Bhai Vir Singh.pdf - Vidhia.com

42 / Bhai Vir Singh
This answerability to this world and the beyond, this
affirmationofexistentialrealityandthe eternaljoyofthespirit.
this mutuality of the vertical and horizontal planes sums up
the essence of Sikh philosophy. This philosophy is the core of
Bhai Vir Singh's weltanschaung. His works, in their deeper
meaning, are an elaboration of this viewpoint.
Sundari is a fictitious character, but she has a reality in
thesensethatthereweremanySundarisintheperiodinwhich
the novel is laid. Similarly, Balwant Singh is a fictitious
character--even his name is of more recent times. These and
otherimaginarycharactersare mixedwithhistoricalonessuch
asSardarJassaSingh,Kaura Mall, Ahmad ShahDurrani, Nawab
Kapur Singh and Baba Dip Singh Shahid. Some actual events
like the Small Holocaust of 1746 have also been introduced.
But the canvas is essentially too limited to capture in all its
nuances the impulse which moved those times. At places the
story takes the form of plain historical narrative. The footnotes
added to later editions of the book to document some of the
statements and events further weakentheillusion ofthestory.
In the text there are also references to contemporary
degenerationandweakness. Characterizationis incipientand
static. Coincidences abound. The moralistic intent is too
obvious.
Yet Sundariis a brave, thrilling tale. The plot hassuspense
and drama. The fortunes fluctuate and the interest of the story
is kept alive till the end. Sundari falls into the hands of the
enemyfour times andfour times is sherescuedincircumstances
mysterious and exciting. The technical apparatus of spying,
disguise, etc. is used to thicken the mystery. Some of the
descriptive passages have elegance and power of style.
Strategy is portrayed in fair detail. The author has drawn the
character of Sundari with deep faith, tenderness and insight.
To make a woman the hero of the novel was a sign of the
delicacy of his poetic perception. Nowhere else in the story is
his artistic genius shown to surer effect than in the ending of
it. The agued andweather-beatenframe of Sundariis brought
to eternalpeacein death. No otherendwouldhavebeenfair to
Page 50 of 108