October 04, 2008 : The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari released a book entitled “Guru Granth Sahib: The Guru Eternal” authored by the Dr. Mohinder Singh at a function organized by National Institute of Punjab Studies here today.
Addressing on the occasion, the Vice President said that a unique aspect of the book before is that it brings together many facets of faith and history and does so in a volume of very high quality. Some rare and excellent photographs add to it. In one sense, it is an excellent introduction to the Sikh faith.
The Vice President said that the essential message of Guru Granth Sahib is of the oneness of God and of the kinship of humanity. This, by itself, created a vast space for imbibing, refining and promoting the wisdom of the ages. It is this which explains the story about the last rites of the Guru and the rhyme Baba Nanak Shah Faqir, Hindu ka Guru, Musalman ka pir.
The Vice President said that it was essense of Guru Nanak Ji’s teachings that the sublime was to be achieved through practical deeds : naam, daan, insaan, seva, simran. The community at Kartarpur gave a practical shape to these teachings. The model remains operational to this day. These simple lessons have universal validity. They are of particular relevance today when many segments of humankind, despite all the advancement of knowledge, have chosen to retreat into narrow perceptions, to differentiate between human beings on grounds of caste, location and creed.