Contemporary views on Guru Nanak

Roopinder Singh

Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary sparked many forms of celebration all over the world. “The need for unity of thought and action today is most urgent… we hear the cry of the deprived, and we hear the cry of those who are abandoned by the unjust social and economic order…” These lines, excerpted from Dr Manmohan Singh’s presidential address at a seminar held at Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, last year, underline the continuing importance of the Guru’s message. Former Vice President Hamid Ansari touched on the undesirability of religiosity and strident nationalism, and the universality of the message of Baba Nanak. In his expansive keynote address, that began with a recitation of the Mool Mantra, Murli Manohar Joshi said: “The way of religion, as shown by Sikhism, is not a set of views or doctrines, but a way of life to be lived according to a definite model.”

At the seminar, a gathering of scholars and eminent individuals deliberated over three days on Guru Nanak’s philosophy, and the volume under review is based on the papers presented then.

In the section titled “Philosophy of Guru Nanak”, Gurinder Singh Mann stresses the need to re-examine Baba Nanak’s image as a mystic immersed in bhakti. He shows how the Guru separated himself from the prevalent Bhakti movement, and places the establishment of Kartarpur in this context.

Pashaura Singh, in “Guru Nanak’s teachings in the age of globalisation”, maintains: “The life-world based upon Guru Nanak’s cosmic vision is not limited essentially to the private sphere, but is equally relevant in political, economic and social arenas of public sphere.”

IS Chadha writes about Guru Nanak’s message and its relevance today, Sohinder Bir on the philosophical perspective of Japuji Sahib, Baldev Dhure on Baba Nanak’s values and the western civilisation and Raminderjeet Kaur on the relevance of the innovative philosophy of Guru Nanak.

The next section deals with social justice and equality in the teachings of Guru Nanak. Here, Ronki Ram points out that “while boldly raising his voice against the oppressive living conditions of the lower classes, Baba Nanak proclaimed that those who cared for the ‘lowest of the low’ received the grace of God”.

Kanwaljit Kaur Gill says that “although in the Sikh religious theory, the woman is given equal status and is treated at par with him”, there is a clear gap between theory and practice of women’s rights. She also discusses the gender gap in education and bias/violence against women.

Kuldip Kaur discusses the Guru’s ideology on inter-caste and gender harmony, while Bal Anand calls him “poet and prophet of oppressed and persecuted”.

The section on “Guru Nanak’s perspective on peace and brotherhood” opens with Birinder Pal Singh’s article, in which the author maintains: “His (the Guru’s) prescription of Naam Japna, for the happiness of individuals, and Kirat Karna for harmony in society followed by Wand Chhakna for peace in the world, seem to provide a lasting solution to the prevailing problems that are nearly universal under the present patterns of socio-economic development.” Devinder Pal Singh examines the “Nanakian perspective on world peace and brotherhood of humankind”.

The session covered the ecological perspective of Guru Nanak’s philosophy and Kartarpur model community, with contributions by Pritam Singh, Nadia Singh, Harpreet Kaur and Jaspreet Kaur Sandhu. Another session covered interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Guru Nanak’s philosophy, with papers by Manvinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Rohi and Harpal Singh Buttar.

While all chapters and authors can’t be covered, the collection of articles is commendable, as is the effort of its editor, Sucha Singh Gill, whose essay informs the subsequent discussion. The seminar is now a book, which gives the deliberations of participants a necessary permanence, even as it provides scholars with a ready-reference book on contemporary views about the founder of the Sikh faith.