He translated Guru’s bani in five languages

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 14

Ahead of the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev, devotees from across the world are engaged in contributing in one way or another to the celebration of the historic occasion.

Satpal Singh, a senior citizen from Jalandhar, has done his bit by coming up with a book titled ‘Nanak Naam Santokhia’. Having retired from a finance company, Singh has picked some shaloks and hymns from the bani and translated guru’s message in Punjabi, English, Hindi, Italian and German languages.

The author said: “I spent some years of my life in Germany and learnt the language well. For Italian, I took some help. The purpose of engaging in this work was to spread the guru’s bani, especially among the kids of the Punjabi families settled abroad, so that they remain attached with Sikhism.”

Satpal, who has also mastered the art of painting, has used motifs and colours to depict the meaning of each hymn pictorially. The various quotes from gurbani that he has picked are popular verses that spread a message of women empowerment, importance of three elements of fire, water and wind and the need to shun worldly desires.

His book starts with the importance of Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, and ends with Kartarpur Sahib, the resting place of the Guru.