Author: Khushwant Singh
Raghu Rai/
Publisher: Roli Books
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 144
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8174361324
Description
This coffee-table, lavishly produced art book in large format carries succinct, yet comprehensive and objective text by one of India's most celebrated authors, and is enhanced by rare, brilliant and varied photographs taken by one of the country's best photographers who has explored their private and public lives carefully and lovingly.
The Sikhs are culturally one of the richest communities of India. The Sikh faith emerged and spread in north India to combat the stifling practices of the Hindu caste system and went on to become an all-encompassing way of life. Tracing the history of his race from the inception of its religion by Guru Nanak, this book explains the turbulent history of the Sikhs, their faith in one God, their ten Gurus and the casteless fraternity of the Khalsa Panth. It chronicles their customs, beliefs, rituals, modes of worship, weddings, baptism, dances and martial traditions - the factors that them an assertive and extrovert people with a zest for living. The Sikhs are now prominent in all spheres of modern life. It is said that every Sikh looks upon himself as 'Sava Lakh' (equal to 125,000 people).
The succinct, yet comprehensive and objective text by one of India's most celebrated authors, and is enhanced by rare, brilliant and varied photographs taken by one of the country's best photographers who has explored their private and public lives carefully and lovingly.
THE AUTHOR
KHUSHWANT SINGH is the author of two definitive volumes on Sikh religion and history, published by Princeton and Oxford University Presses. His four novels: Train to Pakistan; I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale; Delhi- A Novel and The Company of Women, short stories and translations are all set in Punjab. A regular contributor to the New York Times, he was Editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India and later the leading national daily The3 Hindustan Times. He won the Grove Press Award for the best work of fiction from India and the Mondello Award for the Italian version of Delhi-A Novel. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Indian Government, and the Nishan-e-Khalsa and an honorary doctorate by the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He has also been a member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
RAGHU RAI is internationally recognized as India's most distinguished photographer. A member of Magnum, the photo agency for premier photographers, his work has appeared in Time, Life, GEO, Paris Match, National Geographic, The New York Times, Sunday Times, etc. He was Picture Editor with India Today from 1980-1990. Winner of many national and international awards, Rai has exhibited his work in London, Paris, New York, Hamburg, Prague and Tokyo; 25 of his best woks are housed in the permanent collection of the Bibliotheque National, Paris. His books include Mother Teresa, Taj Mahal, Indira Gandhi, India, Calcutta, Delhi, Khajuraho.