Based on many years of research spent examining a wide range of Persian, Punjabi and English sources alongside genealogical records, oral traditions and a thorough battlefield study, this work tends to eschew hagiography to ground all research on this spiritual-cum-military leader whose life story interweaves through the turbulence of 18th-century Punjab, often referred to as the ‘heroic century’.
The author successfully brings alive the life and times of Deep Singh as the quintessential sant-sipahi (warrior-saint) and rare embodiment of the Khalsa ideology as he seeks to faithfully answer several questions. Why has the Deep Singh narrative acquired such epic proportions to grip generation after generation? Often portrayed in prints with his head in one hand and a broadsword in the other, is he more myth than reality?
With a foreword by Gordon Corrigan, MBE, a renowned British military historian, the book is in three parts. It focuses initially on Deep Singh’s youth and his tutelage under the Tenth Guru and Bhai Mani Singh at Anandpur Sahib, his taking charge of the first Sikh seminary at Dam Dama Sahib, and the daring campaigns against the Mughals alongside Banda Bahadur. His role during the heroic century with the raising of the Dal Khalsa and later the misls is covered in sufficient detail, while the final chapter of the book is devoted to his much-storied final battle during which he attained martyrdom to find a permanent place both in Sikh history and ethos.
This account promises to be memorable for its stylistic panache and equally for the generous representation of vaars in the original Gurmukhi script alongside their English transcreation in rousing rhyme.
The book includes battlefield maps and details of cenotaphs as well as an exhaustive glossary of terms and an impressive bibliography.
Excerpts from Reviews
- “The sheer detail of the author’s research is impressive and he also writes in a style that is a pleasure to follow. This is a delightful book, one of the most important additions to the history of Sikhism that will be enjoyed as well beyond the Sikh community by anyone interested in the history of India and in the psychology of the warrior ethos.”
- Foreword by Gordon Corrigan, MBE, Military Historian and author (UK)
- “This unique fusion of Sikh faith and history deserves a wider appreciation beyond the world-wide Sikh community.” - Prof Peter Stanley, UNSW Canberra, author of Die in Battle, Do not Despair: the Indians on Gallipoli, 1915
- “Harisimran Singh successfully navigates this difficult path in a readable and entertaining chronicle….His easy style will surely appeal to a broad audience, while the logic and rigour of his analysis will appeal to the more specialist historian.” - Tony McClenaghan, author of Maharajas' Paltans: History of the Indian State Forces 1888-1948
- “In this tour de force that combines scholarly research with extensive on ground co-relation, the author provides a stirring insight into the life and times of Baba Deep Singh” - Brigadier (Retd) Sukhjit Singh, MVC (erstwhile His Highness Kapurthala)
- “An excellent biography and a marvellous discourse on one of the most revered scholar-soldiers in Sikh history….An extremely incisive account of Baba Deep Singh’s life, incessant struggles, and the final triumph of Truth.” - Dr Harjeet Singh Gill, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- “Goes beyond the polemical to present a well-researched and engrossing account of the life and times of this legendary warrior.” - Sqn Ldr Rana TS Chhina, MBE (Retd), Secretary and Editor, USI Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies.
