ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>N&#256NAK</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>N&#256NAK</i>, by K&#7779it&#299sh Chakravarty, is a versified biography of Gur&#363 N&#257nak (1469-1539) in Bengali. The author, a lawyer by profession, was of a devout temperament. He was attracted to the teaching of Gur&#363 N&#257nak whom he hails as an harbinger of the <i>bhakt&#299</i> movement, spreading the gospel of love and devotion among the people of the Indian subcontinent. The book was published in 1916. As for his sources, the poet refers solely to Annie Basant's <i>Children of the Motherland</i>, but it seems he was not wholly unaware of some of the writings on Sikhs published in the <i>Bh&#257rat&#299</i> and other contemporary Bengali journals.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The poem begins with Gur&#363 N&#257nak's birth at Talva&#7751&#7693&#299, and recounts his early schooling in the village <i>p&#257&#7789hs&#257l&#257</i>, his encounter with the <i>q&#257d&#299</i> and other episodes of his early life. There is also a detailed description of the travels of the Gur&#363, beginning with his visit to Haridv&#257r, down to R&#257meswaram in the far south, via V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299 and Pur&#299. However, there is little chronological sequence in the poet's account of these journeys, nor does it coincide with the generally accepted route recorded in the <i>janam s&#257kh&#299</i> literature. With the exception of the journey to Mecca, the poet makes no mention of the Gur&#363's visit to any other place outside of India. He rounds off his account with the Gur&#363's return from Mecca and finally settling down at Kart&#257rpur on the right bank of the River R&#257v&#299.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bose Mahendra l&#257l, <i> N&#257nak Prak&#257sh </i>, vol. I. Calcutta, 1885<BR> <li class="C1"> Chakravarty, Kshitishchandra, <i>Nanak </i>. Calcutta, 1916<BR> <li class="C1"> Kavyananda, Rakhaldas, <i> Guru Nanak </i>. Calcutta, 1929<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Him&#257dr&#299 Banerjee<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>