Amitabh Bachan And His Love Of The Sikhs

[valli singh]

Brother,

these false 'facts' you have labelled to be blasphemies all have one source,

it is a now defunct publication of the 1800's called 'Khalsa Akhbar', and guess what,

it was started by a disgruntled former employee of Baba Khem Singh Bedi and thus,

one of it's chief aims was to spread rumors and innuendo against Baba Khem Singh Bedi,

Baba Khem Singh Bedi actually successfully sued this newspaper for libel and slander.

And thus all you've written is mere impassioned hearsay which is just about as hollow as both your

weak arguments and moral resolve have proven to be thus far.

How could there be a link between Baba Khen Singh Bedi and Arya Samaj when he not only vehemently wrote against them, campaigned against them, preached against them, academically refuted them, and pubically bankrolled a pulpet body to oppose them through the circulation of leaflets, flyers and pamphleteering?

Even objective Western sources have confirmed this.

And by the way, I must remind you of the one cardinal blasphemy you failed to include and for which you will answer for in the hereafter:

slandering a saint and descendent of Guru Nanak,

[vikramjitsingh]

Fateh Ji,

Please do view this link:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bachchan-faces-...ts/52944-3.html

One must also remember that at that time Gandhi and Bachchan families were close. Bachchan wielded a lot of influence and I'm sure benefited a lot from the proximity is both cash and kind.

I recall prior to his Unforgettable Tour I had posted messages on both this Forum and Sikhnet.

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=37869

Those wanting to let him know of how we feel why don't we all log on to his Bog and let him know!

http://bigb.bigadda.com/

Guru Rakha

Guru Rakha

[S1ngh]

Amitab's mother last name was SURI not BEDI. Its rubbish claiming that she is the grand daughter of khem singh bedi.

[+Singh_is_King+]

Ok Valli Singh, as I read Bollywood you must read Hindu comics.

Singh Sabha were the puppets of the British, did your baba whisper that in your ear and come through the other !

Bedi the GIT quite openly and time after time claimed:

1. Gurus were descendants of Hindu King Ram`s children as Bedi`s and Sodhi`s. He claimed that the Aad Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the fifth veda of the Hindus which provides the essence of Purans and Upanishads. This is blasphemy.

2. He was paid by Arya Samaj, he set up a Sodak Committee in 1897 of his hand picked people, to consolidate 32 wildly different versions of the Bachitar Natak which had been introduced into Panjab from Bengal via the Nirmalas between 1875 and 1900. This is blasphemy.

3. He was a staunch supporter of the Mahant Narian Das who murdered 130 Sikhs at Nankana Sahib in 1921. Gurbaksh Singh Bedi was notoriously anti panthic and used to go on Hindu stages to declare that Sikhs are Hindus. This is blasphemy.

Keep your Santatan junk to yourself and stop distorting the truth. Akal Purkh will ensure your fate (as he did with Bedi, a painful lingering death to that rat heratic).

HEALTH WARNING: Pang kills if taken in large quantities (and is against the Panthic Maryada)

PS. suggest you goto hindusangat.com or hokuspocussikhsrus.com to spread your filth.

actually you just did blasphemy by saying that what you did about Sahib Sree Dasam Granth Sahib Jeeo

WJKK WJKF. Veer Ji, Having spent nearly 6 weeks last year at Sri Hazoor Sahib Ji and read the bani of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji I can absolutely say that I am nothing to comment. In fact, I have read the bani several times and can I understand at most 60-70 pages it is so complex. I am currently learning Barj (so if you have any useful vocabolary to assist then please forward, etc) I have not disrespected the bani of the Gurus -Bedi actually distored the bani and claimed it to be from Hindu origin. My literal comments should not be taken in haste in my initial post -if they where, then I apologise for you and myself. WJKK WJKF

[lsingh]

Singh Sabha Movement

After the annexation of Punjab fear gripped the Sikhs, what were the British going to do with their faith, their traditions and way of life. But as history has shown the threat did not come from the British, it was from a lot closer to home. It was due to scheming Brahmanical groups and Hindus influences that the Singh Sabha movement was created and gathered momentum.

Other groups had established themselves, like the Nirankaries, Radhasoamies and Namdharies but they had their own agendas. They had no set goals for the community and rather emphasized the ritual aspects. They had little or no impact. There were fundamental differences between these groups and mainstream Sikhism and this led to these groups breaking away.

These problems were little compared to the Brahmenical influences. At the time of the late 1800’s it was clear that certain areas of Sikhism were lapsing back into Hinduism. Sikhs who had recently converted were now returning to the Hindu fold uncertain of the future of Sikhism. A British observer Sir Richard Temple commented “ Sikhism is on the decline, a spent force, the Sikhs are the most uneducated people in the Punjab.” The British exploited the lack of political knowledge of the Sikhs by setting up Christian missionaries. They also opened a Christian missionary school in the holy city of Amritsar, striking at the very heart of Sikhism. Lower class Sikhs who were tired of the way they were treated by the Sikh leaders converted to Christianity. High numbers of Sikhs were changing their faith so soon into British imperialism. It was not only the poor Sikhs who were converting, many well off Sikhs with great political and social leverage moved over to Christianity due to enticements of government posts and hefty pensions.

The British intentions were clear-cut but the Hindus were more scheming and made the boldest religious moves during this period. In 1875 a Hindu group calling themselves Arya Samaj, led by Swami Dayanand started making bold and derogatory statements about the Sikhs. Their main belief was that all religions and faiths were simply a branch of Hinduism. Hinduism is like an ocean which all rivers flow to. All their beliefs were centered around the book of Vedas. Swami Dayanand denounced Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and labeled the Guru’s and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as having little importance.

The sect was growing in popularity within Punjab and it was apparent to all Sikhs that this group was here to stay and was seeking to eradicate the Sikh faith through lies and accusations or by any means possible. The problem with the Sikhs was that they were by and large leaderless, there was no control of the religion, there were no institutions, no custodians. Other faiths like Christianity, Islam and Hinduism had schools of faith and learning centers. Schools where children could be nurtured, raised within the fold of the faith. This was not the case with the helpless Sikhs.

This was the origin of the Singh Sabha movement. The society described itself as Singh Sabha, founded in Amritsar 1872, it set out to protect the Sikhism from invading interests. The Singh Sabha held meeting and led protest marches against the Hindu ‘anti-Sikh’ orators. The group organized meeting to educate Sikhs of the values of Sikhism which had been dented and neglected , to reveal the teachings of the Guru’s. The Singh Sabha also started the production of religious literature and laid the foundations of a campaign against illiteracy.

A few years later in 1879 a branch of Singh Sabha was founded in Lahore. The leaders were educated, energetic, middle class and politically aware. Bhai Gurmukh Singh, a professor at the Oriental College of Lahore was its secretary. He brought into the movement two veteran preachers , Bhai Ditt Singh Giani and Bhai Jawara Singh. Both of these preachers became extremely popular due to their sincerity of belief in the true doctrine of the Guru’s and their sense of mission and zeal to serve their faith. Inspired by Gurmukh Singh, Giani Dit Singh devoted his whole time to propagate the Sikh faith, writing over 25 books to dispel ignorance about the religion and its history. During this time Bhai Kanh Singh of Nabha, a notable scholar was contacted . Bhai Kanh Singh wrote various books on Sikhism, his most notable work being Mahan Kosh (encyclopaedia of Sikhism) and Ham Hindu Nahi (We are not Hindus). Bhai Vir Singh founded the Khalsa Tract Society , he contributed to the purity of Sikh thought and instilled faith the the Khalsa traditions by writing various books, his most famous being Kalghidar Chamatkaar.

In 1883 the Amritsar and Lahore Singh Sabhas tried to merge but were unsuccessful. The reason of the failure was the stark contrast between the two groups. On one hand there was the Amritsar group led by Baba Khem Singh, who did little to help the lower castes and suffered from having strong ideals in elitism. On the other hand the Lahore group was more radical and pro-lower caste. They were more democratic and believed in equality and representation. The contrast between the two was obvious and the Amritsar Singh Sabha refused links with the Lahore group.

This dispute turned nasty and open hostility broke out between the two groups, this resulted with Baba Khem Singh taking Giani Dit Singh to court over a play he had written called Swapan Natak (The Dream Play) which was thought to be a veiled attack on Baba Khem Singh. In due course most of the Singh Sabhas and devout Sikhs came to realise the righteous stand taken by the Lahore group and Gurmukh Singh and Bhai Dit Singh for the Singh cause.

The original founders of the Singh Sabha Movement were sanatan or ‘Traditional’ Sikhs believing that the panth certainly consisted of the followers of the Gurus, but had no problem with the Hindu traditions that were creeping in. There were the Sabha of Amritsar of 1873.

The radical Sikhs were the Tat Khalsa centered at Lahore. For the Tat Khalsa it was impossible to be a Hindu and A Sikh, as those of the Sanatan persuasion maintained. The only correct style for a Sikh was that of a Khalsa and although they did not cast out the non-Khalsa variety, they explicitly adopted the view that those non-Khalsa Sikhs were on there way to becoming fully fledged Sikh. In other words they were said to be aspiring to become members of the Khalsa, that is they were Sehaj-dhari ‘s or slow learners.

Ultimately the victory went to the Tat Khalsa and since the early years of the twentieth century Sikhs have been progressively learning three things. First, Sikhs are no Hindus, secondly Khalsa membership should be the objective of all Sikhs and thirdly, the Khalsa membership requires obedience to the Rehat.

Founders of the Sanatan movement were predominantly conservative Sikhs, concerned to sustain and protect the society in which they had been nurtured, this was a society which permitted a variety of Sikh identities and different modes of worship. The Tat Khalsa strongly disagreed with the actions of the Amritsar Singh Sabha. Those with radical opinion drew strength from the educational developments in Lahore. For the Tat Khalsa Sikhism could not possibly be as broad as Sanatan Sikhs believed. Emphatically Sikhs were not Hindus, and Hindu tradition was not what Sikhs should follow.

This dispute simply helped the Arya Samajists, with their leader venting out anti-Sikh rhetoric. The threat was real and realizing this the two groups merged. Through the Khalsa Diwan it was desired to set up a Sikh college. Cleverly the Singh Sabha aligned themselves with the British in order to gain funds for their educational programme. Some British well wishers even raised money through committees in England. In 1892 enough money was raised to lay the foundation stone of the Khalsa College. The collage made the teaching of Gurmukhi and Sikh scripture compulsory. The college was founded with the notion to challenge the ‘anti-Sikh’ wave that Punjab was harboring.

Sikh values were propagated through Punjabi newspapers, the Khalsa Tract Society and the Khalsa Diwan. In 1899 the weekly journal Khalsa Akbar was started. The main goal of this publication was to educate Sikhs about politics and Sikh history. Over the course of time more and more Sikhs saw the merits of the view point of the Lahore Singh Sabha and threw their lot with it. With pressure applied by the Sikh masses, idols that had been placed in the precincts of the Golden Temple in the days of the Hindu onslaught were removed. Later, in 1920 the practice of caste discrimination in the Golden Temple was stopped, due to pressure from the masses the priests has no option but to accept all offerings from all people.

Notable Sikh thinkers and leaders who contributed to restore the Sikh faith to its original Khalsa traditions and pristine purity were Professor Gurmukh Singh, Bhai Dit Singh, Bhai Jawahra Singh, Giani Gian Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, Bhai Kanh Singh Nabha and Sundar Singh Majithia.

Bhai Vir Singh (1872 –1957) was a great poet, a scholar and a very spiritual person. Through his writings he brought awareness of the glory of the Guru’s and the Khalsa to the Sikh masses. His writings in Punjabi are famous all over India. From his pen came the best novels of the Punjabi language. He wrote historical and philosophical essays, he was the force behind the cultural renaissance in the Punjab at the turn of the century. He was conferred the degree of Doctor of Oriental learning Honoris Causa in 1949 by Punjab University. He was honored with the Sahitya Academy Award in 1955 and the Padam Bhushan in1956 for his contributions of Punjabi literature. Bhai Vir Singh was the force behind the Singh Sabha movements literary output which was so important in awakening the Sikh masses. His earlier written novels like Sundari, Vijay Singh, Santwant Kaur and Baba Naudh Singh have to the viewed with reference to the social and political conditions of the end of the nineteenth century. Their central theme was heroism and chivalry of the Sikhs and the ethical excellence of the religion. The novels brought out the pristine glory of the Khalsa in contrast to the servility of the Hindu masses and the oppression of the Pathan and Mughal rulers.

Bhai Vir Singh then turned his attention to explaining the Sikh scriptures in his weekly paper, the Khalsa Samachar. He also wrote poems which gave him a most honored place among Punjabi poets. Thereafter he wrote biographies of the Sikh Guru’s: Kalgidhar Chamatkar, the life of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Guru Nanak Chamatkar, the life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Bhai Vir Singh Ji was dedicated to the cause of reform, he propagated the cause of education by building schools and colleges and was a founder director of the Punjab and Sind Bank, which greatly helped in uplifting the Sikh economy.

The main goals of the Singh Sabha movement was clear and uncompromising. To uplift the Sikhs in all spheres, be it political, social, moral or economic. The propagation of the Guru’s divine word, carrying of his teaching to the highest level. The removal of illiteracy and the spread of education regardless of caste or creed. The protection of political rights for the Sikhs and the removal of their grievances through constitutional methods. This was the backbone of the Singh Sabha movement , a movement that gained much attraction and gave Sikhs a role within their religion. It was the Singh Sabha movement that poured water over the rampage of Hinduism in the Punjab. It was Singh Sabha that halted the slide of Sikhism into unretreavable waters and it was Singh Sabha that made the Sikhs feel proud to be Sikhs again.

[lsingh]

Seems like we face the same threats today.

Singh Sabha Movement (early 1900's)

sikh history .com

After the Nirankari and Namdhari movements of 19th Century. Fresh century was about to be started with a new movement called Singh Sabha. Nirankari and Namdhari movements had failed to stir Sikh people because of their restricted scope and schismatic character they acquired. To quote Sardar Harbans Singh in The heritage of the Sikhs "The Singh Sabha which followed them had a much deeper impact. It influenced the entire Sikh Community and reoriented its outlook and spirit. Since the days of the Gurus nothing so vital had transpired to fertilize the consciousness of the Sikhs. The Singh Sabha by leavening the intellectual and cultural processes brought a new dimension to the inner life of the community and enlarged its heritage. Starting in the seventies of the last century, it marked a turning-point in Sikh history . It touched Sikhism to its very roots, and made it a living force once again. The stimulus it provided has shaped the Sikhs' attitude and aspiration over the past one hundred years."

The reason behind the success of the Singh sabha was the motivation to search for Sikh identity and Self-assertion that we are not just another sect of Hinduism. Earlier, Hindu philosophers had declared Sikhs as "another sect of Hinduism". 2500 years ago, same thing was done to Budhism, when Budha was made "another reincarnation of Vishnu" by Brahmins, thus ending Budhism in India. Singh Sabha recognized this and started their campaign of awakenings for rural Khalsa, which was under the direct threat of Christian Missionaries, Muslim Maulalivis and Arya Samajis. Khalsa's moral force and dynamic vitality was rediscovered and Singh Sabha started to look upon its history and tradition with clear and self-discerning eye.

Everything that was against Gurus teaching was rejected. Rites and customs considered consistent with Sikh doctrine and tradition were established. For some, legal sanction was secured through government legislation. With this came the reorganization of Sikh Shrines. Later in 1920's Sikh Historic Shrines like Nankana Sahib, Punja Sahib, Golden Temple, TarnTaran Sahib, etc were freed from the hold of hereditary Mahants. These mahants were practicing rites and ritual inconsistent with Sikhism, Including not letting people of "lower caste" into Gurdwaras, publicly smoking, Idol worshipping of various Gods and Goddesses, and holding Shraddhs and other rituals not followed by the Sikh Gurus.

This period also witnessed the modern development and emergence of new cultural and political aspirations. Higher level of literacy were achieved by Sikhs. Famous Khalsa college at Amritsar and hundreds of Khalsa Schools were opened through out punjab. Many Sikhs ventured outside India at this period and settled at Malaysia, Canada, U.K, Africa and USA. In Punjab, the Sikhs sought to secure recognition for themselves:

"An English newspaper writes that the Christian faith is making

rapid progress and makes the prophecy that within the next

twenty-five years, one-third of the Majha area will be Christian.

The Malwa will follow suit. Just as we do not see any Buddhists

in the country except in images, in the same fashion the Sikhs,

who are now, here and there, visible in turbans and their

other religious forms like wrist bangles and swords, will be

seen only in pictures in museums. Their own sons and grandsons

turning Christians and clad in coats and trousers and sporting

toadstool-like caps will go to see them in the museums and

say in their pidgin Punjabi: Look, that is the picture of a

Sikh-the tribe that inhabited this country once upon a time.'

Efforts of those who wish to resist the onslaught of Christianity

are feeble and will prove abortive like a leper without hands and

feet trying to save a boy falling off a rooftop.

This was a note which appeared in a Sikh newspaper, the Khalsa Akhbar (Punjabi) of Lahore, May 25,1894, from the pen of its editor, Giani Ditt Singh (1853-1901). Reporting the observance of the first anniversary of the Lahore Singh Sabha in its issue for April 22, 1905, the Khalsa Advocate (English) referred to the occupant of a banga in the precincts of the Tarn Taran Gurdwara who had embraced Christianity and hung a cross on one of its walls to convert it into a Christian chapel. The Khalsa Akhbar, July 13, 1894, carried this letter in its correspondence columns: "In the village of Natta, Nabha state, a Sikh married off his daughter according to Sikh custom Most of the population in the village, including Brahmanical Hindus and some Sikhs, became hostile. They did not let the marriage party stay in the dharamsala. The host, firm in his faith, had to put up the wedding guests in his own house." A student by the name of Bir Singh contributed a letter to the Khalsa Akhbar, February 12, 1897, saying: "Near the Dukhbhanjani beri tree in the Golden Temple precincts] there is a room on the front wall of which is painted a picture. The picture depicts a goddess and Guru Gobind Singh. The goddess stands on golden sandals and she has many hands-ten or, perhaps, twenty. One of the hands is stretched out and in this she holds a khanda. Guru Gobind Singh stands barefoot in front of it with his hands folded." A letter in the Khalsa Akhbar, October 8, 1897, reported: "On Tuesday, Bhadon 31, the pujaris of the Tarn Taran Gurdwara held the shradha ceremony in honour of Guru Arjan. Those feasted were from outside the faith and they smoked." A correspondent' s letter in the Khalsa Samachar of Amritsar, edited by Bhai Vir Singh, June 25, 1902, said: "Around the village of Singhpur, Christians and Muhammadans are becoming very influential. The former have two churches here and the latter two mosques. In this area there is no dharamsala and the rural Khalsa is rather neglectful of its religious duty." " (These newspaper quotations were taken from Herigate of the Sikhs, by Sardar Harbans Singh ji.)

These quotations reveal the identity crisis that Sikhism faced at the dawn of new century.

An editorial in the Khalsa Advocate (English), December 15, 1904, summed up the situation which existed before the emergence of the Singh Sabha thus:

". . . false gurus grew up in great abundance whose

only business was to fleece their flock and pamper their

own self-aggrandizement. Properly speaking, there was no

Sikhism. Belief in the Gurus was gone. The idea of brotherhood

in the Panth was discarded. The title of 'Bhai' so much

honoured by Sikhs of old, fell into disuse and contempt.

Sikhs grovelled in superstition and idolatry... It [sikhism]

had thus lost all that was good and life-giving in the faith."

Singh Sabha movement not only reform the Sikh institutions of the rituals and rites like casteism but also made sure that in future, these rituals would not creep back in. Before Singh Sabha, situation was so bad that even Giani Ditt Singh, a very much honored literary giant of Singh Sabha movement had to withdraw from gurdwara when Karah Prashad was to be served, reason being that he was from "low caste", and many priests as well well educated devotees were followers of this anti-Sikhism casteism ritual.

As Sardar Harbans Singh ji say " The decline had started in the very heyday of Sikh power. In the courtly splendor of the days of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sikh practice had been utterly subverted. The faith was weakened by the influx of large numbers of those who had adopted the Sikh form to gain material advantage, but whose allegiance to its principles and traditions was only tentative. In the words of a character in one of Sir Jogendra Singh's English novels, Rasili: "We failed because we did not obey the Guru. People established kingdoms and principalities and neglected their poor brethren. The result is what you see-the Khalsa has fallen." But the protagonist is aware of the massive reformation that was taking place. He says, "Sikhism is now casting off external influences and returning to the solid rock of its own pure faith and divine teachings." In a general way, the Singh Sabha was an expression of the impulse of the Sikh community to rid itself of the base adulterations and accretions which were draining away its energy and to rediscover the sources of its original inspiration. Unlike other Indian reform movements of the period which were the creation of the elite, the Singh Sabha was a mass upsurge. Besides the awareness that Sikhism as commonly practiced was a corruption of what it originally was, two other motivating factors were at work: a reaction to what was happening in the neighborly religious traditions and defensiveness generated by Christian missionaries activities."

The Christian missionary activity had started in the Punjab with the influx of the English. Even while Ranjit Singh, the Sikh sovereign, reigned in Lahore, an American Presbyterian mission had been set up at Ludhiana, the north-western British outpost near the Sikh frontier. The factors for the choice of this area as "the best field of labour" were its "numerous and hardy population....a better climate than the lower provinces and....a ready access to the lower ranges of the Himalaya mountains in case of the failure of health." Another reason was the Sikh population "to whom our attention at first was specially directed," as says John C. Lowrie in his book Travels in North India. With the end of Sikh rule in 1849, the Ludhiana Mission extended its work to Lahore. Two of its members, C.W. Forman and John Newton, were set apart for this duty and sent to the Punjab capital immediately. English and vernacular schools as well as welfare institutions like hospitals and orphanages followed. C.W. Forman turned out regularly for bazaar preaching.

John Lawrence, who was one of the triumvirate which ruled the Punjab after it was annexed to Britain, was a zealous patron of Christian proselytization. He contributed towards the Mission funds a sum of Rs. 500 annually out of his own pocket. Other English of fixers followed his example. It was his ambition to see the conquest of the Sikh dominions followed by large-scale conversions to Christianity.

Amritsar, headquarters of the Sikh faith, became another important seat of Church enterprise. In 1852, T.H. Fitzpatrick and Robert Clark, the first missionaries of the Church of England appointed to the Punjab, arrived in station. In the valedictory instruction given them, they had been told: "Though the Brahman religion still sways the minds of a large portion of the population of the Punjab, and the Mohammedan of another, the dominant religion and power for the last century has been the Sikh religion, a species of pure theism, formed in the first instance by a dissenting sect from Hinduism. A few helpful instances lead us to believe that the Sikhs may prove more accessible to scriptural truth than the Hindus and Mohammedans...."

The English missionaries were joined by Daud Singh recorded to be the first Sikh ever to have embraced Christianity. He had been baptized in Kanpur by the Rev. W.H. Perkins, and was transferred to Amritsar as pastor in 1852. The Mission houses were built in the city by the Deputy Commissioner. Construction of the station church was started. In the wake of the Mission came a vernacular school, a high school, a school for girls and midwifery hospital. The evangelizing work was rewarded with the conversion of men like Shamaun, i.e. Simeon, a Sikh granthi (reader of the Holy Book or priest), formerly Kesar Singh of Sultanwind, Imad-ud-Din, a Muslim maulavi and Rulia Ram, a Hindu Khatri from Amritsar, who had attended the Mission School and passed the Calcutta entrance examination. Sub-stations of the Mission were opened in important towns of the Sikh tract of Majha such as Tarn Taran, Ajnala and Jandiala.

Singh Sabha movement was helped by the missionaries activities of Mohammadens and Christians. It grew out of nowhere to become a founding father of current SGPC and Akali party. Singh Sabha Movement brought back the old ways of Khalsa and restored the pride and dignity of common urban and rural Sikhs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Copyright © Harbans Singh "Heritage of the Sikhs"

[guptveer1469]

Brother,

these false 'facts' you have labelled to be blasphemies all have one source,

it is a now defunct publication of the 1800's called 'Khalsa Akhbar', and guess what,

it was started by a disgruntled former employee of Baba Khem Singh Bedi and thus,

one of it's chief aims was to spread rumors and innuendo against Baba Khem Singh Bedi,

Baba Khem Singh Bedi actually successfully sued this newspaper for libel and slander.

And thus all you've written is mere impassioned hearsay which is just about as hollow as both your

weak arguments and moral resolve have proven to be thus far.

How could there be a link between Baba Khen Singh Bedi and Arya Samaj when he not only vehemently wrote against them, campaigned against them, preached against them, academically refuted them, and pubically bankrolled a pulpet body to oppose them through the circulation of leaflets, flyers and pamphleteering?

Even objective Western sources have confirmed this.

And by the way, I must remind you of the one cardinal blasphemy you failed to include and for which you will answer for in the hereafter:

slandering a saint and descendent of Guru Nanak,

Agree brother. You put it really nicely. Slandering a saint is VERY BAD (see Asthpadi 13 of Sukhmani Sahib). But a descendant of Guru Nanak? I don't think this has any special meaning in Sikhi. Bobby Bedi, some film producer in Bollywood (Mona and non practising Sikh), should he be revered just because he is a descendant of Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj?

[+Singh_is_King+]

ISingh and SonybondSingh, Bole so nihaal, Sat siri akal.

Neatly and simply put -well done !

Sanatans must be challenged for stealing the true glory of the Khalsa.

These satan sanatans are the cancer from within that is poluting the youth into hindu rituals and mocking Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This cannot be tolorated by any Singh of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

May Waheguru give Bakshi to you and your families.

WJKK WJKF.

[guptveer1469]

ISingh and SonybondSingh, Bole so nihaal, Sat siri akal.

Neatly and simply put -well done !

Sanatans must be challenged for stealing the true glory of the Khalsa.

These satan sanatans are the cancer from within that is poluting the youth into hindu rituals and mocking Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This cannot be tolorated by any Singh of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

May Waheguru give Bakshi to you and your families.

WJKK WJKF.

WJKK WJKF Jio

Nice to see that you aren't Anti-Dasam Granth Sahib.

Waheguru bless you with a Gursikhi jeevan too veerjio

WJKK WJKF

[lsingh]

ISingh and SonybondSingh, Bole so nihaal, Sat siri akal.

Neatly and simply put -well done !

Sanatans must be challenged for stealing the true glory of the Khalsa.

These satan sanatans are the cancer from within that is poluting the youth into hindu rituals and mocking Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This cannot be tolorated by any Singh of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

May Waheguru give Bakshi to you and your families.

WJKK WJKF.

A forgotten hero of the Sikhs , Giani Ditt Singh was discriminated by some Sikh leaders of the time as he was said to be 'low caste', diectly going against the Guru Sahibs teachings.

GIANI DITT SINGH (1853-1901)

Giani Ditt Singh was a scholar, poet and journalist. He was an eminent Singh Sabha reformer and editor. He was born on 21 April 1853 at Kalaur, a village in Patiala district of the Punjab. His ancestral village was Jhalhan, near Chamkaur Sahib, but his father, Divan Singh, had migrated to his wife's village, Kalaur. Divan Singh, a Ravidasia by caste and a weaver by trade, was a religious minded person who had earned the title of Sant for his piety. Himself an admirer of the Gulabdasi sect, he sent Ditt Singh at the age of nine, to be educated under Sant Gurbakhsh Singh at Dera Gulabdasian in the village of Tior, near Kharar in Ropar district. Ditt Singh studied Gurmukhi, prosody, Vedanta and Nlti-Sastra at the Dera, and learnt Urdu from Daya Nand, a resident of Tior. At the age of 16-17, he shifted to the main Gulabdasi centre at chhathianvala, near Kasur, in Lahore district. Formally initiated into the sect of Sant Desa Singh, he became a Gulabdasi preacher. Not long afterwards, he came under the influence of Bhai Jawahir Singh, formerly a follower of Gulabdasi sect, who had joined the Arya Samaj. Ditt Singh also became an Arya Samajist. He was introduced to "Swami" Daya Nand, the founder of the Arya Samaj, during the latter's visit to Lahore in 1877. Soon, however, he and his friend, Jawahir Singh, were drawn into the Sikh fold through Bhai Gurmukh Singh, then an active figure in the Singh Sabha movement. In 1886, Bhai Gurmukh Singh, following the establishment of the Lahore Khalsa Diwan parallel to the one at Amritsar, floated a weekly newspaper, the Khalsa Akhbar. Though its first editor was Giam Jhanda Singh Faridkoti, the principal contributor was Giani Ditt Singh, who soon took over editorship from him.

He had passed the Gyani examination the same year and had been appointed a teacher at the Oriental College. In his hands the Khalsa Akhbar became an efficient and powerful vehicle for the spread of Singh Sabha ideology. The Khalsa Diwan Amritsar led by Baba Khem Singh Bedi and the ruler of Faridkot, Raja Bikram Singh, had Bhai Gurmukh Singh excommunicated, under the seal of the Golden Temple, in March 1887. On 16 April 1887, Giani Ditt Singh issued a special supplement of his Khalsa Akhbar in which appeared a part of his Svapan Natak (q.v.), or Dream Play, a thinly-veiled satire, ridiculing the Amritsar leaders and their supporters. One of the victims of the burlesque, Bava Ude Singh, filed a defamation suit against Giani Ditt Singh in a Lahore court. The latter was sentenced to pay a fine of Rs 5 but was on appeal acquitted by the sessions court on 30 April 1888. The case had dragged on for over a year, imposing severe financial hardship on the Khalsa AKhbar. It had already suffered a setback by the death in May 1887 of its chief patron, Kanvar Bikrama Singh of Kapurthala. In 1889, it had to be closed down, along with the Khalsa Press. Bhai Gurmukh Singh, however, secured, through Bhal Kahn Singh, help from the Maharaja of Nabha and the Khalsa Akhbar recommenced publication on 1 May 1893. Editorship was again entrusted to Ditt Singh. Ditt Singh also helped Bhagat Lakshman Singh to launch from Lahore on 5January 1899 the Khalsa, a weekly in English. Giani Ditt Singh and his friend,Jawahir Singh, had not severed their connection with the Arya Samaj even after their initiation into the Sikh faith. The final breach came on 25 November 1888 when, in a public meeting held on the eleventh anniversary of the Lahore Arya Samaj, Pandit Guru Dutt of Government College, Lahore, and Lala Murh Dhar spoke disparagingly about the Sikh Gurus. This hurt the feelings of Giani Ditt Singh and Jawahir Singh and they left the Arya Samaj for good. They joined hands with Bhai Gurmukh Singh and threw themselves whole-heartedly into the Singh Sabha work.

Giani Ditt Singh wielded a powerful pen and was equally at home in prose as well as in verse. He wrote more than forty books and pamphlets on Sikh theology and history and on current polemics. Well-known among his works are: Guru Nanak Prabodh, Guru Arjan Chariltar, Dambh Bidaran, Durga Prabodh, Panth Prabodh, RajPrabodh, Mera ate Sadhu Dayanand da Sambad, Naqh SiAh Prabodh and Panth Sudhar Binai Pattar. He also published accounts of the martyrdoms of Tara Singh of Van, Subeg Singh, Matab Singh Mirankotia , Taru Singh and Bota Singh. Ditt Singh's marriage took place in Lahore in 1880 according to Sikh rites. His wife, Bishan Kaur, shared his religious zeal and the couple had a happy married life. They had two children, a son, Baldev Singh, born in 1886, and a daughter, Vidyavant Kaur, born in 1890. Ditt Singh was very fond of his daughter who was a highly precocious child. Her death on 17 June 1901 was a great blow to Ditt Singh, who had already been under a strain owing to persistently heavy work since the death in 1898 of Bhai Gurmukh Singh. He still continued to work with patience and fortitude, but his health deteriorated rapidly and he fell seriously ill. A Muslim doctor, Rahlm Khan, treated him but it was of no avail. Giani Ditt Singh died at Lahore on 6 September 1901. The loss was mourned widely by the Sikhs. A 15-member memorial committee was formed with Bhai Sahib Arjan Singh Bagarlan as chairman. Notable memorials honouring his name were Giani Ditt Singh Khalsa Boarding House in Lahore and Bhal Ditt Singh Library opened at Sikh Kanya Mahavidyala Firozpur by Bhal Takht Singh, one of his former students and a close friend.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The encyclopedia of Sikhism, Editor- Sardar Harbans Singh.

Amar Singh, Giani, Singh Sabha Lahir de Ughe Sanchalak Giani Ditt Singh Ji. Amritsar, 1902

Daljit Singh, Singh Sabha de Modhi Giani Ditt Sirigh Ji. Arnritsar, 1951

Jagjit Singh, Singh Sabha Lahir. Ludhiana, 1974

Harbans Singh, The Heritage of the Sikhs. Delhi,1983

Jolly, Surjit Kaur, Sikh Revivalist Movements. Delhi,1988

Chandar, Gurmukh Singh, My Attempted Excommunication from the Sikh Temples and the Khalsa Community at Fandkot in 1887. Lahore, 1898 Cds. S.