Lachman Chellaram: A man with a mission*
Lachman Chellaram, 66
is not a turbaned Sikh, yet his life is dedicated to Sikhism and the
spread of Gurbani. He is frequently invited to Gurdwaras, shrines and private homes
for Kirtans and discourses on Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of
the Sikhs.
A member of the Sindhi
Community, known for generations to frequent Gurudwaras ever since they lived
in Sindh prior to the partition, Lachman is known for his pre-eminence in
keeping the love of Gurbani ablaze in the Sindhi Community, following in
the footsteps of his legendary father who was a great devotional singer and
scholar of Sikhism and Comparative religion.
Considered a Sikh missionary
and disciple of Guru Nanak, he completed a five-year project of translation of
the holy scripture containing 1430 pages and 5800 hymns therein into four
languages – Sindhi, Hindi, English and Punjabi. His translation of the hymns
with prose commentary runs into 4800 pages and has been further translated in
nine Indian languages, including Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi.
“Knowledge is important, know
your scriptures in real sense, do not just render lip service,” Lachman often
urges his audience. He advocates less preaching and more practice and spreads
the message of love, peace and universal brotherhood.
He says, “When you become a
disciple (the literal meaning of the word Sikh), that is one who is desirous of
knowing the real nature of the Supreme being, you form an intimate, sacred
relationship with God, like that of a mother and child. Sikhism especially
emphasizes this inseparable relationship, deepest of its kind.
Lachman has extensively toured
abroad to disseminate the message of Sikhism.
Lachman has spiritually
inherited the divine and enlightened inspiration from his beloved father, the
legendary Dada Chellaramji. He has enhanced and glorified his name and fame by
his wisdom, talent, devotion and scholarly research of Guru Sikh Itihas.
He has exalted the life mission of Guru Sahiban and enlightened ideologies of
Universal truth and brotherhood.
Says Lachman, “Guru Granth
Sahib is a religious gospel that is truly universal. It has messages of not
just Sikh Gurus, but also of Hindu Saints and Muslim fakirs. It does not speak
just about Sikhs, but about mankind in general. It contains messages of peace
and life. Words like Ram, Hari and Allah occur as many times, as Waheguru in
the book.”
Very few people, he says, know
what the text contains. “Almost everybody has heard about Guru Granth Sahib,
but very few are aware of the treasure contained therein. It is a shame that
even most Sikhs are not aware of the message within the book. They bow before
it and go through all the rituals when they go to the Gurudwara, but very few
know what they are bowing to.”
Not having reserved any
copyrights for himself for the translation, Lachman Chellaram does not want to
make any profit out of his work. He feels since the original author of Guru
Granth Sahib had not written the book to make any profits what right do I have
to make money out of the translations?
When Lachman began his translation works he got ample
encouragement from his parents, sister and wife. Without their moral support,
he could not have carried on with the work, he feels.
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