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TWO WORTHY EFFORTS
Fall & Colored Leaves
and
The Boy With Long Hair

by MANJYOT KAUR

 

 

FALL AND COLORED LEAVES by Sardar Jasbir Singh Sethi. Sanbun Publishers, New Delhi, 2007. ISBN-13 978-81-89540-61-6. 80 pages. Price: $6.99/Rs.100.

THE BOY WITH LONG HAIR (2nd edition) Written and Illustrated by Sardarni Pushpinder Singh. The Sikh Foundation, Palo Alto, California, 2003. [No ISBN.] 23 pages. Price $4.95. [Teachers' Notes also available.]

 

Enjoying some August leisure? In the mood for an easy and pleasurable read, full of chardi kalaa, for yourself or a youngster? Fall and Colored Leaves or The Boy With Long Hair might be just what you're looking for.

 

Fall and Colored Leaves by Jasbir Singh Sethi

This book's subtitle, "A Collection of Thought Provoking Random Essays", is quite apt.

Written by a semi-retired engineer living in Houston (Texas, U.S.A.), it is comprised of fourteen pithy chapters that, as its Preface tells us, are "a journey of his thoughts on life, religion, heritage and politics". Their aim is "to challenge the inner Sikh, which is the inner disciple, in every individual".

The essays are chock-full of numerous anecdotes of quotidian existence - lived, as the title would imply, in close communion with Nature - and their links to spirituality. Reflecting the author's belief that "Sikhism is not a separate entity, but a way of life", the all-encompassing manner in which he has integrally incorporated Sikh teachings into every aspect of his personal philosophy is a chief hallmark of this book.

As he examines his thought processes and actions, we clearly see the evidence of a highly proactive life, intimately involved in interpreting "the mystical drama that is this world".

It becomes immediately evident that the author is no idle bystander, but a man of ardent opinions, unhesitatingly expressed.

In the first chapter, simply entitled "Fall", after comparing Sikhi, with its "numerous colors and shades", to the autumn season, he goes on to opine: "Every Sikh proclaims to be the best interpreter of Gurbani. His version is not only the best but the only one. There are those who can look into the mirror all right, but may not be able to look into their hearts, where Guru ji is to reside. (...) See the different colors of these leaves, which have forgotten the roots and the trunk?"

Other equally heated sections revolve around his vehement political views. For instance, in "Nanavati Report - The Latest Fraud (A Solemn Occasion to do Introspection on the Massacre of Sikhs - 1984)", he decries the "un-Sikh behavior" of Sikh leaders "who have brought the whole Sublime Sikh Nation to their own filthy level of being beggars", as well as those in the "foolish" and "naive" Sikh diaspora who are "easy targets of emotional blackmail", and exhorts all Sikhs to "declare your Moral Victory and issue another Zafarnama" as the way to thwart "Indira's real plan - to reduce Sikhs to insignificance".

The deep faith and constant sense of optimism that permeate the author's life are plainly visible in some of his most appealing essays.

"Glass of Milk" inspiringly recounts a chain of good deeds selflessly and joyously performed.

"American Festivals" cogently ties holidays to core precepts of Sikhi; for example, Valentine's Day is connected with the Sikh ideal of the progression of love from being aimed at a fellow human being to being directed towards God.

"Anand Karaj" leads us from the American founding-fathers' dream of the "pursuit of happiness" to an even higher stage, that of bliss, where we recognize our "basic Divine Seed", and realize that "We are spiritual beings who have come to this earth for physical experience, not physical beings who occasionally get a glimpse of spirituality".

It must be said that this book is marred by a lack of adequate attention to proofreading and editing. However, this shortcoming in no way impedes the author's sincere and profound commitment to Sikhi, as well as his immense zest for active living, from shining forth vividly on every page.

 

The Boy With Long Hair by Pushpinder Singh

The brainchild of a California-based elementary school teacher, this "Coloring Story Book" tells a heartwarming tale with which all youngsters, regardless of faith, can easily identify.

Convincingly written in the voice of a Sikh boy whose distinctive appearance makes him feel left out and lonely, it conveys a vital, universal message: "Although people may look or behave differently, there is much that we all share".

The lovely line illustrations, expressively and sensitively rendered, are a perfect match for a story that will captivate children right from its very first page. The reader is immediately involved in the life of its patka-wearing protagonist (he is never named) as he poignantly reveals his problems in a remarkably self-aware way.

He and his family have moved to a new city, where he attends a school far from his home and feels isolated and misunderstood. He cannot yet bring himself to tell his classmates that, despite his unusual appearance, he is just like them inside.

Being ostracized by his peers while waiting for the school bus is his most painful everyday experience.

The emotional tone then abruptly changes (perhaps a bit too abruptly for younger readers). He confidently asserts not only that he is a Sikh and that "Sikhs are not supposed to cut their hair - ever, not even the boys", but also "I like the way I look, with my long hair".

He shows how he fixes his own hair every morning and declares his intention, when he grows up, to look "just like Daddy", who is pictured as a turbaned and bearded Sardar.

Accompanied by drawings of an interracial array of children's faces, he explains his reasons why "Although we all look different, we are also the same in many ways", including the charming thought that "We all smile in the same language".

He articulately expresses his desires ("I wish I could tell the children at the bus stop that I look different, but inside I am just like them. I wish they would not look at me in a strange way, because it hurts my feelings. I wish I didn't have to stand alone. ... I wish I could tell them".) and then comes to a most hopeful decision: "I think I will tell them ... tomorrow!"

After he succeeds in doing so, he is surrounded by a group of his peers, who ask him questions in a friendly manner about his hair. And, in the last image of the book, the boy is shown making a very positive and satisfying final gesture: a decisive thumbs-up!

The work concludes with a non-illustrated page called "About the Sikhs". It is quite detailed and is written in an easily-understandable style. Unfortunately, like one misstep in the story itself (the line "We are the Sikhs from India"), it gives the erroneous idea that all Sikhs are of Punjabi origin.

This bit of misinformation and some grammatical glitches (both in the body of the text and in the end page) are the book's main weaknesses. They do not detract, though, from what is a most delightful story for both reading and coloring that will find favour with a wide audience of youngsters - Sikh and non-Sikh alike.

 

July 29, 2008

[Both books are available from http://www.sikhfoundation.org/

 

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Fall & Colored Leaves
and
The Boy With Long Hair"









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