Jump to content

Gurbachan Singh Talib

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gurbachan Singh Talib
Born(1911-04-07)April 7, 1911
Moonak, Sangrur district, Punjab, British India (now Punjab, India)
DiedApril 9, 1986(1986-04-09) (aged 75)
Patiala, Punjab, India
OccupationScholar, author, educator, translator
NationalityIndian
EducationM.A. (English Literature)
Alma materKhalsa College, Amritsar
Notable worksTranslation of Guru Granth Sahib into English
Notable awardsPadma Bhushan (1985)
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (1984)
SpouseSmt. Desh Kaur
ChildrenFour sons and one daughter

Sardar Gurbachan Singh; 7 April 1911[1][2] – 9 April 1986[1]) was an Indian Sikh scholar, professor, and author, recognized for his contributions to Sikh studies, Punjabi literature, and English literature. His notable works include an English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism. For his contributions to literature and education, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, in 1985.[3] He was also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1984,[2] and National Fellowship by the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi in 1985.

Early life and education

[edit]

Gurbachan Singh Talib was born on 7 April 1911 in the village of Moonak, then part of the princely state of Patiala (now in Sangrur district), Punjab to Sardar Nihal Singh and Nand Kaur.[1][2] He received his early education in Moonak and Patiala.[1] He pursued higher education at the renowned Khalsa College, Amritsar, where he earned his M.A. in English Literature.[1][2]

Academic and literary career

[edit]

Talib began his professional journey as lecturer at the Sikh National College at Lahore. He served at various institutions, including his alma mater, Khalsa College, Amritsar, Sikh National College, Lahore, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, and National College, Sirsa.[1][2] After the partition of 1947, he moved to Patiala and joined Mahendra College as a professor of English.[1]

Throughout his career, he served as the principal of several colleges—Khalsa College, Bombay (1949-1953), Khalsa College, Delhi (1953-1954), Government Bikram College of Commerce, Patiala, and the Government Ranbir College, Sangrur.[2] A significant phase of his career was his association with Kurukshetra University, where he was Reader in English and later Professor and Head of the Department of English from 1962 to 1969.[1][2] He then became the first Guru Nanak Professor of Sikh Studies at Panjab University, Chandigarh, a chair he held from 1969 to 1973.[1] Subsequently, he served as Professor and Head of the Department of Guru Nanak Sikh Studies at Punjabi University, Patiala, from 1976 until his retirement in 1982.[1][2] He was also Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies at Punjabi University.[2] He was a member of the Sahitya Akademi's General Council and its Executive Board, the Kendriya Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, and the Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, Ludhiana.[2]

Bibliography

[edit]

Source(s):[4]

  • The Idea of Sikh State ( 1946)
  • Anapachhate Rah (1952)
  • Adhunik Punjabi Sahit (Punjabi Kav) (1955)
  • Pavittar Jivan Kathavan (1971)
  • Baba Shaikh Farid (1975)
  • Muslim League Attack on the Sikhs and Hindus in Punjab, 1947 (1950) It was first published in 1950 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).[5] This book details the witness accounts of the Hindus and Sikhs who fled their homes in the West Punjab,[6] the North-West Frontier Province, Sindh and parts of Jammu & Kashmir.
  • The Impact of Guru Gobind Singh on Indian Society (1966)
  • Guru Nanak: His Personality and Vision (1969)
  • Bhai Vir Singh: Life, Times and Works (1973)
  • Baba Sheikh Farid (1974)
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur: Background and Supreme Sacrifice (1976)
  • Japuji: The immortal Prayer-chant (1977)
  • Translation in English of the Guru Granth Sahib (four volumes)

Awards and recognition

[edit]

He was honored by the Punjab Government as an "eminent educationist and writer" in 1967.[2] Punjabi University also conferred upon him the degree of D.Litt. (honoris causa).[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jammu, P.S. "Talib, Gurbachan Singh (1911-1986)". The encyclopaedia of Sikhism - Punjab University Patiala. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Gurbachan Singh Talib" (PDF). Sahitya Akademi. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2014)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). p. 74. Archived from the original (pdf) on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  4. ^ Dilagīra, Harajindara Siṅgha (1997). The Sikh reference book. Internet Archive. Edmonton, Alb., Canada : Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre, Denmark; Amritsar : Available from Singh Bros. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-9695964-2-4.
  5. ^ Gyanendra Pandey; Professor of History Gyanendra Pandey (22 November 2001). Remembering Partition: Violence, Nationalism and History in India. Cambridge University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-521-00250-9. A Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) report on the 'Muslim League' attack on Sikhs and Hindus in 1947, published in 1950, was equally ardent in its acclaim of the 'epic resistance' offered by Sikh men and women in village after village throughout Punjab.
  6. ^ Farahnaz Ispahani (2017). Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities. Oxford University Press. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-0-19-062165-0. ....information collated by a Sikh religious organization, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), in a 453-page book, Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947, indicates "that the main Muslim communal party, the Muslim League, wanted the whole of Punjab and therefore planned the expulsion by all means of Sikhs and Hindus from the areas that were assigned to Pakistan...

Books

[edit]
  • Jodh Singh. Gurbachan Singh Talib:Jivan te Rachna. Patiala, 1988
  • Singh, Harbans. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: A-D. India: Punjabi University, 1992.
  • Wīra Siṅgha. Bhai Vir Singh: Life, Times, & Works. India: Publication Bureau, Panjab University, 1973.
[edit]
India flag icon Stub icon

This article about an Indian writer or poet is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This Sikh biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This biographical article about a religious studies scholar is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gurbachan_Singh_Talib&oldid=1292927998"