ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>B&#298R GUR&#362</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279<i>B&#298R GUR&#362</i>, by Rabindranath Tagore, is a life-sketch in Bengali of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh (1666-1708), the last of the Ten Gur&#363s of the Sikh faith, emphasizing especially how he had prepared Sikhs to stand up to oppression and injustice. This is Tagore's first writing on Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh published in 1885 in the &#346r&#257ban/July-August issue of the <i>B&#257lak</i>. The poet was then in his early twenties. Though no reference is made in the text to any earlier work on the Sikhs, Tagore (1861-1941) seems to have been familiar with the writings of Malcolm (<i>Sketch of the Sikhs</i>), McGregor (<i>History of the Sikhs</i>) and Cunningham (<i>A History of the Sikhs</i>). According to him, Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh spent the time between the martyrdom of his father, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur (1675) and the creation of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 (1699) in seclusion along the banks of the Yamun&#257 mastering different languages and literatures. His encounter with the armies of the hill <i>rajas</i> and troops of the Mu<u>gh</u>al Emperor are described in some detail. Emperor Aura&#7749gz&#299b's invitation to the Gur&#363 is said to have been the result of the alarm caused by the latter's victory in the battle of Muktsar (1705). The account of the Gur&#363's death at N&#257nde&#7693 is based on McGregor's version which runs counter to historical facts.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Him&#257dr&#299 Banerjee<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>