Walking With Nanak.

 

A painstakingly researched book about the founder of Sikhism. Nanak always maintained that he was far from being a holy man and that it was just a misconception that people had about him. He was an ordinary devotee in search of religiosity; the purpose of his life, Nanak said, was not to spread his message but to understand the message of different religious and spiritual traditions. Nanak would often question the dogmas related to religions. In the modern era, nobody has walked more than Nanak.

 

In the era of religious bigotry and frivolous idolatry, it is refreshing to read a book which is beyond sensationalism, myths, and miracle. What Haroon Khalid has conveyed in the book is the human side of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's life along with his teachings to society.

Nanak vehemently spoke against organised religion, and yet today, the religion that is attributed to him is one of the most prominent organised religions in the world. He abhorred the concept of associating miracles with religious personalities, but today, his biography is nothing but a list of his miracles. On his deathbed, he appointed not his son but his most loyal student as his spiritual successor. Nanak did not want his legacy to be based on kinship but on intellectual and philosophical heritage; however, only a couple of successors down the line, the institution of guruhood became a family affair, with all the gurus coming from the same family.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is the great partition of India and Pakistan not only displaced and destroyed the lives of humans from both nations it also left many old institutions and religious monuments to ruin. As mentioned many of the Guardwara's left on the Pakistan side of the border have been abandoned or not looked well after which has caused it to become destroyed from within. Also, a lot of them have been vandalized too or are dens and shelters to druggies, thieves and bandits. This surprised me and also made me feel sad that the nation couldn't look after these religious monuments. However, for the ones that are still being used many of the Sikh Temple custodians have it pretty rough because they are forced to live in poverty and get little to no funding from the government. It's a sad reality to see that an imaginary border constructed by suited men in a room somewhere in 1947 can have everlasting effects on its people, architecture and religion.

Also exploring the histories of all the subsequent Gurus after Nanak, the book traces the story of how an unorganized spiritual movement (started by Nanak) evolved into the institutionalized Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh. Through the journeys of all the Gurus, the book describes how Nanak the poet became Guru Nanak the saint.