In his book titled What is History, E H Carr, quoted the American historian, Carl Becker, who argued that ‘the facts of history do not exist for any historian till he creates them’. It was a deliberately provocative statement, but what he meant was that, writing down historical facts alone was not enough, they became relevant only if interpreted by the writer from his or her own perspective. In that sense, history never stands still, but is ever evolving, as each generation views the past in light of their own experiences and expectations. This book, by two highly accomplished professionals, is a living proof of the validity of Becker’s statement, for it show how the lessons of history are viewed by the modern-day Sikhs, both in India and abroad.

Their work is unique in three other aspects compared to other books about Banda Bahadur. First, it not only tells the story of Banda and his times but also of the Sikh Gurus and their teachings that created the Khalsa. Second, it draws heavily upon the medieval literature from all over India to depict how the same ancient idea of Dharma was being used to restructure the society in several different ways. Thirdly, their research draws extensively from the past sources but also from the more recent work being done in the universities outside India, and the high level of scholarship being conducted by the Indian diaspora.

Overall, the book creates such a vivid picture of our past heroes that it could easily be mistaken as a fictional concoction, for such are the narrations described of the Banda Bahadur’s conquests.