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Guru Arjan Dev: Life, Martyrdom and
Legacy A seminar on "Guru Arjan Dev: Life, Martyrdom and Legacy" was organised in September by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. This book is a compilation of the papers presented there. It is a richly brought out, coffee table-like book that has contributions by scholars. Dr W Owen Cole reconstructs the life and times of Guru Arjan Dev, Dr J S Neki explores the meeting of the minds, as envisioned in the Guru Granth Sahib. Saran Singh, editor of Sikh Review, writes of Guru Arjan’s twin gifts of Gurbani and qurbani, while Rev Marcus Baybrooke dwells on the interfaith dialogue in the Adi Granth. An interesting inclusion is the article "Martyred by Shamanistic Law," excerpted from a book of the late Sirdar Kapur Singh, former ICS officer. Prof Prithipal Singh Kapur expounds on the contemporary perceptions on the Guru’s martyrdom, while Dr Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon writes on martyrdom in Sikhism. The article on conserving the Guru Granth Sahib manuscripts by Dr Mohinder Singh is informative. Harbir Singh Bhanwar gives details about Tarn Taran, the town founded by Guru Arjan Dev. Unusually for a book of this kind, there is a significant section in Punjabi that exposes the readers to scholars on the subject. Darshan Singh Khalsa writes on Dharam Puja Arjan Hari Bhagat, Manjit Singh Calcutta on Gurbani te Kurbani da Samel, Dr Kirpal Singh on Sri Guru Arjan Sahib ji de Bhashiai Nipunta. Harnam Singh Shan has written on Guru Arjan Dev ji’s Bhasha Sidhant Spirit te Shahidi, and Giani Gurdit Singh on Adi Granth di Sarjna Bani di Sambhal and Dr Gurbhagat Singh on Shahadat: Gauravshil Ithasik Dakhal. Many academics will want
that their seminar papers be presented in this fashion. As for general
readers, this book is a colourful, non-intimidating way of finding out
what the scholars have to say.
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