Guru Nanak The First Sikh Guru

by Singh, Rina; Pouliot, Andrée

• ISBN13: 9780888999580
• ISBN10: 0888999585
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-09-06
• Publisher: Groundwood Books

Summary

In this biography, exquisitely illustrated in the Indian miniature painting tradition, young readers learn about Guru Nanak’s life, his spiritual journeys in which he spread his divine message from the Himalayas to present-day Sri Lanka to Mecca, and his teachings as expressed through his daily life and his poetry. Born into a humble Hindu family, Nanak was an extraordinary child who from a very young age questioned the rituals of religion and the ways of the world around him. He grew up to be a great spiritual teacher and revolutionary for his times. His attempt to define a universal humanity resulted in Sikhism – a religion that embraces everyone. Singh's version of the guru’s life is based on the janam sakhis (birth stories) as well as the Sikh scriptures.

Author Biography

Rina Singh was born in India and came to Canada thirty years ago. She is a poet, artist and the author of several children’s books, including The Foolish Men of Agra (Key Porter), Trickster Tales (Scholastic) and A Forest of Stories (Barefoot Books, UK and US), which has been translated into four languages. In addition to her writing, she teaches art and drama to children. She lives in Toronto, ON. Andrée Pouliot is a visual artist who has exhibited her paintings in Canada, the US, the UK and India. She is also the founder and creative director of Soma Blockprints, an Indian export company specializing in woodblock printed fabrics. She is passionate about India and has studied Indian classical dance, mythology, textile arts, miniature painting and Hinduism. She lived in Delhi for many years, and her association with the Sikh religion there gave her inspiration for the illustrations in this book. She lives in Ottawa, ON and Jaipur, India.

Excerpts

Traveling on foot from Talwandi, Nanak and Mardana arrived in the small rural town of Saidpur. There they came upon Lalo, a low-caste carpenter, sitting in the courtyard of his mud house making wooden pegs. When Lalo saw the two holy men, he hastily started washing a spot where they could rest and eat. Mardana didn’t understand why Nanak had chosen the poorest home in the entire town as opposed to one of the many prosperous homes that could have welcomed them. The food that came from Lalo’s kitchen disappointed Mardana even more — thick ?at bread made of coarse grain and an unappetizing ball of boiled spinach slapped on a worn-out copper plate. Nanak ate heartily while Mardana nibbled gingerly at his food. Nanak accepted Lalo’s invitation to stay longer, and news spread in the town that a high-caste Hindu, traveling with a Muslim companion, was staying with a low-caste Hindu. People gossiped in hushed whispers and called Nanak a misguided man...