Bhubaneswar: The valour and the commitment of Sikh legends to humanity brought her closer to the Sikh religion in her childhood.
But little did she know that her inclination to Sikhism would manifest into a passion one day — to the point that she would go on to translate the Guru Granth Sahib into Odia.
Bhubaneswar-based scholar:
We are talking about Bhubaneswar-based scholar Sadhna Patri, who has brought the teachings of Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus closer to the Odia society.
Her devotion to Sikh religion knows no bounds. She even left her job as the principal of a CBSE affiliated school in Gangtok to devote full time to her translation work. Patri is credited to have translated two more Sikh works into Odia — the ‘Suraj Prakash’, which celebrates the stories of the Sikh gurus and the ‘Sikh Panth Aur Sikh Itihaas’.
Awards:
She has been conferred many awards by various Sikh religious bodies and universities in Punjab for spreading the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. The Bhubaneswar Book Fair Committee also felicitated her recently for her translation works.
The International Sikh Samaj also honoured her for her contribution to Sikh history.
“I was unsure whether I could translate the works until I was encouraged by a senior VHP functionary in Odisha, who had visited Gangtok during my stay there,” Patri told Odisha Bytes during an interview. The task was gigantic but his words of encouragement gave me confidence and made my job much easier, she said.
Guru Nanak visited Puri:
“People still ask me why I am investing my resources into this. I have been also discouraged from carrying on with my translation work as there are not many followers of the Sikh religion in Odisha. But it the devotion for the Sikh religion that has inspired me and continues to do so. I want people here to read the Guru Granth Sahib if they wish to draw inspiration from what the Sikh gurus stood for,” she said.
She shares that Guru Granth Sahib has references to Lord Jagannath and other Hindu Gods. Guru Nanak had also performed aarti in Puri and one of the Panj Pyaras (the five Sikh warriors who formed the nucleus of Khalsa), Bhai Himmat Singh, was born in Puri.
What attracted her to Sikh religion:
“A spiral calendar in our home had photographs of the Sikh gurus. My grandfather would tell me their tales of valour. Subsequently, as I grew up, I wanted to know more about the religion because of my curiosity for turbaned men and women. I guess, I found my inner peace during my visit to a gurudwara in Gangtok managed by the Army. Since then, there has been no looking back”.
“Today, my husband and daughter also learn and practice Gurbani and even perform Kirtan at home,” Patri said.
Patri’s wish:
Patri, who met Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal this week and presented her work, has suggested introducing a chapter on Sikh religion and Sikh Gurus in the school curriculum to help students get to know more about them and their beliefs.
The Sikh religion is full of stories of men and their spartan courage. They gave up their lives for the cause of their religion. Their teachings hold more relevance in society today than before. “Its time we know more about them for the greater cause of humanity,” she summed up.
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