Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh

Sikhism: The Basics provides an accessible, up-to-date and gender inclusive introduction to one of the five major world religions. The chronological and geographical parameters of the book are expansive, tracing five and half centuries - from the vision of the founder Guru (Nanak 1469-1539) to its rich diasporic presence across the globe. Sikhism: The Basics includes chapters on:the ten Sikh Gurus; a historical overview from the post-Guru period to modern times (contextualised by the history of Sikhs’ spiritual capital, Amritsar)theological imaginary, practicesthe Sikh diaspora (Sikhs’ history in North America, Asia (from west Asia to south-east Asia and China, Australasia, the UK and mainland Europe)Sikh art and literature;contemporary challenges and future prospects. Written by two authors approaching Sikhism from 'insider' (Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh) and 'outsider” (Eleanor Nesbitt) perspectives. Accessible to the general reader, it also offers a fresh approach for students and scholars in the study of religions, Sikh Studies, Asian Religions, Anthropology and Diaspora Studies, South Asia, and history.

Sikhism: The Basics provides an accessible, up-to-date and gender inclusive introduction to one of the five major world religions. The chronological and geographical parameters of the book are expansive, tracing five and half centuries - from the vision of the founder Guru (Nanak 1469-1539) to its rich diasporic presence across the globe. Sikhism: The Basics includes chapters on:the ten Sikh Gurus; a historical overview from the post-Guru period to modern times (contextualised by the history of Sikhs’ spiritual capital, Amritsar)theological imaginary, practicesthe Sikh diaspora (Sikhs’ history in North America, Asia (from west Asia to south-east Asia and China, Australasia, the UK and mainland Europe)Sikh art and literature;contemporary challenges and future prospects. Written by two authors approaching Sikhism from 'insider' (Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh) and 'outsider” (Eleanor Nesbitt) perspectives. Accessible to the general reader, it also offers a fresh approach for students and scholars in the study of religions, Sikh Studies, Asian Religions, Anthropology and Diaspora Studies, South Asia, and history.

One of the foremost exponents of the Sikh religion and of related Punjabi literature offers here a sustained exploration of the aesthetics of Sikhism's founder, understood as 'a symbiosis of his prophetic revelation, his poetic genius, and his pragmatic philosophy – embedded in his visceral expression of the transcendent One.' Drawing on a wide range of sources, Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh examines in full all the beauty, intimacy, and inclusive richness of Guru Nanak's remarkable literary art. Her subject's verses – written in simple vernacular Punjabi – are seen creatively to subvert conventional linguistic models while also inspiring social, psychological, environmental, and political change. These radical lyrics are now brought into fascinating conversation with contemporary artists, poets, and philosophers. Moving beyond conventional religious discourses and spaces of worship in its attempt to sketch a multisensory, publicly oriented reception of Sikh sacred verse, this expansive book opens up striking new imaginaries for 21st-century global society.

'Janamsakhis' are stories about the life of Guru Nanak (1469–1539). They have been circulating orally, in writing, and in paintings and illustrations. B40 is one such documented artistic expression held at the British Library in London. Its 57 beautiful iconotexts narrate the life of the first Sikh Guru from his first day at school to his final moments. The talented artist Alam Chand Raj illustrates Guru Nanak’s sensuous feel for the all-inclusive Divine, his interior and exterior journeys, his manifold inter-faith conversations, his environmental aesthetics, and his marvellous actions. In the language of vibrant colours Guru Nanak’s transcendent materiality and world-affirming existentiality are exquisitely written out. The stylistic infusions of Punjabi art, Chaurapanchasika style and folk-art style of the Rajasthani Malwa School bring the historical Guru close to the viewer. Along with the artwork there is the rich text by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh explaining the stories from a 21st-century perspective. She insightfully explores the question – how are the Janamsakhis relevant to the political, societal, economic, and environmental state of the world at present.

The vision of Guru Nanak, the fifteenth-century founder of the Sikh faith, celebrated the oneness of the Divine that both dwells within and transcends the endless diversity of life. Guru Nanak's immaculate vision inspired the rich and inclusive philosophy of Sikhism, which is reflected in this exquisite and highly acclaimed translation of poems from the religion's most sacred texts: the Guru Granth Sahib, the principal sacred text of the Sikh religion, which consists of poems and hymns by Guru Nanak, his successors and Hindu and Islamic saints; and the Dasam Granth, a collection of devotional verses composed by the tenth Sikh Guru. Poetry from these highly revered texts is heard daily and at rites of passage and celebration in Sikh homes and gurudwaras, carrying forward the Sikh belief in the oneness and equality of all humanity.

This work is an original and critical analysis of Sikh literature from a feminist perspective. It begins with Guru Nanak’s vision of Transcendent Reality and concludes with the mystical journey of Rani Raj Kaur, the heroine of a modern Punjabi epic. The eight chapters of the book approach the Sikh vision of the Transcendent from historical, scriptural, symbolic, mythological, romantic, existential, ethical, and mystical perspectives. Each of these discloses the centrality of the woman, and show convincingly that Sikh Gurus and poets did not want the feminine principle to serve merely as a figure of speech or literary device; it was intended rather to pervade the whole life of the Sikhs. The present work bolsters the claim that literary symbols should be translated into social and political realities, and in so doing puts a valuable feminist interpretation on a religious tradition which has remained relatively unexplored in scholarly literature.