Bhagat Puran Singh Ji

[Degha Singh]

Dhan Guru Dhan Guru Pyarai

If you serve others in your life, you get the honor of respect at the Abode of the Almighty.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -Ang 25

A poor person's mouth is the Creator's treasure chest. -Suraj Parkash

"Humility is my mace; Touching The dust on the feet of the people, my spear These weapons no-evildoer can withstand, The Master, all-endowed, has armed me with these"

Bhagat Puran Singh Ji (1904-1992)

- Refuge of the Destitute

Bhagat Puran Singh Ji worked in complete selflessness all his life to provide the last hope to mentally and terminally ill patients; where society had cast them aside he gave them the refuge of his care. Bhagat Ji cared for these people requesting nothing in return; he saw only human beings and served regardless of caste, creed or religion.

Quite early in life Bhagat Ji experienced extreme poverty after the business of his father collapsed. He managed to study up to matriculation, but his mother had to wash clothes and dirty linen of other people to enable him to pay for school fees. At Lahore his contact with the Head Granthi of Gurdwara Dera Sahib at Lahore, Bhai Teja Singh by name, confirmed his decision to dedicate his whole life to the most satisfying avocation in the world--alleviation of human suffering, howsoever small the measure of one's contribution.

Against the backdrop of the violence and poverty in 1947 (partition) he established "Pingalwara" which takes care of sick, disabled and forlorn persons. Whatever money and financial resources he could gather he used to establish this refuge. His life story is a saga of grit, determination, faith in the Almighty and unending love for the suffering humanity. A very brief sketch of Bhagat Ji's life is given below.

Bhagat Puran Singh Ji was born at Rajewal, Distt. Ludhiana on June 4, 1904, at the house of Chaudhari Chibu Mal and Mehtab Kaur. In an interview with Patwant Singh, Bhagat Puran Singh Ji disclosed how he became a Sikh; in his early life he used to travel a lot from village to village and would stay at a Hindu temple. One day when he was staying at a temple brahmins told him to clean the temple and then when he was done they sat in front of him and ate the food without offering him any. Incidentally the next time he had to stay at a Gurdwara and the Bhai Sahib of the Gurdwara not only gave him good food but also a cot and a glass of milk afterwards, without asking for any sewa for the Gurdwara. After this Bhagat Puran Singh Ji didn't even think twice and became a Khalsa. Bhagat Ji renounced all worldly attachments in the prime of his life and vowed to mitigate the pains of the suffering humanity. He initiated his career by adopting a crippled child of age four who was abandoned by his parents at the threshold of Gurdwara Dera Sahib in 1934. He decided to be the boy’s carrier "Until the latter could use his own legs". The boy never did and Bhagat Puran Singh carried him on his shoulders until the time he himself became too frail to walk.The care and service of child kindled in his heart an inexhaustible fund of sympathy and passion for the pains of humanity. The child, though physically deformed, was very dear to Bhagat Ji- he called him Piara Singh (the dear one). Piara Singh lived to the age of 63. After leaving Lahore in 1947 due to the partition, Bhagat Ji selected Amritsar to carry on his mission. He had to struggle hard to build up Pingalwara and did so in the face of great obstacles. Pingalwara provided homely shelter to hundreds of disabled people, many with incurable diseases.

Even into old age Bhagat Ji would sweep the excreta of patients with his own hands- he picked up banana and other fruit-skins from the roads; he carried mud and bricks on his head for the upcoming buildings of Pingalwara; he would beg for food for the people in Pingalwara by going door to door. Bhagat Ji would sit outside Darbar Sahib and other Gurdwaras in sun and rain and collect money for the patients of Pingalwara. Whenever he used to see a deserted dead body (human or animal) immediately he would prepare (by his own hand) a grave and give the human or animal a deserving respect of death. Bhagat Ji served people who did not have the ability to help themselves. His Pingalwara became a home for orphans, mentally retarded persons and, the destitute of society. It was a place with limited resources and neither society nor the state helped. Bhagat Puran Singh Ji carried on with the service single handedly.

Bhagat Ji was also a writer as well as a publisher and an environmentalist. Bhagat Ji's contribution in spreading awareness about the global dangers of environmental pollution, increasing soil erosion etc are also commendable. His dedication was awarded with heaps of honours by many quarters. Among these was the Padamshri award in 1979, which he later denounced in the wake of the army attack on Darbar Sahib in 1984. He went to Sach Khand (The Realm Of Truth) on August 5, 1992.

At this time Pingalwara is run by Bibi Dr. Inderjit Kaur.

Current Number of Patients

1.Mentally Retarded Patients 274

2.Paralysis, Polio 79

3.Mentally Challenged 142

4.Deaf and Dumb 39

5.Old Aged 117

6.Injured 24

7.T.B. Patients 19

8.Blind 14

9.Aids Patients 05

10.Epilepsy 87

11.Cancer Patients 04

12.School Children 58

13.Abandoned Children 03

14.Treated and Cured 43

Total 908

[anjaan]

:cool: :doh: :doh: :doh:

Bhagat Puran Singh Ji was an amazing and rare soul! "Garland Around My Neck" is a must read book, very inspiring and a great insight!

[GuruManeyoGranth]

:cool: :doh: :doh:

Dhan Guru Dhan Guru Pyarae