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Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
What is the Sikh view of death? What does the Sikh view of death and dying tell us about the core beliefs, teachings and ethics of the faith? The answers lie within this book by Mina Singh, author of Ceremonies of the Sikh Wedding. In this book readers will find an understanding of the fundamentals of the faith preached by Guru Nanak, and by the light of these they will be prompted to reconsider their own perspective on death and also on life. They can wisely prepare themselves for the moment of dying and encourage others to do the same.
This book opens readers to novel truths and insights embedded deep within the poetry and mysticism of the Sikh scripture, the Granth Sahib. Readers will also find this book helpful in understanding the funeral rites of the Sikhs and finding consolation after the death of someone whose loss they find difficult to bear.
Ranging from right conduct to mystical devotion, the Sikh perspective outlined in this book will encourage readers, who are adherents of other religions, to reflect on their own beliefs. Page upon page of the Sikh holy book records the understanding of Nanak, Kabir, Farid, and others, of the true value of human life, which is grasped through an acceptance of its transience.
As both the teachings of the ten Gurus and the events of history following the death of Guru Nanak have been important in shaping Sikhism, this book also deals with the influence on Sikhism of various streams, within Hinduism and Islam. A comparison with the views of these two faiths, and a positive look at death in martyrdom, are other contributions made by this book for the benefit of all.
Mina Singh
MINA SINGH
After serving as Head of the Dept of English, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, Mina Singh took voluntary retirement to write full-time. Her novel A Partial Woman was published by KALI for Women in 1997. Mina Singh spent ten years travelling to many parts of the world as a freelance journalist, with the Business India Group of Publications and the Hindustan Times. She has had innumerable articles published on Indian architecture and design. She was the Asst Editor of Inside Outside magazine and Founding Editor of Indian Design & Interiors. She is the author of Ceremonies of the Sikh Wedding (first published by RUPA & Co, 2005).
ARPANA CAUR
Foremost amongst contemporary women artists of India, Arpana Caur graduated with an MA in Literature from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. She started painting in early childhood inspired by her mother Ajeet Caur, noted Punjabi writer and founding member of the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi. At the age of eighteen, without any art schooling, Arpana mounted her first solo exhibition and today her paintings are in collections at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Singapore Art Museum; Stockholm National Museum; Rockefeller Collection, New York; Smithsonian, Washington DC; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She was commissioned by Hiroshima Museum of Modern Art to execute a large work for its permanent collection. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sikh Art and Film Foundation, New York, in 2010, and the Rotary Club of Delhi, in 2011. Paintings in this book are by Arpana Caur.
