Jaswant Singh Khosa has achieved a remarkable milestone by successfully crafting his fourth hand-written copy of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, a monumental task given that it spans 1,430 pages and stands as possibly the largest and heaviest of its kind globally. This impressive fourth copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is an astounding 84 kg in weight, measuring 91.44cm in length and 66.04cm in width.
Notably, this accomplishment surpasses Khosa's own record, set in 2004, with his second copy weighing 45kg and measuring 76.2cm in length and 48.26cm in width, as recognized by the Malaysia Book of Records.
In an interview, he told The Star, “It is a labour of love. The (latest) book is 182.9cm long when it opens up. I wrote for 14 hours a day. It was worth it,”
The completion of his fourth hand-written copy took the 73-year-old a total of 14 months, and he generously donated it to a Sikh temple in the United States. A Sikh temple located in Amritsar, Punjab, had previously replaced its 200-year-old Granth with Jaswant's second hand-written copy, which he had also contributed. The third copy, identical in size to the second, was gifted to a Sikh temple in Canada back in 2007.
As for his initial hand-written copy, a smaller version, it found its home in a Sikh temple in London in 1998. All four copies featured traditional Gurmukhi calligraphy, a departure from the prevalent practice of printing copies of the holy book. Despite receiving an offer of C$200,000 (RM651,532) for his third copy, which Jaswant declined, emphasising that his motivation was neither financial gain nor fame.
Jaswant, originally from Muar, dedicated himself to writing the latest manuscript in Freemont City, California. Spending approximately two-and-a-half hours on each page, he immersed himself completely, not even taking a toilet break in the process. He said whenever he starts writing he shuts everything out and writes continuously until he is done. He feels that he has to write exactly as it is mentioned in the original copy.
Despite the physical toll of the strenuous routine, involving 14 hours of daily writing, he persisted. This persistence took a toll on his back and legs, rendering them feeble, but Jaswant, undeterred, refused to abandon his quest. Following treatment, he planned to take up his next writing endeavor. Despite medical warnings of potential paralysis, Jaswant remained resolute in fulfilling his dream of completing four volumes, drawing inspiration from Baba Deep Singh, a renowned Sikh scholar and warrior who achieved a similar feat over 300 years ago.
“I will still write even if I end up in a wheelchair,” says Jaswant, who now walks with a limp.
Jaswant, who went for an "Amrit" (baptism) in 1992 before he started writing, remained humble despite his feat. “This is truly God’s Blessing and his special Gift. It is not me,” said Jaswant.
*Based on an article published in India Locals on 12th April 2010