PREFACE

Much has been written on Guru Nanak the founder of Sikh faith during the past three decades. Scholars making studies on his life and teachings intensively have  differed violently on the historicity of the events enveloping his life and in the process have failed to appreciate the unique features of his gospel viz. catholicity, tolerance and co-existence which have become more relevant in the emerging multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-religious and more interactive order of the present day world.

I had all along a feeling that a simple but short account of the life and teachings of Guru Nanak would go a long way to disseminate correct information regarding the contribution made by the Guru and his votaries towards the world civilization. It was with this end in view that a treatise was prepared in 1986. The attempt was aimed at presenting a short account of life and teachings of the founder of Sikhism in a simple but meaningful manner.

The essay has new been revised at the behest of Dr. S. P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar who proposes to make it available to a larger number of people who wish to know as to what Guru Nanak and Sikhism stand for.

This decision of Dr. S. P. Singh is significant in view of the recent painful discovery that world at large knows so little about the Sikhs and Sikhism in this age of fast developing information technology despite the fact that the Sikhs can be spotted all over the globe.