Pratap Singh Giani (also Partap Singh Gyani, 1855–1920) was a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

academic, scholar and calligraphist.

Life

He was born in 1855, the son of Bhai Bhag Singh Giani of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

(Gurmukhi: ਭਾਈ ਭਾਗ ਸਿੰਘ ਲਾਹੌਰ). As a young boy, Partap Singh learnt Punjabi,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and studied

scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

. In 1884, he accompanied Thakur Singh Sandhanvalia to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to read the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, w ...

to the deposed Sikh ruler of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Maharaja Duleep Singh and to re-convert him to Sikhism. Partap Singh remained in

for six months. On return to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, he worked as a ''granthi'' (scripture-reader) at Gurdwara Kaulsar in

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

. When Maharaja Duleep Singh was due to come back to India, Partap Singh accompanied Thakur Singh and his sons to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

with the intention of going to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

to receive the Maharajah. On hearing the news of Duleep Singh's detention at

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

, Partap Singh returned to Amritsar while Thakur Singh proceeded to

Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

. At Amritsar, Partap Singh worked secretly for Thakur Singh distributing his pro-Duleep Singh letters among his

confidant The confidant ( or ; feminine: confidante, same pronunciation) is a character in a story whom a protagonist confides in and trusts. Confidants may be other principal characters, characters who command trust by virtue of their position such as ...

s and friends. Towards the close of 1887, he was arrested at Amritsar and sent to

jail. He escaped from

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

and, turning a

sadhu ''Sadhu'' (, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female), also spelled ''saddhu'') is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively ...

, travelled to different parts of the country in the company of holy men. Handwritten travel memoir written in a poetic form of Punjabi by Giani Pratap Singh recalling his visit to London to see Duleep Singh in 1882

Handwritten travel memoir written in a poetic form of Punjabi by Giani Pratap Singh recalling his visit to London to see Duleep Singh in 1882

During one such journey he happened to meet Max Arthur Macauliffe, then engaged in translating the Sikh

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

into English. Macauliffe was impressed by his learning and wished that he would assist him in his work. Partap Singh, who had introduced himself under the assumed name of “Bava Ishar Das”, revealed thereupon his identity to him. Macauliffe interceded with the government on his behalf and had the warrants of his arrest withdrawn in January 1889. Partap Singh settled down in a house in Kaulsar near Baba Atal, in Amritsar, and for several years performed katha expounding the Holy Writ in front of the Akal Bung. Large-sized Guru Granth Sahib manuscript that was handwritten by Pratap Singh Giani and completed in 1908 C

Large-sized Guru Granth Sahib manuscript that was handwritten by Pratap Singh Giani and completed in 1908 C

A fine calligraphist, Partap Singh transcribed volumes of the

, the most famous of them being the one still preserved in the Harimandir Sahib. This copy, completed in 1908, is written in very bold

Gurmukhi Gurmukhī ( , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). Commonly regarded as a Sikh script, Gurmukhi is used in Punjab, India as the official scrip ...

characters on large-sized 25" by 28" sheets of Kashmiri paper and is installed on the first floor of the Harimandir Sahib where it is used for the recital of akhand paths or unbroken readings of the Guru Granth Sahib. The entire volume, 1527 leaves, that is, 8054 pages, with double borders in red, blue and yellow, is written in Giani Pratap Singh's hand and is known as Vadde Baba Ji (largesized Holy Volume). The name of the scribe is mentioned at the end of the text, on a separate sheet. Volumes of the Holy Books transcribed by Giani Partap Singh are also preserved at Baba Atal and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded. In 1902, Partap Singh joined

Aitchison College Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...

, also known as Chiefs College, Lahore, as granthi and instructor. According to the records of the college, he was employed initially at a salary of Rupees 5 per month, which was later increased to Rupees 50 per month from 1904. He taught in this college as a Sikh religious teacher till his death in 1920.

Legacy

According to Panjaba Phain, August 1916 issue, he was the first secretary of the Sanatan Singh Sabha (also referred to as Amritsar Singh Sabha). He was also editor of the earliest published Sikh

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

Akal Prakash, which made its first appearance in 1876. He is also said to have translated into Punjabi Major Evans Bell's book, ''The Annexation of the Punjab and Maharaja Duleep Singh''. Pratap Singh died at Lahore on 20 July 1920. Pratap Singh's son Kartar Singh Giani was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and was later a member of the Sikh Gurudwara Judicial Commission. His grandsons Harinder Singh Giani and Narinder Singh Gyani were lawyers practicing in the

Punjab and Haryana High Court Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of Judges of this High Court is 85 consisting of 64 Pe ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

and Amritsar. His great-grandson Harpreet Singh Giani is an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

and a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

currently practicing in the

and in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giani, Pratap Singh 1855 births 1920 deaths Indian Sikh religious leaders Academic staff of Aitchison College 19th-century Indian artists 19th-century Indian male artists 19th-century Indian non-fiction writers 19th-century Indian scholars 19th-century Indian translators 20th-century Indian educators 20th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers 19th-century Indian journalists Indian expatriates in England Academics from Lahore Scholars from Amritsar Artists from Amritsar Indian religious leaders Indian calligraphers Punjabi-language writers Sikh writers