A Testimony to Time

Comprising over 90 rare historical paintings,photographs,artefacts,maps and testimonies from archives around the world,the effort of the authors is to share the rich history and material with today’s audience.

“The urge and hunger to know about my roots and identity made me read the history of Sikhs and I embarked upon a journey of knowledge and discovery,” said London-based Singh who was in Chandigarh on Friday for the launch of the book at the Government Museum and Art Gallery. The book’s London launch was coordinated by Madra.

Published by UK-based Kashi House,a not-for-profit publishing group co-founded by Singh,the book is a reprint of the 1999 volume,Warrior Saints,with further unparalleled research and unpublished images. “We realised the need for a more comprehensive edition,which had more vivid accounts of the subject and appealed to the new generation as well,” said Singh,who is now devoted to preserving the tradition of the Sikh history. The author admits that it took him years of travel,research,and data collection from archives around the world and trips to museums to put the book together.

It explores the extraordinary people,event,conflicts and ideas that influenced the genesis of a unique martial culture. “It explores the martyrdom and conflicts that gave rise to a unique warrior culture,beginning from the time of the 10 Sikh gurus,the fight against the Mughals,the rule over Punjab,securing borders with Afghanistan to the dawn of new British Raj which brought a break in this tradition,” said Singh.

He recalls how having been born and brought up in the UK made him oblivious to this unique history of the martial race. “It’s been an eventful journey,for someone who didn’t even know the name of his village or the mool mantra,and had no mechanism to join himself with his roots. The philosophy was to write a book which was not a political narrative,was not preachy,rigid or had any religious tone,” said Singh,adding that the book is a tale of enormous fortitude,that rivals any military history through the ages.

According to Madra,the idea was to trace the phenomenal rise of a new force in the Indian sub-continent that took on persecutors and foreign rule. “It was truly an army of the people,for the people,” said Singh who is looking to take the story further in Volume II.