Brewing Knowledge : Organic Purpose in Life's Journey

Brewing Knowledge Friday

Amardeep Singh discusses his heritage documentation and personal journey.

“Accidental Author” Journey: A corporate career ended in 2014, freeing Singh to pursue a lifelong passion for history. This led to documenting Sikh heritage in Pakistan, a project he views as a personal calling to contribute to society.
Challenging Official Narratives: Singh’s work counters state-sponsored history (e.g., Pakistan’s) that omits or demonises the Sikh era. He uses historical evidence, like syncretic frescoes, to reveal a more complex, shared past.
Partition’s Unequal Impact: The partition’s impact was uneven. Punjab was divided, but Sindh, Kashmir, and Balochistan were uprooted entirely. This explains the Sindhi community’s focus on commerce, as they lost all land-based assets.
Current Project: Singh is translating the Guru Granth Sahib into “metaphoric English” to make its wisdom globally accessible. He has completed 1/3 of the project (1,653 verses) and is seeking resources to finish the remaining 2/3.

Singh’s corporate career ended in 2014, providing the opportunity to pursue a lifelong interest in history.
Motivation: A personal calling to document the heritage left behind by his ancestors in Pakistan, fulfilling a sense of social contribution.
Challenges:
- Access: Navigating a geopolitically sensitive region as an Indian national.
- Logistics: Researching 36 cities/villages in 30 days (Book 1) and 90 in 60 days (Book 2) on a tight budget.
- Funding: Self-funding the project required a significant shift from a corporate mindset.
Emotional Moment: Finding his distant aunt, Jaswanti (now Noori), in Rawalpindi, who was separated from her family during the 1947 Kashmir conflict.

Singh’s work challenges state-sponsored histories that present a black-and-white past.
Pakistan’s Narrative: Omits the Sikh era (1799–1849) and demonises figures like Ranjit Singh.
Historical Evidence: Singh uses art and architecture to reveal a more complex, syncretic past.
- Bhomanshah Darbar Frescoes: Show empowered women leading hunts in the 1800s.
- Gurdwara Frescoes: Include Hindu stories such as that of Shravan Kumar, demonstrating shared Indic traditions.

The partition’s impact varied significantly by region.
Punjab: Divided, but both sides retained land, allowing for cultural re-anchoring (e.g., Amritsar for Sikhs).
Sindh, Kashmir, Balochistan: Uprooted entirely, losing all land-based assets.
- Sindhis: Their focus on commerce stems directly from having to rebuild their lives from scratch.
- Kashmir: The conflict is framed as a “Line of Control” dispute, which prevents either India or Pakistan from acknowledging the human cost of partition in the region.

Goal: Make the wisdom of the Guru Granth Sahib accessible to a global audience.
Method: Translating the scripture into “metaphoric English” to convey its philosophical depth, unlike current literal translations (e.g., “washing your lotus feet”).
Progress: 1/3 of the project (1,653 verses, including all of Nanak’s and Kabir’s) is complete.
Challenge: Expanding to complete the remaining 2/3 requires significant resources, which Singh is actively seeking.

Amardeep Singh: Secure resources to complete the remaining 2/3 of the Guru Granth Sahib translation project.
Audience: Research the “butterfly effect” to understand how small events can have large, unpredictable consequences.