I will always be indebted to my friend Kerry Brown for ushering me into the fascinating world of translation. She initially invited me to do an English version of Sikh scripture for the International Sacred Literature Trust published by HarperCollins, USA. I thank all my readers for their warm reception, and especially my students at Colby College who have intimately linked themselves with the temporally and spatially distant verses of the Sikh Gurus. During her world travels, my student Heather Miles even carried the book in her handbag, and during his graduation ceremonies, the College’s valedictorian student, Will Polkinghorn, read Guru Nanak’s ‘Arati’ in the Colby Chapel. It has been wonderful to communicate and share the divine passion of the Sikh Gurus with my Western readership. My special thanks to Uncle Kapany of the Sikh Foundation in California, T. Sher Singh of the Centennial Foundation in Canada, and my childhood friend, Preety, in Chicago, for promoting my work in their own and special ways.
Since its first publication by HarperCollins, I have lost my father. Without parents, and without a home in Patiala, India seems even farther away. I miss the place where I first heard the verses of the Sikh Gurus. Their rhythm and power, stored in the deepest recesses of my psyche, resonate ever more strongly. I want to stay in touch with the soil and spirit in which I was born and nurtured.
I thank Penguin India for making my wish come true.
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
Colby College, Waterville,
Maine 04901, USA.