After entering the Sanctum Sanctorum, he did its service, chanted Asa Di Vaar and performed the conclusion ceremony. After praying and prostration, put the things in proper place and after closing the door returned to Har Ki Pauri. As soon as he came down the stairs, a trigger was pressed and the gun fired, but Bhai Sahib stood unfazed like a lion. The loud gun shot that was heard, he took it to be the sound of someone pounding the grains.
Prof. Puran Singh, in one of his articles has written: While circumambulating in the periphery of Darbar Sahib, plant your foot with utmost reverence and care as beneath every brick supporting it is some or the other martyr's head. These words are never to be forgotten while we walk there. Just as a tense wire begins thrumming when struck by a droplet from lofty spheres and causes symphony to come forth, such vibrations are generated in the body when we keep our foot there.
Bhai Vir Singh, popularly known as Father of Modern Punjabi Literature, was born at a time when the Sikh community was going through a period of renaissance. Born in 1872, Bhai Vir Singh soon became the main source of inspiration and guarding light of the Singh Sabha Movement. He devoted his whole life in rejuvenating the Sikh community through his writings and through the institutions created by him. Bhai Vir Singh along with other prominent Sikh leaders of the time established Chief Khalsa Diwan, Sikh Educational Society, Khalsa College, Amritsar, and Punjab and Sind Bank.
Bhai Vir Singh's primary source of contact with the maeses was through his tracts which he prolifically produced and his major literary works had the stamp of profound scholarship.
Bhai Vir Singh established the Khalsa Tract Society and the Wazir-e-Hind Press and founded a Punjabi weekly paper, Khalsa Samachar, which is the only Punjabi weekly that completed its centenary in 1999. In spite of his meritorious writings and a spate of humanitarian work that Bhai Vir Singh undertook, he always chose to stay away from the limelight. That is why it was not until in the late years of his life, that his services to literature, arts, philosophy, religion and humanity became formally recognised. The Sahitya Akademi and several other literary institutions honoured him and Government of India conferred Padma Bhushan on him.
Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, a premier literary and cultural institution in the National Capital, established in the memory of the doyen of Punjabi literature, has been publishing Bhai Vir Singh's works so that the message of essential unity of humankind could reach the larger body of readers at home and abroad. In view of the growing demand of Bhai Vir Singh's writings, Sadan has not only reprinted most of his original writings through modern technology but has also taken up a major project of translating his writings into English, Hindi and other languages.
Encouraged by the response of Punjabi version, we have got Bhai Sahib's popular work Anmol Heeray translated into English. Anmol Heeray aims to throw light on the lives and contribution of Sikh heroes who got shrouded in the mists of time. The book deals with sagas of brave Sikh men and women who upheld principles and values of equality and humanity taught by the Gurus while fighting against oppression and injustice.
We hope the translation will help in transmitting message of the Gurus to the younger generation at home and abroad.
For the study of Sikh history and religion and for its propagation and dissemination Bhai Sahib Bhai Vir Singh devoted his whole life to writing with dedication and very soon not only increased the pride of Punjabi language but also reshaped the structure of the same owing to which the litterateurs honoured him by giving him the title of The father of modern Punjabi literature. In terms of size and influence, the circle of readers of Bhai Sahib's literature has steadily increased over time, and this can be considered as a fitting proof of quality and popularity.
Bhai Sahib started his literary career in 1893 with a monthly journal called 'Nirguniara'. In 1894, he founded the 'Khalsa Tract Society' and 'Nirguniara' journal came under his management. The Khalsa Tract Society every month published tracts on Sikh religion, history, Sikh way of life and social reform. Their count is about 1300. Many of these tracts were reprinted. The Society published thousands of tracts on 'Gurpurabs', on special occasions and distributed them among the Sikh congregation.
There are many articles in these tracts which have been published only once and those could not be republished. These articles written by Bhai Sahib are extremely rare works which have been confined to a single period of time.
The book, in hand, Anmol Heeray, written by Bhai Sahib, chronicles the lives of those brave "Sikh men and Sikh women who followed the path laid down by Guru Gobind Singh and sacrificed their lives for the cause of Sikhism. The life of Bhai Sahib and his writings are clear proofs of how the 'Khalsa' created by the Tenth Guru lived fearlessly in the fear of Akal Purakh for the freedom of its shrines and religion during the tyrannical Mughal rule. The contribution of Maninder Kaur, a research scholar who has collected these articles published in Khalsa Samachar and tracts written by Bhai Sahib from time to time and compiled and presented them in book form, Anmol Heeray is highly commendable. Hopefully, the book Anmol Heeray will be a tool for our children and youth to explore the radiance that is inherent in us. This book is dedicated to the readers in the hope of a full response.
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