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BHAI LADHA SINGH JI OF FARIDKOT87during his last journey from home to funeral grounds, almost the whole<strong>of</strong> Faridkot town joined the last procession. This can tell the reader<strong>of</strong> his popularity among the masses. He had no <strong>of</strong>ficial authority, norpolitical power. He was only a Bhai Sahib, a venerated person in the<strong>Sikh</strong> tradition and culture, whom everybody admired and respected.There is a legend in our family that our ancestry goes up to BhaiJetha who was a devout <strong>Sikh</strong> in the Court <strong>of</strong> the fifth Master, and whowas among the five <strong>Sikh</strong>s who accompanied him on his last journeybefore martyrdom. Successors <strong>of</strong> Bhai Jetha remained devout <strong>Sikh</strong>s,and his great grandsons got the amrit pahul, and fought in the battles<strong>of</strong> Anandpur Sahib. Some <strong>of</strong> the successors later also participated inAnglo-<strong>Sikh</strong> wars. After the fall <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> Kingdom, the family whobelonged to Rohtas migrated to Jammu area & settled in Mirpur acrossthe Punjab border (now in Pak). <strong>Sikh</strong>s settled in Jammu & Kashmirhave always been a neglected minority, the affluent communities beingPandits and Dogras. Petty trading was the family business, butattachment to the Guru was always strong which carried us throughdifficult times. Bhai Sahib was born on 15th Vaisakh, 1940 BK andbrought up in these circumstance. He was the third <strong>of</strong> the four sons<strong>of</strong> Bhai Buta Singh. Not satisfied with the situation <strong>of</strong> difficulteconomic conditions <strong>of</strong> the family, as a young man, he started on hisway to Punjab along with his wife Bebe Har Kaur to explore betterprospects.He wanted to sharpen his talent as a ragi. His tour took him tovarious places including Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Khadoor Sahib andWazir Bhullar where he stayed for some time to improve his kirtanunder the famous Ragi Bhai Santa Singh. Here a daughter was born tothem. She grew up there and in her teens was engaged. Before hermarriage materialized she expired at a very young age. Their otherchildren also did not survive.He then moved to Ferozepur Cantt, and started kirtan parchar atthe Gurdwara where probably Raja Brijinder Singh <strong>of</strong> Faridkotappreciated his talent and invited him to the state.In Ferozepur, he came in touch with Bhai Takhat Singh, the head<strong>of</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> Kanya Maha Vidyala, the first <strong>Sikh</strong> Women’s educationalinstitution. Here his wife completed her middle level school educationwhile Bhai Sahib took the duties <strong>of</strong> a preacher and ragi <strong>of</strong> the Vidyala,
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