Bhai Vir Singh.pdf - Vidhia.com
Bhai Vir Singh.pdf - Vidhia.com Bhai Vir Singh.pdf - Vidhia.com
30 / Bhai Vir Singh Tractarianism had then become the fashion andwas the mainstaryofthe reform movements invarious traditions. They used it extensively for propaganda and for mutual polemics. The promoters of the Singh Sabha had issued pamphlets individually from time to time. Bhai Vir Singh foresaw the possibilities in a sustained effort in this direction and turned thevogueinto a movementofwideappeal. ThroughtheSociety hehadformed withthehelp ofanotherofhisfriend, Kaur Singh by name, he kept up a persistent supply of short pamphlets, almostallbyhis ownpen, ona varietyoftopics. Aconsiderable circle ofreaderswasestablishedwhichawaitedanddevoured with eagerness each successive issue. Like the other institutions founded by Bhai Vir Singh, the Society continues to beinexistence--atribute to his senseof practical detail and execution. Through the years it has brought out nearly 1400 titles, not a few repeated several times over, with millions of copies distributed. Service of the country and of the Khalsa Panth was declared to be the object of the Society. An announcement which was repeated on its behalf, in tract after tract began with the line: "Religion is the noblest of all things; nobler still is the preaching of religion." The accent thus was on disseminating, on driving home the ideals of reform which were the inspiration of the Singh Sabha. Pure teaching of the Sikh faith and glowing events from its historywere presented in a plain, often tentative, framework of story or conversation. The prevalentsocialills, superstitionsandirrationalritualwere censured. Simple moralvalueswerepreachedthroughparable and folktale and quotation from Scripture. In the series also appeared such miscellaneous material as Punjabi textbooks for school children, culinary recipes and Gurpurb cards for presentation on birth anniversaries of the Gurus--a fashion suggestive of the Western custom of exchanging Christmas cards. By and by came researched essays on the Gurus' lives and theological tenets. A voluntarily imposed restraint was abstinence from criticism of otherreligions for whichsanction was derived from the universality and tolerant nature of the Page 38 of 108
Father of Modem Punjabi Literature / 31 message of Sikhism. Itwas by no means easyto adhere to this condition in those times prolific in controversy and invective, but the Khalsa Tract Society observed it scrupulously. Most of the tracts--more than ninety percent--were written by Bhai Vir Singh. The only exceptions in the earlierphasewere a few numbers contributed by his father Dr Charan Singh IBasant Prakash) and his friends like Trilochan Singh ISukhwati te Ghintamatzl andSadhuSingh (Gheen diAmeerzadi). 1Theywere all published anonymously. The pamphletswere pricedat one pice each and thle membership fee was rupee one per month. The first tract issued by the Society, entitled Prarthana, wasonthe efficacyofprayerillustratedthrougha talefrom the life ofMaharaja Ranjit Singh. At theendwereappendedhymns from the Guru Gmnth. The second attempted to analyse the causes of Sikh decadence. The pretext usedwas again a story ofa rudimentarycharacter, butthepointwassetforth explicitly. Lapse from the truth and practices of the faith was the surest wayto social disintegration. Reconstruction dependedon the recovery of the tlUe values of religion. Another one is a gentle satireonthefashions ofwomanlyapparel. Whatwascriticized bytheauthorasultramodemandsociallyreprehensiblewould today be the heart's delight for the most conservative and genteel observer of the contemporary scene. Subjects of sharper sarcasm were men in European coat and trousers "Walking with the automation of a wheelcart" and religious pests who "after a morning's lesson from a classic like the Vichar Sagar feed themselves on rich viands freely supplied and pass the day in unbroken ennui." Bhai Vir Singh had full knowledge of the mechanism of Christian evangelizing and theeconomic andpoliticalfactors whichaidedit (Haihaibachi 1. The authorship of thetracts, published anonymously, mentionedhereis indicatedinBhaiVir Singh'sownhandonthe copiesinDr Balbir Singh's library. There is one tract, numbered 39 in the series, advocating the establishmentbythe Sikh community of a missionary:fund, an orphanage and a hospital, in commemoration ofthe DiamondJubilee of Queen Victoria, which has been marked byhim as havingbeen received from outside but of unknown authorship. Page 39 of 108
- Page 1 and 2: Bhai Vir Singh Father' ofModem Punj
- Page 3 and 4: Preface In theyear 19'1'2 falls the
- Page 5 and 6: Foreword opularly Popularly known a
- Page 7 and 8: Contents 1. The Milieu." 1 2. Ances
- Page 9 and 10: CHAPTER ONE The Milieu F orPunjabil
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Father of Modem Punjabi Literature / 31<br />
message of Sikhism. Itwas by no means easyto adhere to this<br />
condition in those times prolific in controversy and invective,<br />
but the Khalsa Tract Society observed it scrupulously. Most of<br />
the tracts--more than ninety percent--were written by <strong>Bhai</strong><br />
<strong>Vir</strong> <strong>Singh</strong>. The only exceptions in the earlierphasewere a few<br />
numbers contributed by his father Dr Charan <strong>Singh</strong> IBasant<br />
Prakash) and his friends like Trilochan <strong>Singh</strong> ISukhwati te<br />
Ghintamatzl andSadhu<strong>Singh</strong> (Gheen diAmeerzadi). 1Theywere<br />
all published anonymously. The pamphletswere pricedat one<br />
pice each and thle membership fee was rupee one per month.<br />
The first tract issued by the Society, entitled Prarthana,<br />
wasonthe efficacyofprayerillustratedthrougha talefrom the<br />
life ofMaharaja Ranjit <strong>Singh</strong>. At theendwereappendedhymns<br />
from the Guru Gmnth. The second attempted to analyse the<br />
causes of Sikh decadence. The pretext usedwas again a story<br />
ofa rudimentarycharacter, butthepointwassetforth explicitly.<br />
Lapse from the truth and practices of the faith was the surest<br />
wayto social disintegration. Reconstruction dependedon the<br />
recovery of the tlUe values of religion. Another one is a gentle<br />
satireonthefashions ofwomanlyapparel. Whatwascriticized<br />
bytheauthorasultramodemandsociallyreprehensiblewould<br />
today be the heart's delight for the most conservative and<br />
genteel observer of the contemporary scene. Subjects of<br />
sharper sarcasm were men in European coat and trousers<br />
"Walking with the automation of a wheelcart" and religious<br />
pests who "after a morning's lesson from a classic like the<br />
Vichar Sagar feed themselves on rich viands freely supplied<br />
and pass the day in unbroken ennui." <strong>Bhai</strong> <strong>Vir</strong> <strong>Singh</strong> had full<br />
knowledge of the mechanism of Christian evangelizing and<br />
theeconomic andpoliticalfactors whichaidedit (Haihaibachi<br />
1. The authorship of thetracts, published anonymously, mentionedhereis<br />
indicatedin<strong>Bhai</strong><strong>Vir</strong> <strong>Singh</strong>'sownhandonthe copiesinDr Balbir <strong>Singh</strong>'s<br />
library. There is one tract, numbered 39 in the series, advocating the<br />
establishmentbythe Sikh <strong>com</strong>munity of a missionary:fund, an orphanage<br />
and a hospital, in <strong>com</strong>memoration ofthe DiamondJubilee of Queen<br />
Victoria, which has been marked byhim as havingbeen received from<br />
outside but of unknown authorship.<br />
Page 39 of 108
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