Written in 1880 by the renown poet Sumer Singh (1847-1903), this Brajbhasha text is a historical narration of Guru Gobind Singh's life. Sumer Singh used a variety of sources in his text, largely drawing from Santokh Singh's [[Suraj]] Prakash. This text has yet to be translated. Sumer Singh lived an extraordinary life - master poet, interpreter of Sikh scripture, historian, Jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib - mastering whatever circle he traveled through - he is famed as the teacher of one of the last famous Braj poets. Scholar Valerie Ritter has written on the life of Baba Sumer Singh, noting the astonishing and fascinating life he lived, as he was the teacher of the famous poet Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay, penname 'Hariaudh' - one of the last Braj Poets of India. ![[sumer singh 2.jpeg]] While Sumersingh was a prolific writer, of his many works only two remain published today, a history of Guru Gobind Singh and a commentary on Japuji Sahib. He was also the chairman of the Faridkot Tika committee, which produced the first full exegesis of the Guru Granth Sahib. Oberoi (pg 377) also notes how Sumersingh, with Khem Singh Bedi and others of the Amritsar Singh Sabha were planning to resurrect Sikh rule in Punjab from the British but their plans were destroyed by the British along with the support from the Lahore Singh Sabha. At the young age of 35 Sumer Singh, who was a descendant of Guru Amardas, received the title of Mahant of Takht Patna Sahib - & would hold this position until his passing. During this time he tutored many poets & students - imparting his knowledge of Braj and Sikh philosophy Ritter writes, "Poetry thus functioned for him [Sumersingh] as a connecting agent in a political context that was dividing along religious lines - Hindu, Muslim and Sikh." Sumer Singh aimed to unify Indians, not only politically but spiritually and culturally through his poetry. For more information on Sumer Singh read Valerie Ritter's "Networks, Patrons, and Genres for Late Braj Bhasha Poets" (2010), a fascinating work showing how involved Sikhs were in the Braj cosmopolitan of poetry and philosophy - a field used to unite all religions and peoples ![[sumer singh.jpeg]]