Giani Partap Singh (Punjabi: ਗਿਆਨੀ ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪ ਸਿੰਘ; 3 January 1904 – 10 May 1984) was a Sikh priest and Panjabi writer. He served as the first acting

Jathedar of Akal Takht The Jathedar of the Akal Takht ( pa, ਜੱਥੇਦਾਰ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ) is the head of the Akal Takht and head of the Sikhs worldwide. The jathedar has the de facto power as the supreme spokesperson of the Khalsa t ...

from 19 December 1937 to 1948 and 19th

from 1952 to 15 February 1955.

Early life and career

Partap Singh was born on 3 January 1904, at Nara village in Rawalpindi division of

Panjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father was Makhan Singh Sasan and mother Mathura Devi. His grandfather, Sundar Singh served in the army of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

. Between 1909 and 1918, Singh completed 5 years of education at the local primary school in Nara and further education at the middle school in

Bishan Daur Bishan Daur is a village of Jhelum District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°12'0″N 73°25'0E with an altitude of 430 metres (1414 feet). The name was officially changed to Dewan e hazoori during the fir ...

. Near the completion of his primary education, he took the vows of the

Khalsa Khalsa ( pa, ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, , ) refers to both a community that considers Sikhism as its faith,Kha ...

and became an initiated Sikh. Subsequently, for some 3 years he studied Sikh literature and attended the services of

Singh Sabha Movement The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Hindu reform movements ( Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj) and Muslims (Aligarh movement and Ahmadiyah). The mov ...

and Isher Singh Rara Sahib. In 1922, Singh enrolled into Khalsa Updesh College at Gujranwala, where he passed the certificate of

Giani A gyani or giani (Punjabi: ਗਿਆਨੀ ) is an honorific Sikh title used by someone learned in the Sikh religion and who often leads the congregation in prayers, such as Ardas, or in singing ( kirtan). The word means "knowledge" in Punja ...

with the second highest marks in

. From 1918 to 1921, he attended various conferences organised by Chief Khalsa Diwan, Na-Milvartan Lehir and Sikh League. These conferences had a great impact on his mind and conscience. In 1923, Singh contributed with immense participation in the Kar Seva (literally "service with hands") of Harmandir Sahib. Considering the service and education of the Giani,

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; "Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee") is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the unio ...

(SGPC) employed him as a priest. Soon after he joined, the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

declared that the SGPC was against the law. The government arrested various SGPC workers including Singh and imprisoned them at

Jhang Jhang (Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 18th largest city of Pakistan by population. The historic ...

and

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

. During the one and half years of imprisonment, the Giani managed to learn multiple languages such as

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Works

* Zaat Paat te Chhoot Chhaat ( pa , ਜ਼ਾਤ ਪਾਤ ਤੇ ਛੂਤ ਛਾਤ), 1933 * Gurmat Lecture ( pa , ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਲੈਕਚਰ), 1944 * Itihasic Lecture Do Bhaag ( pa , ਇਤਿਹਾਸਕ ਲੈਕਚਰ ਦੋ ਭਾਗ), 1945 * Sadha Desh Te Usdian Smasiawan ( pa , ਸਾਡਾ ਦੇਸ਼ ਤੇ ਉਸਦੀਆਂ ਸਮਸਿਆਵਾਂ), 1945 * Bhagat Darshan ( pa , ਭਗਤ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ), 1945 * Gurmat Philosophy ( pa , ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਫਿਲਾਸਫੀ), 1946 * Sansaar Da Dharmic Itihas ( pa , ਸੰਸਾਰ ਦਾ ਧਾਰਮਿਕ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ), 1948 * Kudrat De Chamatkaar ( pa , ਕੁਦਰਤ ਦੇ ਚਮਤਕਾਰ), 1947 * Pakistani Ghalughara ( pa , ਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨੀ ਘਲੂਘਾਰਾ), 1948 * Akali Lahir Da Ithas ( pa , ਅਕਾਲੀ ਲਹਿਰ ਦਾ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ), 1951 * Baba Khuda Singh ( pa , ਬਾਬਾ ਖੁਦਾ ਸਿੰਘ), 1962 * Baba Bir Singh Naurangabad ( pa , ਬਾਬਾ ਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੌਰੰਗਾਬਾਦ), 1962 * Takhtan Bare Vichar ( pa , ਤਖਤਾਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਵਿਚਾਰ), 1966 * Nakli Nirankari ( pa , ਨਕਲੀ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੀ), 1967 * Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruma ( pa , ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਸ:ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਫੇਰੂਮਾਨ), 1968 * Radha Swami Mat Darpan ( pa , ਰਾਧਾ ਸਵਾਮੀ ਮਤ ਦਰਪਨ), 1969 * Gurbani Es Jag Meh Chanan ( pa , ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਇਸ ਜਗ ਮਹਿ ਚਾਨਣ), 1975 * Kuka Guru Dum ( pa , ਕੂਕਾ ਗੁਰੂ ਡਮ), 1972 * Mahabali Guru Gobind Singh ( pa , ਮਹਾਬਲੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ), 1974 * Hind Di Chadar Guru Tegh Bahadar ( pa , ਹਿੰਦ ਦੀ ਚਾਦਰ ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ ਬਹਾਦਰ), 1975 * Akali Lahir De Mahaan Neta ( pa , ਅਕਾਲੀ ਲਹਿਰ ਦੇ ਮਹਾਨ ਨੇਤਾ), 1976 * Amritsar Sifti Da Ghar ( pa , ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਸਿਫਤੀ ਦਾ ਘਰ), 1977

Jathedar of Akal Takht

The inauguration of Singh as the first vice

took place on 19 December 1937. He served alongside Mohan Singh Nagoke up to 1948 and later served as the

from 1952 to 15 February 1955. He resign due to political difference with

Master Tara Singh Master Tara Singh (24 June 1885 – 22 November 1967) was an Indian Sikh political and religious figure in the first half of the 20th century. He was instrumental in organising the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee and guiding the Sikh ...

Family and personal life

In 1918, Singh married Shaant Kaur, daughter of Mangal Singh. The couple had six children.

Death

He was assassinated by

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a militant leader of the Sikh organization Damdami Taksal. He was not an advocate of Khalistan. "Bhindranwale was not an outspoken supporter of Khalistan, ...

's companion Daya Singh in Amritsar,

Punjab, India Punjab (; ) is a state in northern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the north and northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast, and ...

for criticising the occupation of the Akal Takht of the Golden temple by Bhindranwale and his corhorts. He described this occupation as sacrilegious to the Sikh faith.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Partap 1904 births 1984 deaths Punjabi people Punjabi-language writers Sikh writers Indian religious leaders Assassinated Indian people People murdered in India Jathedars of Akal Takht People from Rawalpindi India MPs 1962–1967