Author Name – Haroon Khalid

Kindle Edition, 347 pages

Published November 19th 2016 by Tranquebar

ASIN B01MA2W5M3

Edition Language English

The book’s title and the writer’s case that he was constantly entranced with Guru Nanak (to such an extent that he was marked as a Sikh by his loved ones) placed me in an unusual perspective

— how to see the book? Who has really composed it — a movement essayist, an anthropologist, a history specialist or a lover?

Haroon Khalid, who had been on otherworldly excursions in the past like in the book In Search of Shiva, chooses to find Guru Nanak by strolling his way (just in the spatial sense, not the profound), and simultaneously, encounters various issues some otherworldly and some not really otherworldly.

Our 12th episode in our podcast series is now out on our Patreon channel, called “Walking with Nanak” with @awhitetrail . Thank you Haroon for your book and your continued dedication to this topic. https://t.co/BA5m0PS2wK

— sikharchive (@sikharchive) August 23, 2020

Strolling with Nanak can be seen from three perspectives: the creator’s movements to various gurudwaras and spots related with Guru Nanak, creator’s record of Janamsakhis or accounts of the wonders performed by Guru Nanak and the creator’s portrayal of fictionalized rendition of Guru Nanak’s life. There is by all accounts no sync among the three areas. Where the fiction closes and the genuine excursion starts is hard to appreciate. The author ought to want to introduce the whole Sikh history, that as well, in a constrained way. Had he focused on Guru Nanak, legitimizing the title too, the outcome would have been an all around investigated book, loaded with anthropological experiences. Be that as it may, too bad, in the current universe of “Get One, Get Three Free”, we, the perusers, wind up having a khichdi of otherworldly mission, abuse of sanctums, anecdotal records, politicization of religion, Islamic fundamentalism, Pakistani instructive framework, Punjabi language, and so forth!

Was Guru Nanak a conventional man raised to the status of an otherworldly master or would he say he was a courier of God? The quest for the appropriate response is by all accounts the focal subject of the book. In his revelation of Nanak the child, Nanak the dad, Nanak the artist and Nanak the drifter, Mr Khalid and his coach Iqbal Qaiser, to whom the book is committed, apparently reason that “Nanak was a standard man yet a virtuoso as a writer”. Nanak’s experiences with Babur, Malik Bhago, and so on., are excused as “later developments to give Guru Nanak an overwhelming height”. The creator determinedly contends, “If this occurrence (meeting among Nanak and Babur) really occurred, Babur neglected to specify it in his journal

Baburnama”. On the off chance that there is no notice of Guru Nanak it isn’t proof that Babur didn’t have any acquaintance with him. Babur had not revealed numerous things as history specialists have seen throughout the long term. The creator truly needs to reexamine his insight into history. The book is packed with authentic blunders like the work Twarikh Guru Khalsa by Giani Gian Singh is referenced as Tarikh Guru Khalsa by Bhai Lakha Singh (p.177).

In spite of numerous defects, the legit expectations and difficult work of the creator are obvious. I trust the book would drive the Sikh people group to observe the dismissed gurdwaras in Pakistan — like the weather beaten Gurudwara Rori Sahib which has the spray painting “Allahu Akbar” at its passageway; Gurdwara Sachkhand nearly turning into a Muslim sanctuary; the gurdwara in Makhdoom Pur Pahuran changed over into a school with pictures of Jinnah and Allama Iqbal; and the gurudwara in Mandi Bahauddin involved by a police auditor and being run as a whorehouse, and some more.

On #GuruNanakJayanti, an excerpt from Haroon Khalid’s acclaimed book ‘Walking With Nanak’.https://t.co/riIcsWR8hW

— The Quint (@TheQuint) November 12, 2019

In this excursion, Mr Khalid brings up various issues that “oneself broadcasted” delegates of religion need to consider. The book has lovely photos of the gurudwaras, holy places, burial chambers and mixing references to Gurbani. It additionally has shades of mind and humor. Test this: “Ghaffar (who has composed a book on the historical backdrop of Kanganpur) didn’t contend back, not on the grounds that he was persuaded but since at this point tea had shown up (p.147).

However, the section, “The Legend” which manages the historical backdrop of Gurdwara Panja Sahib, ends up being the genuine pearl. The gurdwara is one of the most sacred spots of Sikhism in light of the nearness of a stone accepted to have the impression of Guru Nanak engraved on it. The creator states that the impression is of Kamma, a Muslim artisan. Not once is this introduced as a piece of various chronicles yet is depicted as the main truth and that as well, with no recorded verification! Dear Haroon Khalid, however the “social warriors’ ‘ as of now have Padmavatis and Jallikattus to safeguard it is prudent to get your realities right. What’s more, one final inquiry (or rather a test): Can you take similar freedoms and expound on Prophet Muhammad, the man, similarly you have expounded on Guru Nanak?

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