Bhai Vir Singh.pdf - Vidhia.com

16/ Bhai Vir Singh
Sandhanwalia. Baba Sir Khem Singh Bedi, a descendant of
GuruNanakandKanwarBikramSinghofKapurthala,convened
a meetinginAmritsarin 1873. As a resultoftheirdeliberations.
a society underthe name of Singh Sabhawas formed. Among
other things. the Sabha undertook to (i) restore Sikhism to its
prtstinepurity; (ii) editandpublishhistoricalandreligious books;
(iii) propagatecurrentknowledge. usingPunjabias themedium,
and to start magazines and newspapers in Punjabi (iv) reform
andbringbackinto the Sikhfold the apostates; and (v) interest
the highlyplacedEnglishmen in, and ensuretheir association
with, the educational programme of the Sikhs.
The Singh Sabha gained quick support of the literate
sectionsofthe communityandmanySikhscholars andleaders
volunteered to join its ranks. A vigorous campaign was set
afoot. Two of its major thrusts were the depreciation of un­
Sikh customs and social evils, and the encouragement of
Western education. Progressive concern was as pronounced
as the revivalist impulse. Supporters of the Singh Sabha
initially met with strong opposition, especiallyinthe villages.
They were scorned and ridiculed for their so-called novel
ideas. An epigrammatic couplet satirizing their newfangled
enthusiasm became part of Punjabi folklore:
When the bam is emptied of grain.
What better can you do than tum a Singh Sabhia?
The reformist ideology percolated to the Sikh peasantry
primarily through soldiers serving in the army or those who
had retired. One of the regiments had constituted a choir of
reciters to go round the villages and sing the sacred hymns at
Singh Sabha congregations. The movement picked up
momentum and rocked the Punjab from one end to the other.
Besides thereligious andsocial reform, it broughtfresh leaven
to the intellectual and cultural life of the region. In this period
of fecundation, Punjabi literature made vigorous progress.
One of the founders of the Singh Sabha, Thakur Singh
Sandhanwalia (1837-18871. interested himself in the cause
of Maharaja Duleep Singh who had turned against the British
Government. Alienated andembittered,the deposedsoverign
Page 24 of 108