ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>BASANT SI&#7748GH PA&#7750&#7692IT (1868-1941)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="BASANT,SIDGH,PAF IT,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279BASANT SI&#7748GH, PA&#7750&#7692IT (1868-1941), eminent Nirmal&#257 scholar which status is betokened by the prefix <i>Pa&#7751&#7693it</i> (meaning a man of surpassing learning) added to his name, was born on 26 June 1868, the son of Bh&#257&#299 K&#257l&#257 Si&#7749gh of a Ja&#7789&#7789 Sikh family of &#7692hi&#7749gar&#299&#257&#7749 village, 3 km north of &#256dampur in Jalandhar district of the Punjab. Having served his apprenticeship with the head of the village <i>&#7693er&#257</i> or monastery, Basant Si&#7749gh left home at the age of 16 and went to Nirmal Pañch&#257yat&#299 <i>Akh&#257&#7771&#257</i>, premier institution of the Nirmal&#257s, at Kankhal, near Haridv&#257r in Uttar Pradesh, where he learnt Sanskrit and studied classical religious literature under Pa&#7751&#7693it D&#299v&#257n Si&#7749gh. Two other centres of learning where he studied were Amritsar and V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299. Ordained a missionary <i>s&#257dh&#363</i> of the Nirmal&#257 sect, he joined the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> at Th&#299kar&#299v&#257l&#257, in present-day Sa&#7749gr&#363r district of the Punjab. After the death of Pa&#7751&#7693it D&#299v&#257n Si&#7749gh in 1893, Basant Si&#7749gh became the head of the &#7788h&#299kar&#299v&#257l&#257 &#7692er&#257 at the comparatively young age of 25. Among his students at the seminary was the well-known Pa&#7751&#7693it Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh of D&#257kh&#257. He also wrote commentaries on Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib and the <i>Dasam Granth</i> which have remained unpublished. In 1901, he was appointed to impart religious instruction to the young Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, Bh&#363pinder Si&#7749gh. He continued to hold that position of royal tutor for a long time and taught many a young prince of the family, including its future ruler, Y&#257davinder Si&#7749gh. After his retirement from the state service he raised several new buildings for Nirmal&#257 monasteries, among them the &#7788h&#299kar&#299v&#257l&#257 &#7692er&#257, Sukdev Ku&#7789&#299 at Kankhal and Nirmal Anand Bhavan Niv&#257s at Rish&#299kesh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pa&#7751&#7693it Basant Si&#7749gh died at Kankhal on 28 June 1941.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Ga&#7751esh&#257 Si&#7749gh, Mahant, <i>Nirmal Bh&#363&#347an arth&#257t Itih&#257s Nirmal Bhekh</i>. Amritsar, n. d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Pr&#299tam Si&#7749gh ed. , <i>Nirmal Samprad&#257i</i>. Amritsar, n. d.<BR> <li class="C1">"Pa&#7751&#7693it Basant Si&#7749gh Number" of the weekly <i>Nirmal Pattar</i>. 26 June 1943<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gi&#257n&#299 Balwant Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>