ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>GURMAT TRACT SOCIETY</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 NAME="keywords" CONTENT="GURMAT,TRACT,SOCIETY"> <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">&#65279GURMAT TRACT SOCIETY, dedicated to propagating Sikh religion and history, was founded at Lahore in 1925 by Gi&#257n&#299 Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Pi&#363kh, who changed his pen name from "Pi&#363kh" to "Hitk&#257r&#299" in 1929. It published low-priced monthly tracts in Punjabi, in Gurmukh&#299 script, for distribution among the Sikh masses. The themes usually were the lives of the Gur&#363s, Sikh teachings, Sikh shrines and persons of importance in Sikh history. The Society planned to publish books and pamphlets in Urdu and Hindi as well. The first tract in the series was <i>&#256tmak Shakt&#299 de Sachche Shahansh&#257h</i>, which was published in November of 1925 to mark the Birth anniversary of Gur&#363 N&#257nak.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gi&#257n&#299 Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh was able to maintain a regular flow of a tract a month for over twelve years. About 40 per cent of them were from his own pen. Among other contributors to the series were Bh&#257&#299 Mohan Si&#7749gh Vaid, Gi&#257n&#299 <u>Kh</u>az&#257n Si&#7749gh, Sant Samp&#363ran Si&#7749gh, So&#7693h&#299 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh, Charan Si&#7749gh Shah&#299d, Gi&#257n&#299 &#7788h&#257kur Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299 L&#257l Si&#7749gh Samundar&#299, Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh Advocate, Balwant Si&#7749gh Chatrath, Raghb&#299r Si&#7749gh B&#299r, F&#299roz D&#299n Sharaf, B&#299b&#299 Harn&#257m Kaur of N&#257bh&#257 and Gi&#257n&#299 Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh's own young daughter, Amrit Kaur, the famous latter-day Amrit&#257 Pr&#299tam. Mehar Si&#7749gh Ch&#257wl&#257 and Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh provided financial support. The Society also started, from May 1932, a monthly magazine, <i>Gurmat</i>, in which its tracts were serialized. The publications of the Gurmat Tract Society, in simple Punjabi, created new popular readership for the language, thus helping to disseminate widely information about Sikh religion and history.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Jagj&#299t Si&#7749gh <br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>