(In the first edition of this book, my name was K. Deep.)

        Most dear K. Deep Ji,

        With great love and a warm embrace — Sat Sri Akal!

        I have read your novel “The Artist.” Well done, bravo! Keep moving forward with great leaps — life’s path is straight and clear, no twists or turns. Do not be hasty; walk step by step with patience and self-discipline. The road of life is unending. In hasty steps, one stumbles. Calm composure and self-restraint are the faithful companions on the long road of life. “Walk two steps less, but walk with pride.”

        Your first effort is immensely successful. There is no room for objection anywhere — from beginning to end, your novel gives no room for a critical finger. Walk with composure, write with restraint. Do not be in a hurry. Walking steadily and calmly brings depth to literature. Literature is the steadfast companion of life — one that never abandons its loyalty at any cost.

        The scientific age must sweep away old hollow values and pave new clear paths. Literature is the fellow traveler and prophet of life. Imagination is the faithful companion of literature, but reality is its fundamental guardian — yet one must not let go of composure.

        Just keep living and thriving, K. Deep! There is no meditation (tapasya) comparable to literary creation. If you have chosen this path, walk straight ahead — do not get trapped in praises and praise-seeking. There is no higher praise than the devotion of literary creation. The path you have chosen demands lifelong tapasya — do not be afraid. With calm and composure, carry out life’s mission as a duty.

        Bravo, great praise! There is no more worthwhile path than literary creation — just keep walking. But do this one favour — do not become arrogant, do not display a hunger for greatness. A person who falls into pettiness loses their ancestral inheritance.

        You are on the path of Zindabad (long live) — do not lose your way on the crooked path of glory. I have great expectations from you. Stay alive, my friend; may God never show you sorrow.

With very warm love,

Your fellow traveler,

Jaswant Singh Kanwal

Village and Post Office — Dhudike

District — Moga | Pin Code — 142053