As we celebrate Guruparab, a recently released book SIKH HERITAGE: A HISTORY OF VALOUR AND DEVOTION by Dr. Rishi Singh and photographer Sondeep Shankar is a must read for insights into Sikh history.
Written by Canada based prominent scholar Rishi Singh, the JNU and SoAS Alumnus does a fine job of recreating through images with some brilliantly done up captions.
A photographic documentation of the Sikh historicity through objects both in time and space, such as the beautifully captured images of Harmandir, its toshakhana, and takhats or temporal seats of the Sikhs, portray a unique relationship between the edifice and the Sikhs – thus, each photograph is a story in itself.
This new approach aims at the conception of Sikh heritage not only as the sacred masterpieces of the past to be valued and conserved but also as emblematic and living spaces to be appropriated by the local communities, who are the bearers of a rich and active collective memory.
The book has been published by Roli Books and is a collectors edition.
While writing this text, it was a humbling experience to engage with several centuries of the Sikhs’ journey and their history. Dr. Rishi Singh says ”he feels blessed to be able to contribute in words towards this amazing book that has come out so well, to see many decades of Sondeep Shankar’s work with the Sikh community along with my words in this book format.