Greatest Sikhs of the 20th century

[jkvlondon]

23 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

No specialist scientists, engineers, doctors, writers, and pro-Sikh intellectuals.

Saints don't create and nurture world leading civilisations as upsetting as that may be to accept.

sant Teja Singh ji was a pioneer in academic circles as well as serving the panth , don't be so sure about what you said

[MisterrSingh]

10 minutes ago, jkvlondon said:

sant Teja Singh ji was a pioneer in academic circles as well as serving the panth , don't be so sure about what you saidm not say

I'm not saying they don't exist at all. I'm arguing that people on this forum don't seem to place much value in these types of individuals who actually progress and improve the fortunes of a particular group.

[jkvlondon]

1 hour ago, MisterrSingh said:

I'm not saying they don't exist at all. I'm arguing that people on this forum don't seem to place much value in these types of individuals who actually progress and improve the fortunes of a particular group.

the question was kind of open to interpretation , most of the sikh world associates saints with sikhi parchaar and sewa  not so much material world progress. I suppose Baba iqbal Singh ji's akal academy schools and university and treatment centre could be another progressive , Sant Sucha Singh ji of Jawaddi Taksal is reinvigorating gurmat raaj kirtan and tanti saaz players

[puzzled]

Jaswant Singh Khalra.

What about a Singh named Bawa Singh? I think he was a scientist and was nominated for a Nobel Prize Award ? got recognition from Cambridge Uni and other places. I read he was a descendant of Guru Amar Das ji.  Anyone know anything about him! ? 

There are more people but we just don't recognize them! and they get forgotten.    

Its a shame how Bhagat Puran Singh ji gets labelled by the Indian media as "the mother teresa of Amritsar" and other rubbish. Mother Teresa was a fraud and a hypocrite, she had twisted sickening beliefs and made millions for the Vatican. Bhagat Puran Singh was a true humanitarian and so much more.  

If the Indian media ever made a list then they would name people like Zail Singh, atheist Kushwant Singh, PM Manmohan Singh, and Sikhs who held top positions in the Indian army and then Daler Mehndi.

 

[puzzled]

We sometimes overlook the work done by sants. We either slot them as political leaders/sipahi, or we just see them as sants, but they were so much more than that.

For example Sant Kartar Singh ji Bhindranwale did parchaar his whole life, made so many people Sikhs, but he also was a human rights activist. During the Emergency period under indra gandhi, Sant ji along with 1000s of Sikh went to Delhi and protested against the emergency and violation of humans rights. India claimed to be a "democracy" yet so many Politicians from the opposite parties, students, media persons and protesters were arrested during the emergency that Thiar jail, Delhi had reached its full capacity, the army used to patrol the streets. Sant Ji protested against the laws and changes that were forced onto the public during this period. So many Sikhs who spoke up against the congress government were arrested during this period. Sants never confined themselves to parchaar but openly spoke against oppressive governments and spoke up for democracy and rights.

During the time of Sant Jarnail Singh ji Bhindranwale so many social reforms took place. The families of the girls had to no longer pay for all the wedding cost or dowry. The guys side of the family were only permitted to bring around 10 people with them to the anand karaj, which lifted so much burden on the brides side of the family. If The grooms side of the family used bring more than 10 people then they would face consequences from the kharkoos! Any family that would harass their daughter-inlaw for dowry used to get a visit from one of Sant Jis Singhs! Many cases of women coming to Sant ji because their in-laws would harass them and sant ji would sort the problem out. In fact, writer Kushwant Singh who was one of Sant Jis biggest critics and a Congress fan boy, while visiting Harmandir sahib he himself witnessed a girl running to Sant Ji and telling him how her in-laws are torturing her because her family can't afford the dowry. Sant Ji then ordered one of his Singhs to give the girl the amount of money her in-laws are demanding and that if they trouble her again that the Singhs would pay a visit! Kushwant Singh said he could see why Sant ji was so popular.

Traditions like dowry are 1000s of years old, and these sants and their Singhs stopped it for some years. They achieved so much and did so much in their short lives. They weren't just religious and political leaders, but were social reformers and even environmentalists. 

But now we are back in square one again. Mother in-laws setting their daughter in-laws on fire, girls committing suicide because they don't want to be a burden on their fathers. My mother told me how around 2 weeks back, on the day of their daughters wedding, both the parents and bride were found dead in the morning. They had taken poison, committed suicide, reason being they were so poor and couldn't afford the dowry the the grooms family had demanded. 

[GurjantGnostic]

2 hours ago, puzzled said:

My mother told me how around 2 weeks back, on the day of their daughters wedding, both the parents and bride were found dead in the morning. They had taken poison, committed suicide, reason being they were so poor and couldn't collect afford the dowry the the grooms family had demanded. 

...bro...

[puzzled]

43 minutes ago, GurjantGnostic said:

...bro...

Unfortunately this happens a lot in India, from what I know its a even worse in other parts of India. Was watching a documentary where a activist said how in some village in Punjab a girls parents wanted to get her married as she was 21 years old now, he father was poor so he went around the village knocking on everyone's door asking for money so he could get his daughter married, no one gave money. When he came back and told his wife no one gave him money, their daughter committed suicide by jumping into a well, she obviously felt like a burden. This happens a lot! In the Punjabi news you hears stories of women setting their daughter-in-laws on fire because their parents can't afford the dowry the in-laws are demanding. 

In India, traditionally, the brides family have to pay for the whole wedding! on top of that send a dowry with the bride. Its mainly North Indian culture, so its no surprise that North Indian states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan have the highest % of women aborting girl babies. Last year someone sent me a video of a dead new born girl floating in a river in Punjab, the umbilical cord was still attached, they sent a young lad into the river to grab her. A few weeks after someone sent me another similar video. Stuff like that happens all the time.

But during the 80s and 90s Singhs had made sure that no bride had to bring a dowry with her, and only around 10 people from the grooms family were allowed to attend the Anand Karaj, this was done so their was no burden on the brides family to pay for the grooms side of the family as well, because in India its the brides family that has to pay for the whole wedding, venue, entertainment and food for like 200 guests! by making sure only around 10 members of the grooms family attended the anand karaj and venue was a huge relief for the brides family. This continued until the mid 90s when the Kharkoo movement died out. 

My mothers own brothers got married in the early 90s, I've seen the videos and there like 5 people from their side of the family, and my family are from a region where the freedom movement wasn't even big, but still the influence was spread far. 

Entertainment at weddings was banned as well, most of the time it was stage "entertainment"  but the brides family were expected to pay for that as well most of the time, but all that was banned as well during that era. 

After the mid 90s things went back to normal again. 

[GurjantGnostic]

Just now, puzzled said:

Unfortunately this happens a lot in India, from what I know its a even worse in other parts of India. Was watching a documentary where a activist said how in some village in Punjab a girls parents wanted to get her married as she was 21 years old now, he father was poor so he went around the village knocking on everyone's door asking for money so he could get his daughter married, no one gave money. When he came back and told his wife no one gave him money, their daughter committed suicide by jumping into a well, she obviously felt like a burden. This happens a lot! In the Punjabi news you hears stories of women setting their daughter-in-laws on fire because their parents can't afford the dowry the in-laws are demanding. 

In India, traditionally, the brides family have to pay for the whole wedding! on top of that send a dowry with the bride. Its mainly North Indian culture, so its no surprise that North Indian states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan have the highest % of women aborting girl babies. Last year someone sent me a video of a dead new born girl floating in a river in Punjab, the umbilical cord was still attached, they sent a young lad into the river to grab her. A few weeks after someone sent me another similar video. Stuff like that happens all the time.

But during the 80s and 90s Singhs had made sure that no bride had to bring a dowry with her, and only around 10 people from the grooms family were allowed to attend the Anand Karaj, this was done so their was no burden on the brides family to pay for the grooms side of the family as well, because in India its the brides family that has to pay for the whole wedding, venue, entertainment and food for like 200 guests! by making sure only around 10 members of the grooms family attended the anand karaj and venue was a huge relief for the brides family. This continued until the mid 90s when the Kharkoo movement died out. 

My mothers own brothers got married in the early 90s, I've seen the videos and there like 5 people from their side of the family, and my family are from a region where the freedom movement wasn't even big, but still the influence was spread far. 

After the mid 90s things went back to normal again. 

I'm ignorant bro..but didn't the Guru Sahiban get rid of dowry?

[GurjantGnostic]

Like Anand Karaj for free and eat Langar. Or meet the Panj Pyare in the woods ..damn. Maybe give newly joined a little jumpstart gift. Jeez. 

[GurjantGnostic]

Like how are girls dying over poverty and dowry and there's a bunch of lonely Singhs who feel they can't afford a wife who live in first wolrd nations? Like can we lower our monetary expectations and love and help each other?

And like..practice Gursikhi together?