Original sources imperative to pass judgment on Sikh history: KC Singh
Former diplomat KC Singh on Friday emphasised the need to locate original sources before making any definitive judgement on serious issues pertaining to Sikh history.
Singh made these remarks while presiding over “Zafarnama of Guru Gobind Singh”, a lecture by Harpreet Singh, a scholar of Sikhism and South Asian Religions Traditions at Harvard University, US. The event was held at Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan here.
Welcoming Harpreet, sadan director Mohinder Singh said while the scholar had consulted very valuable manuscripts containing details of the ‘Zafarnama’ in Persian and Punjabi, there still remained a need to locate the original letter of Guru Gobind Singh to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, popularly described as “Zafarnama- An Epistle of Victory”.
After the Battle of Chamkaur in 1704, the Guru had written 111 verses in Persian in praise of God, criticising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and detailing battle.
Zafarnama is widely hailed as a justification to pursue the justice made by Guru Gobind Singh in his letter to the sixth Mughal emperor.
Mohinder Singh said while there was no doubt that the original letter, written in Persian by Guru Gobind Singh, was delivered to the emperor through his trusted Sikh-Bhai Daya Singh — one of the first five Sikhs baptised by the Guru in 1699 — researchers had failed to locate the original document in official records of that period.
Responding to the issue, the scholar displayed on screen Guru Granth Sahib excerpts, in which there was a clear mention of the historic documents written by the Guru being delivered to the emperor.
He said for want of mastery over the language, some scholars had missed the essence of the Guru’s letter, and questioned the contention made by some historians that the emperor was trying to build bridges with the Guru by offering him a post of ‘mansabdar’.
Talks of such an offer, Harpreet Singh said, were baseless and against the Sikh spirit of fighting injustice.
Scholars from various colleges and universities in Delhi delved into issues pertaining to Sikh history and of concern to youngsters trying to discover their roots.
Scholars also paid tributes to Sardar Patwant Singh, a historian, whose first birth centenary was celebrated by the sadan.
Satjeev Singh Chahal, known for his contribution to the software industry in Silicon Valley, said an appropriate tribute to Patwant Singh would be to promote ethics and values dear to him.
