GURŪ GOBINDA SIṄGHA, by Jogendranāth Gupta, is a brief life-sketch, in Bengali, of Gurū Gobind Siṅgh. Published in 1923, the booklet is meant for school children. Out of its total of 53 pages, the first 12 deal with the early history of the Sikhs under their first nine Gurūs. The next 10 pages refer to some of the major historical developments leading to the birth of the Khālsā at Anandpur Sāhib on the Baisākhī day (March 30) of AD 1699. The rest of the book reviews the history of the Tenth Gurū's military encounters with the Mughals as well as with his "inconclusive political settlement" with Bahādur Shah shortly before his death in 1708. A significant aspect of the book is its detailed exposition of the Sikh code of conduct. However, the book contains some factual errors and the explanation the author provides for the rise of militancy among the Sikhs under Gurū Hargobind and Gurū Gobind Siṅgh is utterly unacceptable.

Himādrī Banerjee