ANGAD

also called Lehna, or Lahina born 1504, Matte di Sarai, India died 1552, Khadur second Sikh Guru and originator of the Punjabi script, Gurmukhi, in which many parts of the Adi Granth, the sacred book of the Sikhs, are written. While on a pilgrimage to the shrine of a Hindu goddess, Angad met the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, whom he resolved to follow. Angad was able to give form and a definitive character to the somewhat vague ideals propounded by Guru Nanak. He was appointed Guru in 1539 and set up schools to teach youth the regional language, Punjabi, instead of the classical Sanskrit. He was a firm believer in the importance of physical education and emphasized the ideal of a sound mind and a healthy body. Guru Angad also promoted an important Sikh institution, the Guru ka langar (kitchen of the Guru), which, with its insistence on commensality, broke down the traditional Hindu caste system.