Bhai Vir Singh Adhunik Punjabi Sahit De Pitama -Punjabi

Named the most influential Sikh of the 20th century in a survey conducted by leading English daily, Hindutan Times, Bhai Vir Singh is revered as truly the Father of Modern Punjabi Literature, as the title of the this book suggests. Born in 1872 around the time when the seeds for the influential Singh Sabha Movement were sown, Bhai Sahib understood pretty early in his life, the distinct cultural and theological identity of Sikhism, and the need to re-invigorate Sikhism according to the changing modernizing influences of those times.

This book is important not only as a biography of Bhai Vir Singh but also as a key to his literary work. Bhai Vir Singh’s life and creations need to be read and understood in the contexts of the times they were written in. Those were the times witnessing great upheavals in the socio-political milieu In Punjab, as well as all over India. After the dissolution of the Sikh empire, the socio-cultural autonomy of the Sikhs was increasingly under attacks from the proselytizing Christian Missionaries. On the other hand, the failed mutiny of 1958 had precipitated the larger anti-British sentiment nationally. Also the influences of the foreign culture were beginning to reflect in the changed social urges of the times. This only led to strengthening of Bhai Vir Singh’s conviction in Sikhism. It was no surprise then that he went on to play a leading role in the advancement of Singh Sabha Movement.

Renowned as a theologian, a poet, a scholar, a novel and short story writer, Bhai Vir Singh’s writing credentials are multi-faceted. And in all, he set new grounds, breaking away from the existing moulds, in terms of both the style of writing, as well as the subjects he took up. Even his earlier romances can’t be discarded just as that, because there too, his historian soul was at play, placing his characters in the morally excruciating contexts of those evolving times, and giving their characters strength to overcome the odds, as we see in Bijay Singh, Sundri and Satwant Kaur. It was under the initiatives of Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, and the cooperation of the writer that these books could be made available for the Punjabi readers of Bhai Vir Singh. Sikh Book Club takes it further by presenting digitized version of the books in the form of e-books.

Translated to Punjabi by Surinder Singh Narula, the text which formed the content of this book was first published as a part in The Encyclopedia of Sikhism by Harbans Singh. It was under the initiatives of Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, and the cooperation of the writer that this book could be made available for the Punjabi readers of Bhai Vir Singh.

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