Praise for The Singing Guru

Book One of the Sikh Saga

“Kamla Kapur has created a Sikh parallel of Homer’s Odyssey in the reimagining of its founder’s spiritual journey, cleverly recounted in the voice of a mercurial acolyte. As with that work, the prose melts into mellifluous poetry, music to the soul. In company with the Sikh spiritual leader, Guru Nanak, we travel from magical place to magical place throughout India and are reminded again and again of what values should inform our life. You wait until the saga is over to exhale and still wish there were more. A ripping read.”

— THOMAS HOOVER, author of Zen Culture and The Moghul

“Kamla Kapur chooses an innovative and wondrous way of retelling the eternal truths contained in the life and teachings of Guru Nanak. Her simple, melodious narrative depicts common human frailties and deep philosophical complexities with equal ease: The Singing Guru will delight the mind even as it enlightens the spirit.”

— NAVTEJ SARNA, author of The Book of Nanak and The Exile

“Rich imagination, anchored by the spirit of the Janamsakhi tradition, brings alive the story of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. Kamla Kapur has written a gripping book in a style that is both simple and lucid. Her reinterpretation of the Janamsakhis should find wide resonance among readers.”

— ROOPINDER SINGH, author of Guru Nanak: His Life and Teachings

“The Singing Guru is simply superb!”

— SURJIT PATAR, renowned Punjabi poet

“The Singing Guru is a fascinating reconstruction of the Purantan Janamsakhi tradition. I teach a course on South Asian Literary Cultures and a work like this would make an engaging text for students to read.”

— HARPREET SINGH, Department of South Asian Studies, Harvard University

“I am filled with utmost happiness in my heart going through The Singing Guru and discovering a way to enlightenment. We can only imagine Guru Nanak singing 500 years ago and I congratulate the author on her wonderful, enthusiastic story and the underlying music that fills it.”

— HANS RAJ HANS, Punjabi rock star and Sufi singer

“The Singing Guru is indeed a remarkable work of imagination through which Kamla Kapur brings alive the story of Guru Nanak in the voice of his lifelong companion Bhai Mardana. This retelling of Janamsakhi narratives is breathtaking in scope, refreshingly innovative and written in accessible style. It will make an interesting read for both academic and popular audiences. The author deserves our compliments for her rare achievement.”

— PASAHURA SINGH, Author of The Bhagats of the Guru Granth Sahib and Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies, University of California, Riverside