Kapil Dev to bring Sikhism book to Dubai

Dubai - Speaking to Khaleej Times via phone from California, Dev said the world could learn a lot from the Sikh religion.

Former Indian cricket captain turned author Kapil Dev has promised his fans in Dubai that he would bring his coffee table book on Sikhism, We the Sikhs, to the UAE.
The book - co-authored by his Dubai-based associate Ajay Sethi - was recently launched by Manmohan Singh, former Indian prime minister, at Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab, India.
Divided into three sections - the gurus, the history, and artefacts and gurudwaras - the book celebrates Sikhism and features never-seen-before pictures and original paintings of 100 Gurudwaras across the globe.
Dubbed the 'Haryana Hurricane', Dev decided to launch the book as a 'passion project' after visiting Gurudwaras in Pakistan. Sethi and Dev are currently travelling the West Coast in the US to promote the book.
Speaking to Khaleej Times via phone from California, Dev said the world could learn a lot from the Sikh religion.
"I think Sikhs have made their impact. They are generous, healthy, and happy people who are willing to stand with anyone in times of trouble. We can learn a lot from our Sikh brothers and sisters," he said. 
The former cricket captain said he was overwhelmed by the response they got for the book in the US and added that they are aiming to "reach out to as many Gurudwaras as possible", including the one in Dubai.
"We will most definitely bring the book to UAE, and visit the Guru Nanak Darbar in Dubai," Dev said.
However, he emphasised that he has no plans on expanding his passion project to another form, such as teaching. 
"I am not so intelligent to go around teaching Sikhism. This was a project I am very passionate about. I've enjoyed it greatly and it has been wonderful," he said.
Dubai resident Sethi, on the other hand, said that We the Sikhs would surely have an audience in the UAE.
"We have a huge Sikh population in the UAE, and they are a symbol of tolerance, pride, and a very happy community. They are also a role model of selfless community service. The UAE also has a huge Sindhi community who also are great followers of Sikhism," Sethi said.
"Kapil had this vision of the book and, being a close friend, he discussed it with me and I thought it was great. I wanted to produce this in the UAE, so we can have world-class quality and design. The end result has been great, the experience was very overwhelming," he added.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai