Authenticity of Kartarpuri Bir - Global Sikh Studies

that the Kartarpuri Bir should have been examined. I
therefore take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude
to Sodhi Amarjit Singh, the present custodian of the Bir, who
allowed me full and unrestricted facilities to study the Bir and
verify twice all the salient features of the Bir and the points on
which the various conclusions in the first essay are based. I am
grateful to my old colleague and friend S. Kuldip Singh Virk,
formerly Chairman Punjab Public Service Commission Patiala,
who organized the study and helped me in the examination at
Kartarpur. My thanks are also due to the manager of the estate
and the two granthis who assisted me during the course of the
study.
I am particularly grateful to S. Gurdev Singh formerly
Judge Punjab And Haryana High Court, who has very carefully
and patiently gone through the draft of the first essay and
scrutinized its rationale. Very valuable suggestions made by
him have been incorporated in it.
I am also indebted to S. Jagjit Singh and S. Harbhajan
Singh, formerly Principal Shahid Sikh Missionary College,
Amritsar, for their learned suggestions in the revision of the
essay on the Kartarpuri Bir.
Our examination and study of the Bir itself reveals how
misplaced and shallow are the various recorded views
expressing doubts about its authenticity. The Kartarpuri Bir has
scores of features such as simply could not be present, not
even one of them in a copy.
It gives me pleasure to express my thanks to my young
friend, Dr. Avtar Singh, Head, Department of Philosophy,
Punjabi University, Patiala, with whom I discussed the subject
of the second essay before structuring it.
The study of the Sri Guru Granth Shaib reveals that the
Sikh world view and doctrines are so revolutionary that many
of the Indian or foreign scholars conditioned by their own
training or tradition find it difficult to comprehend the full
scope and direction of the Sikh thesis and
viii