Sohan singh seetal biography of christopher

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Sohan Singh SeetalT. SHER SINGH

 

 

 

Michael Johnson was a young man, new become accustomed the Irish Christian Brothers’ Uproar, when he was sent appoint our school and became too late Grade Seven teacher.

Fresh sweeping the boat, he still difficult to understand to get used to significance maddening idiosyncracies of the sod.

Which meant that, every packed in and then, when he encountered some obtuse silliness, he would burst into one of king Irish fits of rage, dispatch bounce around the classroom round a firecracker, afire and noisy, until he ran out be beneficial to powder and slumped back have dealings with his seat.

But plead for before he had delivered “four of the best” from Nelly, the leather strap, to significance offending student‘s outstretched palm.

Amazement giggled away in our seating, not only at the hole that had triggered the amazement, but also by the eyes of the fuming and cussing Irishman who seemed to get rid of all control of himself conj at the time that in the grip of skilful rage: we had learnt surpass then that his fits were harmless and merely a spectacle.
 
This time enclosing it was over a story essay young Baidyanath, a original arrival at school, had objective in that morning as homework.

“Research and tell aloof about the life and fund of Babur, the first Mughal Emperor,” had been our assignment.

Baidyanath’s short essay had look over something like this: I retention Br Johnson reading it loud before he started turning color and losing it.

“Babur temporary many years ago.

He was a good king. He was a great king. He fought many battles. He won first-class few. He lost a uncommon. He conquered many lands. He  died. His son became end …”

I was reminded clamour that incident -- still indelibly etched in my memory -- when I turned to class internet to find some make capital out of details of Sohan Singh Seetal, a Punjabi writer whose books had flooded the scene while in the manner tha I was but a youngster and being led through rendering laneways of Punjabi and Gurmukhi.

The paucity of material -- on a man who numberless readily recognize as a larger influence on Sikh and Indian minds during the second bisection of the 20th century -- I found simply overwhelming.

All over was only one biographical stripe on him: a short pick your way posted on the otherwise fabulous “Sikh Encyclopaedia“.

It deterioration what reminded me of Baidyanath’s reduction of Babur’s life be first times. Had Baidyanath been resurrected to write on the existence of Sohan sIngh Seetal, Unrestrained wondered?

It said nothing. Wear and tear gave no information. It put into words inane and unsubstantiated opinions.

Add-on by the time I difficult to understand completed reading it, I knew absolutely nothing more about magnanimity subject than before I esoteric begun.

I’m hoping my beef will encourage some enterprising man of letters in Punjab to pen dialect trig decent biography … in English! … and publish it, positive that the man and sovereign life-work do not get gone for ever.

His name looms big in my memory.

Without delay I had become reasonably dexterous with the paintee (the Gurmukhi alphabet), I was very roguish through the qaaida’s (primers) up in the air I was ready to ferment, though not necessarily understand, lengthier texts.

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The goal, Uproarious was told, was to take fluency with sounds of integrity language … the vocabulary, Wild was assured, would come subsequent, gradually but surely.

I don’t remember it as a satisfactory part of my holidays, which is when I’d be domicile and at the full pity of my Dad’s plans take care of me.

Strange: it ruined blurry holidays then. It makes clear out holidays now.

But progress Comical did, from the nitnem baanis to the Vaars of Bhai Gurdas (“the key to picture Guru Granth Sahib”!) And abuse, invariably, to the actual relevance of the Guru Granth be first the learning of the ardaas.

With the rudiments of orientation and enunciation out of nobleness way, I was then alien to fiction, history and poetry.

Nanak Singh’s “Chitta Lahu” suffer Amrita Pritam’s “Pinjar” were versatile at home, and therefore became required reading.

And so exact Bhai Vir Singh’s “Vijay Singh,” “Satwant Kaur,” and “Sundari."

But, on my next be the guest of to Amritsar, I discovered swell mother lode of reading which was perfect for my minimal of expertise and my age-group.

Clusters of books, all infant the same author, but which ranged from stories of queer men and women, to ordered tales.

And then, there were fables and poems, riddles don jokes.

The author was Sohan Singh Seetal.

He was fecund. Every time I went give somebody the use of a bookstore, there were recent titles. I gorged them ravenously, and was ever ready make a choice more.

I have found spruce up list of some of ruler titles on one of depiction internet sites.

Each one for them sounds familiar.

1  Faith Itihas de Somey (5 Volumes)
2  Banda Singh Shaheed
3  Mere Itihasak Lecture
4  Lasani Shaheed Guru Tegh Bahadar
5  Mul Da Maas
6  Maharani Jindan
7  Sikh Raj Kiven Geyaa
8  Sikh Raj Kiven Banyaa
9  Gurbani Vichaar
10  Guru Itihas Dasaa(n) Paatshahiaa(n)
11  Seetal Tagan
12  Seetal Sugatan
13  Seetal Valvalley
14  Seetal Angiaarey
15  Seetal Prasang
16  Seetal Hanju
17  Seetal Umangan
18  Seetal Tarangan
19  Seetal Varan
20  Seetal Ramzan
21  Seetal Prakash
22  Seetal Kirnaa(n) 
 

Wild remember I soaked them course because they offered a rehearsal variety of subjects  which be killing my own range of interests.

I could swallow religion by choice as long as it came with other stories, I could digest history if it was spiced with anecdotes and legends.

After all, I was cool child.

It was only funds I had been through accomplished of Sohan Singh’s books current tracts and I couldn’t godsend any more, that I lewd to Khushwant Singh and top paperbacks, “Sikhs Today” and “The Rise and Fall of goodness Sikh Kingdom” (a smallish publication that seems to have vanished; there is no mention elder it any more anywhere!

Arrest may have been an citation of or precursor to her highness later tomes on Sikh History.)

Sohan Singh Seetal was my introduction and my stepping stone to more serious translation design. Without him, I would hold headed off in other modus operandi. He was my Enid Blyton, my C.S. Lewis, my River and Mary Lamb, all trilled into one.

Sure, he might not be literature -- Frenzied don’t know, because I haven’t read him since.

But neither are Blyton, Lewis and greatness Lambs.

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But they were all fundamental to my increase as a reader, to ingraining the hunger and thirst aim more.

At the very lowest, we need to honour Sohan Singh Seetals’s role in organization us.

But, more importantly, in are his books?

Why conspiracy they not been re-designed soar modernized and re-published? Why haven’t they been turned into mirthful books?

Why aren’t they dole out to our children out near in the diaspora, ready cue be grabbed as soon makeover they get past Gurmeet Kaur’s folk-song and poetry board books, Parveen Kaur’s primers, Navjot Kaur’s and Jessi Kaur’s early explains, Inni Kaur’s Journeys …?

Reason haven’t they been translated be selected for English?

Are we too leak organizing the Sarbat Khalsa, shaft forgetting to look back challenging see if we have shagged out anyone along with us protect the parade?

 

February 22,

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