Sikh Heritage: A History Of Valour And Devotion

Sikh Heritage, with a foreword by Hardeep Sigh Puri, is a succinct and delightfully photographed glimpse into the community's religion, its ten gurus, its temples, traditional systems of governance, history, architecture, and the famous Golden Temple. This book traces the history of the valor and devotion of the Sikh community, which forms less than 1 per cent of India's one billion population, yet produces over 50 per cent of the country's food reserves. Despite the brutal assaults of history faced by the Sikh community - such as the partition of Punjab - they still maintain the merit of their heritage. Looks at how the thriving Sikh diaspora has spread across the globe; and how they always took the words of the gurus with them wherever they went. This work has captured the relics that have borne witness to the establishment of the Sikh community and identity. Most of these heritage objects associated with the gurus are in private collections or in gurdwaras. A photographic documentation of the Sikh historicity through objects both in time and space, such as the beautifully captured images of Takhats or temporal seats of the Sikhs, portray a unique relationship between the edifice and the Sikhs - thus, each photograph is a story in itself. This new approach aims at the conception of Sikh heritage not only as the sacred masterpieces of the past to be valued and conserved, but also as emblematic and living spaces to be appropriated by the local communities who are the bearers of a rich and active collective memory.

Dr Rishi Singh has been involved with the prestigious National Institute of Panjab Studies, New Delhi, where he was a research associate, and managed a project on Sikh relics. He has also co-authored an acclaimed book on Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and researched books on the Golden Temple, Anandpur Sahib and Hemkunt Sahib. He has been involved as a project advisor (India) for the United Nations University Leadership Academy, Amman. He has been well published in national newspapers, research journals, and magazines in India and Canada, has presented papers internationally, and been a consultant for a documentary on Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

For over three decades, Sondeep Shankar has roamed the length and breadth of India to document the human side of any activity, whether social, cultural, religious or political. He became a photographer after graduating from St Stephen's College, Delhi University, in 1973. Beginning his career as a photographer with the Hindustan Times, he has since worked for various national and international media organisations. Sondeep is currently consulting editor for pictures with the Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle. Sondeep's first book, Rajasthan, was published by Roli Books in 1980. His published works include a ten-book series on various aspects of Sikhism; Childhood in India, Havelis of Old Delhi, Ganesha - The Lord of Beginnings and Devi.