The Four Quarters of the Night: The Life-Journey of an Emigrant Sikh Volume 121

by Hugh Johnston and Tara Singh Bains

Book Overview

Identifying himself as both an Indian and a Canadian but first and foremost a Sikh, Tara Singh has shuttled back and forth between Canada and India for most of his life, finding personal harmony while incorporating two very different countries and cultures into his life. Tara Singh was raised within an amritdhari, or baptised, Sikh tradition in a small village in Punjab, India; his values and identity are firmly rooted in Punjabi Sikh culture. As...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773512667
• ISBN13: 9780773512665
• Release Date: March 1995
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A fascinating life journey

This is a fascinating book. Tara Singh is an interesting individual with a strong belief system. The book describes this man's life journey. He has included his life in the Punjab, being brought up by a very harsh father, his travails serving in the Indian Army and the challenges that he faced. In so doing he presents a history of the Punjab over a number of decades, all presented through one man's personal experiences. These included suffering from illnesses with no money for getting treatment; and having to transport his pregnant wife from West Punjab to East Punjab during the partition of India. He proceeds to tell about his times in Canada which are equally fascinating. My parents emigrated to England in the 1960s so I empathized with Tara Singh immensely. However, the true character of the man comes out in the book. It is well worth reading.

The reality of hardship

The Four Quarters of the Night is a creatively scripted bibliography of an immigrant Sikh facing many hardships. Tara Singh Bains takes the reader into a timecapsule to the racial era of the 50's and 60's. In this unbias book we see how Mr.Bains dealt with having to leave behind his wife and little children in India while trying to make a living in Canada. Living with his sister and brother-in-law, Mr.Bains takes the reader through a journey of juggling several manual labour jobs to survive and how he kept his religious faith alive when faced against the pressures of trying to "fit in." Mr. Bains kept his religious spirit alive by praying and turning spritual. I was so engulfed in Mr. Bains' journey of life, I could barely put the book down. It is definately something all immigrants should read. And all those who don't know the dept of the hardships of immigrants. A book well done!