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Chronicle of a martial race The Story of Valiant Sikhs
This beautifully illustrated tome lists names and photographs of Sikh winners of various bravery awards. Sikhs have certainly carved out a niche for themselves as formidable fighters, but their achievements in the fields of arts, culture, trade and commerce have been given less than optimum space. Pall, while inquiring into their way of life, could have been more inclusive in his approach. Sikhs’ lifestyle is not one-dimensional, but a sum total of different strands — literature, fine and performing arts, politics, philosophy and the coming of age of Sikh tycoons. It is a well-documented fact that Sikhs are the richest community in India. Obviously, there’s been
a paradigm shift from martial to mercantile mindset, which needs
elucidation. Perhaps we’ll have to wait for a more comprehensive and
definitive work on the community.
Inspiring read Puran Singh: An Inflamed Heart
It was in this region that Puran Singh was born in Salhed village near Abottabad on February 17, 1881. In the vicinity were the Gandhara rocks on which ancient Greek and Buddhist artists had sculpted variegated facets of Lord Buddha, which made a lasting impression on the child Puran Singh. Later on as a creative writer and intellectual his works became an amalgam of the Western, Indian and Japanese influences even while retaining the Sikh essence. This is a highly readable
biography of Puran Singh, and useful for research scholars too. Readers
will be much impressed with the writer’s impeccable style of
narration.
A princess’ tragic tale Diana: In pursuit of love
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Here’s
a book that enumerates various valiant deeds of Sikhs ever since the
Khalsa was founded. Beginning as a defiant force against oppression and
tyranny, Sikhs began to found their own small kingdoms and
principalities — reaching the zenith during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s
reign. Pall has remained true to the book’s title and, like most other
chroniclers of Sikh history, dwelt mostly upon their martial prowess.
The
region of Pothohar, now in Pakistan, was, and perhaps still is, famous
for its statuesque women, rugged natural beauty and robust, enterprising
men. 
We
all know that Diana’s fairy-tale marriage to Prince Charles had turned
into a nightmare. However, no one’s sure of the reasons for this turn
of events. Innuendoes, partisan pronouncements, and of course, lurid
tabloid tales only confounded the situation. Morton, reputedly trusted
by Diana, has come up with an account that would put any work of fiction
to shade when it comes to the narrative technique and ingredients. In
this "edgy tale of bad faith, betrayal and cynical
manipulation" are interwoven such elements as homosexual rape,
theft, fraud and forgery — not to mention a bit of cloak-and-dagger
stuff. Since the Diana saga’s bloody denouement is well-documented and
retailed, one would be more interested in the events and personalities
that wittingly or unwittingly brought it about. Morton does not
disappoint. Whether you read this book as a novel, or take it as a
serious biographical work, it remains an absorbing read.