From the Frontcover of the Book 'Guru Teg Bahadur - Hind-di-Chadar' By Dr. Harbans Lal Agnihotri, Chand R. Agnihotri

A full-length study of Guru Teg Bahadur and his Bani, Guru Teg Bahadur : Hind Di Chadar projects the interaction of the secular and the sacred in the life and message of Guru Teg Bahadur.

A refreshingly analytical and interpretative study of the Guru's broad vision of humanity and tolerance, the present work seeks to reconcile the biographical details of the Ninth Nanak to the enduring appeal of his soulful compositions, as recorded in the Granth Sahib. The book presents a synthesis of the creative thrust of his personality and writings examined against the background of socio-cultural witnessed by the contemporary society.

A brief reference to the glorious inheritance of Bhakti and Shakti perpetuated in ideals and institutions is meant to see how the Sikh faith registered growth as a living force. The heroic  mould  of the Guru's personality is vividly reflected in self-discipline and enlightened fearlessness cultivated from his heritage education and training. All the related issues of life-----stay at Kiratpur and Bakala, nomination as Guru, founding Anandpur, travels and dharam parchar, tours of Malwa and Bangar, arrest, martyrdom and the meaning and relevance thereof---have been examined in depth.

The section dealing with Bani touches upon the strains of detachment, the delineation of Gurmukh as the ideal being, puranic allusions, the positive and optimistic notes of the Guru's poetry and echo of nation-building before the hymns and slokas are discussed in separate chapters.

Preface of the Book 'Guru Teg Bahadur - Hind-di-Chadar' By Dr. Harbans Lal Agnihotri, Chand R. Agnihotri

Contemplated a decade back, the present series of volumes on the Sikh Gurus had their genesis in the need, poignantly felt by us, to reaffirm our commitment to the ideals  enshrined in the Gurbani and the composite culture of Panjab and also to reach out to the younger generations settled away from the land of their inheritance. As such, the present book on the life, martyrdom and poetical compositions of Guru Teg Bahadur, the Shield of India, (Hind Di Chaadar) is not a dissertation tailored to a specific topic or frame of references; nor is it a routine biography detailing facts or events in a soulless manner.

The composite culture of Panjab which ensures tolerance, freedom of faith and dignity of individuals practising different modes of living and worship finds its expression in the Sikh way of life, as espoused by the Gurus both in their lives and teachings. Prof. Puran Singh pays a tribute to this legacy when he writes that the gospel of the Gurus has sustained the community life in the Panjab : "Panjab sara jeeonda guru de nam te."

The present full-length study is a labour of love, undertaken over the years, that reconciles the biographical details of the Ninth Nanak with his soulful hymns and slokas, as recorded in the Granth Sahib. Care has been taken to give the transliteration of the original verses which follow the analytical explanation of the text in English. The pattern affords the reader, unacquainted with the Gurmukhi script, a direct access to the Bani in its original form. Translation, it is feared, loses much of the freshness of the spirit, its efficient and approximate rendering notwithstanding. Though not the first in english, the book stands apart as it contains original bani of the Guru in addition to the historical details of Guru Teg Bahadur's holy ministry as the Ninth Guru.

We make no claim to learning or scholarship, nor do we pretend to have discovered anything new, hitherto unknown, from the labyrinths of records and manuals. An earnest attempt has, however, been made to present the life  and Bani rationally and historically before the modern reader exposed to the cross-currents of cultures and thoughts. Guru Teg Bahadur : Hind Di Chaadar (The Shield of India) is a part of a bigger project that modestly seeks to transmit the universal message of the Gurus and their Bani to the readers in the languag and idiom they understand.

Suggestions for further improvement of the book will be gratefully acknowledged.

Dr H. L. Agnihotri (born 1937) taught English at graduate and post-graduate level in Panjab and Haryana. After doing his Master's degrees in English and Panjabi languages, Professor Agnihotri earned his Ph.D. on Indian-English Novel and the Gandhian Struggle for Freedom from Panjab University, Chandigarh. A keen student of literature, Principal Agnihotri is a dedicated student of Sikh history and thought. He has produced readable works on Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind, Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh.

Chand R. Agnihotri (born 1944) teaches English language at the Senior Secondary level. Currently engaged in writing monographs on the Sikh Gurus in collaboration with Professor Agnihotri, Chand, an M.A. in English and Hindi, is an insightful reader of religion, literature and history.