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While trans-creating a chapter from Bhai Vir Singh’s book Kalgidhar Chamtakar, I was transported into another dimension. Prose and poetry blended effortlessly. And what I experienced was a glorious symphony, an unexpected beauty that touched the depths of my being.
This story seems to have been set around the period of the Battle of Bhangani (1688). The Hill Rajas had formed an alliance to fight Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. Suspicion and turmoil are in the air, which comes out loud and clear in this story.
However, this is not that story.
This story is about a woman – the rani of Raipur, who secretly loves the Guru in this turbulent time. Why secretly? Because her husband is not an admirer of the Guru.
Through the sensitive pen of Bhai Vir Singh, we too get to experience her anguish, her yearning, her deep love and her faith for the Guru.
This is truly a unique love-story.
The Fragrance of Bhai Vir Singh is an audio series exploring the legacy of the seminal poet presented by Sikh Research Institute.
Known as the Sixth River of Panjab, Bhai Vir Singh gave style, rhythm, and flow to the modern Panjabi language. His writings, spiritual in nature, stimulate the soul and open our eyes to the Beloved.
The purpose of the series is to introduce poems, letters, and essays of Bhai Vir Singh in new translations as a way ofconnecting his work with the audience at large.
The translator Inni Kaur is the CEO of the Sikh Research Institute. She is also the author of ‘Journey with the Gurus’ series, ‘Sakhi-Time with Nani ji’, and ‘Thank You, Vahiguru.’
This series is supported by the generosity of an admirer of Bhai Vir Singh’s writings.
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Inni Kaur is Creative Director at the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI). She has served SikhRI in several capacities since 2010, including Chair of the Board, and most recently as CEO.
View profile ⟶The Sikh Research Institute recognizes its ethical responsibility to promptly correct any factual small or large errors. Please get in touch with us via email to request a correction if you have identified a mistake.
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To mark the 40th year of the violence of 1984, we reflect on the events that unfolded in India and make connections with the ongoing and durable violence against Sikhs, Muslims, and other minority groups in India and the diaspora.
In Maru Kaphi, Guru Nanak Sahib reflects on the grief caused by separation from IkOankar, showing that even with worldly comforts, one remains unhappy without this connection.
In this Sabad, Bhagat Sain Ji sings the ‘Arti’ of the transcendent Supreme Being, IkOankar (the Divine). He emphasizes that the true 'Arti' of IkOankar is not a ritualistic act of adorning a platter with incense, lamps, and ghee.
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