AdminA good part of the Sikh history lies in what is today the modern Pakistan. Kartapur is an example. Guru Nanak, the first Sikhs Guru, had spent some 18 years here. It lies only a few miles from the Dera Baba Nanak, the town now in the modern-day Punjab on the Indian side. But not […]
A good part of the Sikh history lies in what is today the modern Pakistan. Kartapur is an example. Guru Nanak, the first Sikhs Guru, had spent some 18 years here. It lies only a few miles from the Dera Baba Nanak, the town now in the modern-day Punjab on the Indian side.
But not many have been able to visit the sites connected to the early days of the Sikh faith. Travel to Pakistan is still restricted, especially for those holding Indian passports.
A soon-to-be-launched book, Lost Heritage – The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan, aims to plug the gap.
Come December 2015, Amardeep Singh, a Singapore-based author and photographer, plans to roll out the book. It contains over 50,000 words, interspersed with 523 photographs, to present the diverse remnants of the community across the country.
“Seven decades after the searing partition of 1947, the Sikh community remains deprived of its glorious heritage, wrenched from it and now virtually inaccessible to most,” he tells Asia Samachar in an email interview.
When asked how did the idea come about to write the book, Amardeep said that he did not embark on writing a book. “Mine was just a travel to the remote areas of Pakistan to satisfy my curiosity.
But the journey to give life to the book had been full of challenges.
A 500 page book, with over 50,000 words, interspersed with 523 photographs and 14 maps, is a humongous task to be completed in one years’ time. While this specific aspect was challenging enough but it was under my direct control, so manageable.
“The biggest hurdle emerged to be to get the book published and I hadn’t comprehended this would be such a challenge. Publishers viewed this as commercially unviable and hence no one was forthcoming to undertake it,” he said.
For him, the project was a life time’s labour of love, which he was unwilling to compromise. At times it felt that the project would not see the light at the end of the tunnel but he maintained my focus, strongly believing that if there is value in this work then it will find its way.
~ Source: asiasamachar.com