One creator, name is Truth
Gurnaaz Kaur
We all know Guru Nanak as the first Sikh Guru and the founder of the faith. Most of us in the faith recite his sacred verses daily, one of which is the Japji Sahib. But this religious text is also a reflection of the poet, philosopher, historian that Guru Nanak was. Not many know Him in that light, at least not those outside the Sikh community. Dr Rupinder Singh Brar, a practicing cardiologist in Yuba City, California, has brought out a compelling new translation of the sacred verses in a book titled The Japji of Guru Nanak. The book is published by the Simthsonian Institution.
It is a project of the Asian Cultural History Program of the Smithsonian Institution and is dedicated to the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak. As the world commemorates the birth anniversary, together, the institution and Dr Brar intend for the general readers to know more about the historic figure and his ideologies. There is a starting point to everything, the building blocks to this beautiful translation indirectly began many years back.“ We have a small Sunday school called the Sikh Community School where I volunteer. I teach Gurmat and Sikh history. As part of it, I’ve been writing essays and translations since long. Many renowned professors and educationists would visit the school for lectures. Nicole Ranganath was one of them and when she came across my essays, she decided to put me in touch with Paul Michael Taylor, the director of Asian Cultural History Program.”
After two set of reviews, one by Sikh philosophers and another by European philosophers, Paul agreed that Japji is relevant to us all, irrespective of the community, in the twenty first century. “This is a book for everyone. Guru Nanak is a prophet on par with Gautam Buddha. The whole world knows Buddha and his teachings but not many know Guru Nanak’s philosophy. For an average American, who is not necessarily a Sikh, Guru Nanak is one of them. His thoughts are so liberal, his idea of social justice is what they stand for; it’s only that they do not have access to his works.”
Brar is happy that this book will be an introduction to Guru Nanak to 600 universities and museums worldwide. “It is the first time an American institution has done a book about Guru Nanak. It’s important for Americans to know who we (Sikhs) are, what we stand for. I remember, when 9/11 happened, Sikh’s were targeted because they were misunderstood as Muslims.”
Guru Nanak is a universal philosopher, “Even an atheist would be interested in knowing a philosopher whose legacy stands generations and civilisations.” The book is not just about philosophy, it has put in some high-class art sourced from various art museums to make Nanak relevant for both Sikh and non-Sikh students. Wanting to give due credit to all those who have come forward to bring this book to life, Dr Brar feels, “If Americans understand Guru Nanak, the wonderful prophet who was far ahead of his time, if they can interpret his ideas in making the world better, then we have succeeded.”
And this book is the beginning to many more such exceptional accounts. “Next year I will bring out a book on Banda Bahadur with The Hemkunt Foundation.”
gurnaaz@tribunemail.com
