Edmonton, 25 September:- A grand event was organised by Sab Rang Sahit Sabha at the beautiful Edmonton Public Library, Meadows, 17 Street, where author Satnam Singh Gahle’s autobiographical book ‘Babe Di Pagg’ was formally released. The event was presided over by Mahinder Singh Aulakh and Darshan Anjaan. MLA Jasvir Deol attended as the special guest.
Speaking about the book, Balwinder Balam said that the main message of the autobiography ‘Babe Di Pagg’ is for family members that preserving the honour of the turban depends on the conduct of the members of the household. If family members conduct themselves in society with moral and pure character, the honour of the turban remains intact and its dignity and glory are maintained.
After reading the autobiography, one feels that the author has given a permanent form through words to the events of his life, including struggles, successes and failures, tensions in relationships, days of financial hardship and poverty, the struggle to meet the financial needs of his children’s education, and old memories. The book, which brings memories back to life, takes the reader through moments that are thrilling and deeply emotional.
Life is a continuously flowing river. Something or the other keeps changing all the time. Along with it, human thought, sensitivity and the tendency to reflect also continue to change. The greatest quality of a writer is that the reader should have faith in what the writer has written. An autobiographer should possess the art of speaking and telling the truth. Through his narration in this book, the author proves himself on this criterion. Events take shape as pictures through his pen. The author’s account contains no imaginary or fictional matters, but a description of real events. The author has gone deep into his life and presented a chronological account of it.
One of the passages of the author’s autobiography describes a highly thrilling incident: “One day, a very thrilling incident took place. My boss told me that tonight we would come to you around eleven or twelve o’clock and you should open the shutter from inside. We will leave a man with you. He has to stay with you for two to four hours and then he has to catch a bus from the chowk at four o’clock. That night, I closed the liquor shop at ten o’clock and remained awake, wondering when the boss would knock at the door. In this way, eleven became twelve and twelve became one. At one o’clock, there was a knock at the door and a voice came from outside saying, ‘I am Babu, open the shutter.’ When I opened the shutter, I saw that Babu and the others had brought in a person wrapped in a blanket and said, ‘Let him rest for two or three hours. He has to catch a bus from the chowk at four.’ I closed the shutter from inside and turned back, and what I saw made the ground slip from under my feet, because it was a nearly naked young woman wrapped in a sheet and heavily intoxicated. She was a fair, slender young woman. She removed the sheet and lay down on the bed. After seeing her, I managed to control myself with great difficulty. A different struggle was going on in my heart and mind. My heart was urging me to move forward, but my mind was stopping me from doing so. During this struggle, I remembered the advice given by Baba Ji on the bus about preserving the honour of the turban, and I succeeded in controlling myself. Anyway, it is said that even the greatest can waver when they see loose money and an available woman, but this proved to be wrong in my case, because I neither succumbed to the lure of money nor was I swept away by lust on seeing the woman. Baba Ji’s advice played a very important role in helping me prove this saying wrong.”
The poets present at the event won much appreciation by reciting their compositions. Darshan Anjaan, Deepa Bandala, Satnam Singh Gahle, Paras, Mahinia, Kashmira Singh Nirman, Ninderpal Singh Riar, Manjit Singh Ball, Kartar Singh Parmar, Karaj Singh Ball, Mahinder Singh Aulakh, Ajit Singh Khangura, Keval Singh Ball and Balwinder Balam participated in the poetry session.
The event concluded as a memorable gathering.
