Guru Gobind Singh (1666 - 1708), the tenth Guru of the Sikhs was, by all standards of reckoning one of the most remarkable men of all times. He was a saint, scholar, poet, warrior and also a polyglot. In elevating the lowly and downtrodden he did pioneering work long before the birth of Karl Marx and Lenin. He was a man with a mission – a strongly felt aim or calling. By founding the Khalsa, he effaced the caste system, raised the lowest to the highest level, united the people, and defied the might of the Mughal Empire.
The history of the world, perhaps, has not known another man with so many martyrs in his family. Guru Gobind 's kinsmen sacrificed themselves for the sake of their country and people. His great grandfather, Guru Arjan, was mercilessly tortured to death; his grandfather, Guru Hargobind was captured and incarcerated; his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded; and the Guru himself was the victim of a hired assassin's dagger. Here was a man who sacrificed all that he had for the cause that he espoused – his parents, four sons, thousands of followers and ultimately himself.
A 1948 born, fourth generation soldier, Bhupender studied at Nanital and Jalandhar before joining National Defence Academy (NDA). During his thirty-seven year career in the army, he trained troops in mountain and winter warfare and actively participated in mountaineering, skiing and other adventure sports. He wrote this book, after superannuating from the army.
