Non-sikh Sikh Historian Passes Away

[SikhRoots]

http://www.samaylive.com/news/sikh-histori...way/639707.html

Chandigarh: The man from faraway New Zealand who came to Punjab in the 1950s as a Christian missionary but ended up being a globally-reputed historian on Sikhs has passed away. W.H. Mcleod, who dedicated over four decades of his life in researching Sikh history, died in Dunedin Monday night, his wife of 54 years, Margaret, informed friends here.

Mcleod, 77, the son of a sheep-farmer in New Zealand had come to Punjab, the north Indian border province that has a Sikh majority population, as a Christian missionary in 1958. Soon after settling down in Batala town, 40 km from Amritsar, Mcleod found his interest in Christianity waning and was drawn to Sikh history.

"Mcleod played a major role in establishing and popularising the academic study of Sikhism outside India. He leaves behind a body of work on Sikhism which will be a source of reference to the coming generations of Sikh scholars," Roopinder Singh, author of "Guru Nanak: his life and teachings" and a senior journalist, told IANS here.

Described by many as an "unsung success story" who acquired "global repute" with his work as a historian, Mcleod left New Zealand in 1958 to work as a missionary in northern Punjab. He taught Punjab history at Baring College in Batala town before his interest as a missionary started to fade.

Unimpressed with the existing studies at that time on the 10 Sikh Gurus, Mcleod got immersed in Sikh history and religion and even Punjabi, a language he learnt to speak with ease. He lost all interest and contact with the church as he pursued Sikh history.

"It (his death) is a huge loss to the Sikh community. He always added a fresh perspective to the development and history of the Sikhs as opposed to the traditional view of romanticising it overly," said Punjab-based author of the book "Sikhs Unlimited" Khushwant Singh.

Sikhism is one of the youngest religions in the world founded by Guru Nanak Dev (born 1469) in the 15th century. The religion had 10 gurus till the early 18th century. The 10th master, Guru Gobind Singh, ordained that after him the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, would be the eternal guru.

Mcleod wrote several books, including "Guru Nanak and Sikh Religion" (translated into Punjabi by Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev University), "The Evolution of Sikh Community", "The Sikhs - History, Religion and Society", "Sikhs of the Khalsa" and many others. He did his PhD on Sikh history from the University of London.

Some of his books and research came in for criticism from Sikh scholars but there were many who admired his tireless work on Sikhism.

"He became an international authority on the religion, perhaps the best known outside Punjab and India, and the man who has done more to introduce Sikhism to the world outside India than anyone else," said I.J. Singh, an academic.

"It is because of a few writers, and Hew McLeod above all, that the world has any inkling of Sikhism as an independent religion, with a unique, universal and timeless world view. He brought Sikhism to Western academia," Singh wrote Tuesday on an international website on Sikhs, www.sikhchic.com.

[khanda123]

omg! cant believe this. The mans gone...

[Bijla Singh]

I personally think it is better for Sikhs that he is gone. He caused enough damage to Sikhi.

[Bored]

I personally think it is better for Sikhs that he is gone. He caused enough damage to Sikhi.

wow buddy

[Khaalis]

May Vaheguru bless him on his journey onwards - his contribution to Sikh Academia was massive - and over teh last 40 years - he opened debate on all areas of Sikh History - as opposed to the spoon-fed Singh sabiya reformist domination that had withstood to that point. His preservation of works such as the Chaupai Singh rehitnama which was burned in teh Sikh reference library in 1984 is invaluable - he spent a very long time wrtiting it out word for word in beautiful handwriting. His translation of many rehits and other works into english is also invaluable - and is food for thought for the rest of the Sikh Academia, who up to that point, didn't even think of sharing the knowledge of thse works with sikh Audiences world over.

He was a historian - of the western scientific method - and an Atheist to boot, so had no interest other than factual research. No one is asking to take his opinions literally, but simply put them in the cnotext of his technique and beliefs - there is much that all can benefit from Mcleod, his opinions on history and divinity withstanding.

His loss is a sad one - but his contribution is immense and will not be forgotten - in fact it paved the way for real research and study into this area - be it for the purpose of rebuttal.

Here is a small tribute:

A Gentleman and A Scholar

by JAGPAL SINGH TIWANA

Dr. W.Hew McLeod is my favorite author on Sikh history.

In fact, he is primarily responsible for my interest in the subject. Before reading him, my knowledge of Sikh history was only what I had learned from my dharmic ( religious) teacher at B.N. Khalsa High School, Patiala, or what I heard at home and in the gurdwaras. His books provoked me to read more on the subject.

In the early seventies, I read his name for the first time in Choice magazine, as the author of Guru Nanak and Sikh Religion. Choice is an organ of the American Library Association. It reviews books for academic libraries. Libraries select any book recommended by Choice with no hesitation.

Thus, his book came highly recommended. I ordered one copy for our college library, and one copy for my personal use. It is indeed a scholarly work. The best part concentrated upon the teachings of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak Dev University had it translated into Punjabi and published it as Guru Nanak da Updesh.

Then, in 1976, came McLeod's second book, The Evolution of the Sikh Community. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but could not easily digest some of the new ideas it presented. McLeod puts a question mark on traditional concepts which are not supported by documents. He does not reject them, but only says they need more research.

However, a mind nurtured on centuries-old traditions cannot easily accept a question mark. Even now, it takes me a week or so to appreciate his ideas which question the traditional approach after churning over them many times. I wrote a review of The Evolution of the Sikh Community which was published in The Canadian India Times in 1978. When I read that review now, it looks so childish and simplistic.

We invited McLeod to Halifax in 1992 as a guest of the Maritime Sikh Society. He delivered a public lecture, "The Sikh Struggle in the Eighteenth Century and its Relevance Today", at the International Centre, Saint Mary's University and he gave a talk in our Gurdwara on "Sikhs in New Zealand". He then attended a reception in his honor at a restaurant that evening. Everybody was deeply impressed by his friendly, unassuming and modest nature. If he is brilliant as a scholar, he is equally decent as a human being with no ill-will or animosity towards his critics.

Within a few weeks after he left Halifax, Dr. Pashaura Singh's thesis came out. A flood of criticism rose against McLeod from a section of Sikh writers, since he was the supervisor. I must admit I developed some doubts about McLeod's research motives. I, myself, started believing that he was indeed a Christian missionary who wanted to hurt the Sikh faith, and had ulterior motives.

In 1994, I visited India to attend the wedding of my nephew. I took this opportunity to talk to the following Sikh scholars on McLeod's approach:

1 Prof. Pritam Singh, former head of Dept. of Punjabi, Mahendra College, Patiala;

2 Prof. Harbans Singh, Editor, Encylopedia of Sikhism;

3 Dr. J.S. Grewal, former Vice Chancellor, Guru Nanak University and former Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies; and

4 Principal Sant Singh Sekhon.

All of them said, without hesitation, that McLeod is an honest scholar. He has absolutely no motive to malign Sikhs. This was also the view of S. Khushwant Singh when I met him in February 2003.

I was also advised to check the qualifications of people who were criticizing McLeod. There are always some good and some bad points in the works of every scholar. Those who focus merely on the negatives are biased and less than honest.

Prof. Pritam Singh was my main source. He told me that when McLeod was working on his doctorate on Guru Nanak, he came several times to interview his next-door neighbor, the celebrated historian, Dr. Ganda Singh, and also interviewed him (Pritam Singh).

Dr. Ganda Singh found McLeod absolutely sincere and earnest. Pritam Singh said that as long as Ganda Singh was alive, his critics did not have the courage to attack McLeod. Ganda Singh stood too tall and well-respected in the profession. He wrote an article in defense of McLeod in a journal, The Punjab, Past and Present, which he edited. It was a befitting reply to some critics of McLeod. Who knows better how to read, research and write history than Ganda Singh?

Harbans Singh has included several well-researched articles of McLeod in Encyclopedia of Sikhism.

A scholar who comes recommended by such fine minds as Ganda Singh, Harbans Singh, Khushwant Singh and J. S. Grewal has to be accepted and respected. I made my decision.

I recall that I had my first lesson in history from my history Professor, S. Kartar Singh Shergill. I once mentioned to him that Nehru says so-and-so about the Moghul Emperor Babur in his book, Discovery of India. He shot back at me, " Nehru is not a historian. Read Panikar or Majumdar!"

He said that, like any discipline, history, too, is a specialized field. A historian is properly trained to conduct research. Historians take pride in their qualifications. If a historian cannot write with authority on physiology, botany, or geography, the same is true in the field of history for others.

Now, whenever I am asked to read a book on Sikh history by a critic of McLeod, I always check the qualifications of the author and compare his standing in the profession with Ganda Singh and others mentioned above. I then form my view accordingly. I also check the publisher of his books, if he has written any. Such famous publishing houses as Oxford, Princeton and Cambridge Universities have published the works of McLeod, Khushwant Singh and J. S. Grewal.

Do I accept wholeheartedly everything McLeod writes? Certainly not, especially in the area of Sikh scriptures. He lacks proper qualifications here. If his interpretation of Gurbani clashes with that of Sahib Singh or Jodh Singh, for example, I, of course, readily prefer the views of the Sikh scholars who are the real experts in the field.

As I mentioned earlier, McLeod has been accused of being a Christian missionary who came to Punjab to destroy Sikhism in order to promote Christianity in its place. No one ever cared to find out what kind of missionary work he actually did, though his critics claim to be better informed.

When this kind of character assassination was in full swing in the early nineties, Dr. I. J. Singh of New York asked McLeod to clarify his position. This he did in an article in the Sikh Review.

McLeod did come to Punjab as missionary of a church in New Zealand, but soon his interest in religion started to wane. As a trained historian, he found the history of Sikhs very fascinating. He taught Punjab history at Baring College, Batala, spent his extra time learning the Punjabi language, and then did his Ph.D. on Guru Nanak from the University of London. He left the college, and lost all interest and contact with the Church.

After this explanation, some responsible critics stopped repeating the missionary charge.

If McLeod had any motive for destroying Sikhism, he would have readily accepted that Guru Nanak was the chela (disciple) of Kabir as given in some of the works by Western writers. He not only rejects this view, but rather doubts whether Kabir and Guru Nanak had ever met. He does not believe that Guru Gobind Singh ever worshipped goddess Durga, and doubts if the Chandi Charitr, a questionable section of Dasam Granth, is the composition of Guru Gobind Singh.

His book, Sikhism (1997), is full of complimentary passages on Sikhs.

Lately, McLeod is getting acceptance from his open-minded detractors. His support as an expert in the court cases on turban and kirpan issues in Canada won him appreciation from many, especially the World Sikh Organization (Canada). His book, Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism, has won him laurels from all directions.

He has admirers amongst Kiwi Sikhs for tracing their New Zealander roots in his books.

A while ago, when some friends started bashing McLeod on the Sikh Diaspora forum (with which I'm involved), Navtej Singh Randhawa from New Zealand came swinging in his defence.

He wrote: "I am a fourth-generation Sikh-New-Zealander and I can assure you that if it wasn't for Dr W.H. McLeod's rather legendary research work on our Sikh community here in New Zealand , I would have never known about our early Sikh and Punjabi heritage in this country. Some of the historical facts are so fascinating that we are just startled by the details. Now I can very easily refer to some concrete data and collections from his books, Punjabis in New Zealand and Sikh Migration to New Zealand. My grandfather and great-grandfather worked with him on these projects. My grandfather tells me that if it wasn't for this scholar, we would have lost a very valuable piece of history from our heritage."

The new generation of Sikh scholars hold McLeod in high esteem.

He is the most quoted author on Sikhism today. After Ganda Singh, he is indeed the Baba Bohar (the mighty Banyan Tree) of Sikh history.

Book List:

Books by W. H. McLeod as at 17 May 2008

Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion. Oxford: the Clarendon Press (1968). First Indian ed., rev. Delhi: OUP (1976). Third impression 1988. Oxford India Paperbacks 1996, 1998.

Guru Nanak de udesh. Punjabi translation of Part V of Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion. Amritsar: Guru Nanak Dev University (1974).*

The Evolution of the Sikh Community. Delhi: OUP (1975). Oxford: the Clarendon Press (1976). viii, 119p. Oxford India Paperbacks 1996, 1998.

Henry Steinbach, The Punjaub (1st ed. London, 1846) 2nd edition, with introduction by W. H. McLeod. Karachi: Oxford University Press (Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints) (1976). *

Early Sikh Tradition. A study of the janam sakhis. Oxford: the Clarendon Press (1980).

The B40 Janam sakhi. An English translation with introduction and annotations of the India Office Library Gurmukhi manuscript Panj. B40, a janam sakhi of Guru Nanak compiled in A.D. 1733 by Daya Ram Abrol. Amritsar: Guru Nanak Dev University (1980).

Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism. Manchester: Manchester University Press (1984).* Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1990). Chicago edition still in print.

Punjabis in New Zealand: A history of Punjabi migration, 1890 1940. Amritsar: Guru Nanak Dev University (1986). Order from Singh Brothers, S.C.O. 98, City Centre, Amritsar 143001.

The Chaupa Singh Rahit nama. The rahit nama attributed to Chaupa Singh Chhibbar and the associated prose rahit nama attributed to Nand Lal. Gurmukhi text and English translation with introduction and notes. Dunedin: University of Otago Press (1987). *

The Sikhs: history, religion, and society. New York: Columbia University Press (1989).

Who is a Sikh? The problem of Sikh identity. Oxford: the Clarendon Press (1989). New Delhi: OUP (1989).

Popular Sikh Art. A selection of bazaar posters with accompanying text. Delhi: OUP (1991). Illustrated. *

Punjab to Aotearoa: migration and settlement of Punjabis in New Zealand 1890-1990. With S. S. Bhullar. Hamilton: New Zealand Indian Association Country Section (Inc.) (1992). Illustrated.

Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Lanham, Md., and London: Scarecrow Press (1995). South Asian edition New Delhi :Oxford University Press (2002). Second edition revised and enlarged published by the Scarecrow Press, 2005.

Sikhism. London: Penguin Books (1997). Available only in India.

Gandhi and Indian Independence. With Richard Webb. Auckland: Macmillans (1998).

Sikhs and Sikhism. One volume containing reprints of Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, Early Sikh Tradition, The Evolution of the Sikh Community, and Who is a Sikh?, all originally published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford, and also by the Oxford University Press, New Delhi. New Delhi: Oxford University Press (1999). 259+317+127+140p.

Exploring Sikhism: aspects of Sikh identity, culture, and thought. Collected articles. New Delhi: Oxford University Press (2000). 288p.

Sikhs of the Khalsa: a history of the Khalsa Rahit. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2003. 482p.

Discovering the Sikhs: autobiography of a historian. Delhi: Permanent Black (2004). xii, 245p.

Prem Sumarag: the testimony of a Sanatan Sikh. Translation of an eighteenth-century rahit-nama with introduction. New Delhi: Oxford University Press (2006). 129p.

Essays in Sikh History, Tradition, and Society. New Delhi: Oxford University Press (2007). xi, 291p.

1.2. Booklets

The Sikhs of the Punjab. A text for use in secondary schools. First N.Z. edition published by Graphic Educational Publications, Auckland (1968). Second N.Z. edition by Whitcombe & Tombs, Auckland (1970). Indian edition by Lyall, Ludhiana (1969). U.K. edition by Oriel Press, Newcastle on Tyne (1970). *

The Way of the Sikh. For children 10 12 years. Amersham, U.K.: Hulton Educational Publications (1975 and four reprints). *

A List of Punjabi Immigrants in New Zealand 1890 1939. Hamilton, Country Section of the Central Indian Association (1984). Illustrated. *

Most of these books are still in print. Those marked with an asterisk are out of print.

[Only five]

Mcloed called Guru Nanak Dev ji a Hindu and the rest of the Guru's aswell in his book. He says Sikhi is a sect of Hinduism. Nothing else has to be said about what Mcloed was up too.

Here's a link

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3561924756911502585&hl=en

[apnepart2]

and what about

1. Guru Hargobind started carrying arms becoz of large influx of jatts into sikhi.

2. Guru Nanak chose bhai lehna over bhai Budda becoz the latter was a jatt.

3. Guru Nanak was same as other bhagats from bhakti movement.

4. Sikhi grew out of sant tradition.

5. Guru Nanak never visited Mecca but Sikh soldiers built the gurdwara during WW1.

6. Guru Gobind Singh never made wearing un-shorn hair mandatory for Sikhs.

??????

And he could never forcibly refute the allegation that he worked on behest of the then GOI.

And why he did not use his knowledge and skill to write about his former faith and bring the followers of the largest religion to new light about christ.

And why he continued (mis)using the church funds in india even though he became a non-believer in the church.

And just because some lost generation Sikhs found about their heritage from a missionary, shall we believe all his non-sense? The fault clearly lies not with Sikh scholars these lost sikhs accuse but with their parents who forgot to tell them where they came from! Aapni peeri thhale sota maaro.