated. Term Paper Resource Guide to Nineteenth-Century World History is a superb source with which to motivate and educate students who have a wide range of interests and talents. Coverage includes key wars and revolts, independence movements, and theories that continue to have tremendous impact.

This basic guide and resource book targets four fields—religious studies, history, world literature, and ethnic or migration studies—in which Sikhism is now receiving greater attention. The authors explain the problems of studying and interpreting Sikhism, and opportunities for integrating Sikh studies into a broader curriculum in each field. They also provide a sense of the Sikh community’s own approach to education, and evaluate materials and approaches at the North American university level. Included are a sample syllabus with an explanatory essay, a bibliographical guide, a glossary, and a general bibliography. Gurinder Singh Mann’s review of his course on Sikhism is an effective mini-guide to the field as a whole.

This book deals with the British discovery of Sikhs, their literature and history. Further, it reminds us of the Sikh political success after the occupation of Lahore by Ranjit Singh in 1799. True that the British enquiry was diplomatic and military during the 18th century. However, the Anglo-Sikh relations after the fall of Delhi and Hansi into the hands of the Company in 1803 and more so the Anglo-Sikh Treaties of January 1806 and April 1809 widened the scope of the enquiry. With Malcolm's work published in 1810, the Punjabi and Sikh writings especially the Bani of the Gurus or its elaborations by the Bhai's such as Gurdass and Mani Singh entered the field under investigation. Sikh History and Religion emerged as a common genre by the middle of the 19th century. J.D.Cunningham gave a firm basis to this genre, though H.H.Wilson had acted differently in 1848 because he was a Sanskritist. The use of Bani, Sakhi and Rahit by the British, the Christian Missions, the early Sikh reformers like the Nirankaris and the Namdharis necessitated the further use of Sikh Scriptures, Hukamnama, and Ardasan carrying letters of Baba Ram Singh (1872-1885). In fact, by 1857 the idea of having the Sikh holy granths translated into English was – conceived by the British. The first attempt in this regard took twenty years i.e. 1857-1877. The attempt was official and made through Trumpp. These twenty years also saw the printing of the Adi Granth in the Damdama Bir twice i.e. in 1864 and 1868 in Lahore. A Janam-Sakhi (Bhai Bala version) was also printed. The book reveals how and why the political patronage and use of the Golden Temple, Amritsar, continued under the British despite the Sikh awakening and protest against it by the Namdhari Movement, and the Singh Sabha Lehar between 1863 and 1919. In addition to Golden Temple, Sikh Literature and History had drawn colonial attention through Griffin and M.A.Macauliffe (1868-1909) for political purposes. In fact, the Gadhar and the Babbar Akalis between 1914 and 1923 gave a close relationship to the Militant Khalsa tradition and the anti-British Nationalism in Punjab. How Sikh militancy and communalism proved harmful to the cause of the Freedom Movement in, and for, Punjab is an important but different theme. This book is silent about the Great Divide of 1947 or the poetry of Iqbal during the 1920's and 1930's. Riots and the bitter communal strife was the sin to be told by the short stories of Manto. The sin needs further exploring by the political thinkers and writers of South Asia.