I don't watch CNN nearly as often as I used to, preferring to get my news from the internet-- from credible online sources, that is. Recently, I spent a few minutes on separate occasions watching various CNN programs. I kept getting the feeling that something was obstructing the actual stories themselves that the particular CNN shows purported to tell, but I could not quite put my finger on it. And then, when I was back to the net for catching up on news, I found the answer. It was the CNN anchors and media personalities who stood in the way of the stories.
As I think back on each time I have watched a CNN star present a story on any issue-- genocide, the war on terror, Iraq, violence in Mexico-- it is clear that the real protagonist of the story is always CNN itself. The real hero of the story is CNN, the subtext of the story is CNN. It is always about the heroism of Anderson Cooper, the very incarnation of a well-dressed depth of conscience walking with grave visage through dangerous territories, or about the brilliance of Sanjay Gupta, often found spelling out elementary medical observations for viewers, or about the breathless political urgency of Christiane Amanpour, again, offering the most rudimentary sociological observations about the 'Muslim world' and the like.
In each of these cases, the quality of being telegenic stands in for profundity and moral authority. Pierre Bourdieu's brilliant critique, On Television, explains the larger forces which produce the very selective vision of television, a selective vision that nonetheless does not recognize itself as limited. Now, that would be a great topic for CNN to cover-- how cable news came to speak for the world and about the world.
Full post...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Communication for Social Change -- Vikalpdesign Rajasthan
Via the mailing list of the International Association of Media and Communication Researchers, I learnt of Lakshmi Murthi and Vikalpdesign in Rajasthan-- recipients of the 2009 Communication for Social Change Merit Commendation winner--- and the excellent work that they do. Here are details about the Communication for Social Change awards. And here is Vikalpdesign's website which, among other things, explains its approach to communicating effectively to literate and non-literate audiences.
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Monday, September 14, 2009
Professor Jerry Barrier's Tribute to Professor Hew McLeod
Professor N Gerald Barrier has kindly given me permission to reproduce his tribute to Professor Hew McLeod, who passed away earlier this year. As a 2002 essay by Rukun Advani noted, "...his contribution to Sikh studies has been profound. For anyone who wishes to understand the essence of Sikh scriptural writing - the janam sakhis, the rahit nama, the gur bani and the Adi Granth - as well as how the Indian sardar has evolved into the distinctive shape he possesses today, the historian to read is Hew McLeod."
Tribute to Hew McLeod
At the request of Hew and Margaret McLeod, I prepared the following comments for his funeral. Hew McLeod died June 20, 2009 after a full and very productive life. Many friends and associates came to the servive at Ross Chapel of Knox College, Dunedin, including Sikhs from across New Zealand.
These comments will reflect the massive up swell of emotion and grief among Hew’s many friends across the globe. My wife Joanne and I had the privilege of being with Hew and Margaret several times over the last decade. Hew and I go back a long way, with our first meeting in Batala in 1969. He was one of my two closest friends, and as he would say about his relationship with JS Grewal, I am his younger brother. I appreciate Tony Ballantyne sharing these thoughts, both personal and a reflection of how a community of friends and scholars has experienced Hew McLeod.
Born on August 2, 1932, Hew received his MA from the University of New Zealand, and PhD from the University of London in 1965. After serving as Lecturer in History at Baring College, affiliated with Panjab University, he completed his doctorate and then following fellowships at the University of Cambridge and the University of Sussex, he became a Professor of History at the University of Otago. He also was a Visiting Professor in Sikh Studies, University of Toronto, 1988-1994 and subsequently was a Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford, 1997-8, and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, Bellagio, Italy 2000. He served as expert witness for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a hearing concerning the wearing of Sikh turbans in the RCMP, 1994, and again, for the Canadian Human Rights Commission in a hearing involving Sikh kirpans carried on aircrafts, 1999. Retiring from the University of Otago as Emeritus Professor in 1998, he battled a deadly cancer for twenty years while continuing to be active in family life, public events, and scholarly research.
Two events accidently coincided with Hew’s fall a couple of weeks before his death. Just prior to being hospitalized, he mailed the final proofs of a revised Penguin volume on Sikhism. A little earlier, New Zealand TV ran that wonderful documentary on his life, family, and contributions to Sikhs abroad and in New Zealand. I laughed and cried when I heard Hew described as a New Zealand Success Story and an International Superstar. That he was, but I would have given much to see his face when those superlatives hit the screen. Although Hew had a much more modest view of himself, I am sure he enjoyed the discussions of his contributions and the story of his life and family. I personally learned many things from the documentary, ranging from a book he wrote, Punjab to Aoteara, and never mentioned to me, to the poignant story about Ruthie’s adoption and the letter promising to raise her in a sectarian way.
For me, particular themes also stood out in the half hour presentation. Hew ventured beyond his comfort zone as a historian working with documents to become an ethnographer and anthropologist gathering oral material and working in great detail with the memories of individual New Zealand Sikhs. Hew also appeared as a scribe copying a rare document in Amritsar, soon to be destroyed in the attack on the Golden Temple. Hew frankly straddled the old and new in technology. I remember his old decrepit computer and software, finally evolving into the use of a modern machine with a flat screen. Still, the documents that he collected and which were digitized by Harpret Singh originally were in Hew’s careful handwriting.
In a broader sense, Hew was an accidental scholar. He had the training and personality to carry out great work, but not until the opportunity came to go to India, where he discovered the Sikhs, did he integrate those skills into a valuable lifetime pursuit of Sikh history. There he and Margaret explored their own values, and Hew made a dramatic pivot from activities relating to the pulpit to the University lectern. Ainslie Embree’s account of their discussions about whether to attend church services when he no longer believed dogma is illuminating. Ainslie counseled “ hold on” for awhile, but Hew found that to be “hypocritical play-acting.” As Ainslie notes, “as I got to know him better, I realized that my advice while expedient was contrary to everything he stood for as a person and a scholar. That was at the heart of his greatness, a commitment to truth, and why I so greatly valued his friendship.”
There of course was nothing accidental about what Hew brought to the table once he began serious research on Sikhism. He had a unique intelligence coupled with a commitment to history, finding the truth, and getting every piece of evidence, small and large, from documents. He pulled no punches when examining Sikh tradition, although characteristically, he frequently interjected phrases such as “it is possible” or “the evidence seems to suggest” so as to open up dialogue with others who might have different perspectives and use different documents.
The products? A lifetime of unbroken scholarship, books, articles, and conference papers. Hew wrote or edited almost twenty books. A list of the major works is appended. In his volumes and numerous essays, Hew addressed most of the major issues concerning modern Sikhism. As numerous associates note in their reflections on Hew’s life, he helped define Sikh studies. He also trained a new generation of scholars and taught many students who built upon their experiences to move in a variety of directions. His oldest and most renowned student, Professor Pashaura Singh, holder of the Sikh Chair at the University of California Riverside, captures that experience: “As my mentor he taught me skills of scientific inquiry and guided me with gentle care. Right from the beginning of my association with him he encouraged me to become my own person in the field of Sikh studies. That is what I cherish the most from my experience with him. I still remember that day when it was heavily snowing in Toronto. During the class I had expressed the desire to see his forthcoming book from Columbia University. In that cold and heavy show he walked to my apartment and knocked at the door. When I opened the door, he offered me the galley proofs of his book.”
Questioning documents and re-examining traditions necessarily generates opposition, and Hew’s whole life henceforth was filled with controversy. He narrates the issues beautifully in his intellectual autobiography, Discovering the Sikhs. Often politics, academic jealousy, and a sense of “Sikhism in danger” lay behind the attacks. Specific groups and networks of Sikhs mobilized, publishing books, holding numerous conferences, and at one juncture, spending approximately $10,000 in memberships and fees to get a lot of supporters into an academic seminar for the purpose to challenging Hew and his associates. No problem, Hew and those of us on the panel held our own. Fighting Hew McLeod turned out to be a very expensive proposition for some Sikhs. Even so, many of his critics have admitted that, as one puts it, “his writings have done a lot toward furthering the systematic study of Sikh history at the international level….Sikhs have lost a good friend.”
Something else grew out of the controversies. Hew demonstrated to all of us how to deal with arguments and still preserve one’s dignity and balance. IJ Singh, one of his admirers and a lay scholar in his own right, notes “ What I saw and admired was a man under siege, but calm as in the eye of the storm. “ A close friend in Canada, Sher Singh, has written eloquently about how Hew personified a central Sikh concept, sehaj, or equipoise, solemnity. He had seen Hew honored and rebuked, healthY and weakened by illness, contemplative and energized in debate, acceding to error and defending his findings—He concludes:” I had the pleasure of seeing him in all these facets and never, not once, did I see him lose poise or his ability to smile—that lovely disarming smile of his—or his gentleness or his gentility, or his humanity. There was always grace about him. Frankly I learnt about Sehaj not from the teacher or the friend, but from the Man.”
Hew managed to convey that calm and judgment to many of us who were ready to take up arms against the often silly and very personal charges against him and by extension, the “McLeod” gang. Many times I learned to send him a draft of a response to a chat room challenge and he often talked me down or at least had me revise and temper my hot-headed rhetoric. Doris Jakobsh catches the spirit of such interactions: “Hew was an example for those of us who tend to jump first and think later. On occasion I would get an email from him urging quiet, restraint—something that never did come easily to me. His quiet graciousness towards those who called him “foe” was starling. Moreover, it never wavered. He was and will continue to be in my eyes the finest gentleman scholar I have ever met.”
Hew’s academic contributions were irreplaceable, but there is the very human side that made us not only respect him but love him.
First, he was a model for total dedication, often shutting out all seemingly extraneous activities. As he noted in the documentary, others have hobbies, Hew had his study. His work ethic was legend. Books and articles rolled out regularly, even as he fought valiantly against a disease that zapped his strength.
While focused, he seemed to be open to everyone and could share his time with others. He changed the lives of scholars and friends around him. All have their Hew McLeod stories. We would send in papers, and almost immediately get detailed replies, queries, and supportive suggestions. I can think of no better example than the way Himadri Banerjee describes his relationship with Hew. Himadri never met Hew in person, but carried on an extensive correspondence for two decades. He describes Hew as “good as my answering machine in the domain of Sikh studies.” Hew introduced him to those leading the 1987 Toronto Sikh Conference. Himadri’s participation threw open a whole new area of understanding Sikhism, in India, but in the Bengal and Orissa area, and conversely, that experience introduced him to the wider scholarship of Sikh studies. Hew followed Himadri’s rise to international prominence, reading his work, making suggestions, and in general, being a long-range friend. Van Dusenbery also remembers how Hew encouraged Rashmere Bhatti and Van when they were working on a book about the Sikh community in Wollgoolga. Rashmere venerated Hew as a truly selfless Sewadar (one who gives service). Hew gave service to each one of us, and we all are better scholars and human beings because of that sharing and empathy.
Hew identified strongly with the Sikh community. On numerous occasions he ventured into social settings that potentially could have erupted in calumny and nastiness. At the invitation of IJ Singh in New York, for example, Hew met with a group of Sikhs, many of whom had heard untrue claims about his research and his intentions. That event ended in Hew resolving issues, with some Sikhs reporting back to IJ that the meeting was unexpectedly useful and broadened their perspective. All now know of Hew’s service to the New Zealand Sikh community. The documentary makes clear that his dedication and tedious research helped preserve the record of an evolving Sikh presence and contributed to local Sikhs’ sense of community and family. As another summarized Hew’s work, “The WHOLE Sikh world should be in mourning, his passing is a he loss to the quom (nation or community)”
In his last years, Hew became central to the evolution of a new cyber community of scholars. He and I exchanged ideas and news almost daily. Others recount how Hew served as a “walking encyclopedia,” answering endless queries with supportive, gently corrective comments when necessary, and with a humorous edge. Again, a person who never met Hew personally but knew him well through internet exchanges, Himadri Banerjee, sums it up well: “The world is big but for a few moments he could make us feel that we belong to a larger family….It is the invisible deathless Hew who has stimulated us over the years. For more than forty years, he has silently been constructing an invisible human bridge that keeps us together.”
Hew is gone, but his presence remains. Speaking to the Indian nation after Gandhi’s assassination, Nehru gave one of the most beautiful eulogies ever delivered: “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the Father of the Nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that. Nevertheless we will never see him again as we have seen him for these many years. We will not run to him for advice and seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow.” Then Nehru adds, “The Light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years” Hew McLeod was no Gandhi, but his light continues to shine. For his friends and fellow scholars throughout the world, he personified serving truth, reminding us of the right path, helping to draw us from error, and establishing a benchmark of honor and trustworthiness. Hew Mcleod lives in our hearts and memory.
Jerry Barrier
July 21, 2009
Major Publications of Professor William Hewat McLeod
Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion. Clarendon Press, 1968. Rev. Indian edition, OUP, 1976.
The Evolution of the Sikh Community. OUP, 1975, reprinted as a paper edition, 1996.
The Way of the Sikh. For children 10-12 years. Hulton Educational Publications, 1975, reprinted four times.
The Punjaub (by Henry Steinbach, 1846), 2nd edition. OUP Karachi. Critical introduction.
Early Sikh Tradition: A Study of the Janam-sakhis. Clarendon Press, 1980.
The B40 Janam -sakhi , English translation with introduction and annotations of the India Office Library manuscript. Guru Nanak Dev University 1980.
Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism. Manchester University Press, 1984; reprinted University of Chicago Press, 1990.
List of Punjabi Immigrants in New Zealand 1890-1939. Hamilton Country Section of the Central Indian Association, 1984. Illustrated
Punjabis in New Zealand: A History of Punjabi Migration, 1890-1940. Guru Nanak Dev University, 1986.
The Chaupa Singh Rahit-nama. Gurmukhi Text, English translation, introduction and notes. University of Otago Press, 1987.
The Sikhs: History, Religion and Society. Columbia University Press, 1989.
Who is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity Clarendon Press, 1989, reprinted OUP 1989.
Popular Sikh Art A Selectin of bazaar posters with accompanying text. OUP, 1991.
Punjab to Aotearoa: Migration and Settlement of Punjabis in New Zealand, 1890-1990. With S.S. Bhullar. New Zealand Indian Association Country Section, 1992.
Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press, 1995. Rep. OUP, 2002, with additions to bibliography. An enlargede dition is published by Scarecrow Press.
Sikhism. Penguin Books, 1997.
Gandhi and Indian Independence. Macmillans, 1998.
Sikhs and Sikhism. An omnibus volume containing reprints of Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, Early Sikh Tradition, The Evolution of the Sikh Community, and Who is a Sikh?.
Exploring Sikhism: Aspects of Sikh Identity, Culture and Thought. Collected articles. OUP, 2000.
Sikhs of the Khalsa: A History of the Khalsa Rahit. OUP, 2003. Reprinted in pa., OUP.
Discovering the Sikhs: Autobiography of a Historian. Permanent Black, 2004.
Prem Sumarag:The Testimony of a Sanatan Sikh. Translation of an 18th Century rahit-nama with introduction. OUP, 2006.
Essays in Sikh History, Tradition and Society. OUP, 2007
Sikhism. Reprint of the Penguin 1997 volume, with corrections. To be published Yoda Press, Fall 2009.
Full post...
Tribute to Hew McLeod
At the request of Hew and Margaret McLeod, I prepared the following comments for his funeral. Hew McLeod died June 20, 2009 after a full and very productive life. Many friends and associates came to the servive at Ross Chapel of Knox College, Dunedin, including Sikhs from across New Zealand.
These comments will reflect the massive up swell of emotion and grief among Hew’s many friends across the globe. My wife Joanne and I had the privilege of being with Hew and Margaret several times over the last decade. Hew and I go back a long way, with our first meeting in Batala in 1969. He was one of my two closest friends, and as he would say about his relationship with JS Grewal, I am his younger brother. I appreciate Tony Ballantyne sharing these thoughts, both personal and a reflection of how a community of friends and scholars has experienced Hew McLeod.
Born on August 2, 1932, Hew received his MA from the University of New Zealand, and PhD from the University of London in 1965. After serving as Lecturer in History at Baring College, affiliated with Panjab University, he completed his doctorate and then following fellowships at the University of Cambridge and the University of Sussex, he became a Professor of History at the University of Otago. He also was a Visiting Professor in Sikh Studies, University of Toronto, 1988-1994 and subsequently was a Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford, 1997-8, and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, Bellagio, Italy 2000. He served as expert witness for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a hearing concerning the wearing of Sikh turbans in the RCMP, 1994, and again, for the Canadian Human Rights Commission in a hearing involving Sikh kirpans carried on aircrafts, 1999. Retiring from the University of Otago as Emeritus Professor in 1998, he battled a deadly cancer for twenty years while continuing to be active in family life, public events, and scholarly research.
Two events accidently coincided with Hew’s fall a couple of weeks before his death. Just prior to being hospitalized, he mailed the final proofs of a revised Penguin volume on Sikhism. A little earlier, New Zealand TV ran that wonderful documentary on his life, family, and contributions to Sikhs abroad and in New Zealand. I laughed and cried when I heard Hew described as a New Zealand Success Story and an International Superstar. That he was, but I would have given much to see his face when those superlatives hit the screen. Although Hew had a much more modest view of himself, I am sure he enjoyed the discussions of his contributions and the story of his life and family. I personally learned many things from the documentary, ranging from a book he wrote, Punjab to Aoteara, and never mentioned to me, to the poignant story about Ruthie’s adoption and the letter promising to raise her in a sectarian way.
For me, particular themes also stood out in the half hour presentation. Hew ventured beyond his comfort zone as a historian working with documents to become an ethnographer and anthropologist gathering oral material and working in great detail with the memories of individual New Zealand Sikhs. Hew also appeared as a scribe copying a rare document in Amritsar, soon to be destroyed in the attack on the Golden Temple. Hew frankly straddled the old and new in technology. I remember his old decrepit computer and software, finally evolving into the use of a modern machine with a flat screen. Still, the documents that he collected and which were digitized by Harpret Singh originally were in Hew’s careful handwriting.
In a broader sense, Hew was an accidental scholar. He had the training and personality to carry out great work, but not until the opportunity came to go to India, where he discovered the Sikhs, did he integrate those skills into a valuable lifetime pursuit of Sikh history. There he and Margaret explored their own values, and Hew made a dramatic pivot from activities relating to the pulpit to the University lectern. Ainslie Embree’s account of their discussions about whether to attend church services when he no longer believed dogma is illuminating. Ainslie counseled “ hold on” for awhile, but Hew found that to be “hypocritical play-acting.” As Ainslie notes, “as I got to know him better, I realized that my advice while expedient was contrary to everything he stood for as a person and a scholar. That was at the heart of his greatness, a commitment to truth, and why I so greatly valued his friendship.”
There of course was nothing accidental about what Hew brought to the table once he began serious research on Sikhism. He had a unique intelligence coupled with a commitment to history, finding the truth, and getting every piece of evidence, small and large, from documents. He pulled no punches when examining Sikh tradition, although characteristically, he frequently interjected phrases such as “it is possible” or “the evidence seems to suggest” so as to open up dialogue with others who might have different perspectives and use different documents.
The products? A lifetime of unbroken scholarship, books, articles, and conference papers. Hew wrote or edited almost twenty books. A list of the major works is appended. In his volumes and numerous essays, Hew addressed most of the major issues concerning modern Sikhism. As numerous associates note in their reflections on Hew’s life, he helped define Sikh studies. He also trained a new generation of scholars and taught many students who built upon their experiences to move in a variety of directions. His oldest and most renowned student, Professor Pashaura Singh, holder of the Sikh Chair at the University of California Riverside, captures that experience: “As my mentor he taught me skills of scientific inquiry and guided me with gentle care. Right from the beginning of my association with him he encouraged me to become my own person in the field of Sikh studies. That is what I cherish the most from my experience with him. I still remember that day when it was heavily snowing in Toronto. During the class I had expressed the desire to see his forthcoming book from Columbia University. In that cold and heavy show he walked to my apartment and knocked at the door. When I opened the door, he offered me the galley proofs of his book.”
Questioning documents and re-examining traditions necessarily generates opposition, and Hew’s whole life henceforth was filled with controversy. He narrates the issues beautifully in his intellectual autobiography, Discovering the Sikhs. Often politics, academic jealousy, and a sense of “Sikhism in danger” lay behind the attacks. Specific groups and networks of Sikhs mobilized, publishing books, holding numerous conferences, and at one juncture, spending approximately $10,000 in memberships and fees to get a lot of supporters into an academic seminar for the purpose to challenging Hew and his associates. No problem, Hew and those of us on the panel held our own. Fighting Hew McLeod turned out to be a very expensive proposition for some Sikhs. Even so, many of his critics have admitted that, as one puts it, “his writings have done a lot toward furthering the systematic study of Sikh history at the international level….Sikhs have lost a good friend.”
Something else grew out of the controversies. Hew demonstrated to all of us how to deal with arguments and still preserve one’s dignity and balance. IJ Singh, one of his admirers and a lay scholar in his own right, notes “ What I saw and admired was a man under siege, but calm as in the eye of the storm. “ A close friend in Canada, Sher Singh, has written eloquently about how Hew personified a central Sikh concept, sehaj, or equipoise, solemnity. He had seen Hew honored and rebuked, healthY and weakened by illness, contemplative and energized in debate, acceding to error and defending his findings—He concludes:” I had the pleasure of seeing him in all these facets and never, not once, did I see him lose poise or his ability to smile—that lovely disarming smile of his—or his gentleness or his gentility, or his humanity. There was always grace about him. Frankly I learnt about Sehaj not from the teacher or the friend, but from the Man.”
Hew managed to convey that calm and judgment to many of us who were ready to take up arms against the often silly and very personal charges against him and by extension, the “McLeod” gang. Many times I learned to send him a draft of a response to a chat room challenge and he often talked me down or at least had me revise and temper my hot-headed rhetoric. Doris Jakobsh catches the spirit of such interactions: “Hew was an example for those of us who tend to jump first and think later. On occasion I would get an email from him urging quiet, restraint—something that never did come easily to me. His quiet graciousness towards those who called him “foe” was starling. Moreover, it never wavered. He was and will continue to be in my eyes the finest gentleman scholar I have ever met.”
Hew’s academic contributions were irreplaceable, but there is the very human side that made us not only respect him but love him.
First, he was a model for total dedication, often shutting out all seemingly extraneous activities. As he noted in the documentary, others have hobbies, Hew had his study. His work ethic was legend. Books and articles rolled out regularly, even as he fought valiantly against a disease that zapped his strength.
While focused, he seemed to be open to everyone and could share his time with others. He changed the lives of scholars and friends around him. All have their Hew McLeod stories. We would send in papers, and almost immediately get detailed replies, queries, and supportive suggestions. I can think of no better example than the way Himadri Banerjee describes his relationship with Hew. Himadri never met Hew in person, but carried on an extensive correspondence for two decades. He describes Hew as “good as my answering machine in the domain of Sikh studies.” Hew introduced him to those leading the 1987 Toronto Sikh Conference. Himadri’s participation threw open a whole new area of understanding Sikhism, in India, but in the Bengal and Orissa area, and conversely, that experience introduced him to the wider scholarship of Sikh studies. Hew followed Himadri’s rise to international prominence, reading his work, making suggestions, and in general, being a long-range friend. Van Dusenbery also remembers how Hew encouraged Rashmere Bhatti and Van when they were working on a book about the Sikh community in Wollgoolga. Rashmere venerated Hew as a truly selfless Sewadar (one who gives service). Hew gave service to each one of us, and we all are better scholars and human beings because of that sharing and empathy.
Hew identified strongly with the Sikh community. On numerous occasions he ventured into social settings that potentially could have erupted in calumny and nastiness. At the invitation of IJ Singh in New York, for example, Hew met with a group of Sikhs, many of whom had heard untrue claims about his research and his intentions. That event ended in Hew resolving issues, with some Sikhs reporting back to IJ that the meeting was unexpectedly useful and broadened their perspective. All now know of Hew’s service to the New Zealand Sikh community. The documentary makes clear that his dedication and tedious research helped preserve the record of an evolving Sikh presence and contributed to local Sikhs’ sense of community and family. As another summarized Hew’s work, “The WHOLE Sikh world should be in mourning, his passing is a he loss to the quom (nation or community)”
In his last years, Hew became central to the evolution of a new cyber community of scholars. He and I exchanged ideas and news almost daily. Others recount how Hew served as a “walking encyclopedia,” answering endless queries with supportive, gently corrective comments when necessary, and with a humorous edge. Again, a person who never met Hew personally but knew him well through internet exchanges, Himadri Banerjee, sums it up well: “The world is big but for a few moments he could make us feel that we belong to a larger family….It is the invisible deathless Hew who has stimulated us over the years. For more than forty years, he has silently been constructing an invisible human bridge that keeps us together.”
Hew is gone, but his presence remains. Speaking to the Indian nation after Gandhi’s assassination, Nehru gave one of the most beautiful eulogies ever delivered: “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the Father of the Nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that. Nevertheless we will never see him again as we have seen him for these many years. We will not run to him for advice and seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow.” Then Nehru adds, “The Light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years” Hew McLeod was no Gandhi, but his light continues to shine. For his friends and fellow scholars throughout the world, he personified serving truth, reminding us of the right path, helping to draw us from error, and establishing a benchmark of honor and trustworthiness. Hew Mcleod lives in our hearts and memory.
Jerry Barrier
July 21, 2009
Major Publications of Professor William Hewat McLeod
Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion. Clarendon Press, 1968. Rev. Indian edition, OUP, 1976.
The Evolution of the Sikh Community. OUP, 1975, reprinted as a paper edition, 1996.
The Way of the Sikh. For children 10-12 years. Hulton Educational Publications, 1975, reprinted four times.
The Punjaub (by Henry Steinbach, 1846), 2nd edition. OUP Karachi. Critical introduction.
Early Sikh Tradition: A Study of the Janam-sakhis. Clarendon Press, 1980.
The B40 Janam -sakhi , English translation with introduction and annotations of the India Office Library manuscript. Guru Nanak Dev University 1980.
Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism. Manchester University Press, 1984; reprinted University of Chicago Press, 1990.
List of Punjabi Immigrants in New Zealand 1890-1939. Hamilton Country Section of the Central Indian Association, 1984. Illustrated
Punjabis in New Zealand: A History of Punjabi Migration, 1890-1940. Guru Nanak Dev University, 1986.
The Chaupa Singh Rahit-nama. Gurmukhi Text, English translation, introduction and notes. University of Otago Press, 1987.
The Sikhs: History, Religion and Society. Columbia University Press, 1989.
Who is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity Clarendon Press, 1989, reprinted OUP 1989.
Popular Sikh Art A Selectin of bazaar posters with accompanying text. OUP, 1991.
Punjab to Aotearoa: Migration and Settlement of Punjabis in New Zealand, 1890-1990. With S.S. Bhullar. New Zealand Indian Association Country Section, 1992.
Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press, 1995. Rep. OUP, 2002, with additions to bibliography. An enlargede dition is published by Scarecrow Press.
Sikhism. Penguin Books, 1997.
Gandhi and Indian Independence. Macmillans, 1998.
Sikhs and Sikhism. An omnibus volume containing reprints of Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, Early Sikh Tradition, The Evolution of the Sikh Community, and Who is a Sikh?.
Exploring Sikhism: Aspects of Sikh Identity, Culture and Thought. Collected articles. OUP, 2000.
Sikhs of the Khalsa: A History of the Khalsa Rahit. OUP, 2003. Reprinted in pa., OUP.
Discovering the Sikhs: Autobiography of a Historian. Permanent Black, 2004.
Prem Sumarag:The Testimony of a Sanatan Sikh. Translation of an 18th Century rahit-nama with introduction. OUP, 2006.
Essays in Sikh History, Tradition and Society. OUP, 2007
Sikhism. Reprint of the Penguin 1997 volume, with corrections. To be published Yoda Press, Fall 2009.
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