GURBACHAN SINGH TALIB
Professor Gurbachan Singh Talib (7.4.1911 – 9.4.1986), son of Sirdar Kartar Singh Ahluwalia, was born at village Munak (district Sangrur). He passed his Matriculation examination from Sangrur. By this time he got married but he continued his studies. He passed his B.A. degree from Khalsa College Amritsar in 1931. Within a few days of his B.A. examination his father died. In spite of this he joined M.A. in English literature. He passed his M.A. by topping the University in 1933. The same year he joined Khalsa College as Lecturer in English. In 1940, he moved to the Sikh National College Lahore. In 1949, he was appointed Principal of Khalsa College Jullundur. Later, he served as Principal of Khalsa College, Delhi; Khalsa College, Bombay; Guru Gobind Singh College, Patna and National College, Sirsa. In 1962, he joined Kurukashetra University as Reader in English. In 1969, he was appointed as the First Professor and Chairman of Guru Nanak Chair of Sikh Studies at Panjab University, Chandigarh. In 1976, he was appointed Professor Guru Nanak Chair at Benaras Hindu University. Due to ill health, he resigned this job and returned to Patiala. Here, he was made a Fellow of Punjabi University. Now, he started work on English rendering of Guru Granth Sahib. The same year he suffered a heart attack but he survived. The second heart attack in 1986 took his life. By that time two volumes of his English rendering had been published and the day he died, he was correcting the proofs of the third volume. Professor Talib was a great scholar of English language and literature. He had marvellous command of English language. Professor Talib wrote several books, including: The Idea of a Sikh State (1946), The Muslim League Attacks on the Sikhs and the Hindus in the Punjab, 1947 (1950), Impact of Guru Gobind Singh on Indian Society (1966), Guru Nanak: His Personality and Vision (1969), Bhai Vir Singh: Life, Times and Works (1973), Baba Sheikh Farid (1974), Guru Tegh
Bahadur: Background and Supreme Sacrifice (1976), Japuji: The Immortal Prayer-chant (1977), Baani of Guru Amar Das (199), Nitnem (1983). He wrote some books in Punjabi also, including: Anpachhate Raah, Adhunik Punjabi Sahit, Adhunik Vartak Likhari, Pavittar Jiwan Kathawan, Baba Sheikh Farid.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)