Modern Sikh Historiography

Modern Sikh Historiography constitutes an important contribution to the field of historiography of the Punjab. It highlights that the works of Baba Prem Singh Hoti (an eminent twentieth century historian) are reflective of contemporary trends in popular history of the Sikh rule in the Punjab. While analyzing the history under study, the book shows concern for objectivity in writing of history. It offers a balanced analysis of the subject-matter in respect of the sources used, authenticity of facts and figures, assessment of the period and historical personalities involved. The influence of Singh Sabha Movement on the Modern Sikh Historiography was immense and Baba Prem Singh Hoti was the product of the same. By the time he began writing there was dearth of works on Sikh history in simple Gurumukhi, resultantly the masses were ignorant of their glorious past and whatever they knew was more of a bazaar gossips given currency by some vested interests. When Hoti wrote in simple and literary Punjabi, the Sikh masses were not conversant with English language and the history written in English was of no use to them. Publishing of Hoti’s works at that juncture was welcomed for this reason as the masses could read and acquaint themselves with a particular aspect of their history. It is found that his works were very popular with the general public then and still are read widely. Nevertheless his writings can be meritoriously used for research purposes if taken up critically and compared with contemporary sources in historical perspective.