ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>V&#256R HAQ&#298QAT R&#256I</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>V&#256R HAQ&#298QAT R&#256I</i>, by Aggr&#257 or Aggar Si&#7749gh, is a versified account of the life and martyrdom of Haq&#299qat R&#257i. No biographical details are available about Aggr&#257, except that he was a contemporary of Haq&#299qat R&#257i and that he came of a Se&#7789h&#299 Khatr&#299 family. Haq&#299qat R&#257i was the son of B&#257gh Mall and the grandson, on the mother's side, of Bh&#257&#299 Kanhaiy&#257, a devout Sikh of the time of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. The <i>V&#257r</i> was completed in 1841 Bk/AD 1784, and it comprises 212 stanzas. Each stanza is preceded by a <i>dohir&#257</i> or couplet and a <i>chhand</i> or lyric. Beginning with an invocation to Ga&#7751esa, a Hindu god, the goddess Durg&#257 and the Supreme Lord, the creator of all gods and goddesses, the poet panegyrizes Gur&#363 N&#257nak and other Gur&#363s who made mankind remember God and who saved the <i>jane&#363</i> (sacred thread), the religious symbol of the Hindus (5). According to Aggr&#257, Haq&#299qat R&#257i was born on K&#257rtik <i>vad&#299</i> 2/ October (7), but he does not mention the year he, however puts Haq&#299qat R&#257i's age at the time of his martyrdom in 1791 Bk/AD 1734 at 12 years which brings the year of his birth to 1779 Bk/ AD 1722.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Haq&#299qat R&#257i started his informal education with a Mullah at the age of seven (20), and was betrothed at eight (25) and married when ten (26). His formal schooling began at the age of 12 when he was sent to a mosque (51). It was here that some Muslim students in the mosque spoke ill of the goddess Bhav&#257n&#299 which provoked Haq&#299qat R&#257i into a polemic with his fellow students. He was charged with having slandered Prophet Muhammad (58) and taken prisoner to the court of Naw&#257b Zakar&#299y&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n at Lahore. The Naw&#257b felt like pardoning the innocent child (121), but the <i>q&#257d&#299</i> threatened to take up the matter with the Delhi court. Thereupon the Naw&#257b tried to lure Haq&#299qat into Islam, failing which he was threatened with death (136). Haq&#299qat R&#257i turned down the temptations offered by the Naw&#257b and the request of his mother to give up his faith to save his life. He was tortured and finally executed (196). He was cremated at Lahore on the banks of the River R&#257v&#299.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggr&#257's <i>V&#257r</i> is very significant from historical and sociological viewpoints. It is perhaps the only contemporary work relating to Haq&#299qat R&#257i in any language. It describes, in fair detail, the ceremonies and rituals observed in the eighteenth century Punjab at the time of birth and marriage. The language is simple Punjabi, with no literary pretensions.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Panth Prak&#257sh</i>. [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Padam, Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Pañj&#257bi V&#257r&#257&#7749</i>. Patiala, 1980<BR> <li class="C1"> Nijjar, Ba<u>kh</u>shish Si&#7749gh, <i>V&#257r Haq&#299qat R&#257i</i>. Patiala, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Lakshman Si&#7749gh, Bhagat, <i>Sikh Martyrs</i>. Madras, 1928<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Dharam Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>